Chapter Fifty-Six: Sabotaging the Fundraiser Once More

When Mrs. Jia heard that Xu Damao did not need to donate, her first impulse was to step forward and object. However, the moment she heard that forcing Xu Damao to donate might get her arrested, she immediately shut her mouth.

Even so, she cast her gaze upon Wang Lin. Everyone in the courtyard knew that Wang Lin was the truly wealthy man here.

"Um, Deputy Director Wang, seeing as my family is in such dire straits, could you donate a little money to us?"

Wang Lin looked coldly at Mrs. Jia, and just as he was about to speak, Lou Xiaoe wrapped her arms around his and began to act coquettishly.

"Brother Lin, just donate a little. The Jia family really doesn't have it easy right now."

"Alright, alright, I listen to my wife."

Because Lou Xiaoe pleaded on their behalf, Wang Lin immediately changed his tune, though he had no intention of donating much. He looked at Mrs. Jia and said indifferently:

"Since my wife is pleading for your family, I'll just make a symbolic gesture. I'll donate one cent."

As he spoke, Wang Lin walked over to the donation box and dropped a single cent inside.

Seeing that Wang Lin had only donated one cent, Mrs. Jia's face instantly turned ugly. Yi Zhonghai's expression also grew gloomy. Although Wang Lin had donated, he only gave a single cent, which completely showed a lack of respect for him as the First Head of the courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai gave Silly Zhu a look, signaling him to step forward.

This time, however, Silly Zhu hesitated. He was no fool. Silly Zhu knew very well that during the period when Xu Damao was impotent, he had sought out Wang Lin. Not long after Xu Damao found a wife for Wang Lin, Xu Damao's prized possession was miraculously cured. To say that the recovery of Xu Damao's prized possession had nothing to do with Wang Lin was something Silly Zhu simply refused to believe. For the sake of his own prized possession, he absolutely could not afford to provoke Wang Lin now. This concerned whether the He family line would continue, as well as his own future happiness.

Seeing that Silly Zhu was ignoring him, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly looked at Qin Min, signaling her to ask Silly Zhu for help. Only this time, Yi Zhonghai was disappointed. Under the pathetic facade put up by Qin Min, Silly Zhu directly lowered his head and pretended not to see.

"Damn that Silly Zhu," Yi Zhonghai cursed inwardly. He never expected Silly Zhu to disobey him. If Yi Zhonghai knew what Silly Zhu was actually thinking, he would surely resent Wang Lin even more, as Silly Zhu remaining childless would actually be more beneficial to him.

Seeing that Silly Zhu was playing dumb, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to speak up himself.

"Deputy Director Wang, your monthly salary is so high, isn't donating just one cent a bit too little?"

Before Wang Lin could reply, his loyal follower Liu Haichong spoke up first.

"First Head, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to force Director Wang to donate?"

"Liu Haichong, you..."

Yi Zhonghai never imagined that Liu Haichong would stand up at a time like this. Although he knew Liu Haichong had been sucking up to Wang Lin—and that he was now a workshop director and the head of the inspection team—he still hadn't taken Liu Haichong seriously. But this time, he realized Liu Haichong had truly changed. Not only did he know how to hit the nail on the head when speaking, but he could deliver a fatal blow, making Yi Zhonghai feel pressure from Liu Haichong for the very first time.

"Apologies, I was just too hasty. I was merely worried that if the donation was too small, the Jia family's living conditions still wouldn't improve, so I said the wrong thing. Please, continue with the donations."

Liu Haichong flashed a flattering smile at Wang Lin, who nodded lightly in response before returning to the side of Qin Min and the other two women.

At that moment, You Fengxia secretly ran over to Wang Lin, threw herself into his arms, and whined coquettishly:

"Brother Lin, you're finally back. Fengxia missed you to death."

With that, she planted a kiss right on Wang Lin's cheek. Wang Lin gently stroked You Fengxia's hair and asked in a low voice:

"Where is your brother?"

You Fengxia pouted her little mouth and unhappily replied:

"My brother hasn't been back for two days. He said he went to the countryside on a procurement trip."

