Xu Damao rolled his eyes at Liu Guangtian, thinking to himself, "You little brat, you've already forgotten your benefactor after just eating roasted sweet potatoes, haven't you?"
"I'm telling you, Guangtian, I'm not saying this because Old Yan is criticizing you, but you really need to improve your awareness. Aren't we doing all this for the harmony of the compound?"
After Xu Damao finished speaking, he patted Liu Guangtian on the shoulder and said, "Alright, don't just stand there in this cold weather. Help out with some work. Come with me to move some bricks and find some thicker bamboo poles."
While the two were looking for bamboo poles, Sha Zhu hurriedly came out of the deaf old woman's house.
He had heard the commotion earlier, but he couldn't make it out until he got to the door and recognized Qin Huairu's voice, along with Xu Damao and Liu Guangtian's boastful voices.
When I opened the door, I saw Qin Huairu with red eyes and tears streaming down her face.
Sha Zhu quickly closed the door and ran over.
"Oh dear, Sister Qin, what's wrong with you? It's the middle of winter, if you cry again, your face will freeze."
Yan Bugui's wife, who was standing to the side, only complained a couple of times, but she never expected Qin Huairu to shed tears. She was dumbfounded and said, "Oh, Huairu, it's not that serious, it really isn't."
“I was wondering what was going on with you, Auntie. I just heard Xu Damao and Liu Guangtian’s voices. Did they bully Sister Qin?”
Sha Zhu glared at him fiercely, "They really can't go a day without fixing this. I'm going to find them right now."
Yan Bugui's wife was taken aback for a moment, then quickly grabbed Sha Zhu's sleeve: "It's not what you think, Sha Zhu, I just came over to hang up the clothes..."
As Yan Bugui's wife rattled off the story, Xu Damao's face turned sour.
“I’m telling you, Auntie, what’s wrong with you? Where’s your third son? If it’s not working, just let Uncle step in and build another rack. Why are you fighting with Sister Qin for the clothes rack?”
While speaking, Sha Zhu kept winking at Yan Bugui's wife behind Qin Huairu's back.
Yan Bugui's wife is a very shrewd person. Besides, even if a fool lived with Yan Bugui for decades, she would still develop eight different minds after sleeping in the same bed.
"Silly Zhu, you're right. This is all my fault."
At this critical juncture, Yan Bugui's wife really didn't dare to provoke Qin Huairu. Her husband had just become bedridden, and you were already bullying her. Even if you had ten uncles, it wouldn't be right.
If this gets out in the courtyard, I'll be too ashamed to face anyone.
After so many years as neighbors, the Jia family is really in trouble this time. Everyone should at least offer some help, but we absolutely cannot kick them when they're down, or we'll just invite gossip.
"Huai Ru, don't take it to heart by arguing with Second Aunt. I was just anxious too. It's all a misunderstanding. Second Aunt was just grumbling a bit, she definitely didn't mean to belittle you."
“So many years have passed, Huai Ru, you’ve been married into this family for over ten years. How could you not know what Second Aunt is like? She’s definitely not a bad person.”
"Listen to me, don't cry. Xu Damao and Liu Guangtian will set up the frame in a bit, and then your second aunt will make room for you."
Seeing Qin Huairu crying so sadly, Yan Bugui's wife was also anxious. What was going on? She muttered a few words, but Qin Huairu started crying again. This made her lose face.
But there's really no other way right now, so we have to coax them onto this path.
"Second Aunt, I'm not crying because of this. I just remembered something upsetting."
Qin Huairu wiped away her tears and choked back sobs, "I know this isn't your fault, Second Aunt. It's probably because I've had too many things weighing on my mind lately, and now they all came flooding back. I don't want to cry, but I just can't help it."
As she spoke, Qin Huairu cried even harder.
Tears streamed down her fair face. Oh dear, Sha Zhu stamped his foot, feeling a pang of sadness.
While Sha Zhu and Yan Bugui's wife were at a loss, Liu Haizhong lifted the curtain and came out.
"What's going on here?"
Liu Haizhong thought the previous problem was solved, but a new one has arisen. "Shazhu, what are you doing here? What's it to you? Go do what you're supposed to be doing."
Seeing Sha Zhu standing next to Qin Huairu, Liu Haizhong frowned and immediately scolded him.
Sha Zhu stiffened his neck and said, "Uncle, I respect your hard work for the compound and call you Uncle, but you can't just scold people without even knowing the facts."
"Let's not talk about what happened before. If nothing had happened, you wouldn't have seen me here just now. But now that something has happened, and none of you are here, as a member of the institute, how can I just ignore it?"
"So, have you solved it?"
Liu Haizhong pointed at Qin Huairu, who was crying bitterly, "She was fine when I left, how come she's crying in the blink of an eye? Where did Xu Damao and my second son go? Did they abandon the task of setting up the clothesline?!"
Hearing Liu Haizhong's increasingly aggressive tone, Yan Bugui's wife quickly came over to explain.
"That's how it is."
Liu Haizhong tightened his coat and said thoughtfully, "Huai Ru, now that this has happened, we have to take it on. As long as people are alive, life can go on. Don't worry, as long as I, this old man, am in power, I won't let you go hungry."
Sha Zhu nodded beside him, saying that what he said at least sounded like a human being.
"Alright, Huai Ru, stop crying. It's cold outside, and your face will get frostbite. His second aunt also said that she was just grumbling a bit in her anxiety, and she definitely didn't mean anything by it. You two have lived together in the courtyard for so many years and have never had a fight. There's no need to take this to heart."
As Liu Haizhong was speaking, Xu Damao and Liu Guangtian came over from the Moon Gate, one carrying a bamboo pole and the other carrying bricks.
"Oh, why are you crying now?"
Xu Damao walked over and threw the bamboo pole on the ground. "Silly Zhu, you must have said it was unnecessary, right? I knew you were a scoundrel."
"Alright, Xu Damao, stop spouting nonsense. To be honest, this has nothing to do with Sha Zhu."
Before Sha Zhu could start cursing, Liu Haizhong spoke up.
Xu Damao glared at Liu Haizhong, really wanting to point his finger at him and yell, "Did you eat that sweet potato and then swallow it?"
He ate my sweet potatoes and then turned around and scolded me. He's a real jerk!
"Alright, hurry up and set up the frame. Jin Damao, you deserve praise. You're observant and considerate of your neighbors even in this cold weather. That's quite admirable."
Liu Haizhong seemed to realize that his words had been a bit harsh. No matter what, Xu Damao was a mediator, and he shouldn't have sided with Shazhu.
Xu Damao looked at the smug-looking Sha Zhu and felt a surge of anger rising within him.
"Shazhu, don't just stand there, hurry up and get to work," Liu Haizhong instructed from the side.
Sha Zhu's eyelids drooped: "No, old man, I have to go home and get some sleep. I still have to sweep the front yard when I get up, otherwise I think people will be coming after me in a while."
Liu Haizhong really had no way to deal with the foolish Zhu who was ordered to stay still.
If it weren't for Xu Damao's attachment to the mediator's position, he wouldn't be able to order Xu Damao around. The only person he could easily command was Liu Guangtian, who was carrying bricks.
Liu Haizhong sighed and waved for Sha Zhu to leave.
Before leaving, Sha Zhu gave Xu Damao a wink, telling him to do a good job.
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