Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

Yi Zhonghai returned home dragging his legs that felt as heavy as lead. Every step he took felt like he was stepping on thorns, and his heart trembled slightly in pain.

The door behind me slowly closed with a creaky sound. The sound was particularly harsh in the silent room, as if it was a ruthless verdict of fate.

This has temporarily put an extremely heavy end to this sensational storm.

He walked to the shabby chair in a daze, as if his spine had been removed.

He sat down with his buttocks. The chair couldn't bear the weight and made a painful creaking sound, as if it was also sighing deeply for his series of tragic experiences.

"What the hell is this?" Yi Zhonghai sighed heavily.

That tone seemed to carry with it the resentment and helplessness that had been accumulating for a long time, and like a gust of wind, it surged wildly in this small room.

His brows were tightly twisted into a knot, his face was full of regret and unwillingness, and every wrinkle seemed to hide endless bitterness, which were the marks engraved by time and suffering.

"One thousand dollars! That's one thousand dollars! Just gone like that. All the hard work I've put in for most of my life, gone just like that."

There was a strong bitterness in his voice, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth. It revealed a deep sense of powerlessness, as if his soul had been drained by this heavy blow.

I saw an old lady with a slightly hunched figure sitting quietly by the side, her cloudy and lifeless eyes staring straight ahead, and her whole body was as motionless as a sculpture.

However, from her slightly trembling lips and constantly blinking eyelids, it can be seen that her heart is surging with turbulent waves at this moment.

Her thoughts seemed to have been severely stirred into a tangled mess by this sudden change, and no matter how hard she tried to sort them out, she could not make sense of them.

Following a long sigh, the aunt's already hoarse voice was filled with a hint of uncontrollable sob.

"That's right! In the past two years, I really don't know what evil spirits I have run into. I can't even encounter a single thing that goes as I wish. Not only that, I have been losing money non-stop. Life is really getting harder and harder."

When she talked about sad things, she couldn't help but raise a wrinkled and rough hand and gently wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

In the dim light, tears couldn't help but fall from the corners of her eyes, revealing endless helplessness and sadness.

"Thinking back, I don't know what I did wrong, but I was inexplicably targeted by Cao Wei. He was like a vicious dog, biting us hard for no reason and extorting a large sum of money from us!"

"We finally survived that nightmare-like period and thought we could take a breather. But who would have thought that Jia Dongxu's family would get into trouble again. So, in order to help them, our family had to invest a lot of money..."

The old lady kept talking and shaking her head and sighing, her face full of sorrow.

"Actually, at the beginning, I was thinking that it would never be wrong to do more good deeds. After all, as the saying goes, good deeds will be rewarded!"

"But who could have expected that we would do good deeds one after another, and in the end, not only did we not get any rewards, but we almost lost everything!"

The aunt's words were full of regret and confusion, which moved people.

When Yi Zhonghai heard Jia Dongxu's name, his anger suddenly flared up again, like a lit powder keg that exploded instantly.

He slammed his fist on the table so hard that the teacup on the table jumped high.

Then there was a crisp sound, as if expressing dissatisfaction with his anger.

"That Jia Dongxu is such a troublemaker! If it weren't for the orphans and widows of the Jia family, I wouldn't care about their mess!"

"At the time, I wanted to help them and make their lives easier, but what did we get in return? We ourselves were caught in endless trouble."

There was a gleam of anger in Yi Zhonghai's eyes, and that gleam seemed to burn away all the grievances and helplessness.

His tone was filled with deep helplessness, as if fate had strangled him by the throat and he was exhausted from struggling.

"And I don't know when I can get back the money I lent to Sha Zhu."

The lady continued, her tone full of worry.

There was a hint of anxiety in her eyes, as if the borrowed money was like a heavy stone pressing on her heart, making her breathless.

"Speaking of which, these things are all related to that kid Cao Wei. If he hadn't interfered, we wouldn't have been so unlucky."

"He spends all day thinking about how to scheme against others, and he makes our yard restless. We live an honest life, but how could we have such a disaster?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded vigorously, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen, like the vicissitudes of life carved by the years, each of which recorded the hardships and difficulties he had experienced over the years.

