ryethenovel Chapter 23 Sha Zhu's Mental Illness!
Chapter 23 Sha Zhu's Mental Illness!
Seeing that there was no benefit to be gained, Yan Bugui pursed his lips and left.
Xu Damao was complaining that having nothing wouldn't do! Dafei is a new resident in our compound, so I have to show my appreciation and express the welcome of the people of the capital to our comrade who is supporting our construction!
Indeed, although Zhang Chengfei's hometown is in the countryside outside Changping, Xu Damao, who was born and raised in Nanluoguxiang, doesn't consider it to be near the capital.
As he left, Sha Zhu, not to be outdone, muttered, "You, Xu Damao, have already made your move, how could I, He Yuzhu, fall behind you?" and left as well.
As soon as he left, the other residents also left, not because they wanted to prepare gifts like the two of them. On the contrary, they felt that since Xu Damao and Shazhu had gone to get the gifts, they would have to give something if they stayed any longer, so they thought it was better to leave.
Soon, the Zhang family's gate, which had been surrounded by onlookers, was deserted.
Zhang Erya looked outside to make sure no one was watching before she approached Zhang Chengfei with a rag in hand and said awkwardly, "Um, Third Uncle, don't listen to that bastard Xu Damao's nonsense. He was just making things up when he was stealing things."
"Is it all nonsense?" Zhang Chengfei asked with a puzzled expression, plopping down on the cleaned kang (heated brick bed), clearly intending to give it a proper talking-to.
Judging from the current development of events, the fact that the grandmother and grandson stole things will help me gain some dislike.
But you have to consider both sides; stealing is no small matter these days. Take the case of Xu Damao losing his chicken in the TV series, for example. If Xu Damao hadn't confessed and insisted on calling the police, Bang Geng would have been arrested without a doubt.
He could foresee that even in the courtyard world without his involvement, Banggeng dared to steal chickens. With his great-grandfather, a cadre, around, if the little thief wasn't disciplined, he feared he would become even more fearless.
These days, it's all about the saying "like father, like son," or "like father, like son," and vice versa.
Although he wanted to increase his dislike rating, he absolutely could not allow Zhang Erya and Banggeng to steal things and affect or implicate him.
Therefore, it is necessary to give these two, grandmother and grandson, a good talking-to so they can stop stealing!
Of course, all they need to do is steal; they should still preserve the annoying nature of the grandmother and grandson...
"Well, not entirely. But he exaggerated." Jia Zhangshi stammered, "I used to be a niece and I was ignorant, sometimes I couldn't resist the temptation... But I swear, I didn't actually take anything from other people's houses many times."
Seeing that her third uncle remained silent, Zhang Erya decided to shift the blame: "I really didn't take it that many times. Xu Damao said that because of Bang Geng! Yes, it's Bang Geng. That kid is dishonest and dragged me into it too... Third Uncle, I..."
I was just about to protest my innocence when I suddenly heard Banggeng's voice from the doorway: "Grandma, you're talking nonsense! You clearly took more things from other people!!"
Banggeng ran up to Zhang Chengfei, looking up at him with his little face: "Great-Grandpa, I want to report this!"
Zhang Chengfei asked expressionlessly, "Who are you going to expose?"
"I'm exposing my grandma, Zhang Erya! Three days ago, she stole a piece of ginger from Uncle San's house, and five days ago, she stole two heads of garlic from Uncle Er's house. A week ago, she stole an old chamber pot from the old lady in the backyard!! And all I've taken this week is a handful of peanuts from Sha Zhu's house!"
When you compare them, it's clear that Grandma's performance is better than mine!
Bang Geng was filled with righteous indignation: "Xu Damao said that because of her, she dragged me into this!! She's the one who told me that stealing from neighbors isn't stealing, it's taking!"
Although Bang Geng is young, he can tell from the attitude of the adults around him that his great-grandfather is a cadre and is different from others!
At school, when he bragged to his classmates that his great-grandfather was a technical cadre, he felt proud of himself.
When their teacher, Mr. Bai, heard this, he patted the boy's head and told him to learn from his great-grandfather, adding that he wasn't actually stupid, he just didn't like studying. This was the first time Bang Geng had received positive feedback from his teacher.
It could be said that, in his eyes at the age of eight, Zhang Chengfei was someone he could only look up to but never reach, yet someone he aspired to be.
Now, how could he tolerate his grandmother badmouthing him in front of his idol?
Seeing her grandson list all her crimes, Zhang Erya panicked. Just as she was about to defend herself, Zhang Chengfei slammed his hand on the table: "Zhang Erya, look what you've done!"
Zhang Erya's legs went weak, and she almost knelt down: "Third Uncle, I was wrong."
Zhang Chengfei remained serious: "No, you don't know you're wrong! If you knew you were wrong, you wouldn't have resorted to petty theft, causing resentment throughout the entire compound."
"If you knew you were wrong, you wouldn't have taught your own grandson to steal, and even told him that it wasn't 'stealing,' it was 'taking'!"
