Siheyuan: A journey of mountains and rivers

"What are you doing? I am also a resident of this courtyard. Why are you driving me away?" Liu Lan's voice was sharp, with tears in the corners of her eyes, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

The neighbors in the yard gathered around in twos and threes, talking about it. He Yuzhu approached and saw that it was Liu Lan who was being naughty again. Liu Lan was a well-known "troublemaker" in the yard. She always borrowed money and things from the neighbors for various reasons, and there was almost no one who did not have disputes with her.

"Liu Lan, what's going on this time?" He Yuzhu asked calmly. He was no longer surprised by such things.

When Liu Lan saw He Yuzhu, a sly look flashed in her eyes, but she quickly returned to her pitiful look: "Brother Yuzhu, they said I owed them money and didn't pay it back, so they want to kick me out. But I don't have the money to pay them back, I can't make ends meet..."

He Yuzhu sneered in his heart. He had seen Liu Lan's tricks many times. Every time she borrowed money, she looked pitiful, but when it came time to pay it back, she would shirk it in every possible way, even throwing a tantrum.

"Liu Lan, you can't say that. We are all neighbors, and no one wants to drive you away. But you have to pay back the money you borrowed, right?" He Yuzhu's tone was calm, but there was a firmness in his voice that could not be ignored.

Liu Lan immediately screamed like a cat with its fur standing on end, "I just don't have any money! If you force me, I'll go to the street office and ask them to judge the matter!"

The crowd immediately exploded, some sympathized with Liu Lan, while others were disgusted by her rogue behavior. The usually quiet and peaceful atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became tense.

He Yuzhu frowned slightly and looked at Liu Lan coldly. He knew that if the matter was not resolved today, this trouble would continue to haunt everyone. He took a step forward and raised his voice a few degrees: "Liu Lan, we are not being ruthless, but you can't be so unreasonable. Since you said you have no money, we can help you find a solution, but you have to give an explanation."

Liu Lan was flustered when she saw He Yuzhu's firm attitude. She knew that He Yuzhu was highly respected in the courtyard. If he stood up against her, no one would speak for her. She rolled her eyes and came up with a plan. She suddenly knelt on the ground and cried, "Brother Yuzhu, I know I was wrong. But I really have no other choice. Please help me. I will definitely change in the future and never cheat again."

He Yuzhu looked at Liu Lan's exaggerated performance and snorted in his heart. This woman is like this, every time something gets out of hand, she pretends to be pitiful to gain sympathy, and then she goes back to her old ways once the matter is over.

"Liu Lan, you can't do this. Everyone is willing to help you, but you have to show sincerity. How about this, you write an IOU and write down the amount of money you owe, so that everyone has proof. You can pay it back slowly when you have money in the future. We are not heartless people." He Yuzhu proposed a compromise, hoping to temporarily calm the storm.

When Liu Lan saw He Yuzhu asking for the IOU, her face changed slightly, but she quickly returned to her pitiful look: "Okay, I'll write it, I'll write it." As she spoke, she took out paper and pen from her bag and began to write tremblingly.

He Yuzhu took the IOU, looked at it carefully, and nodded after confirming that it was correct: "Okay, since you wrote the IOU, we will trust you for now. I hope you can reform and not let us down again."

Liu Lan lowered her head and gritted her teeth. She knew it wouldn't be so easy to fool him this time, but she could only deal with it for now. She swore to herself that she would get back at him when she had the chance.

Things calmed down temporarily, and the people in the courtyard gradually dispersed, and each went home to do their own things. He Yuzhu looked at Liu Lan's back as she left, but he didn't feel relieved at all. He knew that this woman would not reform so easily. I'm afraid there will be many twists and turns in the days in the courtyard.

In the evening, the courtyard was bustling again, with neighbors sitting in the yard chatting in groups of three or four, and children playing and fighting in the yard. He Yuzhu sat on a stone bench, lit a cigarette, and watched all this silently. The courtyard is a small society, and everyone has his own role and responsibility. As the "kitchen god" of the courtyard, he not only has to cook well, but also has to maintain the harmony of the courtyard.

At this time, there was a sound of footsteps at the gate of the yard. He Yuzhu looked up and saw that it was Old Zhang from the Street Office. He walked in hurriedly with a hint of nervousness on his face.

"Yuzhu, it's bad. Liu Lan ran to the neighborhood office to complain, saying that people in our courtyard ganged up on her and forced her to write a promissory note. Look, people from the neighborhood office are coming to investigate the situation." Old Zhang said while panting.

He Yuzhu's heart sank when he heard this. This woman was indeed restless and actually went to complain. He extinguished his cigarette butt fiercely on the ground and stood up: "Old Zhang, don't worry, we are doing the right thing and are not afraid of investigation. It's just that we all have to work together to make things clear."

Old Zhang nodded, feeling a little relieved. He Yuzhu had a high reputation in the hospital, and with him on the scene, there would always be a proper solution.

Soon, the staff from the subdistrict office arrived, led by a young man in his thirties named Li Ming. He walked into the yard, saw everyone was there, and said straight to the point: "We received a report from Liu Lan, saying that the people in your yard ganged up on her and forced her to write an IOU. We are here to investigate, please cooperate."

He Yuzhu stepped forward and said with a smile, "Hello, Director Li. Things are not as Liu Lan said. We can explain it. We are all neighbors. We can talk it out nicely." He recounted what had happened in detail, including Liu Lan's usual behavior and this dispute.

Li Ming frowned after hearing this. He looked at Liu Lan and asked, "Liu Lan, is that so? Do you have anything to say?"

Seeing that things were not going well, Liu Lan immediately pretended to be pitiful and cried, "Director Li, I really have no other choice. What they said is not entirely false, but I really don't have the money to pay back. They forced me so much, and I had no choice but to file a complaint."

Li Ming pondered for a moment and turned to He Yuzhu: "Mr. He, do you think this will work? Since we are all neighbors, why don't we sit down and have a good talk and find a compromise."

He Yuzhu nodded: "Director Li, we have the same idea. Everyone hopes that the courtyard will be harmonious and no one wants to cause conflicts."

So, under the chairmanship of Li Ming, everyone sat together and started a mediation meeting between neighbors. He Yuzhu, on behalf of everyone, listed all of Liu Lan's usual behaviors one by one, with both witnesses and evidence. Liu Lan repeatedly emphasized that she was forced to do so and hoped that everyone would give her a chance.