Chapter 747 Liu Haizhong's Struggle 1

Chapter 747 Liu Haizhong's Struggle 1

In the quaint yet time-worn courtyard, there is a dimly lit room. The furnishings in the room are simple and old, and the wall paint has peeled off in some places, revealing the mottled bricks inside, as if silently telling the past. A somewhat worn rattan chair is quietly placed in the corner, and there is still some dust accumulated over the years between the cracks of the rattan.

Yan Bugui sat steadily on the rattan chair, his body slightly sunken into the chair, as if he was weighed down by the weight of the years. His brows were tightly locked together, like two twisted ropes that could not be stretched out. His lips kept moving, and he mumbled something in his mouth. Although the sound was not loud, it was particularly clear in the quiet room.

The third aunt was sitting at the table on the other side of the room, with a pile of fresh vegetables in front of her. She was picking the vegetables slowly and skillfully. Occasionally, she would stop what she was doing, look up and secretly glance at Yan Bugui, with a hint of helplessness and concern in her eyes. Finally, she couldn't help but say, "Old Yan, don't get so anxious here. If we didn't get the house, we didn't get it. It's not like we have no place to live. Although this house issue makes people unhappy, we still have to live on. There's no need to get angry about it."

When Yan Bugui heard what the third aunt said, he sighed heavily. The sigh seemed to come from the deepest part of his heart, carrying with it endless loss and unwillingness.

He put his hands firmly on his knees and leaned forward, his whole body like a fully drawn bow, full of tension. His face was full of unwillingness, his eyes seemed to be burning with anger, but he had nowhere to vent it.

"What do you know? This house issue can't be resolved so easily. I have spent so much time and effort on this house. From the moment I heard about the housing distribution, I started asking around, running around, saying nice things to this person, and trying to get close to that person, hoping to get a good house. I don't know how many nights I have stayed up and how much I have worried about this matter, but in the end, it's all in vain. Do you think this is fair? I have been doing my job in the courtyard for so many years, and I have never done anything sneaky. I am also eager to help my neighbors when they have any problems. Why is it not my turn?"

The third aunt stopped what she was doing, stood up, and walked to sit next to Yan Bugui. She gently patted Yan Bugui's shoulder, her movements were gentle and soothing, as if she was comforting a wronged child. "Whether it's fair or not, our say doesn't count. The factory has its own rules, and those rules and regulations are not up to us. We have to accept this. Besides, Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong didn't say anything, but you are the one who's arguing. They're not in a hurry, so what's the point of you being anxious? You might as well relax and live your own life well."

When Yan Bugui heard what the third aunt said, his already excited emotions instantly became like a ignited gunpowder barrel, and he became even more excited. He stood up suddenly, waving his hands in the air, the blue veins on his neck bulged slightly, and he raised his voice and shouted: "It doesn't matter to them, that's their business! I can't swallow this breath. I, Yan Bugui, have been a well-behaved person and worked diligently all my life. I have put in so much effort for this family and for the children. I thought that if I could get that house, our future life would definitely be more comfortable. Think about it, that house is spacious and bright, and the location is good. When the children come back, they will have a comfortable place to live, and they don't have to squeeze in this small house, where there is no room to turn around. Now, everything is gone, all the efforts have gone down the drain, how can I accept this!"

Yan Bugui paced back and forth in the room, his steps were hurried and heavy, and every step seemed to be stepping on his anxious heart. His eyes were full of resentment and unwillingness, and he kept muttering about his dissatisfaction with the results of the housing allocation. After thinking about it, he felt that this breath was really hard to swallow, and he had to find a way to get some benefits back, otherwise he felt like a cat was scratching his heart, which was very uncomfortable.

So, he didn't bother to say anything more to the third aunt, and hurried to the backyard. Along the way, his steps were hurried, and he was still thinking about how to open his mouth to achieve his goal. As he walked, he adjusted his expression, trying to relax the muscles on his face, slightly drooping the corners of his mouth, and squeezed out a few traces of resentment in his eyes, ready to act pitiful to gain sympathy.

After a while, Yan Bugui walked into Liu Haizhong's house with a sad face. Liu Haizhong's house was arranged neatly, but the traces of time could be seen. The chair with some paint peeling was placed in a corner of the house. Yan Bugui was not polite and sat on it. The chair made a "creaking" sound, as if protesting his rudeness. He rubbed his hands on his knees nervously, his fingers turned white because of the force, his eyes were evasive, but he would secretly glance at Liu Haizhong from time to time, observing his reaction.

Then, he took a deep breath and began to complain: "Old Liu, you said that this house matter really worries me. We old guys have been busy running around, running around, and talking so hard about it. From asking for information at the beginning, to preparing various materials later, and then looking for connections and saying good things everywhere, we did everything ourselves. But in the end, we got nothing, it's like a false joy, I'm really unhappy. We in the Siheyuan have made a lot of efforts for this house, and everyone is looking forward to a good result. There must be some explanation. It can't just be passed by like this, don't you think it makes sense?"

At that time, Liu Haizhong was sitting cross-legged, his posture revealing an indescribable ease and pride. He was holding an enamel pot steadily in his hand, with a vague red slogan printed on the surface of the pot, which was a mark left by the years. He gently blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface of the pot, took a sip of hot tea, and the fragrance of the tea spread in his mouth. He squinted his eyes slightly, enjoying this moment of leisure.

At this moment, Yan Bugui's words full of complaints reached his ears. Liu Haizhong frowned, and put the enamel pot in his hand, which was still steaming, on the table with a "clang". The sound was particularly loud in the quiet room, as if it was a prelude to his anger. His eyes suddenly widened, and his eyeballs, which were already protruding, looked even wider at this moment. He said with a questioning and disdainful tone: "Old Yan, what do you mean? The factory didn't give it to us, so what can we do? Can you snatch the factory's house? The factory naturally has its own rules for doing things, and we ordinary people have to accept our fate."

