Chapter 51 The Old Lady Steps Out

Suddenly, the door was pushed open without being knocked, and Yi Zhonghai and Li Huilan both turned to look at the door.

"Old lady, why are you here?"

Yi Zhonghai stood up and took two steps forward.

The deaf old lady didn't need any help at all. She walked in, took a look at the pickles and salted fish on the table and said sarcastically,
"Yi Zhonghai, is this what you eat? Look at He Daqing across the street, a cook who eats better than you, a level 7 worker."

"Oh, I forgot, you are no longer a level 3 worker. You have been demoted to a level worker."

Yi Zhonghai was so upset that he didn't know why this old lady suddenly came here and what was wrong with her.

However, she still held back her temper and asked, "Old lady, who made you angry again? If you have any grievances, you can speak them out. You can't get angry at me just because someone else has provoked you, right?"

The deaf old lady snorted coldly: "Who else could have offended me? There are people in our courtyard who eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks at home every day. I, an old lady, can only eat steamed bread and pickles with you.

I am so old, I only have a few years left to live, but if I can't even eat a bite of meat, what's the point of living?"

Yi Zhonghai understood.

The old lady was greedy because she saw He Daqing treating Li Jiandong and others to meat.

Yi Zhonghai suddenly smiled cunningly and said:

"Old lady, you know that my family is having a hard time now. Even if I am still a level 7 worker, I can't compare with those people over there. After all, the public funds of our hospital are in their hands. How much money can I spend on occasional food and drinks?"
Yi Zhonghai, this old coin is too cunning.

He said this deliberately in order to mislead the deaf old lady, making her think that Li Jiandong and his team were eating and drinking on public funds, in order to instigate the deaf old lady to go across the street and make a scene.

However, the deaf old lady is not a good person either.

Still unable to tell, he wanted to use him as a gun, he immediately sneered.

"Yi Zhonghai, you think I'm an old lady, but I'm confused. I've eaten more salt than you've ever seen rice."

Soon she changed the subject and said, "Although I know you have bad intentions, your excuse is still very good. Madam, I will accept it."

The deaf old lady may seem confused, but in fact, there are few people in the hospital who are smarter than her.

Yi Zhonghai has now been demoted and is left with only the salary of a level 3 fitter. He also has to support a sickly wife and has no extra money to buy meat for her. Instead of wasting time with him here, he might as well go to He Daqing's house and make some trouble.

The deaf old lady glanced at the food on the table again and said with disdain, "It's none of your business. Just continue eating."

After saying that, he walked out of Yi Zhonghai's house and went straight to He Daqing's house opposite.

Li Jiandong and others were eating and drinking in the room, and the atmosphere was very harmonious, when the door was suddenly pushed open.

The deaf old lady came in, stood at the door and said, "You have no conscience. You use our hospital's public funds to eat and drink lavishly. I, an old lady, don't even have a meal at night, but you are eating lavish meals and drinking wine here."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui, who was eating heartily, was the first to get anxious.

He chewed twice quickly, swallowed the fat in his mouth and said, "Old lady, where did you hear that we eat and drink with the public funds of the hospital?"

The old lady waved her cane and said unreasonably, "Don't worry about where I got this information from. Just tell me, isn't it true that a table of food like this can't cost more than a dozen yuan?"

"You guys have to collect money once or twice every month. You don't use the money from the hospital to eat and drink. Do you pay for it yourself? Are you, Old Yan, so generous?"

"Old lady, it doesn't make sense for you to say that. I, Yan Lao, am very stingy and I don't like to spend money. But I have good relationships with people. If someone is willing to spend money to treat me to a meal, isn't that okay?"

Yan Bugui argued vigorously.

He did not think that the nickname Yan Laokou was shameful. On the contrary, he thought that being stingy was a good habit.

He Daqing, the initiator of today's drinking party, also stood up and spoke.

