Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1000: Jia Zhangshi also switched sides at the last minute.

Gu Nan almost laughed, a faint smile playing on his lips—he'd only come out to watch the show, never expecting the fire to spread to him. He raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on Yan Bugui, his tone playful: "Oh? From what you're saying, Second Uncle, it seems all of today's events are my fault?"

Xu Damao listened with trepidation. He had actually agreed with Yan Bugui's implicit references to Gu Nan, but he wouldn't dare to respond. He knew all too well that in the steel mill, Gu Nan could crush him as easily as crushing an ant; his livelihood was still in Gu Nan's hands.

He quickly stepped forward, forcing a smile as he tried to smooth things over: "Second Uncle, what are you saying! When the incident happened at the movie theater, it was clearly some shady characters causing trouble, it had nothing to do with Director Gu! If it weren't for Director Gu stepping in to settle things, I would have been arrested and imprisoned!"

Yan Bugui was taken aback by his words—just now at Liu Haizhong's house, Xu Damao had complained to him about Gu Nan bullying others, how could he change his tune so quickly? After a moment's thought, he understood. Gu Nan was the deputy factory director, and Xu Damao, a projectionist, wouldn't dare to offend his superior. This kid was indeed a weather vane, always swaying with the wind.

Yan Bugui was seething with anger and wanted to say something more, but Gu Nan laughed first. The laughter wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable aura. He had originally thought that if it only involved Xu Damao, he would be happy to watch the show, but now that he had been dragged into it, this matter couldn't just be left like this.

Gu Nan took a half step forward, looking at Yan Bugui with clear eyes: "Second Uncle, wasn't what you just said a bit off? That day, they were the ones who came to the factory gate with their weapons, blocking it and trying to cause me trouble. How do you know I offended them?" He paused, his tone suddenly becoming more serious, "Besides, do bad people in this world need a reason to do what they want? If they want to cause trouble, even if I behave myself, they will still come."

That statement actually made perfect sense. If any other person in the neighborhood had said it, the neighbors would have been clashing with dissenting opinions. But the person speaking was Gu Nan—the deputy director of the steel rolling mill, who held the livelihoods of many people in his hands. Nobody wanted to offend him over such a trivial argument.

The courtyard quieted down considerably instantly, even the usually nosy Third Uncle stroked his beard and remained silent. Yan Bugui opened his mouth, wanting to retort but unable to find the right words, and finally could only snort dejectedly and turn his face away—in the end, he was still under someone else's roof and had no choice but to bow his head.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi stiffened her neck, her anger flared up instantly, and her voice rose eight octaves as she shrieked, "If you ask me, it's all because of Gu Nan! If he hadn't provoked those shady characters, would I have gotten shot for no reason? My butt is still swollen, and it hurts every time I move!"

She was about to continue berating Gu Nan, spitting as she spoke, when Qin Huairu quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, saying in a low voice, "Alright, Mom, stop talking! We haven't settled the score with Xu Damao yet, let's go talk to him first. Gu Nan... he's someone we can't afford to offend. I still want to work at the factory, I can't lose my job because of this, can I?"

Jia Zhangshi was taken aback, her anger simmering with nowhere to vent. She glared at Qin Huairu for a long time, her cheeks puffed out, before finally letting out a resentful snort: "Fine, fine, I know he's the deputy factory director. I won't say anything more, okay? Just consider it my bad luck!"

Seeing that the surrounding neighbors were all keeping their heads down and remaining silent, clearly not wanting to get involved in this mess, Yan Bugui's eyes darted around. He took two steps forward, a fake smile plastered on his face, and looked at Gu Nan: "Deputy Factory Director Gu, that's true, but this whole thing started because of the dispute between you and Xu Damao. Jia's sister-in-law was indeed wronged by being shot, and she's still injured. Don't you two have anything to say? You can't just let her suffer like this for nothing, can you?"

As he spoke, he secretly gave Jia Zhangshi a wink—the meaning couldn't be clearer: she had to make a scene herself, the bigger the better, and ideally get Xu Damao and Gu Nan to pay some compensation. He could then chime in from the sidelines and maybe even get some benefit from it.

Seeing Yan Bugui's signal, Jia Zhangshi immediately perked up, rolled up her sleeves, and was about to rush forward, shouting, "That's right! Why should I get shot for nothing!" Qin Huairu, seeing this, quickly grabbed her tightly, sweating profusely, "Mom, let's talk this out! You have to think this through! Gu Nan is the deputy factory director, and so many people in the factory are watching him. If we really offend him, I'm afraid I'll lose my job. How will we manage then? Banggeng is still waiting to pay his tuition!"

Madam Jia abruptly shook off her hand, a smug look on her face. She patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, I'm not stupid! I know what to say, it can't be wrong!"

After saying that, she rushed to the middle of the courtyard, stood firmly, put her hands on her hips, and looked like a fighting rooster. Liu Haizhong, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh, thinking that Jia Zhangshi had finally figured things out, and quickly chimed in, "Sister-in-law Jia, if you have any grievances, just say them, don't be afraid! Today's courtyard meeting is to settle things, and Old Yan and I will stand up for you!"

To everyone's surprise, Madam Jia didn't even glance at Gu Nan. Instead, her eyes widened and she stared directly at Xu Damao, who was standing in the corner. Her voice was even shriller than before: "Xu Damao! This is all your fault! Who doesn't have a few enemies? But if you hadn't insisted on showing that lousy movie in the yard, attracting so many random people, would this have happened? You have to pay for my shot and all the things that were smashed in the yard! If you don't pay, I'm not done with you!"

Upon hearing this, not only was Xu Damao stunned, his mouth agape for a long time, but Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong were also dumbfounded—this was completely different from what they had planned! Shouldn't they be picking a fight with Gu Nan and making him bleed? Why did the focus suddenly shift to Xu Damao? Yan Bugui frantically tried to signal to Jia Zhangshi from behind, winking and making faces, but she seemed not to see it, single-mindedly focused on competing with Xu Damao, spitting all over his face.

Jia Zhangshi knew that she had no choice but to retaliate against Xu Damao, because offending Gu Nan would be really bad, so she was being very obedient.

Yan Bugui was also anxious, but he didn't know why Jia Zhangshi was acting this way. Shouldn't she be firing at Gu Nan?