Volume One, Chapter Eight: The Mousetrap

“Who is it? Do you have to knock so hard?”

Su Jianshe flung open the door, his face twisted with anger.

“Uh... Jianshe, what delicious food are you making? The smell is so tempting, my child is begging to eat some. Look...” Qin Huairu stood at the doorway, her head bowed as she gently patted Banggeng’s head, appearing somewhat embarrassed.

Before she could finish speaking, Banggeng suddenly dashed into the room like a madman!

But Su Jianshe was no ordinary man.

With a sharp slap, Banggeng was sent flying backward, landing on his back, even faster than when he had charged in.

Banggeng immediately burst into tears from the pain.

Without even glancing at Qin Huairu, Su Jianshe’s cold voice cut through the air: “Get out!”

With a loud bang, he slammed the door shut.

He was no fool like that sycophantic idiot Shazhu; there was no way he would give food to the Jia family.

Su Jianshe knew all too well that these people were ungrateful wolves; if he gave once, they would come back countless times.

The door nearly struck Qin Huairu’s face before she snapped back to reality, her complexion darkening as she hurried to comfort Banggeng.

“Banggeng, are you alright? Let Mommy take a look…”

“Mommy, it hurts so much, I want to eat…”

Seeing Banggeng’s tearful complaints, Qin Huairu’s heart ached, and she cast a resentful glance at the firmly shut door.

If not for fearing Su Jianshe might strike again, she would have openly scolded him by now!

How could he hit a child?

Banggeng was still so young!

“Good boy, Banggeng, we won’t eat that. Mommy will buy you some meat tomorrow, alright?”

Qin Huairu forced a smile, leading the still-crying Banggeng back home.

Su Jianshe frowned deeply at the scene. He knew that Banggeng was the renowned Thief Saint, a figure notorious far and wide. Even with locks on the doors, safety was hardly guaranteed. Although a Thief Saint might struggle with locks, smashing them open was effortless.

After a moment of thought, an idea sparked in Su Jianshe’s mind. Silently, he hoped, “I just hope you don’t come to steal from my house, or else…”

He then turned to Chu Yan, who was eating noodles, and said, “Xiao Yan, you keep eating; I’m going out to buy something.”

With that, Su Jianshe stepped out to prepare a countermeasure.

Chu Yan, like a little kitten, closed her eyes in delight as she savored the noodles and nodded vigorously in agreement. She had no objection to Su Jianshe reprimanding Banggeng, as Banggeng’s red-eyed expression earlier had genuinely frightened her. Thankfully, her brother had stopped him in time.

Su Jianshe briskly walked to the supply and marketing cooperative, ignoring the curious stares of passersby. He bought three large-sized mouse traps, each as big as an adult’s palm. Satisfied, he nodded and returned home with the traps.

Under Chu Yan’s puzzled gaze, Su Jianshe emptied half of a box of instant noodles and placed the three traps inside, positioning them just behind the door — within reach but hidden from view.

Chu Yan looked on, bewildered.

Meanwhile, Qin Huairu returned home with an empty bowl and the injured Banggeng in tow. Jia Zhangshi was furious, accusing Su Jianshe of heartlessness: “How can Su Jianshe be so cruel? Our family has elders and children, and he won’t even spare a dish. Where is his conscience?”

Beside her, Jia Dongxu and Banggeng also hurled harsh words at Su Jianshe, condemning him as ungrateful and deserving of his mother’s early death.

“That’s right! Su Jianshe is a villain for not giving our family food!”

“Banggeng, let Grandma take a look. No more crying!”

“Listen to Grandma. When that bad man is at work, we’ll go to his house and take all his food—leave him nothing!”

“Okay! I’ll go soon. If he dares to hit me, I’ll take it all away!”

Qin Huairu’s eyes widened in shock: “Mom, isn’t that stealing? What if Su Jianshe calls the police?”

“I’m taking! My grandson is still growing. Taking a little from that old Su family shows we don’t look down on them!”

Qin Huairu was speechless and sighed deeply. Seeing that her protests were futile, she silently ate while pondering whether to seek out Yi Zhonghai at work.

Now that Shazhu was locked up, no one brought meals anymore. Eating pickled vegetables and steamed corn buns every day wouldn’t do. If she could get some meat, the children could finally have a proper meal—Banggeng and Xiao Dang were still growing, after all.

