Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

Xu Damao laughed, parked his bicycle against the wall, and prepared to listen to what Yan Bugui had to say to him.

"Da Mao, look, isn't the Spring Festival coming soon? You also knew that Yi Zhonghai, for the sake of his own reputation, asked me to write Spring Festival couplets for the people in our yard for free..." Yan Bugui seemed to be hesitant to speak when he said this.

"I know this. Teacher Yan agreed very readily at that time," Xu Damao interrupted.

"Da Mao, you don't know that every Spring Festival, I write Spring Festival couplets at the gate of the compound. Residents from several nearby courtyards also bring red paper for me to write, but they all pay for it. It's real money." Yan Bugui said with regret: "Even if their family conditions are not very good, they will give something."

"Look around our yard. Not to mention money, there are very few people who come here to bring things. Even if they do, it's just a handful of melon seeds or a few dates." When Yan Bugui said this, his tone became a little low, as if he was dissatisfied with the behavior of the people in the yard.

"What will the people in other courtyards think of this? Whether they take money or things, they take more than the people in our courtyard." Yan Bugui said with a worried look on his face.

"And some of them have come to our hospital to inquire."

"Oh, you asked about this too. What did you find out?" Xu Damao asked with interest.

"Yi Zhonghai and his apprentice were there at the time. Both of them are not good people!" Yan Bugui said with gritted teeth.

"Oh, what did they say?" Xu Damao asked curiously.

"Alas... I don't know if this guy Yi Zhonghai is targeting me on purpose. He said that people in our yard don't charge me for asking me to write Spring Festival couplets. If they want to give me something as a token of my appreciation, it's fine. But if they don't want to, it's okay too." Yan Bugui sighed and said to Xu Damao helplessly.

"He also said this was his arrangement!" added the third uncle.

Xu Damao was furious when he heard this: "Yi Zhonghai, knowing that this would affect your income, still did this. He has ulterior motives!"

"That's right. Now people from other courtyards think that people in our courtyard are stingy and are not even willing to spend money to buy Spring Festival couplets."

Yan Bugui looked angry on the surface, but he was secretly complaining in his heart: People from other courtyards came to him with red paper to write Spring Festival couplets. If they didn't bring some money or things in exchange, what would he do...

After all, he was the head of the courtyard, and it would not look good to refuse directly, but Yan Bugui would not be happy if he wrote Spring Festival couplets for others for nothing...

"This Yi Zhonghai is so cunning! He tries to be a good person but puts others in trouble." Xu Damao frowned and echoed indignantly, but he was thinking in his heart that Yi Zhonghai, an old military commander, is really good at establishing the image of the Lord of Morality... At the same time, he was secretly guessing the real purpose of Yan Bugui looking for him.

"Teacher Yan, what exactly do you mean?" Xu Damao looked at Yan Bugui thoughtfully, and he had already guessed something in his mind.

"I need your help, Damao. After all, we have a deep friendship and have done business together several times." Yan Bugui looked at Xu Damao with a smile, a cunning gleam in his eyes, just like an old fox.

"Hehe, I understand. When it's time for you, Teacher Yan, to write the Spring Festival couplets, I will come out first, holding two pounds of fat meat and asking you to write for me. I'll just do it as a sample and see if those people behind you who have nothing to write for you will be embarrassed!"

A smile appeared on Xu Damao's lips, and his eyes flashed with a cunning light, as if he had already seen the embarrassed expressions of others.

This is exactly what Yan Bugui was thinking. He wanted Xu Damao to show his status and value in this way.

However, Yan Bugui seemed a little hesitant and embarrassed. He shook his head and said, "No, no, no! Two catties of fat meat, this is too much. One catty... no, half a catty will be enough."

Seeing this, Xu Damao immediately showed a nonchalant look and said with a smile: "It's okay, Teacher Yan. Please ask Teacher Yan to write the Spring Festival couplets. I can still afford the two pounds of fat meat."

Xu Damao deliberately acted like a wealthy man, as if he didn't take this little thing seriously at all.

Hearing this, Yan Bugui quickly waved his hands and explained, "Ahem... Damao, that's not what I meant. I just wanted me to write Spring Festival couplets without using such good things. It's a bit too much... We don't need to be so deliberate, you know."

There was a hint of embarrassment on his face, and he was obviously a little uneasy about Xu Damao's proposal.

After all, if this were to get out, it might cause dissatisfaction and disgust among other people, especially if Yi Zhonghai knew about it. He would definitely condemn him from a moral high ground, and it would not be in line with his usual principles in dealing with people.

Yan Bugui felt a little embarrassed and thought: What if Xu Damao takes out two pounds of fat meat and asks him to write on it? The people queuing behind me will be scared away when they see this, and I will suffer a great loss then.

Besides, there is an old guy who writes good calligraphy not far away. These people can then ask him to write Spring Festival couplets. They probably won’t ask them for help in the future. That would be a big loss.

"I understand, Teacher Yan. I will know how to take what I want when the time comes. It's not realistic for me to take meat. During the New Year in our factory, each worker will be given at most two kilograms of meat. So, I will take two kilograms of peanuts with skin. What do you think?" Xu Damao looked at Yan Bugui and said seriously.

"Okay, peanuts are a good thing, so it's settled. Damao, if you do me this favor, I'll give you a bottle of good wine afterwards!" Yan Bugui nodded with satisfaction when he heard Xu Damao's words, a smile appeared on his face, and he said to Xu Damao.

"Thank you very much, Teacher Yan, for the good wine. It's settled now. I'll go back first!" Xu Damao smiled and waved to Yan Bugui, then turned around and left pushing his bicycle.

After returning home, Xu Damao locked the door and entered his personal space. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the area inside had almost doubled. The first pond had become a small lake, and the second pond was about ten acres in size.

As for the planting area, it has basically expanded by two times. Looking at the neat farmland and thriving crops, Xu Damao felt a little excited.

Then he came to the ranch, where he raised various livestock and poultry.

Now there are almost a thousand chickens, ducks and geese in the pasture. They are running and playing happily on the pasture, as if showing their health and vitality to their owners.