Volume 1, Chapter 26: What Great Event Happened in the Courtyard

Su Jianshe did not wait for the old woman to retort and continued directly.

"Jia Zhang, don't forget, although you have obtained my letter of forgiveness, it was not the police station that released you directly."

"If you continue to make trouble, I will have no choice but to go to the police station myself. Feudal superstition is a serious crime now. When that time comes, let's see how arrogant you can still be!"

Su Jianshe truly did not want his good mood for the day to be ruined by this old woman; otherwise, he would have already punched her.

Engaging in feudal superstition and daring to cast curses in front of others—Jia Zhang was really pushing her luck.

Hearing that Su Jianshe intended to go to the police, Bang Geng, who had been kneeling and putting on an act nearby, panicked instantly, completely disregarding the old hag beside him.

He did not want to spend even a single second longer in a police cell.

Bang Geng bolted like a rabbit, disappearing into the crowd within a few strides as he fled home.

Jia Zhang, who had assumed that she and her grandson could manipulate Su Jianshe, was now stunned, a look of guilty conscience appearing on her face.

As soon as she heard the words "feudal superstition," Jia Zhang felt uneasy.

Her "roommate" of the past few days had been arrested for engaging in feudal superstition and was tortured until she was no longer human; Jia Zhang had seen it with her own eyes.

This made her feel somewhat timid.

"Su... Su Jianshe... just you wait!"

"I am telling you, this is not over!"

Having said that, Jia Zhang grabbed the soul banner and fled in a panic.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai was helping the old lady home. Looking at the crowded courtyard, he was full of confusion.

"There doesn't seem to be anything major going on in the courtyard today, so why are so many people gathered together?"

The Deaf Old Lady, supported by Yi Zhonghai, stumbled toward her home, clearly having suffered quite a bit in the police detention center.

Considering her advanced age, the labor in the prison must have been difficult to bear. As for her status as a five-guarantee household and her age, there were no privileges at the police station; if you committed a crime, you had to undergo reform.

The Deaf Old Lady asked Yi Zhonghai curiously, "Zhonghai, has anything major happened in the courtyard recently? Why is everyone gathered together?" A hint of resentment flashed in her eyes. In the past, as the matriarch of the courtyard, no one dared to defy her. Now that she had returned after a long time, not only did no one care about her, but they were also gathered together whispering, completely disregarding her. All of this was caused by Su Jianshe.

"Su Jianshe, you brat, wait until I deal with you! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you are strong. I am the one who calls the shots in this courtyard!"

Yi Zhonghai inquired with a passerby and learned that it was Jia Zhang who had been performing a soul-calling ritual at Su Jianshe’s door.

"You mean Jia Zhang was pushed into a corner by Su Jianshe and went to his door to call for souls?" the Deaf Old Lady said angrily. "What a beast! If we had known, we shouldn't have cared when his mother passed away, and let him taste the consequences of dealing with neighbors! Now it’s even worse—we helped their family, and they do such a thing. Is this something a human would do?"

She leaned on her new cane, cursing tremblingly, but those around her, rather than agreeing, looked at the withered old woman with confusion. They knew the sequence of events:

"It was clearly the Jia family who were being unreasonable, running to Su Jianshe’s house to demand meat. When he wouldn't give it, Jia Zhang used her late husband’s soul-calling items to cause a superstitious scene. How can you blame Su Jianshe for that? Just because you have meat at home, do you have to give it to others?"

The man laughed and left the courtyard; after all, he was not from there, so it didn't matter if he said a few sarcastic words.

"You... you, you!!!" The Deaf Old Lady was so angry she stomped her cane hard.

"Old Lady, don't get so angry; it's not worth it to argue with such people," Yi Zhonghai hurriedly comforted her, fearing that something might happen to her.

Bang Geng ran home, feeling a surge of resentment toward his grandmother once again.

"You old hag, you only know how to ruin things for me."

"If I go back into the police station, my life will be over!" Bang Geng sat at the table, gritting his teeth.

Just as he was about to eat, he discovered that the pickles and porridge had been eaten up by the useless father on the bed, and his younger sister was watching longingly from the side.

"What are you looking at? You money-losing wretch, I am your brother, so the good food belongs to me!" Bang Geng said angrily, but he did not erupt.

"I’m going out for a stroll!" He announced and ran out.

Not long after, Jia Zhang returned, carrying her late husband’s soul banner, looking disheveled and cursing as she walked.

"Damn Su Jianshe, I just went to ask for some meat, is that really worth all this?"

