Siheyuan, my new life

Seeing that his wife was still immersed in astonishment and could not come back to her senses for a while, Yi Zhonghai coughed dryly and reminded her: "Xiuqin, you must not spread what I told you. What others say is their own business. We must not interfere. Don't forget that I am the manager of No. 95 Siheyuan."

Aunt Xiuqin nodded seriously and agreed. She hesitated for a while before asking: "Liu Haizhong and Niu Erzhu did it themselves, but those other neighbors who joined in the fun are a bit like innocent people being affected by the fire. Haven't you ever thought about helping them? After all, they all live in the same courtyard and look pitiful. Those people are almost the pillars of their families. If they go to jail, how will their families survive?"

Yi Zhonghai shook his head helplessly and said, "As the manager of No. 95 Siheyuan, how could I just stand by and watch? I went out early this morning with the old lady on my back to find someone to help. Liu Haizhong and Niu Erzhu deserved their punishment. What the old lady and I meant was that those neighbors didn't do anything after all, they just followed to join in the fun, so we wanted to use our connections to see if we could get a lighter sentence."

Seeing his wife about to speak, knowing that she wanted to ask about the result of asking for help, he waved his hand and continued: "The old lady said that since this matter involves a deputy department-level leading cadre, Liu Haizhong's behavior is a slap in the face of those officials, so no one will intervene even if someone from the government department is asked. I carried the old lady to No. 58 Dongjiaomin Lane, which is the home of the famous Lou Bancheng."

Yi Zhonghai picked up the teacup and took a sip of wine before continuing: "The old lady went into Lou's house by herself, and I was waiting outside the door, so I didn't know what the old lady said to Lou Zhenhua. But after a while, the old lady came out and told me that Lou Zhenhua had agreed to help. He happened to have something to do today to go to the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill to find Deputy Director Yang Weimin, and mentioned this matter by the way. This is why I hurried back to find the old lady this afternoon. When I heard that Lou Zhenhua and Yang Weimin were arrested, I was worried that we would be implicated, so I immediately came back to discuss it with the old lady."

Aunt Xiuqin immediately asked anxiously after hearing this: "Zhonghai, will this matter implicate you?"

Yi Zhonghai shook his head: "The old lady said that we only thought of asking Lou Zhenhua for help because we felt sorry for those neighbors. The old lady and Lou Zhenhua only knew each other when Lou's Steel Rolling Mill rented this yard. There is no other relationship between them."

Aunt Xiuqin was relieved immediately. She patted her chest and said, "Zhonghai, don't do such thankless things in the future. When Niu Erzhu's wife and mother were talking about me today, the neighbors were watching and no one offered to help. Don't bother with their affairs anymore in the future."

A trace of anger flashed across Yi Zhonghai's face. He hummed, but in his heart he was thinking that when he had the chance in the future, he would definitely give those guys a good lesson.

The auntie suddenly remembered something and said quickly, "You were just angry. The old lady just said that you should go over after you finish your meal."

Yi Zhonghai knew that the old lady was most likely looking for him to inquire about what happened in the factory this afternoon, so he agreed and said, "I see. Don't be angry with those ungrateful guys. Eat quickly before the food gets cold."

After dinner, Yi Zhonghai lit a cigarette and walked out of the house with his hands behind his back.

It was now dinner time and everyone in the yard had gone home. Yi Zhonghai strolled into the backyard.

When he arrived at the door of the deaf old lady, he saw at a glance that the old lady was sitting at the eight-immortal table with a calm expression drinking tea. Yi Zhonghai walked into the door with a smile and said, "Old lady, you are drinking."

The deaf old lady put down her teacup and pointed to the chair opposite her: "Please sit down. I'll ask Xiuqin to ask you to come over and have some tea and chat with me." Then she picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai sat down at the eight-immortals table, picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, praising: "The tea here is really authentic, old lady." Then, without waiting for the old lady to ask, he recounted exactly what he had heard.

After listening to this, the deaf old lady took a sip of tea from the cup, and then slowly said: "Zhong Hai, you should pay more attention to the recent period. Only when Lou Zhenhua is shot can it be considered as a real past. Through this incident, I hope you will think more about what you do in the future. Some things that are beyond your ability must not be touched. If you hadn't repeatedly emphasized that it was for the stability of the courtyard in the future, how could the old lady care about such trivial matters? In the end, the matter was not accomplished, and you still have to live in fear?"

Yi Zhonghai touched his nose a little embarrassedly. He was also bewitched and just wanted to take the opportunity to show off in the courtyard. But who could have thought that Lou Zhenhua would be so bold and collude with Yang Weimin and others to steal and sell special steel. If the deaf old lady was implicated, then he would probably lose everything.

The deaf old lady did not continue to blame Yi Zhonghai, but said earnestly: "Some relationships and favors must be saved for critical moments. In this courtyard, from now on, apart from you, Xiuqin, and Zhuzi, I will no longer care about the life and death of others."

Hearing the deaf old lady mention Zhuzi, Yi Zhonghai quickly said: "Old lady, when I came back from get off work yesterday afternoon, I accidentally found that He Daqing and a young widow were very close. I have seen that young widow in our yard before. At that time, Liu Dali, a fifth-level fitter in our workshop, brought her to He Daqing to arrange for his cousin to work as a temporary worker in the kitchen of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. Out of curiosity, I followed them from a distance to see what was going on with these two people. Finally, I followed them to a small courtyard with a separate door and a single household in Jinyu Hutong. After they entered the door, I overheard the two of them having an affair at the back wall."

The deaf old lady showed a trace of anger on her face. She cursed in a low voice: "This dog can't change his bad habits. When he was young, he secretly went to the Eight Great Hutongs. Now he is still not restrained. If he is caught, wouldn't it be a burden to Zhuzi?"

Yi Zhonghai already knew about the relationship between the deaf old lady and He Yuzhu. Although he felt a little uncomfortable, he added fuel to the fire: "Old lady, these two people are not shy in front of others. There is no wall that is impenetrable in the world. It is estimated that sooner or later, others will know about it. Otherwise, you can just persuade He Daqing to break up with that young widow. I heard from Liu Dali that the White Widow has three sons in Baoding. If he continues to be entangled with the White Widow, I am afraid he will have to help the young widow raise her sons in the future."

The deaf old lady snorted heavily and cursed: "Madam, I have said it before. It's not that I don't allow He Daqing to marry again, but I will never allow other women to live in the house I gave to Zhuzi. If he married a girl with a clean family background, I would never stop him. At most, I would let him get a house outside and separate from Zhuzi. But he actually got together with a widow with three sons. If it gets out, it will definitely affect Zhuzi's reputation."

Yi Zhonghai glanced at the angry deaf old lady and said cautiously: "Old lady, how about I persuade He Daqing to find a way to break up with that White Widow?"

The deaf old lady hummed, picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea: "I'll leave this matter to you. You must handle it as soon as possible."

After Yi Zhonghai agreed, he sat with the deaf old lady for a while before saying goodbye and leaving.