Chapter 62: The Old Mansion's Relatives Turn Against Each Other

  Shen Hua also rarely has weekends off.

  Although Tan Qiping arrived at Donghua today, he was accompanied by people from the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department. In the afternoon, he will attend an enlarged meeting of the Municipal Party Committee and meet with members of the Municipal Party Committee. Shen Hua cannot squeeze in, at least not without being a member of the Municipal Party Committee to have the qualifications to participate in the meeting.

  Tan Qiping's lover also followed Tan Qiping to Donghua this time for his new appointment.

  The municipal party committee office specially arranged for a deputy secretary villa to be vacated, in order to welcome the new municipal party secretary and no longer arrange for him to live in Nanyuan. Everything in the new residence was taken care of by Xiong Wenbin, who would soon take on the role of deputy secretary general of the standing committee.

  Shen Huai held onto his identity as a member of the Song family and was indeed busy with the steel factory, so he didn't participate in these matters.

  Made an appointment with Tan Qiping to meet up tonight, Shen Hua also rarely spent his weekend.

  In 1993, there was no formal labor law in China, and the so-called weekend only had one day off. At that time, everyone did not have the concept of double rest.

  Ran in the morning, helped Xiao Li with her homework for two hours, and time passed quickly.

  Chen Dan rushed back from the reception station at noon and came over to have lunch with Shen Huai and Xiao Li, without any estrangement due to last night's incident.

  Although it was a rest day, the electric arc furnace of the steel plant stopped smelting scrap steel - also due to insufficient production funds and power supply, which made the core production line of the steel plant have to be intermittently produced, resulting in great waste. However, the mechanical repair department and workshop were able to carry out more thorough maintenance and maintenance on the entire production line, so as to extend the service life of the production equipment as much as possible.

  After lunch, Shen Hua still ran back to the factory without being careful, and climbed onto the continuous casting section with Pan Cheng, the engineer on duty today, to check the condition of the equipment.

  A set of steelmaking facilities abroad, the depreciation period is usually only ten to fifteen years, but domestically, the foundation is thin and cannot withstand such a big toss, steel enterprises and factories attach great importance to equipment maintenance, all hoping to extend the service life as much as possible.

  Shen Hua is a technical expert and has a strong passion for technology. Although he always emphasizes the need to present himself as a manager, once on the job site, his true nature reveals itself.

  It seems that he has an aura of studying abroad, and he understands a lot and everything. Everyone naturally thinks it should be so, otherwise, wouldn't the legend say that returnees in big cities can get annual salaries of hundreds of thousands or even millions? Isn't that bragging?

  Climbing up to the work section, time flew by quickly. By 3 pm, Shen Hua thought that he still had to clean up and pack his things before rushing over to celebrate Tan Qiping's first day at Donghua.

  Shen Hua still doesn't know whether Tan Qiping accepts gifts or not, but it's hard to avoid social interactions.

  He thought of the old yellow poplar round carving that Shen Hua had brought back from France and asked him to move it to the old house together.

  That old yellow poplar carving is only about thirty centimeters high, and it's a carving of Maitreya Buddha. The shape is quite elegant, and from the perspective of craftsmanship, it's a rare masterpiece.

  This round carving, he is not clear about its value, was liked by Sun Yaoting, the first national capitalist in Donghua area before liberation and also Shen Huai's great-grandfather; later it was passed to Shen Huai's maternal grandmother who brought it with her when she married Shen Huai's maternal grandfather Shen Shan, and it was one of the relics left by Shen Huai's mother Shen Guixiu...

  Since he had changed souls, Shen Huai was just living with a new identity, and didn't have any special feelings towards the life of this body before. As for the Shen family - or more accurately, the Sun family, since Shen Huai's paternal grandparents, Shen Shan and his wife, had inherited part of the legacy after going overseas, but the whole family was still dominated by the Sun family descendants - he didn't have any special feelings either. Shen Huai thought that giving the old yellow rosewood carving to Tan Qiping as a gift for their new beginning would be suitable.

  Nor did he know where Shao Zheng learned the news. After Shen Hua arrived at the steel plant, he also rushed to the factory to be on duty, in case Shen Hua needed a car at any time.

  Shen Hua asked Shao Zheng to drive him back to his dorm first.

  Nor did I know where Chen Dan and the others went in the afternoon, the door was locked from the outside, no one could be seen, nor any dog. In this era, there were only a few mobile phones in Meixi Town, so it was impossible to contact anyone if you couldn't see them.

  Shen Hua changed his clothes and then had Shao Zheng drive him to the old mansion to look for that old yellow poplar round carving.

