Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 678 Shameless to the extreme, I'll protect your backyard!
After refining the details and speculating on how the Qian family would react, Yi Zhonghai headed straight for the Qian family's house in the backyard.

As soon as I entered, I saw the grandmother and grandson eating.

Looking at the cornbread, boiled cabbage, and pickled vegetables on the table, Yi Zhonghai felt even more confident in winning them over.

Before she could think it through, Grandma Qian saw Yi Zhonghai arrive and quickly put down her chopsticks: "Uncle, what brings you here! Is something wrong?"

Yi Zhonghai snapped out of his thoughts and said to Grandma Qian with a smile, "Sister Qian, it's nothing, don't worry. I just haven't come to see you for a while."

"As the caretaker of this courtyard, I have to check on everyone from time to time. Sister Qian, are you having any difficulties? How are you doing?"

Grandma Qian was a shrewd old woman. Looking at Yi Zhonghai's grinning face, she couldn't simply assume that he had come to visit her.

But he did not expose Yi Zhonghai's lie.

"No, there are no difficulties. My grandson and I are doing fine, and everything at home is fine, so I won't trouble you to take care of us."

"It's really kind of you, old man, to come all this way to check on our house."

Grandma Qian smiled and didn't fall for the trap, which made Yi Zhonghai feel a bit tricky, but he had expected it.

"As long as you're doing well, that's fine. If you encounter any difficulties, just tell me. As the person in charge, I won't ignore you."

"Okay, don't worry, I'll definitely tell you if I encounter any difficulties."

The two exchanged barbs, and Grandma Qian even had time to take care of her grandson's meals.

High judgment.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai decided against probing and went straight to the point: "Sister Qian, it must be tough for you to raise your grandson alone, right?"

Grandma Qian didn't look up, but simply replied, "It's alright! Life has been a bit tough, but with my grandson, what's so tough about it?"

"Right now, I'm just looking forward to my grandson growing up quickly."

Seeing that Grandma Qian was still unmoved by his words, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but get a little anxious.

"Sister Qian, it's alright for the children to suffer now, but it won't be good for them to suffer when they're older. After all, you know the saying that poverty makes everything miserable."

Grandma Qian chuckled and said, "What's all this sorrow? Even if you don't have money, you can still make a living. Raising children well is more important than being rich or poor."

"What's the use of wealth if you don't have children? You'll just have money to burn, won't you?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai involuntarily clenched his fists, his face tense. He knew that Grandma Qian was hinting at something.

How can someone without children teach a child? You, a person without offspring, tell me what to do!
Yi Zhonghai felt extremely aggrieved. He originally wanted to just walk away, but remembering the purpose of his visit, he had no choice but to hold back.

After composing himself slightly, Yi Zhonghai spoke again: "Sister Qian, I'm here today because I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Grandma Qian asked calmly. She knew that Yi Zhonghai wouldn't come to her unless he had something to say.

Yi Zhonghai cut to the chase: "Sister Qian, as you know, the Jia family now has five members, and they all live in one room. The house is almost too crowded."

"I was thinking, since you have two rooms, you could rent one out to the Jia family. That way, you can collect rent and supplement your household income, wouldn't that be perfect?"

“I’ve already negotiated the rent with Jia Zhangshi. It’s the same price as outside, 4 yuan a month. Jia Zhangshi has agreed to pay the rent for 3 months first. Do you think this is a good deal?”

After saying that, Yi Zhonghai looked at Grandma Qian nervously.

Grandma Qian glanced up at Yi Zhonghai and coldly replied, "Not good enough, I won't rent it!"

Yi Zhonghai thought he had offered very generous terms, and with his own involvement, Grandma Qian would definitely agree.

But when he heard Grandma Qian say she wouldn't rent it, Yi Zhonghai was stunned, looking incredulous: "No! Sister Qian! I meant 4 yuan per room, plus March's salary in advance."

"With such good terms, Sister Qian, why are you refusing? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Grandma Qian remained coldly indifferent: "I know! But I won't rent it! I don't need that little bit of money!"

