Shuangdong Hutong is going to be demolished again!
(omitted n "again" characters)
Over the past eight or nine years, news of demolition has been circulating again and again. The nearby hutongs have been demolished and new buildings have been built in their place. The residents of Shuangdong Hutong have gone from being unable to afford the demolition to now not even batting an eye when they hear about it.
Demolish? Impossible!
Liu Xiaoguai, from the courtyard opposite the Chang family, made a bold statement: he would live in Shuangdong Hutong until the day he dies!
Liu Xiaoguai was only in his early thirties at most, and the day he died was probably another half a century away.
After the Liu family sold their house and moved away, Liu Xiaoguai, who indirectly caused the Liu family to become destitute, became a sinner. The young widow who once deceived him into believing that they would spend the rest of their lives together completely changed his life.
The Liu family stayed at Liu Yuting's in-laws' house for a period of time, during which various conflicts arose, big and small. In the end, everyone disliked Liu Xiaoguai, who became the punching bag and was kicked out of the house.
Liu Xiaoguai then wandered around, eventually managing to save some money before returning to his former home and renting a single room.
Old Man Tian, who lived in the same compound, strongly opposed this and even spoke ill of Liu Xiaoguai to the landlord, forbidding him from returning. No one knew what Liu Xiaoguai had done to offend him.
The landlord did not listen to Old Man Tian's slander and rented the single room to Liu Xiaoguai after taking the money. Liu Xiaoguai heard about this from elsewhere. The next day, a dead rat appeared under Old Man Tian's window. It was smelly and bloody, which frightened Old Man Tian so much that he could not sleep for several nights and cursed him indirectly in the yard for several days.
After Liu Xiaoguai moved back, he collected scrap metal at the entrance of the alley and resold it, which allowed him to make a living for the time being.
As time passed and years went by, Liu Xiaoguai and Old Man Chang were able to sit at the same card table.
Recently, the neighborhood committee has been cracking down on gambling, and the stakes at the card table are nothing more than a small bowl of fried soybeans that can be eaten as a snack with drinks.
Liu Xiaoguai was particularly craving the Chang family's fried soybeans. While playing cards, he jokingly asked, "Grandpa Chang, I heard there's going to be another demolition project. Which child are you planning to give this courtyard to?"
Old Man Chang had a good hand of cards, and upon hearing this, he immediately turned sour.
This incident is a laughing stock in Shuangdong Hutong.
A few years ago, the demolition and relocation were a hot topic. After residents in several nearby alleys signed contracts and put their fingerprints on them, everyone was confident that Shuangdong Hutong would be next. Every household was in chaos, all because of a huge amount of demolition compensation.
Old Man Chang was provoked by his two good daughters and became angry. He started arguing with Chang Hongbing and his wife, wanting to give the demolition compensation to his two daughters who had a hard life.
At the urging of the Chang sisters, Old Man Chang kicked Chang Hongbing and his wife out of the house, breaking their hearts.
Later, when the demolition didn't happen, Old Man Chang immediately turned around and apologized to Chang Hongbing and his wife. Chen Zhaodi was not willing to accept his apology, so she moved out and never moved back. She also took away Old Woman Chang, who needed someone to take care of her.
Old Man Chang rightfully moved into his own house, where he was quite lonely. Occasionally, Chang Hongbing would come to visit him, disregarding past grievances, but generally, very few people would come.
No wonder Old Man Chang made a big fuss. At that time, everyone thought the demolition was real. Even Liu Xiaoguai's family, whom he hadn't contacted in ages, secretly came to him, asking Liu Xiaoguai to give a false statement and find a way to take back the old house.
Liu Xiaoguai had been abandoned by his family once, so he refused outright. He got along well with his landlord, and his neighbors usually took good care of him, so he couldn't be bothered with the Liu family's daydreams.
Even if I take the money, I won't give him a single penny!
