Yan Bugui didn't care whether the Zhou family renovated their house or what it looked like; his mind was entirely set on getting a free meal. Since Xiaojun and Jingru earned such high salaries, they couldn't possibly keep crying poor mouth anymore. Besides, with the new house being remodeled, Third Aunt had put in quite a bit of work over the past few days.
Xiaojun wasn't doing things right here. Even if he wasn't inviting the whole Courtyard Compound, he should at least treat his Third Uncle!
Zhou Junfeng thought: "..."
Yan Bugui was the kind of person who wouldn't stop until he achieved his goal. Oh well, aside from being a bit stingy, Third Uncle didn't have any other major flaws. These past few days, Third Aunt and the two Yan brothers had been running around helping out, so he might as well invite them!
"Third Uncle, I'm inviting your family over for dinner tomorrow night. Be sure to come right after work."
Zhou Junfeng decided to invite Third Uncle's family over. As for Liu Haizhong, no matter how he looked at him from any angle, he couldn't find a single redeeming feature. And First Uncle, that self-proclaimed paragon of virtue, had a completely different world outlook from his own. He had no choice but to pull Yan Bugui into the fold.
The dinner the next night went off without a hitch. Third Uncle brought a bottle of watered-down liquor, and Zhou Junfeng took a few jabs at him over it. Third Uncle gave an awkward, dry chuckle twice, and Zhou Junfeng decided to save him some face and dropped the subject. The atmosphere at the dinner table was actually quite pleasant.
Zhou Junfeng had been constantly worrying about whether Qin Huairu would bring out her legendary mega-bowl. Sure enough, fulfilling everyone's expectations, right as the dinner was coming to an end, the mega-bowl made its appearance.
"Xiaojun, Jingru, Banggeng has been crying at home nonstop, begging to eat meat. Your Sister Qin has no skills, and the kids are still young and growing. Could you spare a couple of pieces of meat..."
Qin Huairu said with a pitiful expression.
The Yan family members pretended to be deaf.
Zhou Haifeng couldn't take it anymore and directly launched into a tirade: "Sister Qin, back when my dad was still here, you showed up every single time our family cooked meat. If Banggeng wants to eat meat, does that mean my sister and I don't have to eat? Look at that bowl of yours—does that look like you only want two pieces?"
Yan Bugui offered a critique of Qin Huairu: "Huairu, we all know your family is having a hard time, but whose family isn't struggling? These days, how hard is it to eat meat just once? Look at that bowl of yours—never mind two pieces of meat, it couldn't even be filled by two pounds of meat."
"Sister Qin, since you said you only wanted two pieces, then two pieces it is."
Seeing that mega-bowl hurt Zhou Junfeng's eyes. That wasn't a bowl; that was a face-washing basin.
What a talent!
In the end, Qin Huairu left with a dark face, carrying her giant washbasin and two pieces of meat.
Faintly, Widow Zhang's cursing could be heard echoing from the distance.
***
Meanwhile, when First Aunt Yi went to deliver food to the Deaf Old Lady, the old lady said to her, "Have Little Yi come over here. I have something to discuss with him."
"Understood, Old Lady," First Aunt replied.
After the dinner party concluded, Zhou Junfeng went out for a stroll and spotted Yi Zhonghai hurrying over to the Deaf Old Lady's place.
Sneaking along craftily behind them, Zhou Junfeng wanted to eavesdrop on what the two of them were plotting. More than half the trouble in this courtyard was stirred up by this pair.
"Little Yi, we've known each other for so many years. I don't have any descendants, and over all these years, you and First Aunt have taken such good care of me. I'm truly grateful to you both. Knowing you'll be there to look after me in my old age and send me off gives me great peace of mind. In the future, everything I own will belong to you too. In a way, you're setting a good example for the younger generation in the courtyard."
"Back then, in order to make sure someone would look after you in your old age, we scouted two candidates: Shazhu and Jia Dongxu. For the sake of our old-age security, we did quite a few conscience-less things, using tricks to drive He Daqing away. Now that Dongxu is gone, Shazhu has been groomed for so many years and seems like a decent kid. But he's pushing thirty and still hasn't found a partner. It's time we help him scout for one."
"Shazhu can't keep getting tangled up with Qin Huairu anymore; it'll ruin his entire life. Little Yi, I know it hasn't been easy for you. Once Shazhu finds a good wife, he won't completely ignore you. He's a kind-hearted kid and will remember your goodness. Later on, give him all the money that He Daqing mailed back. He Daqing isn't dead yet, and he probably already knows about the scheme we pulled against him. If he comes back and exposes it, the nature of the matter will change."
Hearing the Deaf Old Lady's words, Zhou Junfeng thought to himself that He Daqing really had been driven away by their scheming. Otherwise, why would he have insisted on leaving Sijiu City? Could it be that the White Widow had brought her two sons to Sijiu City? He Daqing wasn't that young back then—leaving his hometown behind, did he really have to have the White Widow?
What made Yi Zhonghai formidable was not only that he schemed against He Daqing, but that He Daqing trusted him implicitly, leaving all the money mailed back to be signed for by Yi Zhonghai.
He was the type to hold a grudge. The day Yi Zhonghai crossed him again, he would spill everything. With such a huge sum of money, the post office definitely had records.
No, even if Yi Zhonghai didn't provoke him, he would find the right time to expose it anyway. How despicable—withholding so much of another man's money, yet still having the nerve to plot Shazhu's old-age care. Originally, he had wanted to stay out of it and just be a spectator, but Yi Zhonghai had messed with him by plotting against his family's house. I'll make sure your scheming ends up yielding absolutely nothing!