Courtyard House: Is Xu Damao a childless man? Let me help.

Ye Jianchuan's proposal naturally received strong support from everyone again, and then Third Uncle stepped forward to add some details to the rules.

For example, what types of things are considered 'minor' and what types of things are considered 'major', and how many opportunities should be given to those who make mistakes to correct them.

After all these things were clearly distinguished, the plenary meeting officially came to an end.

Chapter 186 Digging a pit for Xu Damao, Second Uncle treats us to dinner!

The reason Ye Jianchuan made things so complicated was mainly to be on the safe side, as this stick was a really difficult point for him to handle.

If the thrush really has its eye on me and wants to steal my things, how should I deal with it?

Arresting him and treating him like a thief, sending him to a juvenile detention center? That doesn't seem right. After all, given his relationship with Qin Huairu, he can't just be so ruthless, can he?

But if we just let him get away with it, it won't work! Wouldn't that make me just like the silly Zhu in the original drama?

So once the rules are set, everything will be done according to the rules, and then even if others have any opinions, they won't be able to voice them.

That's one reason. The second reason is actually to target Xu Damao. The rules just now seemed to be fine, and they treated everyone equally.

However, when it comes to the chance to reform, everyone's 'opportunity' is different. Ye Jianchuan directly upheld justice by using Sha Zhu as a typical example.

They used Sha Zhu's previous "chicken-stealing" incident as an example, and then had Uncle San directly mark Sha Zhu with a note.

In other words, if everyone else has two chances to reform, then Sha Zhu only has one chance left.

So... why use Sha Zhu as the scapegoat? Well, it's so that the others who get stabbed won't have a reason to do so!

The second person to be stabbed was naturally Jia Zhangshi. However, since Jia Zhangshi's case was ultimately classified as a civil case, it was just like the previous case with Sha Zhu – a simple stroke of the pen and that was it.

But when it came to Xu Damao, Ye Jianchuan was much less polite. He first brought up the first time he caught Xu Damao in the act of adultery, and then brought people to search his home.

In addition, he also talked about how he smashed his own door lock with a brick, which later hit Grandpa Yi, how his house was ransacked and he was arrested by the steel mill, and even how Sha Zhu stole chickens because he was gossiping. He brought all of this up and talked about it.

After everyone categorized these matters into three groups, their gazes towards Xu Damao changed. In the end, they all agreed that these "major and minor incidents" would be counted as "three matters" for Xu Damao.

Or rather, it could be interpreted as giving him 'three chances to reform,' meaning... if we calculate based on the assumption that each person only has two chances to reform, Xu Damao has already used up all his chances, and may even have overdrawn them!

That's why Xu Damao didn't attend the academy-wide meeting today, but instead took the movie projection equipment to the countryside. Otherwise, Xu Damao probably would have jumped up and fought Ye Jianchuan on the spot.

There was a reason why Ye Jianchuan targeted Xu Damao. He could still keep track of the others and knew their weaknesses. With a little targeting, they weren't that difficult to deal with.

But Xu Damao was different. This guy was cunning, treacherous, and ruthless. Lou Xiao'e had been his wife for many years, but what happened? Not long after the divorce, he turned around and reported her to the authorities.

In the original drama, Second Master had become a minor official, but in the end, Xu Damao used underhanded tricks to get rid of him.

Therefore, Ye Jianchuan felt he had to be ruthless with Xu Damao, at least to let Xu Damao know that he had 'no chance' left in this courtyard.

This will make him more cautious in his future actions, so that he won't cause any more trouble.

After settling these matters, Ye Jianchuan didn't have time to rest, because Uncle Er was already eager to hold a 'victory celebration banquet'.

For Uncle Er, this was indeed a double blessing. First, in terms of work, Uncle Er was successfully promoted to team leader.

Although this group leader position wasn't exactly an 'official position' for either Ye Jianchuan or Sha Zhu.

But Uncle Er was the kind of guy who treated even the stewards in the courtyard like officials, so being able to become a group leader made him very happy.

Of course, what made him even happier was that he, Liu Haizhong, would finally get to sit in the position of 'head of the household' in this courtyard.

Having schemed against Yi Zhonghai in this courtyard for so long, Liu Haizhong was always the one who suffered the most setbacks. Now, it's like fortunes have turned around!

For this reason, after the general meeting, Second Uncle didn't even wait for everyone to go home. He directly grabbed Ye Jianchuan, Sha Zhu, and Third Uncle and said that he would treat them to dinner today!

