Chapter 5: The Stick-Pronged Chicken Thief Receives a Divine Needle Lesson in Return

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Qin Huai Ru was startled and quickly stopped them.
“Mom! Don’t lose your mind! Isn’t today chaotic enough already?”
She lowered her voice, extremely anxious.
“Everyone in the courtyard is watching. If you bring Bang Geng again to snatch things, what will become of the Jia family’s reputation?”
“Reputation? Can reputation fill an empty stomach?”
Mrs. Jia Zhang’s eyes nearly turned green with envy as the rich aroma of meat kept invading her nostrils, making her heart tremble with desire.
“I don’t care! My grandson must eat meat! No one can stop him! That Chen Mo is just a little beast—why should he eat so well? That money was supposed to be ours in the first place!”
Bang Geng jumped around beside her, shouting, “I want to eat meat! I want to eat meat! Grandma, let’s go get some!”
Since childhood, this kid had been spoiled by Mrs. Jia Zhang and Qin Huai Ru, running wild without discipline. He was used to stealing and sneaking around the courtyard, thinking taking from others was no different from taking from his own home.
Especially from Chen Mo’s family. When Chen Mo used to be sick, Bang Geng often pilfered things from his house and was never caught.
In his mind, taking some meat from Chen Mo’s house was perfectly justified.
Qin Huai Ru looked at the old woman and the child, feeling overwhelmed.
She knew Mrs. Jia Zhang was like a tough piece of meat, impossible to reason with.
But she also knew that Chen Mo was no longer the weakling he once was.
The memory of what happened to Shazhu today was still vivid; she didn’t want her own son to suffer the same fate.
“Mom, listen to me,”
Qin Huai Ru pulled Mrs. Jia Zhang closer and softened her tone,
“Think about it—Chen Mo now dares to provoke even the eldest uncle and Shazhu. Do you think he’s afraid of you?
If you take Bang Geng there and Chen Mo hits back, what then? Bang Geng is so young; how can he take a slap from him?”
This finally calmed Mrs. Jia Zhang a little. She touched her still aching face, feeling a bit intimidated.
That slap from Chen Mo today had truly stunned her.
“Then… what do we do? Just smell the aroma and watch him eat?” Mrs. Jia Zhang said reluctantly.
Qin Huai Ru’s eyes flickered as an idea formed in her mind.
Forcibly snatching was definitely impossible, but they could be clever about it.
She pulled Mrs. Jia Zhang and Bang Geng aside, lowering her voice: “Mom, Bang Geng, listen carefully. We can’t go now; we have to wait.
Wait until he finishes eating and falls asleep, then we’ll find a way.”
“Wait until he’s asleep?”
Mrs. Jia Zhang didn’t understand.
“Yes,”
Qin Huai Ru’s eyes gleamed briefly,
“Isn’t the kitchen window at his place broken and still unrepaired?
Wait until he’s dead asleep in the middle of the night, then have Bang Geng quietly climb through the window. There must be some leftovers in the pot. We can just take them back without anyone knowing.”
Mrs. Jia Zhang’s eyes lit up: “That’s a good idea! My daughter-in-law is so clever!”
Bang Geng nodded excitedly: “Mom, I promise I can do it! I’ve done this before!”
Qin Huai Ru felt a pang of shame inside. Teaching her own son to steal made her uneasy.
But when she thought of how eagerly Bang Geng drooled at the smell and how relentless Mrs. Jia Zhang was, her last shred of conscience was quickly suppressed.
Fine, just this once. That brat Chen Mo deserved some losses for disrespecting the Jia family today.
“All right, enough shouting. Hurry up and sleep! You’ll need your energy later tonight,” Qin Huai Ru urged.
The Jia family settled down quietly.
Meanwhile, in Chen Mo’s room, the air was warm and fragrant.
A large bowl of braised pork, tender and flavorful without being greasy, paired with soft white steamed buns—truly a heavenly feast. Chen Mo ate until his mouth was oily and every cell in his body rejoiced.
Having endured hardship for three months since traveling to this era, he finally had a satisfying meal.
He didn’t finish all the meat and buns at once—grains were precious these days, so he saved the rest for later. After storing the leftovers, he began to prepare the old hen.
He planned to stew a nourishing chicken soup to properly replenish his long-depleted body.
As he busied himself, the system in his mind suddenly beeped.
[System Alert: Host is detected being maliciously spied upon with intent to steal. Target: Jia Bang Geng.]
Chen Mo paused his movements, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
Dogs never change their habits.
The Jia family really wouldn’t learn until they faced a coffin. After suffering such a loss during the day, they were scheming to steal from his pot at night.

