Chapter 292: The Late Shows
Sha Zhu sneered, "Xu Damao, your family is so rich, but you only gave two dollars. Look how proud you are of yourself. Uncle Liu gave ten dollars, what did he say?"

Xu Damao felt awkward and embarrassed when Sha Zhu confronted him in front of everyone.

But he was unwilling to let it go, so he shouted: "Go and look around our courtyard, or even the entire Nanluoguxiang, and see whose family can compare with Uncle Liu's?" He said in a somewhat exasperated tone.

Sha Zhu likes to play jokes with Xu Damao. He feels uncomfortable if he doesn't bully Xu Damao for a day.

At this moment, he suddenly became interested and wanted to have a chat with Xu Damao.

Wang Qiuju just gave a warning "Uh-huh!" and Sha Zhu immediately sat back on the stool obediently and ignored Xu Damao.

Xu Damao found it funny because of Sha Zhu's behavior, "Hahahaha...Sha Zhu, you have come to this day too?" He was so complacent that he soon got his comeuppance.

Lou Xiao'e, who was sitting behind him, twisted his lower back hard. "Hiss! It hurts..."

Sha Zhu: “Hahaha… should…”

Yan Jiecheng, who was sitting with them, said helplessly: "I say, can you two just be quiet for a while? My father has a meeting!" There was a hint of helplessness in his words, as if he was already used to their noise.

Sha Zhu smiled at him and said, "Okay!"

Yan Jiecheng spoke, and Sha Zhu and Xu Damao also quieted down. Brothers should still give each other face, especially since the third uncle was presiding over the meeting.

Although they often joked with each other, it was mostly joking and there was no real competition.

They all now hang out with "Big Brother Liu". They grew up together and know each other well. They can be considered family.

Yan Jiecheng is a "veteran" figure in this small gang, and is also Liu Zhiye's "head man". He is much more experienced than Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, and he regards himself as the "second brother".

Yan Jiecheng was highly regarded by Liu Zhiye for his ability to handle affairs. With Liu Zhiye's help, he rose from a temporary worker at a scrap collection station to deputy station chief, and now he is a full-fledged cadre.

Not only was he successful in his career and owned his own house, he also successfully married a young and beautiful teacher.

Yan Jiecheng's father, Yan Bugui, became the only manager in Yard 95 because of Liu Zhiye's relationship. He also served as the head of the grade in the school, successfully making the transition from an ordinary teacher to a cadre.

His younger brother Yan Jiefang is now also in high school and is studying in Liu Jingzhai's class.

With Liu Jingzhai's encouragement, even if Yan Jiefang fails to get into college this year, he will have no problem getting a high school diploma. This way, he won't have to worry about his future job after graduation.

So, the Yan family is no longer what it used to be. In just two or three years, their family has undergone tremendous changes and has become the envy of people inside and outside the courtyard.

In the past few years, the Yan family had to rely on matchmakers to introduce potential wives, and the quality of the potential wives introduced at that time was not very good.

Things are different now. Many matchmakers come to his door and vie to introduce a partner to Yan Jiefang. It's really realistic.

The third aunt really put some thought into it and picked and chose from among the matchmakers and finally found a few girls she liked.

Among them, there was a girl named Yu who was very pretty. Although she could not compare with beauties like Gan Ning and He Hongmei, she was not inferior to Qin Huairu when she was young.

It was a pity that she was a little older, three years older than Yan Jiefang. Originally, with the attitude of giving it a try, he let Yan Jiefang meet this girl.

Unexpectedly, Yan Jiefang fell in love with the girl at first sight, and the two of them were like a perfect match.

The third aunt discussed with the third uncle Yan Bugui and said, well, it’s okay if he is three years older. As the saying goes, “A girl who is three years older than a man will bring him wealth!”

When Yan Jiefang graduates from high school this year, if he fails to get into college, then their relationship will be tacitly acknowledged. Of course, if he does get into college, then it will be a different story.

If Liu Zhiye knew about their family's current situation, he would definitely be filled with emotion. Compared with the difficulties of the Yan family when Yan Jiecheng got married in the original play, the current situation is exactly the opposite, which is completely different.

