Siheyuan: Buyers get rich from hunting

In the evening of that day, the setting sun was like a kind old man, gently caressing every inch of the courtyard with its soft and warm afterglow. The whole courtyard was dyed into a charming warm orange, as if it was covered with a gorgeous dress.

He Yuzhu hummed a cheerful tune and walked into the courtyard with light steps like a spring breeze. After experiencing a series of twists and turns, he felt particularly happy at the moment, thinking to himself: I have finally defeated Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong's conspiracy again, and now I can have a good rest for a while.

However, when he just stepped into the yard, his eyes inadvertently swept to the middle yard. He saw Xu Damao's face, which was not very good-looking to begin with, was now even more gloomy like a dark cloud. He and Liu Haizhong were sneaking together, lowering their heads and whispering. Looking at the way they looked, it was obvious that they were definitely planning something shameful and evil in secret.

He Yuzhu couldn't help but snort in his heart when he saw this, but his face didn't show any strange expression. He didn't intend to pay attention to these two people with ulterior motives at all, and just wanted to return to his room as soon as possible to avoid getting entangled with them too much. So, he continued to walk forward as if nothing had happened, looking straight ahead, and completely ignored Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong as if they were air.

But who would have thought that Xu Damao's eyes were quite sharp. Just when He Yuzhu was about to pass by them, he suddenly looked up as if he had discovered a new world, and saw He Yuzhu at a glance. Then, he opened his voice and shouted: "Hey, look who is this? Isn't this the famous and popular He Yuzhu in our factory! How about it, this time you are satisfied, right? Hey, look how proud you are!"

He Yuzhu was walking in a hurry, but suddenly he seemed to sense something and stopped abruptly. He slowly turned his head and shot his eyes at Xu Damao. There was a bit of teasing in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he responded with a smile: "I, He Yuzhu, have lived for so many years, and I have always been upright and upright! Everything I have is based on my real ability, which cannot be compared with those sneaky and crooked ways. Unlike some people, they are always thinking about how to use some despicable means to harm others, which is really disgusting!"

He Yuzhu's merciless words were like a sharp sword piercing Xu Damao's heart. Xu Damao was immediately furious, his face flushed red, and veins popped out on his forehead. He was about to rush forward to argue with He Yuzhu, swearing. At this critical moment, Liu Haizhong, who was standing nearby, was quick-witted and stepped in front of Xu Damao, grabbing his arm tightly.

Liu Haizhong had a stiff smile on his face, and said to He Yuzhu with a fake smile: "Zhuzi, look at what you said, it's a bit too harsh. We are all neighbors living in the same yard. We see each other every day. There is no need to be so unhappy over a small matter and hurt the harmony between each other, right?"

However, in the face of Liu Haizhong's persuasion, He Yuzhu just responded with a cold laugh. He crossed his arms, glanced at Liu Haizhong, and said sarcastically: "Second uncle, what you said is really interesting! Who was the first to have ulterior motives and deliberately want to calculate others and deliberately destroy this rare harmony? Don't you have any idea?"

Just when several people were at a stalemate, Yi Zhonghai, an old man, heard the noise coming from the yard and couldn't help but frown. He put down what he was doing and walked out of the house quickly. Seeing the tense scene in front of him, Yi Zhonghai asked in a deep voice: "What's going on? Why don't you talk to each other properly and make a fuss here? Can't you talk about the problem calmly?"

Xu Damao rushed to the uncle's side in two steps, just like a drowning man who suddenly grabbed a life-saving straw. He looked flattering, leaned forward slightly, and said to the uncle in an almost pleading tone: "Oh, uncle, you must do justice for me! According to the factory's regulations and comprehensive considerations, the number of places for our institute to participate in the exchange study should be given priority to those of us who have always performed well and worked diligently. But who would have thought that this idiot Zhu, who doesn't know where he learned some despicable tricks, actually squeezed out other comrades who had great hope of being selected!"

