“Hey, you little brat, Grandpa's gonna teach you a lesson today.”
He Yu Zhu was furious.
The War God of the courtyard couldn't be insulted.
He went back to his room and grabbed a stool, charging out.
But he was stopped by Yi Zhong Hai, who had just come out.
“Sha Zhu, put down that stool.”
“That bastard deserves a beating.”
“We’re both on the same page here.”
“You son of a… ”
Yi Zhong Hai waved his hand, calming He Yu Zhu down. He still needed his goon.
“Bu Xiang Dong, you’re trying to get away with everything. I advise you not to be so arrogant.”
Bu Xiang Dong rolled his eyes.
“First Elder, is being young and passionate not what being young is about? You’re senile, aren’t you?”
Yi Zhong Hai was enraged.
But seeing the cleaver in his hand, he dared not speak harshly.
These young people had no sense of propriety.
He couldn't go in himself, so he'd let Sha Zhu go instead.
He needed his goon, he couldn't do without him.
“Sha Zhu…”
“Old Yi, I heard you shouting from afar. Don't be so impatient.”
Liu Hai Zhong, also in a coat, leisurely walked out from the back yard.
The look he gave Yi Zhong Hai was odd.
“Old Liu, don't you dare stir the pot.”
“Look, you’re impatient again.”
Yi Zhong Hai was fuming.
Old Liu had finally decided to oppose him, acting like he was trying to improve himself.
But the end of the year was approaching, and at the end of the year, the choice for the new Elder would return.
After all, they wanted democracy, not dictatorship; they wanted freedom, not feudalism.
Even at the most grassroots level of a courtyard like this, they were also responding to the call.
Old Liu's desire to become the new leader was well-known.
....................
Yi Zhong Hai pointed to Bu Xiang Dong's door.
“Look, it’s not that I’m impatient. Bu Xiang Dong is really out of line. He cooks in the middle of the night and no one can say anything to him.”
“Hey, great achievements don’t get bogged down by minor details. It’s just a little food, don’t worry about those details. I stand at the peak of the storm!”
“What do you mean, Old Liu?”
Yi Zhong Hai was utterly confused.
What was Old Liu up to?
Was this just a detail?
When did Old Liu become so magnanimous?
“Tsk, listen to me, I stand at the peak of the storm.”
“So what? You have to follow me?”
Yi Zhong Hai was exasperated.
What peak of the storm? It was just a scheme to usurp the position of First Elder. He wanted to be First Elder.
“Old Yi, you… good, very arrogant, but I know you’re doing big things.”
Heh, the Pear Blossom Association, huh?
Old Yi won’t admit it, will he? But you’ll be exposed sooner or later.
Yi Zhong Hai was bewildered.
He felt that Liu Hai Zhong was looking at him strangely tonight.
Bu Xiang Dong wanted to laugh at the conversation, but he held it in.
Liu Hai Zhong actually took the Pear Blossom Association seriously.
He'd have to play along.
He'd get all the symbols, badges, even the White Party treasure maps for the Pear Blossom Association.
He'd also “recruit” Liu Hai Zhong, Yi Zhong Hai, He Yu Zhu, and the Deaf Old Lady.
They would be in for a “surprise”, that's for sure.
.......................
Before Bu Xiang Dong finished pondering, as he was busy in his room,
Yan Jie Kuang came running from the passageway into the middle courtyard.
“Not good, Jia Dong Xu fell into the pit with a *thump*.”
Everyone was taken aback. In the middle of the night, Jia Dong Xu had fallen into the pit?
Bu Xiang Dong also quickly came out.
“Yan Jie Kuang, are you sure it was a *thump*, and not a *gurgle* or a *rumble*?”
Yan Jie Kuang was stumped, “It should be a *thump*, no, a *gurgle*!”
“Damn it, is this the time to discuss this?
“You don’t understand, the sound is different, so the way he fell is different, okay?”
“Does it matter? Everyone, go save him quickly. Dong Xu only has one leg, he'll be in trouble.”
Jia Zhang Shi started crying again.
“Oh, my fate is so cruel! Old Jia, oh…”
“Stop calling for Old Jia, go find some rope.”
“And a long bamboo pole, everyone lend a hand.”
Only then did everyone rush out.
The courtyard didn't have toilets inside.
Those who could afford it made urinals in a corner, but they didn’t have pipes to drain the waste.
Every courtyard had an outhouse in the alley.
Even in the winter, people had to go to the outhouse outside.
It was there to serve the hundred or so people in the courtyard.
The outhouse outside was big and deep, with wooden planks over each stall.
And the cesspool hadn't been cleaned yet this winter.
The waste was up to Jia Dong Xu's neck.
If he had fallen, he would have surely choked.
It was a huge cesspool, and it took a lot of effort to pull someone out.
After half an hour of struggling, they finally pulled him up.
Jia Dong Xu was near death when they pulled him out.
“Quickly, everyone, get water to rinse him off.”
“Qin Huairu, go home and boil some water.”
“Ugh, ugh… Dong Xu, Dong Xu, he’s unconscious, hurry, take him to the hospital.”
Bu Xiang Dong yelled, “I’m afraid it’s too late. We need to do CPR, breathe air into him.”
......................
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