The train driver in the courtyard

Inside the Xu family’s house.

When the residents heard Yi Zhonghai's method, they couldn't help but smack their lips.

My goodness, it’s just a plate of meat, but he made it look like a confidential document. Yi Zhonghai didn’t worry about the effort.

The third uncle, Yan Bugui, seemed particularly happy. He raised his hand high, his eyes rolling around and blinking non-stop. "Old Yi, I have a seal at home. I can lend it to the compound for good deeds.

If our compound is rated as a civilized compound, just give me one or two more food coupons."

You know, making seals requires paper, ink and glue, and these things are not cheap these days.

Exchanging a seal for one or two grain coupons is not excessive in terms of value.

Yi Zhonghai thought about it for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

However, when the third uncle brought the seal, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but gasp.

I saw that the seal was the one that was pasted on the door when the royal palace was sealed off by the previous dynasty.

The seal was already tattered, the edges were badly worn, and the paper was a little yellowed, but the seal of "Prefect of the Capital City" on it was still clearly visible.

It turned out that this seal was thrown into the garbage dump as garbage when the slum was cleaned up before.

Unexpectedly, the third uncle found it from the garbage dump and kept it for several years.

Yi Zhonghai knew clearly that if he put this thing on the cabinet of Xu Damao's house, no one in the compound would be able to escape, and they would all have to go to the street office to report on their ideological work tomorrow. This would be a serious matter.

When Xu Damao was accused of being a meat thief before, he didn't show any fear.

But when he saw the seal, he was so scared that his face turned pale and his lips trembled. "Uncle, please don't hurt me!"

Yi Zhonghai also felt that the Third Master's move was really too much, and he frowned and said, "Old Yan, this is not the previous dynasty. We can't do these messy things, it will cause big trouble."

The third uncle held the seal, looked left and right, and felt a little aggrieved.

He muttered quietly: "I am just thinking about recycling waste... This is also in response to the call of our street office for thrift and diligence..."

But seeing the determined opposition in everyone's eyes, he knew that the seal could not be used.

"Okay. Since you don't want to use second-hand goods, I'll go home and make a new one. But the new seal will cost two taels of grain coupons. Old Yi, please remember this."

"Take this thing away quickly." Yi Zhonghai looked at the seal of the former prefect timidly.

Seeing that everyone was opposed to using the palace seal, the third uncle had no choice but to run back home.

He rummaged around the house, found two pieces of white paper, and made a new seal.

The new seal was neatly inscribed with the words "Siheyuan Seal" and "No Touch by Unauthorized Personnel", and then was carefully pasted on the Xu family's cabinet with paste.

Hey, you know what, this homemade seal works really well.

As soon as the seal was put on the cabinet, the originally ordinary and inconspicuous cabinet instantly took on a solemn and serious atmosphere.

The residents of the courtyard looked at the cabinet with a bit of fear in their eyes, as if there was something extraordinary hidden in the cabinet.

Yi Zhonghai went through so much trouble to get the seal just to draw everyone's attention to this matter.

Seeing the effect, he nodded with satisfaction, and then arranged for the first and third aunts to guard the cabinet.

The first and third aunts are both kind-hearted people with a good reputation in the compound. The residents in the compound have no objection to letting them guard the cabinets.

"Those who haven't eaten yet should go home and eat. At 7 o'clock in the evening, be at the Intermediate Court for the meeting on time. Don't be late."

After the crowd dispersed, Li Aiguo returned to the house, picked up the enamel mug and drank tea, still thinking about the plate of meat at Xu Damao's house.

He always felt that the plate of meat seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it.

"Brother Aiguo, are you home?" Liu Lan's voice came from outside the house, followed by a gentle knock on the door.

Without waiting for a response from the people in the room, she pushed the door open and walked in.

"Xueru, I want to ask Brother Aiguo for a favor. I hope it won't interfere with your business?" Liu Lan smiled as she looked at Chen Xueru who was measuring cloth with a ruler. There was a hint of flattery in her smile, but also a little uneasiness.

