Wang Dabao parked his bicycle and called out to Yan Bugui.
Yan Bugui chuckled and jogged over: "How's it going, Da Bao? Tomorrow's the day of the joint inspection. Take a look around and see how our yard is tidied up. Can we secure first place?"
"I think it's promising; everyone has put in a lot of effort."
As he spoke, Wang Dabao took out a cigarette and then called Yan Jiefang over, asking him to give two to Lao Zhou and his son.
"Old Yan, have you sent anyone to check the other compounds?"
"Huh? We don't let anyone else into the yard, so how come others can let us in?" Yan Bugui was a little confused; Da Bao's question seemed off.
Yan Jiefang was rushing back after delivering the fireworks when he came across this conversation.
"I think I understand what Uncle Da Bao means. Does he mean sneaking in to take a look, or finding a legitimate excuse to go in?"
"Old Yan, you still haven't figured things out. If we want to get first place, we need a comparison. Otherwise, we'll just be working for nothing, feeling smug and thinking we've done well, when in reality the other departments are working harder and have more ideas. That would be a huge loss for us!"
Wang Dabao, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, offered Yan Bugui some advice.
He was in charge of organizing this. The rules were that a dozen or so old men from the courtyard would score the scores, but there were also people from the security department and the street office involved, so there was still some room for manipulation.
If we don't let Hongxing Courtyard take first place, we can't let the top three go out of the compound, otherwise Wang Dabao will feel embarrassed when he returns.
"Okay, Jiefang, call Lao Liu and Lao Yi over, and we'll discuss in the front yard how to send someone to observe the situation in the nearby yards."
After Yan Jiefang left, Yan Bugui became anxious. He hadn't thought of what Wang Dabao had said. The joint investigation was just around the corner, and he was afraid that he would be screened out by another hospital.
"Oh dear, I was hoping to get the reward, what am I going to do?!" Yan Bugui stamped his feet anxiously.
Soon, Liu Haizhong, Yi Zhonghai, Lao Zhou and several others gathered at the door of Yan Bugui's house, and Yan Jiefang hurriedly brought them stools.
After some discussion, it was decided to let the children take the lead.
Liu Guangtian, Liu Guangfu, Yan Jiefang, Yan Jiekuang, and even Banggeng and Xiaodang were called over.
The older ones would wait outside to assist, while the younger ones would sneak inside. If they couldn't get in, they would find a secluded spot and peer over the wall.
Before it gets dark, I need to find out what everyone in the other courtyards is busy with.
Liu Guangfu was in charge of running errands, and soon messages were sent back to the Hongxing Courtyard.
Some courtyards were even relaid with floor tiles, which terrified everyone. Those were bricks! Where were they going to find so many? Where was the money coming from?
Some courtyards are being painted, but don't worry about that. The Hongxing Courtyard has already finished that.
Some hospitals bought melon seeds and candies to entertain the personnel conducting the joint inspection tomorrow; we should copy this and prepare some as well.
What was most surprising was that a large red wreath had been hung in courtyard number 85. The entire courtyard was decorated with a festive and warm atmosphere. When Liu Haizhong heard this, he was shocked. They hadn't even thought of decorating with wreaths for Da Bao's wedding, but after a large-scale inspection, he found that other courtyards had already done it.
Liu Haizhong immediately slammed his fist on the table. He paid for it himself, and Liu Guangtian ran errands to buy it. When he returned, he gave it to the old women in the courtyard to cook quickly.
I'll take it off after the joint examination tomorrow, and put it back on when Da Bao gets married.
A short while later, Liu Guangfu ran back, this time bringing big news.
A bricklayer is working on the courtyard of No. 89.
The group was stunned. They had even hired a bricklayer just for the reward for the joint investigation. How much money must that have cost?
"Go explore again."
Liu Haizhong, who was in charge of the Hongxing Courtyard, waved his hand, and Liu Guangfu ran off again in a flash.
Not long after Liu Guangfu ran out, Yan Jiefang came running back, panting. It turned out that Yan Jiefang had been caught entering someone's compound and had been detained.
At this moment, Yan Jiefang was almost in tears.
Yan Bugui didn't seem to care at all: "What's the rush? I've never heard of being detained for visiting someone's home. Don't worry, they'll be released in a bit."
"No, Dad, I'm worried that if things go wrong, my little brother might get into a fight. You know how hot Jie Kuang's temper is; he could easily smash someone's head open with a brick."
Yan Jiefang stomped his feet in frustration.
Soon, Liu Guangfu returned. "I found out that they hired a bricklayer because several sections of the walls in their yard were severely damaged, and they were worried that it would affect the joint inspection and scoring tomorrow. That's why they scraped together the money to hire him. As for a major renovation of the yard, there's no such thing."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Wang Dabao lit a cigarette and said, "Old Yan, why don't you go with Jiefang and take a look? If it really doesn't work out, then go and talk to him."
Yan Bugui nodded and followed Yan Jiefang.
Liu Haizhong continued to encourage everyone: "It seems that the other compounds are taking this joint inspection more seriously than we expected. We were too careless. We have a general understanding of the situation in the other compounds. Next, let's brainstorm and check the compounds again, making sure we don't overlook any details."
"Make sure the old women in the courtyard hurry up and make the melon seeds, sugar cubes, and big red wreaths. Let's try to surprise them tomorrow."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and the Hongxing Courtyard became busy again.
Originally, everyone wasn't that enthusiastic, but after being compared to other departments, they suddenly became eager to compete.
Upon receiving the news, the residents were all determined to achieve excellent results in this joint inspection and secure the reward.
This joint investigation was orchestrated by Wang Dabao. If their Hongxing Courtyard didn't receive the reward, wouldn't they become a laughing stock in the neighborhood?
As darkness fell, there was still no sign of Yan Bugui and his two sons.
Yi Zhonghai was a little puzzled. Had all three of them been detained?
After discussing it, the group decided to go and take a look. Wang Dabao didn't want to go at first. What would it look like for a section chief like him to go? It's not like he's going to fight. If he just stood there like that, it would be obviously bullying people.
But since it was his idea to go to other compounds to gather information, this matter still needs to be addressed.
The group strolled over and went inside. They found Yan Bugui drinking tea in someone's courtyard.
An old man in this courtyard, surnamed Zhang, was waiting for Liu Haizhong to arrive.
"Hey, isn't this Grandpa Liu from courtyard number 95? What's going on? You guys are sneaking around watching other people work?"
"Hey Lao Zhang, what are you saying? The kids were just curious and came to take a look. It's entirely their own doing and has nothing to do with our compound. How can you make things difficult for a child!"
Seeing that Liu Haizhong couldn't find the words for a moment, Yi Zhonghai patted Liu Haizhong's arm and stepped forward to speak.
The people from Hongxing Courtyard nodded in agreement. Old Yi, as expected of someone who had worked for a powerful family, spoke with great skill, turning the tables and asking, "Tell me why you're detaining our child."
What? You can't even let your child visit? How can an adult like you stoop to a child's level? You have no shame!
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