"Madam, I'm the one who treated you to this meal today. Old Yan doesn't have to pay for it. You really misunderstood."

"I don't care. You can eat and drink with public funds, and so can I. Hurry up and bring me two meat dishes. I will turn a blind eye this time."

The deaf old lady relied on her age and was completely unreasonable.

Everyone's good mood seemed to be ruined by this old lady.

In order to calm things down, He Daqing took a bowl and picked up some vegetables and meat for the old lady.

Then he took another steamed bun and handed it to the old lady: "Here, take it back and eat it."

The deaf old lady was satisfied when she saw the meat.

"You have a conscience, so next time you eat something delicious, please bring it to me, otherwise you won't be able to eat in peace."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Yan Bugui waited until she was far away, then muttered quietly, "What kind of person is this? He speaks nonsense without any evidence. Is there anyone who slanders others like this?"

Xu Fugui also sneered and said, "Now you know who this old lady is. We lived with her in the backyard and suffered a lot."

"Lao Li, you are the boss, you have to take care of this matter. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to get together like today. Wouldn't this affect the unity of the compound?"

Liu Haizhong also spoke.

In fact, he does not submit to Li Jiandong. Only when something happens will he treat Li Jiandong as his boss.

"Old Liu, stop talking. Let's eat and drink. Let's continue drinking." He Daqing said, raising his glass.

He had finally gotten together with everyone today, and he didn't want the old lady to spoil everyone's mood. It was just a bowl of meat and vegetables, it was not like he couldn't afford it.

Little did they know that this was not just a matter of one dish.

Yi Zhonghai on the opposite side had been paying attention to this side. When he saw the deaf old lady leaving, holding a bowl of food, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Beside them, Li Huilan asked curiously, "Old Yi, the old lady didn't quarrel with Li Jiandong and the others, why are you so happy?"

Yi Zhonghai glanced at her unhappily and said, "What do you know? This is all within my expectations."

After saying this, Yi Zhonghai probably couldn’t help but explain:
"He Daqing is different from Li Jiandong. He is the one treating us today, so he will definitely not get angry just because the old lady asked for a meal. The old lady was so timid before because she was scared after being beaten by Li Jiandong twice.

This time, she successfully got the food, which gave her courage. In the future, she will feel free to harass other residents in our courtyard and will not just focus on our family."

Li Huilan seemed to understand, but it didn't stop her from feeling that her man was great.

With stars in his eyes, he praised: "Old Yi, you are still smart."

Facts have proved that Yi Zhonghai is indeed smart, especially when it comes to calculating against people, where he excels.

Next, the old lady did as he said. After successfully getting food from He Daqing's house, she became more and more courageous.

If anyone in the courtyard had something delicious, she would go and beg for food.

If you don't give it to her, she will bring up the three uncles and say that the three uncles have taken care of her and given her a share of the delicious food, so why don't you know how to respect the elderly and love the young and eat alone?

Out of respect for the three uncles, the residents finally let the old lady succeed.

The deaf old lady ate at this house today, and went to that house for free meals tomorrow. In less than a month, she had eaten all the meals in the hospital.

It is difficult for the residents in the yard to eat meat once a month.

She, on the other hand, takes turns to eat at other people's table and eats meat more than ten times a month, which is really making a lot of money.

The residents had been harboring resentment towards the old lady for a long time, and finally one day it exploded and they went to find Li Jiandong.

"Uncle, you have to help us judge the matter."

“The deaf old lady in the backyard is just too much.”

"My family saved up meat coupons for a month and were planning to have a good meal on my son's birthday. But the deaf old lady found out and insisted on coming to my house for a free meal. She ate half of the one pound of meat. When my son wanted to eat some, she criticized him for being disrespectful to the elderly."

"Uncle, please call a meeting and let's drive the deaf old lady out together."

The residents were very angry and could not bear the torture caused by the deaf old lady.

What is the most important thing these days? Of course, having a full meal is the most important thing. Who can stand the old lady being like this?
Li Jiandong was waiting for this day.

