Siheyuan: Sizhu starts blindly and takes a new path

Chapter 231 Birthday

That night, several relatives and friends gathered around Qiyi and said blessings. Liuyi curiously touched the gold lock on his brother's neck and said, "Dad, this lock is so beautiful, where did you get it?"

Sha Zhu and Yu Li looked at each other and whispered, "This is a gift from your Aunt Xiao'e. May your brother grow up safely."

The first lady touched Liuyi's head and said, "Your Aunt Xiao'e really likes you two brothers. When you were a child, she came to hug you and play with you every day, and now she loves your brother too."

"Yes, Xiao'e is a good child, but she met the wrong person and married the bastard Xu Damao. As a result, she is still alone now." The deaf old lady stood up for Lou Xiao'e.

"What is the relationship between Aunt Xiao'e and Uncle Damao?" Liuyi was a little confused.

Grandpa Guan wiped Liuyi's face with his big hand and said, "Don't ask nonsense, kid. Your task now is to exercise well and grow up quickly."

Liuyi hugged Grandpa Guan's arm and said, "Grandpa Guan, I practice the boxing and kicking you taught me every day. I'm really good at it. There are few people in the kindergarten who can rival me."

"Liuyi, I didn't teach you boxing and kicking to let you bully others. I told you that before."

"I didn't bully anyone. It was Chen Erli and Qu Aiguo who bullied others. I was protecting Fang Qiu and standing up for the weak. The teacher even praised me."

Father Yu smiled and said, "Oh, our Liuyi is so amazing."

"That's right," Liu Yiyi pinched his waist and said majestically, "The teacher said that I am a brave child who dares to fight against bad people and bad things."

Everyone at the table smiled happily after hearing this.

After dinner, Sha Zhu sent Uncle Guan back to the neighborhood office. Before he left, Uncle Guan stopped Sha Zhu and said, "The situation is not peaceful now, so you'd better put the gold lock away."

Sha Zhu nodded and said in a low voice: "You are right, I will ask Yu Li to keep it when I get back." Under the moonlight, he saw that the wrinkles between Uncle Guan's brows were a little deeper than usual.

When he returned to the courtyard, he ran into Xu Damao who was drunk and staggered in through the gate. Xu Damao squinted his eyes and saw Sha Zhu, and said sarcastically: "Hey, Director He, where are you coming from?"

Sha Zhu was too lazy to pay attention to him and was about to leave when he heard Xu Damao suddenly raise his voice: "I heard that your family is celebrating Qi Yi's birthday today? Why didn't you invite me?"

This shout startled several families in the courtyard and they all turned on their lights. Sha Zhu was furious and grabbed Xu Damao by the collar: "Are you looking for death?"

Xu Damao rolled his eyes due to being strangled, and was almost sober. Qin Jingru just came out from the backyard at this time, and pulled Xu Damao away: "What are you doing in the middle of the night!" She turned around and smiled at Sha Zhu, "Director He, I'm sorry, he's drunk, don't argue with him."

Sha Zhu snorted coldly, let go of his hand and walked home. Qin Jingru's muffled curse came from behind: "Do you want to die? You are just a team leader and you are fighting with the director!"

When they got home, Yu Li was sitting on the kang changing Qiyi's diaper. Seeing that Sha Zhu looked unhappy, she asked hurriedly, "What's wrong?"

Sha Zhu told Yu Li about Xu Damao, and Yu Li showed disdain: "He is such a toad, annoying people all the time, especially after he became the propaganda team leader of your factory. Look how proud he is, he is everywhere."

"Alas, you are a government official, we can't say that to people." Sha Zhu advised his wife, "Xu Damao has been like this since he was a child, he likes to show off and be clever. Sooner or later, he will suffer a loss."

Xu Damao was dragged back home by Qin Jingru, still unwilling to accept it, "Shazhu, what a piece of shit, I will deal with him sooner or later."

"You're still trying to deal with him. Have you forgotten how you lost the deputy section chief? You finally became a team leader again. Just be quiet and don't provoke him again." Qin Jingru pressed Xu Damao on the chair and took a towel to wipe his face. "But I saw Lou Xiao'e go to his house this morning. In the evening, I was outside with Shouye to enjoy the cool air, and I heard them talking about Jinsuo in the house..."

Xu Damao had been listening to Qin Jingru's advice and was gradually calming down. Suddenly, when he heard the word "golden lock", his eyes suddenly lit up and he sobered up. He grabbed Qin Jingru's wrist and said, "What golden lock? Did you see it clearly?"