Of course, everyone knows how all these wonderful changes in Old Yan's family came about.

Since there is the example of the Yan family father and son, who wouldn’t want to get closer to Liu Zhiye’s family?

Sha Zhu is a good example. He is the second person in the courtyard to lean towards Liu Zhiye. It is quite obvious how their family is doing now.

With the help of Liu Zhiye and his wife, Sha Zhu married a beautiful and virtuous wife. From then on, his image changed drastically, and he became neat and energetic. Wherever he went, he had a new look, which was really eye-catching.

If a person's spirit is good, everything will go smoothly. Now Sha Zhu and his family's life has improved greatly.

He Yuzhu has become a level 42.5 chef at the Red Star Factory, with a monthly salary of 2 yuan. In addition to the additional yuan subsidy for being a shift leader and the extra money he earns from some private work, he can earn about yuan a month.

According to the "Huaxia Statistical Yearbook", in 1960, the average annual salary of employees in China's state-owned units was only 528 yuan, or 44 yuan per month, which was considered high-income at the time.

The average monthly salary of most workers at the Red Star Factory was between 20 and 40 yuan, while in the vast rural areas, the average annual income of farmers was only 69 yuan.

Therefore, with such a huge income, Sha Zhu is considered to be from a high-income family in today's society.

In today's society, if a family's per capita monthly income can reach 20 yuan, it means that one month's income can maintain the family's basic living expenses, such as food, clothing and simple daily necessities.

In addition, his sister He Yushui's technical secondary school career is about to end, and technical secondary school graduates are assigned jobs. This means that their family's living standard is about to rise to a new level.

Let’s talk about Xu Damao.

This guy, who had been out of touch since childhood, had changed a lot since he got close to Liu Zhiye.

He used to be hated by everyone, but now he has become the object of everyone's envy.

Since he married Lou Xiao'e, the eldest daughter of the Lou family, he has been given special care by his father-in-law "Lou Bancheng" through his connections, and has been successfully transferred from worker to cadre. Now he works as a propaganda officer in the Red Star Factory, and his main job is still to show movies.

He was now a cadre with a certain status, and he was not shy about revealing his close relationship with Liu Zhiye. Most of the leading cadres were also courteous to him and gave him some face.

The neighbors saw the tremendous changes that took place in Yan Bugui's family, Sha Zhu's family, and Xu Damao, and they were worried.

It’s a pity that Liu Zhiye has higher standards now and he doesn’t want to accept just any nobody under his command!

For example, Liu Guangtian failed to get into high school after graduating from junior high school.

This kid has never been a good person since he was young. He is cunning and stupid. He is inhumane when he is cruel and will not do anything without profit.

In the original drama, Liu Guangtian grew up under Liu Haizhong's educational method of "a filial son is born under the stick".

However, the rebellious boy did not eventually live up to his father's wishes. Instead, he grew up to be a "bastard kid" and, like his father Liu Haizhong, was a "bureaucrat-obsessed" boy, and made many mistakes for this.

Later, after he got married and started a family, he was still confused and still tried to make a living under the protection of his parents.

Finally, after experiencing a series of hardships and with the help of Sha Zhu, Liu Guangtian realized his responsibilities as a husband and a child.

The story of the "bastard kid" turning over a new leaf is truly moving and touching.

Liu Guangtian once wanted to rely on Liu Zhiye, a big tree, but he was looked down upon by others. Since he had just graduated and had no job, he spent his days wandering around the streets with a group of young people.

There was a massive security crackdown in Beijing a while ago, and Liu Guangtian was so scared that he didn't dare to go out. He could only stay at home and didn't dare to go out.

Every day he heard about so-and-so being arrested or that "big brother" being taught a lesson; he was sweating in his heart, feeling that this was not a solution.

Recently, Liu Guangtian has been thinking about how to get closer to Liu Zhiye and get his care.

However, the relationship between their two families was very ordinary, and there was a big age gap between him and Liu Zhiye and his group, so they couldn't play together.

