Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

Chapter 218 Sha Zhu and Xu Damao are missing?

At this dead of night and chilly moment, the entire courtyard seemed to be shrouded in a veil of tranquility. However, Sha Zhu's home presented a completely different scene - a mess.

The dim light flickered in the house. Several men were lying on the ground due to alcoholism, as if their souls had been taken away and they were lifeless.

The air was filled with a strong, pungent smell of alcohol, which intertwined with the smell of food and hit us like a surging tide, making people want to vomit and choking everyone who stepped into the room to cough uncontrollably.

The third aunt waited for a long time at home, watching the clock approaching midnight mercilessly. Her husband went to Sha Zhu's house in the afternoon and disappeared without a trace. She was filled with anxiety and anger, pacing hurriedly in the small space of the house, and her footsteps seemed to be a vent for her inner irritability.

As she paced, she kept complaining, "This damn old man, he only knows how to drink when he goes out, and never comes back. He's not afraid of getting drunk, and he doesn't care that there are people waiting for him at home. He just eats and drinks with others outside all day, and gets drunk. Does he still have this family in his heart?"

In a rage, she hurriedly put on her coat with a determined look, and decided to go to Sha Zhu's house in person to find him.

Coincidentally, Aunt One and Aunt Two are also in the same predicament.

As soon as the first aunt stepped out of the door, she bumped into the second aunt who came hurriedly. The two looked at each other, and both read helplessness and bitterness in each other's eyes. They could only smile bitterly at each other.

That smile was full of helplessness towards her husband, as well as a kind of self-mockery towards this similar situation. "My husband is the same. It's been so long, and she's still nowhere to be found. It really makes me worried."

The second aunt complained helplessly, with a hint of fatigue and anxiety in her voice.

"That's right, we have to go and have a look."

The aunt agreed, and the two of them walked together, hurriedly walking towards Sha Zhu's house in a hurry.

A moment later, the third aunt also rushed to Sha Zhu's house.

As soon as she pushed the door open, the strong and pungent smell of alcohol mixed with the smell of food hit her in the face. She subconsciously raised her hands to cover her mouth and nose, but she was still choked and coughed continuously.

The scene inside the house was even more shocking. It was in a mess, with tables and chairs toppled over, as if it had been through a fierce battle.

Several men lay unconscious on the ground, as if their bones and muscles had been pulled out.

The third aunt saw her husband curled up in the corner, and her brows immediately frowned, forming a deep "川" shape. The wrinkles on her face seemed to be filled with dissatisfaction and worry about her husband.

She took two steps at a time and walked forward quickly, pushing Yan Bugui hard, scolding him non-stop: "You damned bastard, you've drunk so much, do you still have this family in your heart? All you do is eat and drink with others outside all day, getting drunk as a dregs."

But Yan Bugui just hummed and made a few unclear sounds without even raising his eyelids. He was still intoxicated in the alcohol and had no reaction to the scolding from the third aunt, as if he was in another world.

When the second aunt saw Liu Haizhong's miserable appearance, she was both angry and anxious.

She walked quickly to Liu Haizhong's side and watched her husband collapse on the ground in a disgraceful manner. The anger in her heart suddenly rose up.

She kicked him hard, with a hint of anger and helplessness in that kick, and said in a disappointed tone, "Look at you, you drink without restraint every time, just like a child who has not grown up. If something bad happens to you from drinking, how are we going to live?"

Liu Haizhong didn't react at all, as if he didn't hear anything. He just slept soundly and snored loudly. The snoring echoed in the silent house, making it seem that he was deeply intoxicated. He turned a deaf ear to the scolding from the second aunt, as if the second aunt's voice was just a tiny noise in this noisy world.

An old lady hurriedly squatted down, looking concerned and anxious, and carefully checked Yi Zhonghai's condition.

Yi Zhonghai still had a faint consciousness. He opened his eyes dazedly and saw the old lady. He mumbled incoherently: "I'm fine. I just drank a little too much. Don't worry."

