Siheyuan: Breaking up with Shazhu at the beginning

17

"Third Master, with your body shape, even if you let go of your appetite, it won't be much more than this." Yang Jun knew what was going on, so he said, "We two can have more than just this one meal. How about Brother Zhuzi prepare two delicious dishes for you some other day?"

"Junzi, you're so thoughtful!"

The Third Master narrowed his eyes and gave Yang Jun a thumbs up.

When Sha Zhu heard the conversation between Yang Jun and the Third Master, he turned his head and looked towards Jia Zhang's house across the street.

"Old Jia, Old Third, you two are about character, and you can't just give a melon seed to someone like you, Third Uncle." Sha Zhu hinted that it was he who invited everyone here today, and it was not Jia Zhang who could eat and drink for free. At the same time, he also teased the Third Uncle.

"Hey, you are such a fool. Xiaojun's new bicycle is nothing like the broken thing I accumulated. It's great that you have a stutter." The third uncle blushed when he heard Shazhu's sarcasm, and quickly found a way to save face: "Okay, I'm a little poor.

"

"After all, Third Uncle, can't you be more generous?

"Shazhu said jokingly.

The group of people laughed and chatted, and soon all the materials were prepared.

---

[Second Aunt and Third Aunt began to roll out white flour buns. They changed their usual lifestyle and started eating big buns made with the five kilograms of flour. This idea came from Yang Jun's instructions.

At this time, the sun was setting and the residents of the yard were returning home one after another.

When Yang Liu came back from school, Yang Jun told her that she didn't need to tell Wang Yuying to cook, because their food was already prepared and she could just bring it over.

At the same time, Yang Jun also saw the fourth child returning from school, and her attitude towards the eldest child became different.

"As the eldest brother, you don't even let me, your biological sister, eat with you. Am I considered a member of your family?"

"Humph!"

Dissatisfied Yang Laosi rolled his eyes and went home angrily.

When he met his second brother Liu Haizhong, who also came home covered in grease, Yang Jun handed him a cigarette and announced to him again the dinner plan for tonight.

Liu Haizhong was very concerned about his reputation and valued other people's kindness more than money. After hearing what Yang Jun said, he smiled and promised that there was no problem and he would go home to change his clothes and come back.

Seeing that everyone was there, Sha Zhu began to heat up the pan...

---

At Uncle Yi Zhonghai’s home:

"Boss, did Junzi ask you to have dinner with him today?" The old lady asked Yi Zhonghai who was off work as soon as she entered the door.

“I saw my second and third brothers went to help, but I didn’t hear that Junzi invited me, so I didn’t dare to go rashly.

"Yi Zhonghai's face darkened, and he glanced at the people who were preparing to eat at Sha Zhu's house, and said unhappily:

“No invitation, no greeting.

"

He felt quite aggrieved about being ignored.

Both the second and third brothers were invited, but he was not included in the invitation list, which was clearly a disregard for his existence.

"What do you mean? You don't take me seriously at all!" In his opinion, Yang Jun's behavior was not just a matter of face, but also a severe trampling on his dignity.

This is more than just a confrontation; it is a challenge to the bottom line of his authority.

"Old man, do you think Xiaojun knew about the incident involving Yang Mei and deliberately suppressed her over the years? Did he come back to make things difficult for you?" his wife asked him tentatively.

"How is this possible? I don't have such obvious intentions, right?" he pondered, but he remembered Yang Mei's familiar back during the year-end assessment and the current banquet incident, and he began to doubt in his heart that the familiar figure was indeed Yang Jun.

Thinking of the key links in this matter, Yi Zhonghai could hardly hide his regret.

"I originally suppressed Yang Mei because I hoped she would honor us like Hui Ru did, but who could have expected that Yang Jun, who had not returned for many years, would suddenly come back. Alas, things are unpredictable."

"Old man, do you think Yang Jun will deliberately make trouble with me in the future?"

"Make trouble? He dares?" Yi Zhonghai was furious when he heard this, and slammed the table to guarantee: "His cadre status in the factory is judged by the officials, but he has to obey me as the master in our courtyard." After that, there was another silence... ...

In Shazhu's home, someone proposed:

"Junzi, why don't you go and ask an old man to come over?"

