After receiving a satisfactory reply from Wang Dabao, Yi Zhonghai left.
Wang Dabao closed the door, shook his head and smiled, thinking to himself that Yi Zhonghai was really making a fuss. He was so concerned with saving face that he suffered for it; this whole trip had cost him almost six hundred yuan.
Of course, the money wasn't entirely wasted; most of it went into Wang Dabao's pocket, which could be considered as helping Yi Zhonghai accumulate merit.
However, having taken the money to do the job, I now need to figure out a way to help this old guy get rid of the suspicion of tattling.
After leaving Wang Dabao's house, Yi Zhonghai felt much more at ease, hoping that things would develop in a positive direction and looking forward to tomorrow.
"Things will all turn out for the better? All of them?"
As Yi Zhonghai walked into the Intermediate People's Court, he muttered something to himself, then slapped his forehead.
I've been so caught up in the rumors these past few days that my brain isn't working properly, and I even forgot that I needed to ask the old lady for a favor.
Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to return to the backyard and knock on the door of the deaf old woman's house.
“It’s me, Zhonghai. Grandma, please get off the kang (heated brick bed) slowly. I’ll be waiting at the door.”
The door opened, and Yi Zhonghai helped the deaf old woman into the inner room and then helped her onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
After exchanging pleasantries, Yi Zhonghai sighed and got straight to the point: "Grandma, have you thought about how to tell Zhuzi about the matter I mentioned to you before?"
"Here's the thing, I'm thinking of cooking a few dishes at home tomorrow night and inviting Zhu Zi and Da Bao from the backyard over for a drink. I'll ask Da Bao to help persuade them to ease the tension between Zhu Zi and my family."
"Who? Wang Dabao?"
Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai invite Wang Dabao to dinner, the deaf old woman's voice rose a decibel, "Why did you invite him? Humph, this Wang Dabao looks honest, but he's actually more cunning than anyone else, a real devil. You see him all smiles with everyone, who knows what kind of bad intentions he's up to!"
“Zhonghai, listen to my advice, you must stay away from this brat. When you are in power, you must suppress this little bastard.”
"Oh dear, ma'am, what are you saying? Da Bao is actually a very kind-hearted child. He's always helped others a lot, and he's helped me quite a bit these past few days."
The deaf old woman snorted disdainfully: "Why can't you see through him? Wang Dabao is just pretending to be a good person. He's doing this on purpose because you've lost power in Zhonghai, so he can make himself look more capable."
“If you listen to me, don’t believe everything Wang Dabao says. He’s a shrewd guy, and who knows what bad things he’s up to? Who knows what he might do to you behind your back?”
The deaf old woman felt a burning hatred for Wang Dabao whenever he was mentioned.
Ever since that little bastard entered the compound, her status as an ancestor has plummeted.
A few days ago, they even dared to openly smear her!
She's an old lady with her neck practically buried in the ground! This Wang Dabao not only disrespects the elderly, but he's also acting with such utter recklessness! He deserves to die!!
Yi Zhonghai knew that the deaf old woman had always been at odds with Wang Dabao, and after thinking for a long time, he spoke.
“Grandma, we can’t always judge people with prejudice. Let bygones be bygones. Da Bao is a good kid now. Otherwise, why do you see why Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong are so eager to befriend him?”
"Besides, Zhu Zi and Da Bao have a good relationship now, so I was just thinking of having him persuade Zhu Zi."
“Zhonghai, would I harm you? I’m just worried you’ll suffer. That Wang Dabao likes to play dirty tricks. Have you forgotten how I lost this tooth?” The deaf old woman got angry just thinking about it. She only had two good teeth left, and Wang Dabao had made her fall to the ground and knock one out.
Yi Zhonghai frowned, feeling somewhat impatient.
"Grandma, after all, none of us saw Da Bao kick you down, so we can't just make wild guesses. After spending the last two days with him, I don't think he's such a dishonest person."
"Hmph, a leopard can't change its spots. Don't be fooled by his sweet words."
The deaf old woman said with a sense of disappointment.
Yi Zhonghai kept nodding, too lazy to argue with the old lady any longer.
"Here's what we'll do, Grandma. Tomorrow morning, could you please tell Zhu Zi that I'm inviting him for drinks at home tonight, and I've also invited Wang Dabao to join us? If you don't like Wang Dabao, then don't come over for dinner. I'll have Shufen bring it over for you."
The deaf old woman, with her eyes squinting, gave a reply.
She didn't dare to make things too difficult for Yi Zhonghai, or throw a tantrum.
Let alone the fact that Yi Zhonghai is no longer some powerful figure, even in the past, she was nothing more than a tool for Yi Zhonghai to establish his persona.
The deaf old woman was shrewd and could see through this trick. Seeing that Yi Zhonghai's expression was not good, she immediately stopped talking and stopped trying to persuade him.
As Yi Zhonghai left the deaf old woman's house, he thought to himself that no matter what Wang Dabao had done before, he shouldn't speak ill of him since the man was doing his best to help him resolve the matter.
Moreover, the more he looked at Wang Dabao, the more pleasing he found him, and a bold idea began to form in his mind.
I need to go home and have a serious talk with my wife about this.
Seeing her husband return excitedly, Yi Zhonghai's wife knew that the matter that had been troubling her husband was finally resolved.
Yi Zhonghai recounted the two things that had just happened, and then instructed his wife to buy some meat and vegetables tomorrow to prepare a proper meal.
"It's good that everything's alright. It's okay to spend a little money." Yi Zhonghai's wife was also happy. "Hearing you say that, Wang Dabao is quite kind-hearted. I didn't know him well before, so I didn't realize it."
“Who says otherwise? No wonder Yan Bugui, Liu Haizhong, and Xu Damao have been hanging around him all the time, and now even Zhuzi has gotten much closer to him.” Yi Zhonghai got up to pour water, took two big gulps, and continued, “Now I understand, if you get along well with him, he will really help you if you need anything.”
After a moment of silence, Yi Zhonghai looked solemnly at his wife and spoke.
"Do you think we should consider Wang Dabao?"
If others heard this, they certainly wouldn't understand, but Yi Zhonghai's wife knew exactly what was going on as soon as she heard it.
It seems the head of the household wants to include Wang Dabao in the list of candidates for retirement!
"That's fine, but he hasn't lived in the courtyard for very long, unlike Dongxu and Zhuzi, whom we've watched grow up. We don't have any emotional connection with him."
“Emotional foundation? We do have one with Jia Dongxu, but look how he treats me. What am I in his eyes? And look at Zhuzi, what a mess he’s become. He won’t even say a word to me now.”
When these things are mentioned, Yi Zhonghai is filled with resentment.
“It depends on character. The reason we were optimistic about Dongxu was because we liked his wife Qin Huairu’s character.” Yi Zhonghai’s wife also sat down and patted Yi Zhonghai’s back gently. “Zhuzi not being married is a variable, and we haven’t been in contact with Wang Dabao for long. We need to look at this in the long run.”
After a long pause, Yi Zhonghai nodded.
"It's alright, we're not old yet, we have plenty of time to consider and select elderly caregivers."
As Yi Zhonghai and his wife were chatting, a knock on the door suddenly rang out.
When they opened the door, Yi Zhonghai's wife was nearly scared out of her wits.
Despite the freezing weather, Jia Dongxu, shirtless with two wooden sticks strapped to his back, knelt shivering on the steps at the doorway.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