He thought about it and felt that he had no talent and no ability, and Liu Zhiye might not be interested in him.

It would be better to settle for the next best thing and join his subordinates and blend into their circle first. It is also possible to save the country in a roundabout way, cater to his preferences, adopt roundabout tactics, and let Liu Zhiye adapt to his existence before doing other things.

Liu Guangtian was quite clever, he analyzed the people who followed Liu Zhiye. He couldn't reach those who were far away, and the only ones who were close were Sha Zhu, Yan Jiecheng, and Xu Damao.

Let's talk about Yan Jiecheng first. He was the first to give up. If he wanted to take care of others, the first person he would consider would definitely be his younger brother Yan Jiefang.

The second one was Sha Zhu, who was just a cook and didn't have much ability. If Liu Zhiye hadn't taken care of him, he might not even have been able to marry, so he looked down on this man. Finally, only Xu Damao was left. This man was very bad and had bullied them since they were young.

Liu Guangtian didn't care about this. He thought that following Xu Damao might be more satisfying. After all, Xu Damao himself was not a good person.

Therefore, after he had made up his mind, he quickly took action. Every time he met Xu Damao, he would be extremely polite, even better than his attitude towards his father Liu Haizhong.

At first, Xu Damao felt a little confused. He didn't know what was wrong with Liu Guangfu that he was so nice to him.

The two of them had no friendship before, and Liu Guangtian's attitude towards him had always been indifferent, just an acquaintance.

But now he suddenly became so enthusiastic, which made Xu Damao a little confused.

"Well, this gift must be given to someone in return!" Xu Damao decided to wait and see.

Liu Haizhong has also noticed Liu Guangtian's recent series of performances.

One day, he drank a little and got a little excited. When the alcohol started to rise, he mocked Liu Guangtian: "Why are you always around Xu Damao recently? You seem to be so attentive to him. What's the matter? Is he your father?" His tone was straightforward and undisguised.

Liu Guangtian is already eighteen years old and looks exactly like Liu Haizhong when he was young, as strong as a calf.

Since he graduated from junior high school, his heart has become wilder. Seeing his father Liu Haizhong's harsh words, he threw down his chopsticks and angrily retorted: "How can you talk like that?"

When Liu Haizhong saw that this boy actually dared to turn against him, he felt that his authority as a father was seriously challenged.

"You bastard, you are rebelling, aren't you?"

Liu Guangtian stiffened his neck and said, "I am a bastard, what are you?"

Hearing this, Liu Haizhong finally broke down and shouted, "Ah... I'll beat you to death, you unfilial thing..."

While Liu Guangtian was dodging, he still refused to give in and said, "If the father is not kind, the son will be unfilial. You forced me to do this..."

"Stop right there, I'm... whoosh... look at me, whoosh... I can't kill you..."

"I won't. If you have the guts, just catch up with me..."

Liu Guangtian is so cunning now, how can he stand there and get beaten like a fool like he did when he was a child? When he saw that the situation was not good, he immediately slipped away, making his father very angry.

After Liu Guangtian ran out of home, he happened to meet Xu Damao riding a bicycle back at the gate.

Maybe he was drunk and was staggering as he tried to move his bicycle into the gate.

How could he miss this opportunity to show off? Seeing this, Liu Guangtian hurried forward, "Hey! Brother Xu, please go slowly, let me do it..." Then he took Xu Damao's bicycle and easily moved it into the threshold.

Xu Damao looked at him drunkenly and said with a smile: "Oh! It's Brother Guangtian, thank you for your hard work!"

Liu Guangtian said with a smile: "It's not hard. It's my honor to serve Brother Xu!"

Xu Damao looked at Liu Guangtian in surprise and saw that his face was full of smiles and his eyes revealed a flattering look.

Xu Damao was so pleased. In the past, he always tried to please others, but now he was also the object of others' flattery. This feeling was so good.

Sure enough, a real man cannot be without money and power!

"Brother Xu, where did you drink this from? Did you enjoy it today?" Liu Guangtian continued to flatter.

