As the crowd dispersed, Ma Hua finally noticed a table set up in the middle. Three men—Uncle Yi Zhonghai, Uncle Liu Haizhong, and Uncle Yan Bugui—sat on either side, each with a teacup in front of them.

Ma Hua chuckled inwardly. These three, though not high-ranking officials, have plenty of bad habits. What's wrong with them? Do they really think they're leaders holding a meeting with their employees?

Upon seeing Ma Hua, Yi Zhonghai immediately gave Liu Haizhong a wink. Liu Haizhong coughed twice and loudly said to Ma Hua, "Ma Hua, why are you so late? Didn't you know our department had a meeting tonight? Do you know we've been waiting for you here for a long time? No organization, no record."

Ma Hua scoffed. "You've only been here a day and you're already starting?" Ma Hua said bluntly to Liu Haizhong, "Did you get my permission to hold this meeting? You said you've been waiting for me for ages. Who made you wait? Go find them."

"I'm the second oldest in our courtyard, so whether or not we hold a meeting is our decision!" Liu Haizhong was furious. This newcomer dared to talk back to him in front of so many people. He was the second oldest in the courtyard!

"Oh. Go ahead and drive, it's none of my business." Ma Hua said, then prepared to push the cart home.

When Yi Zhonghai saw Ma Hua like this, he immediately thought to himself that things had gone wrong and that Liu Haizhong shouldn't have stepped forward. But when he saw Yan Bugui fiddling with his glasses, Yi Zhonghai cursed him under his breath as a slippery fellow.

He stood up abruptly: "Ma Hua, it's like this, the three of us are three old men appointed by the neighborhood committee. We usually handle all the big and small matters in our courtyard. You may not know this since you're new here, so everyone who lives in our courtyard must attend this meeting. You can't be late for the next meeting."

"Oh, I see. Hey, Mr. Yi? I remember there's an old lady next door to my house. Why didn't she come?" Ma Hua said, feigning surprise. This Yi Zhonghai, he came right up and used the neighborhood committee to pressure him. If he didn't know better, he would have really thought Yi was some kind of high-ranking official.

In essence, the "old man" system in the courtyard houses is just a form of resident self-governance, and it doesn't really have any real power. Its main purpose is to mediate neighborhood disputes and promote the various policies of the neighborhood committee.

Originally, it was to prevent enemy agents. Whenever a stranger came to the courtyard, it had to be reported. Gradually, the neighborhood office found that since the "courtyard grandpa" system was implemented, things were much easier and more convenient. So they tacitly approved it and did not cancel it. On the contrary, they would give some of the more troublesome courtyards the title of "advanced courtyard". At the end of the year, they would also give out some melon seeds and candy.

Whether it was for year-end honors or a small reward, gradually the entire courtyard became a place where everything was resolved through meetings. The three old men made the decisions.