Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

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To be able to do something like this to oneself.

That night was definitely not just because I was drunk; someone must have sabotaged it.

In the afternoon, a hospital caregiver came to Xu Damao's house.

This was also out of kindness from the hospital, which asked the caregiver to bring Xu Damao some food and drinks.

Without saying a word, Xu Damao took out fifty yuan and asked the caregiver to help him buy some good wine and food outside.

The remaining money was given to the caregiver as a tip.

This is not the time to be stingy with a little money.

If we can really get information out of Yan Bugui about where Liu Haizhong and the others went that night...

With evidence, I might actually be able to overturn the case.

Even if I get fired from the factory later, at least I won't starve to death at home for the rest of my life.

Most importantly, Xu Damao wanted to vent his anger.

"Thank you for your trouble. Could you please call over Mr. Yan Bugui from the next room and tell him I'd like to have a meal and a drink with him? Once you're done with this, you can go back now."

"You don't need to come and deliver anything to me tomorrow. There are neighbors in the yard who can bring me food."

Xu Damao said calmly.

The caregiver nodded.

Regardless, Xu Damao was quite generous; after buying all those things, he still had a few dollars left in his pocket.

You should know that if you stay in the hospital for two days to take care of patients, you can only earn a few dollars, and it's incredibly hard work.

Is Grandpa Yan Bugui home?

The caregiver inquired.

"That's me. What do you need me for?"

Yan Bugui looked completely bewildered; he didn't think he had ever seen this young man before.

"It's like this, Mr. Xu Damao invited you to his home, saying he wanted to have a meal and a drink with you. That's all, I'll head back now."

After delivering the message, the caregiver left the courtyard.

"Why did Xu Damao suddenly invite me to dinner? Didn't he just get out of the hospital? Does he still have money to treat me to dinner? Never mind, it would be a fool not to take advantage of this."

Yan Bugui muttered to himself.

The mentality of being greedy for small gains is something that everyone has a firm grasp on.

As Xu Damao had expected, Yan Bugui arrived at his home in no time.

Xu Damao feigned calmness on his face, but inwardly he was already starting to feel restless.

"Xiao Xu, how did you get hurt like this? You didn't even tell your third uncle. If you had, I would have come to the hospital to see you. Tell me, how did you get hurt?"

Although Yan Bugui was greedy for small gains, he couldn't help but feel a little scared when he saw Xu Damao's appearance.

How could a perfectly healthy person suddenly have both legs amputated?

He will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and I've also heard that his wife, Lou Xiao'e, has divorced him.

Xu Damao is now all alone.

"It's a long story. Uncle, please sit down, have a meal and some drinks with me, and have a chat, okay?"

Xu Damao looked sad.

"Look at what you're saying. No matter what, I'm your third uncle, and we're neighbors in the same courtyard. I'm here today to have a good chat with you. You mustn't do anything rash. You're still so young, and you have a long life ahead of you."

Yan Bugui tried to persuade him.

Xu Damao didn't get straight to the point, but instead drank one cup after another with Yan Bugui.

Xu Damao was drinking normal water, of course.

They poured Yan Bugui a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and it was very strong.

After a few drinks, Yan Bugui felt a little dizzy and lightheaded.

"Uncle, I have a question for you."

Seeing that Yan Bu was already tipsy, Xu Damao knew this was the perfect opportunity.

People react very slowly at this time, and most of what they say is the truth, without any falsehood.

"Little Xu, ask away. Whatever you want to ask, your Third Uncle will tell you."

Yan Bugui was now completely intoxicated.

"What time did Liu Haizhong and the others return on the night I didn't come back?"

Xu Damao quickly asked.

"You mean that stingy old man Liu and his son? Those two, at two in the morning, I don't know what they were doing. If they hadn't borrowed my bicycle, I wouldn't have had to stay up so late."

Yan Bugui stammered.

"Third Uncle, when they came back, did you notice anything different about them? Or was there something else going on?"

Xu Damao asked anxiously.

"I don't know where those two guys went. They were feeling guilty, so they slipped me some local farm produce and gave me a few bills. Oh, why am I telling you this? I can't tell you, I can't tell you."

Yan Bugui mumbled incoherently.

Seeing that the time was right, Xu Damao took out a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"Uncle, if you tell me the truth, this hundred yuan is yours."

Chapter 153 Yan Bugui, a Money-Grubber

I saw a hundred-yuan bill on the table.

Yan Bugui's eyes were shining with golden light, even though he was somewhat drunk.

But for Yan Bugui, the temptation of money was quite fatal.

"Xiao Xu, what are you doing? If you want to know, Uncle San will tell you. There's no need to do this."

Yan Bugui said one thing, but his actions told a completely different story.

Yan Bugui quietly picked up the hundred yuan and stuffed it into his sleeve.

He picked up the wine glass on the table again and took a big gulp.

"That night, the father and son hurriedly borrowed my bicycle in the afternoon and gave me a dollar. When I saw that they hadn't come back by evening, I anxiously waited for them at the gate of the yard."

"I was so afraid they would damage my precious bicycle that I waited until 2 a.m. before the two guys came back. When they did, they looked rushed, and when I asked them what they were doing, they wouldn't say."

"In the end, they gave me a small bribe in exchange for telling me not to tell anyone about it. I really don't know anything else."

In Yan Bugui's view, there is no such thing as honesty and trustworthiness; a fool would refuse to make money.

Why not take advantage of this kind of bargain? When it comes to making money, there's no shame in doing it any way.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Uncle. It's getting late, you should go back and rest early too. I should go to sleep as well."

When Xu Damao learned what had happened that night, he asked the guests to leave.

Even though giving Yan Bugui 100 yuan would be a bit painful, the value of obtaining this information was undeniable.

But it's much more than a hundred dollars, so it seems I was right.

Liu Haizhong and his son were indeed hiding something, and it just so happened that they came home so late that night.

The timing of his return coincided almost perfectly with the time he was supposed to return, and he even gave Yan Bugui money.

Given Liu Haizhong's stingy nature, even his son couldn't possibly squeeze a single penny out of him.

Let alone giving it to an outsider.

There must be something they want to hide, but fortunately Yan Bugui is greedy for money and can get this information by paying for it himself.

Xu Damao tossed and turned all night, finally managing to sort out the matter in his mind.

And so came the subsequent thoughts, all thanks to Yan Bugui's words.

What happened that night might actually turn out differently.

night.

Liu Haizhong's home.

"Dad, I think I just saw Yan Bugui coming out of Xu Damao's house. Could he have revealed the news from that night to Xu Damao? That old guy is greedy for money; he might really have betrayed us..."

Liu Guangqi said, his heart pounding with fear.

"Don't think too much about it. Xu Damao doesn't have the money to bribe Yan Bugui. We gave Yan Bugui thirty yuan, which is no small amount. He'll do things once he gets the money, so don't panic."

Liu Haizhong waved his hand and said.

But in Liu Guangqi's heart, it felt as if a million ants were crawling over him.

I could no longer suppress my panic.

Especially today, after hearing about Xu Damao's tragic situation.