If God wants to destroy a person, he must first make him crazy.

Li Jiandong saw the deaf old lady's arrogance but did not intervene. He just wanted to wait until everyone in the hospital was driven to the point of being unable to bear the old lady's cruelty and would unite to support him.

"Everyone, please be quiet. This is about the deaf old lady..."

Li Jiandong comforted everyone for a while.

Now everything is ready, all we need is the east wind.

He was waiting for news from Jia Zhang.

Just as he was trying to comfort the residents, suddenly Jia Zhang's voice came from the front yard:
"Li Jiandong, come out quickly, the old lady took the bus to Yandai Street."

Li Jiandong's eyes lit up. He didn't expect that the devil would appear as soon as he mentioned him.

"Sister-in-law, your news comes at the perfect time. Now take everyone with you and take the next bus to meet at Yandai Street."

"I'll call Zhuzi and let him go ahead and keep an eye on him. With all of us in the hospital as witnesses, let's see how she can hide her identity."

After Li Jiandong finished speaking, he rode his bicycle to look for Sha Zhu.

The residents in the courtyard still didn't understand what was happening.

After Jia Zhang explained it to them, they realized that Li Jiandong had long suspected that the old lady was a bannerman, and might even be a member of the royal family among the bannermen.

If they found out the old lady's identity, there would be no need for them to chase her away. The street police would arrest her first.

the other side.

Li Jiandong had already found He Yuzhu and was driving him towards Yandai Street.

"Master, where are we going?"

Sha Zhu still didn't know where Li Jiandong was going to take him.

Li Jiandong said as he rode his bike intently.
"The old lady might be a bannerman, and her social status should have been quite high in the past. If that's the case, her application for the five-guarantee status would be an act of deceiving the collective. However, I'm not completely sure, so I'll take you to verify it."

When Sha Zhu heard that the old lady might be a bannerman princess, he was a little dumbfounded.

But if you think about it carefully, there are indeed many reasons why it makes sense.

Soon we arrived at Yanda Street.

Li Jiandong parked his car a little far away from the bus stop.

Then he and Shazhu hid in the dark and waited for the car to arrive.

The bus needs to circle around to pick up people, so it definitely can't run as fast as Li Jiandong's taxi.

So, Li Jiandong and his friends arrived late but were the first to arrive. After waiting for a while, they saw the bus finally arriving.

Then, the old lady was seen getting out of the car and leaving in one direction as if she was familiar with the place.

"Let's go, let's follow."

Li Jiandong and Sha Zhu followed closely behind, and followed the old lady to a large courtyard filled with banquets.

I learned from conversations with others that today is the 90th birthday party of an old lady named Na.

Li Jiandong had met the old man and knew that the surname was the Chinese surname that the Nara people changed to after the founding of the new society.

The deaf old lady is from the Yehenara clan, and the old man is from the Ulanara clan. They used to be one family, but later split into two branches.

The deaf old lady is only in her 70s. The old lady who is celebrating her 90th birthday today should be her elder.

"Master, the old lady is there."

Sha Zhu had already discovered the deaf old lady and pointed her out to Li Jiandong.

At this moment, the deaf old lady was kowtowing respectfully to an old lady who was celebrating her birthday at the innermost part of the yard.

The people around her looked at her with some disgust.

The birthday lady did not discriminate against her and politely asked her to get up and find a place to sit.

The birthday boy said a few polite words and soon the birthday party began.

Other residents of the compound also rushed over.

When the residents saw the deaf old lady, they became so angry that their chests heaved.

Jia Zhang even cursed directly:
"This old thing is too much. When she was young, she had so many delicious foods. Now that she's old, she's even fighting with poor people like us who can't even get enough food for meat."

Wang Chunmei also said: "She kept saying that my old Yan embezzled the money in the courtyard. In the end, her own five-guarantee households were obtained by fraud. Isn't this the thief crying thief?"