As Xu Damao spoke, he pretended to look pitiful and aggrieved, and from time to time he secretly glanced at the reactions of the people around him.

When He Yuzhu heard Xu Damao's words that turned black into white, his face instantly turned red with anger, veins popped out on his forehead, he widened his eyes, pointed at Xu Damao and shouted angrily: "Xu Damao, you dare to speak nonsense and slander me here! Let me tell you, I was able to get this precious opportunity to participate in the exchange and study, it is entirely due to my good record accumulated from working seriously on weekdays, plus the unanimous recognition and strong recommendation of many colleagues around me, it is not obtained through improper means as you said! But you and that second uncle who doesn't do his job all day, I don't know how many shady little tricks you have done behind the scenes, you know it in your hearts! Don't think you can hide it from everyone!"

At this time, the uncle had roughly understood what happened. He turned his head, stared at Liu Haizhong with a sharp gaze, and asked in a very serious expression: "Liu Haizhong, is what Damao just said true? I warn the two of you, in such an important matter related to the vital interests of comrades, absolutely no unhealthy tendencies or improper behavior are allowed! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"

Liu Haizhong's heart tightened when he was asked so suddenly by the old man. His originally calm expression instantly became a little flustered. He didn't dare to look the old man in the eye, but kept dodging around, stammering: "Lao Yi, this... How could this happen! It's really not! We are just concerned about the affairs of the factory and are normally concerned about the situation of this election. We absolutely don't have any other special thoughts or ideas. Please don't get me wrong!"

Just at this time, the third uncle Yan Bugui was seen walking slowly from a distance with a cane. This third uncle was famous for his love of joining in the fun and intervening in various things. As soon as he approached and listened to a few words of the arguments of the crowd, he couldn't wait to open his mouth and express his own opinions: "Hey, everyone, the factory's affairs are naturally handled and judged by the special people in the factory. What can we achieve by arguing in this yard, even if we argue until we are red in the face? Besides, Zhuzi was selected, which means that he must have his own unique strengths! So, you people should stop holding on to this matter!"

Xu Damao was already unhappy because Zhuzi was chosen. When he heard what Third Uncle said, he became even angrier. He yelled at Third Uncle with a displeased look on his face: "Hey! Third Uncle, why are you still speaking for him? Don't we have any fairness and justice in our courtyard? Why can Zhuzi be chosen, but I, Xu Damao, can't? There must be something fishy here!"

The third uncle glanced at Xu Damao and said slowly, "Fairness? Only if you are upright can you be qualified to talk about fairness. If you really feel dissatisfied, why don't you perform well in the factory and strive for the next opportunity?"

He Yuzhu secretly applauded after hearing what the three uncles said. He bowed to the three uncles and said, "Three uncles, you all know what kind of person I am, He Yuzhu. I just want to work honestly, but there are always people who can't stand my success and always want to trip me up. I'm not afraid. I'll just fight back when the enemy comes and block the water when the water comes."

Xu Damao was so angry that his face turned red, but he couldn't find any words to refute for a while. He could only glare at He Yuzhui fiercely, turned around and walked into the house, muttering as he walked: "Hmph, let's wait and see!" Seeing this, Liu Haizhong smiled awkwardly and followed Xu Damao into the house.

The uncle looked at the two men's backs, shook his head helplessly, and said to He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, don't bother with them. Prepare well for the exchange and study, and don't let the factory down." He Yuzhu nodded and said: "Uncle, don't worry, I know what's going on."

The confrontation in the courtyard had come to an end temporarily, but He Yuzhu knew that the fight with Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong was far from over, and he had to be extra careful in the days ahead. As the sun gradually set, the courtyard returned to its past state of seemingly calmness, but in fact, undercurrents were surging.

The days passed slowly, He Yuzhu went to work at the factory as usual, working harder and harder, thinking that he would improve his cooking skills after returning from the exchange and study. However, Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong did not stop, the resentment in their hearts grew like weeds, and they were always thinking of new revenge plans.

