The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Yang Dalin quickly interjected, "Everyone, don't worry. We can't just randomly choose a godfather. I don't even know where the child's godmother is yet."

As he said this, Yang Dalin glanced at Qi Yanhua.

Her delicate pink face immediately turned red.

Yang Dalin turned his face back and said, "So, I'm still young, and I really can't let the child recognize a godfather. There's really no need for everyone to be so polite. In the future, we can visit each other more often."

Children are the future; only when the children return will it truly be real.

Also, everyone, please take all the things you brought back home. We won't keep the things; we'll just get to know the children and their parents.

The old man in the Zhongshan suit said directly, "No, that won't do. The things are to thank you. It was all contributed by everyone. People should be grateful and repay kindness. Comrade Yang and Comrade Qi saved the child's life. It's nothing to accept some things."

You're not an official, and you don't have any power, so why are you afraid of accepting gifts? This is a thank-you gift.

Everyone agrees, right?

People inside and outside shouted in unison, "Yes..."

Good heavens, is this old man some kind of political cadre? He even knows how to manipulate public opinion and use everyone to pressure him.

Yang Dalin looked helplessly at the old man, who in turn looked at Yang Dalin with a sly expression, as if to say, "You have no choice but to accept it."

The two people stared at each other, their eyes wide open.

Yang Dalin, still helpless, gave up and gestured for everyone to be quiet: "We appreciate everyone's kindness, but really, we can't accept it."

The old man in the Zhongshan suit said again, "Young Yang, please don't refuse. We all think this is too little. During the difficult times for the country, no single family could afford so much. It was all contributed by everyone. I understand your good intentions, and you should also appreciate ours. Otherwise, we would feel really uneasy. It would be unacceptable if we didn't show any appreciation after saving a child's life."

"If you don't accept it, then I'll continue to have the kids recognize you as their godfather, and they'll be filial to you when they grow up, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Dalin glanced at Grandpa Qi, who was even more embarrassed than himself. Grandpa Qi remained silent, leaving everything to Yang Dalin's discretion.

Yang Dalin glanced at Aunt Qi again, who looked at him with a gratified expression, as if she was completely at his mercy.

Yang Dalin also noticed the cunning look in the old man's Zhongshan suit.

This is also a master of moral blackmail, but it benefits Yang Dalin, making it far more sophisticated than Yi Zhonghai's approach.

Seeing such a large group of people gathered around, and realizing that he hadn't even started cooking dinner yet, Yang Dalin felt it wasn't a good idea.

He forced himself to say, "Let's forget about having a godfather. From now on, let them call me uncle."

The children recognized Grandpa Qi as their godfather.

"We'll accept these things. Once we've accepted them, they're ours. How I use them is entirely up to you, okay?"

The elderly man in the Zhongshan suit and several other parents exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

Then the old man in the Zhongshan suit looked around and, seeing that no one had any objections, said, "Alright, the things are yours. Use them however you want. I have no objection to recognizing Brother Qi as the children's godfather. Does anyone else have any objections? If no one has any objections, let the children kowtow to Brother Qi."

None of the children's parents objected, and it was clear that the children were about to kowtow to Grandpa Qi.

Grandpa Qi quickly stepped forward, flustered and unsure of what to say. He waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No need, no need. As long as the children are all well, that's enough. I didn't help much. It was mainly Dalin who discovered it, and he was the one who led the way. I just called the police; I didn't do much."

There's no need for us to become godparents; really, it's inappropriate.

Qi Baogen knew in his heart that Dalin was a good kid, mentioning him in every sentence, but he knew what was wrong with himself.

They have made contributions, but not many. The neighborhood committee gave them a lot of rewards last time, and it's clear that all these kids come from well-off families.

Because of my lowly status, it will be much easier for me to interact with others in the future.

For example, if someone becomes a godfather and comes to visit, it will be difficult for the person to even provide a decent meal.

In a sense, I have self-awareness. I didn't even acknowledge Da Lin as my godfather, which is really not good, since my contributions are not as great as Da Lin's.

So Grandpa Qi looked at Yang Dalin with a pleading expression, and Yang Dalin saw Grandpa Qi's embarrassment.

They then came to Grandpa Qi's rescue, saying, "How about this, children, don't kowtow. Just bow to Grandpa Qi and call him Grandpa Qi. Let's not make things difficult for Grandpa Qi, okay?"

The old man in the Zhongshan suit saw that Qi Baogen was indeed in a very awkward situation, not good with words, and was an honest and simple man.

So he agreed, exchanged glances with everyone, and said, "Okay, let's do as Comrade Xiao Yang says."

Then the seven boys, the youngest of whom was only three years old, all bowed to Grandpa Qi.

This made Grandpa Qi so satisfied that his eyes welled up with tears.

The little ones surrounded Grandpa Qi, calling him "Grandpa Qi," which made Grandpa Qi extremely happy.

Once Yang Dalin had resolved one issue, he brought up the matter of the gift again.

"Listen to me one more time, everyone. We've accepted the gifts. As I just said, the gifts are ours now, and I can use them however I want."

"In that case, I'll return these gifts to the children. Consider them gifts from Grandpa Qi and me, their uncle. Whoever brought what, they can take it back later. Don't refuse them; it's a token of our appreciation."

The onlookers and the children's parents were thinking to themselves, "Holy crap, is this even possible?"

Everyone was completely taken aback by Yang Dalin's outrageous move.

The children's parents also disagreed. The old man in the Zhongshan suit grabbed Yang Dalin's hand again and said, "Comrade Yang, no, Dalinzi, right? Dalinzi, it's good that you're using our money to give back to us, but you can't do it like this. We came here to thank you. If we take it back exactly as it is, what will others think of us? They'll think we don't know how to repay kindness and don't even give a gift. Since we've taken it back, we won't take it back. As long as you don't give it back to us, you can do whatever you want with it."

Other parents chimed in, "That's right, Dalinzi, don't send it back. Seriously, who takes a gift and then returns it exactly as it was? If we really take it back, the neighbors will think we're really reluctant to part with the gift. What will they think of us? Just accept it."

Don't refuse.

Yang Dalin also wanted to accept them, but there were too many gifts. Each family prepared four gifts, so four times seven equals twenty-eight, and double that would be fifty-six gifts.

Didn't you see that there wasn't enough room on the table? There were even more crammed next to the table.

Yang Dalin saw that everyone genuinely wanted to give, and it wouldn't look good to refuse.

He suggested that each family keep one gift and donate the rest to the neighborhood on behalf of the families.

Let the neighborhood committee deliver them to the families of the martyrs in the neighborhood; that should do the trick.

Two of the children's parents were wearing military uniforms.

It's just that the old man in the Zhongshan suit is probably older and holds a higher position, so he's always the one speaking on behalf of everyone. This time, the two parents in military uniforms spoke up directly, indicating their agreement.