"We must bring her to justice today, uncle. What are we waiting for? Let's go in together and catch her out." The residents couldn't wait any longer.

Li Jiandong waved his hand and said, "Everyone, please be patient. Today is her 90th birthday party. It won't be too late to stop the old lady after they leave."

After that, Li Jiandong took out a few more dollars and handed them to Sha Zhu.

"Zhu Zi, count how many of us there are and go buy some buns to eat."

The old lady was having a birthday banquet inside, so Li Jiandong and the others couldn't just stand outside and watch while not eating.

Although the residents were anxious, they did not dare to act on their own without the order from the old man Li Jiandong.

And there are free buns.

So the group ate their buns while staring at the deaf old lady.
After eating the buns, I waited for more than half an hour before some people started to leave the birthday party.

The deaf old lady also stood up and prepared to leave.

Because she ate too much, she had difficulty walking. She walked out of the compound slowly with a cane, muttering:

"Today's dishes taste really good. I hope the old centenarians on Yandai Street can live a few more years. I can come back and have a few more good meals."

The deaf old lady thought happily.

Suddenly, the light in front of me dimmed, and when I looked up, I found a group of people blocking the way ahead.

Li Jiandong and others stared at the deaf old lady with burning eyes.

The deaf old lady felt numb all over, realizing that she was being followed. After a moment of panic, she suddenly gritted her teeth and shouted,
"Li Jiandong, you are the haunting little beast again. You forced me to run so far to get a bite of food, and you still won't let me go?"

I have to say that the deaf old lady is very smart. She directly said that she was attending the birthday party and came to eat for free.

Li Jiandong sneered and said, "Old lady, so many eyes are watching you. You knelt down to wish the old man of the Yehenara family a happy birthday and received a red envelope from him. That red envelope is still in your trouser pocket now."

Jia Zhang also cursed beside him: "Deaf old lady, I think your conscience has been eaten by dogs, right?"

"That's right, it's just a piece of shit."

The other residents were also very excited.

When the old lady saw that she couldn’t get away with it, she just sat on the ground and started throwing a tantrum.

Just about to yell.

Li Jiandong suddenly shouted, "Zhu Zi, cuff him."

Sha Zhu immediately took out handcuffs and handcuffed them on the deaf old lady's hands.

The old lady became anxious and struggled desperately.

"Why did you arrest me? I admit that I am a bannerman, so what? Is it illegal for me to be a bannerman? I just ate a few meals from you. I am an old lady at this age, so what's wrong with eating a little from you? Why did you handcuff me?"

"Just because you lied about being a five-guarantee household, you are deceiving the state and misappropriating collective assets."

Li Jiandong's words made the deaf old lady marry into an icy cave.

It's not that she didn't expect this day to come. When she applied for the five-guarantee household, she was worried that this kind of thing would happen.

But as the events unfolded month after month, the identity of the deaf old lady was well hidden.

The five dollars a month was so sweet that she gradually forgot that she was walking on a tightrope on the edge of a knife.

When Li Jiandong mentioned this today, the deaf old lady immediately panicked.

Her legs went limp, and she knelt down in front of Li Jiandong and started crying:
"Li Jiandong, is it really that serious? I haven't done anything to harm the world. I just want to have a bite of good food. Can't you just let me go?"

Before Li Jiandong could say anything, Jia Zhang started shouting.

"You want to eat something delicious, who doesn't want to eat something delicious? My family saves for a month to eat meat once a day, and you just come and grab half a bowl. If this is not against the will of heaven, what else can be called against the will of heaven?"

Others also echoed: "That's right, who doesn't want to eat good food? You are the only one who eats the most and is the greediest."

"Don't listen to her, uncle. This old thing doesn't deserve pity."

The deaf old lady was so angry that she wanted to bite them to death. These bastards were so heartless that they didn't know how to respect the elderly at all.

