Once out of sight of everyone, Yi Zhonghai quickly pulled Sha Zhu and strode out of the courtyard.
"Oh dear, Uncle Yi, what's wrong?"
Sha Zhu was nearly tripped and fell over when Yi Zhonghai pulled him like that, getting the front of his leather shoes dirty.
"What else is wrong?"
Yi Zhonghai looked at Sha Zhu meaningfully, "What do you think happened? Those people had no good intentions; they were all waiting to see you make a fool of yourself!"
After saying that, Yi Zhonghai pointed at Sha Zhu with his finger, wanting to say a few more words, but in the end he held back.
"Pshaw, so what if they want to laugh at us? Let them laugh, I'm not afraid of them!"
"It's not that simple."
Yi Zhonghai was somewhat exasperated. "You and Xu Damao always fight when you're together. Do you think he'll let you off the hook today?"
Sha Zhu didn't say anything, seemingly realizing something as well.
Yi Zhonghai continued, "Tonight is your big night. Whether you succeed or not depends on the impression you leave on the girl. Remember, when you pass by Lao Yan's house on your way back, no matter what Xu Damao says, you have to endure it. At this crucial moment, you absolutely cannot make a mistake in the courtyard or in front of the girl and her family."
"Don't worry, Uncle Yi, I've got it."
Sha Zhu took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
He also knew that Xu Damao, that idiot, would definitely be jealous of the blind date tonight and might try to sabotage it.
This time, Yi Zhonghai truly took his words to heart.
However, the moment Sha Zhu finished speaking, a group of people walked out laughing and talking.
Yi Zhonghai, who was standing at the bottom of the steps at the entrance, immediately turned pale.
"Old Yi, we just heard that Sha Zhu is going on a blind date, so we all came out after discussing it. When the woman arrived, seeing so many of us welcoming her showed how much she valued us."
Yan Bugui adjusted his dog-skin hat and said cheerfully, "Shazhu looks really smart today. Anyway, I wish you success in your blind date."
Regardless of whether Yi Zhonghai was cursing in his heart, Yan Bugui had come up to him with a smile, so he couldn't just turn his back on him.
He's the second oldest man in the courtyard, after all.
Yi Zhonghai suppressed the urge to curse and put on a smile: "Oh, everyone's come out. Look at the cohesion in our department. I'll thank you all on behalf of Zhuzi."
While speaking, Yi Zhonghai didn't stop, taking out cigarettes and handing them out to everyone.
Liu Haizhong took out a match and lit it for Wang Dabao next to him first, then looked at Yi Zhonghai: "Old Yi, Zhuzi's blind date is a happy event in our courtyard. What are the woman's conditions? How old is she?"
"He's a few years younger than Zhu Zi."
Yi Zhonghai chuckled, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "I ran into an older woman earlier and we were chatting. She's from our Dongcheng district. Her character is absolutely guaranteed. We can trust her to settle down with her, right?"
Upon hearing that the girl was a few years younger than Sha Zhu, and not in her forties as they had guessed, the group fell silent.
"Well, congratulations to Zhu Zi! If it works out, he'll probably be able to get married this year," Wang Dabao chuckled from the side.
Sha Zhu laughed too. In his eyes, only Wang Dabao could be believed to say such things among these people. Anyone else would definitely be lying.
"Alright, I'll definitely treat you to a drink beforehand."
Sha Zhu smiled smugly, "It's only the beginning of the year, maybe we can get married and have a baby within a year."
"Alright, this is a big deal for the hospital. No matter what happened before, I'll put it on your tab."
Yan Bugui hummed incessantly.
However, Shazhu did not respond to these words.
Everyone knew exactly why Yan Bugui went to keep accounts; he had to figure out how to earn back the two cents he gave as a gift.
Besides, Sha Zhu isn't anyone important; he's just a cook in the back kitchen of a steel mill. What's the point of keeping accounts?
Sha Zhu was feeling quite smug at that moment. He stomped his shiny leather shoes and exhaled a puff of smoke: "Oh dear, I've gotten married and had a baby. Some people must be incredibly jealous!"
Xu Damao was smoking silently, thinking about making a few sarcastic remarks to Sha Zhu before going home; staying here was just too upsetting.
Unexpectedly, before he could even provoke Sha Zhu, Sha Zhu started cursing at him first.
Every single one of them knows that the moment Sha Zhu uttered those words, everyone knows he was alluding to Xu Damao.
Xu Damao laughed in exasperation. He looked up at Yi Zhonghai instead of Sha Zhu and said, "Uncle Yi, could you introduce Sha Zhu to your blind date? Is he a divorced man? Otherwise, I think this is going to fall through. What decent girl would want him?"
For Xu Damao to say these words in front of Sha Zhu was like defecating and pissing on his face.
Just now, Sha Zhu's initiative to provoke Xu Damao had already stirred up Yi Zhonghai's heartbeat.
This time, he jumped even faster, quickly looking at Sha Zhu, thinking that he must pull him back if a conflict broke out.
However, to everyone's surprise, Sha Zhu didn't rush up and beat Xu Damao up. Instead, he chuckled sinisterly twice.
"Xu Damao, I won't hold it against you today, but I'll make a note of it for you. You'll understand what happened after this is over."
Xu Damao grinned crookedly, wanting to say a few more words, but was met with a loud shout from Liu Haizhong.
"Xu Damao, what are you saying? You're the third oldest man in the courtyard, watch your words and actions."
Liu Haizhong stepped forward, hands behind his back, pushing through the crowd.
"Even if Sha Zhu's blind date is a divorced man, you can't talk like that. So what if he's divorced? Does that mean he can't pursue his own happiness? If it really works out, bring Sha Zhu a child or two over. It's so much better for a family to live together than for you, Xu Damao, to be all alone!"
Xu Damao was initially embarrassed when Liu Haizhong reprimanded him to his face, but after hearing what followed, he almost lost his composure.
Otherwise, Liu Haizhong would have to be a big shot. That's a very clever way of putting it. How can you find fault with that?
Xu Damao started the conversation, and Liu Haizhong was just offering an explanation, while also trying to help Sha Zhu out of the predicament.
Sha Zhu looked at Xu Damao, Liu Guangtian, and Yan Jiecheng, who were trying not to laugh, and his face turned pale with anger.
He suddenly stepped forward, startling Liu Haizhong, who quickly retreated into the crowd.
"Shazhu, what... what are you trying to do? Can't you understand what I'm saying? I'm just trying to help you." Liu Haizhong said, his fat face trembling.
Upon seeing this, Liu Guangtian immediately jumped out with his eyes wide open.
"Hey Shazhu, what's wrong with you? My dad helped you out of a tight spot, and this is how you treat him? Don't be ungrateful!"
Although Liu Guangtian spoke eloquently and his attitude was quite firm, everyone could see the smile in his eyes.
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