Old Man Chang was so angry that he glared and puffed out his beard, not even bothering to give Liu Xiaoguai a second glance. Liu Xiaoguai chuckled to himself and secretly touched Old Man Chang's roasted soybeans.
After finishing his card game, Old Man Chang carried his small bowl home, and as soon as he touched it, he knew that his fried soybeans had been stolen!
He lost only a few rounds, but his fried soybeans were much less; it must have been that greedy little thief.
—Liu Xiaoguai.
Old Man Chang put down his small bowl and turned to find Liu Xiaoguai to settle accounts, when Chang Meiying and Chang Pengfei walked in with a pile of materials.
Chang Meiying greeted him, "Grandpa, where are you going? I need to talk to you about something!"
Seeing his granddaughter beaming with joy, Old Man Chang forgot all about Liu Xiaoguai, who usually had a real sweet tooth, and hurriedly asked, "Meiying, what brings you back?"
If Chang Meiying couldn't visit him often, that would be a major fault of Zhou Hongyu.
Zhou Hongyu abandoned his perfectly good family compound and ran back to live in the village. He heartlessly sent his precious granddaughter to boarding school, where she has been staying for several years. Except for weekends and holidays, she cannot go home.
Chang Meiying skipped two grades and entered high school early, which resulted in her coming to school even less these past two years. Old Man Chang missed her terribly.
Chang Pengfei, who had been completely ignored, walked over and handed a notice to Old Man Chang.
Chang Pengfei said seriously, "Grandpa, the demolition notice has been released. Shuangdong Hutong is going to be demolished!"
"What?!"
Old Man Chang didn't believe it at first.
He was repeatedly deceived by demolition and relocation announcements, which caused him great suffering!
Chang Meiying took the notice from Chang Pengfei and said patiently, "Grandpa, it's true. My dad has prepared all the necessary documents for the procedures. You can negotiate the price and hand it over to the demolition office!"
Chang Xingwang gets busier as he gets closer to retirement age, flying all over the country.
In the midst of several demolition rumors, the Chang sisters were unreliable and lost Chang Xingwang's trust. Chang Hongbing was too old to get anything done. So when Chang Xingwang learned about the demolition, he immediately prepared all the necessary documents before his business trip to avoid the old man getting anxious and going to Zhou Hongyu to cause trouble.
Zhou Hongyu certainly wouldn't indulge Old Man Chang, and Old Man Chang would have endless troubles to endure.
Chang Xingwang wasn't exactly a sweet and caring daughter, but he was worried that Old Man Chang was getting old and his health wasn't good, and that Zhou Hongyu might upset him so much that he might suddenly collapse.
The notices and announcements, the documents needed for the demolition, were specifically given to him by his most promising son…
Old Man Chang hesitated for a moment, still not believing it.
It's definitely another scam!
Old Man Chang waved his hand firmly: "Meiying, Pengfei, it doesn't matter to me whether the demolition is carried out or not. Demolish it! Then I'll leave it to you to handle. Anyway, I've already made preparations. The demolition compensation will be divided into three parts: one for Meiying, one for Rihui, and one for Hongbing... your uncle's family!"
As for the Chang Lanhua sisters, who made the biggest fuss, Old Man Chang had no intention of giving them anything.
However, the reason why I followed Chang Lanhua and her sisters to cause trouble the previous times was simply because I was bored and had nothing better to do. I got emotionally charged after being provoked.
The last time it caused the biggest uproar, Chen Zhaodi scolded three people by herself, including the Chang Lanhua sisters and Old Man Chang.
Chen Zhaodi even dragged Chang Laotou's most filial son into opposing them, and Chang Hongbing actually betrayed them as well, which Chang Laotou never expected.
After this incident, Old Man Chang learned a harsh lesson. When he turned over a new leaf, he was kinder and more amiable to Chang Hongbing than ever before, showing even more sincerity than a loving father.
Chang Hongbing fell for it, but Chen Zhaodi saw through the old man's trick at a glance and didn't respond. She was determined not to acknowledge the old man as her father-in-law who was always courting death!
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