Siheyuan: Mastery started in the 50s

Not long after, a familiar voice whispered outside the door: "Wang Qiang, it's me, Qin Huai."

Wang Qiang frowned, and was extremely alert. He did not respond immediately, but moved closer to the crack of the door. Through the dim light, he saw Qin Huai standing outside the door alone, with a strange smile on his face.

"Brother Wang, come out and talk?" Qin Huai's voice still carried that arrogant aura, but there seemed to be a hint of something strange in it.

Wang Qiang's heart was suddenly filled with alarm, but he also knew that hiding was not a solution. After a brief thought, he slowly opened the door and looked at Qin Huai calmly: "Brother Qin, it's so late, what's the matter?"

Qin Huai's mouth corners slightly raised, and his tone was light and fluttery: "It's nothing serious, I just want to talk to you. We all live in the same courtyard, so there must be an explanation, don't you think?"

Wang Qiang was secretly on guard, but on the surface he remained calm: "What does Brother Qin want to say?"

Qin Huai hadn't left yet, so he said a few perfunctory words and ignored him. Seeing this, Qin Huai's sinister smile gradually faded, revealing a hint of coldness. He snorted and walked away. Wang Qiang watched him leave, but he didn't feel relieved. Tonight's visit was just Qin Huai's hint: the storm is still brewing and has not reached its climax. There are many hidden forces behind Qin Huai, and he is still testing Wang Qiang's bottom line.

Thinking about these things, Wang Qiang decided to let down his guard against Qin Huai and not take the initiative to provoke trouble. He still had to deal with another matter - the matter of Xu Damao in the yard.

Xu Damao is another important figure in the courtyard. Although he is not as threatening as Qin Huai, he always likes to be clever and show off in front of others, but he does some insidious things behind the scenes, which makes people hate him. What makes Wang Qiang most difficult is that Xu Damao often colludes with Qin Huai and trips him up whenever he has the chance, as if there is some kind of tacit understanding between the two. This makes Wang Qiang have to be on guard.

Early that morning, Wang Qiang had just arrived at the yard to take care of his corn seedlings when he heard a commotion not far away. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xu Damao standing at the gate, directing several people to move things. He pointed and said proudly, "Be careful! These are new materials, and there can be no mistakes!"

Wang Qiang frowned. He always felt that Xu Damao liked to be mysterious. No matter what he did, he always wanted to make it known to everyone. Today, he was just moving some things, but Xu Damao acted like he was leading a major project.

He didn't say anything, just lowered his head and continued to do his own thing. But soon, he heard Xu Damao's voice coming towards him: "Hey, Wang Qiang, good morning! Are you farming? You have a really good skill. I didn't know you could do farm work."

Wang Qiang looked up and saw Xu Damao smiling, but with a hint of sarcasm. He calmly replied, "It's OK. I'm free anyway."

Xu Damao snorted, glanced at the corn seedlings planted by Wang Qiang, and said with a smile: "You have planted the land very well, but you know that the land in the yard belongs to everyone. You have occupied such a large area. I am afraid you should discuss it with everyone."

Wang Qiang was immediately displeased, but his face remained calm. He knew Xu Damao was deliberately looking for trouble, trying to use the excuse of the public use of the yard to suppress him. People like Xu Damao usually do some small things behind the scenes, but today he was so blatant, obviously trying to take the opportunity to stir up trouble.

"Brother Xu, there's not much use for this land anyway. I just want to grow some food so we can share it." Wang Qiang responded calmly, but there was no sign of weakness in his tone.

Seeing that he was neither humble nor arrogant, Xu Damao was a little annoyed, but he still smiled on the surface: "Your idea is good, but there is only so much land in the yard, you can't have the final say. Besides, if everyone wants to plant something, it's against the rules for you to occupy a piece of it alone."

Wang Qiang looked at Xu Damao coldly. He had expected that this man would not easily let go of any opportunity to suppress him. But Wang Qiang did not intend to back down. He knew that if he took a step back, he would lose more.

He stood up straight and said calmly: "Brother Xu, this land has been barren for so long and no one has used it. I don't want to monopolize it, but it's a pity to leave it idle, so I'll plant something. If everyone has any objections, we can sit down and discuss how to divide it."

The smile on Xu Damao's face froze for a moment. He obviously didn't expect Wang Qiang to be so tough, and even threw out the word "discussion", which made it difficult for him to continue to pester him. He wanted to take this opportunity to pressure Wang Qiang, but he didn't expect the other party to be so calm. Not only did he not back down, but he took the initiative to bring up the topic of "distribution".

Xu Damao squinted his eyes and looked at Wang Qiang for a moment, then suddenly laughed, with a bit of teasing in his tone: "Oh, Wang Qiang, it seems that you are really good at this. However, in our courtyard, we all believe in making money through harmony, so don't make everyone angry by doing this. Do you understand what I mean?"

Wang Qiang knew that Xu Damao was hinting that he should not challenge the "hidden rules" of the courtyard again, otherwise he would resort to other means. But Wang Qiang ignored his threat and smiled faintly: "Brother Xu, we are all neighbors, and no one wants to be unhappy. I still say that everyone can participate in farming, as long as the distribution is reasonable."

At this time, several people who were moving things nearby could not help but talk about it. Some whispered, "Wang Qiang is a very honest man. Planting some crops doesn't bother anyone. Xu Damao insisted on making trouble." Another one said, "That's right. This yard doesn't belong to Xu Damao's family either."

Xu Damao's face changed slightly when he heard these comments. Although he usually liked to put on airs, he knew in his heart that the people in the courtyard were not completely on his side. In today's confrontation, he did not gain any advantage, but was forced to lose face by Wang Qiang's calmness and tenacity.

He snorted coldly and said with a fake smile: "Well, since you said so, I won't bother to talk nonsense anymore. But, Wang Qiang, you must remember that I, Xu Damao, am not that easy to deal with."

Xu Damao said, and turned away. He was filled with anger, feeling that he had lost face in front of everyone today, and he had already made up his mind to find a chance to teach Wang Qiang a lesson.

Wang Qiang stood there, watching Xu Damao's back as he left, his eyes gradually becoming colder. He knew that although the confrontation today had temporarily subsided, Xu Damao, like Qin Huai, would not give up easily. These small people liked to use their power to suppress others and use the network of relationships in the courtyard to maintain their status, and he had to find a way to break this situation.