When Yan Bugui heard this, his heart skipped a beat, but in order to achieve his goal, he quickly leaned forward from his chair and moved closer, almost sticking to Liu Haizhong. He lowered his voice, and the voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, with a bit of urgency and mystery: "Old Liu, think about it, although the factory has decided on the house, our Siheyuan has also contributed. From the beginning when we heard the news of the house distribution, we old guys started to inquire everywhere, running around, saying good things to this one, getting close to that one, hoping to get more benefits for Siheyuan. We can't just let it go, we have to talk to the factory and ask them to give us some compensation or something. This is the joint effort of our Siheyuan, we must get some benefits, otherwise we have worked in vain these days."

Liu Haizhong was originally a bit impatient, but when he heard what Yan Bugui said, his eyes lit up instantly, like two small lights suddenly lit up in the darkness. He has always been a face-conscious person. He likes to show off his power in the Siheyuan on weekdays, enjoying the respect and envy of others. At this moment, he felt that this was a good opportunity to show his majesty and establish his image in front of everyone in the Siheyuan. He stood up and paced slowly in the room for a few steps. Each step was steady and powerful, as if to increase his momentum. Then, he slammed the table, and the teacups on the table jumped up and made a crisp sound. "Old Yan, you are right! We can't just suffer in silence. I will go and tell the factory about this matter. I don't believe that the factory will be so ruthless. I, Liu Haizhong, am also a well-known figure in the Siheyuan, and I know a lot of people in the factory. I don't believe that I can't persuade them."

When Yan Bugui saw that Liu Haizhong agreed, he was delighted, as if he saw a ray of light in the darkness. He quickly stood up from his chair, rubbed his hands in front of him, and smiled with a flattering and expectant smile: "Old Liu, this matter depends on you. You have a wide network of contacts and you have face in the factory. Everyone will give you a thumbs up when they mention you. You can definitely get this done. When there are benefits, we old guys can also benefit from it, and we will have more confidence to speak in the courtyard in the future."

When Liu Haizhong heard Yan Bugui's expectant words, a smug smile instantly appeared on his face. That smile was like a blooming sunflower, brilliant and ostentatious. He patted his broad chest vigorously, and his chest made a "bang bang" sound as he patted, as if beating the rhythm of his words. "Don't worry, Old Yan. I, Liu Haizhong, have been in Siheyuan for so many years. I have experienced so many ups and downs and done so many big things. Can't I do this well? I will go to the factory to find the leader and tell him about the situation of our Siheyuan. From the hard work of our Siheyuan to the disappointment of everyone with the results of the housing allocation, I have to explain everything to the leader. I don't believe that the leader will not pay attention to it." As he spoke, he waved his arms, and his posture was as if he was going to rush to the battlefield immediately to do a big job.

After saying that, Liu Haizhong rushed out of the door in a hurry. His footsteps were quick and urgent, and each step was heavily on the ground, as if he wanted to convey his determination and momentum through the sound of his footsteps. His figure flashed in the alley of the quadrangle and soon disappeared around the corner. Yan Bugui stood there, looking at his back, with a barely perceptible smile on the corner of his mouth, which was a bit cunning and expectant. He felt like there was a little rabbit in his heart, jumping around non-stop, thinking that if he could really get any benefits, he might be able to get more. By then, the family would be able to live a more affluent life, the children would be able to live a more comfortable life, and maybe he could even buy some new furniture.

Liu Haizhong trotted all the way to the factory. Beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe them off and went straight to the office of the leader in charge of allocating houses. The door of the office was dark brown, with a small piece of glass on it, through which one could see the dim light inside. He stood at the door, took a deep breath, and then began to tidy up his clothes. He pulled up his collar, smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, and smoothed his hair with his hands to make himself look more energetic. After tidying up, he raised his hand and knocked on the door gently. The knock sounded particularly crisp in the quiet corridor, as if it was his anxious urging.

After a while, a voice came from inside, "Come in", and Liu Haizhong walked in with his head held high. He raised his head slightly, and his eyes showed confidence and pride, like an eagle about to spread its wings and fly high. "Leader, I am Liu Haizhong from Siheyuan. I came to see you because I want to talk to you about our Siheyuan house." As soon as he entered the door, he said straight to the point, his voice was loud and clear, as if he wanted to spread his demands throughout the office.

The leader was originally looking down at the documents in his hand. When he heard his words, he slowly raised his head and glanced at him. His eyes were calm and deep, like a bottomless lake. The leader put down the documents in his hand, leaned back slightly, crossed his hands on his chest, and asked, "Just tell me what you want to say."

Liu Haizhong cleared his throat and began to talk nonstop: "Leader, you know that our Siheyuan has made a lot of efforts for this house. Everyone has been busy for several months, collecting information and helping with coordination. Now that we haven't got a house, everyone feels very disappointed. I think the factory should consider the actual situation of our Siheyuan and give us some compensation or something?"

The leader frowned and said, "Lao Liu, the factory has strict rules for allocating housing. We cannot give special treatment to people just because they contribute more. Moreover, the allocation of housing this time also took various factors into consideration and was fair and just."

When Liu Haizhong heard this, he became anxious and said quickly, "Leader, what you said is wrong. The people in our courtyard are also employees of the factory and have made a lot of contributions to the factory. Now that we haven't been allocated houses, it's normal for everyone to have some thoughts in their hearts. You can just treat it as a consolation to our courtyard and give us a little compensation."

The boss's face darkened and he said seriously, "Old Liu, don't make trouble here. The factory's decision was made after careful consideration and will not be easily changed. If you continue to pester me like this, I will criticize you."