Volume 1, Chapter 47: Shazhu Steals the Old Lady's Money

"Ahem..."

"Su Jianshe!"

Yi Zhonghai's shout pulled everyone back from their daydreams to reality.

"Right now, the entire courtyard is in dire straits, and many families haven't even stored any food!"

"Can't you extend a helping hand and lend some money to everyone? They will surely be endlessly grateful."

"Your family is probably the only one in the entire courtyard with surplus funds. Even if you have personal grudges against certain families, you cannot simply stand by and watch them die!"

Yi Zhonghai's tone carried a hint of negotiation, but it was laden with moral pressure.

"That's right, our courtyard has always been a Red Flag unit. Though there have been twists and turns, the spirit of mutual aid must never be lost!"

"Indeed, Su Jianshe, how can you bear to watch the courtyard decline?"

"Jianshe, this auntie begs you. For the sake of our life as neighbors, lend us some money. We'll pay you back next spring!"

Seeing Yi Zhonghai turn his gaze toward Su Jianshe, the crowd chimed in.

Legend had it that Yi Zhonghai had once spared no expense—spending thousands—to secure the forgiveness of Silly Zhu and Deaf Old Lady.

They refused to believe Su Jianshe could have spent all that money in such a short time.

Besides, even if they borrowed the money, repayment could be endlessly delayed.

Perhaps once the situation blew over, the debt would simply fade into nothingness.

Wasn't that how the Jia family always operated?

Supported for years, yet never once hearing a single word about returning the money.

What talk of personal grievances?

"No money, don't look for me!"

Just as the crowd was about to pressure Su Jianshe, expecting him to fork over cash to solve their plight, Su Jianshe suddenly turned around and swept his cold gaze over them.

"Since when has my family had money?"

"What Red Flag unit? First, that shameless old hag teamed up with Silly Zhu to bully my sister, and then that old thief Mrs. Jia brought her grandson into my house to commit theft!"

"I was injured by a mousetrap, yet they turned around and framed me. Where were all of you then? Not a single person stood up to speak a fair word for me. And now, you want to talk about morality, expecting me to use my money to feed this pack of ungrateful wolves? Pah!"

Su Jianshe fiercely rebuked the entire courtyard. Everyone's attention was so focused on him that none noticed Silly Zhu slipping away quietly.

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai felt a splitting headache coming on, but he hurriedly spoke up: "Su Jianshe, I know you feel wronged inside, but what time is it now? This is a matter of life and death for the entire courtyard. Put aside past grievances for now; how can you bear to watch people in our courtyard freeze to death?"

"Absurd! People are not dying because of me, what does it have to do with me!" Su Jianshe retorted, "Yi Zhonghai, you're so wealthy, why don't you support them yourself?"

Su Jianshe held Yi Zhonghai's words in utter contempt.

"Yi Zhonghai, stop putting on a hypocritical act. If you've got the guts, take out your own money to save people. What kind of hero are you when you're showing generosity with other people's property?"

...

"Su Jianshe, who cares if you've got a bit of filthy money!" Silly Zhu ran back from a distance, his face dark, cursing Su Jianshe in his heart while hoping the latter could buy him enough time to make his move.

Seeing that the surrounding area was deserted, Silly Zhu sneaked into Deaf Old Lady's house.

"There shouldn't be anyone here, right?"

The moment Silly Zhu stepped into Deaf Old Lady's room, Stick Geng poked his head in, cautiously glancing around, terrified of being discovered.

Before coming over, Stick Geng had already checked and confirmed that Xu Damao's house and the surrounding neighbors were all attending the meeting.

"A hen! I wonder if there are any eggs in the nest?"

Thinking of the deliciousness of eggs, Stick Geng couldn't help licking his lips.

Although Stick Geng was a seasoned thief and had broken fingers, his sleight of hand remained formidable. He quickly pried open the chicken coop.

The old hen inside hadn't even reacted before Stick Geng grabbed it by the neck.

Clearly, Stick Geng had rehearsed how to catch a chicken in his mind many times over.

"How could I let you escape?"

Stick Geng looked around, and confirming no one was watching, he sneaked toward Xu Damao's house.

"If Xu Damao's family had some soy sauce, that would be great. Damn Silly Zhu, if you were still in the kitchen, I could have easily gotten some!"

On the other side, inside Deaf Old Lady's house.

"Where on earth is it hidden? This old lady hides her photo album so securely."

Silly Zhu paced around Deaf Old Lady's room in circles, his face full of perplexity.

The charcoal fire inside was blazing, providing cozy warmth.

"It's so warm, she actually lit two stoves at the same time. No wonder the elders said the old lady's family is wealthy!"

Having not visited for a few days, Silly Zhu wanted to linger a bit longer. After all, even if the old lady saw him, she wouldn't scold him—it was just that the photo album still hadn't been found.

But the moment he thought of Qin Huairu's graceful figure and alluring gaze, Silly Zhu felt a jolt in his heart.

"No, Sister Qin is still waiting for me!"