"We are all neighbors, so why not invite them?" Chen Xueru put down the ruler in her hand, stood up, and shouted to the inner room: "Aiguo, Liu Lan is here."

When Li Aiguo heard the voice, he closed the book he was reading and walked out of the room.

He immediately noticed the unconcealable anxiety on Liu Lan's face, and knew in his heart that Liu Lan must have come here because of Xu Damao's matter.

Chen Xueru enthusiastically poured Liu Lan a cup of tea and said with a smile, "You guys chat first, I'll go sew this dress."

The Li family's house is quite spacious, with two extra rooms, one of which was converted into a study by Li Aiguo.

The other room was equipped with a sewing machine, which was used by Chen Xueru to do some tailoring work.

Liu Lan thought of her two children and two adults. Xu Jixiang and Xu's mother often came to stay with them, but the whole family could only squeeze into two rooms. She suddenly felt a little lost.

"Sister Xueru, just go ahead and do your work. I will return Aiguo to you intact later."

Chen Xueru entered the inner room, Liu Lan's face straightened, she clutched the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands, and looked at Li Aiguo with some worry: "Aiguo, you also saw what happened today.

Yi Zhonghai is coming for my Damao. If Damao is accused of being a thief, he will never be able to hold his head up in the compound.

You know my Damao well. Although he is not a good person and his hands and feet are not clean, he really would not do such a thing as stealing meat."

Li Aiguo smiled and didn't respond.

Liu Lan blushed and said awkwardly, "He did steal a few old hens before. But that was a few years ago. Life in the commune is tough this year. People are hungry. Who has food to raise chickens?"

This is indeed the truth. Li Aiguo also believes that Xu Damao is not capable of stealing an old hen in these days.

"Liu Lan, the key issue now is that Xu Damao refuses to reveal the origin of the meat."

"Actually, when I brought the meat back, I asked my family member Damao, and he only told me that it was a kind of bird." Liu Lan sighed and said, "I asked him again, but he didn't say anything."

"bird"

Li Aiguo pondered for a moment.

The meat on the plate looked like it had nothing to do with birds.

However, Li Aiguo seemed to remember that there was indeed a thing called "que" in Northeast China.

If it was that thing, it would be understandable why Xu Damao chose to keep silent even at the risk of ruining his reputation.

But even if it is that thing, there is no need to hide it.
Li Aiguo was also speculating about Xu Damao's concerns and was not sure, so he looked at Liu Lan and said, "Go home and talk to Xu Damao and try to get him to tell the truth."

Liu Lan also knew how powerful Yi Zhonghai was.

Knowing that without Xu Damao's cooperation, even Li Aiguo would not be able to turn the situation around, he could only nod.

"Brother Patriot, I am sorry to trouble you."

After Liu Lan left, Chen Xueru came out from the inner room carrying a newly made piece of clothing.

"Brother Aiguo, what exactly is the meat from Xu Damao's house?"

Chen Xueru is not the kind of person who likes to gossip or join in the fun.

But Xu Damao's abnormal behavior today really aroused her curiosity.

Li Aiguo leaned close to Chen Xueru's ear and whispered something.

Chen Xueru gasped: "This Xu Damao is really brave. No wonder he didn't dare to say it out loud."

"Actually, it's nothing."

Li Aiguo was halfway through his words when Zhang Gangzhu called him from outside to attend a meeting at the Intermediate Court.

"Wife, are you going to join in the fun?"

"The street office has been very busy lately and I have to work overtime every day. I have to get the little clothes out tonight." Chen Xueru replied with a smile.

For her, making small clothes for children is obviously more attractive than joining in the fun in the compound.

night.

The inky darkness enveloped the courtyard, like a heavy black cloth, weighing down people to the point of suffocation.

Under the big tree in the middle courtyard, an incandescent bulb hung alone.

A dim light emanated from the bulb, which could only illuminate a small area around it.