Yi Zhonghai was confused: "Sister Qian! Why? If you think the rent is not right, we can discuss it again. What do you mean by not renting?"

"I'm doing this for you, for your grandson's sake. Why don't you think about it some more? There's no need to answer so hastily."

Grandma Qian made the final decision: "No need to consider it. You, Yi Zhonghai, surely know better than I do what kind of people the Jia family are!"

"Given the Jia family's character, I'm afraid that if I rent the house to them, it'll be easy to invite them in but hard to send them away. Once they move into my house, it won't be my house anymore."

"I'd rather have nothing to do and not earn any money than have my son and daughter-in-law come back and not even have a place to stay."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai inwardly grumbled.

It's been so many years. If your son could come back, wouldn't you have found him? Maybe he's still out there, his fate unknown. What's the point of keeping the house? Are you just waiting to die?

Of course, Yi Zhonghai could not say these things to her face.

Helplessly, he said, "Sister Qian, you should think about this carefully. After all, we live in the same courtyard. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Helping each other is a good thing."

"Besides, it can also give you extra income, isn't that great?"

"Okay, don't rush to reply to me. Think it over carefully, and I'll come back tomorrow to hear from you."

Having said that, without giving Grandma Qian a chance to refuse, he decisively turned and left.

Grandma Qian watched Yi Zhonghai's flustered retreating figure and chuckled coldly, "I may be old, but I'm not stupid. Do you really think I'm easy to fool?"

"If it were in the old days, those bastards from the Jia family would have been beaten to death by everyone. If we still rent to them, we probably won't be able to get it back."

"Grandson, time to eat!"

When Jia Zhangshi saw Yi Zhonghai return, she quickly went up to him and asked, "Old Yi, how did it go? Did that old woman agree? I don't believe she wouldn't agree to such a good thing."

Yi Zhonghai shook his head with a worried look: "No, she didn't agree. This is not a good situation."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi slammed her hand on the table in anger and began to curse: "What kind of woman is she! Why doesn't she agree! I'm giving her face by renting her the house, and she still dares to refuse! She's gone too far!"

"Old Yi, did you not explain things clearly to her? I'm going to talk to her! I'm going to teach her a lesson!"

After saying that, Jia Zhangshi was about to confront Grandma Qian in a fierce manner.

Yi Zhonghai, of course, wouldn't let Jia Zhangshi cause trouble, and quickly pulled her back.

"You shouldn't get involved. Maybe if you do, things won't work out."

“I’ve said everything I could, but the old woman just won’t rent it out. She says she’s saving it for her son and daughter-in-law to live in when they come back.”

Madam Jia was furious: "Isn't this old hag talking nonsense? Everyone in our courtyard knows that her son and daughter-in-law died outside a long time ago, and she still left them with this."

"I don't think she ever intended to rent the house to our family! No way! I'm going to settle this score with her! She's going to rent the house whether she wants to or not!"

As she spoke, Jia Zhangshi ran out. Yi Zhonghai grabbed her arm but was shaken off, allowing Jia Zhangshi to escape.

"Old Yi, aren't we going to chase after them?" an older woman asked.

"No rush. Letting Jia Zhangshi make a fuss isn't a bad thing. Maybe she'll agree."

Only she knew what Yi Zhonghai was up to.

When Grandma Qian heard Jia Zhangshi's agitated voice coming from the middle courtyard, she became even more certain that she was glad she hadn't rented out the house.

She immediately closed the door to avoid being disturbed while she and her grandson were eating.

When Jia Zhangshi ran to the backyard, she saw that the door was closed, which only fueled her anger.

In Jia Zhangshi's eyes, this was an open and blatant disrespect for her Jia family.

He immediately slammed the door shut.

"Bang Bang Bang!!!"

"Open the door! Open the door!"

"You old bastard surnamed Qian, come out here right now! You damned old bastard, you shameless thing, you still dare to cause trouble here!"

"I won't tolerate you! My Jia family is doing you a favor by renting your house, and you dare to refuse? I'll curse your ancestors for eighteen generations to death today!"

"Come out, you old bastard!"

"Bang bang bang!"

