Siheyuan: Buyers get rich from hunting

Xu Damao took quick, brisk steps, trotting through the courtyard's lanes. His eyes gleamed with excitement and anticipation, as if he were about to uncover a shocking secret. Every time he reached a neighbor's door, he would take a deep breath, calm himself, then raise his hand and gently knock on the closed door.

With the sound of knocks, doors gradually opened, and neighbors poked their heads out, looking at Xu Damao with puzzled eyes. Xu Damao wore a mysterious, excited smile, a smile that shrouded him like a veil of mystery, inviting a glimpse into the secrets behind it. He bent slightly, his voice lowered, as if afraid of being overheard, as he meticulously recounted the elaborate plan orchestrated by Third Uncle and He Yuzhu. His voice was deep and powerful, each word carrying a magical power that captivated the neighbors' attention.

At first, after hearing Xu Damao's words, some neighbors looked hesitant. A hint of worry crossed their eyes, wondering if this would cause unnecessary trouble. After all, everyone in this courtyard wanted to live a peaceful and stable life, and they didn't want something to disrupt that tranquility. They looked at each other, as if waiting for someone else to make the first decision.

Seeing this, Xu Damao immediately turned on his "glib tongue". He excitedly recounted the various suspicious aspects of the male host, exaggerating those originally insignificant little things and making them sound serious. He said that the male host had been acting sneaky recently, often sneaking out in the middle of the night, and no one knew what shameful things he was doing; he also said that the male host was usually very cold to everyone, as if everyone owed him money, and such a person must have something to hide. Xu Damao became more and more excited as he spoke, spit flying, and he patted his chest to emphasize that if they did not unite to resist the male host, everyone would have a hard time in the future. He said that the male host would definitely become more and more arrogant, and might do something even more outrageous, and everyone would be bullied by him.

After Xu Damao's frantic admonishment, the neighbors' mindsets gradually shifted. Their initial hesitation and concerns were gradually dissipated by his words. They began to believe that Xu Damao's words made sense; if they didn't act, they might actually find themselves in trouble. So, they nodded in agreement, their eyes revealing a hint of determination and willingness to cooperate with Xu Damao's plan.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the courtyard, casting a golden veil over it, the man, bleary-eyed as usual, walked into the bathroom, ready to wash and start the day. He groggily walked to the faucet and turned it on. To his surprise, only a few drops of water trickled down, as slowly as a snail. Before he could react, those few drops of water had completely ceased, leaving only a dry hissing sound.

The man frowned, his expression becoming deeply displeased. He slapped the faucet vigorously, as if that would make the water flow again. As he slapped, he muttered, "What's going on? There's no water so early in the morning. Are you trying to save me? This faucet breaks down at the crucial moment." His voice grew louder, tinged with anger and helplessness.

At that moment, Aunt Wang from next door heard the noise and poked her head out, a sinister smile on her face. She deliberately stretched out her voice and said, "Oh, who knows? Maybe the water spirit in this yard doesn't like you and won't give you water. Did you do something bad to anger the water spirit?" The man's face turned ugly when he heard Aunt Wang's words, as if he had eaten a fly. His lips trembled slightly, and he wanted to explode, but he felt it was inappropriate to argue in front of his neighbors. He could only suppress his anger and stormed back into the house, slamming the door shut, the sound seeming to vent his dissatisfaction.

The night was like a huge piece of black silk, slowly covering the entire yard, wrapping everything in the world in its deep embrace. At night, the man dragged his slightly tired body back to the house. He planned to turn on the light and read a book in the soft light to relax his tense nerves of the day. He reached out and gently pressed the switch on the wall. With a soft "click", the light came on. But before he could sit firmly on the chair, the light began to flicker like a naughty child. Sometimes it was dazzlingly bright, as if it would illuminate the entire room; sometimes it was dim like the faint light of a firefly, making people's eyes blurry. The man frowned and muttered, "What's wrong with this light today? It's so disobedient."

However, before he could react, the flickering light went out completely, plunging the entire house into pitch-black darkness. The man felt a sudden blackout, nearly losing his balance. He stamped his feet in anger, his heavy footsteps echoing through the silent room like a furious cry. He shouted, "What's going on with the electricity? No water in the daytime, no electricity at night! How can we even live like this?" His voice echoed through the room, filled with endless anger and helplessness.

At that moment, Uncle Li's booming, teasing voice rang out from next door: "Hey, this old yard, the wiring is like an old man, it's aged quite a bit. Maybe there's something wrong with one of the wires again. These old wirings are like human blood vessels, clogged here and there can easily cause problems there. But it's a coincidence that the problem always happens near your house." Uncle Li's words seemed to hold a hidden meaning. The man's heart skipped a beat, knowing that someone must be playing tricks. Perhaps it was the neighbors who had treated him strangely during the day, trying to teach him a lesson. But he had no evidence, like a caged beast, with all his strength but nowhere to wield it, he could only hold his anger and gnash his teeth in the darkness.

Meanwhile, the courtyard was bustling with activity. Someone had organized an open-air movie screening, and it had everyone in stitches. Everyone had brought out their colorful stools from their homes, like a flock of iridescent birds, creating a unique spectacle in the courtyard. People gathered around the screen, their faces beaming with anticipation. Children ran around excitedly, constantly shouting, "Movies! Movies!" Adults gathered in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was harmonious, as if the entire courtyard were immersed in a sea of joy.

