Chapter 45: Xu Damao Up to His Old Tricks Again

Must be said, Yi Zhonghai and Silly Zhu really had a connection; the moment Silly Zhu was discharged from the hospital, Yi Zhonghai immediately checked in.

Just like that, Silly Zhu and Yi Zhonghai stared at each other with wide eyes, engulfed in an unspeakable awkwardness.

Silly Zhu already knew that his younger sister, He Yushui, had knelt before Yi Zhonghai yet still failed to borrow any money, and in the end, it was Wang Lin who took pity on He Yushui and lent her a ten-yuan banknote.

Moreover, his beating was inextricably linked to Yi Zhonghai, which made Silly Zhu harbor a deep resentment toward him in his heart.

As for Yi Zhonghai, he had been utterly choked up by He Yushui's words.

"First Elder Uncle, truly the wheel of fortune turns, and this year it has landed at your house. Looking at you like this, it's obvious you've done too many wicked deeds."

He Yushui's words were dripping with sarcasm.

Thinking of her miserable life in the past, it was all caused by Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai's brainwashing of Silly Zhu had been far too thorough; whatever Yi Zhonghai said was treated like an imperial decree in Silly Zhu's eyes.

This led to Silly Zhu subsidizing the Jia family with all his money, under the pretext that the Jia family only had Jia Dongxu as a city resident and still had to support an elderly woman like Mrs. Jia, making their life far too difficult.

Meanwhile, Yi Zhonghai incessantly instilled in Silly Zhu the concepts of respecting the elderly, loving the young, and helping one another, making Silly Zhu feel that helping the Jia family was the right thing to do, and if he didn't help, he wouldn't even be considered human.

"First Elder Uncle, Yushui is right, you totally deserve this."

Silly Zhu spoke even more bluntly.

Seeing Silly Zhu and his sister mocking him, Yi Zhonghai immediately took the moral high ground.

"Zhuzi, how did I teach you in the past? You need to know how to respect the elderly and love the young. Look at your attitude right now. If your deceased mother knew about this, wouldn't she be so heartbroken she'd die all over again?"

"You!"

He Yushui was so angry she wanted to continue arguing with Yi Zhonghai.

Yet Silly Zhu's under-developed brain went on strike once again, and he actually felt that what Yi Zhonghai said was right.

"First Elder Uncle, you're right. Being a human means knowing how to respect the elderly and love the young."

Yi Zhonghai was extremely smug. Seeing that Silly Zhu was about to be discharged, he didn't forget to fleece him one last time.

"Zhuzi, now that's a good boy. Remember to help your First Elder Uncle pay his medical bills when you are discharged."

Mentioning the medical expenses, Yi Zhonghai put on a bitter and sorrowful expression.

"You also know that your First Aunt divorced me, and all my money went to her. Your First Elder Uncle has had a hard life, and right now I truly have no money left."

Hearing Yi Zhonghai say this, Silly Zhu began to rationalize it all in his head.

He figured that Yi Zhonghai wasn't refusing to help his family out of malice, but because he genuinely had no money, which was why he hadn't lent He Yushui any cash.

"Alright, First Elder Uncle, don't you worry. I'll help you pay your medical bills."

Silly Zhu agreed on the spot, which made He Yushui's eyes turn red with fury.

Toward this foolish older brother of hers, He Yushui felt completely and utterly hopeless.

He was clearly a very shrewd person, yet his brain had been completely washed away and ruined by Yi Zhonghai.

Little did He Yushui know, Silly Zhu's foolishness was only just beginning.

Right now, Silly Zhu had already set his sights on Jia Dongxu's wife, Qin Min. For this pretty widow Qin Min, Silly Zhu was lovesick day and night, longing to play house with her every single day.

In the end, He Yushui still reluctantly paid Yi Zhonghai's medical expenses and then escorted Silly Zhu back to the courtyard.

Xu Damao had originally planned to go on a blind date today, so he had asked for leave from the factory. His father Fugui, mother Zhao Jiao, and younger sister Xu Fengling had all come to Courtyard Number 95.

"Damao, you must put on a good performance today."

"Dad, I'm a eunuch now, what kind of wife am I supposed to look for?"