Jia Zhangshi used a string of foul language, which frightened her grandson in the house so much that he trembled and shrank into Grandma Qian's arms.

"grandmother."

"Don't be afraid, Grandma's here." Grandma Qian said calmly, patting her grandson's head.

"Go lie down on the kang (heated brick bed)."

"Okay!" The grandson immediately ran to the kang (a heated brick bed).

Grandma Qian heard a broom placed behind her. "Squeak~"

When Jia Zhangshi saw that Grandma Qian was silent but staring intently at her, she felt a chill run down her spine, sensing that something was wrong.

But then I thought, what's there to be afraid of? It's just an old lady's little brat. My confidence instantly returned.

"You old hag, why don't you rent the house to our family? Your family consists of just an old woman like you and a little brat who lost his parents. Why do you have to take up two rooms!"

"You better make room for him right now! I'm moving in tomorrow! Do you hear me?!"

"Jia Zhangshi! Have you eaten shit? Your mouth stinks! If you dare to act like a jerk to me again, I'll risk my old life to kill you!"

Seeing that Grandma Qian was not afraid of her and even dared to resist, Jia Zhangshi subconsciously shrank back.

But knowing that she had Yi Zhonghai backing her up, what was there for an old woman to be afraid of?

"I'm not afraid of you! You son and daughter-in-law dead thing, you dare to fight me to the death? Believe me or not, I'll have a stick beat your grandson!"

Instantly, Grandma Qian's eyes turned red, revealing a murderous glint in them; no one could touch her grandson!

"you wanna die!"

Grandma Qian threw away her broom, went back home, grabbed a kitchen knife, and ran out to chase after Jia Zhangshi, hacking at her!

"Oh my god!" This completely terrified Jia Zhangshi, who screamed and hid from Grandma Qian.

"Help! Help!"

"Killing!"

Seeing this, none of the people in the backyard dared to run out to stop it, fearing that they might accidentally die themselves.

"Jia Zhangshi, don't run away! Come on! Keep cursing!" Grandma Qian said, waving her knife.

"Old Yi, Old Yi, help me!"

Jia Zhangshi was still crying for help, summoning people from the former Central Court, but no one came forward to help.

Yi Zhonghai even kept his distance.

"Help!"

At this point, Xu Damao, the steward of the backyard, had no choice but to step forward.

"stop!"

"Xu Damao, help!" Jia Zhangshi immediately ran towards him.

"Jia Zhangshi, don't come any closer!"

But Jia Zhangshi wouldn't stop, so Xu Damao had no choice but to retreat back home.

"bump!"

When Jia Zhangshi was turned away, she knocked on the door repeatedly, saying, "Xu Damao, let me in."

Xu Damao was not foolish enough to let Jia Zhangshi, that troublemaker, in. He looked through the window and said, "Grandma Qian, let's talk this out. It wouldn't be good if someone got hurt."

"You have a grandson at home, you should think about him!"

Xu Damao's words struck a chord with Grandma Qian, and she finally stopped chasing after him.

"Humph!"

"Huff huff~" Jia Zhangshi was panting heavily like a dog.

Only then did Xu Damao dare to come out, cautiously approach Grandma Qian, and take the kitchen knife away first.

"Phew~" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, finally no longer needing to worry about the danger to their lives.

Xu Damao immediately shouted, "Jia Zhangshi, are you looking for trouble? You've already caused a lot of trouble in the central courtyard, and now you're coming to cause trouble in the back courtyard."

Jia Zhangshi retorted, "What's it to you? Xu Damao's matter today has nothing to do with you. Go stand over there!"

It's true what they say: those who need people go first, and those who don't go last.

Xu Damao chuckled: "When the road is injustice, one must roar; when it's time to act, one must act! I'm the boss of the backyard, and whenever it involves matters in the backyard, I, as the second-in-command, will take care of it without hesitation!"

"What's wrong, you old hag? You can't cause trouble in the middle courtyard, so you come to my backyard to cause trouble?"

Hearing this, Jia Zhangshi felt uneasy and pointed at Xu Damao, shouting, "Xu Damao! This is between me and the old woman, what are you meddling in for!"