The man, hearing the laughter and chatter outside, felt a pang of excitement. He fidgeted restlessly in his room, sometimes going to the window to gaze out at the bustling scene, sometimes returning to his chair, unable to sit still. He hesitated, thinking, "It's just a movie. What can they do to me?" So, he headed toward the crowd, his steps hesitant, each step a pep talk.

However, as soon as he approached the crowd, the originally laughing and cheerful crowd suddenly became quiet as if under a spell. The originally lively noise disappeared without a trace in an instant, leaving only a dead silence. As if they had agreed, everyone turned their heads away and stopped looking at him, as if he was a transparent person who did not exist in this world at all. The man felt his face burning, as if he had been slapped hard. His face turned red and white, and he was embarrassed and at a loss. He stood there, his feet seemed to be nailed, not knowing whether to go forward or backward. In the end, he really couldn't stand the feeling of being ignored, so he had to return to the house in dejection. His lonely back looked particularly desolate under the light.

After these few days of suffering, the man's mental state deteriorated. He spent the entire day scowling, pacing back and forth in the house, muttering to himself, "What the hell is going on? Why are they targeting me?" His eyes were filled with confusion and anger, yet he felt helpless.

On the other hand, Uncle Three, He Yuzhu, and Xu Damao, seeing the look on the man's face, were secretly pleased with themselves. But they also knew that this was just the beginning, and the man would definitely not give up. Sure enough, a few days later, the man found Uncle Zhao, an old resident in the yard. With a smile on his face, he handed him a cigarette and said, "Uncle Zhao, you see, I just moved in not long ago. If I do something wrong, please bear with me. I don't know how I have offended everyone recently. Can you help me talk to everyone and let's reconcile."

Uncle Zhao took a drag on his cigarette and said slowly, "Young man, we don't have any ill intentions. When you first arrived, some of your behavior did make us feel uncomfortable. For example, you always made loud noises at night, disturbing everyone's rest. Also, you littered the yard and didn't pay attention to sanitation. We all live in the same yard, so we have to take care of each other and abide by the rules, right?"

The man's face turned extremely awkward upon hearing this. He quickly nodded and said, "Uncle Zhao, you're right. I was inconsiderate. I will definitely pay attention in the future and will never make such a mistake again. Could you please apologize to everyone on my behalf so that they won't target me anymore?"

Uncle Zhao looked at the host's sincerity, nodded, and said, "Okay, I'll talk to you. But you also have to prove your change with practical actions so that everyone can see your sincerity."

The man left Uncle Zhao's house, thanking him profusely. However, he had no real intention of correcting his behavior. He felt that this was just an excuse, a deliberate attempt to exclude him. A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he swore silently, "Don't think you can drive me away just like that. I will find out who is behind this and make you pay."

In the days that followed, the man pretended to be sincere in his efforts to mend his ways, stopping littering and making as little noise as possible at night. But secretly, he was trying to figure out who was behind the attack. Through shady tactics, he befriended a few of the hooligans in the compound and asked them to help him keep an eye on the movements of Uncle Sanye, He Yuzhu, and Xu Damao.

One evening, Xu Damao returned from his day job as usual. As he reached a secluded corner, several dark figures suddenly swooped in and surrounded him. Xu Damao was startled, and before he could react, one of the thugs kicked him in the stomach. He doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach with both hands, groaning in agony.

"You... who are you? Why are you hitting me?" Xu Damao asked with difficulty.

One of the thugs sneered and said, "Hmph, you've been very proud lately, taking the lead in bullying our big brother. Today I'm teaching you a lesson, so that you know not to meddle in other people's business in the future." After that, several thugs started punching and kicking him again.

Xu Damao struggled desperately, but two fists were no match for four hands, and he was soon beaten black and blue. Just when he was feeling desperate, he suddenly heard a roar: "What are you doing? Stop it!" It turned out to be Uncle San and He Yuzhu with a few neighbors. When they saw Xu Damao being beaten, they immediately rushed forward and wrestled with the thugs.

After a fierce fight, the thugs saw the situation was bad and fled. Uncle Sanye and He Yuzhu quickly helped Xu Damao up and asked with concern, "How are you? Are you okay?" Xu Damao shook his head weakly and said, "I... I'm fine. It must be the man who ordered it. He won't let it go."

The Third Master frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "It seems we have to speed up our actions. We can't let him continue to act recklessly like this. Yuzhu, do you have any ideas?"

He Yuzhu's eyes revealed a hint of coldness, and he said, "Third Uncle, we can't passively take the beating anymore. We have to find something to hold against the male owner and make him completely unable to turn over. I heard that he seems to have some illicit business dealings outside. We can start from this aspect and investigate his details."

The third uncle nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it. Xu Damao, how are you injured? If you can, you can also help with the investigation."

Xu Damao gritted his teeth in hatred and said, "Uncle San, I'm fine. I must find evidence of the man's crime and make him receive the punishment he deserves."

So, the third uncle, He Yuzhu, and Xu Damao began to secretly investigate the male owner's illicit business. They asked around for information, collected evidence, and never missed a single clue. The male owner seemed to have noticed their actions and became even more vigilant.