Chapter 742 Planning a House 8

Chapter 742 Planning a House 8

So, in that slightly dim but lively room, Yan Bugui, Lao Wang and Lao Li sat together, and the atmosphere in the room was a little solemn. The mottled marks on the wall seemed to be silently witnessing the upcoming discussion.

The three of them were talking to each other, their faces full of seriousness and earnestness, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes communicating in a low voice.

After a heated and in-depth discussion, they all felt that the recent unclear situations surrounding housing issues in the hospital should not be allowed to continue.

Finally, the three of them unanimously decided that they must find the most appropriate time the next day to question Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong in front of everyone in the courtyard. They must make the whole story clear and give everyone justice and bring peace to this courtyard.

The next morning, the sky was just beginning to turn pale, and the first ray of sunlight, like a naughty child, quietly and gently sprinkled into the courtyard. The golden light sprinkled on the bluestone paved ground, creating a faint halo.

As usual, people in the courtyard came to the public area to start their day's activities. Some elderly people brought small stools and sat in the courtyard to bask in the sun and chat about family matters; some young people took brooms and carefully swept the fallen leaves in the courtyard; children laughed and played in the crowd, and their cheerful laughter echoed over the entire courtyard.

At this time, Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong were sneaking together, their heads close together, lowering their voices, whispering about the follow-up matters of the gift. Their eyes looked around from time to time, like two mice who were afraid of being discovered while trying to steal oil. Xu Damao's face was filled with a hint of excitement that was difficult to conceal, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose, as if he had seen the benefits he would get if the matter was successful; while Liu Haizhong seemed a little nervous, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, his hands unconsciously rubbing the corners of his clothes, and a hint of panic in his eyes.

Yan Bugui, Lao Wang and Lao Li had been keeping an eye on Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong. When they saw them like this, they looked at each other and immediately walked over with big strides. Their steps were firm and powerful, and every step seemed to be stepping on the hearts of Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong.

Yan Bugui walked in front, with his hands on his hips, looking like a volcano about to erupt.

His eyes were filled with anger and questioning, like two sharp swords, shooting straight at Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong.

He took a deep breath and said loudly: "Xu Damao, Liu Haizhong, what have you two been doing these days? Are you trying to gain benefits by solving the housing problem? I tell you, if you don't explain things clearly today, this matter will not be over!" The voice echoed in the courtyard, attracting curious glances from the people around.

Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong were immersed in their own little calculations, and were suddenly startled by the sudden questioning voice like a thunderclap. The voice was like a sharp arrow, piercing straight into their hearts, making their faces, which were originally a little proud and excited, turn pale in an instant.

The smile on Xu Damao's face froze in an instant, as if he was under a spell. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and his eyes were wide open. His eyes were full of panic and fear, and kept flickering, like a frightened deer, looking for a corner to hide.

He stammered, his voice trembling with nervousness: "Yan... Teacher Yan, what are you talking about? We are all working hard to solve everyone's housing problem. There is no benefit to be gained. You can't wrongly accuse a good person." There was a hint of guilt and forced calmness in his tone.

When Liu Haizhong saw Xu Damao speaking, he quickly echoed like a follower, nodding his head like a chick pecking at rice: "That's right, Old Yan, don't slander me. We are working so hard for the good of everyone. We get up early and go to bed late every day, busying ourselves, just so that everyone can live in spacious houses as soon as possible." As he spoke, he patted his chest and acted like a righteous person, but a trace of panic flashed in his eyes from time to time.

Lao Wang stood aside, looking at their pretentious faces, and sneered in his heart. He folded his hands in front of his chest, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a sarcastic smile, and said coldly: "Do your best? I think you have other intentions. In the past few days, you have invited people to dinner, inquired about the leader's preferences, and bought some high-quality tea. What are you doing? Do you think we are fools? Don't think that your little tricks can be hidden from everyone's eyes." Lao Wang's voice was not loud, but it was full of power. Every word was like a heavy bomb, exploding in the hearts of Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong.

When the neighbors heard the noise, they gathered around like cats smelling blood. The spacious public area suddenly became crowded, and everyone started talking at once. Some neighbors frowned, with a look of suspicion on their faces, pointing at Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong and saying, "I don't think they are good people. Maybe they really have some secrets." Some neighbors stretched their necks, with curiosity flashing in their eyes, muttering, "What's going on? Tell me clearly." There were also a few naughty children who were running around in the crowd, shouting, "Fight, fight," making the already lively scene even more chaotic.

Xu Damao saw that the truth had been revealed and people around him started to point fingers at them, and he couldn't help but feel a little flustered. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and the back of his clothes was soaked with sweat.

But he was a cunning man after all. He quickly calmed down, rolled his eyes and argued, "We invite people to dinner so that our colleagues can talk about our difficulties in front of the leader, so that the leader can pay more attention to our problems. Inquiring about the leader's preferences and buying tea are also to show our sincerity and let the leader know that we really want to solve the problem. What's wrong with that? If you don't believe it, you will naturally know our intentions when things are done. By then, everyone can live in a good house, and you will have to thank us." As he spoke, he acted aggrieved, as if he was the victim.

Yan Bugui stood in the middle of the crowd, his posture upright, his hands behind his back. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, staring at Xu Damao closely, not giving him any chance to escape.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing in the courtyard and shaking the surrounding leaves slightly: "Xu Damao, stop quibbling. Do you think we don't know what you are thinking? Your little calculations have long been seen through by everyone. You just want to use this incident to establish your prestige in front of everyone, make everyone grateful to you, and listen to you in the future, so as to satisfy your pitiful vanity. Maybe you want to get some benefits from the leaders, such as getting promoted or making a fortune. Don't think we are stupid and can't see it!" Yan Bugui became more and more excited as he spoke, and his fingers turned slightly white due to the force.