"I just can't stand you, so what? What can you do about it? I'm telling you right now! You dare to bully the people in my backyard? I'll beat your teeth to a pulp!"

""

Jia Zhangshi was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to do!
Just when she was in a dilemma, Yi Zhonghai arrived late.

He immediately shouted, "Xu Damao! How dare you speak to your elders like that? Can't you just say what you mean? You've gone too far by cursing Jia Zhangshi in front of so many people."

Xu Damao was not afraid at all: "Yi Zhonghai! Who do you think you are, to talk back to me like that! I don't believe this old hag dared to cause trouble without your instigation!"

"Do you think I don't know what you're up to? Aren't you just after Qian Nai's house? Everyone in the courtyard knows what kind of people the Jia family are, and you're actually helping them rent Qian Nai's house."

"It's probably easy to rent it out, but hard to take it back. Who knows, in a couple of months it might become the Jia family's house, and they might not even pay the rent. Yi Zhonghai, you're really something, you really do things this way."

At this point, Xu Damao couldn't help but give Yi Zhonghai a thumbs up.

From the few words exchanged, everyone guessed the cause of the matter and began to point fingers at Yi Zhonghai and Jia Zhangshi.

Their schemes were exposed, and Jia Zhangshi and Yi Zhonghai turned ashen-faced.

If it weren't for the lighting, you might not even be able to see their faces, only a row of teeth.

Yi Zhonghai naturally couldn't admit it, and forcefully argued, "No! I didn't mean that! Xu Damao, don't overthink it."

“I did it entirely out of good intentions. I just saw that the Jia family had a lot of members and that the Qian family was having a hard time, so I thought I would help each other out.”

Xu Damao returned a disdainful look: "Come on, Yi Zhonghai, everyone knows what's going on with your little tricks."

"Any normal person wouldn't rent to the Jia family, so don't even think about it. If you dare to find Jia Zhangshi looking for money again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"it is good!"

Xu Damao's last words were so powerful that everyone immediately echoed them loudly.

The people in the backyard were especially pleased that there was finally a steward standing up for them, since Liu Haizhong had never really taken charge before.

Yi Zhonghai's face flushed red, and he was embarrassed: "Xu Damao! This is someone else's business! What does it have to do with you? Why do you have to meddle?"

Xu Damao said smugly, "Hey! I'm doing what I want! I'll manage, so what? You don't like it?"

"you you."

Yi Zhonghai was so angry at Xu Damao's words that he almost died, and pointed angrily at Xu Damao.

"Xu Damao! You've completely lost your mind! Disrespecting your elders is one thing, but now you don't even respect me, your old man. I'm going to report you to the neighborhood committee to deal with you!"

Xu Damao shrugged: "Whatever, I'm not afraid of you. Besides, I'm the boss in charge. I'm not afraid of you. But with all the lousy things you've done, do you dare to report me to the neighborhood committee?"

Madam Jia Zhang was furious: "Xu Damao! I curse you for eighteen generations! Why do you always go against my Jia family? I'll fight you to the death!"

"what!"

As she spoke, Jia Zhangshi, acting as if possessed, ran towards Xu Damao, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws.

"Grandma Qian, get her!" Xu Damao shouted, handing the kitchen knife back to Grandma Qian.

"Jia Zhangshi, you're asking for death!" Granny Qian brandished her knife and charged straight at Jia Zhangshi.

Terrified, she cried out, "Help! Help!" and immediately ran back to the Intermediate People's Court.

"Qian Nai, and Yi Zhonghai!"

"Oh my god!" Yi Zhonghai was so frightened that he immediately ran back.

The two were so frightened that they fled in panic. Xu Damao, seeing that everyone in the courtyard was there, immediately made his position clear.

"This backyard is under my protection, Xu Damao. If anyone dares to covet our backyard, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

After saying that, Xu Damao looked around and, seeing that no one dared to look him in the eye, went back into the house satisfied.

After the excitement subsided, everyone went home.

Grandma Qian breathed a sigh of relief after everyone left and went back inside to comfort her grandson.

(End of this chapter)