aircannonsinc Chapter 996 Yi Zhonghai Finds Yan Bugui
Chapter 996 Yi Zhonghai Finds Yan Bugui
When Yi Zhonghai got home, he hung his oil-stained work jacket on the hook behind the door and said to Aunt Tan, who was busy at the stove, "You start cooking first. I'm going out to run some errands. I'll be back for dinner in a bit."
Aunt Tan was picking vegetables when she heard this. Without even looking up, she simply grunted in response. She was actually puzzled—Old Yi had been acting strangely lately, one minute standing up for Qin Huairu, the next arguing with Xu Damao—but she couldn't be bothered to ask. Ever since their argument over He Yuzhu, she had lost her former enthusiasm for Yi Zhonghai. She felt he always wanted to be right, yet always managed to absolve himself of any responsibility. Anyway, whatever he did mostly revolved around the trivial matters of the neighborhood, which had little to do with her.
Aunt Tan is now wholeheartedly hoping that He Yuzhu can settle down and live a stable life. That boy is honest and cares about the elderly in the courtyard; he even brought her two pounds of brown sugar last time. If Yuzhu can establish himself, she'll have someone to rely on when she gets old and can't move around anymore. Thinking this, she quickened her pace, planning to steam an extra batch of cornbread that evening to save for Yi Zhonghai.
Yi Zhonghai, oblivious to Aunt Tan's thoughts, tucked his hands into his pockets and headed straight for the central courtyard. He was seething with anger—Xu Damao had publicly defied him today, and this couldn't be left unresolved. He needed to find someone influential to talk to, and ideally, devise a plan to make things difficult for Xu Damao and curb his arrogance.
As soon as Yi Zhonghai reached the front yard, he saw Yan Bugui squatting on the stone stool in front of his house, holding a pipe in his hand, puffing away, his brows furrowed like a knot. Yi Zhonghai knew perfectly well—he was probably angry about Xu Damao again. That morning, Yan Bugui had asked Xu Damao to help him bring two feet of cloth, but Xu Damao had refused, and he was definitely still holding a grudge.
Yan Bugui caught a glimpse of Yi Zhonghai out of the corner of his eye, immediately stood up from the stone stool, and the gloom on his face instantly disappeared. He forced a smile and said, "Old Yi, didn't you just get off work? Why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?" Although he was angry inside, he didn't want to show weakness in front of Yi Zhonghai—after all, he was Yi Zhonghai's uncle, and he couldn't let people laugh at him.
Yi Zhonghai, with a perfectly timed smile on his face and wrinkles around his eyes, strolled over to Yan Bugui with a leisurely swaying gait, toying with a shiny walnut in his hand. He said, "I just saw you sighing and groaning here, your face almost turned into a bun, like you're really angry, so I came over to see what was going on."
Yan Bugui was seething with anger, his chest tight from Xu Damao's words. Seeing Yi Zhonghai speak up, he felt like he had found an outlet and immediately recounted his argument with Xu Damao in detail. He even perfectly mimicked Xu Damao's smug expression and tone of voice. When he said "You dare to tell me what to do?", his goatee stood on end in anger. He slapped his thigh and said, "Tell me what kind of nonsense this is! Xu Damao is just relying on his close relationship with Deputy Factory Director Li, right? Now he's got a big head on his shoulders and doesn't even dare to give face to me, his old neighbor of decades! Back when he first moved into this compound, he had to respectfully call me 'Second Uncle'!"
Yi Zhonghai was secretly delighted—he had originally intended to subtly probe for information, but Yan Bugui had revealed the whole story himself, indicating that his plan was going much more smoothly than expected. He feigned contemplation, his brows furrowed as if in a knot, and sighed in agreement: "To be honest, although Gu Nan is the deputy factory director and his words carry weight in the factory, Xu Damao really has acted out of line. If he hadn't brought some shady characters into the courtyard to show a movie a while ago, causing such a commotion and injuring someone, none of this trouble would have happened. In my opinion, we should definitely hold a general meeting for the entire courtyard to discuss this matter and give Xu Damao a good talking-to, to let him know that the rules of this courtyard cannot be broken, and that he cannot trample on the reputation of the neighbors."
Yan Bugui's temper flared even more after these words, his neck stiffening like a stubborn donkey: "You're right! So what if Gu Nan is the factory director? No matter how high his rank is, he still has to abide by the rules of this courtyard when he's on this property! It's not his place to point fingers at someone who moved here halfway! Xu Damao needs to be taught a lesson! Let's gather the neighbors and hold a courtyard-wide meeting. I want to see what kind of nonsense Gu Nan can come up with. Does he think he can protect Xu Damao?"
Yi Zhonghai originally only wanted to take this opportunity to deal with Xu Damao, but he didn't expect Yan Bugui to even want to "judge" Gu Nan as well. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief—this way, he could clear his name even more. He quickly waved his hand, adopting a "avoiding suspicion" posture, and spoke in a "proper" tone: "Old Yan, you have to discuss this with Old Liu. After all, I'm not the boss anymore. Liu Haizhong is the one in charge. According to the rules of the hospital, a hospital-wide meeting needs his approval. I'm just an idle person, so it's not appropriate for me to interfere."
Yan Bugui waved his hand dismissively, full of confidence: "What's so difficult about that? I'll go find Liu Haizhong right now! Don't you know him? He loves to put on airs and always wants to be in charge when something happens in the courtyard! This is for the peace and tranquility of the entire courtyard, and as the eldest son, he has no reason to disagree. I guarantee I can persuade him in just a few words, and he might even be grateful that I gave him a chance to establish his authority!"
Yi Zhonghai simply nodded, knowing exactly what was going on—it was perfect to have Yan Bugui take the lead; that guy was greedy for small gains and concerned with his image, making him the easiest pawn. No matter how things turned out, the blame wouldn't fall on him. Even if Gu Nan realized what had happened later, he would only resent Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong. He, a former "retired" old man, was at most a bystander in the neighborhood—what did it have to do with him?
The more Yi Zhonghai thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed. He could hardly contain his smile, and the walnut spun even faster in his hand. He was looking forward to seeing Gu Nan and Xu Damao suffer during the meeting that evening. Who told these two to rely on their official power to disregard their elders, and the other to rely on his connections to challenge the neighbors? Neither of them took him, their "senior," seriously. Today, he would show them that the waters in this courtyard were not so shallow.
He cleared his throat and said to Yan Bugui, "Then I'll go back to my room to rest and have some tea to soothe my throat. Just call me when the meeting starts, and I'll be there."
Yan Bugui grunted in response and turned to walk towards Liu Haizhong's house without looking back. He didn't even bother with any unnecessary pleasantries. In his eyes, Yi Zhonghai was now just an idle person with no real power. It would be a waste of breath to talk to him. It would be better to hurry up and find Liu Haizhong to finalize the arrangements for the conference.