Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

Seeing that He Daqing remained obstinate, and with the surrounding neighbors beginning to whisper among themselves, Liu Haizhong immediately raised his voice and sternly rebuked him:

"He Daqing, stop making excuses!"

"You're planning to elope with a widow and have an affair, and you still have the nerve to say that?"

"You're disgracing our entire courtyard house!"

"I called everyone out today so that everyone would know about your shameful deeds!"

"Furthermore, regarding your indecent behavior, what do you all think we should do?"

These words were spoken.

The neighbors watching the play in the courtyard were all stunned.

All day long, everyone was guessing why He Daqing ran away, but no one expected it to be like this.

These days, neighbors have a strong sense of collective honor; otherwise, Yi Zhonghai wouldn't always use "collective honor" as an excuse to coerce others.

When his shameful secret was exposed in public, He Daqing's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

But now that things have come to this, he has let go.

He cursed in a defiant manner, as if he had given up entirely:

"Liu Haizhong, you're talking nonsense!"

"I don't have a wife, and Bai Cuihua is a widow. We're having a proper relationship; it's a mutual thing."

"How can you call it cheating?"

"Stop spouting nonsense and ruining my reputation!"

Despite saying that, He Daqing felt a little uneasy.

He was so focused on going with Widow Bai that he was just lusting after her body and lost his mind, completely neglecting his two children.

Yi Zhonghai had always regarded He Daqing as a potential threat to the hospital.

Now that he has revealed his true colors, it's only natural to seize the opportunity to kick him while he's down, saying in a heavy tone:

"Old He, that's where you're wrong."

"If it were a normal relationship, no one would say a word against you. You could have Bai Cuihua bring the child over, and the two families could live together as one. It's not like you can't afford to raise the child."

"But you secretly went to Shicheng with someone without telling Shazhu and Yushui. That's abandoning your family and being irresponsible!"

"To be fair, what you did went too far!"

Originally, Sha Zhu and He Yushui were stunned and at a loss after Liu Haizhong's words.

Now that Yi Zhonghai has said this...

Sha Zhu was alright, he just clenched his fists, but He Yushui couldn't hold back anymore.

The thought of almost becoming an orphan made her burst into tears.

The older women nearby rushed over, hugged the child, and gently comforted him.

Meanwhile, Xu Damao and his gang of bad boys squeezed next to Sha Zhu and said that his father was having an affair, and that no one wanted him or Yu Shui. Sha Zhu was so angry that he chased the boys all over the yard.

He Daqing was by nature a reckless and unruly person.

He felt he didn't owe Sha Zhu much—after all, Sha Zhu was an adult, still working, and able to support himself.

Seeing his youngest daughter, He Yushui, wiping away tears, he immediately felt a pang of guilt.

I stood there, stunned, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Seeing this, Liu Haizhong pressed his advantage, saying:

"He Daqing, stop standing there! Quickly give everyone a thorough self-criticism and admit your mistakes!"

He Daqing was naturally unwilling and stubbornly refused to bow his head.

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly became tense.

The neighbors surrounded He Daqing, pointing and gossiping.

Just then, Yan Bugui caught sight of Wang Anping standing by the courtyard wall watching the play, and a thought struck him—this kid has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and he's also an advanced individual recognized by the neighborhood committee, so his words carry weight.

So he cleared his throat and said loudly:

"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me!"

"This morning, the street work team came to present Wang Anping with an award. Everyone knows about this. Anping is an outstanding individual in the street. He is fair and knows how to act appropriately."

"Why don't we let Anping tell us how to handle this? What do you all think?"

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this, and then nodded in agreement.

After all, the advanced individuals are certified by the street, and their credibility is there, so it's reasonable to let them make the decisions.

Everyone turned to look at Wang Anping, wanting to hear what this young man would say.

Wang Anping did not expect Yan Bugui to push him out.

However, seeing the expectant looks on the neighbors' faces, he didn't refuse. He took two steps forward and said with a smile:

"Professor Yan truly lives up to his reputation as an intellectual in our department; his judgment is spot on."

"Since he recommended it."

"Then, as an advanced individual in this neighborhood, I'll say a few words."

As soon as he said that, many people around couldn't help but secretly roll their eyes—this kid is really not modest!

But then I thought about it again, and he wasn't wrong.

Since he captured the armed enemy agent and received a commendation from the neighborhood, the people in the compound have had a much better impression of him. Everyone knows that he is a capable and ruthless character.

Even He Daqing's eyes lit up as he looked at Wang Anping expectantly, wanting to hear what he had to say.

Wang Anping cleared his throat and continued:

"Master He is only forty years old this year. He lost his wife and wants to find a companion to live with again. This is only natural and there is nothing to criticize."

"Besides, the police didn't hold him accountable, which means this wasn't illegal at all."

These words struck a chord with He Daqing, who immediately slapped his thigh:

Yup!

The police haven't said anything, so why are you neighbors making such a fuss?

The onlookers exchanged puzzled glances, wondering why Wang Anping had suddenly spoken up for He Daqing.

Liu Haizhong was about to open his mouth to refute.

Wang Anping changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious:

"but--"

He paused, then glanced at the crowd:

"Just like what everyone just said."

"Although the plan didn't work out in the end, he did keep it a secret from the two children and intended to run away, which is morally reprehensible."

Everyone was completely confused: Which side is this kid on?

One minute they're helping He Daqing, the next they're saying he's wrong. What exactly do they want to do?

Seeing this, Wang Anping stopped beating around the bush and said directly:

"However, I think it's unnecessary to make Master He apologize and make a self-criticism in public. It would only make things worse and it wouldn't sound good if word got out."

"But this matter has indeed affected the reputation of our courtyard. Master He has to make an effort to give everyone an explanation."

"I think it would be better to do it this way."

"Master He set up two tables for a feast and treated all the neighbors in the neighborhood to a meal."

"We need to find a respectable excuse. Let's not say it's an apology; that would be too embarrassing."

"Shazhu and I are brothers. When we got married, we didn't have time to hold a banquet because of limited resources."

"If Master He doesn't mind, please treat me as a junior and host this belated wedding banquet for me. You can tell everyone it's to celebrate my marriage to Huai Ru. What do you all think?"

These words stunned everyone in the hospital.

The way he looked at Wang Anping was strangely indescribable—how could this kid have the nerve to say such a thing?

It all goes around in circles.

Does he want He Daqing to pay for his wedding banquet?

Liu Haizhong originally intended to use this incident to suppress He Daqing and establish his own authority, and didn't care about a meal at all. He immediately jumped out to oppose it.

"No!"

"Wang Anping, what do you mean by that?"

"Your marriage is your business, but He Daqing's infidelity and abandonment of his family are completely different matters. How can you conflate them?"

"I strongly disagree with this approach!"