Yi Zhonghai looked slightly taken aback when Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui refused to pay.
He has made the matter very clear: the three stewards bear some responsibility for this incident that has damaged the honor of the compound.
In the past, even if it was just a dollar, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui would have paid it even if it was difficult. But now, let alone 50 cents, it would be hard to get them to even take out 10 cents.
"Old Liu, Old Yan, if this matter isn't resolved, it will cause a lot of trouble once word gets out."
With a serious expression, Yi Zhonghai solemnly explained the gravity of the situation: "The whole compound will lose face, and people will gossip about us when we go out. When we get to the factory, how will we explain to our coworkers that something like this happened in the compound? What will they think of the residents?"
Liu Haizhong's chubby face trembled twice, and he hissed, "It's really not easy to handle. I guess even the neighborhood committee will look down on us."
"There's nothing we can do about it, the damage has already been done."
Yan Bugui muttered to himself, "If you ask me, Sha Zhu should pay for this. After all, we're helping him find evidence. Why should we have to pay for our efforts?"
"Take it or leave it, I have a clear conscience, I didn't steal it."
Sha Zhu turned his face to the side and started acting all nonchalant again.
Xu Damao leaned against the door frame, secretly delighted: "If you ask me, we should just call the police. Why waste time talking here? When the police arrive, we'll do whatever they say. If Sha Zhu is innocent, we'll clear his name; otherwise, we'll put him in jail. It's that simple."
The person in this room who probably least wanted to report to the police was Xu Damao, but he knew that Yi Zhonghai would never report to the police, which is why he was teasing Sha Zhu like this.
“Xu Damao, we are investigating this matter. If you're not going to help, fine, but don't spread rumors.”
Upon hearing that the police had been called, Yi Zhonghai reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately turning around and scolding, "I don't think you can help much anyway, so why don't you just go outside and wait?"
Yi Zhonghai said this to Wang Dabao, Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng, and Liu Guangtian, but his true intention was to get Wang Dabao away.
For some reason, Wang Dabao's presence here made him restless and unable to focus on his work.
Most importantly, Wang Dabao clearly had the power to influence Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui's decisions, which made Yi Zhonghai very uncomfortable.
As soon as Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiecheng looked at Wang Dabao first. Xu Damao took a deep breath and did not choose to retort to Yi Zhonghai. He also turned his head to see how Wang Dabao would react.
Wang Dabao glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and thought, "Damn, are they all so neatly arranged? Why the hell are they all looking at me? Do they think I'm glowing?!"
"Old Yi, I don't like hearing you talk like that. What do you mean we can't help? Didn't you see me helping you just now? Do you need me to help you remember?"
Wang Dabao frowned and looked at Yi Zhonghai. "Besides, you just said that this concerns all the residents of the compound. We not only have the right to participate, but also the right to know. The power that the street office gave you, the person in charge, is not for you to bully your neighbors or support the deaf old lady."
"What, you need to hide your business like this, can't you even get it in the open?!"
Wang Dabao turned his gaze back to the neighbors at the door: "Everyone, tell me, isn't that right? The old man in charge is there to serve the neighborhood and the residents of the compound. He's not just using his title to shirk his duties and act like a bully."
"Don't let Wang Dabao's young age fool you, he has the same sense of justice as his uncle."
"That's right. I think he's more insightful and honest in his words and deeds than the old man in charge. He's a bit young, but if he could be the old man in charge, I would wholeheartedly support him."
“That’s right. Although I don’t have any great skills, I’m always good at judging people. This young man is of good character. I heard he even served in the army. This has been verified by the state.”
"Yes, we're not leaving. We'll stay here and watch. We have the right to know what happened."
Hearing the lively discussion at the door, Yi Zhonghai's old face was covered in cold sweat.
Although no one said anything about Yi Zhonghai, their words implied that he, as an old man, was not qualified.
“Wang Dabao, I’ve acted with a clear conscience. I’ve never done anything to wrong my neighbors over the years. Don’t make things up.” Yi Zhonghai said sternly, then quickly added, “Then you just stay here and watch, and don’t cause any trouble.”
He then glanced at Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, before finally returning to Jia Zhangshi. "Old sister-in-law, you've seen it too. Everyone's eager to find out who's behind this mess. How about this, I'll contribute one yuan, plus Sha Zhu's three yuan, so I'll give you four yuan."
Seeing that the opportunity was too good to pass up, Jia Dongxu quickly persuaded, "Mom, my master has already said so, so just take out your underwear."
"Alright, I'm only doing this because of his grandfather's reputation, otherwise I wouldn't have lost face like that."
Madam Jia reached into her bosom and pulled out her bright red underwear. "Where's the money?!"
Yi Zhonghai took a piece of paper out of his pocket.
Sha Zhu reluctantly handed over two one-yuan notes and two fifty-cent notes.
Only after receiving the money did Jia Zhangshi hand over the bright red underpants to Sha Zhu.
Sha Zhu carefully took it, and he and Yi Zhonghai found a piece of white cloth and kept shaking it on it. As a result, a few red brick fragments actually came off.
"The case is solved."
Yi Zhonghai's face lit up with joy. "Old Liu, Old Yan, come and take a look. Sure enough, there are broken brick fragments on the clothes. This proves that the brick was wrapped in the clothes when it entered the house."
Yan Bugui moved closer, picked up the broken brick fragments in his hand and rubbed them around. "Oh my, this is really true. It seems that Sha Zhu might have been wronged."
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