studiobondurri Chapter 247 Sha Zhu Establishes Authority, Third Uncle's Plan Fails
Chapter 247 Sha Zhu Establishes Authority, Third Uncle's Plan Fails
Xu Damao went from stuttering to having a lisp overnight, and the shock this brought to the courtyard was even stronger than that of the white-haired bald man.
After all, Bang Geng got his comeuppance for stealing, and everyone thought he deserved it. But Xu Damao, just for being a bit cheeky and swearing a few times, was "crippled" by He Yuzhu with a single sentence.
This method is too unpredictable and too terrifying.
From then on, the atmosphere in the courtyard changed completely. Everyone walked quietly in the courtyard and spoke in a much softer voice, afraid that they might say something wrong and offend the formidable "Master Zhu".
Especially the third uncle, Yan Bugui, had the words "cautious and cautious" ingrained in his very bones.
Having witnessed the fates of Jia Zhangshi, Bang Geng, and Xu Damao, he knew better than anyone that He Yuzhu was no longer someone he could manipulate. Forget about taking advantage; even glancing at his door made Yan Bugui feel uneasy.
However, the calculating nature ingrained in one's bones is not so easy to change.
Just because he doesn't provoke He Yuzhu doesn't mean he doesn't want to make some extra money from other sources.
That day, the neighborhood committee issued a notice saying that they were going to clean up the city and required all households to repair their public areas. This gave Yan Bugui an opportunity.
He immediately convened a general meeting of the entire hospital in his capacity as the Third Uncle.
"Hey everyone, quiet down, quiet down!" Yan Bugui cleared his throat, holding an enamel mug, and stood in the middle of the courtyard looking all dignified.
Uncle Liu Haizhong, the second uncle, also came over with his belly sticking out, trying to seize the right to speak. Unfortunately, no one in the courtyard took him seriously, and no one paid any attention to him no matter how much he grumbled.
Yan Bugui felt very pleased to see that everyone's attention was focused on him.
"This matter was assigned by the neighborhood committee; it's a political task that we must complete!" He first defined the nature of the matter. "I've looked at it, and the main problem is that the public water pipes in our compound are old and rusty, so they need to be replaced! Also, the sewers need to be cleaned. This concerns the quality of life for everyone in our compound, don't you all agree?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"That makes things much easier." Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses and took out his abacus. "I've contacted a relative of mine who does pipe repairs; he can give us an insider price. The cost of materials plus labor, I've calculated, is... thirty yuan."
When he announced the number, a murmur immediately broke out in the courtyard.
"Thirty yuan? How can it be so expensive?"
"Yeah, can replacing a water pipe really cost that much?"
Yan Bugui immediately waved his hand: "Hey, don't you all understand? We're using good pipes that can last a lifetime! Besides, this money isn't coming from just one family. There are more than a dozen households in our compound. If we split it equally, it's only a little over two yuan per family. Not much, not much at all."
He said it wasn't much, but his mind was racing with calculations. His relative had already told him that the job would only pay fifteen yuan at most, but he was offering thirty, meaning he could make a net profit of fifteen yuan! That was more than his monthly salary!
He began to calculate the expenses from house to house, deciding that whoever had more people or was better off should contribute more.
When it came to Qin Huairu's family, he didn't even lift his eyelids: "Qin Huairu's family is in financial difficulty, so let's give less, just one yuan and fifty cents."
Qin Huairu bit her lip and remained silent. One yuan and fifty cents was a huge sum for her now, but she dared not argue.
After much deliberation, only He Yuzhu's family remained.
Everyone in the courtyard pricked up their ears, wanting to see if Old Yan dared to scheme against He Yuzhu.
Yan Bugui was also very apprehensive, but he was blinded by the prospect of a profit of fifteen yuan, so he still gritted his teeth and spoke up.
"Well... He Yuzhu's family..." He paused, organizing his thoughts, "Shazhu is doing well now, he's single and has no family to worry about, he's well-off! Besides, he's very conscious and progressive, he should contribute more to the community. I think Shazhu's family should just contribute... five yuan! What do you all think?"
He wanted to use flattery and moral blackmail to elevate He Yuzhu.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a clear, crisp sound rang out.
"On what grounds?"