However, she knew very well that these people were only good at talking, and if they wanted to escape sanctions, they had to get Li Jiandong's consent.

So she cried even more miserably and begged pitifully.

"Li Jiandong, I know I'm wrong, isn't that enough? I have no choice. I'm an old woman with no children. If I don't act tough, I would have been bullied to death. Please have pity on me, and I will never go to other people's houses for free meals again. Is that okay?"

Li Jiandong sneered: "Old lady, do you think it's still a matter of free meals?"

Eating for free is at most a moral issue. Even if the deaf old lady eats other people's food every day, Li Jiandong can't let Sha Zhu catch him.

But she provided false identity information, applied for the five-guarantee household, and embezzled state property, which is an unforgivable felony.

The deaf old lady was desperate and shouted hysterically: "Li Jiandong, are you really so heartless? I already know I'm wrong, do you really want to force me to death?"

"Old lady, if you really feel remorseful, I advise you to go to the street and turn yourself in. Maybe you can get a lenient treatment. Otherwise, once we send you in, it may be difficult for you to get out in your lifetime."

Li Jiandong's voice was calm.

The deaf old lady knew that Li Jiandong would never let her go, and she cried bitterly.

To be honest, Li Jiandong really couldn't bear to watch such an old man kneeling in front of him and crying.

But there must be something hateful about pitiful people. The deaf old lady’s current situation is all her own fault.

He was willing to let the deaf old lady turn herself in, which was already giving her her last chance.

If the deaf old lady still doesn't repent, Li Jiandong will never show mercy and will definitely let Sha Zhu send her to prison.

More and more people gathered around, and some were whispering nearby.

There were also many people who came out of the birthday party who showed contempt when they saw the deaf old lady kneeling on the ground crying.

"It's this old woman again. She really brings shame to our Nara clan."

"You cry all day long, crying for a place to live, crying for food to eat. It's so embarrassing."

"Forget it, let's not talk about it. Let's just pretend we don't know her and let her fend for herself. Don't invite her to the old lady's birthday party in the future."

"This little maidservant is just lowly. I've already said that I shouldn't hire her."

Several women who had walked out of the birthday party were talking nearby, not lowering their voices at all.

The deaf old lady can be aggressive and naughty in front of others, but in front of her own people, she still has a little sense of shame.

I don’t know if she had figured it out or was in despair, but the deaf old lady suddenly stood up from the ground with the help of a cane.

With a miserable expression, he said, "Let's go and turn ourselves in."

Sha Zhu looked at Li Jiandong, who nodded to him and walked towards where the bicycle was parked.

Upon learning that someone had falsely reported a five-guarantee household, the street office took it very seriously. This was a scam of collective property and was extremely bad in nature.

Director Zheng, in particular, specifically found Li Jiandong to ask what was going on.

Li Jiandong told Director Zheng the whole story in detail.

Director Zheng was speechless after hearing this.

Because the deaf old lady's conditions fully meet the requirements for applying to be a five-guarantee household, the application for five-guarantee households has nothing to do with one's background.

Just look at her current living conditions, whether she has any family, whether she has income, whether she has other assets, etc.

As for whether he is a bannerman or not, it is not even considered.

"This deaf old lady is so confused. We are now living in a new society. We 56 brothers and sisters are one family. The country has never discriminated against any ethnic group. How could she be denied the five-guarantee status just because of her past identity?"

Li Jiandong asked: "So what you mean is that the deaf old lady will be fine this time?"

"That's not the case." Director Zheng shook his head and said, "First, she had the subjective intention to deceive the group. Second, she did deceive the group. These two points alone must be punished."

"However, we will analyze the specific case and considering that she turned herself in and indeed meets the conditions for the five-guarantee household, we will try to give her a lighter sentence."

Li Jiandong sighed and said, "I don't know if this punishment can teach the old lady a lesson. Otherwise, no one will be able to control her."

At this point, Li Jiandong didn't think any more about it.