In the interweaving of light and shadow, people's faces are reflected in mottled light and shadow, with changeable brightness.

When Li Aiguo followed Zhang Gangzhu to the central courtyard, it was already crowded with people.

Everyone was standing or sitting, and noisy sounds echoed in the air.

Those "inactive elements" who seldom attend collective meetings in the compound on weekdays.

This time, they all brought small stools to the central courtyard. After all, this matter was unusual and involved a "thief" in the courtyard.

As usual, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and Sanda Ye, the three managers, sat at the table.

Yi Zhonghai felt relieved when he saw that almost everyone in the hospital had arrived.

A while ago, he was overshadowed by Li Aiguo and had been feeling angry about it. He felt that this time was a perfect opportunity to re-establish his authority and, by the way, give Xu Damao a good beating, letting everyone know that he, Yi Zhonghai, still had the final say in this compound.

In his view, this conference was the beginning of his regaining his confidence and strength.

"Old Liu, please speak first." Yi Zhonghai looked at his only ally.

When Liu Haizhong heard that he had the right to speak, he was overjoyed. With his big round belly, he cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, be quiet. Something big happened in our compound today. As the second uncle of the compound, I..."

At this moment, Zhang Gangzhu suddenly picked up a bench and walked out of the crowd as if no one was around.

At this moment, all the residents' attention was drawn to him. The originally noisy middle courtyard suddenly became quieter, and Liu Haizhong's words were abruptly interrupted.

Liu Haizhong looked at Zhang Gangzhu in confusion. He saw Zhang Gangzhu put the bench to the right side of the square table, wiped the bench with his sleeve, and then stood next to the bench.

"Zhang Gangzhu, what are you doing? Hey, this is a Siheyuan meeting."

Liu Haizhong was shocked by Zhang Gangzhu's behavior and wanted to scold him.

At this moment, a figure slowly walked out from the crowd and sat down steadily on the chair.

The remaining words in Liu Hai's mouth were stuck in his throat as if they were strangled by an invisible hand and could not be uttered.

Because that person was none other than Li Aiguo, the captain of the neighborhood patrol team.

Liu Haizhong watched Li Aiguo walk over and sit on the chair. He opened his mouth but no sound came out.

The third uncle also saw Li Aiguo. His eyes were a little flustered and he quickly turned his head away, pretending not to see this scene.

Yi Zhonghai watched Li Aiguo walk over and sit on the chair. His face suddenly became as gloomy as the night, so dark that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.

"Aiguo, today is a meeting held in our courtyard, and it has nothing to do with your neighborhood patrol. In this meeting, you are an ordinary resident and have no right to sit here."

Li Aiguo sat on the chair and said with a smile: "Yi Zhonghai, it turns out that only qualified people can sit on the bench. So, the people sitting on the bench are superior to others."

As soon as these words were spoken, the residents looked at Yi Zhonghai with different eyes.

Even in the factory, workers and factory leaders are equal.

Everyone is working hard to build the country, just with different positions, there is no such thing as one person having a higher status than another.

Now that he was in the compound, how could this steward act as if he was superior to the ordinary residents? This was simply ridiculous!
The residents remembered that every time they held a meeting, the three managers always acted like feudal patriarchs, and they became even more dissatisfied.

"We are all equal now, but the three stewards are sitting there and asking us to stand. This is inequality."

"Yes, everyone is equal after liberation. Logically, the three managers should set an example. How could they do this?"

Hearing the constant discussions, the third uncle and Liu Haizhong were so scared that they stood up quickly as if they were burned by fire.

They know it very well.

If they continue to sit there with a clear conscience, today's meeting, which was originally intended to target Xu Damao, will probably turn into a meeting to criticize them, and the consequences will be disastrous.

Yi Zhonghai was also startled and stood up: "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever say that the steward's status is higher than that of the residents?"

"Then why can only you sit on the benches and the residents can't sit?"

"I"

The reason why Yi Zhonghai acted so arrogantly was probably because he had the idea that he was superior to others.

