webnovelfull Chapter 176: Introducing Relatives to Everyone in the Courtyard
Chapter 176: Introducing Relatives to Everyone in the Courtyard
So Zhang Lei took the items directly to the subdistrict office and found Director Wang.
Director Wang frowned slightly when he saw Zhang Lei carrying things.
Zhang Lei quickly explained, "Director Wang, these things are game hunted by the Ye family in the mountains, not purchased."
Hearing Zhang Lei's explanation, Director Wang finally felt relieved.
Soon, Zhang Lei explained the matter of changing houses.
After hearing that the six households in the courtyard all agreed, Director Wang thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Alright, since they all agree, I have no objections either. I'll write you a certificate later, and you just need to have them sign it and submit it to me."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lei expressed his gratitude repeatedly and left happily with the certificate.
After another half day, Zhang Lei gave each of the six households an extra yuan for moving expenses.
The whole house-swapping thing was finally over.
Zhang Lei settled the house-swapping arrangement in just one day, leaving everyone in the courtyard speechless. Especially after Uncle Yan Bugui spread the word, everyone knew that three relatives had come to Zhang Lei's house, namely Zhang Lei's three brothers-in-law, and they were all incredibly curious.
However, since no one was familiar with the Ye family, they just watched from afar and no one dared to go up and talk to them.
The people in the courtyard were abuzz with discussion when they saw the six families who originally lived in the west wing and the east side house suddenly start moving their belongings.
"What happened? Why did they all move away all of a sudden?"
"Who knows? It looks like they swapped rooms with Zhang Lei."
"Changing houses? Where did Zhang Lei get so many houses?"
"Haven't you heard? It seems that Zhang Lei's older brother and his family are living in those rooms in the east wing of his house."
"Wow, three families of relatives came all at once, and Zhang Lei was able to arrange accommodation for them all. He's quite capable."
"That's right. I heard they've all been given jobs—steel rolling mills, textile factories, all good companies."
"She got both a job and a place sorted out in just one day? That's incredible!"
Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, finding it increasingly unbelievable.
When Zhang Lei found his first uncle Yi Zhonghai, second uncle Liu Haizhong, and third uncle Yan Bugui, all three were somewhat surprised.
Zhang Lei got straight to the point: "Old Yi, Old Liu, Old Yan, my three brothers-in-law have come to the city and will be settling down to work in our compound. Their houses have all been arranged. I was thinking of holding a general meeting tonight before everyone has eaten, so that everyone can get to know each other. I wanted to let you three managers know first."
Yi Zhonghai nodded: "Of course, I'll call everyone to gather in the courtyard in a bit."
Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was being so accommodating, Zhang Lei didn't hesitate and immediately took out three packs of cigarettes, handing one to each of them: "Then thank you all very much."
Yan Bugui, clutching his cigarette case, smiled so broadly his eyes narrowed into slits: "Zhang Lei, don't be so polite. You're now the 'Fourth Uncle' of our courtyard. From now on, if anything happens in the courtyard, we'll discuss it together."
Zhang Lei smiled and replied, "Alright, thank you all in advance. I'll bring them over later so they can meet everyone."
After saying that, Zhang Lei turned and left, leaving the three old men standing there with different expressions.
After Zhang Lei left, Liu Haizhong looked at the cigarette in his hand, a complicated expression on his face. He turned to Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui and said, "Old Yi, Old Yan, Zhang Lei has brought so many relatives this time. It seems that the structure of our compound is about to change."
Yi Zhonghai took a deep drag on his cigarette, his brow furrowed, and slowly said, "Yes, this kid is quite capable. He settled the job and the house in just one day, and even replaced the people in the west wing and the east wing. This kind of move is not something an ordinary person can do. From now on, I'm afraid no one in this courtyard will dare to mess with him easily."
Yan Bugui, while fiddling with his cigarette, squinted and said, "It's hard to say whether the power structure will change, but one thing is certain: Zhang Lei's family will definitely hold considerable influence in the courtyard from now on. Look, he brought gifts to the three of us as soon as he arrived. What does that mean? It means he knows the rules and is willing to integrate into our courtyard. However, it also means that it won't be so easy for us to have absolute authority in the courtyard from now on."
Liu Haizhong snorted somewhat unconvinced: "Hmph, no matter how important he is, he's a newcomer. We three masters have been running this place for so many years, are we afraid of him?"
Yi Zhonghai shook his head and said, "Old Liu, you can't say that. Zhang Lei is a shrewd and meticulous man. He has money and supplies, and so many relatives to help him. We really need to think twice before we do anything in the future."
Yan Bugui nodded and agreed, "Old Yi is right. We should try to avoid conflicts with him in the future. After all, having more friends means having more options, especially since he's such a capable friend."
The three men exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of seriousness in the other's eyes. They knew that from this day forward, this courtyard house would no longer be the place where the three of them, the three old men, held the reins.
If Zhang Lei knew what Yi Zhonghai and his men were thinking, he'd probably burst out laughing. He only told the three old men because he didn't want his three brothers-in-law to be stared at by the people in the courtyard as soon as they arrived, which would be embarrassing.
As for who was in charge in the courtyard house, Zhang Lei didn't care at all. With his current abilities and wealth, he really didn't lack anything. The reason he was still causing trouble in the courtyard house was simply because he was bored and wanted to find some fun to make his life a little more lively.
Soon, everyone from the courtyard was summoned to the central courtyard. Zhang Lei also arrived with his entire family. As everyone looked at the four elderly men sitting at the table, Yi Zhonghai stood up first and said, "I've called everyone here today because Uncle Zhang Lei's relatives are visiting, and he'd like to introduce them to you all."
After Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, he looked at Zhang Lei. Zhang Lei stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to everyone, and said, "As you all probably know today, my relatives are coming to the courtyard house. I won't say anything more; let me introduce them to you now."
As he spoke, he called over his three brothers-in-law and three sisters-in-law and introduced them one by one. The crowd looked at the three families and more than a dozen people who had suddenly appeared, and their expressions varied. Some were happy, some were calm, some were jealous, and some were disdainful, but on the surface they all gave Zhang Lei, the "Fourth Uncle," some face and said "Welcome, welcome."
Zhang Lei glanced at the table and gestured to Ye Mingyu, who was standing to the side. Soon, Ye Mingyu, along with Ye Mingxuan and several other children, came over carrying three plates filled with candy and melon seeds. Zhang Lei said, "These are a small gift from my three older brothers to you all. Please have a taste."
Upon seeing the candy and melon seeds, everyone rushed forward, grabbing a handful and stuffing them into their pockets. The whole process proceeded smoothly, except for Qin Huairu in the corner, who, lost in thought, kept staring at Zhang Lei the entire time.
After meeting with the people in the courtyard, Zhang Lei led his entire family back to the back house. The house felt unusually crowded now, as there were now seventeen people instead of the original four.