Siheyuan: Start with a big car

Qin Huairu knew Yi Zhonghai's character well. Although Yi Zhonghai claimed to be the moral pinnacle of the courtyard, he was actually a very mean person.

She was a little surprised, but she still smiled politely at Yi Zhonghai and said, "Uncle Yi, please take a seat."

Yi Zhonghai put the rice in the corner, dusted himself off, and sat on the only intact stool in the room. Jia Zhang hurriedly poured a bowl of water for Yi Zhonghai, smiling and saying, "Old Yi, you are so polite. You just came here, but you brought such a valuable gift."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and said, "Ms. Jia Zhang, we are old neighbors. I know that the Jia family is having a hard time right now. This bag of rice is my token of appreciation. I also heard about what happened today. We need to have a good chat."

Jia Zhang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, Old Yi, you are thoughtful. You have to make the decision for our Jia family on this matter."

Yi Zhonghai frowned and said indignantly, "Ms. Jia Zhang, you don't know that this Third Uncle is no longer the Third Uncle he used to be. Now that he has Li Weidong backing him up, he is becoming more and more arrogant and often bullies the residents in our courtyard. This courtyard was originally a place where everyone lived and worked, but now it has been made into a mess by them."

He paused, a trace of resentment flashed in his eyes: "And that idiot Zhu has now become Li Weidong's lackey. He doesn't think that he is also a member of this compound, but he actually helped Li Weidong and the third uncle to suppress us. Isn't the way he behaved today just to please them?"

When Jia Zhang heard this, she jumped up and started cursing like a lit firecracker: "That bastard Li Weidong, what right does he have to care about our affairs? Who does he think he is? He thinks he's so great just because he has a few filthy riches? He even comes to mess up the life of our compound and makes us restless. He deserves a horrible death!" She cursed and waved her arms, and the wrinkles on her face became even more distorted with anger.

Bang Geng also cursed, "Yes, Li Weidong is a bad guy. He colluded with the third uncle to bully our Jia family. I will not let him go." As he said that, he slammed his fist on the table, and the dishes and chopsticks on the table jumped up.

Qin Huairu looked worried. She pulled Jia Zhang's arm and said, "Mom, please keep your voice down. If this gets out, we will be in trouble."

Jia Zhang shook off Qin Huairu's hand and said, "What are you afraid of? They are bullying us, and I can't scold them? Lao Yi, what do you think we should do? We can't just let them bully us like this."

A trace of calculation flashed in Yi Zhonghai's eyes, and he lowered his voice and said: "We must unite and not let them do this again.
When Jia Zhang heard the word "unity", a trace of vigilance flashed in her eyes. Her eyes, which were originally bloodshot due to anger, stared at Yi Zhonghai and asked, "Old Yi, what do you mean by unity? Are you trying to use our Jia family to deal with Li Weidong? Humph, let me tell you, although our Jia family is living a miserable life now, we are not at the mercy of others."

Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat when asked by Jia Zhang, but he still had a smile on his face and hurriedly explained: "Jia Zhang, what are you thinking? How could I use you? I really think we can't let Li Weidong and the third uncle bully us like this anymore. We are all old residents of this compound. It's not easy for everyone, so we have to support each other. I want us to work together to restore the peace of the compound."

Jia Zhang's face was still full of suspicion. "Humph, Old Yi, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You and Li Weidong have always been at odds, so don't drag our Jia family into this. What happened between us and the Yan family today is already messy enough, and we don't want to get involved in your messy fights."

Bang Geng, who was listening at the side, also thought it made sense and agreed, "Grandma is right. We can't just let others use us as a tool."

Qin Huairu also nodded and looked at Yi Zhonghai and said, "Uncle Yi, our Jia family just wants to live a stable life now and has no intention of getting involved in other things. We appreciate your kindness, but you should handle this matter yourself."

Yi Zhonghai frowned slightly when he saw this. He knew that it would take some persuasion to get the Jia family to join his side, so he continued, "Jia Zhang, think about it carefully. Today, the three uncles supported by Li Weidong have bullied you. If we don't resist, this kind of thing will only happen more and more in the future. Only if we unite and suppress Li Weidong's power can we truly live a stable life."