It was then that Wang Lin realized he had neglected You Fengxia over the past few days. Regardless of anything else, You Fengxia had already considered herself Wang Lin's woman. However, Wang Lin was no beast; You Fengxia was simply too young, so he could only treat her like a younger sister. His mind had been entirely focused on Qin Min and the other two women these past few days, directly forgetting about You Fengxia. If she hadn't secretly come up to him today, he wouldn't even have known that her brother had gone down to the countryside.

"Little Fengxia, from now on, why don't you move in and live with the three older sisters? How does that sound?"

As soon as You Fengxia heard this, her previously aggrieved little face instantly broke into a radiant and joyful smile.

"Mm-hmm! Brother Lin, you're the best!"

Saying this, she planted another kiss on Wang Lin. Seeing this, Qin Min and the other two women smiled happily; they also grew very fond of You Fengxia.

Meanwhile, the other men in the courtyard felt even more jealous. Although You Fengxia was young, it was already evident that she would grow up to be an absolute beauty. As for the women in the courtyard, their jealousy toward Qin Min and the others knew no bounds. By following Wang Lin, they got to eat and drink lavishly every day. Unlike themselves—in this famine-stricken era, simply getting enough to eat was a major problem.

Mrs. Jia glared with her triangular eyes at You Fengxia and jealously spat:

"A money-losing asset, a little vixen in the making. So young and already knowing how to seduce men."

Others might not have heard clearly what Mrs. Jia muttered, but Wang Lin heard every single word crystal clear. Although You Fengxia wasn't his woman yet due to her age, she was now his sworn younger sister. He could never tolerate his own sister being verbally abused by an old hag.

Originally, Wang Lin didn't care about this donation drive, but now, he was absolutely determined not to let it proceed.

"That's right, First Head, has this fundraising been reported to the neighborhood committee? Failure to report to the neighborhood committee is illegal, you know."

Hearing Wang Lin's words, those in the courtyard who had wanted to continue donating stopped in their tracks. They turned their gazes to Yi Zhonghai, waiting for his reply.

Yi Zhonghai's expression slumped instantly. Reporting this to the neighborhood committee? He wouldn't dare. Who was Mrs. Jia? She was Jia Dongxu's mother, and Jia Dongxu was a convicted enemy spy. Would the neighborhood committee ever approve of the courtyard residents donating money to the family of an enemy spy? Yi Zhonghai didn't dare to test the waters; he was terrified of losing his position as the First Head because of this incident.

Without waiting for Yi Zhonghai to answer, Liu Haichong jumped in first.

"First Head, didn't you say you had already settled things with the neighborhood committee? Surely you reported it to them, right?"

Yan Bugui also sensed that something was amiss by this point. He knew very well that he needed to pick a side. Right now, it was obvious that Wang Lin and Liu Haichong held the upper hand, while Yi Zhonghai was at a disadvantage. Considering himself clever, Yan Bugui naturally chose to side with Wang Lin and Liu Haichong.

"First Head, you wouldn't lie to me and the Second Head, would you?"

You have to hand it to Yan Bugui; he still possessed a bit of cunning. With a single sentence, he not only successfully picked his side but also cleanly distanced both himself and Liu Haichong from the mess.

Yi Zhonghai's expression grew even gloomier, a profound sense of helplessness washing over him. If his wife hadn't divorced him, and if Deaf Old Lady hadn't been arrested, how could he have possibly found himself caught in such a dilemma today?

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai remained silent, Liu Haichong pressed further:

"Yi Zhonghai, don't tell me you really didn't report it?"

Having figured out the situation, Liu Haichong continued:

"Since it hasn't been reported, this donation is invalid. I'm taking my ten yuan back."

Reacting with lightning speed, Yan Bugui didn't even say another word; he reached out and directly snatched back the two yuan he had contributed.

Seeing this, Mrs. Jia charged toward the donation box like a wild boar, lunging forward and forcefully grabbing the box into her arms.

"This is money for my family! Nobody is allowed to take it back!"