"Uncle, I admit I said some nonsense, but it was just something I heard from others. I was just joking around, so it shouldn't be a big problem, right? After all, ignorance is no excuse, right?"
Seeing that Xu Damao was still trying to argue, Liu Haizhong got furious.
You, Xu Damao, not only ruined my two sons, but also abducted one of them, causing me to lose face so badly. Now you're trying to deny everything. Is this how you admit your mistakes?
"Smack!"
The old, dilapidated eight-immortal table was almost torn apart by Liu Haizhong's slap.
"Xu Damao, what kind of attitude is this? So we old men have wronged you?"
"No, it's not that bad, it's just making a mountain out of a molehill."
Seeing that Xu Damao was still arguing, Sun Dajiang knew it was his turn to step in.
"Xu Damao, we have no way of investigating where you heard these things, but I just want to ask you, did you say them?"
"I did."
Xu Damao couldn't deny it; he did say it.
"Fine! Since you admit it, then let me ask you, did it have any impact when you told these things to the young people in the compound, or even the children?"
"There might be some impact, but they're all fine, aren't they?"
Xu Damao's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, and even he himself didn't believe what he was saying.
"Xu Damao, you are a filmmaker. Your task is to go to the grassroots level and promote patriotism to the people."
"But what you've done is all that, spreading obscene and filthy things in our compound, negatively impacting the physical and mental development of our compound's youth. Tell me, what exactly are you up to?"
"If the neighborhood committee finds out about this, you'll be in big trouble."
These last words sent chills down Xu Damao's spine, becoming the final straw that broke the camel's back.
He knew he couldn't keep putting up with this. If he really angered the old men and they reported it to the neighborhood committee, he might lose his job.
"No, no, no! Gentlemen, please calm down. After what you've said, I've completely realized my mistake. I'll change, okay?"
"Uncle, tell me, what kind of foul language did Xu Damao use? Let everyone judge for themselves."
"Hahaha……."
Seeing the commotion below, the old men smiled. They knew they couldn't talk about this in public, or they'd all be in trouble.
"Alright, everyone, stop making a fuss. Nobody's perfect, and we can't condemn someone outright."
"Now that Xu Damao has realized his mistake, we should give him a chance to correct it."
What do you all think?
The neighbors below were surprised that Sun Dajiang even consulted their opinions. If it were the old Yi Zhonghai, he would have made the decision himself.
"The old man is fair in his dealings, and everyone listens to him."
"Yes, yes! Sir, just tell us! We'll take care of the details without hesitation."
The other two old men thought to themselves that Sun Dajiang was really something.
How should Xu Damao be punished?
The three of them had already discussed it. This was just a formality.
But how did Sun Dajiang do it?
On the surface, everyone's opinions were solicited, but in reality, the result was still the same.
And the masses below, having gained face, became even more supportive of him, which is no better than Yi Zhonghai's approach.
"Since no one has any objections, I'll just say it directly."
"First, Xu Damao should apologize to those children and their parents, because this incident has indeed had a significant impact on the children."
"Can you do this first thing, Xu Damao?"
Xu Damao quickly nodded and said, "Yes."
"Second, Xu Damao must make a profound self-criticism in front of everyone in the compound. Remember, his attitude must be correct and he must not be perfunctory."
Xu Damao nodded as well.
"Third, punish Xu Damao by making him clean the courtyard for three months. He is not allowed to hire anyone to clean it. There will be inspections, so don't even think about getting away with it. Can you do that?"
"It can be done."
Xu Damao replied with a bitter expression.
Compared to the first two, this one is the worst. The first two are his strengths, which only require talking. But cleaning the courtyard means getting up early every day and persisting for three months. Just thinking about it makes me unhappy.
"Fourth, starting today, all residents of the compound will be placed under observation for six months. If he makes any more mistakes during this period, all old and new grievances will be settled together."
Xu Damao never expected that there would be a six-month observation period. Doesn't that mean he has to act subservient for the next six months?
After announcing the punishment for Xu Damao, Xu Damao then made a self-criticism, which was of course no challenge for him, as his forte was being eloquent.
As for the remaining few, Xu Damao will have to handle them privately.
Only after everything was completed did Sun Dajiang announce the adjournment of the meeting.
After the meeting, because it was still early and it was hot and people couldn't sleep, many people didn't go home. Instead, they stayed in small groups, both inside and outside the courtyard, enjoying the cool air.
Among them were some curious people who inquired everywhere about what obscene things Xu Damao had said, but those who knew kept their mouths shut and would not say anything, for fear of ending up like Xu Damao.
That evening, something else happened.
That was when Liu Haizhong went home and made up for the beating Liu Guangtian had received.
The howling noises then tainted the ears of the neighbors.
Three days after the incident, Xu Fugui received the news.
He knows his son was punished in the yard, but he doesn't know the specifics.
After getting off work, Xu Fugui told his wife and rushed to the courtyard house. He wanted to see what trouble his son had gotten into this time.
Upon arriving at the gate of the compound, the first person they encountered was Yan Bugui.
"Old Xu! What brings you here today?"
Seeing that Yan Bugui was pretending to be ignorant, Xu Fugui didn't intend to expose him.
"I heard that my good-for-nothing son has gotten into trouble, so I came back to see."
"Oh! I know about this. You need to go back and give him a good talking to. If it weren't for us old men keeping an eye on things, he might have been kicked out of the compound."
Yan Bugui always tries to take advantage of others, and he even took the opportunity to do someone a favor.
"Thank you! You're busy, I'll go back now, we can chat again when I have time."
Xu Fugui didn't want to talk nonsense here; he had to ask his son what the real situation was.
If it really was his son's fault, then so be it. But if it was these old guys who took advantage of his absence to bully his son, then Xu Fugui wouldn't take it lying down.
After bidding farewell to Yan Bugui, Xu Fugui hurried to the backyard and saw that his son had already returned.
"Dad, what brings you here?"
When Xu Damao saw his father arrive, he quickly went to greet him.
"Isn't this all your doing? Are you trying to drive me crazy?"
As they were talking, Xu Fugui had already parked his bicycle, and the father and son went inside, since the outside wasn't the place to talk.
"Tell me! What happened?"
After sitting down, Xu Fugui asked.
Xu Damao didn't dare to lie and told the whole story, of course, he glossed over the vulgar language.
"This is utter nonsense, and the punishment is far too lenient. Do you even know what kind of behavior this is?"
Xu Fugui was furious. He wondered whose genes his son took after, since he dared to tell everyone anything.
"Dad, calm down. I promise I'll change, I promise I'll change."
"Hmph! You'd better remember what you said, you know? If anyone takes this too seriously, you'll already be in jail."
"Really? It's nothing serious."
Xu Damao said in disbelief.
"Alright, alright, I don't want to argue with you anymore. I'm afraid you'll drive me crazy. How about this, after dinner I'll take you to apologize again, and I hope everyone will stop bringing this up."
"oh!"
Xu Damao didn't dare to say anything more, lest he really upset his father and cause him harm.
Xu Fugui, on the other hand, was thinking that it was time to find a wife for his son, so that he could keep his mind at ease and stop him from doing all sorts of irresponsible things all day long.
He wanted to live a few more years! If things continue like this...
I'll be driven crazy by him one day!
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