Sha Zhu looked around at the people at the table and saw that the second uncle, second aunt, third uncle and third aunt were all present, except for the two uncles and aunt. He mistakenly thought that Yang Jun had forgotten about this matter and mentioned it casually.

"Everyone is here, let me say a few words."

Yang Jun raised his glass and stared at everyone, then said,

"I didn't invite Master Yi, not because I forgot about him, but from today on, Yi Zhonghai and I will have clear grudges. In this courtyard, if I am here, he won't be here, and vice versa."

After saying that, Yang Jun drank the whole glass in one gulp and slammed the glass on the table.

Sha Zhu asked doubtfully, "Brother Junzi, it shouldn't be that serious. Is there some unsolvable grudge between you and the old man?"

The third uncle asked, "Junzi, what's going on between you and Lao Yi? Is there any misunderstanding between you?"

The second uncle tried to calm the atmosphere: "Junzi, calm down first. Although Lao Yi is a bit strong, he is not guilty of a life-and-death feud, right?"

Facing the confused crowd, Yang Jun said gloomily,

"Yi Zhonghai is too much of a bully, ignoring the fact that we, the Yang family, have no one."

Afterwards, Yang Jun recounted in detail the vocational skills test that day, how Yi Zhonghai deliberately suppressed Yang Mei's promotion, and his speculation about the reason why Yang Mei had not been converted to a regular employee for three years, all of which were blamed on Yi Zhonghai.

After saying that, Yang Jun looked at everyone sternly.

This gathering was not just a casual chat. Yang Jun took the opportunity to announce to the public that he would completely break up with Yi Zhonghai. In fact, he wanted to force others to express their support or opposition.

If you stand on his side, the matter will be over; if you choose to stay out of it, he has no intention of standing idly by.

"It seems that Old Yi is really going too far. He doesn't behave like an elder at all, not to mention that we are all from the same courtyard." The third uncle was the first to express his position and criticized Yi Zhonghai's actions.

Yan Bugui has always been good at weighing the pros and cons. As soon as he saw the situation, he saw through Yang Jun's intention. After thinking about it secretly, he decided to stand on Yang Jun's side.

Seeing her husband's clear attitude, the third aunt immediately said indignantly: "That's right, how could Lao Yi not even care about Lao Yang, who grew up with him, and treat his family like this?"

Noticing that the two uncles and their spouses had expressed their opinions, Yang Jun shifted his gaze to the second uncle Liu Haizhong.

"Old Yi, how could it be..."

Before the second uncle finished speaking, he was gently touched by the second aunt, who then smiled and said to Yang Jun:

"Junzi, your uncle is busy with work all day, and I seldom go out.

You also know what happened in our yard..." An unspeakable look flashed across Second Aunt's face.

Although the second uncle occasionally behaves in a domineering manner at home, the second aunt is much more flexible than him outside. She is not willing to easily say words that may hurt other people's feelings. Although Yang Jun is a cadre in the factory, he still has to obey the authority of the eldest uncle Yi Zhonghai in the courtyard.

Yang Jun was not anxious about the situation. He lit a cigarette, slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, tapped the table with his fingertips, and asked as if he was talking to himself:

"I heard that after Brother Guangqi got married, he has been living in his wife's house because of work, right?"

Seeing that the second uncle's face was flushed but he didn't say anything, he continued: "A grown man does nothing all day long and lives on others. How can he hold his head up high in this state?

Brother Guangqi and I have known each other since childhood, and I am willing to lend a hand to him, but now that I have returned here, he has not come to look for me..."

"Junzi, can you really help Brother Guangqi solve his difficulties?"

Hearing this, the second uncle and his wife looked excited and full of anticipation.

After getting married, Liu Guangqi had no stable job, so he had to stay at his wife's house and had to depend on his wife for everything.

His self-esteem was severely damaged, and he blamed his father and mother for their inability to find a job for him. He became resentful and stopped visiting his parents for several years.

His son’s problem became a concern for the second uncle.

Although he was a seventh-level blacksmith and earned only more than 80 yuan, he tried his best to help Liu Guangqi find a job.

He had tried everywhere to beg for favors and gave gifts, spending countless money, but to no avail.

These efforts are like stones thrown into the water, nothing is gained.

How could the second uncle not be extremely excited when he heard that Yang Jun could solve the problem.