Jia Zhang raised her lips slightly, a sly look flashed in her eyes, but she pretended to be embarrassed and said slowly: "Old Yi, you said you want to deal with Li Weidong, it's not impossible. But you also know that our Jia family is living a miserable life now! If we really go against Li Weidong, how much will we have to pay? Maybe we won't even have this little cornmeal to eat."

Yi Zhonghai frowned, and a bad feeling welled up in his heart: "Jia Zhang, what do you mean by this? We are all for the good of the compound, so don't make trouble."

Jia Zhang glared at him, "Who is being unreasonable? Old Yi, you are a smart man, I won't beat around the bush with you. If you really want our Jia family to step in, give me another ten kilograms of rice, that's the minimum. And, you have to give it to me every month in the future, so that we have the confidence to fight that bastard Li Weidong."

Yi Zhonghai was so angry that his face turned red: "Jia Zhang, you are taking advantage of someone's misfortune! I am doing this for everyone, but you are negotiating terms here and asking for payment every month? Do you think I run a rice warehouse?"

Jia Zhang did not give in at all. She sat on the stool and crossed her legs. "Old Yi, don't say that. You came to our Jia family because you saw that we can do things for you. If you don't give us benefits, why should we work for you? If you are reluctant to give us these ten kilograms of rice, then there is no point in discussing this matter."

Yi Zhonghai suddenly realized that Jia Zhang had seen through his mind from the beginning. He foolishly thought that he could use the Jia family, but he didn't expect to be tricked by this old woman. He gritted his teeth and said, "Jia Zhang, you are really amazing! You are pushing me to a dead end."

Jia Zhang sneered, "Old Yi, you asked for this. If you don't agree, take your rice and leave. Don't get involved in our Jia family's affairs in the future."

Yi Zhonghai stood there, furious but helpless. This situation was completely out of his control. Banggeng watched from the side. Although he didn't quite understand what the adults were arguing about, he knew that rice was a good thing, so he also said, "Uncle Yi, our family really needs rice, just agree to grandma's request."

Qin Huairu tugged at the corner of Jia Zhang's clothes and whispered, "Mom, isn't this a good idea?" Jia Zhang glared at her fiercely and motioned her not to speak. Yi Zhonghai frowned and paced back and forth in the room, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. He knew that if he didn't agree to Jia Zhang's request, his plan would be ruined, but this condition was really harsh. But in order to achieve his goal, he gritted his teeth, stopped, and looked at Jia Zhang.

"Okay, Jia Zhang, I promise you. I will give you ten yuan every month, but you have to swear that no matter what happens in the future, your Jia family will definitely stand on my side and work with me to deal with Li Weidong." Yi Zhonghai's expression was serious, and there was an unquestionable firmness in his eyes.

When Jia Zhang heard this, a flash of surprise flashed across her eyes, but she quickly returned to normal. She stood up, walked to the middle of the room, and cleared her throat: "Old Yi, don't worry. I, Jia Zhang, swear to heaven that as long as you give me ten kilograms of rice on time every month, our Jia family will always stand by you and fight against Li Weidong with you. If I break my oath, let me be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!" Jia Zhang said this with a solemn oath, and her expression was extremely serious.

Yi Zhonghai looked at Jia Zhang and nodded: "I hope you can keep your oath. If I find out that you have second thoughts, don't blame me for being rude."

After saying this, Yi Zhonghai turned and left.

Qin Huairu looked at the direction where Yi Zhonghai left with a worried look on her face. She frowned and said to Jia Zhang with a worried look on her face: "Mom, how can you agree to him? Aren't we jumping into a fire pit? Li Weidong is not someone you can easily mess with. Our Jia family is miserable enough, and now we have to get involved in their affairs. What should we do if something goes wrong?"

Jia Zhang curled her lips nonchalantly, with a trace of contempt in her eyes, and mocked Qin Huairu, "What do you know? You are just too naive. Humph, that old man Yi Zhonghai thinks he can control me by giving me some money? If the situation is not right and I don't help him, what can he do to me? Can he even eat me?"