He finally became the boss of the courtyard house. If he has to be on the same level as ordinary residents, then his position as boss would have been in vain.

Yi Zhonghai felt his scalp tingling at this moment, and he felt a little regretful. Why did he provoke him for such a small matter?

Seeing that Li Aiguo was still sitting there, he turned his eyes and said, "Li Aiguo, now the residents are all standing, and our three managers are standing, and you are sitting there. Do you think you are of higher status than the residents?"

Liu Haizhong was still angry about being interrupted and "standing in the corner", so he took the opportunity to make a noise beside him: "Yes, Li Aiguo, you are the one who is creating inequality now. I think we should not catch the meat thief today, but help you correct your outdated thinking first."

For a moment, Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong actually gained the upper hand.

However, the third uncle thought that Li Aiguo must have a backup plan, so he did not cooperate with them.

There’s no big deal in standing for a while, just consider it as exercise.

The residents all turned their eyes to Li Aiguo.

Amidst the questioning gazes, Li Aiguo smiled and said, "Everyone, I am sitting here today, representing the neighborhood patrol team. Our patrol team is a disciplined team, and we pay attention to the hierarchy of official positions."

When Yi Zhonghai heard this reason, he was so angry that he gasped and wanted to refute.

But he couldn't find a reason for a moment.

The nature of the neighborhood patrol is similar to the militia in the factory, it is a paramilitary organization.

If this kind of organization emphasizes equality for all, then don't do anything and just wait for it to become a mess.

The residents also nodded in agreement with Li Aiguo's statement.

"The patrol team needs to follow orders and enforce discipline, and they really need Captain Li Aiguo to keep things under control."

Seeing that the situation was not good, Yi Zhonghai realized that he should not get entangled with Li Aiguo and should concentrate his firepower on dealing with Xu Damao first.

He winked at Liu Haizhong again: "Haizhong, continue the meeting."

"Meeting, yes, let's continue." Liu Haizhong subconsciously wanted to act like an uncle and sat back on the bench.

Before his butt touched the bench, he realized the strange looks from the residents and stood up in fright.

This damn Li Aiguo has seized the power of the steward, and now he has even deprived him of his privileges. He is too overbearing!
Liu Haizhong complained in his heart but did not dare to protest. He could only stand there and briefly explain the situation.

"We must get to the bottom of Xu Damao's theft tonight, otherwise none of us will be able to sleep."

Yi Zhonghai took over the right to speak and turned to look at Xu Damao: "Xu Damao, now I will give you one last chance. Tell me which commune you stole the meat from, how you stole it, and what means you used."

"If you dare to lie, don't blame us, the managers, for not considering the friendship between neighbors."

Yi Zhonghai vented all his anger at Li Aiguo on Xu Damao.

Xu Damao still had his head hung as before, and kept repeating that he did not steal the meat, and that the meat was the result of his labor.

"The fruits of labor? Yes, yes, stealing is also labor. After all, it is very hard to climb over the wall, and you have to run fast to avoid being caught up by the members. Xu Damao, since you don't repent, then don't worry about us being rude."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes flashed with a fierce look, and he said in a cold voice: "Old Liu, find a rope to tie up Xu Damao first, and send him to the street office early tomorrow morning."

"Okay!" When Liu Haizhong saw that they were really going to arrest someone, he was stunned for a moment, then he became excited.

As long as Xu Damao was sent to the street office, he would be imprisoned for at least two years on the charge of stealing things from fellow commune members.

"Uncle, I have a rope at home." Seeing that Xu Damao was about to be caught, Jia Dongxu became excited and ran home quickly.

The residents didn't expect that Yi Zhonghai would actually arrest Xu Damao.

They felt a little reluctant and wanted to plead for Xu Damao, but stealing was a serious crime after all.

Yi Zhonghai had gone mad at this time. Anyone who pleaded for mercy might be accused of being an accomplice, so the residents could only turn their heads away.

