Chapter 218

We can't let Jia Zhangshi keep talking.

Who knows what other tricks Jia Zhangshi has waiting for Qin Huairu?

A move of going with the flow.

Broke Qin Huairu's defense.

If she is really forced by Jia Zhangshi to spend her life as a servant for the Jia Family.

Can Qin Huairu still be called scheming Qin?

Speaking impartially.

She doesn't want to spend her life taking care of the lazy, gluttonous Jia Zhangshi; if it weren't that she now needs Jia Zhangshi's cooperation to whitewash her image, she might have already slapped Laoqianpo in the face.

Just as Qin Huairu felt at a loss, she saw several uniformed comrades walking in from outside.

She hurriedly shifted the topic onto those comrades.

"Comrade, what business do you have?"

After Qin Huairu finished speaking.

A light sense of ease rose over her.

She thought they had come for her.

The pillar‑collision incident caused a great uproar.

She is both the biggest victim and the biggest beneficiary.

"Thank you for the department's concern, I'm fine, please rest assured, I won't seek death; my living, living well."

In her words.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Her crying was utterly miserable.

No acting, pure heartfelt weeping.

Thinking of being schemed against by Jia Zhangshi and having to serve the Jia Family as a beast of burden for life, Qin Huairu, lamenting her bitter fate, cried more than he pissed.

"I still have my mother‑in‑law, I still have my children; Dong Xu is gone, my duty is to be filial to Dong Xu and raise his children."

These few words.

What she said was far‑fetched.

"Comrade Qin Huairu, it's great that you think this way; to live is to have hope; we came for Bangeng—is Bangeng at home?"

A reference to Bangeng.

In an instant the neighbors were like monks eight feet tall, unable to figure out their own heads.

Who is Bangeng?

Is there anyone named Bangeng in the courtyard?

Surname Jia.

Given name Geng.

There is only one Jia Family in the courtyard.

The neighbors gradually realized that the 'Bangeng' the comrades spoke of referred to the Jia Family's Bangeng, whom both Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu call Bangeng, and in the uproar they forgot that Bangeng's formal name is Jia Geng.

"Comrade, you mean the Jia Family's Bangeng, right?" A neighbor, fearing the comrades would come empty‑handed, kindly reminded: "Everyone calls him Bangeng; over time we forget his proper name Jia Geng, almost causing a mix‑up that would leave you empty‑handed."

Moreover, someone shouted toward the Jia Family household, telling Bangeng to get out.

"Jia Gui, come out, the comrades are looking for you."

"It must be that Jia Gui saw the comrades coming to the door, got scared, and hid inside refusing to come out."

The scene.

Even a fool could see it clearly.

It could alarm the comrades.

It is surely Bangeng who did this huge immoral act, violating laws and regulations; the comrades came to the Siheyuan to take Bangeng away.

Everyone hopes the Jia Family fares poorly.

According to the neighbors' thinking, if Bangeng were really taken away by the comrades, the Siheyuan would be much quieter, and the neighbors wouldn't have to guard against the Jia Family and Bangeng like thieves.

As long as Bangeng stays in the Siheyuan, the neighbors have no peace day after day.

Word has it that Bangeng has set his sights on the Liu Family; staying in the courtyard would only get him beaten up by the Liu brothers, so it'd be better to go with the comrades.

The drama in the Siheyuan is getting more and more interesting.

Long Laotaitai met with an incident.

Yi Zhonghai met with an incident.

The Jia Family met with an incident.

Could it be that the Siheyuan's feng shui has gone bad?

Some also wonder whether it's because the Jia Family is unlucky.

Long Laotaitai, Yi Zhonghai, and Bangeng all have deep entanglements with the Jia Family. Yi Zhonghai was the master of Jia Dongxu; he coerced Jia Dongxu's wife Qin Huairu, killed Long Laotaitai, and could not live on. Long Laotaitai fought with the Jia Family over meat and was killed by Yi Zhonghai. Bangeng is the Jia Family's eldest grandson.

"—hiss!"

The sound of drawing in a cold breath.

It flew out of some people's mouths.

Steps retreated.

Bodies tried to get as far away from the Jia Family as possible.

Unlike those people, the Jia Family's mother‑in‑law and daughter‑in‑law were dumbfounded; the old widow was in her widow's depression, the young widow in her helplessness.

They all felt that the events had taken a turn beyond their plans.

According to Laoqianpo's arrangement.

Next is the Jia family mother‑daughter forcing the eldest aunt to donate.

Comrades coming to the door, how else could they force the eldest aunt to give them money?