The voice was as weak as a candle in the wind and could go out at any time.

The aunt was distressed and angry, and scolded him angrily: "You still say it's okay, but you've drunk so much. You don't even consider your age. How can your body withstand such a torment? Can't you think about your own health?"

The third aunt stood up, looked around, and complained with an unhappy face: "This idiot Zhu's house is as messy as a pigsty. How much dirty water did they drink? Look at the ground, there are wine bottles thrown everywhere, like a wine cellar. The smell is so suffocating that it can kill people."

Her eyes revealed disgust and dissatisfaction with the chaotic scene.

The second aunt also nodded and agreed, "That's right, the smell is very pungent. If you stay here for a long time, you will have a severe headache."

She frowned and fanned her nose with her hands, trying to dispel the unpleasant smell, but the smell followed her like a shadow and could not be driven away.

The third aunt fanned her nose with her hands and said, "Let's find a way to wake them up and find out what's going on."

After saying that, several middle-aged women immediately became busy, like a group of ants on a hot pan.

They slapped their cheeks hard, and the crisp sounds of the slaps echoed in the house, but failed to wake up the intoxicated men. They shouted at the top of their lungs, and their voices traveled far in the silent night, but the effect was minimal.

Yan Bugui was mumbling something in a daze. Suddenly, he felt a strong nausea and vomited all over the place with a loud "wow". The filth flew everywhere and even splashed onto the shoes of the third aunt.

The third aunt was furious and stamped her feet: "You old thing, you are always causing trouble for me, wait and see how I will deal with you when I get back."

Her face turned red, and her eyes were full of anger and helplessness, as if at this moment, all her patience was exhausted by this sudden situation.

The second aunt looked at the chaotic scene and said to the first aunt helplessly, "We are really suffering, having so many drunk men. First aunt, your old Yi usually looks quite stable, how come he has become like this after drinking?"

There was a hint of doubt and confusion in her voice, as if she was surprised that the usually steady Yi Zhonghai had fallen into such a situation.

The auntie helped Yi Zhonghai wipe the stains from his mouth with concern, and replied helplessly: "It's because he got along with them and was led astray. These men, once they get together and drink, they lose their composure and forget about anything else."

There was a hint of helplessness in her eyes. Although she had resentment in her heart, her love and care for her husband were still revealed in her unintentional actions and eyes.

At this time, Yi Zhonghai became a little more sober, and with the help of an old lady, he sat up with difficulty.

Yi Zhonghai's eyes were filled with confusion and chaos. He tried hard to focus his vision, but he could only see blurry light and shadows in front of him.

The trace of consciousness that had just been restored was swaying like a candle in the wind, and it was difficult for him to ask: "Where am I...?"

His voice was hoarse and weak, as if it was a breath squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of his throat.

The lady came closer to him and said in a louder voice, "You are drunk and at Shazhu's house."

Yi Zhonghai seemed to be trying hard to capture that distant and vague memory. When he heard the words "Shazhu's family", his brows furrowed slightly, as if something was slowly awakening deep in his mind.

After a while, he seemed to have finally caught a thread of thought from the thick fog of alcohol, and slowly said: "Oh... yes, I was drinking with Sha Zhu and the others."

As he spoke, his body swayed slightly and he tried to stand up on his own, but he found that his legs were too weak to support his body weight.

He had no choice but to lean on the lady again, and then asked: "Where are Xu Damao and Shazhu?"

An old lady was originally concentrating on supporting Yi Zhonghai. When she heard this question, she was stunned at first, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.

Then, as if she was suddenly enlightened, she turned to look at the second and third aunties and said, "Oh, yes, why are these two protagonists nowhere to be seen? We were so busy taking care of these drunkards that we forgot about them."

Upon hearing this, the second and third aunts also stopped what they were doing and a look of sudden enlightenment appeared on their faces.

The third aunt opened her eyes wide, with a hint of panic in her eyes, and said anxiously: "We are looking for them too. Everyone in the room is drunk, but they are missing. I hope nothing happens to them. It's the middle of the night, in the dark, where can they go?"