  Shen Hua told Shao Zheng to stop the car by the side of the road, and he walked down along a small path. Before reaching the old house, he heard Jinzi barking there, as if it had been kicked, and then whimpering.

  "You think you're so great just because you've got a mistress in town? You're still just a useless piece of trash who can't even lay an egg. Even hens can lay eggs, but you can't even produce a chick... and yet you're eating the food meant for others..."

  A shrill shout was heard from outside the green brick wall.

  Shen Huai was not unfamiliar with this voice, it was his aunt who was scolding and being severely reprimanded by Chen Dan. After Chen Dan married into the Sun family, her belly had been quiet for a long time, she was an infertile hen, which was probably the most unbearable thing for the rural family.

  If it weren't for the thought of Chen Dan taking away more than 20,000 yuan in betrothal gifts, his aunt would have driven Chen Dan out long ago, and Chen Dan wouldn't even need to mention divorce to her cousin.

  However, the marriage between Chen Dan and her cousin Sun Yong had long been in name only. Shen Huai didn't know what kind of trickery Chen Dan used to make his aunt so furious that she was scolding him loudly?

  Shen Huai walked forward, he couldn't bear to watch Chen Dan being bullied like this, even if the person bullying Chen Dan was his aunt.

  "The old house was left by Haiwen and Xiao Li's parents, it was divided before Haiwen's father passed away. When Haiwen was alive, you didn't even have the face to come and argue; after Haiwen died, it was only natural that the old house would be left to Xiao Li. You think you can openly take the old house now? Isn't this bullying people? Other families may use their power to bully outsiders, but you actually have the nerve to bully your own niece! Ask the neighbors around, what kind of reason is this?" Chen Dan obviously wouldn't let her mother-in-law's loud scolding get the upper hand, and countered with a sobbing complaint.

  Shen Huai listened to the commotion in the courtyard and also many neighbors who came over to watch the excitement.

  Shen Huai was also extremely disappointed with his uncle's family. In other people's families, brothers helped each other out, and even if one of the brothers died, they would still take care of the widow and orphaned children on this side. However, after Shen Huai's father passed away, his uncle only had one thing in mind - to occupy this old house.

  The old house is located on a small mound, surrounded by water on three sides. After the yard was built, only scattered fields were left in the mound, which was not enough to be allocated to the villagers, so it became their family's private land. Bamboo trees were planted, and many birds rested there, making it a unique landscape in the countryside. It is also close to the Xiaomei Highway, and the intersection is just a bus station, with convenient transportation.

  Although Shen Hua was not very satisfied with the municipal steel plant, in the eyes of his neighbors, he was also a cadre in the municipal steel plant. Everyone said that the Feng Shui here is good, and when he first moved out to build a new house elsewhere after the division of the family property, his eldest brother looked at his two sons who were not making progress and became even more envious of this place, thinking of taking back the old house to improve the Feng Shui for his own family.

  Before he "died", his uncle had made a big fuss about the house several times, to the point where they didn't get along; unexpectedly, as soon as he "died", his uncle's family wanted to take advantage of the situation and forcibly occupy the old house.

  "You're never at home, and you've disgraced the Sun family by running around outside all day. What nonsense are you spouting now?" A rough, deep voice also burst out in a loud scolding, which Shen Huan recognized as his uncle Sun Yuanguo's voice. "When Haiwen's father was poor back then, he couldn't even marry a wife. I, as the eldest son, took the initiative to move out. Regardless of whether I'm allowed to move out or not, this old house is half mine. You say that this house has Xiaolei's share, who hasn't said it isn't true? The neighbors on both sides are all here, who saw me say I wanted to drive Xiaolei away? Sun Yi is getting married, and there aren't enough rooms in the house. Taking two rooms from the old house as a wedding room, what's wrong with that? Are you saying that it would be reasonable for you to give the house away to someone else?"

  "It doesn't matter how you scold me, this house was rented out to others with their own money, and the village has also set up a written agreement. You can't just throw people's things away like that..." Chen Dan said.

  "Xiao Li has a steel factory to support herself, what's the point of being short of money? Besides, Xiao Li is not even an adult, if she wants to rent out the house, it's me, her uncle, who should be in charge. You don't even enter the Sun family's home anymore, how can you be in charge? They say the village has a written agreement, and the village branch secretary is here, show us the agreement, let's see if it's signed by Xiao Li or if you forged her signature..."

  Shen Huai suppressed the anger in his heart, pushed open the door and went inside. Chen Dan and Xiao Li were surrounded by a large group of people, including his uncle's family of four, who looked like they were about to swallow them whole. The furniture and appliances he had moved over earlier had already been taken out and thrown into the courtyard...

