At this moment, the most unhappy person in the entire compound must be Yi Zhonghai.
He didn't leave the house all morning; his wife had to go out and help him roast some peanuts and melon seeds.
Despite Yi Zhonghai's unpopularity, his wife is not bullied in public. For some reason, people tend to treat the couple separately in their hearts.
And they felt at ease with themselves, believing that this was how things should be.
Despite how badly Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and Xu Damao have berated Yi Zhonghai, all three of them have smiles on their faces when facing the former auntie.
Most importantly, no one will find it strange when they see it.
Throughout the morning, Yi Zhonghai kept peeking out through the curtains, walked around the room countless times, and drank several large jugs of tea.
Even so, I stubbornly held it in and didn't go to the toilet once.
If others knew this, they would definitely admire how strong this old man's prostate is, it's just a pity he couldn't have children!
Around noon, Liu Guangtian, Yan Jiecheng, and Yan Jiefang arrived, bringing sandpaper and paint. Only then was Yi Zhonghai able to leave the house for some fresh air and also make a trip to the toilet.
After returning, Liu Guangtian and the others finished explaining their tasks, took a few cents from Yi Zhonghai for the paint, and left.
Before leaving, Liu Guangtian also said that if the peanut and melon seed sales made a profit that night, he would reimburse everyone for the cost of the paint.
These words left Yi Zhonghai completely bewildered. No wonder Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu were in such a hurry to paint their windows after setting up their stall; it turned out that the paint was free.
However, Yi Zhonghai would never care about a few cents; these days, he's been handling hundreds or even millions of dollars.
Of course, what he didn't know was that all the money ended up in Wang Dabao's pocket.
He didn't want to paint them at first, but his wife kept nagging him. After all, he wasn't an old man anymore, and he still needed to maintain good relationships with his neighbors in the courtyard. Since the central courtyard was the main venue for this film screening, his unpainted windows would damage the image of the entire Hongxing Courtyard.
As a former senior official who used to talk about the good of the compound, he's now doing this kind of thing after being demoted. He'll probably be criticized to death by everyone.
He had just finished swiping half of his card when the three managers from the three courtyards who had drawn lots arrived with their entourage, bringing benches and chairs to reserve their spots.
These old men in charge definitely knew Yi Zhonghai, but they had also heard that Liu Haizhong and he were at odds, so they just waved and nodded as a greeting.
This really frustrated Yi Zhonghai. He quickly finished cleaning the windows and wiping the doors a few times before hiding inside to organize his lecture material.
In his view, this lecture was too important, as it concerned his status in the courtyard and whether he could regain his position as the head steward.
The courtyard was even busier in the afternoon.
Liu Haizhong found an electrician from another courtyard to install two lights in the yard. Although they weren't needed when showing movies, it couldn't be completely dark, right? It wouldn't be good if someone wanted to go to the toilet and tripped over them.
Yan Bugui meticulously kept accounts of every purchase of raw materials and every consumption of paint for each stall, promising to reimburse everyone if the stalls generated revenue later.
Xu Damao brought the equipment, and Liu Guangtian, Yan Jiefang, and the others followed him to set it up in the yard.
An older woman and two older women were busy setting up peanuts, melon seeds, and other snacks on their stall.
As the sun gradually set in the west, Wang Dabao led Wang Tiangao into the courtyard.
On the way back, Wang Dabao had already explained the situation of the compound to Wang Tiangao in detail.
Wang Tiangao asked countless questions along the way, showing curiosity about everything, which annoyed Wang Dabao to no end. But he had no other choice but to deal with his uncle.
Upon entering the courtyard, he saw Yan Jiekuang and quickly greeted him, telling Wang Tiangao to talk to Yan Jiekuang if he had any questions.
When Wang Dabao entered the Intermediate People's Court, he was startled. Good heavens, it was incredibly lively. Everyone, whether he knew them or not, had excited smiles on their faces.
"Dabao, you're finally back! Your sister-in-law told me you went to work. They can't even give us a break on the weekend."
Upon seeing Wang Dabao appear in the central courtyard, Yan Bugui immediately ran over with a small notebook, saying, "Let me tell you, after hearing your idea of selling snacks, we've already opened several stalls."
After whispering for a while, Yan Bugui finally noticed the young man standing next to Wang Dabao.
Having no other choice, Wang Dabao repeated what the resident in the compound had just told him.
"Tian Gao, right? That's a good name, and it has a good meaning!" Yan Bugui looked Wang Tian Gao up and down, praising him non-stop. "He's about the same age as Jiefang and Guangtian, so you'll definitely get along well. I'll call them over later, and you guys can get to know each other."
Upon hearing this, Wang Dabao's face immediately darkened.
What do you mean "let's get to know each other"? This is my uncle!
Xu Damao was adjusting the machine and waved to Wang Dabao.
Liu Haizhong came over and greeted Wang Dabao, "Dabao, look, Lao Yan, Da Mao, and I have discussed it and we think it's safer for the men and women to sit separately. After all, this is our courtyard, and we can't afford any mishaps."
"I asked your sister-in-law to prepare some food for dinner tonight, so don't bother cooking. After you're done, take Tiangao to my place for a bite to eat."
When Liu Haizhong saw the people coming from the other side of the street, he quickly went over to greet them.
Seeing this, Wang Dabao quickly led Wang Tiangao away. It wouldn't be good if they recognized each other. He couldn't let his identity as Section Chief Wang be exposed, otherwise the fact that he had swindled money from everyone a few days ago would be revealed.
After bringing Wang Tiangao home and lighting the stove, the small house immediately warmed up.
Wang Tiangao hadn't started his job yet and hadn't been assigned a house, so Wang Dabao decided to squeeze in with him that night. After all, he'd often shared a kang (heated brick bed) with this kid at Third Uncle's house when they were kids.
Finally, evening arrived and the lights came on.
As the movie was about to start, many neighbors from nearby compounds brought their small stools and gradually entered the central courtyard.
Seeing the food stalls lined up on the side, the children cheered with joy, and soon a number of women and children gathered around the simple stalls.
The young men kept glancing at the young women and wives, taking the opportunity to buy them peanuts and melon seeds to curry favor.
Liu Guangtian, Yan Jiefang, Shazhu and the others were tired after a long day, but they smiled when they saw the lively scene in the compound.
As the movie footage was projected, the courtyard quieted down, with only the sounds of people cracking sunflower seeds and occasional laughter, as if all the fatigue and unpleasantness of the day had dissipated into the night.
After the movie started, the audience, who were eating sunflower seeds and peanuts, watched with great interest.
While selling snacks, Liu Guangtian secretly glanced at several pretty young women not far away, his heart filled with joy.
Yan Jiefang was also full of energy, busy greeting customers at his stall. There was no way he could be less motivated; his father would definitely kill him that night.
Yan Bugui sat to the side, diligently keeping accounts and collecting money, muttering to himself that he was sure to make a fortune today, his face beaming with satisfaction.
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