"That's right. This guy is full of bad intentions and is always thinking about how to scheme against others. The last time I was demoted, it must have been him behind the scenes."

"I have worked diligently in the factory for so many years, but all my efforts have gone to waste just because he was playing tricks on me. I really want to confront him and ask him why he treated me like this!"

His voice was full of resentment, as if Cao Wei was standing in front of him at this moment, and he could rush up to argue with him at any time and vent all his anger.

The old lady shook her head helplessly, with a look of confusion in her eyes, as if she had lost the direction of her future life and could not find a ray of light in this dark predicament.

"Life is so miserable. We live an honest life, but why do we get into so much trouble? Why is God so unfair? We are so kind-hearted, but we end up like this."

There was a hint of helplessness in her voice, as if she was seeking an answer from the world, but the only response she got was endless silence.

Yi Zhonghai was silent for a moment, his heart constantly struggling and thinking.

Slowly, he said, "Forget it, there's no point in saying these things. No matter how much we complain, it won't change the status quo. We still have to look forward and live our lives."

There was a hint of tired open-mindedness in his tone. Although he was tortured and bruised by life, he still had not given up hope on life.

An old lady raised her head and looked at Yi Zhonghai, her eyes full of heartache.

She looked at the once strong man in front of her, who was now a little breathless under the burden of life.

His once straight spine was now slightly bent; the years and hardships had left too many marks on him.

"Old Yi, what do you think we should do in the future? Can things get better? I'm really a little scared. I'm afraid we'll never get out of this predicament."

There was a hint of helplessness in her voice, as if she was seeking a glimmer of hope from Yi Zhonghai, a glimmer of longing for future life.

Yi Zhonghai stood up, walked slowly to the window, and looked at the familiar yet somewhat strange courtyard outside the window.

Everything in the yard remained the same, but in his eyes, it seemed covered with a layer of gray.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his irritable mood.

"It will get better, it will. Once we find Liu Guangqi, our lives will slowly get better."

There was a hint of longing in his voice, as if he had already seen the better life in the future, and all the past sufferings had become a thing of the past.

An old lady also stood up, walked gently to Yi Zhonghai, and held his hand gently.

Those hands were a little rough, but full of strength, and they were the testimony of the years they had spent together.

"Well, I believe you. As long as the two of us work together, there is nothing we can't overcome. We have gone through a lot of hardships over the years, and we will definitely make it through this time."

Her eyes were full of trust and support, which brought a touch of warmth to Yi Zhonghai and made him feel a little comfort in this cold predicament, as if a ray of light appeared in the darkness.

The lady held Yi Zhonghai's hand tightly, her eyes reddened again, tears welled up in her eyes, her voice trembled slightly: "Old Yi, you said that you have helped so many people and worried so much over the years, but what good rewards have you received?"

"It's not as if we lose both the lady and the army. Good people don't get good rewards. We are so sincere to others, but this is the result we get in return. I really can't understand it."

Her words were full of grievance and unwillingness. She felt really bad that all the hard work she put in over the years was met with current embarrassment.

Those who had once helped her now seemed to have become thorns in her heart, reminding her of the unfairness of life and making the grievances in her heart surge like a tide.

Yi Zhonghai turned around and looked at the old lady, his eyes full of heartache.

He gently patted the old lady's shoulder and said with a wry smile: "What can I do? I don't do good things just for the sake of reward. I just want to make myself feel at ease. If I hadn't taken care of those things, I would have felt even more uneasy."

"As a human being, we must always be true to our conscience. We just need to have a clear conscience. As for the outcome, we'll leave it to God."

In his opinion, helping others is his principle in life. Even if he suffered losses as a result, he has never regretted it. This is the bottom line he adheres to.

The old lady sighed helplessly, turned around and walked to the table, gently picked up the account book, slowly flipped through it with her fingers, and calculated carefully.

Every time she turned a page in the account book, her heart tightened, as if she was facing an unavoidable disaster.

