Chapter 1 Blackmail

1955 3 Month 27 Day.

Sunday.

No. 95, Nanluoguxiang, Jiaodaokou Street, DC District, Beijing.

In the northernmost room of the three western wing rooms in the central courtyard, Wang Mengde, who had just woken up, rubbed his eyes, picked up the bamboo thermos in the corner, and poured himself a cup of hot water.

After pouring the water, he sat on the chair, staring at the thermos full of the atmosphere of age and fell into deep thought.

In the 1950s, there was no plastic, and most thermoses were made of a bamboo shell with a glass liner and a wooden stopper.

As for the iron-shell thermos with a peanut shape on top, only a few families have it, mainly because the iron sheet material used is what is left over from stamping bicycle chains, which is not only expensive but also rare.

After drinking a few sips of hot water and washing his face, Wang Mengde turned around and walked out after he had completely recovered.

When I went out of the door, I saw about twenty households and dozens of adults in the courtyard. They were sitting or standing, forming a semicircle, gathering in groups of three or five, whispering and speculating about the reason for holding a meeting of the whole courtyard today.

A few half-grown children were running around in the crowd, playing and making noises, occasionally bursting into cheerful laughter.

Wang Mengde greeted his neighbors with a smile, then sat down on the long bench that Sha Zhu had brought out. He tightened his cotton coat and yawned loudly.

There was a small square table in the middle of the crowd. The eldest uncle Yi Zhonghai sat at the top facing north, while the second uncle Liu Haizhong and the third uncle Yan Bugui sat on his left and right.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Second Uncle Liu Haizhong put down the enamel pot in his hand, pretended to be serious, and spoke first:

"Ahem, everyone, be quiet for a moment. The reason for holding a meeting of the entire hospital today is that the Jia family has something to deal with and has found the three of us uncles. After discussing it, the three of us feel that we need to hold a meeting to resolve it. Now, please allow the eldest uncle to speak."

Unlike Liu Haizhong, who had a straight chest and a sunken belly, Yi Zhonghai had a smile on his face and looked righteous. He said gently:
"Today we have called a meeting of the whole courtyard for two main things. The first thing is that a great happy event has happened in the Jia family. I would like to ask my sister-in-law to tell everyone about it."

After saying that, he looked at Jia Zhang.

Opposite Wang Mengde and Sha Zhu, the four members of the Jia family sat together. Jia Zhang said with a smile on her face, "This is a happy event. My daughter-in-law is pregnant again. She just had a check-up this morning."

As he spoke, the pair of small eyes on his fat face narrowed together, and his face turned beaming with joy, hiding his ferocious nature.

Jia Dongxu, who was next to Jia Zhang, pretended nothing had happened at first. But when his mother announced the good news in public, he finally couldn't help it. A hint of pride appeared on his handsome face, and the corners of his mouth began to rise uncontrollably.

Qin Huairu, who was sitting behind the two of them, was holding the stick in her arms with one hand. When she noticed that everyone was looking at her, she lowered her head slightly and pretended to be shy.

But the hint of charm that was revealed inadvertently made Sha Zhu who was standing opposite her stare in amazement.

Wang Mengde was also looking at the heroine in the original drama. Qin Huairu is just 22 years old now, which is the most beautiful age for a woman. She has not been eroded by the years and life. Her every frown and smile is full of charm. She is indeed a natural beauty.

Even though he had seen a lot in his previous life, he was still amazed by her.

"Congratulations! This is the first big happy event in our hospital this year."

"Huai Ru is just trying hard. It looks like it will be another boy."

"Of course not. Judging from her figure and butt, she is a good fertile woman."

"The Jia family has been a single-line family for three generations, and now it is finally time to expand. It is not easy."

Whether it was sincere or not, upon hearing that Qin Huairu was pregnant, all the neighbors congratulated her. After a while, Yi Zhonghai watched everyone gradually quiet down, and he smiled and continued:

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. We will discuss this matter later. Now let's move on to the second matter. This second matter is also about the Jia family."

After a pause, he glanced in the direction of Wang Mengde and continued:

"The Jia family of four squeezed into a room in the west wing of the central courtyard. Now Dongxu's wife is pregnant again, and soon there will be five people in the family, and one room can no longer accommodate them.

My sister-in-law came to the three of us today and told us about this difficulty. I discussed it with the other two uncles and then convened a meeting of the whole hospital to let everyone discuss the solution together. "

After hearing his words, the neighbors looked at each other and no one spoke.

In the courtyard, except for a few families whose houses are slightly more spacious, most families have several people squeezed into one or two rooms.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Yi Zhonghai raised his eyebrows. This scene was within his expectations. He continued with a smile on his face, "I also talked about this with the Second Uncle and came up with a solution.

If anyone in our courtyard has extra houses, they can lend them to the Jia family temporarily for a period of time. Later, when their family needs them, or when my sister-in-law's family has more houses, they can return them immediately.

This not only solved the difficulties of the Jia family, but also reflected the tradition of mutual help in our courtyard."

In fact, Yi Zhonghai and the third uncle also discussed this matter, but Yan Bugui was very smart and he would not get involved in such a thing that would not only bring no benefits but also offend people.

"Yes, I have discussed this matter with my uncle and I think this is a very good idea.

At the same time, the Jia family is only renting this house for a period of time, and they will definitely have to return it in the future. With me and the eldest uncle here, and the property certificate, there is no need to worry about this. "Liu Haizhong also spoke quickly.

As soon as they finished speaking, the neighbors in the yard looked at Wang Mengde and Sha Zhu with their own thoughts.

Theirs were the only two houses in the yard that were quite spacious.

There are only two people in Sha Zhu's family, he and his sister He Yushui, living in a main house in the middle courtyard and an ear room to the east of the main house.

As for Wang Mengde's family, since his parents and two younger brothers moved to the nearby Yuer Hutong at the end of last year, he has been the only one living in the west wing and the ear room west of the main house.

Wang Mengde's mind was as quick as lightning, and he instantly realized that this whole-institute meeting was probably aimed at him.

The house was said to be rented for a period of time, but if the Jia family lives there for too long, it would be difficult for them to get it back if something happened to them like Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou.

A few years later, he wanted to take back the house. At that time, Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu came crying, telling them about their family's difficulties, and then asked to stay for a while.

As time goes by, it is estimated that the Jia family will occupy this house forever.

He had seen this kind of blackmail trick many times in his previous life, so he would not be fooled.

After figuring it out, Wang Mengde sat there with a normal expression, pretending not to notice everyone's gazes, ready to play deaf and dumb and not respond.

Unfortunately, Yi Zhonghai did not let him do as he wished, but directly called his name:

"Meng De, you are living in two rooms now, and it is a waste to leave the other one empty. Why don't you lend the ear room to the Jia family for a while?"

　Internal investment has passed, invest with confidence
　　
　
(End of this chapter)