Even if Jia Zhangshi is stupid, she knows she can't openly demand money from the eldest aunt in front of the comrades.

She secretly groaned in her heart.

Not only did she not get the money, she also worried about Bangeng.

Not deaf.

She didn't hear the leading comrade say they were looking for Jia Geng, and that in the whole siheyuan only Bangeng is called Jia Geng.

A chill ran through her heart involuntarily.

She exchanged a glance with Qin Huairu.

Both widows' eyes were full of apprehension.

Family knows family affairs; as for what kind of child Bangeng is, Jia Zhangshi knows, Qin Huairu understands—he is essentially a budding criminal, with an innate lock‑picking talent that leaves the Jia family mother‑daughter astonished, not knowing how he learned this skill, they can only attribute it to natural talent.

That's why they call him a good child in front of the neighbors.

It's because Bangeng bears the Jia surname.

He thought it over.

These past few days Bangeng seems not to have brought anything home, and the neighbors haven't complained about missing items; perhaps he stole something outside and outsiders reported it to the police.

You little thief, this old lady will let you wreak havoc in the courtyard, and you dare go outside to cause trouble—who out there would recognize you, Jia Zhangshi?

"Comrade, I am Bangeng's grandmother; I want to ask what happened to our Bangeng—he's really a good child."

The neighbors all cursed Jia Zhangshi's eight generations of ancestors in their hearts.

Bangeng is still a good child.

They secretly wondered.

There's hardly a good child who constantly steals petty things.

Not knowing who he learned it from, he actually set his sights on Yan Fugui, saying he could have his homeroom teacher come to his house and, incidentally, set up a blind date between Yan Jiefang and his homeroom teacher for a fee of one yuan.

Angered, Yan Fugui reported the matter to Bangeng's homeroom teacher the next day, who on the spot assigned Bangeng at least twenty essays of over a thousand characters each.

In the world.

Where is there a good child who schemes against his own teacher?

"Jia Zhangshi, you can really spout nonsense—Bangeng stole our cabbage; how could that be the behavior of a good child?"

In the crowd.

A sentence of kicking someone when they're down came through.

Before Jia Zhangshi could throw a tantrum.

The second sentence, shifting blame, flew into everyone's ears.

"Comrade, Jia Geng is exactly the Jia family's Bangeng; you came looking for Bangeng—could it be that you already know he stole something? This child really needs proper discipline."

"Cut the big fart—when has our Bangeng ever stolen anything?"

Jia Zhangshi threw a tantrum.

She was trying to take the opportunity to muddy the waters.

She tried to protect Bangeng as much as possible.

But she misjudged some people.

Even if, at the scene where the deaf old lady died, they found Bangeng's abandoned homework notebook—let alone Jia Zhangshi throwing a tantrum, even if she stripped off her restraints and fought someone, she still couldn't save Bangeng.

"Comrade, Bangeng is inside the house."

Without the comrades even asking, the kind‑hearted neighbor hiding in the dark corner voluntarily pointed out the direction.

Someone also analyzed why Bangeng was hiding indoors.

"Comrade, Bangeng came home from school today and hid inside; usually after school he'd go out to play awhile, sometimes the Jia family wouldn't even come back for meals—according to our neighbors' analysis, he must have done something wicked, felt guilty, and hidden in the Jia household."

"Cut your mother's big fart—our Bangeng is just tired from studying."

"Third Grandpa, how is Bangeng's study?"

"It's fine; among thirty‑five classmates, his rank is thirty‑fifth."

Laughter burst out.

The tense atmosphere eased considerably.

Shazhu also laughed; he and his wife Yu Li laughed without a care, which was truly delightful.

Who would have thought Yan Fugui also had such a mischievous side—you directly said Bangeng's grades were dead last in the class, not using a euphemism, just stating that among thirty‑five people he ranked thirty‑fifth.

Amidst the hee‑hee ha‑ha.

A comrade entered the Jia family's house and dragged out Bangeng, who was hiding in the corner by the bed.

The deaf old lady's case.

Bangeng was also used.

Although Yi Zhonghai admitted he killed the deaf old lady, the details differ greatly; according to the investigation report, she died of suffocation under a quilt, yet Yi Zhonghai said he used a pillow to suffocate her, and the timing is off—she died between 3 and 4 a. m., while he claimed he acted at 4:30 a. m.

The killer was someone else.

Thus.

Bangeng's importance stood out.

Based on the correction timestamps on Bangeng's homework notebook, after interviewing his homeroom teacher, the comrades reached a conclusion they all found shocking.