"Zhang Erya, Zhang Erya, have you forgotten your grandfather's family precepts?"
Zhang Erya lowered her head, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground: "He who steals a needle when young will steal gold when grown up..."
"You still know that? Do you really want your grandson to grow up squatting in a fenced yard, getting shot?" Zhang Chengfei slammed his hand on the table again.
Zhang Erya felt utterly ashamed. She quietly moved her stick next to Zhang Chengfei, intending to shout a few words, but then she saw Zhang Chengfei glare at her.
"I only insulted your grandmother, not you, right?"
Banggeng whispered in protest, "Grandma said that's not stealing..."
"Your grandma said? I think you're just pretending to be confused!" Zhang Chengfei said coldly. "Jia Geng, don't tell me you're eight years old and don't understand what you should and shouldn't do. If you really don't understand, tomorrow I'll have your dad withdraw you from school and send you to the Sixth Hospital for mental disability treatment!!"
The Sixth Hospital—that's a hospital for the mentally ill and the mentally challenged.
Banggeng panicked immediately: "Great-Grandpa, I was wrong! Please don't send me to the Sixth Hospital. I... I'll never steal again. If I steal again, I'll have my grandpa take my grandma away!"
Zhang Chengfei... goodness, he's really filial.
Zhang Erya looked completely bewildered: "???"
Zhang Chengfei sighed deeply: "Er Ya, your third uncle knew that after Lao Jia passed away, you, a widow raising a child, had a hard time, so you picked up bad habits. But things are different now. After the wage reform, Dongxu's monthly salary is 27.5 yuan. I should help you out from now on..."
If I don't help out, how can I earn the dislike of everyone in the courtyard?
Zhang Erya nodded vigorously, indicating to her third uncle that she would not steal anymore and would definitely not steal again.
Zhang Chengfei continued, "Our Zhang family can't have a thief. If you steal again, I'll uphold justice and personally send you to jail!"
Zhang Erya raised her hand and cursed, swearing that if she stole again, she would let Lao Jia take her away!
After cursing, to show his loyalty, he grabbed the stick and went to apologize to each and every household.
Zhang Chengfei waved his hand and said, "It's enough that you know you were wrong and quit. There's no need to apologize to each and every household."
Just kidding, how can Zhang Erya collect dislike points after apologizing to Bang Geng?
He warned the Jia family, hoping they wouldn't go too far and implicate him. But if they didn't cause trouble and help him accumulate dislike, things wouldn't work either!
After sending Zhang Erya and Banggeng away, Zhang Chengfei unrolled his bedding and laid it out on the kang (a heated brick bed) that Zhang Erya had just cleaned.
While making the bed, I realized I'd never heated a kang (a traditional heated brick bed) before and didn't know how to set it up. It seemed I'd have to ask Banggeng for help.
After the kang (heated brick bed) was made, there was a knock on the door. Zhang Chengfei shouted, "Just push it open!" and Xu Damao came in carrying a bamboo thermos.
He casually placed the thermos on the table: "I noticed you brought a washbasin, a toothbrush, and a toothpaste cup in your luggage, but no thermos, so I brought one for you."
A thermos costs 1.2 yuan. These days, let alone moving to a new house, even getting married is something only very close people would be willing to give as a gift.
Zhang Chengfei had previously thought this person wasn't a good person from watching TV, but he was straightforward and generous with money.
Looking back now, he's been so generous to me after only meeting me twice, and I realize my previous assumptions were correct.
However, on the other hand, Xu Damao is willing to spend money when he's being nice to people, but when it comes to scheming, he's equally ruthless. Moreover, he's good at small favors but lacks a sense of righteousness; you can befriend him, but you can't truly connect with him.
He smiled and gestured for Xu Damao to sit down: "I should have poured you a cup of tea, but I just moved and I don't even have a stove... Wait here, I'll have Banggeng bring you some tea."
"No need for that." Xu Damao waved his hand. "We brothers can just chat, no need for tea."
"Alright then." Zhang Chengfei sat down and noticed Xu Damao grinning mischievously. "Brother Damao, what are you laughing at?"
Xu Damao grinned, "You call me Brother Damao, but your Third Uncle calls you Third Uncle. If that's the case, I'm several generations older than you."
Zhang Chengfei slapped his forehead: "Isn't that right? My fault, my fault, I'll go find Lao Yan in a bit..."
"What are you looking for! I'm not looking!" Sha Zhu's voice came from the doorway. "Taking advantage of Yan Laoxi is like a pie falling from the sky!"
Before he could finish speaking, the man walked in carrying a large iron kettle: "Brother, I originally wanted to give you an iron pot. But I didn't know if you could cook by yourself, so I just gave you a kettle instead."
You can skip cooking rice, but you can't skip boiling water.
Zhang Chengfei took the kettle, thanked him, and asked him to sit with Xu Damao. Xu Damao calculated that the kettle was more expensive than the thermos and felt he had lost face, so he asked Zhang Chengfei if he needed anything else.