Since someone was inviting him to dinner, Ye Jianchuan naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony. Although Sha Zhu and Third Uncle were still reluctant to have too much contact with Second Uncle, they readily agreed at Ye Jianchuan's prompting.

They could tell that Ye Jianchuan was on Second Uncle's side today, although they weren't quite sure why.

But in the end, both of them can be considered beneficiaries of today's events. It's alright for Third Uncle; he just changed his title to Second Uncle, which is only a change in name, but there's not much difference in reality.

As for Sha Zhu, he was directly promoted to the head steward of the courtyard. Although Sha Zhu still felt that the head steward of the courtyard was useless, at least it was something to be proud of!

And so, the three stewards of the courtyard, along with Ye Jianchuan, the most respected man in the courtyard, happily enjoyed a good meal together.

Although this old man is indeed a bit stingy with his son, and would beat him up for eating an extra bite of scrambled eggs, he is actually not short of money at all.

Come to think of it, even though he has several children to support, he still earns seventy-seven yuan a month!

So this time, Uncle Er was very generous in entertaining his "distinguished guest," bringing half a roasted chicken, a pound of pork, and four or five eggs to Ye Jianchuan's house.

Seeing such abundant ingredients, Sha Zhu decisively took on the role of cook. In addition, Ye Jianchuan added a few other dishes, and Uncle San and Sha Zhu each brought over a bottle of wine. This meal could be considered a grand feast.

I wonder what these two "good sons" of Uncle Er are thinking when they see their father being so generous to strangers?

Chapter 187 The Difficulties of Third Uncle's Family, the Troubles of Second Uncle's Family

Actually, it was said that Uncle Er was treating everyone, but in the end, everyone still gathered at Ye Jianchuan's house. There was no other way, since of the four people present, only Ye Jianchuan was not yet married.

Although Ye Jianchuan and He Yushui are now dating, they haven't registered their marriage yet, and they don't live together. So, Ye Jianchuan is currently living alone at home.

As for Qin Huairu? Let alone that they have no idea that Ye Jianchuan and Qin Huairu have something going on, even if they did notice something, they would probably just laugh it off.

After all, in their eyes, Ye Jianchuan was a pure and simple 'good person'!

Not long after, the meal was prepared by the professional chef Sha Zhu. Because Uncle Er was present, Sha Zhu and Uncle San were still somewhat reserved and did not speak.

Instead, Ye Jianchuan took the initiative to start a conversation: "Third Uncle, you should know that the house I bought in the Central Court is now uninhabited, right?"

Uncle San picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, then nodded. "I know, isn't this what you said last time? Lou Xiao'e moved away! What? No one lives in your house anymore, so you want to sell it again?"

"Hey, you should have known better. You shouldn't have helped Lou Xiao'e in the first place. She had no regrets; she could have left whenever she wanted. And before she left, 217 kept pressuring you to exchange the money and even took your radio. What a waste!"

The reason why Uncle San said that was partly to 'speak up for' Ye Jianchuan, but more than that, he was actually reluctant to part with that radio!

Since I have such a good relationship with Ye Jianchuan, and my school is currently on holiday, if the radio is still available, I can borrow it to listen to music since I don't usually go out.

However, Ye Jianchuan didn't want to dwell on this issue too much. After all, among all the residents of the courtyard, only Ye Jianchuan knew that Lou Xiao'e had her reasons for leaving.

So Ye Jianchuan said directly, "Hey, stop talking. Sister Xiao'e actually had her own family troubles and was forced to leave. Let's get back to the house issue."

I took a look at this house, and it's about the same size as the one I'm living in now. Do you think your eldest son and daughter-in-law are interested?

Seeing that there are so many people in your family, it's indeed inconvenient to squeeze into two rooms. I won't ask for more; I'll rent the other room to you for just two yuan a month!

Ye Jianchuan didn't suggest giving the house directly to Third Uncle because he knew it was best to think things through. If it was supposed to be free, Yan Jiecheng might eventually come to believe it was a gift.

Ye Jianchuan now trusts his third uncle's character more, but as for his third uncle's sons... although the family seems harmonious now, Ye Jianchuan can't rest easy knowing about their past behavior in the drama!

Besides, a room like this would usually cost three or four yuan a month outside, so Ye Jianchuan only asked for two yuan a month, which is already considered giving Third Uncle face.

When Third Uncle heard Ye Jianchuan's words, he was visibly stunned for a moment, and then lowered his head to think.

