What does Yi Zhonghai care about most? Isn't it his pride?
If this gets taken to the security department, what will the factory staff think of him?!
Inviting his deceased apprentice's wife to the vegetable cellar late at night to discuss business?!
It's easy to imagine what they'll talk about; who knows how many versions will circulate by then.
Then his hard-earned reputation in the factory will be ruined. It's not enough to lose face in the yard, he also has to lose face in the factory.
Although this matter could not be kept secret, as many people in the compound worked in the factory, it was not the same as making a scene at the security department.
People in the compound spread the word to the factory, and people might either take it as a topic of conversation or think it was an exaggeration.
But once the security department is alerted, the matter is considered settled.
This can be considered as stamping Yi Zhonghai's record of adultery with his apprentice's wife.
Once you're burdened with this kind of title, you can't get rid of it until you die; you'll carry it even in your coffin.
He'll be like a rat in the street then. It's no exaggeration to say that if someone spits at him or curses at him because of this, he'll have to endure it.
The thought of the consequences of reporting to the security department sent chills down Yi Zhonghai's spine.
"Grandma, this is really a misunderstanding. How could someone my age do such a thing?"
Yi Zhonghai approached the deaf old woman, his head swollen, still trying to defend himself, "I understand Zhu Zi's feelings, but he really wronged me!"
“I take the beating for it. I didn’t handle things well. But if Huai Ru and I were talking in the yard late at night, people would have exaggerated the situation.”
"It's all my fault for being confused for a moment. I never thought that my good intentions would lead to this situation."
As he spoke, a tear rolled down Yi Zhonghai's swollen eyes.
The deaf old woman had only heard about what happened from her neighbors; she was not present when the crowd cornered Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu in the cellar.
She didn't hear Qin Huairu's later explanations and attempts to shift the blame.
At this point, I began to have some faith in Yi Zhonghai.
The deaf old woman sighed and said, "Old Yi, you're usually such a shrewd person, how could you do something so foolish? But what you said makes some sense."
Some of the neighbors whispered among themselves after hearing what the deaf old woman said.
At this moment, Qin Huairu finally persuaded Jia Zhangshi to come out of the house, her face still bearing traces of tears.
“Grandma, Uncle Yi and I were indeed wronged. It was my fault today. I shouldn’t have cried to Uncle Yi about the difficulties at the factory. I just wanted to get back to the workshop as soon as possible, which is why I went to the cellar to talk to everyone that night and caused a misunderstanding.”
Upon hearing this, everyone reacted with varying expressions.
Some neighbors frowned. Qin Huairu had been a decent person in the neighborhood for many years, so it was quite surprising that she would suddenly do something like this with Yi Zhonghai. Now they were starting to waver.
Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai quickly pressed his advantage: "Neighbors, I, Yi Zhonghai, have lived in this compound for so many years, don't you know what kind of person I am? I only care about the good of this compound, and I would never do anything so immoral!"
Everyone looked at each other, unsure whether to believe them or not.
However, some people still had doubts. Even though Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu tried their best to explain, the matter was like a seed planted in the hearts of everyone in the compound.
"Yi Zhonghai, you're talking nonsense! You invited a widow to the vegetable cellar in the middle of the night, and you still want to defend yourself? Are you crazy?" At this moment, Xu Damao was definitely the one who didn't want Yi Zhonghai to get away with it the most.
Having finally managed to suppress Yi Zhonghai, how could we possibly give him another chance to rise again?
"You know you're so old, don't you know the consequences of luring Qin Huairu to the vegetable cellar and being seen by someone?"
“If there’s nothing shameful about it, why would you hide in the cellar and keep talking nonsense? You’re just a beast in human skin. Your apprentice has only been dead for a few days, and you’re already so eager to make a move on his wife. I think you’ve been planning this all along.”
"It was your idea to kick Sha Zhu out of the compound. You were just afraid that Sha Zhu would ruin your plans in the compound."
"You old bastard, what's this? Trying to use Qin Huairu's belly to leave a seed for yourself? Let me tell you, who can't see through your little schemes? You act all high and mighty in the yard all day, but you're nothing but a beastly old bastard!!!"
"Shazhu is a moron too, hanging out with you all the time. And what happened? The person he's been eyeing for all these years ended up in someone else's arms. He's a complete joke."
Xu Damao, having recovered his strength, jumped up and down, unleashing a torrent of energy.
The entire courtyard was silent.
For over a minute, no one spoke. After thinking about it, everyone realized that Xu Damao's words made sense; once the matter was sorted out, everything became clear.
Wang Dabao's gaze towards Xu Damao changed; as expected of Xu Damao.
"Xu Damao, you're slandering me!"
"Bullshit! You're talking nonsense!"
"Xu Damao, shut up."
The three voices came from Qin Huairu, Yi Zhonghai, and Shazhu, respectively.
"Xu Damao, if you dare to talk nonsense again, I... I'll go and die in your house right now." The deaf old woman slammed her cane on the ground, and the young man's pale face turned even whiter with excitement.
Xu Damao was genuinely frightened upon hearing this, but his earlier bravado remained: "This is the truth, a fact that cannot be changed even if my family dies."
"Okay, okay."
The deaf old woman gasped for breath and glanced to her side. "Liu Haizhong, don't stop me. I'll die right here in front of Xu Damao. You can all testify that Xu Damao drove me to my death."
After saying that, the deaf old woman rushed towards Xu Damao, trembling.
Xu Damao was dumbfounded. This old lady usually valued her life the most, so why was she going to do something like this now?!
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