The factory was closed that day, and He Yuzhu slept in for a rare time. He got up at noon and planned to go to the yard to bask in the sun and wash the dirty clothes that had accumulated in the past few days. As soon as he brought the laundry basin to the yard, he saw Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong huddled together again, whispering to each other, and glancing at him from time to time. He Yuzhu's heart "slipped", knowing that the two must be up to something bad again, but he didn't show his fear and started to work on his own.

When Xu Damao saw He Yuzhu's calm look, he became angry and deliberately raised his voice and said, "Oh, this silly Zhu is quite leisurely. He is about to go out for exchange and study, but he doesn't know how to prepare in advance. He should not embarrass our factory when the time comes." He Yuzhu ignored him, rubbing his clothes in his hands, pretending not to hear.

Liu Haizhong fanned the flames and said, "Da Mao, he is a popular person in the factory now, how can he take us seriously? Maybe he wants to go out and get more experience, and then come back to suppress us." He Yuzhu couldn't help it after hearing this. He threw the clothes in his hand into the basin, stood up, and said to them, "I say, are you two done yet? You just know how to make fun of others all day long. If you have time to spare, you might as well think about how to do your job well."

Xu Damao sneered: "Humph, He Yuzhu, what are you so proud of? You haven't even started the exchange study yet. Who knows what might go wrong along the way. If you can't go, I don't think you can still smile." He Yuzhu frowned and his face became serious: "Xu Damao, what do you mean by that? I warn you, if you dare to do anything else, I won't let you go easily."

At this time, other neighbors in the yard also heard the noise and gathered around. The third uncle Yan Bugui poked his head out of the house and shouted, "They're quarreling again, day after day. Can't they just calm down for a while?" Then he walked over slowly.

Uncle Yi Zhonghai also came out and looked at the tense scene. He sighed and said, "We all live in the same courtyard, why can't we just get along? Damao, Zhuzi, the two of you should stop making trouble. If you have any conflicts, do you have to let the whole courtyard know about it?"

Xu Damao pretended to be aggrieved and said, "Uncle, I am doing this for the good of our factory. I am just worried that his temper will be exposed and bring discredit to the factory, but he got angry at me instead." He Yuzhu was so angry that he wanted to laugh, "Xu Damao, you are really good at confusing right and wrong. Don't think that everyone can't see the little thoughts in your heart. You just can't stand seeing me being well."

The third uncle smacked his lips and said, "I say, you two, you are all adults, don't be like children, fighting all the time. It's a good thing that Zhuzi wants to go for exchange and study. If Damao is not convinced, then show your true ability and fight for a chance next time. What's the point of making such a fuss in the courtyard?"

Xu Damao wanted to argue a few more words, but seeing the slightly dissatisfied eyes of the neighbors around him, he had to swallow his words. He glared at He Yuzhu, turned around and walked away, saying as he walked: "Hmph, let's ride the donkey to watch the opera - we'll see." Liu Haizhong also followed behind dejectedly.

He Yuzhu looked at their departing backs, shook his head helplessly, and said to the neighbors in the yard: "Dear uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters, I'm really sorry for disturbing everyone's peace. I have no choice but to do this." The neighbors expressed their understanding and advised him not to take it to heart and to prepare well for the exchange and study.

He Yuzhu knew that Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong would not give up. Although he had the upper hand in this confrontation, he had to be more cautious in the future. He secretly made up his mind that no matter what tricks the other party used, he would take them firmly and never let them succeed. However, he felt a little heavy in his heart. After all, who knew when this unpredictable calculation would come out again.

After that, every time He Yuzhu went out or came home, he kept his eyes more alert, always paying attention to the movements around him, for fear that Xu Damao and the others would do something weird again. The seemingly peaceful days in this courtyard continued amidst the undercurrent.