Yan Bugui stood there dumbfounded at the door, unaware of what had happened, until he heard a lot of footsteps and then he came to his senses.
“Yan Bugui, you’re so old, why are you still scaring the children? Look how scared you’ve made our Tiger.”
"Yes! I said to him, 'Grandpa, why are you scaring the kids for no reason?' My child is so scared that he doesn't even dare to leave the house."
"Pah! You call yourself a teacher? How could you, the third oldest in the neighborhood, do such a thing?"
Faced with the accusations from the several middle-aged women, Yan Bugui was speechless.
"No, how did I scare them? I didn't do anything."
Yan Bugui couldn't understand what he had done and why so many people were criticizing him.
At this point, Jia Zhangshi, who arrived late, became displeased.
"Old Yan, stop pretending. My son has already told us about how you pretended to be a ghost to scare the kids. Look how scared you've made our child. I want your family, I want..."
Jia Zhangshi originally wanted to ask Yan Bugui for compensation, but when she thought about Yan Bugui's personality, she realized that it was almost impossible.
Who is Yan Bugui?
How could someone who would taste the saltiness of a load of manure passing by possibly offer compensation?
Just when I was caught in a dilemma!
Suddenly, Jia Zhangshi noticed that there were several small fish in the bucket next to Yan Bugui.
Suddenly, my eyes lit up. It was like someone had brought me a pillow when I was sleepy!
Then he pointed to the bucket and said.
"I want you to make it up to my child. These three fish are a bit small, but you'll have to make do with them!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a roar erupted.
"Jia Zhangshi, are you trying to rob me outright?! Why should I give you my fish?"
Several middle-aged women turned around at the sound and saw three middle-aged women running over angrily.
"Why are you surrounding my old man Yan? And Jia Zhangshi, why should we compensate you for our fish?"
"Who told him to scare our dog?"
When Jia Zhangshi saw the Third Aunt come out, she remembered the last time she was blocked at the door demanding grain, and her voice clearly lacked confidence.
"Old Yan, tell me, why did you scare that kid? Are you just bored at home all day?"
The three women thought it was their husbands' fault and wanted to find out the truth so they could apologize.
“Oh my! When have I ever scared the children? I just got back from fishing, I didn’t do anything or say anything, but when the kids saw me, they ran home screaming like ghosts. I don’t even know what happened. If you don’t believe me, you can call the children over to confront me.”
The women looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing this!
One of the older women, who was the one who started this whole thing, finally understood what was happening. She quietly left the crowd and ran home.
The other women weren't stupid; they already understood what had happened. They couldn't really blame Yan Bugui; he was the real victim.
"Well, Uncle, we're all neighbors. Now that everything's been explained, there's nothing more to it. I'll head back now."
"Yes, yes, you just got back from fishing, you must be hungry! Go eat quickly! I won't keep you any longer."
Seeing that the other women had all left, Jia Zhangshi knew she wouldn't get away with it alone, and might even get some gossip.
"Uncle, it's not easy for you to catch a few fish. My family is very strong! I'll go back and comfort you. I'll head back first, you guys carry on."
"Stop! Explain yourself before you leave."
Yan Bugui wanted to find out what was going on, but Jia Zhangshi didn't give him a chance. She ran faster than a rabbit and was long gone.
"Never mind, let's go back and eat first! I'll go and ask around this afternoon."
The three women picked up the buckets of water and comforted their husbands.
When Yan Bugui got home, even his cornbread didn't taste good. He had been criticized by a group of old women for no reason, so it was no wonder he had no appetite.
After quickly finishing his meal, Yan Bugui prepared to take a nap, but his third aunt volunteered to go out and gather information.
After his lunch break, Yan Bugui quickly washed up, grabbed a stool, and headed towards the main gate.
By this time, a number of idlers had gathered at the gate. The several middle-aged women who had surrounded Yan Bugui in the morning retreated when they saw him arrive, picked up their stools, and went home.
This left Yan Bugui completely bewildered; when did he become so powerful?
People shun him, even ghosts dread him!
"Uncle San is here! We've been waiting for you! Come and play a few rounds."
Yan Bugui readily accepted Sun Zhengguo's invitation.
"Alright! Set it up quickly."
Once the two were seated, their pieces, including the chariots, horses, and cannons, clashed. It was a battle of equals, a clash of titans, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.
As time passed, the number of pieces on the chessboard dwindled, and the two players reached a stalemate.
At this moment, the three aunties walked over.
In the afternoon, the third aunt went to inquire about the matter, but the person was unwilling to offend anyone and refused to say anything. Only after the third aunt's persistent pleading did she finally learn the whole story.
Upon arriving, seeing the two playing chess, the third aunt gave Sun Zhengguo a complicated look.
"So? Have you found out anything?"
Yan Bugui didn't even look up, his eyes glued to the chessboard, afraid of accidentally falling into a trap.
"I found out everything. It all started because of a joke."
"oh!"
Yan Bugui frowned slightly.
"What a joke."
Yan Bugui was momentarily distracted, and Sun Zhengguo immediately found an opportunity to counterattack.
"You've lost, Uncle San, you've been ripped out of my heart, hahaha."
Yan Bugui angrily put down the chess piece in his hand, glared at the third aunt, and then spoke.
"All that effort wasted when you arrived. Now, let's continue!"
Seeing that her husband was unhappy, the third aunt stopped hiding her feelings and recounted the whole story.
Sun Zhengguo never expected that he was involved in this.
I was just joking!
I should have let Yan Bugui win this round.
"Uncle, I was just joking. I didn't tell them to go back and scare the children. If you want to blame someone, blame those old ladies. How can you scare children like that?"
Yan Bugui dared not blame Sun Zhengguo; if it weren't for the bait he provided, he probably would have been outmaneuvered today.
Should we blame those older women?
Don't be ridiculous, he was just joking. If you go to his door and confront him, you'll just get a reputation for being a sore loser.
As for being surrounded and criticized, that's all a misunderstanding. As the third uncle in the courtyard, can't you, Yan Bugui, be a little more magnanimous?
Yan Bugui said it was really difficult!
In the end, he could only swallow this bitter pill.
"Alright! I won't blame anyone. After all, I'm the third oldest man in this courtyard!"
"However! That heart-cutting scene from the previous dish doesn't count; I was distracted then."
Yan Bugui is still the same Yan Bugui; he won't take advantage of anyone, that's not in his nature.
He wouldn't let go of even the outcome of a single game of chess.
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