It was a rare opportunity for Xu Damao to meet someone who flattered him, and he was so happy that he couldn't help showing off.

"Well! Brother Guangtian, I'm not bragging to you, today's dishes are so sumptuous. Also sitting with us are our deputy director and several leaders from the factory office. The leaders also gave me face, so I was so happy that I drank too much."

Liu Guangtian looked at Xu Damao with envy, his eyes full of hope. He said, "Brother Xu, you are really capable. You are so close to so many leaders."

"There aren't many people in the compound that I admire, but you are definitely the one I admire the most."

Xu Damao was particularly pleased to hear this. He patted Liu Guangtian on the shoulder and said, "Brother Guangtian, it's over. I'm still far behind Brother Liu! Hahaha..."

"Brother Xu, please walk slowly. I will help you push the cart."

"Okay... okay, I'll trouble you then!"

"Brother Xu, you are a good person in every way, but you are too polite. With our relationship, why are you still being polite to me? If you need any errands in the future, just tell me."

"Okay! From now on I won't treat you as an outsider..."

"Brother, that's as it should be!" He didn't even use the last name, and just called him brother, which was so affectionate. Everyone who heard it got goose bumps.

From then on, Liu Guangtian was connected to Xu Damao. This guy was good at flattery and was no less good than Xu Damao.

He always stood on the side of Xu Damao and others, which made the three corpse gods in Liu Hai so angry that they jumped into a rage, but they were unable to do anything to him.

Xu Damao was also happy to have such a younger brother who could run errands for him, and he was able to fully satisfy his role as a leader.

----

Let’s get to the point.

It is said that the third uncle Yan Bugui told everyone in detail about the rogue behavior of Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu.

When everyone heard this, they were immediately shocked. They all looked at Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu, their eyes revealing all kinds of lies and ridicule. Qin Huairu lowered her head and said nothing, her face full of shame.

But Jia Zhang is like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water. You guys take care of yourselves, but I won’t lose any meat anyway.

"We agreed at the beginning that this is a loan from you guys, not a donation. We will return it immediately after the Jia family's compensation comes in."

"Qin Huairu, you were there at the time. Was there anything I said that was wrong?"

Qin Huairu was speechless and nodded in shame.

Yan Bugui sneered: "Well, let's talk about what to do with the money in front of everyone."

"Return it, or not?"

Jia Zhang stood up, her triangular eyes pointed upside down, and said, "What are you going to pay back? You paid voluntarily in the beginning, and we didn't force you to take it."

"Our family is in such a difficult situation, you still have the nerve to ask for money? What's that saying that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors? I think it's bullshit. The leaders of the factory still know to donate money to our family, but what about you good neighbors?"

"Yan Laoxi, has your conscience been eaten by a dog? This money was earned by our Dongxu with his life, and you still have the nerve to ask for it?"

"Lao Jia! Dongxu! Come back soon, someone is bullying us! Woo woo..." As she said this, she was about to pounce on Yan Bugui. In short, she was determined to ruin this matter by making trouble.

Yan Bugui was startled and quickly ran away from the table, "Shrew, shrew, stop her quickly."

Yan Jiecheng, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao rushed forward to stop Jia Zhang's impulsive behavior. Liu Guangtian saw that his eldest brother had also joined in, so he also ran over to help.

Liu Haizhong, who was sitting aside and watching Yan Bugui's joke, suddenly felt unhappy when he saw this. He thought to himself: I've never seen you so active in my affairs.

In the chaos, everyone worked together to intercept Jia Zhang and finally succeeded in stopping her impulsive behavior.

Yan Bugui was relieved, and then angrily accused Jia Zhang: "I think your reform is not thorough. Not only do you want to default on your debts, but you also continue to engage in feudal superstitious activities. Wait, I will report this to the street."

When she heard that they were going to sue her for practicing feudal superstition, Jia Zhang was so frightened that she trembled all over. She was really scared. "No, no, I didn't do that. Don't sue me. I'll pay you back right away..."

(End of this chapter)