Zhang Chengfei's eyes darted around: "We have everything else, but back in school we had a shared wardrobe to store our clothes. Now we can only put our clothes on the kang (heated brick bed)."
Xu Damao's expression changed slightly. A single wardrobe and a camphor wood chest were both large items!
This Zhang Chengfei is even more ruthless than Zhang Erya! Disdain level +129!!
Sha Zhu grinned at him, seemingly wanting to see how he would handle the aftermath of his boastful words.
Having received a negative rating, Zhang Chengfei started to dangle the issue again: "Brother Da Mao, do you know anyone who makes or sells furniture? If so, could you introduce me to someone?"
"So you have to pay for it yourself?" Xu Damao chuckled, "Of course I know him! I'll take you there tomorrow."
Sha Zhu chimed in, "You little rascal, you were scared just now, weren't you?"
Zhang Chengfei feigned ignorance: "Why are you so scared?"
Xu Damao remained silent, while Sha Zhu chuckled, "This bastard thought you were hinting to him to send you a large wardrobe, and he's too scared to utter a sound."
Zhang Chengfei laughed heartily and said, "How could that be? Brother Da Mao already gave me something, how could I possibly ask for more?"
How can there be such greedy people in this world?
Xu Damao and Shazhu exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves, "Why not? Isn't your big fat niece the one?"
Everyone else had sent gifts, so he couldn't be stingy. Zhang Chengfei called Bang Geng over, gave him money, and told him to go to the state-run restaurant and order some dishes.
Although a ticket system has been implemented, we are not in a difficult period yet. You don't need a ticket to eat out; you just need to pay.
Banggeng clutched the money, asked what dishes he wanted, and then turned and ran off like a rabbit. As he ran, he thought to himself that he had been running errands for his great-grandfather, so wouldn't he get something in return when he returned?
Zhang Chengfei turned and went back into the house. He took out two handfuls of pumpkin seeds from his bag, saying that a female classmate had given them to him when he left school today.
The three chatted while cracking pumpkin seeds. Xu Damao winked and asked Zhang Chengfei if the female classmate had given him pumpkin seeds only, or if all the classmates had given them to him.
Upon hearing Zhang Chengfei say that he had only given it to him, he immediately grinned and made funny faces, then asked his brother, "You're eighteen now, have you ever tasted a woman's flavor?"
Seeing Zhang Chengfei shake his head, Xu Damao grinned smugly, "How about it? Want your brother to take you to experience it tonight?"
Zhang Chengfei didn't speak, but He Yuzhu became anxious first: "Dafei, don't go. The women there are not simple."
"How is it not simple?" Zhang Chengfei became interested, but Sha Zhu remained silent.
Xu Damao leaned close to Zhang Chengfei's ear and mumbled a string of words. Zhang Chengfei was initially surprised, then astonished, and finally looked at Shazhu with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
He didn't say anything, he just patted Shazhu on the shoulder, but it seemed like he said everything.
Sha Zhu got impatient, stood up, picked up a stool, and was about to smash Xu Damao's head open. Xu Damao dodged around the table, yelling as he did so, "You're useless, all show and no substance, and you won't even let me talk?"
"Xu Damao, you son of a bitch, you still dare to talk back! I'll teach you to say another word!" Sha Zhu put down the stool he was holding, grabbed Xu Damao by the collar, and said, "I'll beat you to death!"
"Dafei, help me!" Xu Damao cried for help.
Zhang Chengfei slowly came over to mediate: "We're all brothers, let's talk, don't fight. Besides, Brother Zhu's condition might not necessarily be an illness, it could also be psychological..."
"Psychological factors?" Sha Zhu let go of Xu Damao and scrambled to sit next to Zhang Chengfei, grabbing his hand. "Brother, you're an intellectual, you know a lot. Tell me, is this really a psychological reason?"
Zhang Chengfei didn't keep him in suspense and slowly told him that scientific research shows that about 30% of gay men experience this reaction the first time.
"That means 30 out of 100 is a significant number, isn't it? But later, they all recovered, so don't worry, Brother Zhu."
Sha Zhu was deeply moved: "Brother, you've really gotten rid of a huge knot in my heart!!"
Ever since he went to Yanzhi Hutong with Xu Damao three years ago, he has felt that there is something wrong with him and he wants to see a doctor, but he is not married and does not have a marriage certificate, so he dares not go.
As time went on, it became like a thorn in his heart, making him restless and unable to eat or sleep.
"I'm not saying anything more. Just wait, brother's going home to get some good wine! Bottled Lotus White, how about it?"
Zhang Chengfei feigned reluctance, saying that he had already sent Banggeng to buy Erdezi.
Sha Zhu waved his hand dismissively: "Keep that Erguotou for yourself. Today, your brother has to bleed a lot!"
Sha Zhu left for only a few minutes before returning, bringing with him two bottles of white wine, as well as Liu Guangqi and Yan Jiecheng.
Xu Damao exclaimed, "Hey, what wind blew us brothers here? This is truly unexpected!"