Chapter Nineteen: Wishful Thinking

Yang Yuangui went straight to the central courtyard, heading first to Liang Zhengde’s home.

"Old Yang, what brings you here so late?" Liang Zhengde had just finished dinner with his family and was surprised to see Yang.

"There’s a major matter in our courtyard!" Yang said.

"What major matter?" Liang wondered what could possibly involve him, and if it were truly significant, shouldn't it be reported to the neighborhood office?

Yang gave them a brief account of what had happened to Tan Yuhua earlier that day. "Let's call Old Liu and go to their place right now to set them straight." Liang, also feeling that trouble-makers needed to be dealt with firmly, agreed.

The two then went to find Liu Lin, who also lived in the central courtyard. Liu, who had no patience for rebellious youngsters, followed them to Su Dawei’s door without a word and knocked.

Soon, a voice came from inside. "Who is it?"

"I’m a resident from the central courtyard, surnamed Liang. I just wanted to come by and welcome our new neighbors," Liang said politely.

As expected, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman. "Hello, please come in and sit." Qin Jiuhong was quite courteous to the new arrivals.

"Hello, I am Liang Zhengde, group leader of the sixteenth team in the sixth workshop of the machinery factory." Once inside, Liang sat down next to Su Dawei.

"Brother, so you’re also from the machinery factory… here…" Su Dawei reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes, but before he could offer them, he was stunned into silence by the words of the other man.

"My name is Liu Lin. We’ve come to your home to explain the rules of this courtyard," Liu said bluntly.

Rules? Su Dawei retracted his hand and exchanged a glance with Qin Jiuhong.

"And who might this comrade be?" Qin asked, ignoring the talk of rules to address the man who had yet to speak.

The man looked refined, wearing glasses on the bridge of his nose; he looked like a teacher. "My name is Yang Yuangui, and I am Tan Yuhua’s husband," he said.

"Nice to meet you, Comrade Yang. May I ask what rules you are referring to?" Qin asked. She realized immediately why they were there—Tan Yuhua must have been whispering in her husband's ear all afternoon. She didn't know what the woman had said, but the demeanor of these three men suggested they were not to be trifled with.

"Comrade Qin, Comrade Su, you’ve just moved in today. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask!" Liang said, then added, "However, nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards..."

Before he could finish, Su Dawei interrupted: "Wait, Old Liang, may I ask a presumptuous question?"

"Go ahead," Liang said, though he felt a bit annoyed.

"You mentioned that if we need help, we should ask. If we run out of grain, can we come to your place for a meal?"

"..." Liang was speechless. He thought to himself, *So you know it’s a presumptuous question!* Fortunately, he was quick-witted. "Old Su, our country is facing a shortage of supplies. It’s not easy for anyone."

"Oh, I see. Then, would the three of you mind telling us what these courtyard rules are?" Su asked lazily.

At that moment, Su Yanchu, having heard the commotion, emerged from her room and leaned against the wall, watching silently.

"There are no special rules, really. First, we must respect the elderly and cherish the young," Liang said.

"Respecting the elderly and cherishing the young is a traditional virtue of our country. That is only right," Su Dawei thought, *The real show must be coming next.* Seeing Su so agreeable, Liang began to doubt Yang’s claim that this family were troublemakers.

"Second, neighbors must be united and help each other," Liang continued.

"We are all neighbors; mutual assistance is expected," Su agreed.

"Third," Liang said, emboldened by the first two easy agreements, "there are many people in this courtyard. If anything happens, you must consult our opinion first, so we don't have to trouble the neighborhood office!"

"Why?"

Su Yanchu had been listening for a while. The first two points were fine, but the third made her want to laugh. They were just neighbors living in the same courtyard; why should she listen to them? These three men held no official position or authority over the housing complex. If not for the reality of the situation, she would have thought she had walked into a fanfiction of some TV drama.

"May I ask, are you three from the neighborhood office? Can you really handle all the various chores in the courtyard? Can you make decisions on all matters, big and small?" Su Yanchu countered with several questions.

"We only want to help our neighbors resolve minor issues enthusiastically. If we handle these small things, it saves the neighborhood office a lot of trouble," Liang explained, looking slightly bewildered by her questions. "If you don't have any problems, you don't have to come to us!"

"Fine," Su Yanchu said.

"We are talking to your parents. Why is a young girl like you interrupting?" Liu Lin scolded.

"Whatever my daughter says is what I intend to say," Su Dawei said quietly.

"Is there anything else?" Qin Jiuhong glanced at them coolly.

"No, that’s all for now," said Yang Yuangui, who had remained silent until now. He felt sure they had conceded and that the family would be under his and Liang's thumb from now on.

"I think, whether it's a minor or major issue, we should still go to the neighborhood office," Qin said, pulling out her work ID from the Jiaodaokou Neighborhood Office, which she had just obtained that day.

As Qin presented the ID, Yang and Liang stared at it intently. The first line read: Name: Qin Jiuhong, next to a photo with an official seal; the second line read: Workplace: Caihua Neighborhood Office; the third line read: Title: Officer. Below that was the date of issuance.

"Handling miscellaneous affairs for neighbors is my duty," Qin said. "You don't need to worry about troubling me!"

The moment he saw the ID, Liang felt his face burn with shame. He turned and glared fiercely at Yang Yuangui. *He hadn't even bothered to verify the person's identity before dragging him here to spout nonsense!* Yang was equally embarrassed, cursing his wife in his heart.

Qin, Su Dawei, and Su Yanchu watched in silence as the trio's faces shifted from red to green, then to pale white.

"So you are an officer from the neighborhood office!" Liang was the first to recover. He smiled obsequiously at Qin and said, "We will certainly cooperate fully with your work in the future."