Liu Lan did not expect Yi Zhonghai to be so ruthless and convicted Xu Damao of a crime with just a few words.

She quickly stepped forward and explained on behalf of Xu Damao: "Uncle, my Damao said he didn't steal anything. This is a kind of bird that he caught in the wild."

"Bird? Liu Lan, you have been fooled by Xu Damao. I will now expose Xu Damao's lies!" Yi Zhonghai looked at Liu Lan with some amusement and shouted into the house.

The first and third aunties tore open the seal and brought out the plate of meat in front of the residents.

Yi Zhonghai took the plate, pointed at the meat and said, "Look, everyone, these pieces of meat are all round and plump, and some pieces are particularly thick. What kind of bird can grow so big? A falcon? Xu Damao must be able to catch a falcon."

The residents took a closer look at the meat on the plate and nodded.

"Yes, this meat is obviously not bird meat. Xu Damao thinks we have never seen a bird."

"I went to the countryside a while ago and caught a lot of birds, including sparrows, turtledoves, crows, etc. I have seen them all, but none of them looked like this."

Liu Lan saw that the residents did not believe what she said.

At this moment Jia Dongxu came back with a rope. Liu Haizhong took the rope and was about to tie up Xu Damao.

Liu Lan suddenly became anxious, and pulled Xu Damao's arm and said, "Da Mao, what kind of meat is this? Tell us quickly, or you will be arrested."

But no matter how she tried to persuade him, Xu Damao just hung his head and said nothing, just repeating: "I didn't steal the chickens and ducks of the members."

Lieutenant General Liu Hai put the rope around Xu Damao's neck and said in a cold voice, "You are about to die, and you still dare to quibble. When we get to the police station, Captain Zhenshan will make you confess everything."

Jia Dongxu also excitedly helped Liu Haizhong tie up the man: "Yes, yes, Damao, please don't blame me for not being loyal enough, because I am an upright person."

The two men tied Xu Damao tightly with ropes. Xu Damao was about to be taken to the cellar. Li Aiguo slowly stood up and said, "Damo, it is indeed a bit embarrassing to eat that thing, but there is no need for you to send yourself to the police station, right?"

Li Aiguo's voice was not loud, but it sounded like thunder in the ears of every resident.

The hand holding the rope in Liu Haizhong loosened its grip, and Jia Dongxu subconsciously took a step back.

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened, and he looked at Li Aiguo and said, "Li Aiguo, I know you have a good relationship with Xu Damao, but Xu Damao has committed a serious crime this time. As the captain of the neighborhood patrol team, you cannot protect Xu Damao."

"The matter hasn't been clarified yet, but you've already sent the residents of the compound to the police station. Yi Zhonghai, you're really qualified to be a senior official." Li Aiguo walked over.

Yi Zhonghai blushed: "Do you know what kind of meat that is?"

Jia Dongxu said stiffly: "Whatever the meat is, it is definitely not bird meat. Xu Damao stole the chickens and ducks of the members, so he should be arrested."

Li Aiguo ignored them, walked slowly to Xu Damao, and said with a smile: "Damo, if I'm not mistaken, this meat is the meat of the Java sparrow, right?"

"How do you know?" Xu Damao was shocked.

He subconsciously raised his head, and when he reacted, he quickly lowered his head: "Patriotic brother, this matter has nothing to do with you, don't worry about it."

When Yi Zhonghai heard the word "bird of a feather", his nervous expression immediately relaxed.

"Li Aiguo, who are you trying to fool? The Java sparrow is a bird. Although it is relatively rare, I am sure that the meat of the Java sparrow is not like this."

"Besides, if Xu Damao really caught the Java Sparrow, it wouldn't be a shameful thing. Why doesn't he admit it?"

Jia Dongxu stood up again: "What the uncle said makes sense. Even if you want to help Xu Damao get away with it, you have to come up with a reliable reason."

The residents also felt that the meat had nothing to do with the Java sparrow, but they did not comment on it because they trusted Li Aiguo.

(End of this chapter)