As she spoke, she looked around the room, as if hoping to find Sha Zhu and Xu Damao in some corner.

The second aunt also echoed, her face full of worry: "Yeah, these two guys always like to have little quarrels. Could it be that they drank too much and had another argument? If they really fight, how will it end?"

There was obvious worry in her voice and she paced back and forth in the room unconsciously.

The lady struggled to help Yi Zhonghai up while thinking, "Let's get these guys back first. We can't stay at this idiot Zhu's house. It's too noisy and the smell of alcohol is overwhelming. Old Yi can't afford to stay here any longer."

The second and third aunts nodded, and the second aunt went home to ask her son to come and move Liu Haizhong. There was a hint of urgency in her voice: "Guangtian, Guangfu, the two of you, stop dawdling and get your dad home quickly. This matter is not over yet. We have to go find Shazhu and Xu Damao."

The third aunt continued to complain about her husband's faults, but her eyes could not hide her worry about the whereabouts of Sha Zhu and Xu Damao: "My old man just knows how to join in the fun. Now he can't be found. When he wakes up, I will see how I will settle the score with him."

After a while, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu hurried over.

Liu Guangtian looked at his drunk father lying on the ground, frowning and complaining with disgust: "Dad is drunk again. He is always like this, without restraint. It really makes me worry."

Liu Guangfu echoed: "That's right, let's take him back quickly. The ground is so cold. If he keeps lying like this, he will definitely get sick from the cold."

As they spoke, the two men walked forward and tried hard to lift the arm in his bangs, trying to help him stand up.

But Liu Haizhong was so drunk that he was like a puddle of mud that couldn't be supported against the wall. His body was limp and powerless and he kept falling down.

The two brothers gritted their teeth and used all their strength to barely keep him steady.

The third aunt was no exception. After her children received the call, Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang rushed over quickly.

Yan Jiecheng looked at his father Yan Bugui's miserable appearance and sighed helplessly: "Dad, you drank too much. The family is waiting for you. Can't you drink less?"

Yan Jiefang squatted down and wanted to carry his father on his back without hesitation: "Come on, brothers, work harder and bring Dad home. Our dad's body can't stand such torture."

Yan Jiekuang hurriedly came to help support Yan Bugui's legs, and they worked together and struggled to move Yan Bugui slowly towards home.

Along the way, Yan Bugui mumbled some incomprehensible words, sometimes grinning, sometimes frowning, looking very funny, which made his sons angry and amused, but they could do nothing about it.

The aunt could only support Yi Zhonghai alone and walk home step by step with difficulty.

Yi Zhonghai's body was shaking and his steps were unsteady, as if a gust of wind could blow him down.

An old lady held his arm tightly, using all her strength to support his body, her forehead already covered with fine beads of sweat.

Along the way, Yi Zhonghai would occasionally sober up for a moment. When he saw the old lady struggling, a trace of guilt would flash across his eyes, but it would soon be overwhelmed by the surging alcohol.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but only made some unclear sounds.

The aunt felt mixed emotions as she thought of her and Yi Zhonghai's miserable old age without children. She then looked at her drunken husband in front of her and tears welled up in her eyes.

She tried hard not to let her tears fall, and just silently quickened her pace, hoping in her heart that she could bring Yi Zhonghai home as soon as possible and let this tiring and long night pass quickly.

As Yi Zhonghai was supported by an old lady and slowly walked home, he was still mumbling incoherently: "Shazhu...Xu Damao...these two kids..."

The lady sighed helplessly: "Don't worry about it, just take care of yourself first. How can your body withstand drinking like this? You are so old, but you still drink so much like a young person. It really makes me worry."

Yi Zhonghai seemed not to hear what the aunt said, and continued to talk to himself: "Shazhu looks careless, but don't let others scheme against him... Xu Damao is a cunning guy..."

The aunt could only support him and move slowly, while silently praying in her heart that nothing serious would happen to Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, otherwise this peaceful courtyard would be in big trouble.

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