"You just wait, don't let me catch you later, I'll show you!"

She sat down on a stool with a thump, the stool creaking under her weight.

"Dongxu, where is that bitch Qin Huairu? Didn't I tell her to cook? Why is there no food to be seen!"

"You are stuck in bed now and can't move; you need to make her get an IUD quickly. I saw long ago that she wasn't a good thing. She was flaunting herself even while pregnant, and now she’s probably hoping you die!"

Jia Dongxu's face turned ashen.

Bang Geng skillfully arrived at Shazhu's door.

Since Shazhu had been locked up, the room was a mess, clearly having not been visited for a long time.

With Shazhu imprisoned, even He Yushui did not want to return to this place.

At this moment, most people were out working, and no one noticed Bang Geng's actions.

Even though Bang Geng had a disability, his ability to break into Shazhu's house had not diminished.

He quickly pried open the lock and began searching everywhere once he entered.

Cabinets, boxes, jars—none were spared; he opened them all one by one.

However, after a laborious search, he was stunned.

"Shazhu, why don't you store any food? You’ve ruined me—I'm starving and can't even find anything to eat!"

Bang Geng cursed and kicked the items at his feet in anger.

Outside the door, Su Jianshe wore a smile with deep meaning.

"Worthy of being the 'Saint of Thieves,' specifically targeting Shazhu's house. This survival skill is truly top-tier."

If he could ignore door locks at such a young age, what would he be like when he grew up?

But that had nothing to do with Su Jianshe.

"Shazhu is still in the police station; no matter how much you rummage, you won't find anything to eat."

As soon as he spoke, Bang Geng's face changed drastically. He hurried to turn around, his face full of fear as he begged for mercy.

"I... I was just looking, I didn't steal anything! I'll leave right now, I'll leave right now!!!"

Bang Geng was so anxious he was almost crying.

What he feared was not stealing from Shazhu's house, but being discovered by Su Jianshe!

He both hated and feared Su Jianshe!

He knew that if he were taken to the police station again, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Bang Geng, you haven't eaten?"

"You being arrested really can't be blamed on me. How could I hold a grudge against a child? But she kept making trouble, and I had no choice."

"If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have had to suffer like that!"

Su Jianshe wore a look of "guilt" on his face, as if he felt pity for Bang Geng. With a flick of his hand, as if performing a magic trick, he produced a piece of White Rabbit cream candy and slowly handed it to the rushing Bang Geng.

The despair in Bang Geng’s heart solidified the moment he saw that White Rabbit cream candy. He had tasted this candy before; it was sweet to the core, though he could previously only snatch a tiny bit from his grandmother, Jia Zhang.

"White Rabbit cream candy... is this... really for me?" Bang Geng swallowed hard, looking at Su Jianshe in astonishment, his eyes a mix of disbelief, hatred, and wariness.

"Eat it; it was prepared for you," Su Jianshe said gently. "To be honest, you've had it tough, child, having to come out and forage at such a young age."

Once he heard it was for him, Bang Geng didn't care about anything else and stuffed the candy into his mouth without even unwrapping it.

Seeing this, Su Jianshe raised the corners of his mouth, then revealed a trace of regret: "Actually, your family is already in such a difficult situation; I originally intended to lend a helping hand." As he spoke, he gently patted the head of Bang Geng, who was enjoying the candy.

But then, he let out a long sigh, as if an ordinary person encountering the sorrows of the world, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Bang Geng was just a child, and a single piece of cream candy had already made him develop some trust in Su Jianshe. As he chewed the milky, fragrant candy, he asked suspiciously, "Then why didn't you help us? Every time my mom goes to your house to ask for meat, you refuse. Grandma says you are the worst people in the courtyard, that you are beasts!"

Bang Geng's words carried the shadow of Jia Zhang, inadvertently betraying his grandmother.

Su Jianshe smiled helplessly: "This can't be blamed on me. I originally wanted to send food to your family, but Shazhu always stopped me."

"He said that if I dared to send anything, he would not let it go." Su Jianshe muttered in a low voice again, "I really don't know what Shazhu is thinking. Your family is in such difficulty, and he still stops me from helping. Besides, he always seems to be staring at your mom, and down there he is... could it be that he wants to be your father?"

"Ahem, I'm just chatting with you, child. Bang Geng, don't take it to heart."

Upon hearing this, Bang Geng stood frozen on the spot.

"Shazhu does seem to stare at my mom lecherously all the time..." Bang Geng thought to himself, gradually leaning toward Su Jianshe's words.

