I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 86 Not Fighting to the Death

Hearing the commotion, Yi Zhonghai ran over, wearing only cotton slippers and throwing on his clothes.

He frowned as he looked at the chaos before him, then glanced at the lock, his mind clear as day—locking the lock was tantamount to declaring war.

He was well aware of everyone's ulterior motives, but the rules couldn't be broken, and people's hearts couldn't be disturbed.

Yi Zhonghai felt this was an opportunity to make a contribution, and if handled properly, returning to his position as the head steward was not a dream.

He knew that Liu Haizhong was concerned about his reputation, Yan Bugui was scheming, and the old lady of the Luo family was shrewish, so he had to deal with them in different ways.

He decided to first criticize the old lady of the Luo family and make her unlock the door, and then appease Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, promising to communicate with the neighborhood office as soon as possible and give everyone a satisfactory answer.

"Grandma Luo, what are you doing? Who told you to lock this room? Unlock it right now! This is a collective matter, not something you two can decide!"

Luo Jianguo was a mid-level fitter and also worked in the workshop. The old lady of the Luo family couldn't afford to offend Yi Zhonghai. She smiled and was about to unlock the door when Liu Haizhong started causing trouble.

Liu Haizhong glanced at Yi Zhonghai and sneered, "Old Yi, as the person in charge, I'm reminding you that I'm dealing with the Luo family's house-grabbing matter. Be mindful of your position and don't interfere with the organization's work."

"Old Liu, you!"

Yi Zhonghai was speechless after being rebuked. He was groggily woken up and vaguely felt that this was an opportunity, but he did not expect that his old comrade-in-arms Liu Haizhong would not give him any face at all.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's discomfiture, Yan Fugui's eyes sharpened, and he quickly chimed in, "The ownership of the house needs to be determined by the neighborhood committee. The magistrate can't just seize the house!"

Yan Fugui and Yi Zhonghai were both newly appointed high-ranking officials. Since Liu Haizhong was so arrogant and used his position as a high-ranking official to his advantage, Yan Fugui and Yi Zhonghai were naturally on the same side. They exchanged a glance and began to work together tacitly to fight against Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong's face flushed red and then turned pale, like a piece of pig liver that had been roasted over a fire.

Looking at the furious old lady of the Luo family, then at the serious-looking Yi Zhonghai, and then at Yan Fugui who was watching the show, Yan Fugui had a sneer on his lips, as if to say, "Let's see you make a fool of yourself." Liu Haizhong was left with nothing to do, and in the end, he could only reluctantly utter a harsh remark.

"We'll hold a hospital-wide meeting tonight to discuss the housing issue."

He secretly vowed that this matter was not over and that he would definitely get his hands on the house.

But Liu Hai had no intention of giving up. He stared at the room, his eyes filled with resentment, like a lump of coal dampened by rain, burning with suppressed rage.

He was already planning in his mind: after get off work, he would go to the neighborhood office to "report the situation," and the day after tomorrow, he would have his son come to "temporarily repair" the house. The day after that... the day after that, the locks on the house would have to be changed to the Liu family's locks. He even had a prepared explanation: "My son Guangqi is graduating and getting married, and the house is really too crowded. We'll repair it first, and he can stay here temporarily for a few days."

Once people move in, the lights are on, and the stove is lit, it's a fait accompli. At that point, who would dare say no?

The Jia family's courtyard house.

Watching the argument outside Old Mo's house, Jia Zhangshi sneered, "See that? They've already started arguing. They'll probably be beaten to a pulp at the party tonight. That blockhead Liu Haizhong really thinks he can control everything. Now that Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui have joined forces, he has no chance of making decisions on his own. But let me tell you clearly, you can't help the Luo family. Old Mrs. Luo is no good. She's made fun of our family a lot in the past."

Jia Zhangshi's resentment was not without reason. Old Mrs. Luo was very principled. The Jia family used to act like scoundrels and take advantage of their neighbors, which Old Mrs. Luo disapproved of. She strictly forbade her children from playing with Banggeng, which caused Banggeng to be isolated and could only play with Yan Jiedi in the front yard, which made Jia Zhangshi extremely angry.

"You can even snatch houses? The steel mill and the neighborhood committee aren't just for show; I think they're just wasting their time."

Jia Dongjin had more faith in the power of the government and did not believe that the government could take over the house on its own.

"That's hard to say. In the past, it was really a matter of grabbing what you could get, and the neighborhood committee sometimes had no choice but to accept it."

Qin Huairu mentioned the Huang family occupying the house in the neighboring courtyard. The Huang family also had too many people to live in, so after occupying the house, no matter how much the neighborhood committee criticized them, the Huang family just refused to move. Over time, they really did occupy the house.

After dinner, Liu Haizhong first smashed the lock on the Luo family's house, and then convened a general meeting. As the only elder in charge of the courtyard, no one could stop him from holding a meeting.

However, without the cooperation of Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui, the atmosphere of this hospital-wide meeting was rather low, far less imposing than before. Everyone in the hospital knew what was going on, but they just watched coldly as Liu Haizhong jumped around.