Qin Jingru was so hurt by his grip that she frowned and said, "I just heard a rough idea. I guess it was Lou Xiao'e who gave a gold lock to Sha Zhu's Xiao Qiyi as a birthday gift..."

Xu Damao let go of his hand, his eyes rolled around, and a sinister smile slowly appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Great, now I have caught you. Gold is now contraband, and hoarding gold is a serious crime..."

"Don't mess around!" Qin Jingru said anxiously, "Who in this courtyard doesn't have some old things hidden? If you report Sha Zhu, the whole courtyard will be in trouble! Don't provoke public anger."

Xu Damao waved his hands impatiently: "What do you know! This is a good opportunity to bring down Sha Zhu!" He paced back and forth in the room excitedly, "Director Li is worried about not being able to find a typical example recently. If I report this matter..."

Qin Jingru grabbed him and said, "Xu Damao! Are you crazy? Lou Xiao'e is your ex-wife! If she accuses you and this matter is investigated, you might be implicated too! We have a business to maintain now, we can't take risks!"

This sentence was like a bucket of cold water poured on Xu Damao's head. He stood there in a daze, his face changing from gloomy to bright. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Then let them go for now... But I'll remember this matter, it will be useful sooner or later."

Qin Jingru was relieved to see him calm down, and turned to comfort Xiao Shouye who had been woken up. Xu Damao sat on the chair, staring at the night outside the window with a sinister look, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

Second uncle Liu Haizhong sat on the threshold of his house, holding an enamel teacup in his hand. The tea had long gone cold but he hadn't taken a sip. With a gloomy face, he listened to the laughter coming from the next yard, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the teacup, making a dull "clang clang" sound.

"Old Liu, what are you daydreaming about?" Second Auntie came out of the house, holding a basin of washed clothes in her hand. "It's late, why don't you come in?"

Liu Haizhong snorted heavily: "Listen, Sha Zhu's family just had a great time. They celebrated a little kid's birthday and made it look like Chinese New Year."

The second aunt looked over there in the direction of the voice and sighed: "It's normal for the kid to have a good time since he's one year old..."

"Normal?" Liu Haizhong suddenly raised his voice, "My eldest grandson is already over one year old, but that bastard Liu Guangtian won't even let him into the house!" He became angrier and angrier, and slammed the teacup on the ground, "As a grandfather, I haven't even held him a few times!"

The second aunt quickly pulled him into the house: "Keep your voice down! If someone hears you, what kind of words would you say..."

Liu Haizhong shook off her hand and lowered his voice to sound even more angry: "And that idiot Zhu, he became a cadre before his hair even grew out. I, Liu Haizhong, have worked in the steel mill for more than 30 years, and I am only a seventh-level worker now!" He stretched out his rough palms, which were covered with calluses, "How much have these hands of mine contributed to the country? Ah?"

Second Auntie knew that he was going to start talking about the same old things again, so she shook her head helplessly and went into the house to make the bed. Liu Haizhong sat alone on the doorstep, and the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. The giggling of children from the next door and the opposite room came in waves, pricking his ears like needles.

"Lao Liu," the second aunt came out after making the bed, and said tentatively, "How about... let's go to Guangtian's place tomorrow to have a look? Maybe my daughter-in-law..."

"What are you looking at!" Liu Haizhong stood up suddenly. "They don't want us to go, so why are we rushing to go? I, Liu Haizhong, am also a well-known person in the factory. I can't afford to lose face in front of them!"

He stormed into the house and slammed the door loudly. Second Aunt stood at the door, looking at the lights next door, then at the house where Liu Guangqi and his wife had lived before, and sighed deeply.

In the room, Liu Haizhong was lying on the edge of the kang in the dark, recalling the appearance of his eldest grandson, his wrinkled little face, black eyes, and waving arms...

"Little bastard..." Liu Haizhong cursed softly, and his voice suddenly choked.

At this moment, footsteps were heard outside, and Xu Damao's drunken voice floated over from outside the courtyard wall: "Silly Zhu... who do you think you are... sooner or later..."

Liu Haizhong narrowed his eyes, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He tiptoed to the window, watching Xu Damao being dragged into the backyard by Qin Jingru, and a sneer slowly rose at the corner of his mouth.

"Silly Zhu, silly Zhu," he whispered to himself, "Aren't you proud? I wonder how long you can be proud..."