"Old Yi, how much money do we have left? I'm really worried about how we're going to get by. Every penny has to be spent carefully."

There was worry in her voice, and she was full of uneasiness about the current economic situation. Her future life seemed to be shrouded in a thick dark cloud, with no glimmer of hope in sight.

Yi Zhonghai walked to the cabinet, bent down, and carefully took out the box containing the money.

He opened the box, looked at the few coins inside, and said with a somewhat dejected look, "Now there is only a little over 1,500 yuan left. After all these years of savings, I originally had nearly 5,000 yuan, but now there is only this much left, and there is also the 500 yuan from Liu Haizhong, which I have to pay back to him."

"We saved all this money through years of frugality, but we didn't expect it to be so little now."

There was a hint of helplessness in his voice; this money was their savings over many years, but now there was little left due to various changes.

The future life is full of uncertainty, which makes him feel extremely confused.

When the old lady heard this, she felt dizzy and almost fell down.

She quickly reached out to hold the table, slowly sat down, her face full of worry, and sighed, "What should I do? I only have this thousand yuan left. If something happens at home in the future, I won't be able to pay for it."

"If we get sick and need to be hospitalized, or if something at home breaks and needs to be repaired, it all costs money. How can we afford it?"

Her eyes were full of anxiety, and the future seemed to be shrouded in a haze, with no hope in sight.

Those possible emergencies circled in her mind like a nightmare, making her feel extremely scared and helpless.

Yi Zhonghai sat next to the aunt, reached out and gently held her hand, and comforted her: "Don't panic, we can save money and get through it."

"Once we find Liu Guangqi, there may be a chance for a turnaround. We can cut unnecessary expenses, and every bit of savings counts. I believe that as long as we work together, we will be able to overcome this difficulty."

He tried to reassure the aunt, but he himself was unsure.

He knew that the road ahead was full of uncertainties, but he didn't want to make the aunt worry too much, so he wanted to use his strength to support her.

The old lady raised her head and looked at Yi Zhonghai, her eyes full of worry.

"Then when are we going to give the remaining 500 yuan to Liu Haizhong? This 500 yuan is like a big stone, weighing heavily on our hearts. Every time I think of this money, I find it difficult to breathe."

There was deep worry in her voice. The money was like a mountain, weighing them down and making them feel extremely heavy and depressed.

Yi Zhonghai frowned and thought for a moment, with a hint of determination in his eyes.

He said slowly: "Don't worry too much. Anyway, we agreed that the money to Liu Haizhong can be delayed. We can just give it to him slowly."

"I thought, my carpentry skills are pretty good, I can secretly take on some carpentry work and earn more money. The factory is not busy recently, so I can take more time and make up the money."

"I can also ask my former co-workers if they have any jobs they can recommend to me. As long as I can earn money, I am willing to do it no matter how hard or tiring it is."

Although his tone was firm, he could hardly conceal his physical fatigue and inner stress.

Yi Zhonghai knew that taking on carpentry work meant putting in more energy and time, and also having to worry about being caught.

But for the sake of this family, he had no choice, he was willing to bear everything for his family.

An old lady looked at Yi Zhonghai and said distressedly: "You are so old, and you are still working so hard. Don't exhaust yourself."

"How about I go out and find some work? I can't just watch you suffer so much alone. I also want to contribute to this family."

She wanted to share the burden of the family, but she was worried about Yi Zhonghai's health.

The aunt looked at Yi Zhonghai's increasingly haggard face, her heart filled with heartache and reluctance. She didn't want him to bear all this alone.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hands quickly, his eyes full of concern.

"No, no, your health is not good to begin with, and I am worried about you going out to work. What shall I do if you get hurt from overwork?"

"Just stay at home and take good care of the family. With you taking care of the house, I can be more at ease working outside. As long as our family is safe and sound, that's better than anything else."

His eyes were full of concern. In difficult times, his family was always what he cared about most.

Yi Zhonghai knew that Auntie had already given too much to the family, and he didn't want her to work hard to make money anymore.

He would rather suffer a little more just to let her live a stable life.

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