"The Jia family, their current residence isn't far from here, still in Nanluoguxiang, right at No. 33!" Yan Bugui said with a smile.
Hearing this, Xu Damao was startled, as if he thought of something, and asked uncertainly, "No. 33? Isn't that..."
Yan Bugui smiled and said, "That's right, it's the most chaotic Courtyard in the entire Nanluoguxiang. This was strongly requested by the neighborhood committee director, otherwise, the Jia family wouldn't have been able to get an extra ear room!"
Xu Damao suddenly understood. No. 95 Courtyard was called the Qin Courtyard because of the existence of the Elder Care Group. Apart from the Deaf Old Lady and Yi Zhonghai, most of the neighbors were still decent.
Compared to No. 95 Courtyard, No. 33 Courtyard was the true Qin Courtyard. The street committee arranged all the unstable elements of Nanluoguxiang in No. 33 Courtyard. Not only were there hoodlums and ruffians, but there were also more childless households than in No. 95 Courtyard. It could be said that No. 33 Courtyard was the most chaotic Courtyard in Nanluoguxiang.
"It seems the Jia family's days are truly not easy!" Xu Damao said with a smile.
Yan Bugui said, "Exactly, they'll have a tough time. Now that they don't have Yi Zhonghai's support and have borrowed so much money, what do you think Qin Huairu will do?"
Xu Damao squinted his eyes and said without hesitation, "Buns for buns!"
"That's right!" Yan Bugui pointed at Xu Damao, agreeing.
...
Returning to the backyard, to what was once his and Lou Xiao'e's wedding room, Xu Damao sighed softly. He put all traces of Lou Xiao'e into the spiritual realm before taking out some ingredients and starting to cook.
Xu Damao simply made two small dishes. Just as he was about to eat, he heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it!"
"It's me, Brother Damao!"
Hearing this familiar voice, Xu Damao frowned slightly, slowly stood up, and opened the door.
"Yushui, have you eaten yet?"
"Brother Damao, I just got home, saw you were back, so I came to find you first!" He Yushui said with a smile.
Xu Damao nodded and said, "Then if you don't mind, come in and eat something?"
He Yushui asked, "Is it convenient?"
Xu Damao smiled and said, "What's inconvenient about this? It's just a meal!"
He Yushui had already returned to work at the Textile Factory after her leave. She was tired after a day's work and didn't want to cook when she got back. Seeing Xu Damao's sincere demeanor, He Yushui finally walked in.
The two ate and chatted. Xu Damao's cooking skills were average, but not unpalatable.
"Brother Damao, I came to see you today because I have something to discuss with you!" He Yushui said.
"Go ahead, what is it?" Xu Damao asked.
He Yushui said, "You know about the Courtyard matters, right?"
Xu Damao smiled and said, "I heard it from Third Grandfather. I have to say, you did a great job with this, you killed the Elder Care Group with one blow!"
Hearing Xu Damao's praise, He Yushui showed a joyful smile. Transmigrating into the Siheyuan (Courtyard), emotional abuse was inevitable. There were always mediation letters or demands for compensation, but it was the first time someone like her didn't abuse the animals, but directly killed them. Thinking of her masterpiece, He Yushui also agreed with Xu Damao's words in her heart.
He Yushui said, "I was also forced to it by them!"
Xu Damao sighed and said, "You've really suffered these past few years. Not only did you have an unreliable brother, but also an Elder Care Group that devoured people without spitting out their bones!"
He Yushui smiled slightly. This time, settling the grievances with the Elder Care Group could also be considered revenge for the original owner. If the original owner knew, she could rest in peace!
"It's all in the past now. I just hope my Silly Ge can truly reform and find me a sister-in-law to carry on the He family line!" He Yushui said.
Xu Damao said, "I hope so, but don't hold too much hope. As the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. You know Sha Zhu's muddled personality, he might get tricked by a widow again someday!"
"That shouldn't happen. Silly Ge is currently with my father in Bao City to find a wife. He'll only return to Si Jiu City after he's married!" He Yushui said.
Xu Damao was startled, then gave a thumbs up. He understood that He Yushui had already arranged everything. It seemed Sha Zhu was going to escape his original fate!
Seeing this, He Yushui smiled softly and said, "Brother Damao, I came this time because I want to exchange houses with you. The Deaf Old Lady's house is in my name, and I want to move back to my original ancestral home. With the Deaf Old Lady's house, you only need to build a wall, and it will be like a small Courtyard. I'll compensate you for the price difference in cash. What do you think?"
Xu Damao put down his bowl and chopsticks, lit a cigarette, and took a light puff!
It had to be said, He Yushui's house exchange proposal was quite tempting for Xu Damao. The area of the three back rooms and the main house in the middle Courtyard were similar. The only difference was that the back rooms had lower ceilings, while the main house in the middle Courtyard had higher ceilings, allowing for the construction of a loft.
But if he exchanged with He Yushui, in the backyard, apart from Liu Haizhong's two rooms, everything else would be Xu Damao's. If he built a wall, it would become a Courtyard within a Courtyard, adding an extra thirty to forty square meters of yard space. Planting some trees and setting up a grape trellis in the yard would be quite pleasant!
And if he renovated it well and installed a toilet, it would both ensure privacy and elevate the quality of life. Why wouldn't he do it?
After careful consideration, finding the matter feasible, Xu Damao said, "Exchanging houses is fine, but forget about the price difference, it's not much money anyway!"
"Really? That's great! Thank you, Brother Damao!" He Yushui said excitedly.
With the house exchange, not only could Xu Damao's family have a small Courtyard, but her family could also have a small Courtyard. Now, in the middle Courtyard, only the two ear rooms next to the original Jia family's place weren't hers; all the other houses belonged to the He family!
She had originally thought Xu Damao would make things difficult when she proposed this, and He Yushui had even prepared to be taken advantage of. However, the outcome was beyond her expectation. Not only did Xu Damao not take advantage of the situation, but he was quite generous. One should know that the difference between the two sets of houses would be at least two hundred yuan!
The matter was thus settled. The two agreed to complete the house exchange procedures first thing tomorrow morning. House exchange was different from buying and selling; the procedures were very simple, especially since the areas of the two rooms were roughly equal.
After two interactions, both parties knew each other's situation well. Xu Damao and He Yushui both chose not to expose the other, but instead, with great默契, pretended as if nothing had happened.
Deep into the night, the bright moonlight spilled onto the earth, as if cloaking it in a layer of silvery-white gauze.
A door in the backyard was gently opened, and a black figure came to the wall, lightly leaped over it, and then moved away at an extremely fast speed.
Although Xu Damao's speed was very swift, a black shadow followed behind him.
"Hmm?" Sensing the presence of the black shadow, Xu Damao turned into an alley, and his figure completely disappeared from his original spot.
In the blink of an eye, the black shadow behind him caught up.
On my Patreon, I have several advance chapters available if you're interested in more than 100: For $1, you get 20 fewer chapters than the $2.50 tier. For $2.50, you get 40 fewer chapters than the $4 tier. And for $4, you get them all.
The number of chapters is updated every 7 days and increases by 7 to 8 chapters.
My Patren: paroncom/FanTranslator