The more he thought, the darker Bang Geng's face became.

Seeing this, Su Jianshe hooked the corner of his mouth into a smile, knowing that Bang Geng had believed at least some of it.

After a moment of thought, he decided to add fuel to the fire, looking at Bang Geng with a sense of "regret" and speaking in a heavy tone: "If it weren't for Shazhu’s interference, I would have sponsored your family long ago. Look at you, how thin you've become."

As he spoke, he gently stroked Bang Geng’s head, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally falling on Bang Geng's bandaged hand, and he sighed softly.

"If you had taken the right path from the beginning, why would it have come to this? To be disabled at such a young age, it's truly pitiful!"

After speaking, Su Jianshe took a few more pieces of candy from his pocket and handed them to Bang Geng, then sighed again and turned to leave.

Bang Geng stood frozen in place, watching Su Jianshe's retreating figure, then looked at the candy in his hand; the hatred in his heart for him seemed to have diminished somewhat.

Su Jianshe didn't sponsor them because of Shazhu's obstruction, and Shazhu did so because he coveted his mother. As for his own lost fingers, that was also caused by his grandmother inciting him to steal. Thinking about it this way, Su Jianshe had no fault and even gave him White Rabbit cream candy!

"He seems to be right; it must be Shazhu plotting against my mom, and as for my fingers, it's all that damn old hag's fault!" Bang Geng suddenly realized, and his hatred for Shazhu and Jia Zhang grew significantly.

He gripped the candy in his hand tightly, stroked his bandaged hand, and an emotion called "resentment" continued to ferment in his heart.

...

"Watching them kill each other is the way to go. Teaching this group of animals a lesson every day is a complete waste of my time!"

Su Jianshe felt great after helping Bang Geng identify the real enemy.

When he returned to the back courtyard, he was surprised to find the Deaf Old Lady sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun.

He didn't expect that old beast to be released so quickly, but that was fine too—it saved her from eating and drinking for free in prison, which would have been too good for her!

Even though the attempt had failed, she had dared to touch his sister, and this matter could not be ended easily.

Thinking of this, Su Jianshe sneered twice and went straight home.

In the yard, the Deaf Old Lady basking in the sun narrowed her eyes and recognized the familiar back—it was Su Jianshe, the one who made her grind her teeth in hatred at the police station!

"Su Jianshe, you little bitch, you just wait for me. Daring to send me to the police station—see how I deal with you later!"

But Su Jianshe only glanced at her and left, which made the Deaf Old Lady furious, and she threw her newly bought cane away violently.

"You murderous beast, you didn't even come to apologize when you saw me, you just wait!"

Yi Zhonghai, who was inside the house, heard the commotion in the yard and ran out in a daze. He saw the Deaf Old Lady’s face pale, her finger trembling as she pointed at the entrance and shouted: "Su Jianshe, you little bitch!!!"

Yi Zhonghai was confused, looking at the crazed old lady, thinking to himself: "Could this old woman have really gone crazy? After staying in the police station for so long, could something have gone wrong in her mind?"

Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai sighed and draped the blanket he had just taken out over the old lady: "Old Lady, just continue basking in the sun; don't worry about that brat Su Jianshe. I will deal with him in the future!"

Although Yi Zhonghai, who had always taken care of the old lady like his own mother, said this, he felt a bit uncomfortable.

"The old lady is a good person; I can't let her go truly insane. I must find a doctor to take a look!"

...

At the Jia house, Bang Geng had just brought a few candies home when he saw his mother, Qin Huairu, walking in from the back courtyard with a basin of three-grain flour, her face glowing.

Before Qin Huairu could speak, Bang Geng had already stuffed one of the candies given by Su Jianshe into her mouth: "Mom, eat it quickly, don't let that old hag see!"

"I have more!" Bang Geng boasted, showing the few candies in his hand.

Before Qin Huairu could respond, Jia Zhang's fierce voice suddenly rang out behind Bang Geng.

"Qin Huairu, where did you get so much flour? Have you gone out and done something that brings shame to our Jia family again!" Jia Zhang, full of fury, rushed out of the house, pointing directly at the tip of Qin Huairu's nose to scold her.

She had gone to Su Jianshe’s house to demand meat but returned empty-handed, leaving her with a belly full of fire. Waiting and waiting without seeing Qin Huairu return with meat, her anger grew, and she decided to go out to find her, only to run into Qin Huairu carrying a large basin of three-grain flour and chatting with Bang Geng, completely disregarding the family's meal.

This sight caused her blood pressure to skyrocket!