After talking about Xu Damao, he turned his gaze to Liu Haizhong, his eyes full of contempt: "Liu Haizhong, you too, always like to show off, making a fuss in the courtyard all day long, as if you are so great. Do you want to use this matter to get promoted and make money in the unit? You think that if you can accomplish this, the leader will be happy and will give you a minor official position, and then you can show off in the courtyard, right?" Yan Bugui's words were like sharp daggers, piercing straight into the hearts of Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong blushed and his face turned purple, like a ripe tomato.

His hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles turned white from the force, and his eyes revealed a hint of anger.

He said angrily, "Yan Bugui, don't talk nonsense here. I really want to help everyone solve the problem. I run up and down every day for this matter, and my feet are blistered. If you don't believe me, then I can't help it. However, if you delay everyone's housing problem because of this matter, don't blame us for not forgiving you. We are all waiting to live in a good house, don't mess with us here."

Liu Haizhong said this while waving his arms, trying to defend himself.

The third aunt had been standing aside, quietly listening to the arguments of the crowd. She had originally held out a glimmer of hope for Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong, thinking that they might really want to do things for everyone.

But when she heard their sophistry, the little hope in her heart was shattered like a bubble, and was replaced by full disappointment. She frowned, and the wrinkles on her face deepened a little because of anger. She said: "Xu Damao, Liu Haizhong, if you are really doing this for the good of everyone, we will definitely be grateful. We are all neighbors living in the same courtyard, and it is normal to help each other when we are in trouble. But if you have other thoughts and want to use this matter to seek personal gain, that won't work. The housing issue is a major issue for all of us, and it affects the lives of each of us. You can't ruin it like this. If you don't put away those little thoughts, don't blame everyone for being rude to you in the future."

Although the third aunt's words were simple, they were full of power, causing the surrounding neighbors to nod in agreement.

Just as everyone was arguing and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, as if a storm was about to come, a highly respected elder in the courtyard, Uncle Zhang, came over slowly, step by step, leaning on his cane that had accompanied him for many years.

Uncle Zhang was wearing a washed-out Zhongshan suit. His hair was completely white, but his eyes were still bright. His back was slightly hunched, but he gave people a sense of calmness and reliability. His words carried a lot of weight in the courtyard, and everyone respected him very much. As long as he opened his mouth, no one dared not to listen.

Uncle Zhang leaned steadily on the wooden cane with both hands, and the cane was radiant with warmth after years of caressing. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and slowly scanned everyone present, with a calm and majestic look after going through vicissitudes of life, as if he could see through the secrets in everyone's heart.

After a moment, he cleared his throat, his voice not loud but full of unquestionable power, and said slowly: "Stop arguing. This housing issue is like a thorn in our hearts, and it is our top priority.

No matter who it is, as long as they are sincere in doing good for everyone and want to help get this done, we welcome them with open arms and will be grateful from the bottom of our hearts. But if someone wants to take advantage of this to gain personal benefits and fish in troubled waters, that is absolutely not allowed. Our Siheyuan has always emphasized fairness, justice, and harmony among neighbors. If anyone breaks this rule, don't blame us for not showing him any mercy."

At this point, Grandpa Zhang deliberately cast his gaze towards Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong, his eyes filled with both scrutiny and expectation: "Xu Damao, Liu Haizhong, if you really want to help, do things openly and honestly, and don't do these little tricks. Think about it, we all live in the same courtyard, and we see each other every day. If we damage the harmony over such a small matter, how can we get along in the future? We must do things uprightly and let others not find fault with us." Then, he turned his gaze to Yan Bugui and others, and his tone softened a little: "Yan Bugui, don't be too impulsive, we are all here to solve the problem, listen to what they say first, maybe there is some misunderstanding here."

After hearing what Uncle Zhang said, Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong were like two students who had made mistakes and were caught by their teacher. They were filled with shame. Xu Damao's face flushed red, his head was almost touching the ground, his hands were unconsciously rubbing the corners of his clothes, his eyes were full of regret. He thought about it, and said in a trembling voice: "Uncle Zhang, Teacher Yan, we did do something wrong. At that time, we were too anxious to solve the housing problem. Our hearts were like on fire, and we came up with these solutions in a rush. But we really didn't have any bad intentions. We just wanted everyone to live in a good house as soon as possible and have a spacious home in such a crowded place. We didn't expect it to turn out like this and cause everyone to misunderstand us."

When Liu Haizhong saw Xu Damao had spoken, he also hurriedly spoke like a frightened rabbit, with a hint of anxiety and sincerity in his voice: "Yes, Uncle Zhang, Old Yan, we know we were wrong. We didn't think carefully at the time, and we just wanted to get things done quickly, but we ignored everyone's feelings. In the future, we will do things openly and honestly, and we will not do these little tricks again. We will put all our thoughts on how to help everyone solve the housing problem, and do it in a down-to-earth manner. We will discuss any ideas with everyone first, and we will not act on our own again."

Seeing their sincere attitude, Yan Bugui's anger subsided a little, and he said, "Okay, since you said so, we will trust you again. However, if you dare to play any tricks again, we will not let you go easily."

After this incident, Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong understood that they should be down-to-earth and not take shortcuts. Yan Bugui and others also realized that when solving problems, they should not act impulsively based on suspicion, but should think calmly and trust each other.

From then on, Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong really started to work hard for the housing issue. They stopped doing those little tricks and worked with everyone to collect information, sort out housing needs, and then went to the leaders to report the situation.