Chapter 743 Planning a House 9
However, Yi Zhonghai felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on his heart. He really didn't want to see such a harmonious and happy scene in front of him. In this seemingly peaceful and peaceful courtyard, an undercurrent was quietly surging, and the source was the unspeakable fear deep in his heart.
On weekdays, Yi Zhonghai has a supreme position in this courtyard, and his word seems to be his exclusive label. Whether it is trivial matters of family life or major matters concerning the interests of the entire courtyard, he is the one who makes the decisions. The neighbors look at him with respect and admiration; every word he says is like a golden rule, and no one dares to disobey it easily. This kind of treatment like a star in the sky makes him enjoy an indescribable sense of superiority, as if he is the master of this courtyard and controls everything.
But now, the scene in front of him made him feel extremely strange and uneasy. Everyone sat together, laughing and talking, caring for each other and helping each other. The warm atmosphere was like the warm sun in winter, making people feel extremely warm. However, this warmth hurt Yi Zhonghai's heart, because he keenly noticed that everyone seemed to no longer rely on him as before. In the past, as long as he frowned, everyone would carefully guess his thoughts; but now, everyone is more willing to discuss and solve the problem by themselves, as if he, the old man, has gradually become dispensable.
Yi Zhonghai's heart was like a bottle of five flavors overturned, with all kinds of tastes rushing up at once. The sourness, like eating unripe green plums, made him feel bad; jealousy, like a burning flame, spread wantonly in his heart, he envied those who could get along with everyone; resentment, like a surging tide, hit his heart wave after wave, he was unwilling to lose his position in the courtyard.
Driven by this complex emotion, Yi Zhonghai began to secretly observe the movements of everyone, especially Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao, who he feared the most. His eyes were like two sharp hooks, always keeping a close eye on their every move, not missing any tiny details.
He found that Liu Haizhong was a completely different person when handling affairs now. In the past, Liu Haizhong was always impetuous and lacked his own opinions, but now he is more calm and confident. Whenever he encounters a problem, he can always analyze it calmly and propose solutions in an orderly manner. His every move reveals a mature and stable temperament. Moreover, when he communicates with his neighbors, he always looks warm-hearted, with a sincere smile on his face, patiently listening to everyone's demands, and doing his best to solve everyone's problems. The neighbors' attitude towards him has also changed significantly, from the initial respect and distance to the current closeness and trust.
Let's look at Xu Damao again. He used to be lazy and idle all day long. He caused a lot of trouble in the courtyard and everyone avoided him. But now, he seems to have changed into a different person, actively participating in various public affairs. Whether it is organizing cultural activities or helping to repair public facilities, you can always see him busy. He no longer only considers his own interests as before, but has learned to consider others and seek benefits for everyone. As he participates in more and more things, his prestige in the hearts of his neighbors seems to be quietly improving, and everyone's evaluation of him is getting higher and higher.
The more Yi Zhonghai thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. An unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped him. He knew very well that if he continued like this, his position as the boss of the courtyard would be vacated sooner or later. He felt that he had to do something to consolidate his position, otherwise, the prestige and power he had accumulated in the courtyard over the years would vanish overnight. Thinking of this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and he began to think of various countermeasures in his mind.
As a result, Yi Zhonghai's heart, which was originally twisted by jealousy and anxiety, became darker. He began to carefully plan and deliberately create some small conflicts in the seemingly peaceful little world of the courtyard, like a malignant tumor hidden in the dark, quietly eroding the harmony among neighbors.
It was a sunny afternoon. Two neighbors who usually got along well in the yard had a dispute over a trivial matter. It turned out that the clothes hung out to dry in one family were accidentally blown off by the wind and fell into the yard of the other family. When the owner of the family whose clothes fell went to get them, he was a little impatient in his words, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the other family. The two sides talked back and forth, and the voices gradually became louder and the atmosphere became tense.
In fact, this was just a small misunderstanding. As long as both parties talked it out calmly and apologized to each other, the matter would be over. But Yi Zhonghai was like a shark that smelled blood, and keenly captured this "opportunity". He hurried to the scene with a seemingly steady but actually scheming pace. As soon as he got there, he deliberately favored one party, completely disregarding the truth of the matter and the feelings of the other party. He stared with wide eyes, his eyebrows tightly knitted together, his face full of anger, and fiercely accused the other party with words, and the voice seemed to break through the sky, making the matter that was originally as simple as a piece of white paper complicated into a mess.
He did this with his own agenda. On the one hand, he wanted to use this tough and unfair approach to show his authority as a big boss and let the neighbors feel his majesty and unquestionable authority again; on the other hand, he wanted to take this opportunity to see how Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao would react, so as to further test their background and see if they really posed a threat to him.
After Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao learned about this, they immediately put down their work and rushed to the scene without any hesitation. They were not intimidated by Yi Zhonghai's aggressiveness, but politely nodded to both parties, then stood aside quietly and listened patiently to the demands of both parties. Their eyes were focused and serious, not missing any details, carefully understanding the ins and outs of the matter, like two experienced detectives, trying to restore the truth of the matter from a few words.
After fully understanding the course of events, they did not rush to express their opinions, but first calmed down the emotions of both parties and gradually calmed them down. Then, they persuaded both parties in a gentle and rational way, with soft but firm voices. They first pointed out the problems of both parties in this matter, without favoring either party, and making both parties convinced. Then, based on the actual situation of the matter, they proposed a fair and reasonable solution, which not only took into account the interests of both parties, but also maintained harmony among neighbors.
With their patient mediation, the two neighbors, who were originally at loggerheads, gradually let go of their grudges. They showed shame on their faces, apologized to each other, and then shook hands tightly, and soon shook hands and made peace. They were full of gratitude to Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao, and surrounded them, saying words of thanks, with eyes full of admiration and trust.
