Chapter 2234
Repairing the House
Xu Damao led several workers into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, many old neighbors were chatting. Among them were a few, including Yi Zhonghai, and a few who had moved out.
Everyone's expressions differed when they saw Xu Damao return.
Yi Zhonghai and a few others looked at Xu Damao with hostility, while the others looked at him with a hint of flattery.
"Xu Damao, what are you doing here?" Yi Zhonghai glared at the group of people who were trying to curry favor with Xu Damao.
Those people felt a little guilty after being glared at by Yi Zhonghai.
I don't know what they're feeling guilty about.
Previously, Yi Zhonghai was a senior worker in a steel rolling mill. He had a deaf old lady standing behind him, and Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui as his assistants.
Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui had many sons, and together they formed the largest power in the courtyard.
It's understandable that they're afraid of Yi Zhonghai.
What time is it now?
The deaf old lady had long since died, and Yi Zhonghai and the other two had all become toothless tigers.
Both Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui have unfilial sons.
They are still afraid of Yi Zhonghai.
This can only be described as despicable.
Xu Damao, however, was not afraid of him: "My house is here, I can come and go as I please, what's it to you?"
Yi Zhonghai really couldn't control Xu Damao. More than 20 years ago, he could threaten Xu Damao by having the entire hospital sign a petition to drive him out.
That trick is no longer usable.
"Then what are you doing bringing so many people here?"
Xu Damao pointed at the workers: "Of course they're here to repair the house?"
Yi Zhonghai was taken aback, not understanding why they needed to repair the house when everything was fine.
You should know that Xu Damao's house has been uninhabited for several years.
Moreover, Xu Damao is living a perfectly good life outside, so there's no need to repair the house.
Yan Bugui's eyes lit up, and he asked tentatively, "You're renovating the house, are you planning to move back in?"
Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up immediately. He didn't like Xu Damao, but he wouldn't object if Xu Damao really moved back.
If Xu Damao moves back, he might bring other people with him.
He genuinely hoped that the number of people in the hospital would increase.
The more people there are, the more at ease he feels.
Otherwise, if they were truly wiped out, they wouldn't even be able to find someone to stand up for them.
Ideally, He Yuzhu should also move back to live here.
Xu Damao chuckled: "Why would I move back? Isn't there a rumor that this area is going to be demolished?"
I brought some people to repair the house. Once the demolition and relocation are finalized, I'll be able to get more compensation.
Yi Zhonghai immediately got angry again, so angry that he couldn't hold back.
"You're shameless. You're already so rich, yet you still try to take advantage of others."
Xu Damao retorted, "Look at what you're saying. This is a government regulation, and it has nothing to do with whether you have money or not."
The size of your house determines the amount of compensation you receive.
This is not called taking advantage.
This is what we ordinary people deserve.
If you think you're getting a good deal, then don't ask for compensation during the demolition process.
Yi Zhonghai did not want compensation because he did not want to move out.
But when it's time to move out, don't expect him to get a penny less in compensation.
Seeing Yi Zhonghai's predicament, Yan Bugui stepped forward to help him out.
"Da Mao, so the demolition is confirmed? Tell us, how exactly will the compensation be?"
Xu Damao shook his head: "How would I know?"
Yan Bugui didn't believe it: "I believe others when they say they don't know."
If you say you don't know, I won't believe you. Everyone knows you have a close relationship with the people in the district demolition office.
Many of their projects were done by your company.
Xu Damao cursed Yan Bugui inwardly for being cunning. His words had forced Xu Damao to lift up.
If Xu Damao said he didn't know, no one would believe him; if he said he did know, how could he scheme against the people in the institute?
"Yan Bugui, believe it or not."
To avoid unfair treatment for ordinary people, the government never discloses details about demolitions or compensation schemes. If I had inside information, I would have bought a house long ago and waited for the demolition.
Do you think you can still get a free ride?
The people in the courtyard were initially swayed by Yan Bugui's words, but after listening to Xu Damao's explanation, they found it made sense.
There have been quite a few demolitions in Beijing in the past two years, so they have some understanding of the situation.
"Da Mao, when do you think this area will be demolished?"
Xu Damao wouldn't give these people any ammunition: "Don't ask me, I don't know either."
I brought people to repair the house, partly to wait for the demolition and relocation compensation.
Secondly, our house has been uninhabited for too long, and if it's not repaired soon, it will really break down.
"Alright, everyone stop crowding around. I still need to take the workers to repair the house."
The crowd parted to make way for Xu Damao and his men to enter.
Xu Damao first arrived at the door of He Yuzhu's house, and then prepared to open the door.
Qin Huairu stepped forward and stopped him: "This is Sha Zhu's house. What are you doing in his house?"
Xu Damao said irritably, "Didn't I already say? I'm here to repair the house."
"Then you should repair your own house," Qin Huairu continued to object.
Qin Huairu knew, of course, that He Yuzhu had most likely asked Xu Damao to help repair the house.
She didn't want Xu Damao's help and hoped He Yuzhu would come by himself.
They preferred to scheme against He Yuzhu rather than Xu Damao.
Yi Zhonghai understood this as well, and stepped forward as well.
“Xu Damao, let me tell you, if Shazhu wants to fix the house, he can do it himself. Otherwise, he can forget about fixing the house.”
"Pah!" Xu Damao said without any politeness, "Who do you think you are, stopping us from repairing the house?"
I'll fix it today. Let's see who dares to stop me.
"You bastard!" Yi Zhonghai cursed angrily.
Besides cursing, he had no other tricks to deal with Xu Damao.
It's basically impossible to regain the same level of influence as before, where you could command a large following and exert pressure through the people in the compound.
The reason he could do that before was simply because his three uncles had a lot of influence.
The three old men are indeed still alive, but Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, like him, are now all alone.
Without the support of their children, the three old men alone could not possibly get support from others.
Xu Damao was not polite at all: "I'm warning you three old bastards, don't cause me any trouble."
Anyone who tries to cause me trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless.
After yelling at people, Xu Damao arranged for the workers to get to work. He said it was for repairing the house, but it didn't really require major repairs.
At most, we'll just look at the beams and check the roof tiles.
He Yuzhu's house has been uninhabited for a long time, and many of the roof tiles are indeed damaged.
After Xu Damao bought the materials, he had the workers start working.
Since it's a house renovation project, there's bound to be some shoddy work.
Such a large project attracted people in the courtyard to come and see it every day.
At first, no one was really interested, but seeing how enthusiastically Xu Damao was working, some of them couldn't resist anymore.
They went to Xu Damao every day to inquire about information, but all they got were ambiguous answers.
Upon hearing the news, the two brothers, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, also rushed back to the courtyard house.
"Brother Da Mao, do you need our help?"
Xu Damao shook his head: "No need, the workers have all been arranged. You all go about your business."
The two did not leave, but stayed with Xu Damao.
Later, having nothing else to do, I gathered some materials and prepared to repair Liu Haizhong's temporary house.
The two planned to move back and occupy the house so they could benefit from the demolition and redevelopment.
When the others in the courtyard saw that they had all started repairing the house, they became even more restless.
Soon, every household began to take action.
Xu Damao felt relieved when he saw that everyone was working together.
After that, he stopped coming to the courtyard house. (End of Chapter)