It was He Yushui who spoke. He Yuzhu was busy researching new dishes at Lin Fan's courtyard today and didn't have time to attend this boring meeting, so she had her sister represent her.
He Yushui is no longer the timid girl she used to be. Her brother is now the "god" of the neighborhood, and she, as his younger sister, stands tall and straight.
"Uncle, you're a teacher, how can you lead the way in imposing quotas? What do you mean my brother has to pay more just because he's better off? The maintenance of public facilities in the compound is all about fairness; it's only right to allocate funds according to household size. What kind of system is this, calculating by population and by conditions? What kind of accounting are you using?"
He Yushui's words were reasonable and well-founded, leaving Yan Bugui speechless, his face turning red and white in turns.
"You...you little brat, what do you know!" Yan Bugui, relying on his status as an elder, tried to scold her.
"I don't understand, but my brother does." He Yushui wasn't intimidated at all. "How about I call my brother back, and you settle this score with him yourself?"
Upon hearing that He Yuzhu was to be called, Yan Bugui's legs went weak.
Settle scores with him? He wouldn't dare even if you gave him ten times the courage! I still vividly remember the scene of him squeezing iron into a ball!
"No...no need..." Yan Bugui hurriedly waved his hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Just when he was in an awkward position and the situation was extremely embarrassing, a steady footstep came from the courtyard gate.
He Yuzhu is back.
He was carrying a vegetable basket when he entered the courtyard and saw this huge group of people. He frowned.
"What are you doing? Holding a denunciation meeting?"
When He Yushui saw her brother, she quickly ran over and told him everything that had just happened.
He Yuzhu's expression didn't change much after hearing this, but a cold smile appeared on his lips.
He walked to the center of the courtyard, and everyone instinctively made way for him.
He came up to Yan Bugui, who was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe, and the enamel mug in his hand trembled like a leaf.
He Yuzhu didn't say anything.
He casually took out a piece of pork cartilage from his shopping basket, intending to use it for stewing meat that evening. The cartilage wasn't large, but it was incredibly hard.
In front of the entire hospital, he placed the piece of cartilage in the palm of his left hand.
Then, extend your right index and middle fingers and gently pinch.
"Snap!"
A crisp sound that made your teeth ache.
That hard piece of pork cartilage, like a piece of brittle candy, was easily crushed into powder by him!
White bone powder fell softly from between his fingers.
The entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
If last time he crushed an iron ball, everyone was merely shocked by his strength, then this time, crushing bones into powder brought everyone a deep-seated fear.
This can no longer be explained by force.
This is sorcery!
Yan Bugui was terrified out of his wits. He imagined those two fingers crushing not pig bones, but his own throat. His legs went weak, and if someone hadn't been there to support him, he would have collapsed to the ground.
He Yuzhu blew the bone powder off his fingers, then looked up at Yan Bugui, whose face was ashen.
He wore a warm smile and spoke in a gentle tone, as if he were having a casual chat.
"Uncle, what did you just say? I was too far away to hear you clearly."
"Could you please say it again? How much should our family... pay?"
Yan Bugui's lips trembled, and his teeth chattered, making a "clucking" sound. He looked at He Yuzhu's seemingly harmless smile, but felt more terrified than seeing a devil.
"No...no...I won't come out..." He used all his strength to squeeze out these words from his throat.
"Foolish...Zhu Zi's family, not...not a single penny needs to be spent!"
"This...this repair cost, I...I'll cover it all myself! Consider it...this old man's contribution to the neighborhood!"
After saying this, Yan Bugui rolled his eyes and, imitating Jia Zhangshi, fell straight backward, "fainting" cleanly and decisively.
He simply couldn't keep up the act any longer; if he faced He Yuzhu for even one more second, he felt he would be scared to death.
The courtyard was in an uproar.
He Yuzhu looked at Yan Bugui lying on the ground and curled his lip in disdain.
He turned around and said to the still-stunned crowd, "From now on, any public expenses in the courtyard will be shared as usual. My family will pay according to the household contributions, not a penny less. But if anyone dares to have any crooked ideas or schemes..."
He pointed to the pile of white bone meal on the ground.
"This is what happens."
After saying that, he picked up his vegetable basket and leisurely went home amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd.
In the courtyard, only chicken feathers remained, along with Uncle San, who was lying unconscious on the ground, having completely failed in his abacus calculations.