Yi Zhonghai stood aside, watching this scene, and felt like a jealous jar overturned in his heart, angry and annoyed. He didn't expect that Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao could resolve the conflict so easily and win everyone's favor. He felt like a clown, making a fool of himself in front of everyone, being outdone by them, and it was really embarrassing. The flame of jealousy and unwillingness burned fiercely in his heart, making him lose his mind.
So, he started to speak ill of Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao behind their backs. He told everyone that Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao just loved to show off, had bad intentions, and spent all day thinking about how to show off in front of everyone. In fact, they were all thinking about replacing him, the boss. He exaggerated all kinds of things that didn't exist, trying to discredit their image in the minds of the neighbors and make everyone suspicious and dissatisfied with them. Although his voice was very low, the vicious words spread quietly in the courtyard like a poisonous arrow.
These malicious and slanderous words spread quickly in the complex network of interpersonal relationships in the courtyard like wings. At first, they were just whispered among a few gossipers, but before long, they spread like wildfire and gradually reached the ears of Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao.
Liu Haizhong was an impatient person. He was straightforward and could not hide his feelings. When he heard these unbearable bad words, he felt a surge of anger rushing from his feet to his head. He was furious. His face turned red like a ripe tomato, veins popped out on his forehead, and his hands clenched into fists unconsciously, with the joints turning white due to the force. He could no longer suppress his anger, and angrily took big steps towards the direction of Yi Zhonghai's house.
Along the way, his footsteps were hurried and heavy, as if he wanted to tread a hole in the ground. With every step, he muttered: "How could Yi Zhonghai do this? It's too outrageous!" Soon, he came in front of Yi Zhonghai, his eyes wide open, glaring, and loudly questioned: "Yi Zhonghai, what right do you have to say bad things about us behind our backs? We do these things for everyone, for the harmony of the courtyard, why do you slander us like this? You must explain it to me today!" The voice shook the surrounding air as if it was trembling.
Yi Zhonghai was sitting on a chair at the door of his house, basking in the sun. Seeing Liu Haizhong rushing over aggressively, he was stunned for a moment, but soon regained his cold expression. He sneered, his laughter was full of disdain and ridicule, and said slowly: "Don't pretend to be a good person here, don't think I don't know what you are thinking. Don't you just want to unite and undermine me so that you can be the boss? Humph, don't think that your little calculations can be hidden from me."
Xu Damao had been listening silently at the side, but after hearing Yi Zhonghai's words that turned black into white, he couldn't help it. He walked a few steps to Liu Haizhong's side, stood side by side with Liu Haizhong, his eyes full of anger and dissatisfaction, and said, "Yi Zhonghai, don't judge others by your own standards. We never had such an idea, we just want to do more practical things for Siheyuan. Look at you, as a big boss, you don't think about how to solve the problems for the neighbors, but instead you stir up trouble here. If you continue to be so unreasonable, don't blame everyone for not standing on your side. By then, you will have no prestige in Siheyuan."
The two sides argued back and forth, and the argument became more and more intense. Yi Zhonghai's eyes widened, and the veins on his neck bulged one by one. He waved his arms and shouted loudly: "You dare to quibble? I saw with my own eyes that you have been gathering together and whispering recently. You must be discussing how to deal with me!" Liu Haizhong was not to be outdone. He took a step forward and pointed at Yi Zhonghai's nose and said: "We were discussing how to organize the activities in the courtyard better. Don't slander us here!" Xu Damao was so angry that he stomped his feet and kept muttering: "It's unreasonable, it's really unreasonable!"
As the quarrel grew louder, the atmosphere became tense, as if the air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder that could explode at any time. The neighbors heard the noise and came out of their houses and gathered around. Everyone was talking in low voices, with expressions of helplessness and disappointment on their faces.
"Alas, how come such a nice courtyard has become like this?" An old lady with gray hair shook her head helplessly and sighed.
"That's right. We'll see each other sooner or later, so why bother?" Another middle-aged man also echoed.
The originally harmonious courtyard was like a beautiful painting that was suddenly splashed with ink. Because of Yi Zhonghai's narrow-minded selfishness, it fell into contradictions and disputes. The courtyard that was once full of laughter and joy was now only filled with quarrels and sighs, as if a storm was about to come, making everyone feel heavy in their hearts.
Just when the two sides were deadlocked, the deaf old lady who had been watching the situation silently came over with a cane. The deaf old lady was highly respected in the courtyard, and everyone respected her very much. She looked at the people who were arguing, sighed softly, and said: "Stop arguing, what's the point of arguing like this? Our courtyard is a big family, and everyone should be united and help each other, instead of fighting for a little power."
Yi Zhonghai felt a little guilty after hearing what the deaf old lady said, but he still said stubbornly: "Old lady, I am also doing this for the good of the courtyard, but I just can't stand their desire to show off."
The deaf old lady shook her head and said, "Zhong Hai, you have been the uncle for so many years and have done a lot of good things for Siheyuan. Everyone remembers it. But you can't deliberately create conflicts and slander others because you are afraid of losing power. Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao also sincerely want to contribute to Siheyuan. We should work together to build Siheyuan better."
Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao calmed down after hearing what the deaf old lady said. Liu Haizhong said, "Old lady, we know we were wrong. We shouldn't have been so impulsive and quarreled with Yi Zhonghai. In fact, we never thought of replacing his position as the eldest uncle. We just wanted to do our part."
Xu Damao also hurriedly said: "Yes, old lady, we will definitely get along well with Yi Zhonghai in the future and work together for Siheyuan."