Xu Damao was somewhat displeased, mainly because he truly looked down upon this blind date candidate.

The reason was also very simple: Xu Damao was far too familiar with the woman he was supposed to meet.

Her name was Wang Suyun, and she came from one of the eight major contract houses; Xu Damao had originally been a regular customer of hers.

Coming from such a background, just thinking about it made it unacceptable, as he constantly felt like he was wearing a green hat.

Mother Xu, Zhao Jiao, felt extremely helpless.

"Your dad and I don't want to force you to marry her either, but you know your current situation—you're a eunuch now, so finding any woman at all is already a blessing."

Xu Damao slammed the door and left, roaring,

"If you want to go, you go yourselves. I am never going on a blind date with that kind of woman."

"This... Dear husband."

Zhao Jiao looked at Xu Fugui, who was also filled with helplessness.

He had already inquired about the situation in the courtyard, and never had he imagined that the entire courtyard was now made up of extinct family lines, while his son had it even worse—having lost his prized possession entirely.

Although Xu Damao kept claiming he had a way to recover his prized possession, Xu Fugui didn't believe it at all. If there truly existed an entity capable of helping Xu Damao recover such a thing, they wouldn't be called a divine doctor, but an immortal.

Xu Fengling watched her angrily departing older brother, her words filled with sympathy.

"Dad, Mom, let's just do things according to Brother's wishes. He's a pitiful person too."

"Alright, I suppose we have no other choice."

Xu Fugui took a fierce drag from his cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and spoke with resignation.

As soon as Xu Damao stepped out of the courtyard gates, he spotted Silly Zhu being supported back by He Yushui.

Seeing Silly Zhu's pathetic appearance right now, Xu Damao's foul mouth simply couldn't be controlled.

"Yo, isn't this Silly Zhu? Our courtyard doesn't welcome your kind. I advise you to get the hell out right now, or else I'll beat you every single time I see you."

Seeing that Xu Damao actually dared to mock him, Silly Zhu was so enraged that, disregarding the pain in his body, he wanted to make a move on Xu Damao.

"Brother."

He Yushui widened her watery, tear-filled eyes and pleaded pitifully.

Seeing He Yushui's pitiful state, Silly Zhu's heart softened. For the very first time, he suppressed the anger within his chest, pretended not to see Xu Damao, and allowed He Yushui to support him back home.

Xu Damao had never expected that Silly Zhu would actually hold back and not throw a punch this time. However, driven by his hatred for Silly Zhu and the fact that he was already in a bad mood today, a sharp glint flashed in Xu Damao's eyes, and a wicked smile spread across his face.

"Hehehe, Silly Zhu, I swear I'm not going to let you have an easy day today."

Xu Damao stroked his small mustache, turned around, and walked back into the courtyard, heading straight to knock on阎埠贵 (Yan Bugui's) door.

As for Wang Lin, although he held the nominal title of vice director at the rolling mill, it was purely a sinecure; he didn't need to manage a single thing. Therefore, whether he went to the rolling mill or not made no difference at all.

Consequently, he hadn't gone to the rolling mill for the past few days, choosing instead to stay at Courtyard Number 95 to keep his three wives company.

As for Chen Xueru's Xueru Silk Store, following Wang Lin's advice, Chen Xueru had already handed the store over to the state, turning it into a public-private joint-venture pilot operation.

Moreover, just like Qin Huairu and Lou Xiaoe, Chen Xueru no longer cared about a mere silk store; she only wanted to cultivate diligently so she could stay by Wang Lin's side for a long time.

There was also good news: Lou Xiaoe, who had一直 (always) been unable to conceive, was now pregnant. At this, Qin Huairu merely smiled, while Chen Xueru looked at the pregnant Lou Xiaoe with a heart full of indescribable envy.

To this, Wang Lin could only offer a mischievous smile. He certainly wouldn't dare admit that he could freely control whether and when anyone got pregnant, otherwise that silly moth Lou Xiaoe would undoubtedly take a chunk right out of him.

Today, Courtyard Number 95 welcomed a high-ranking official. Upon learning of this, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui both groveled like servile lackeys, trailing behind the official and showering him with obsequious flattery.