My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 62: Giving to Master Ji 2

Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Uncle, you won't lose out on this five yuan. If my idea doesn't achieve the desired effect, I promise to return the five yuan to you intact. How about it?"

Liu Haizhong thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and reached into his pocket.

"Hey, where's the money in my pocket?" He fumbled around for a while, but his pockets were empty, and he was stunned.

Only then did Zhang Lei remember that he must have taken Liu Haizhong's money during the search. He remained silent, just staring at Liu Haizhong.

At this moment, Zhang Lei said, "Hey, Uncle, you're not so poor that you don't even have 5 yuan, are you?"

Liu Haizhong retorted, "How could that be? I clearly had several tens of dollars in my pocket before."

Hearing this, Zhang Lei continued, "So, did you forget it somewhere at home?"

At this moment, Liu Haizhong thought about it and felt that it was possible. He turned his head and saw the second aunt in the crowd, so he quickly called her over, asked for 5 yuan, and handed it to Zhang Lei.

After receiving the 5 yuan, Zhang Lei leaned close to Liu Haizhong's ear and whispered something.

Liu Haizhong's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he said repeatedly, "Well done, Zhang Lei, I didn't know you were so quick-witted."

Zhang Lei urged with a smile, "Second Uncle, stop dawdling and hurry up and solve the problem. Otherwise, if we wait any longer, Yi Zhonghai might come up with a solution."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong, not wanting Yi Zhonghai to steal the spotlight, quickly squeezed into the crowd, stood in front of Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui, and clapped his hands loudly, shouting, "Everyone, stop! Stop! Listen to me!"

Everyone turned to look at Liu Haizhong, and the scene quickly quieted down.

Liu Haizhong cleared his throat and said loudly, "Listen up, everyone. I understand your problems. Now, we're not here to argue, but to find a way to solve this problem, right?"

At this moment, a chorus of agreement arose from the crowd: "Yes, Second Uncle is right! This is exactly the problem we need to solve!"

Liu Haizhong nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui, and said in a deep voice, "Old Yi, Old Yan, things have escalated to this point. No matter what, we can't afford to offend everyone in the courtyard. Don't you agree? If we offend everyone, we three managers won't be able to continue as managers."

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui exchanged a glance and nodded deeply.

Seeing this, Liu Haizhong continued, "Ultimately, this whole thing was caused by your two families. Judging from today's situation, you two won't be able to avoid paying a price. The method I'm about to suggest will allow you to pay less; what do you think?"

Meanwhile, Yi Zhonghai was already having a headache over this problem. He had wanted to solve it for a long time, but he just hadn't figured out a solution.

Hearing Liu Haizhong say this, he quickly agreed, "Old Liu, tell me your solution quickly. As long as it can be solved, I'll pay a little."

Meanwhile, Yi Zhonghai was already having a headache from this matter and had long wanted to solve the problem, but he just hadn't been able to come up with a solution.

Hearing Liu Haizhong say this, he quickly agreed: "Old Liu, tell me what your solution is. As long as it can solve the problem, I don't mind losing some blood."

Then Liu Haizhong looked at Yan Fugui and said, "Old Yan, what about you?"

Yan Fugui curled his lip and said, "What does this have to do with me? Yi Zhonghai lost the silver ingot."

Hearing Yan Fugui say that, Liu Haizhong's face darkened and he said, "Old Yan, if that's how you put it, then I can't help you. You can continue arguing with the people in the courtyard. Maybe they won't even recognize you as their third uncle anymore."

Hearing the threat in Liu Haizhong's words, Yan Fugui's heart skipped a beat. No, without the title of "Third Uncle," how could he possibly gain any advantage in the courtyard? So he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I agree, but if we really have to pay, Yi Zhonghai will take the lion's share, and our family will take the smaller share."

Upon hearing Yan Fugui's words, Yi Zhonghai frowned slightly, but he was unwilling to argue with Yan Fugui any further for the time being, so he said, "Alright, Lao Liu, let's do as he says."

Seeing that the two men had agreed, Liu Haizhong turned to the crowd and said, "Here's the thing, I just discussed it with Uncle Yi and Uncle San. Although the fault doesn't lie entirely with them, they are willing to make amends to everyone. As you all know, no one expected Director Wang to come."

At this moment, someone in the crowd called out, "Second Uncle, what kind of compensation is it?"

At this moment, Liu Haizhong cleared his throat and said, "It's like this. Uncle Yi and Uncle San have decided to pay for a big pot of food to be cooked for everyone in the courtyard. There will be both meat and vegetables in it. Everyone, adults and children, can come and eat, and we guarantee that everyone will be full. Everyone hasn't had any meat for a long time, and this is the sincerity of the two uncles."

Upon hearing Liu Haizhong's solution, everyone immediately began discussing it animatedly. Some thought it was a good idea, while others were still preoccupied with getting their money back.

At this moment, Liu Haizhong raised his hand to quiet the crowd and said loudly, "I know how everyone feels, but preparing this large pot of food isn't so easy. Think about it, even if you do get that little bit of money, will it be enough to buy meat, let alone various vegetables?"

He paused, then continued, "The fact that we all gather together for a meal shows that we are a united group. This perfectly matches the name of our civilized courtyard house!"

At this moment, Zhang Lei shouted loudly from the back of the crowd, "Second Uncle's idea is great! Second Uncle is right! We thank Second Uncle for making this decision for us!"

Hearing someone take the lead in shouting this, the crowd quickly echoed, "That's right! We support it! Second Uncle is right! We support Second Uncle's decision!"

Seeing everyone's support, especially Zhang Lei's leading role in supporting him, Liu Haizhong felt his impression of Zhang Lei had improved considerably, and felt that the 5 yuan he had spent was worthwhile. He proudly gestured with his chin towards Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui.

At this moment, Yan Fugui came over, frowned, and looked at Liu Haizhong, saying, "Hey Lao Liu, how much did it cost to feed the whole hospital this meal?"

Liu Haizhong leaned closer to Yan Fugui and whispered, "Old Yan, are you stupid? Vegetables aren't that expensive now, and meat isn't that expensive either. Even though there are a lot of people in the yard, it's not like we have to eat meat until we're stuffed. As long as there's some meat in the pot, that's enough, isn't it? Buy more vegetables, and we'll steam a few baskets of cornbread later. As long as everyone's got enough to eat, who's going to complain?"

Hearing Liu Haizhong's words, Yi Zhonghai nodded in agreement, saying, "Old Yan, Old Liu is right, let's do it his way!"