Is Yi Zhonghai stepping down as the old man in charge?
Liu Haizhong's expression froze as he smoked a cigarette, then he turned to look at Wang Dabao in disbelief.
Just now, the group was planning in the backyard how to get Yi Zhonghai to give up his seat, but unexpectedly, Sha Zhu's punches had an unexpected effect.
For Liu Haizhong, it was an incredible surprise that had come his way, fulfilling his long-cherished wish for many years.
The perennial runner-up finally got his chance to be promoted, and he was just one step away from sitting on the throne of the number one boss that he had always dreamed of.
Xu Damao chuckled and stared wide-eyed at Yi Zhonghai, trying to make sure he hadn't misheard.
Xu Damao had never considered becoming the third uncle of the compound. Firstly, he was already quite old, a bit too young. Secondly, even if he wanted to take the position, no one would elect him, and the others wouldn't accept him.
But things are different now. In the backyard, Wang Dabao proposed the slogan of appointing young cadres, which immediately struck a chord with Xu Damao!
What a coincidence! Xu Damao believed that apart from his feud with Sha Zhu, he was quite united and friendly with the other neighbors in the compound.
Especially the third uncle in the front yard, Yan Bugui, used to take advantage of the mountain products and other things that the various communes gave him after he came back from showing movies in the countryside.
Xu Damao noticed that Wang Dabao had absolutely no interest in the position of Third Uncle.
Not only did they have no interest, they also strongly recommended Xu Damao for the position, which truly moved him. Liu Haizhong, persuaded by Wang Dabao, also agreed to his suggestion to become the acting Third Uncle.
As for Yan Bugui, it's even less of a problem; it's just a matter of making a call.
Xu Damao took two big sips of his cigarette, feeling incredibly pleased with himself. He glanced at Shazhu and plotted that once he became the third uncle, the first thing he would do was kill Shazhu, or at least kick him out of the compound.
Wang Dabao was quite surprised to hear that Yi Zhonghai was going to step down as an old man.
However, among the people in this compound, who could understand Yi Zhonghai as well as Wang Dabao, who had been through it all?
Yi Zhonghai's hypocritical nature can be seen from his bowing to everyone just now, and many things reflect his strong desire for control. The importance of the steward to him is self-evident.
Would someone like that easily relinquish their power?!
Wang Dabao was certain that Yi Zhonghai had lost his title of "Grandpa," and within two days, people in the compound would dare to call him "Yi the Demise."
The person most affected by Yi Zhonghai's resignation was Jia Dongxu.
The reason the Jia family was able to live such a life in the compound was entirely thanks to Yi Zhonghai, including the convenience brought by his position as the steward.
Yi Zhonghai's indifference just now was enough to make Jia Dongxu tremble with fear. Now that Yi Zhonghai is about to lose his status as the manager, Jia Dongxu instantly felt that the little sky above his head was about to collapse.
Without Yi Zhong's protection, the Jia family would be bullied to death in the compound. Not to mention anything else, he'll have a hard time getting past Sha Zhu today.
"Master, you can't joke about something like this!"
Jia Dongxu scrambled over to Yi Zhonghai's side, pushed Yan Bugui aside, and personally helped him up. Then he looked at the residents of the compound and said, "Don't take my master's words seriously. My master has put in so much effort for the unity of our compound over the years. How could he let others destroy it!"
The deaf old lady was also anxious. She shakily moved forward with her cane, saying, "Zhonghai, you must not make a mistake. How can this compound function without you?"
"Your efforts over the years have been seen by all the neighbors, and everyone follows your motto of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and being united and friendly."
“You can’t just give up because things don’t go your way. If you back down when you encounter difficulties, people will laugh at you for being irresponsible.”
The deaf old lady would take two small steps forward after saying a sentence, and she was already almost in front of Yi Zhonghai.
Her idea was simple: Yi Zhonghai must not be allowed to step down; even if it meant being forced to, he had to be forced back into power.
Putting everything else aside, once Yi Zhonghai falls from power, the neighbors she has bullied over the years by relying on Yi Zhonghai's power will never let her off easily.
Despite being an old woman nearing the end of her life, some people in the neighborhood will remember her for the rest of their lives because of the things she did.
Today she's the old matriarch of the compound, but tomorrow someone might push her as she crosses a threshold.
Sha Zhu quietly tugged at the deaf old woman. He didn't want Yi Zhonghai to sit back in the position of an old man and wield power again. He wasn't afraid, but he just found it annoying.
“Master, the old lady is right. The compound is what it is today because of your years of hard work. How can you just abandon it like that?”
Jia Dongxu was sweating profusely with anxiety. "If you don't act like a big shot, who in this compound has the ability to do this? Wouldn't things get chaotic?"
“Hey Lao Yi, are you really determined not to work with me and Lao Liu anymore?!” Yan Bugui blinked his small eyes incessantly beside him, then changed the subject, “It’s not that the compound can’t do without you, it’s just that we’ve been mediating conflicts in the compound together for so many years, and we really can’t get used to it without you.”
Yi Zhonghai gently shook his head and pulled his arm out of Jia Dongxu's hand.
"It's not that I don't want to be this manager, it's just that I've wronged everyone before, and everyone has complaints about me. I'm too ashamed to stay in this position any longer!"
Yi Zhonghai sighed deeply, "But I can assure my neighbors in the compound that the reason I, Yi Zhonghai, am biased towards the Jia family is because Brother Jia passed away early, and his wife struggled to raise the children, sometimes not even having enough to eat. It pained me to see that!"
“At that time, the neighborhood committee had not yet set up mediators in the courtyard, and there was no such thing as a 'managing elder.' I was helping the Jia family back then. I didn’t want anything else; I just wanted to feel at peace with myself.”
Yi Zhonghai paused for a moment, and seeing that the neighbors in the courtyard were listening attentively, he continued.
"Later, I was recommended by the neighborhood office and the neighbors in the courtyard to become the steward. But because I was used to helping the Jia family, I didn't feel anything special. It was Shazhu's words today that really gave me a wake-up call!"
"I still have to thank Shazhu. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have realized that I had made such a big mistake."
"So when Sha Zhu attacked me, all I can say was 'well done, well done!' It was this beating that woke me up and made me realize my mistake!"
Yi Zhonghai took two steps forward, took a deep breath, and bowed again to his neighbors in the courtyard. His sincerity was so great that the sky in the east gradually began to lighten.
“I sincerely apologize to all my neighbors. I, Yi Zhonghai, have wronged you all in the past. Please forgive me for the hard work I have done for the compound. I feel terrible that I can no longer do things for you. That’s all. I’ll go back now.”
After saying that, Yi Zhonghai, as if carrying a mountain on his back, bent over and trudged towards his doorstep.
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