Liu Haizhong criticized the Luo family for seizing the house for a long time, but no one spoke up for him. Liu Guangqi was studying at school, and Liu Guangtian and his second aunt were not very influential. The meeting fell into an awkward silence. Only the old lady of the Luo family was worried about her lock and kept arguing with Liu Haizhong, demanding compensation for the lock.

"Grandma Luo, stand up immediately and admit your mistake of locking the door and seizing the house in front of everyone in the courtyard. Your self-examination must be thorough and soul-searching!"

Liu Haizhong slammed his hand on the table, displaying the arrogance of a high-ranking official.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the middle courtyard. Luo Jianguo and his wife helped Old Luo out of Luojiachong, followed by three girls and a little boy.

Old Luo's face was covered in deep wrinkles, making him look like the old Shaanxi farmer in the oil painting "Father." He tremblingly held his son's hand and shouted sternly, "Liu Haizhong, my son has to support a family of seven! I won't let him fight you! I, Old Luo, have been a coward for most of my life, but today I'll say something in front of everyone in the courtyard. This morning you bullied my wife. You're the second oldest man in the courtyard, and it's not like you can't ride roughshod over the Luo family. But I have three granddaughters. From now on, I'll only find capable granddaughter husbands to take care of the Liu family. Losing an arm means ten years of hard labor. The Liu family has three sons, which is perfect for me—I have three granddaughter husbands. My three granddaughters can endure ten years of hardship."

Old Luo has three granddaughters and one grandson. His grandson, Luo Jun, is about the same age as Bang Geng. Knowing that he can't beat the Liu family, he uses his granddaughter's husband to threaten Liu Haizhong.

While it was certainly wrong for the Luo family to seize the house, Liu Haizhong was still going to lock the door, but he was a step too late. He hypocritically criticized the Luo family and tried to frame them, which only pushed the spineless Luo family to their limit, causing him to threaten to fight the Liu family to the death.

Jia Dongjin felt terrible. The Luo family had to risk their lives for the house. He watched as the three girls of the Luo family stood behind Lao Luo with tears streaming down their faces, and even the little kid Luo Jun looked at him with hatred. Luo Jianguo, this middle-aged man, had his entire family of seven relying on him. In order to support his family, he didn't even dare to risk his life. He was so frustrated that his face turned pale.

Madam Jia was a master shoemaker, and Old Madam Luo was a skilled garment maker. The Luo family and the Jia family had no deep-seated hatred for each other; they were just competing for the title of the second poorest household in the courtyard, which was a case of the poor looking down on each other.

Before him were living, breathing people struggling to survive. The helplessness and hardship of the lower classes once again refreshed Jia Dongjin's understanding, especially Luo Jianguo's pale face, that unique, indescribable sorrow that made Jia Dongjin's blood seem to flow backward.

"Uncle Luo, don't be like that. Don't worry, Lao Yan and I are here, and the people in the yard are also watching over us. We won't let Lao Liu do anything."

Quiet people don't get angry often, but when they do, it's a disaster!

When the cowardly Lao Luo was about to risk his life, everyone in the hospital was shocked. Yi Zhonghai rushed out to persuade him, and Yan Fugui also stepped forward to comfort him.

"Liu Haizhong, how dare you bully the Luo family like this? You think you're worthy of being called the second master? I, He Yuzhu, refuse to accept this! You dare to touch the Luo family and see what happens?"

Sha Zhu has always been a troublemaker in the courtyard. He is not afraid of anyone and has long disliked Liu Haizhong's hypocritical demeanor.

That morning, Yi Zhonghai was thoroughly humiliated by Liu Haizhong, and He Yuzhu seized the opportunity to teach Liu Haizhong a lesson, preventing him from swaggering around the courtyard in the future. He knew Yi Zhonghai wanted to settle things peacefully, but he wouldn't have it. He wanted to emulate Jia Dongjin and make a big scene, so Liu Haizhong would also suffer.

"Silly Zhu, mind your own business!"

Liu Haizhong glared at He Yuzhu, but felt a little scared.

With the support of Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui, He Yuzhu, being the head of the household, couldn't be suppressed. He was now in a difficult situation and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

If He Yuzhu dares to make a move, Liu Haizhong will go to the police station to report him, saying that He Yuzhu is interfering with the organization's work, and that He Yuzhu will suffer the consequences.

"Mind your own business?"

He Yuzhu sneered, "If the road is uneven, someone will level it; if things are unfair, someone will take care of them! Liu Haizhong, stop bringing up the Luo family. You want to take over the house yourself, you should ask everyone if they agree!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "everyone," trying to rally the people in the courtyard to oppose Liu Haizhong. He glanced at Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui; Yi Zhonghai nodded slightly, and Yan Fugui looked at him expectantly. He knew he had done well.

He Yuzhu even planned that if Liu Haizhong dared to lock the door again, he would smash the lock.

"Dad, beat that son of a bitch."

At the critical moment, Liu Guangtian walked to Liu Haizhong's side and whispered his proposal.

He had been beaten twice by He Yuzhu and had always held a grudge against him. Now was the perfect opportunity for revenge, and he could also establish his authority in the courtyard. Why not?

Seeing that his second son was about to make a move, Liu Haizhong narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. His second aunt also moved closer to He Yushui.