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And they sent that little thief Bang Geng to do it?
An idea instantly formed in Chen Mo’s mind. Beating such a brat would be useless; his parents and grandmother would only escalate their mischief.
He had to use a special method to scare him so badly he’d never forget it for life.
He looked at the silver needle in his hand and then at the simmering chicken soup, a devious plan taking shape.
He kept quiet, pretending to be unaware, humming softly as he continued cooking.
When the soup was nearly done, he ladled a bowl for himself and drank it, then deliberately left the pot lid slightly ajar so the aroma could waft out continuously.
Having done all this, he blew out the oil lamp and lay down, pretending to be asleep.
Time ticked by, and around two or three in the dead of night, the courtyard grew so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Outside Chen Mo’s door, a small, furtive shadow appeared.
It was Jia Bang Geng.
He had been woken from bed by Qin Huai Ru and Mrs. Jia Zhang. Though a little scared, the tempting aroma of braised pork and chicken soup gave him courage.
He tiptoed to the kitchen window of Chen Mo’s house. Sure enough, the broken window was just slightly open.
Skillfully, he used a small wooden stick to unlatch the window and nimbly climbed in like a little monkey.
Inside the pitch-dark room, only faint moonlight filtered through the window.
Bang Geng’s eyes gleamed with excitement in the dark. He headed straight to the stove and immediately spotted the still-warm iron pot.
He eagerly lifted the lid, and an even stronger aroma of meat hit him, making his mouth water.
There was indeed half a pot of braised pork left, with two white steamed buns beside it!
Bang Geng was overjoyed. He grabbed a bun and stuffed it into his mouth, then reached into the pot to grab some meat.
Just as his hand was about to touch the braised pork, a hand suddenly shot out like lightning from the darkness, gripping his wrist.
“Ah!”
Bang Geng screamed in terror.
“Stealing things and coming into my house? You’ve got some nerve.”
A cold voice whispered in his ear.
It was Chen Mo!
He hadn’t slept at all!
Bang Geng trembled all over, trying to struggle, but Chen Mo’s grip was like iron, holding him firmly.
“I... I didn’t mean to... I was just hungry...” Bang Geng pleaded with tears.
“Hungry, so you think stealing is okay?”
Chen Mo’s voice was void of any warmth.
“Is that how your mother taught you?”
He lifted Bang Geng off the ground like a chick.
“Tell me, who sent you?”
“It... it was Grandma... and my mom...”
Bang Geng was scared out of his wits and confessed everything.
Chen Mo sneered, as expected.
“All right, I understand.” Chen Mo released his grip.
Bang Geng thought he was about to be beaten and shut his eyes tight.
But no punch came.
He opened his eyes to see Chen Mo smirking at him.
“You want to eat meat, huh?”
Chen Mo pointed to the pot.
“Go ahead, eat. I won’t hit you.”
Bang Geng was stunned, unable to believe his ears.
Chen Mo wouldn’t hit him and even let him eat the meat?
“Re-really?”
“Really.”
Chen Mo nodded.
“But my things aren’t free. If you eat my meat, you have to pay a price.”
“Wh-what price?” Bang Geng asked warily.
Chen Mo picked up a slender silver needle from the table, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

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“Don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt.”
Chen Mo smiled like a devil.
“I’ve been learning acupuncture lately, and you’re just in time for some practice. One prick, and not only will you remember this lesson, but it’ll also ‘adjust’ your body.”
Before Bang Geng could react, Chen Mo’s wrist flicked, and the needle pierced a pressure point on Bang Geng’s buttocks, then was quickly withdrawn.
The whole process was so fast Bang Geng only felt a mosquito bite.
“All done.”
Chen Mo clapped his hands.
“Eat the meat, but once you’re done, get out of here quickly. Remember, if you dare come stealing from my house again, it won’t just be a prick next time.”
After saying this, Chen Mo turned and went back inside, ignoring him.
Bang Geng held his butt, feeling nothing unusual.
He looked at the meat in the pot, then at the door inside. Hesitating a moment, he finally couldn’t resist the temptation.
He devoured the remaining braised pork and buns, licking the sauce clean, then climbed back out the window and sneaked home.
When he got back, Mrs. Jia Zhang and Qin Huai Ru were anxiously waiting.
“So? Did you get it?” Mrs. Jia Zhang whispered as soon as she saw him.
Bang Geng burped, proudly patting his belly: “All eaten!”
“What? You little brat, why didn’t you save any for Grandma or your mom?”
Mrs. Jia Zhang was so angry she wanted to hit him.
“Chen Mo caught me,”
Bang Geng recounted what happened, of course omitting the needle part. He only said Chen Mo scared him a bit and then let him eat,
“He seemed to have gone dumb, didn’t hit me, and let me eat.”
“Is there such a thing?” Mrs. Jia Zhang was half-believing.
Qin Huai Ru frowned deeply. She felt something wasn’t so simple.
With Chen Mo’s character today, how could he let a thief go so easily?
But seeing Bang Geng unharmed, she could only set aside her doubts for now.
“All right, eat and go to sleep.”
The family lay down again.
But soon, a sudden change occurred.
While Bang Geng was asleep, he suddenly felt his stomach churn violently. Then, uncontrollably, a powerful gust erupted from behind.
“Pfft—!”
A loud, prolonged fart exploded in the silent night.
That wasn’t the end.
“Pfft! Pfft pfft! Pfft—!”
A series of loud farts burst forth like a machine gun from Bang Geng’s bed, one louder and stinkier than the last!
The whole room quickly filled with an indescribable stench.
“Ugh! What is that smell? It stinks to death!” Mrs. Jia Zhang jumped out of bed, overwhelmed.
Qin Huai Ru covered her nose, nearly vomiting.
“Bang Geng! Did you eat something bad?”
Bang Geng was bewildered himself, feeling like his butt had a mind of its own, uncontrollable, one fart after another, and he couldn’t hold it in!
“I... I don’t know... pfft!”
Before he could finish, another earth-shattering fart erupted.
Mrs. Jia Zhang and Qin Huai Ru scrambled outside, gasping for fresh air.
“Oh my heavens! What did this kid eat? It’s like an explosion in a cesspit!” Mrs. Jia Zhang said with lingering dread.
Qin Huai Ru’s face turned pale.
Suddenly, a thought struck her.
Chen Mo! It must be Chen Mo’s doing!
That “price” he mentioned was this!