Wow, there are so many!
Wang Dabao's eyes lit up, and he was somewhat surprised, as this was almost equivalent to an apprentice's monthly income.
Everyone burst into laughter upon seeing Wang Dabao's surprised expression, after all, the income was truly remarkable.
Yan Bugui smiled so hard his small eyes narrowed into slits behind his glasses. "Dabao, this is just the beginning. We'll have to show it twice more before the New Year, otherwise the neighbors in the compound who didn't come to see it will get mad at us. If we show a few more movies in the future, the profits will definitely be even better."
“I think we should add more other projects,” Liu Guangtian suggested from the side.
"Guangtian is right."
Yan Bugui stroked his chin thoughtfully, "But right now we need to get the money from the residents for the paint and distribute it. Then we need to take out a portion of the rest and give it to Da Mao to bribe the leaders, in case things get delayed next time the screening is scheduled."
At this point, Xu Damao curled his lip and said, "Showing it once or twice is fine, but it can't be done too often. What if we end up not making any money and breaking the machine? That would be a loss."
"Xu Damao, why do you keep saying such discouraging things!" An older woman glared at him disapprovingly.
"I'd like to put on more shows, but this machine doesn't belong to our compound," Xu Damao muttered.
Wang Dabao smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "Da Mao is right. It's good to be cautious. Showing movies all the time is affecting everyone's rest. Let's do as Lao Yan said and only show two movies before the New Year."
"Part of the money we earned was given to Da Mao for bribes, and the rest was distributed to everyone who worked hard. The older women were busy roasting melon seeds and hawking them; it wasn't easy for them. Guang Tian and Jie Fang also contributed a lot, so we couldn't let them down."
Finally, Wang Dabao added, "I'll pass. I only talked, I didn't do any work, so I can't accept it even if it's given to me."
After some discussion, everyone happily dispersed.
Several days have passed in the blink of an eye. Ever since Liu Haizhong became this old man, there have been far fewer strange occurrences in the courtyard.
The main reason is that Jia Zhangshi is no longer arrogant, Jia Dongxu smiles when he returns to the compound, and Banggeng knows to tuck his tail between his legs and act like a child when he comes home from school.
Without Yi Zhonghai's support, the deaf old lady in the backyard no longer dared to use her eyelid clip when she saw people.
Many people in the compound haven't heard her refer to herself as "the ancestor" in a long time.
Yi Zhonghai was busy establishing his authority in the factory and preparing for the second technical sharing session, so he didn't have time to cause trouble in the yard.
With their father Liu Haizhong keeping them in check, the brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu had no chance to act arrogantly in the courtyard.
During this period, Wang Tiangao frequently visited Wang Dabao's place and became familiar with the residents of Hongxing Courtyard. When Yan Bugui and others learned that he worked in the security department, their enthusiasm immediately flared up, and they showered him with compliments as if they were free.
A few more days passed, and Xu Damao returned from arranging things, his face beaming with joy. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he called out to Yan Bugui, who was tending to the flowers.
"Old Yan, things are settled. We can now focus on preparing for the next screening."
"Really? Da Mao is really capable. Let's get ready quickly!" Second Aunt Yan Bugui's wife heard Xu Da Mao's shout from inside the house and quickly lifted the curtain to come out.
Yan Bugui also put down what he was doing and happily walked over to pat Xu Damao's arm repeatedly. He originally wanted to pat his shoulder, but Xu Damao was much taller than him, and it was a bit difficult for him to reach Xu Damao's shoulder.
"Okay, Da Mao, you've worked hard this time. With the experience from the last screening, let's prepare well this time."
After saying that, Yan Bugui pondered for a moment and continued, "Let's call Lao Liu and Da Bao over tonight to discuss whether we can add some other projects."
However, at that moment, Sha Zhu rushed into the yard in a panic. When he went down the steps, he lost his footing and fell flat on his back on the ground.
Sha Zhu's appearance terrified the three people who were chatting and laughing.
"Oh dear, Shazhu, what happened to you? Why are you in such a hurry?" Yan Bugui's wife said, and went over to help Shazhu.
Yan Bugui's smile vanished. Looking at Sha Zhu's serious expression and his attempt to get up despite the pain of his fall, he seemed to realize that things were serious.
After a moment of stunned silence, Xu Damao burst out laughing.
"Hey Shazhu, did you get chased by a dog or something?"
Although the screening event eased their relationship somewhat, rivals are rivals, and Xu Damao would never let go of the opportunity to ridicule Sha Zhu for making a fool of himself.
Before Yan Bugui's wife could help him up, Sha Zhu scrambled to his feet on all fours, yelling, "Xu Damao, you son of a bitch, stop talking nonsense to me!"
After saying that, Sha Zhu said to Yan Bugui again, "Second Uncle, Jia Dongxu had a serious workplace accident and has been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. His master, Yi Zhonghai, also went there. I came back to inform Aunt Jia and Sister Qin to go over there. If we are late, they may not be able to see each other one last time."
Hearing what Sha Zhu said next, Xu Damao, who was about to start cursing, wisely shut his mouth.
"Is...is it that serious? When did this happen?"
Yan Bugui was so frightened that he stammered. Although he didn't like Jia Dongxu, they had lived in the same courtyard for so many years, and he didn't want to see such a thing happen to him.
"Regarding what happened this afternoon, Yi Zhonghai asked someone to find me and told me to come back quickly and call Aunt Jia and Sister Qin to the hospital."
After saying that, Sha Zhu ran towards the central courtyard without looking back.
Yan Bugui's wife exclaimed, "So, after Sha Zhu just said that we won't be able to see him one last time? Does that mean Dongxu is going to die like this?!"
"This is truly a bolt from the blue! With Jia Dongxu gone, how are his family supposed to survive!"
Yan Bugui slapped his thigh and said, "Old Jia died so young, and his son suffered the same fate. It's really a tragedy for Jia Zhangshi."
Xu Damao coughed and reminded him, "Hey Lao Yan, Sha Zhu said Jia Dongxu is still being resuscitated, he might not die."
"Yes, yes, yes, look at my foul mouth." Yan Bugui said, fanning himself twice. "It's best if nothing happens, otherwise not only will our movie screening plan be put on hold, but we might also have to donate money to their family."
The second aunt rolled her eyes: "Why are you still saying these things at a time like this? It's better if no one is hurt."
"That's right, that's right."
As the group was talking in the front yard, they heard Jia Zhangshi's heart-wrenching cries and Qin Huairu's sobbing coming from the middle yard.
Yan Bugui sighed and said to Xu Damao, "Damao, let's go take a look too."
Although Xu Damao was unwilling, he still went along.
Many women who were at home in the courtyard were drawn out by the Jia family's crying and headed towards the Jia family's house in the middle courtyard.
When they arrived at the Jia family home, they saw Jia Zhangshi slumped on the ground, wailing, while Qin Huairu held her child, her face streaked with tears.
Sha Zhu stood aside, feeling heartbroken as he watched Qin Huairu cry so miserably.
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