During a previous chat, the second uncle heard that Yang Jun not only transferred the girl to the office, but also increased her salary. This undoubtedly shows that the network of relationships established by Yang Jun was helpful in finding a job.

As the section chief of the steel plant's supply department, arranging a job for his son was a piece of cake for him.

"Junzi, don't worry. From now on, I will fully support you in all matters concerning the compound. If you say go left, I will never lean to the right.

If you need me to drive the dog away, I will…” Second Master promised.

However, Yang Jun comforted them, "The New Year is just a few days away. You can send someone to find me after the New Year, and I will take care of the rest." This made the second uncle and aunt very grateful. If there were no outsiders present, they would probably kneel down to thank Yang Jun for his help.

Seeing this scene, the third uncle Yan Bugui, who was originally jealous and wanted to delay expressing his opinion, sighed that if he had insisted a little longer, it would have been better and he might have benefited from it.

But now that the statement has been made, I have no choice but to admit it.

The second uncle and the third uncle had already made their attitudes clear, so Yang Jun turned his attention to Sha Zhu who was still in trouble.

Because the eldest brother was very kind to Sha Zhu and often protected him, the eldest brother often gave the problems in the yard to Sha Zhu, the "God of War in the Sifang Yard", to solve, such as often teaching Xu Damao a lesson.

Facing Yang Jun's gaze, Sha Zhu spoke hesitantly.

“Junzi, actually… maybe… Boss…” He was hesitant about whether he should choose to help Yang Jun, because both of them were important people and had their own positions.

Yang Jun decided to calm Sha Zhu down first, and said calmly: "Brother Zhu, don't rush to make a decision.

Let me ask you, do you remember that Uncle He sent money to you and Yu'er every month when he left? Did you know that?

"Money? Where did the money come from? That old man He Daqing and the widow have lost contact since they left, and I have never received any remittance from them." Sha Zhu answered puzzledly.

"I guess Uncle He gives Yi Zhonghai ten dollars every month and asks him to pass it on to you.

Didn't he transfer it to you?" Yang Jun pretended not to know the actual situation, but he actually knew it was not the case.

Seeing Sha Zhu was stunned, Yang Jun continued: "Uncle He has been missing for about ten years, right? Ten yuan a month, ten years is one thousand two hundred yuan.

Oh, I didn’t expect there would be so many.”

After Yang Jun made the calculation, Sha Zhu was instantly moved by hearing such a large number. He almost stood up and went out to ask Yi Zhonghai.

"Brother Zhuzi, take it easy. There's no rush. We need to be rational." Yang Jun consoled him, hinting that there must be a reasonable reason.

"Brother Zhuzi, you know that you are past the marriageable age and Yushui is about to graduate from high school, so you are considered an adult. Why hasn't Yi Zhonghai returned the money he owes you and kept it a secret from anyone else?"

Judging from Zhuzi's reaction, he really didn't know that He Daqing had sent money.

Regardless of whether the money can be recovered in the end, the relationship between Zhuzi and Yi Zhonghai will undoubtedly not be as close as before because he tried to embezzle the money.

I, Shazhu, treat you like a father, respect and honor you, but you secretly plotted to get this money. Are you still a human being?

When the second uncle and the third uncle saw Zhuzi's true feelings and confirmed the truth of the matter, they all denounced Yi Zhonghai's behavior.

Yang Jun saw that Zhuzi's face was red with anger, and realized that he had achieved part of his goal tonight. As long as Zhuzi recalled Yi Zhonghai's dishonesty, that thorn would constantly remind him and make him feel uneasy.

Under the persuasion of several friends, Zhuzi did not go looking for Yi Zhonghai for the time being.

The group of people seemed to have forgotten the previous alliance agreement. No one mentioned it again, and instead they began to enjoy the pleasant party atmosphere.

"Uncle San, how much water did you mix in this bottle of wine? I've been drinking for so long and I'm so sad. You won't torture my stomach again, will you?" Zhuzi asked, shaking the half-bottle of liquor in his hand.

Yang Jun was also puzzled. He drank a lot but didn't feel drunk. He wondered if the quality of this half bottle had deteriorated or been diluted with water because it was too old.

"Silly Zhu, if you don't like it, then don't drink it. I'll keep it for myself to savor slowly.

"Hearing this, Third Uncle seemed to have hit the nail on the head. His face instantly turned red. He snatched back the bottle and put it under his table.