"When that useless Jia Dongxu freezes to death in a few days, the moment I lie down on the Jia family's bed, maybe I can enjoy this kind of warmth too!"

Thinking of entering the Jia family and Qin Huairu no longer being alone, Silly Zhu felt a wave of restless heat, and his searching movements sped up considerably.

"Found it, right here!"

While fumbling through the cabinet, Silly Zhu accidentally caught sight of a raised lump under a quilt nearby, clearly concealing something.

...

Lifting the quilt, the photo album came into view.

"That's it! Let's open it and take a look!"

Just as Silly Zhu was about to make a move, looking at the old lady in her youth within the album, he couldn't help shivering and hurriedly looked around, feeling reassured only after confirming no one was there.

"Good thing nobody came back. If I were caught red-handed, it would spell big trouble!"

Realizing he hadn't completely untangled himself from the clutches of the police station, Silly Zhu's face shifted drastically, and he hurriedly bolted back toward his own home.

The moment he stepped out, he bumped right into Stick Geng, who was dashing out of Xu Damao's house with a bottle of soy sauce clutched to his chest.

The two of them stared blankly at each other.

Silly Zhu: "???"

Stick Geng: "???"

"Where's the money? Where's the money?!"

Looking at the photo album in his hands, which contained only a few pictures and not a single cent, Silly Zhu was dumbfounded. Had he been played for a fool by Su Jianshe?

Filled with frustration and rage, he slammed the photo album down onto the bed.

Crack!

A crisp snapping sound echoed, and the photo album in Silly Zhu's hand actually developed a fine crack along its edge.

"This..."

Silly Zhu, who had originally intended to return the photo album, instantly froze.

He hurriedly scooped up the photo album, examining it repeatedly, his expression growing uglier by the second.

The outer layer of this photo album was wrapped in a wooden frame.

At this moment, a fracture ran right across the neck of the old lady in the photograph.

In the picture, the young old lady was holding a pair of straw sandals, smiling at the camera, but that smile seemed somewhat strained.

Yet, how could Silly Zhu have the mind to ponder whether the smile was genuine right now?

"This is bad! If the old lady finds out I stole her photo album and even broke it..."

The mere thought of the old lady giving him a cold glare, tossing her cane, and even driving him out of the courtyard made Silly Zhu's head spin with agony.

"Su Jianshe, it's all your fault! If you hadn't said the old lady hid her money in this photo album, why would I have stolen it?"

Holding the damaged photo album, the thought of the consequences caused Silly Zhu to collapse powerlessly into a chair.

Although the stove fire inside was blazing, Silly Zhu's heart felt like solid ice.

He sat rigidly in that chair, completely frozen, for a full hour.

"That brat Su Jianshe is truly ungrateful. We were clearly looking out for him! As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. If we maintain good relations with him, whenever his family has troubles in the future, we can easily turn to him for help."

"You already paved the way for him, all he had to do was go with the flow, yet he fails to appreciate your good intentions!"

"Right now, everyone in the courtyard is starting to resent him..."

Hearing the sound of Auntie's footsteps outside, a surge of burning anger rose in Silly Zhu's chest.

"Looks like the full courtyard meeting is over. It's time to go settle accounts with that fellow Su Jianshe!"

"It's all your fault, Su Jianshe! If not for you, how could I have brought the old lady's photo album to our house? Now I can't wash myself clean even if I jump into the Yellow River!"

"Su Jianshe, you just wait for me, I'm coming!"

...

The Su Residence.

Su Jianshe and Chu Yan had already left after Yi Zhonghai's round of accusations.

Chu Yan leaned against Su Jianshe's side, took a sip of water, and after a moment of hesitation, said:

"Jianshe brother, why don't we take out a hundred yuan to help the neighbors? Uncle Yi makes a fair point, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor."

Kind-hearted Chu Yan recalled each family recounting their hardships during the meeting, and her heart couldn't help softening.

However, Su Jianshe thought otherwise.

"Xiaoyan, you're too kind."

"Are the things they said even true? Take the Jia family for instance, just a few days ago I saw them eating meat."

"According to Qin Huairu and that old bastard, their family doesn't even have rice to eat, let alone meat. If they really had no money, how could they afford meat?"

Hearing this, Chu Yan nodded thoughtfully, and then wrapped her arms around Su Jianshe.

"Jianshe brother, I'll listen to you. Our family is able to live so well entirely because of you. I was just feeling soft-hearted for a moment..."

"That's a good girl! Don't be upset. It's not because you're too kind, but because those people in the courtyard are simply too outrageous. This isn't your fault!"

"Jianshe brother, you're so good!"

Chu Yan blushed and said softly.

Seeing this, Su Jianshe grinned and was just about to make a move when...

Bang, bang, bang...

Thunderous knocking suddenly exploded in their ears.

"Damn it!"

Su Jianshe's anger flared, and he was on the verge of erupting.

Chu Yan covered her mouth and chuckled: "Jianshe brother, go open the door. Maybe someone is looking to borrow something from us."

Despite his internal annoyance, Su Jianshe still opened the door.

