Yi Zhonghai took a breath and said with exasperation, "Zhu Zi, what can I say to you? Why were you so impulsive? Didn't we agree to stay away from Qin Huairu last night? How come you forgot this morning?"
"Besides, do you think Liu Guangtian is a good person? He's even more wicked than his father. If you offend him, he might trip you up at any time."
Sha Zhu sniffed, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and shrugged nonchalantly. "Uncle Yi, I just didn't think of it at the time. Besides, no matter what Liu Guangtian is like, I'm not afraid of him in this courtyard."
"Is this something to be afraid of or not?"
Yi Zhonghai dragged Sha Zhu toward the toilet, saying, "His dad, Liu Haizhong, is an old man now. Your Uncle Yi has stepped down and can't help you anymore. If he teams up with his dad to trip you up, do you think you can escape it?"
"Take today's cleaning, for example, it's all to lighten the burden on Liu Guangtian and the others."
Yi Zhonghai sighed deeply: "It was only because Da Bao said a few words to you today that you ended up cleaning up this mess."
Sha Zhu nodded in deep agreement: "Yes, if it weren't for Brother Da Bao saying a few words for me, I would have been in a real mess. I remember that favor."
Soon the two went into the restroom, each taking a stall.
After a moment of silence, Yi Zhonghai spoke up: "Zhuzi, you can't do this. Look at how many people in the courtyard you've offended. You're just like I was back then."
"Listen to your old man, when we get back, we'll stay in the front yard for a while and chat with them. No matter what nasty things they say, you're not allowed to get angry. You need to smooth things over with them, so the whole yard doesn't become a place of enemies. This is a lesson learned. If it weren't for your good relationship with Da Bao, and the fact that he spoke up for you, wouldn't that be the case?"
"Okay, Uncle Yi, I'll listen to you."
Sha Zhu replied in a muffled voice, "Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li heard that sweet potatoes are going to be sold tonight. I'll buy two later, one for Yu Shui and one for Aunt Yi."
Yi Zhonghai nodded in satisfaction: "Zhu Zi, it's good that you think that way. Forget about your Aunt Yi's share, just buy it for Yu Shui."
Yi Zhonghai also had his own plans. He had just reconciled with Sha Zhu, but if Sha Zhu made enemies everywhere in the courtyard, his position would be awkward. He had no choice but to give Sha Zhu advice and keep cleaning up his messes.
"How about this, I'll talk to Liu Haizhong about it later and we'll set aside an area for you to clean. You can get up a little earlier tomorrow morning and do it. There probably won't be any more movies showing for a while, so there won't be as much cleaning."
After thinking for a while, Yi Zhonghai comforted Sha Zhu.
"Alright, then I'll leave this to you, Uncle Yi."
Sha Zhu nodded. What Yi Zhonghai said was also a good idea. If that didn't work, they could clean up the house first thing tomorrow morning.
While the two were discussing things in the restroom, Liu Guangtian was also busy outside Yan Bugui's house.
"If you ask me, let Sha Zhu do the cleaning by himself. Look at how smug he is. He's always complaining and grumbling. This yard can hardly contain him anymore."
Liu Guangtian got angry whenever he saw Sha Zhu. What a piece of trash! He's almost thirty and still a bachelor, always following other people's young wives around, and he even has the nerve to show off in the yard. Doesn't he feel ashamed?
Yan Bugui chuckled and said, "Guangtian, you're wrong. Your father and I are just mediators. Punishing the residents of this compound is beyond our management scope. We can't be too dictatorial."
“Your Uncle Bao is right. He can’t possibly finish it all by himself. If he gets angry and complains to the neighborhood committee about me and your dad, we’ll both be in a bad mood.”
Liu Haizhong nodded in agreement.
"This matter has already been settled, so don't bring it up again. If you don't want to do it, you won't get a share of the profits from your mom's sunflower seed stall."
Liu Guangtian immediately deflated upon hearing this, as he was counting on that money to buy cigarettes for the New Year.
Just as the group finished their conversation, they saw Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu strolling back one after the other.
When he approached the group, Yi Zhonghai took out a cigarette and offered it to everyone, and then took out matches to light them for Wang Dabao, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui.
This made Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui feel flattered; when had Yi Zhonghai ever done something like this before?
Although he's not an old man anymore, he's still a level eight fitter in the factory. Especially after giving a public lecture, Yi Zhonghai became extremely well-known in the South Factory area.
Even Liu Haizhong's superiors had inquired about Yi Zhonghai's situation with him.
Liu Haizhong kicked Liu Guangtian's bench, yelling, "Your Uncle Yi offered you a cigarette, and you don't even know to give him a seat?!"
"Oh dear, all I can think about is smoking. Uncle Yi, please have a seat."
Liu Guangtian hurriedly got up from the stool and placed it at Yi Zhonghai's feet.
"No need, no need, Guangtian, you can sit here. I'll be going back soon." After saying a few polite words, Yi Zhonghai sat down.
Then, pointing to Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li, he said, "Old Yan, are your eldest son and his wife going to roast sweet potatoes to sell? Seriously, they smell delicious. When will they be ready? I'll buy one for my husband."
When Yan Bugui heard that Yi Zhonghai wanted to buy roasted sweet potatoes, he immediately became enthusiastic.
"We're showing a movie tonight, you know. My eldest son and his wife don't have regular jobs and don't earn much, so they thought of setting up a stall. Da Bao gave me a suggestion, and we just set it up and are testing the stove."
Yan Bugui said this because he was afraid that someone in the courtyard would be envious of his eldest son's small business, and he even brought up Wang Dabao in front of Yi Zhonghai.
Then he added, "Old Yi, you're wrong to say you're buying it. Just take one back with you later."
“Da Bao’s idea is good. Otherwise, Jie Cheng and his wife are just sitting around doing nothing.” Yi Zhonghai nodded. “We can’t just take it for free. Those sweet potatoes aren’t made by the family. Besides, look at how much sweat Jie Cheng and his wife are sweating. They’re earning their money through hard work.”
"Okay, I'll ask Yu Li how she plans to sell it later."
Yan Bugui was overjoyed. The movie hadn't even started yet, and they were already opening for business. He quickly seized the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
At this moment, Sha Zhu strolled over to the sweet potato roasting oven.
"Hey, I was saying you two are pretty good, acting like seasoned masters. These sweet potatoes smell amazing. How much are you planning to sell them for? I'll buy two and take them to Yushui to try."
Yan Jiecheng was initially too lazy to pay attention to Sha Zhu, but his eyes lit up when he heard the rest.
If you're buying sweet potatoes, then we'll have a lot to talk about.
Yan Jiecheng had completely inherited the excellent genes of his father, Yan Bugui, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Silly Zhu, what are you saying? Yu Shui is my sister, after all. You have to buy her sweet potatoes? What kind of person do you think I am?"
Yan Jiecheng pretended to be angry, but his expression clearly showed that he was waiting for Sha Zhu to respond.
Sha Zhu lived up to Yan Jiecheng's expectations: "That won't do. First, these sweet potatoes aren't from your family. Second, look at the sweat on your faces, you two. I can't just take them for free. I can't do that."
"If they won't let me pay, then they don't want to sell to me."
Yan Jiecheng clicked his tongue, a hint of helplessness on his face.
"Alright then, I'll give it to you at cost price once it's out of the oven. Take it to Yushui while it's still hot."
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