The next day someone came to tell Li Jiandong that the old lady should have been sentenced to ten years.

However, because she did meet the five-guarantee status and turned herself in, she was ultimately given a lighter sentence of only two years.

This period of time is neither long nor short, at least the courtyard can be quiet for a while.

The snow is falling and the New Year is coming.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is the Little New Year in the north.

The steel rolling mill was on holiday yesterday and the workers returned home with the New Year's goods distributed by the factory. Today, each family is packing up the goods. Li Jiandong, as an eighth-level fitter and an excellent worker, received two extra pig's elbows in addition to the normal pig's trotters, pig's hearts, and pig's ears.

Even though these things are not worth much money.

The key is that it’s the end of the year, and sometimes even if you have money, you may not be able to buy it.

As soon as Li Jiandong got up early in the morning, Sha Zhu came to him.

"Master, you haven't packed up the New Year's goods yet, right? I'm taking a break today, so let me pack it up."

The pigs at this time are all black pigs, and slaughtering them does not require much technology or hard work. There are a lot of hairs on pig's trotters and ears, making it very difficult to clean them.

Li Jiandong said, "Can you pack up the New Year's goods with your hand holding a gun?"

Sha Zhu chuckled: "Master, you've forgotten what my family does. My dad never taught me how to cook since I was a child, so I have to do a lot of dirty and tiring work."

Sha Zhu was standing on the porch at the entrance, next to He Daqing's house.

He Daqing's voice came from the room.

"Hey, I think you deserve to be punished. I raised you with all my heart, why didn't you say anything?"

Sha Zhu shrank his neck and dared not say anything else.

Li Jiandong really doesn't know how to clean up these things.

Qin Huairu knew how to clean up, but she was heavy and pregnant, so it would be a problem if she caught a cold while cleaning up.

So I didn't bother to be polite to Shazhu.

At this time, Yan Bugui came trotting over from the front yard.

He said to Li Jiandong, "Old Li, why are you still standing here? Didn't you hear the loud speaker on the street just now?"

Li Jiandong looked confused: "Really? I didn't hear the lecture. What did the loud speaker say?"

Yan Bugui slapped his thigh and said, "It's about time for a meeting. Today we're selecting advanced courtyards. I heard that the top few will get peanuts, melon seeds, and oranges. Hurry up and go."

Li Jiandong laughed out loud: "Old Yan, why are you so anxious? Just a few peanuts and sunflower seeds have made you so anxious. Look at your lack of ambition."

Nowadays, meetings are all about practical matters. There is not so much long-winded nonsense like old ladies talking about their feet. In less than an hour, the selection process was over after entering the compound.

Courtyard No. 40 was commended by superiors for responding to the street literacy campaign and for its study of corners and catching enemy spies. It was no surprise that it won the first place among the advanced courtyards.

Li Jiandong returned to the compound holding a silk banner, and on the back seat of his bicycle was half a sack of rewards for entering the compound.

Yan Bugui had been guarding the door since he left, and the first thing he did when he saw Li Jiandong coming back was to greet him.

"Old Li, we are the advanced ones, right? What good things have we been given? Wow! This half sack can't be all of them, right? The street is really generous."

Li Jiandong first handed the banner to Yan Bugui.

However, Yan Bugui seemed not to see it at all. He walked past Li Jiandong's hand holding the banner and ran directly behind the bicycle to check the rewards from the street.

When I saw three big bags of peanuts, melon seeds and oranges in the sack.

Yan Bugui's eyes suddenly turned into crescents with joy, and he kept saying "OK, OK", while one hand had already started putting peanuts and melon seeds into his pocket.

Li Jiandong said speechlessly: "Old Yan, why are you so serious? You are the third uncle of our hospital after all, you are not afraid of being seen and laughed at by others."

Yan Bugui looked around with a sly look.

He asked cautiously, "Who saw it? Aren't we the only two here?"

(End of this chapter)