The moment he swung it open, he saw Silly Zhu standing on the threshold, eyes wide and pupils dilated, pointing aggressively right at him.

Silly Zhu's eyes were bloodshot, as if Su Jianshe had committed some unforgivable crime.

"Su Jianshe, you bastard! Why did you lie to me?!"

"There wasn't even half a cent behind this photo album, yet you insisted there was!"

"It's all your fault, you caused me to drop and break the photo album!"

"Because of you, I can't even return the photo album to the old lady!"

The reason for Silly Zhu's explosive rage wasn't just the lack of money in the album, but the fact that he had bumped into Qin Huairu right after stepping out of his house.

"Silly Zhu, didn't you say you were going to lend us money last time? Right now our family is dirt poor, do you think you could..."

Recalling his panicked escape back then, Silly Zhu's anger burned even hotter. Had he not known he was no match for Su Jianshe in a fight, he would have already thrown punches.

"When did I lie to you?"

Su Jianshe furrowed his brows, staring intently at Silly Zhu.

"When did I ever say there was money behind this photo album?"

"Besides, I only heard Yi Zhonghai mention it. Maybe the old lady felt it wasn't safe there and moved it somewhere else!"

With that, Su Jianshe took a few steps forward, curiously sizing up the photo album in Silly Zhu's hands.

"I... I..."

Silly Zhu opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"Strange, Silly Zhu, what are you doing with the old lady's photo album?"

"No, wait, doesn't Deaf Old Lady treat this photo album like a precious treasure... I get it, you're a thief! You stole Deaf Old Lady's photo album trying to steal money!"

Su Jianshe suddenly realized the truth and pointed directly at Silly Zhu, shouting out loud.

At that moment, he was also carefully examining the photo album in Silly Zhu's grip.

However, due to the angle, he couldn't quite determine the connection between the photograph he held and the one inside Silly Zhu's album.

"You... you're spouting sheer nonsense!" Silly Zhu instantly lost his composure.

If exposed, getting hauled into the police station was a minor matter.

The crux of the matter was that stealing from a person enjoying state support—and potentially the family of a revolutionary martyr—once brought to light, could subject him to public humiliation in the streets or even a firing squad!

"I'm talking nonsense? You're clutching Deaf Old Lady's photo album, crouching right outside my door and cursing. Not only are you a thief, but you're a remarkably stupid thief!" Su Jianshe's expression carried a strange glint as he looked at Silly Zhu, thinking to himself: Silly Zhu, oh Silly Zhu, you really are beyond saving!

"No, you're lying! This photo album... this photo album..." In his panic, Silly Zhu tossed the photo album he was holding right into Su Jianshe's house.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, he pointed at the album that had landed inside Su Jianshe's room and screamed at the top of his lungs: "Catch the thief! Everyone come quickly, Su Jianshe this bastard actually went to the old lady's house to steal things, and I just caught him red-handed!"

The residents of the courtyard had just returned to their homes, barely having time to warm their frozen hands and feet, when they heard Silly Zhu's desperate yelling.

"What? Su Jianshe went to steal things from Deaf Old Lady?"

"I knew it! That fellow Su Jianshe is no good. He couldn't even spare a little money to help us out, he's rotten to the core!"

"Let's go take a look, there's a good show to watch this time. Maybe Uncle Yi can use this opportunity to force Su Jianshe into funding us!"

"That's right, maybe by the end we won't even have to pay the money back... this is all something Su Jianshe ought to do anyway!"

In an instant, the people of the courtyard swarmed forward, crowding densely around Su Jianshe's doorway.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance, a wave of intense heat washed over them, making it feel as though they had stepped straight into midsummer.

"Goodness, why is it so hot in here? How much coal do you have to burn to make it this warm?!"

"Look at those stoves... looks like there are five of them! My god, how much money must that burn through in a single day!"

People squeezed forward eagerly, willing to rub shoulders with one another just to soak up that warmth.

It was far more cost-effective than returning to their own freezing homes to burn firewood.

Someone even repeatedly counted the stoves out loud.

"Oh heavens, there really are five stoves!"

However, they were entirely unaware of the truth.

These stoves were merely a smokescreen set up by Su Jianshe.

He had no desire for his system-upgraded lifestyle to be easily found out by others.

Soon enough, someone spotted the photo album lying on the floor inside Su Jianshe's house.

"That's Deaf Old Lady's photo album! I've seen it when I brought her meals!"

"Indeed, that album is supposed to hang in the old lady's house. Could Su Jianshe really be a thief who went sneaking around to steal while we were at the meeting?"

"Make way, Uncle Yi and the old lady are coming!"

At the shout, the crowd's attention instantly shifted from the photo album to the tottering old lady slowly approaching on wobbly legs.

"Old Lady!"

Silly Zhu called out with a guilty conscience, but the thought that he currently held neither the album nor any physical proof labeling him a thief calmed his racing pulse slightly.

"Silly Zhu!"

Deaf Old Lady patted Silly Zhu's arm and trudged forward, though after only two steps she felt the oppressive, stifling heat.