In Xu Damao's eyes, he hadn't done anything wrong. It was all just bad luck. If he had Wei Hua's luck, this wouldn't have happened at all.
Given Wei Hua's current status and background, as long as Wei Hua is willing to stand up for him, he can easily find a new job anywhere else.
Hatred can drive a person completely insane, but it can also completely uplift them. To avoid being looked down upon, Xu Damao rested at home for over a month before going out to look for work.
Even though Xu Damao was trying his best, he still couldn't find a job. After all, Xu Damao's case was already recorded in his personnel file.
It wasn't just Xu Damao who couldn't find work; the entire Xu family was unemployed. In order to improve their family's livelihood, the Xu family members had no choice but to do things that others were unwilling to do.
Xu Fugui could only carry his load out to buy small items. Xu Damao, whose legs had not fully recovered, could only do some light work for the time being.
Zhang Cheng and Xu Xiaoling didn't stay idle at home either; they frequently went to the neighborhood office to discuss work. However, jobs in the city were limited, so they eventually had to participate in the "Down to the Countryside Movement."
At least there would be food in the countryside; although life would be tough, at least they wouldn't go hungry. When the Xu family learned that Zhang Cheng and Xu Xiaoling were going to the Northwest, they panicked.
They had absolutely no right to refuse such a thing. Once they had registered or were on the list, no one could refuse. In the end, they could only helplessly watch Zhang Cheng and Xu Xiaoling leave Beijing.
If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have sent Zhang Cheng and Xu Xiaoling to the neighborhood office to ask for jobs. If they hadn't been going to the neighborhood office every day, they might not have ended up in the Northwest.
The thought that all of this was caused by Wei Hua filled the Xu family with hatred for the Wei family. Yet, they were utterly powerless against Wei Hua's family.
In order to improve his family's life, Xu Damao prepared to go hunting in the mountains after he had recovered his health.
"Dad, why don't we learn from Weihua and go hunting in the mountains? I used to follow Weihua around and learned a little bit. Although I didn't learn it all, catching a few prey shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing Xu Damao's words, Xu Fugui also became interested; everyone knew of Wei Hua's hunting skills. Knowing that his son had learned some techniques, he excitedly followed Xu Damao up the mountain.
Xu Damao used to often go up the mountain with Wei Hua, so he knew a little about how to set traps. Full of confidence, Xu Damao also started going up the mountain to hunt with his family.
Since he hadn't fully recovered, Xu Damao could only move his mouth, while Xu Fugui did the work. Xu Fugui worked incredibly hard to improve their lives.
The father and son spent half a day searching the mountain, but ended up catching nothing, not even a single wild animal hair. This made Xu Damao question his life choices. His traps were perfectly fine, yet he couldn't catch anything.
Knowing that Xu Damao hadn't caught anything, he and the others laughed until their stomachs hurt.
Wei Hua wasn't the only one envious; many in the surrounding area had tried to emulate the hunters. Countless traps were laid on the mountain, yet few managed to catch any prey.
Seeing that Xu Damao had caught nothing, many people stood up and laughed at him for trying to imitate others.
Hunting requires talent and knowledge of animals, but that's not enough; luck is also essential. Several renowned hunters have indeed emerged in the area, but most, like Xu Damao, have essentially come away empty-handed.
Despite being ridiculed once, Xu Damao was not discouraged. He continued to take his family hunting in the mountains, because even Wei Hua couldn't always catch prey.
It was normal that he didn't catch any prey on his first try. Perhaps Xu Damao was just lucky, but on his third hunt, he finally caught a rabbit. Seeing the rabbit, Xu Damao became extremely excited, believing himself to be a born hunter.
Because Wei Hua was just starting out, he wasn't always able to catch prey; everyone was learning step by step. After his first success, Xu Damao became very confident. Every evening, he would take his father up the mountain to set up many traps.
While Xu Damao was setting traps every day, He Daqing often brought his wife back to the courtyard house to freeload meals. Ma Xiaorong, who had been married for a few months, was now pregnant with He Daqing's child.
When everyone found out that Ma Xiaorong was pregnant, everyone laughed at He Daqing for being disrespectful to his elders, saying that his grandson was already so big, yet he still wanted to have another child.
