Sha Zhu was filled with mixed emotions, as was the deaf old lady. They'd spread the word for so long, yet no one had come looking for them.
And that bastard Yi Zhonghai, is he really that heartless? It's so late, and he still hasn't brought me dinner. Does he want me to starve to death?
The deaf old lady had a good plan: once her news got out, people from the courtyard would flock to her to curry favor.
Over the years, she knew all too well what kind of people lived in the courtyard. The old lady would wait and wait at home, but nothing would come of it.
Now, the old lady is completely panicked.
Have the people in this courtyard house undergone gender reassignment surgery? That can't be, can it? The deaf old lady never imagined that when Yang Cuihua overheard the news…
Yang Cuihua rushed to the steel rolling mill immediately.
When Yi Zhonghai heard the news, his face darkened and his eyes turned red. He realized that he might have threatened the old lady yesterday.
I can't take it anymore! That damned old woman! I even went out of my way to buy her meat yesterday, and she betrayed me like this!
If word gets out, who knows what the people in the courtyard will say about me—why haven't I taken good care of you before?! It's infuriating!
Yi Zhonghai stood there, panting heavily, his eyes tightly closed, making Yang Cuihua very nervous, fearing that something might happen to him.
After a long while, Yi Zhonghai opened his eyes and said to Yang Cuihua in a sinister tone, "The old lady is unkind, but we cannot be unjust. Also, we can't let this mess be pinned on us."
Go and spread the word around the courtyard that we gave the old lady meat last night, and she complained it wasn't enough. Also, mention that we've been feeding her refined grains all along.”
Yang Cuihua looked at Yi Zhonghai with some difficulty: "This...this isn't quite right."
“What’s wrong with it? It’s just telling the truth,” Yi Zhonghai saw the unease in Yang Cuihua’s heart.
He immediately comforted her, saying, "I'm only doing this for the old lady's own good. She's already so old, how many more years does she have left to live?"
Besides, besides our family, who else in our compound has the means to support my wife in her old age? If Yan Bugui finds out, given their circumstances, they'd be eating pickled vegetables by the stalk.
That would surely harm the old lady! She's so old; we can't do that. It's so unfilial of us.
Yi Zhonghai spoke with such deep emotion, as if he was doing all this for the old lady's sake.
When Yang Cuihua heard Yi Zhonghai say this, although she felt something was amiss, she nodded in agreement. After all, besides her own family, who else in the courtyard could afford to support the old lady?
What if the old lady doesn't eat well and gets sick? That would be terrible.
For every clever plan you have, there's a countermeasure. When it comes to the old lady's retirement home, Yi Zhonghai employed a money-driven strategy. Actually, the other families in the courtyard house weren't without their own ideas either.
But in those days, the whole family was worried about food and money, so where would they get the money to feed the old lady white flour buns and meat?
If Sha Zhu had known, he would definitely have gone to see the old lady. But today, Sha Zhu's mentality collapsed because of Yi Zhonghai, and he went home and drank alone. He didn't even go to pay his respects to the old lady.
Yi Zhonghai had already anticipated the presence of Sha Zhu, so after Yang Cuihua left, he specifically sought out Sha Zhu: "Zhu Zi, the plan to introduce you to someone before is no longer possible, sigh."
Sha Zhu was a little puzzled. When had Grandpa Yi ever introduced him to a potential partner? "Ah, what?"
"That's right, the one I was going to introduce you to, she said it wouldn't work, she didn't like you." Yi Zhonghai first looked Sha Zhu up and down, then sighed.
"No, Uncle Yi, the more you talk, the more confused I get. Who are you talking about? Who didn't like me?" Sha Zhu was a little bewildered. Who was it? Could it be Qin Jingru?
Didn't we already say it wouldn't work? It was the same one the neighborhood committee recommended last time, and it failed too!
Yi Zhonghai noticed Sha Zhu's confusion and paused for a moment before saying, "It's about Liu Yuhua from Workshop Two in our factory. Didn't I say I'd introduce you to her? She told me she wasn't interested in you."
When Sha Zhu heard Yi Zhonghai say that Liu Yuhua hadn't taken a liking to him, he was immediately dumbfounded, his eyes turning bloodshot: "What? That thing dares to say she doesn't like me? I don't even like her!"
She's like a pig's second aunt! Pah! She even has the nerve to say she looks down on me? She doesn't deserve it!
Upon hearing Sha Zhu's words, Yi Zhonghai immediately frowned: "He's a good person, filial, and family-oriented. It's a pity you're not lucky enough to have him. Just wait, I'll find someone else for you. I'll introduce you to someone even better."
After saying that, Yi Zhonghai left. "Sha Zhu, don't blame me. You're the one who looks down on me. Just wait. If I can help you get a wife, I'll change my surname to yours!"
As Sha Zhu watched Yi Zhonghai leave, Yi Zhonghai's words kept echoing in his mind: "They didn't even fancy you, ptooey!"
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