  The neighbors on both sides just stood by and watched the show without saying a word of justice.

  The Sun family is a big surname in the village of Sunjiaduan, and the village branch secretary, Sun Guangwu, is also from the same clan as his family. Three generations ago, they were still relatives, and in terms of seniority, he was one generation older than him, standing by with his hands clasped together.

  Shen Huai knew that his uncle had contracted the village brick kiln factory for many years and had a close relationship with Sun Wenwu, the village branch secretary. Sun Guangwu brought him over, obviously to pull strings.

  "This house is rented by me," Shen Huai stood at the gate, like a mountain blocking the way, looking at Chen Dan and Xiao Li bullying his uncle's family, with evil fire surging up in his heart, he asked coldly, "What happened here? Why are all the furniture and appliances I moved over thrown into the yard?"

  "You're the one renting," Sun Yong said, seeing Shen Huan stand up. Someone had mentioned that Chen Dan brought a young and pretty face over the other day, and he had been feeling uneasy about it. Now that he saw the person in question, and that face and outfit made him even more uncomfortable. He walked over with a raised eyebrow and said, "The person who rented this house to you before doesn't have the authority. You should go find whoever is in charge, anyway, this house is no longer for rent. Please move your things out."

  Shen Huai restrained himself from kicking his elder cousin Sun Yong in the face and instead looked coldly at his eldest uncle Sun Guangbin.

  "Sorry, sorry!" Chen Dan saw Shen Hua come out and felt both ashamed and guilty. She walked up to him and even the strong-willed her couldn't help but burst into tears, with clear teardrops rolling down, making her delicate face look even more pitiful.

  Her parents-in-law and husband rushed to the village branch, wanting to openly seize the property of their niece and younger sister - Chen Dan didn't have the face to explain all this to Shen Huai, her strong heart was also defeated at this moment; Little Li also followed with tears streaming down her face, feeling both wronged and distressed.

  Jinzi had just been kicked, and seeing Shen Hua hurry over, he quickly ran over to rub against his leg for comfort, which undoubtedly confirmed others' speculations about his relationship with Chen Dan.

  There were onlookers who couldn't help but mock and laugh out loud. Sun Yong stood up: "Look, your wife's little white face is much more spirited than you!"

  Chen Dan was so angry that her whole body was shaking, and Sun Yong's face also turned iron-gray in an instant. He looked at Shen Hua who was more robust than him, and didn't dare to confront Shen Hua, so he grabbed Chen Dan's hair and scolded: "You damn bitch, you're really something! You brought your lover back home! I'll beat you to death today, you damn thing!"

  Shen Hua stood on a very high step, two heads higher than Sun Yong, and kicked his foot towards Sun Yong's face, shouting: "Who the hell dares to fight and hit people, lawless and reckless?"

  Sun Yong really didn't dare to hit Chen Dan, he just fainted earlier and grabbed Chen Dan's hair, kicked Shen Hui in the face, fell backwards, and suddenly his nose started bleeding. He got up, retreated, touched his bloody nose: "He hit me, he killed me..."

  Sun Yuangu saw his eldest son being beaten and, in a fit of rage, rushed forward with his younger son to grab Shen Hua.

  Shao Zheng, who was originally waiting in the car, heard the commotion and rushed over.

  At this moment, seeing someone about to rush up and hit Shen Hua, Shao Zheng rushed out from the gate of the courtyard, blocked in front, kicked Sun Yuanguo's outer thigh with one foot, kicked him back three or four steps away, shouting: "You have eaten leopard gallbladder, dare to take action against Secretary Shen?"

  Shao Zheng was of medium build, but when he drank, his momentum was extremely strong. After all, he was a volunteer soldier who had returned from the army, with a dark face and a traditional military haircut, his body was very sturdy, and his angry gaze made him look more like an underworld figure than a bodyguard, instantly stunning those in the yard who wanted to help.

  The people in the courtyard were a bit dazed: what kind of secretary was this young man who hooked up with Chen Dan, this cunning fox who wouldn't give birth?

  At this time, Chen Tong suddenly appeared from somewhere, riding a bicycle. Seeing her sister's appearance, she threw the bike aside and rushed in, shouting: "Sister, which turtle grandson dared to hit you?"

  Chen Tong saw Sun Yong like that, and regardless of whether Sun Yong was his brother-in-law or not, he rushed up to grab Sun Yong and fight...

  "Chen Tong!" Chen Dan felt that she had lost all face in front of Shen Huan, and was heartbroken beyond words. She didn't want Chen Tong to make a big deal out of things, holding him back from fighting Sun Yong, nor did she want Shen Huan to witness the scene of Chen Tong beating up Sun Yong.