My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 212: The Liu and Yan Families Eat Away the Yi Family's Extinction

When Zhang Lei returned home, he told his family about the passing of the deaf old lady in the front yard, and everyone couldn't help but sigh with sorrow.

Zhang Lei instructed the three Ye sisters not to go to the front yard to avoid getting bad luck, and the three sisters nodded in agreement.

However, Zhang Lei's three brothers-in-law felt it would be inappropriate not to help since they had just arrived in the yard, so they followed Zhang Lei to the front yard to lend a hand.

As soon as Zhang Lei arrived at the front yard, he saw Uncle Yan Fugui talking to Auntie. He walked over and overheard Yan Fugui speaking to Auntie.

"Auntie, the old lady has passed away. Don't you think you should contribute some of the money for the wedding banquet?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Cuilan, an older woman, immediately felt displeased.

Yan Fugui then added, "Auntie, think about it. The deaf old lady always treated you and Yi Zhonghai like her own son and daughter. Her life wasn't easy. If she passed away without even a decent banquet, how could she rest in peace? Besides, didn't you always take care of her like your own mother?"

Hearing Yan Fugui's words, the middle-aged woman Liu Cuilan was at a loss, and hesitantly asked in a low voice, "Then...how much will this cost?"

Seeing that Liu Cuilan was willing to pay, Yan Fugui immediately smiled and said, "Don't worry, it won't cost much. All the people in our courtyard can fill ten tables. Each table costs fifteen yuan, so you only need to pay one hundred and fifty yuan. Old Liu and I will arrange for the people in the courtyard to contribute the rest."

Upon hearing that she had to pay 150 yuan, the middle-aged woman, Liu Cuilan, immediately frowned and said, "Why so much?"

Liu Haizhong, who was standing nearby, immediately stepped forward and said, "Auntie, this is not too much at all. Think about it, there are so many people in our yard, ten tables would be the minimum, and that doesn't even include the children. If you include the children, there would definitely be a few more tables."

Liu Haizhong continued, "Besides, you don't need to worry about anything else. Leave the rest to me and Uncle San. Think about it, as one of the older women in the courtyard, if Yi Zhonghai were still here, he would definitely take care of everything for the old lady's funeral arrangements, wouldn't you agree?"

Listening to Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui's words, Liu Cuilan was at a loss.

After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said, "Okay, we'll do it your way. I'll go back and get the money later."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui were overjoyed to see that the older woman, Liu Cuilan, was willing to pay. However, they did not dare to show it on their faces.

Neither of them dared to show any joy on their faces. Instead, they nodded solemnly to Liu Cuilan. Liu Haizhong even pretended to remind her, "Take your time to get it. No rush. Old Yan and I will keep an eye on things and make sure it's handled perfectly so the old lady can leave this world with dignity."

Yan Fugui chimed in, "Yes, ma'am, don't worry, we'll make sure the banquet is reasonably priced and doesn't waste a single penny."

After listening to the two men's attempt to deceive Liu Cuilan, Zhang Lei stopped her as she was about to leave and said, "Auntie, give me this money. I'll take care of buying the groceries; after all, I'm a purchasing agent, and I'm an expert at this."

Upon hearing Zhang Lei's words, Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui were both taken aback.

Yan Fugui cursed Zhang Lei in his heart for being shameless. He had originally wanted to deduct a little more from the money for buying groceries, but Zhang Lei had intercepted it.

Seeing the two men looking as if they were constipated, Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, I've always felt bad about the passing of the deaf old lady. This is the last thing I can do for her."

As he spoke, he followed Liu Cuilan toward the Yi family's house.

As soon as he entered the house, Zhang Lei closed the door, a move that startled Liu Cuilan, an older woman.

Liu Cuilan looked at Zhang Lei and said, "Zhang Lei, what are you trying to do?"

Zhang Lei looked outside to make sure no one was there, then said, "Don't worry, ma'am, I mean no harm."

Liu Cuilan looked at Zhang Lei and said, "Then why did you close the door?"

Zhang Lei looked at the middle-aged woman, Liu Cuilan, and said, "Auntie, you saw what happened just now, right?"

Liu Cuilan asked疑惑地, "What did you see?"

Zhang Lei looked at the older woman and said with a smile, "Auntie, you've been following Uncle for so long, how could you not see through Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui's shady dealings? They're trying to take advantage of us."

Upon hearing Zhang Lei's words, the middle-aged woman's eyes widened immediately. Recalling what had just happened, she said angrily, "You mean those two old bastards, Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui, did it on purpose?"

Zhang Lei nodded and said, "Of course. Think about it, the neighborhood committee will definitely take care of all the deaf old lady's affairs, after all, she's a recipient of the 'Five Guarantees' (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly). But why would they insist on making you pay? Isn't that just deliberately morally blackmailing you?"

Hearing Zhang Lei's words, the middle-aged woman Liu Cuilan felt a chill run down her spine and panicked, "What... what should I do?"

She started crying as she spoke, "How could they, how could they do this!"

Zhang Lei looked at her and said, "Auntie, how could they not act like this? Think about it, how many good people are there in this courtyard? Before, when your husband Yi Zhonghai was around, they didn't say anything. When the deaf old lady was around, they didn't dare to act recklessly. But are those two people still in the courtyard? Your husband Yi Zhonghai has been sentenced to three years in prison, the deaf old lady has passed away, and you are all alone now. What do you think the others in the courtyard will do?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Cuilan immediately stopped crying and stared intently at Zhang Lei. She had witnessed many cases of exploiting the families of the deceased in the courtyard house. Yi Zhonghai had previously joined forces with Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui to do such a thing for the Jia family. Thinking of the tragic ends of those people, a chill ran down her spine.

She grabbed Zhang Lei's hand and said, "Zhang Lei, tell me, what should I do?"

Seeing that the older woman was wavering, Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Auntie, this is easy to handle."

At this point, Zhang Lei suddenly fell silent. The older woman asked, somewhat puzzled, "Zhang Lei, why are you suddenly quiet?"

Zhang Lei looked at the older woman and said, "Auntie, my idea is that you should leave the courtyard house."

Upon hearing "leave the courtyard house," the middle-aged woman quickly shook her head: "No, no, where would I go if I left the courtyard house? What will Old Yi do if he finds out I'm gone?"

Zhang Lei looked at the middle-aged woman who was still thinking about Yi Zhonghai and said with a smile, "Auntie, think about it, what can Yi Zhonghai do when he gets out? Three years have passed. What abilities can someone who has been to prison still have? Besides, he's so old. Do you think your lives will be better after he gets out?"

The older woman looked at Zhang Lei, muttering repeatedly, "But, but..." but couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Zhang Lei pressed on, saying, "I know you and Yi Zhonghai were husband and wife, and you're reluctant to part ways, but you also have to think about your future."