After finishing his meal and drinking a cup of tea, Wang Dabao slowly walked towards Yan Bugui's house.
Upon entering, one sees Xu Damao sitting with his legs crossed, smoking.
If it weren't for the bruises on his face from being beaten by Sha Zhu, Wang Dabao would have thought something happy had happened to him today.
"Brother Da Bao is here."
Hearing the sound of someone lifting the curtain and entering, Aunt Er peeked out from the kitchen and said, "Wait here, my sister-in-law is making tea."
Upon hearing this, Xu Damao immediately put his feet down and said sourly towards the kitchen, "Hey, Second Aunt, why is there no tea for me when I come, but Brother Dabao gets tea as soon as he arrives? You're treating me differently."
Aunt Erda came out carrying a teapot: "Da Mao, what nonsense are you talking about? Do you think your Aunt Erda is that kind of person? I took the teapot in to make tea before Da Bao came."
"Yes, I did take it in to make tea, but I didn't take it out until Brother Da Bao came over, then the tea was finally ready," Xu Damao retorted to his second aunt with a forced smile.
"You child, I just can't talk to you. Alright, you guys keep drinking, I'll go call the head of the household."
Before leaving, Aunt Er poured tea for Wang Dabao, but Xu Damao didn't receive that treatment.
Xu Damao glanced at the back of the second aunt with a gloomy expression, then gestured to Wang Dabao to look at the tea in the teacup. "Good heavens, it's almost transparent. This can hardly be called tea. It's like brewing a whole pot of tea with just one tea leaf."
Wang Dabao wanted to laugh, but he held it in because he heard footsteps approaching; Yan Bugui was about to arrive.
"Xu Damao, what are you saying? How can you be so mean? If you don't like it, then don't drink it. If you don't like it, you can go home and get some tea leaves. Everyone can benefit from it."
Yan Bugui walked out of the inner room in a bad mood.
He then took out three cigarettes from a small box on a counter and handed one to each of Wang Dabao and Xu Damao.
"This is a celebratory cigarette. A teacher at school is having a baby. You two should try it, Da Bao."
Wang Dabao didn't care what kind of cigarettes they were; he'd smoke them if they were palatable, and if not, he'd just leave them between his fingers.
With a "clang," the crisp sound of a lighter rang out in the room.
Yan Bugui and Xu Damao both stared wide-eyed.
"Da Bao, is that a lighter?" Yan Bugui rushed over without even lighting a cigarette, his eyes almost glued to the lighter. "Wow, this golden color is really beautiful."
Xu Damao also came over: "Hey, Da Bao, this is a Zhibao lighter, it must be expensive, right?"
It would be a lie to say he wasn't jealous; Xu Damao felt incredibly jealous.
Last time he saw Wang Dabao's outfit, he was extremely envious, but recently he was short of money. The Spring Festival had just passed, and he hadn't been back to his hometown twice, so he hadn't been able to earn any extra money and had temporarily put aside the idea of buying new clothes.
However, his desire to compete with Wang Dabao grew stronger every day, since competing with Sha Zhu was not challenging enough.
However, Wang Dabao actually bought another lighter today, which was like stabbing Xu Damao in the heart again.
This lighter was clearly not a cheap product; its color and the crisp sound when it was opened made Xu Damao's heart itch with desire.
If he had a lighter like that, he'd look so impressive taking it out when he smoked.
"Hey, it's not much money, just a hundred or two hundred yuan."
Wang Dabao smiled and lit a cigarette for Yan Bugui, saying, "It was a gift from my girlfriend. I wouldn't have bought it for myself."
Yan Bugui was even more surprised this time. He had seen Xiao Su at Shichahai last time. The girl looked like the daughter of a high-ranking official, not an ordinary family.
"Oh my, Da Bao, this is incredible! This girl must be a good match, a really nice girl." Yan Bugui said anxiously, earnestly instructing Wang Da Bao.
Xu Damao's mind went blank for a moment. A lighter that cost a hundred or two hundred yuan, a gift from his girlfriend?
What does this person do? They're giving such an expensive gift!
How can he compare? Where can he find such a wealthy partner?
Xu Damao forced himself to remain calm, took a drag of his cigarette, and said, "Brother Dabao, your girlfriend seems to come from a very well-off family. But only a family with such a background can match your status as a section chief."
Wang Dabao smiled and said, "Da Mao, when we're dating, we should look at a person's character, not their family background."
"That's right, I've met that girl. She's not only beautiful, but she's also impeccable in her speech and actions."
Yan Bugui took a deep drag on his cigarette. "Da Mao, you should learn this from Da Bao. When it comes to dating, you have to look at the person. What you said is nonsense. Now that we are the working class, we can't just look at family background."
As the three were chatting, Liu Haizhong lifted the curtain and came in.
"Oh dear, it seems I wasted time."
The four sat around the table, and Liu Haizhong spoke first, stating his thoughts directly.
Xu Damao immediately flew into a rage: "Why should I change my mind? I'm telling the truth."
Yan Bugui hurriedly advised, "Da Mao, your position is different now. You are a mediator, so you have to think about the court. The whole court is ashamed because of this, and the street office has already investigated. If this matter cannot be resolved, the three of us will suffer together."
Xu Damao snorted: "No matter what, this matter started with Yi Zhonghai. Although I was the one who discovered it, there was a reason for it. See the injury on my face? Because of this, I was beaten up twice by Sha Zhu today. Who can I vent my anger on?"
"How dare you bring that up?"
Liu Haizhong scoffed from the side, "If you're so capable, why don't you go beat up Sha Zhu? Go now, and I guarantee he won't dare to extort you."
Xu Damao glared at him and said, "I'm not going. I can't beat him."
In one sentence, Wang Dabao almost spat out his tea. Good heavens, I've never seen anyone say such cowardly things in such a tough tone. Xu Damao, you're really something else.
Just as the atmosphere was at an impasse, Wang Dabao slowly said, "Da Mao, if you change your mind, you might be able to get some benefits from Sha Zhu."
Xu Damao's eyes lit up: "Brother Da Bao, are you serious?"
Wang Dabao smiled and said, "Didn't Lao Liu just say that Sha Zhu went to apologize to Qin Huairu because of her? Why don't you have Sha Zhu come over and apologize to you too?!"
"Hmph, I think it's fine, but no, he's already beaten me up like this, an apology isn't enough."
Xu Damao started crossing his legs again.
Liu Haizhong squinted, seemingly regretting recommending Xu Damao as the third uncle. "So what do you want?"
"How about it? I have to fight back, otherwise I won't be able to vent my anger."
Xu Damao retorted, "Call him over now. If I can beat him up, I'll immediately agree to change my mind. I'll just say I overheard Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu discussing a job transfer in the vegetable cellar."
Xu Damao has now managed to get Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui in the lurch.
They can't guarantee that Sha Zhu won't get beaten up.
A moment later, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui turned their gazes toward Wang Dabao.
Wang Dabao wouldn't pay any more attention to the two of them; he just wanted to sit back and watch the show. How things unfolded wouldn't affect his enjoyment of the spectacle.
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