Qin Huairu paced back and forth in the room anxiously: "Mom, don't underestimate Yi Zhonghai. Since he can come up with this trick to get us to join, he will definitely not let us go easily. And if this matter gets out of hand, won't the compound be in chaos? Can't we live a stable life?"

Jia Zhang sat down on the chair, picked up the pipe on the table, and slowly filled it with tobacco: "Safe? When have we ever been safe? Now we have the opportunity to get some benefits from Yi Zhonghai, why not? As for the future, we will take it one step at a time. If the sky falls, there will be taller people to hold it up."

Bang Geng listened at the side and asked in confusion: "Grandma, will we really not be in trouble?"

Jia Zhang patted Bang Geng's head and said, "Don't be afraid, grandma is here. If those people dare to mess with our Jia family, I won't let them go." Qin Huairu sighed helplessly.

When Yi Zhonghai returned home, the house was quiet, with only a dim light flickering in the corner. Without stopping, he walked straight to the place where the grain was stored and began to carefully count the remaining rice at home.

His movements were somewhat hasty, and the sound of turning over the rice bags was particularly clear in the silent night. The noise woke up the sleeping aunt, who got up from the bed with sleepy eyes and watched Yi Zhonghai busying himself in a daze.

"Old man, why are you not sleeping so late at night and doing all the work here?" an old lady asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

Yi Zhonghai stopped what he was doing, frowned, looked at the aunt helplessly, sighed deeply and said: "Alas, today's matter is really troublesome. I just came back from the Jia family and negotiated with Jia Zhang. From now on, I have to give them ten kilograms of rice every month."

When the aunt heard this, her eyes widened and she asked in surprise: "What? Ten kilograms of rice every month? Are you crazy? We don't have much food at home, why are you giving them so much?"

Yi Zhonghai walked back and forth in the room for a few steps, and explained solemnly: "You don't know, the chaos in the compound today was caused by the fight between the Jia family and the Yan family because of Yan Jiecheng and Huang Yanling. Li Weidong is behind this matter, and the third uncle is on their side. I have to find a way to check and balance. Although the Jia family is difficult to deal with, they can be our helper at this time. I have no choice."

The aunt frowned and looked at Yi Zhonghai with worry on her face: "Old man, you are really confused this time! Don't you know who Jia Zhang is? She is greedy for money and goes back on her word. You promised to give her ten kilograms of rice every month, isn't this obviously being fooled by her?"

Yi Zhonghai frowned, his eyes showing a hint of confidence: "Humph, I know what's going on. How can I not see through Jia Zhang's little tricks? If she dares to cheat, I will definitely not let her off easily. I have been in this compound for so many years, and I can still be controlled by an old woman like her?"

The first lady was still worried, so she walked over to Yi Zhonghai, pulled his arm and said, "What can you do? Jia Zhang is very rude and doesn't care about anything. If she takes the rice but doesn't help you deal with Li Weidong, what can we do? Can we get the rice back?"

Yi Zhonghai stood up and paced back and forth in the room, with a fierce look in his eyes: "Since I dared to promise her, I naturally have a backup plan. I have asked her to swear an oath, which is no small matter in the compound. If she breaks her oath, I will make her actions public and let everyone in the compound know how her Jia family is treacherous. When the time comes, she will not be able to hold her head up in this compound, and see how she can stay here."

The first lady nodded slightly, but still a little worried: "That's what she said, but what if Jia Zhang doesn't care about these things? If she is thick-skinned and doesn't care about other people's opinions, we still can't do anything to her."

Yi Zhonghai stopped and looked at the aunt, and said firmly: "If she really dares to do this, then I have other ways. Not everyone in the compound can be deceived by her. I will unite those who are dissatisfied with the Jia family's behavior and put pressure on her. Moreover, I will not give her rice all the time. I will decide based on her performance. If she has second thoughts, I will stop supplying her immediately and let her know the consequences of offending me."

After listening to Yi Zhonghai's thoughts, Auntie felt that Yi Zhonghai had gone crazy. You know, in the past, Yi Zhonghai was a very shrewd person and would never be easily fooled by Jia Zhangshi. But now he believed Jia Zhangshi's lies. (End of this chapter)