On the way to work, Su Jianshe thought to himself:

“I missed work yesterday; I need to explain to the factory, or it’ll become trouble eventually.”

“I’ll find a time to tell the boss.”

With resolve, he planned to check his workstation but unexpectedly ran into the same two coworkers from the day before.

“Did you hear? Our factory chef, Shazhu, got locked up.”

“Why? Did someone find out about his shady business with Qin Huairu and the others?”

“Worse than that. I heard he was locked up for harassing women. Now the cafeteria food is even worse.”

“Yeah, the managers couldn’t help but had to draft some strong guys temporarily. The cafeteria meals from now on…”

The cafeteria was looking for a chef?

Su Jianshe fell into thought.

Too bad he couldn’t cook, only able to make simple home-style dishes or boil noodles.

“If only I knew a bit about cooking.”

Back at his workstation, he reported his situation to the factory.

As expected, the factory showed sympathy rather than punishment and didn’t hold him responsible, which was a relief.

Meanwhile, inside the courtyard…

After the men left for work, only women and children remained.

Banggeng, harboring resentment toward Su Jianshe, quickly ate a few bites, saving room for the instant noodles he planned to enjoy later.

He quietly stood by the back door, eyes darting about as he confirmed that the women rarely ventured outside. He then stealthily approached Su Jianshe’s door.

Just as Banggeng was about to act, he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder.

“Who?!” Banggeng jumped in fright.

“It’s me!” Jia Zhangshi smiled greedily, her eyes fixed on Su Jianshe’s door.

“Hurry and open the door so Grandma can see what treasures that ungrateful wolf is hiding!” she said, rubbing her hands in anticipation.

“All right, Grandma, don’t worry. I’ll figure out how to open it right away,” Banggeng, emboldened by his grandmother’s affection, took out his homemade lock-picking tool and busied himself at the door.

Jia Zhangshi anxiously waited nearby, still savoring the lingering aroma from that morning.

“That little bastard must have leftovers hidden inside, but soon they’ll be in my hands!” Jia Zhangshi thought, swallowing hard. “After Banggeng and I feast, I’ll save some for Dongxu. As for Qin Huairu and Xiao Dang, forget it—they’re both good-for-nothings!”

Yet, after fiddling for a long time, the door lock remained unmoved, and Jia Zhangshi grew increasingly impatient.

“Banggeng, stop messing around. Let’s just force the door open together!” Jia Zhangshi was desperate to break in.

Sharp-eyed, Banggeng noticed a sizable gap in the door and suddenly perked up.

“Grandma, come here! There’s a gap. Maybe we can reach in and pull it open.”

Though each family’s locks varied in the courtyard, Banggeng and Jia Zhangshi cared little about that. To them, even if they broke the door, given their dire situation, what could Su Jianshe do?

“Good grandson, watch Grandma!” Banggeng nodded and stepped aside.

Jia Zhangshi’s eyes lit up as she shouted, “Got it!”

She felt around and found a cardboard box. Banggeng eagerly asked where it was. Jia Zhangshi dragged the box over, and Banggeng excitedly reached inside.

“Hehe, good grandson, today we have something tasty!” Jia Zhangshi’s wrinkled face beamed with a smile as she and Banggeng plunged their hands into the box, imagining a feast.

But at that moment, their fingers touched something cold and sharp — a mouse trap!

“Click! Click!” came two crisp snaps, followed by the screams of Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng.

Before they could react, their fingertips were gripped with excruciating pain, as if cut by blades. Their howls echoed through the courtyard, drawing the attention of nearby residents.

Women busy with chores paused, stunned by the loud noise that seemed to carry across half the street. They dropped their work and rushed toward the sound.

“What’s wrong with Jia Zhangshi this time? She’s always yelling and screaming!”

“That doesn’t sound right. Could it be Dongxu’s in trouble?”

“Banggeng has never called Dongxu ‘Dad’ before. How could he be crying like that?”

“Enough talk. Let’s go see. We’re neighbors after all…”

Upon arrival, the crowd was dumbfounded.

Banggeng and Jia Zhangshi stood on opposite sides of Su Jianshe’s door, their hands forced into the door gap, crying out in agony.

Everyone exchanged glances, understanding their intent without words. The courtyard residents’ contempt for the Jia family swelled.

Banggeng desperately tried to pull his trapped hand free, tears and mucus streaming down his face.I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.