When Jia Zhangshi was not around, and Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu each had their own agendas, it was easier to reach an agreement on interests.

With two other elderly men in the compound and Xu Damao as witnesses, Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu reached a preliminary agreement.

First, the Jia and Yi families will become godparents and take care of each other. This means the Yi family will look after the Jia family's children in their daily lives, and the Jia family's children will support the Yi family in their old age.

Secondly, Xiao Huaihua changed her surname to Yi and was adopted by Yi Zhonghai as his granddaughter.

Secondly, Jia Zhangshi was sent back to her hometown, and given 5 yuan a month for her retirement. This money was provided by Yi Zhonghai.

Once a suitable time is chosen, the Yi and Jia families will jointly hold a banquet in the courtyard, inviting all the residents to eat, which is equivalent to inviting everyone to witness it.

"Congratulations, Lao Yi and Huai Ru. From now on, your two families will be like one, and your lives will only get better and better." Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui offered their congratulations.

At that moment, they felt a little incredulous; everything seemed to be going too smoothly. Before they could even react, Yi Zhonghai's retirement problem and the Jia family's children's upbringing problem were both solved in an instant.

"Third Uncle, you're an educated man, so you can draft this application to repatriate Jia Zhangshi to her hometown. Then, you three uncles should explain this to each household, sign it, and then submit it together to the community and street offices. I'll go with you."

"Since this matter is going to be handled, it must be handled thoroughly and swiftly. As soon as Jia Zhangshi finishes her sentence, send her directly back to her hometown," Xu Damao said.

“Okay, I’m good at this,” Yan Fugui agreed.

Yan Fugui, who had schemed his whole life, knew that Xu Damao's arrangement risked incurring Jia Zhangshi's wrath, but now that things had come to this, he couldn't refuse. If it really came down to hatred, then Yi Zhonghai and Xu Damao were ahead of him.

Besides, Jia Zhangshi will be sent back to her hometown later, and it's hard to say whether we'll ever see each other again.

"That's settled then, I'll head back now."

After arranging things, Xu Damao went straight home. He had already planned for today's events; he was just waiting for the right opportunity. Although there was no guarantee that Jia Zhangshi would never return, at least there would be some peace and quiet before the storm hit.

After the wind picks up, all levels of government will be paralyzed, and there will be less control over the movement of people. Jia Zhangshi may very well take the opportunity to return. However, at that time, the headaches will be for Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu; Xu Damao himself may not even stay here any longer.

The next morning, everyone in the compound knew about the Jia and Yi families' situation. When they heard that Jia Zhangshi was to be expelled, everyone raised their hands in approval.

This Jia Zhangshi is a troublemaker in the compound; with her around, there's never been peace. People have long wanted to get rid of her. Now, quite a few people are urging Yan Fugui to finish the application quickly so they can sign it.

Things went smoothly. With Xu Damao's intervention, the community and the street quickly reached a resolution. Because Jia Zhangshi, an outsider, had repeatedly broken the law, failed to unite the community, and disrupted the order of the compound, it was decided to send Jia Zhangshi back to her place of origin.

When Jia Zhangshi received the news in the cell, she nearly collapsed. She had lived in the courtyard house for years, her life, while not wealthy, was comfortable enough that she had food and drink and had never gone hungry. But going back to her rural hometown would be the death of her.

At that time, the streets and the government held considerable authority. Since repatriation was ordered, it was an order that Jia Zhangshi could not resist. After meeting Qin Huairu and learning that she would receive five yuan a month for retirement, Jia Zhangshi's mood improved slightly.

However, Qin Huairu did not dare to mention the matter of recognizing relatives with the Yi family, fearing that Jia Zhangshi would not be able to accept it.

Qin Huairu has now figured it out: acquaintance with the Jia family is entirely beneficial to her. No matter who the child calls grandpa or grandma, they are still her child, and they will definitely treat her well in the future. Besides, Yi Zhonghai is a powerful figure; his monthly salary is so high that even a small amount of support would be enough for his family to live comfortably for a while.

Meanwhile, Yi Zhonghai, who was at home, discussed this matter with an older woman.

"Old Yi, how could you agree to this so easily? Aren't you worried that your children won't take care of you in your old age?" an older woman asked.

"How can I not worry? But who knows what will happen decades from now? Besides, I've also given Huaihua our surname, which is an extra layer of protection."

"Besides, the reason I agreed was to use Qin Huairu to keep Shazhu in check; Shazhu is our best guarantee," Yi Zhonghai said with emotion.

If he had a choice, he would never have chosen the Jia family's child. But that's how things are, and he has no choice. He currently favors Sha Zhu, but Sha Zhu is stubbornly loyal to Qin Huairu, so he can only take a roundabout approach.

After Jia Zhangshi left, things seemed much calmer in the compound. Similarly, in the steel rolling mill, after a period of power struggle among the top three leaders, a relatively peaceful situation was also achieved.

After a period of maneuvering, Huang Xian seized considerable power from Yang Zhenhua and Li Xuewu, firmly establishing himself as the factory's second-in-command. Now, he no longer engages in extensive research and inspections as before, but instead focuses on steady and pragmatic progress.

Qiao Erbao, the first deputy factory director to pledge allegiance to Huang Xian, has recently seen his status rise, with a constant stream of people coming to report to him at his office.

The special vehicle that Xu Damao had previously impounded was naturally returned to the current head of the transportation department, and everything returned to its original state.

That day, Director Qiao drove straight to the auto repair shop, intending to give Xu Damao's factory a thorough inspection.

"Beep beep, beep beep." When the car arrived at the entrance of the auto repair shop, the gatekeeper did not open the gate directly, and the driver started honking the horn a few times.

In this day and age, people who own cars are not ordinary people, and their drivers are all very capable. Moreover, this driver was a relative specially transferred by Director Qiao. He had been enjoying being a leader for the past few days and had started to become a bit arrogant.

The security guard glanced at the car and realized he didn't recognize the license plate, the driver, or the passengers, so he walked up to the car and asked.

"Aren't you going to open the door? You dare to block Director Qiao's car? Don't you want to live a good life?" the driver snapped.

Actually, he had misunderstood the security guard. Some time ago, because Qin Huairu had been allowed to enter through the main gate at will, Xu Damao demanded stricter access control; all personnel, except those with appointments, must register before entering.

If you need to get your car repaired, turn right into the repair shop. If you need to find the administration, turn left. There is a simple partition between the two.

"I didn't see that you had made another appointment, so please register the visitor and the person receiving you." The security guard was also a greenhorn, unaware that Director Qiao was a high-ranking leader at the steel rolling mill, and he was just following the rules.

"Director Qiao, he's Director Qiao of the steel rolling mill. What's there to register? Have you ever heard of having to register your own factory, you idiot?"

The driver was surprised that there were still clueless young men who didn't recognize Director Qiao. The preferential treatment he had received these past few days had made him start to lash out at the security personnel.

"I don't care if you're Factory Director Qiao or Factory Director Lu, everyone who comes here must register. I'm warning you to watch your mouth and not to swear again, or I'll send you straight to the security department."

The security guard was a passionate young man, usually respected by others. But after being directly insulted, he started hurling threats. He knew that the person driving wasn't an ordinary person; if they had come by bicycle or on foot, he would have already attacked them with his rifle butt.