But this was ultimately a private matter for the He family, and they couldn't say anything. Sha Zhu didn't know what to do about it either. But since the other party was his father, and they were coming back for a meal, he could only try to give them something good.
This kind of thing might be one thing once or twice, but no one can stop He Daqing from coming back every few days. Moreover, every time He Daqing comes back, he not only brings Ma Xiaorong's four children to eat, but sometimes he also takes some with him.
He claimed that he and Ma Xiaorong were older and that it was difficult for them to conceive, requiring more nutrition. He completely disregarded the fact that his daughter-in-law was also pregnant.
Because Ma Xiaorong was pregnant with his child, He Daqing even demanded the money back. Seeing his father asking him for money, Sha Zhu had no choice but to return it to He Daqing.
Even though Yu Li felt uncomfortable, she couldn't say anything because the other party was her in-laws. She could only secretly eat something nice when they weren't around.
Seeing the ridiculous situation that had arisen at Sha Zhu's house, Xu Damao even mocked Sha Zhu several times in front of him. Every time Xu Damao mocked Sha Zhu, Sha Zhu would mock him back.
"Instead of gloating over my family's misfortune, you should worry about your own family first! I'm the cafeteria manager now, but look at your own status!"
"Stop trying to imitate others. Hunting also requires talent. But I don't see any talent in you at all. You should just go back to the mountains and feed the wolves!"
"Do you really think hunting is that easy? Do you, Xu Damao, have the talent of Hua Zi? Do you, Xu Damao, understand animal habits like Hua Zi does? That rabbit last time was just your lucky break."
Hearing Sha Zhu's mockery, Xu Damao immediately felt like he'd been stepped on. But Xu Damao was unwilling to back down in front of Sha Zhu.
"So what if I can't catch any prey? My family connections are much better than yours. You just wait and see if He Daqing brings a few people to your house to eat and drink for free! I'll see what you guys eat and drink then!"
Hearing Xu Damao's words, Sha Zhu didn't know what to say, because Sha Zhu was really scared.
Seeing Sha Zhu standing there dumbfounded, Xu Damao said nothing more. He'd be better off spending his time on setting up more traps in the mountains than worrying about other people's business.
But fate may have played a cruel joke on Xu Damao. After working with his family for more than half a month, Xu Damao still hadn't caught any animals.
Xu Damao, who was originally full of confidence, is now in utter despair. He used to think he had a lot of talent, but now he realizes that he was just lucky.
After more than a month, Xu Damao has now completely given up. He no longer cares about other people's ridicule.
Ever since he was fired from the steel rolling mill, he felt like a joke. Xu Damao was already used to other people's opinions.
Realizing he lacked talent, Xu Damao had no choice but to work alongside others. To survive, he had to lower his proud head and become a cleaner.
Every day before dawn, he would take a broom and a cart and go out to sweep the streets. Since becoming a sanitation worker, Xu Damao has rarely appeared in public.
He would only show his face when He Daqing and Ma Xiaorong returned to the courtyard house. It was as if other people's misfortunes could bring Xu Damao some joy.
Perhaps due to their miserable lives, Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi gradually came into contact after Xu became a cleaner.
All three were going through somewhat difficult times, and their shared experiences gave them common ground. Even though they didn't get along, they still maintained some contact. However, this contact wasn't very harmonious; every time they met, they inevitably exchanged a few sarcastic remarks.
Good people have their way of getting along, and bad people have theirs. Three unhappy people coming together will only lead to mutual ridicule and hostility. Don't expect people in a courtyard house to live in harmony.
Xu Damao had once enjoyed a period of success, and he had also been close to Wei Hua in the past. Seeing that Xu Damao was in the same boat as themselves, Liu Guangqi and Yan Jiecheng didn't hesitate to kick him while he was down.
This led Xu Damao to gradually focus his attention on Liu Guangqi and Yan Jiecheng. This instilled in Xu Damao a deep hatred for the Liu and Yan families.
But neither of the two families took the Xu family seriously. In the past, they would have fawned over them, but now that the Xu family had become like them, they would only mock them relentlessly.
The matter of Yan Jiefang, in particular, made the Yan family hate the Xu family especially.
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