Their family is large but their house is small, so they all squeeze together to sleep at night, and this has been going on for more than just a day or two.

Especially after the eldest son got married, they had to partition off a small room for the young couple, making the house even more cramped.

If we wait another two or three years, the second son will also need to start looking for a wife, and there really won't be enough room in the house. So, having the eldest son and his wife move out is a good option.

"Jianchuan, your house is quite big, almost the same size as mine. If you were to rent it out... even Jiecheng and Yuli wouldn't be able to fit it all in."

Well, Uncle San's stingy temper hasn't changed; he still feels that renting such a house for his son is a bit of a 'luxury'.

But before Ye Jianchuan could say anything, Sha Zhu spoke up first, "Hey! What's the big deal? There are two people now, but in a year or two, it won't be just two people anymore!"

Right now, your whole family is crammed into the room, making it inconvenient for them. But once they move out, your grandchild will be a piece of cake!

Sha Zhu's words immediately made the four men present laugh, and Third Uncle's little 'old problem' was instantly cured.

"Alright! For the sake of our Yan family having a grandson, I'll rent this house for them! But I still need to go back and discuss it with them. Let's do it tomorrow. Whether they want to rent it or not, I'll give you a definite answer!"

Using this topic as a starting point, Uncle Er's conversation flowed like a floodgate opening, and he couldn't stop talking for a moment.

"Old Yan! Your family is so much better! Your eldest son is by your side, and he'll be able to hold his grandson soon. We're all on the same side, and our children are about the same age. But my eldest son..."

Just as Uncle Er was about to talk about his eldest son, Uncle San immediately changed the subject, because once the topic started, Uncle Er probably wouldn't be able to stop talking.

"Old Liu, don't think like that. Aren't your Guangtian and Guangfu doing great now? They're obedient, filial, and live with you. It won't be long before they're able to share the burden with you!"

Mentioning Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, Uncle Er perked up again, turning to Ye Jianchuan, "By the way, speaking of Guangtian, he told me... he doesn't want to continue studying."

He wanted me to help him find a job. I saw that his grades weren't going to improve much if he continued studying, so I agreed.

But when I asked our workshop director today, he said that the number of workstations in the steel rolling mill is limited, and he couldn't arrange for anyone to be assigned there.

Jianchuan, you're so resourceful! Could you perhaps think of a way to help arrange work for Guangtian?

Ye Jianchuan frowned after hearing what Uncle Er said. Ye Jianchuan was actually capable of arranging the work.

After all, Ye Jianchuan is still quite influential in the food factory. Although he is only the deputy director of the workshop, there are still many "leaders" above him.

However, everyone knows that Ye Jianchuan is a favorite of Director Zhou, so they are all willing to give Ye Jianchuan face. In addition, besides the food factory, Ye Jianchuan also has connections in the clothing factory and the machine repair factory.

So, if it's just a matter of simply arranging a job for a junior colleague, it really wouldn't be a problem for Ye Jianchuan.

Chapter 188 The Slow-Reacting Silly Pillar

But the problem is... even if Ye Jianchuan were to arrange jobs, he would definitely prioritize arranging jobs for Yan Jiefang, the second son of Third Uncle's family!

As for your third uncle... Although we're eating at the same table now, the bond between us as allies is probably not as strong as the relationship between the eighteen warlords.

Ye Jianchuan felt that such "allies" were not worth his trouble to help. Besides, with your son's attitude, would they remember your kindness after I helped them?

I doubt it. In the original series, after the second uncle fell ill, the two sons took a huge amount of the family's belongings and ran away.

Only a fool would rush to help someone as ungrateful as Jia Zhangshi!

So Ye Jianchuan put on a troubled expression and said, "Uncle, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I really don't have any good ideas right now."

If it had been two months earlier, I could have helped you find a good job, because at that time our factory had a new workshop, which suddenly created dozens of extra workstations.

The time when we arranged for Sister Qin to start working there just happened to coincide with this period.

"But as you know, we are a food factory. The factory I work in only has five workshops, each with a few dozen people. With some miscellaneous staff, the whole factory only has a few hundred people."

With a factory employing several hundred people, there are relatively few job openings to begin with. Food factories are highly sought-after, and whenever there's an opening, a leader might snatch it up and assign it to a family member before the factory even has a chance to make an offer.

So although I may appear to be a deputy workshop director, my words don't really carry much weight. You could pick any ordinary worker in our factory, and they might just be a relative of some high-ranking official.