That night of the incident.

Bangeng was inside the deaf old lady's house.

It is highly likely that during the time the killer murdered the deaf old lady, he appeared inside the deaf old lady's house.

In other words.

The killer's appearance was seen by Bangeng; his face was not clear, but his build was definitely seen clearly.

This is why they came to find Bangeng.

From the neighbors' complaints, it can be concluded that Bangeng is a person who constantly steals petty things; the exercise book left at the scene could also possibly be explained.

For someone who constantly steals petty things, they must be taken away.

Education is one aspect.

If the family does not educate him, the comrades will help educate him; no matter what, Bangeng must be made into a useful person for society.

Protection is the other aspect.

If the killer learned that Bangeng was inside the deaf old lady's house that night, out of self-preservation, he would certainly kill to silence him.

Even the deaf old lady could be silenced, let alone Bangeng, a child under ten; the household also consists of two widows, young and old.

Bangeng, however, did not think so.

He mistakenly thought his own affairs had been exposed.

He hurriedly greeted Jia Zhangshi.

"Grandma, save me."

In Bangeng's words, there was a strong sense of panic.

Nothing else to say.

Just the uniforms on the comrades' bodies gave Bangeng the utmost pressure.

Not to mention a little kid like him; even adults like Shazhu, facing that uniform, felt uneasy in their hearts.

The sole heir of the Jia family.

Jia Zhangshi's beloved.

Taken away.

Still okay.

His reputation is ruined.

Jia Zhangshi grabbed the leg of the leading comrade and begged desperately.

"Comrade, my old woman lost a son a year ago; it's not easy for our Jia family, widows and orphans. Bangeng saw our family's hardship and also saw his sister often going hungry, so he harmed some neighbors' food. My old woman guarantees, guarantees that our Bangeng will never harm the neighbors' things again. Neighbors, please give our Bangeng a chance; I guarantee I won't offend again, if I do, I am a pig."

If it were the neighbors of the siheyuan.

Jia Zhangshi would surely cause a scene.

But the one taking Bangeng away right now is a comrade in uniform.

Even if Jia Zhangshi had the courage of two dogs, she would not dare to cause a scene with them.

"Jia Zhangshi, you should know this saying: a petty thief steals needles, a great thief steals gold. If left unchecked, the future will be a jail sentence. We are taking Bangeng back to educate him, also considering your Jia family. I know what you worry about; just a few days, after a few days Bangeng will come back."

He waved his hand.

The comrade holding Bangeng continued to hold him and walk outward.

At the sight of this scene.

Bangeng was completely dumbfounded.

Once again he cried out to Jia Zhangshi for help.

Because of Jia Zhangshi's indulgence, plus the neighbors in the courtyard treat her like dung, being too lazy to deal with her; sometimes when facing her tantrums, they habitually yield a bit.

Unconsciously it gave Bangeng an illusion, mistakenly thinking Jia Zhangshi could do anything, believing he had committed a huge deed, and as long as Jia Zhangshi stepped forward, everything could be settled.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi allow the comrades to take him away, he thought she did not want to save him.

He opened his mouth.

He started cursing.

"Grandma, I hate you; you said I am the male descendant of our Jia family, destined to uphold the Jia household, but you lied. I am about to be taken away; you don't save me, what kind of grandma are you? Wait, when I grow up I will surely drive you out of our Jia family and send you back to your hometown."

Bangeng's filial remarks.

This made Jia Zhangshi terrified.

It also left the onlookers dumbfounded.

Good fellow.

The people could only shout loudly, 'Good fellow!'

Bangeng truly is the Jia family's bloodline; he is a fine grandson raised single-handedly by Jia Zhangshi, practically filial to death.

I originally thought this was already Bangeng's bottom line.

Little did I know.

Bangeng's bottom line.

It broke people's cognition.

How to put it, there's a saying: 'You're worse than beasts.' Applying that to Bangeng is a desecration of the saying.

"My mother's earnings are all my money; what right do you have to spend my money? And this house—it's my father's house; my father is gone, so the house is mine. You scold my mother for not observing womanly conduct, bringing shame to the Jia family, yet the leftover vegetables my mother brought back from the steel plant have all gone into your stomach."

The crowd felt relieved.

No wonder Jia Zhangshi is big-headed and big-eared.

In such hard times, she can still eat and become white and plump.

All this together is the truth.

"Great grandson, how can you speak to grandma like that? Grandma is doing it all for you; the food your mother brought back, that time was not first given to you to eat."

"I've seen many times, when my mother wasn't around, when we weren't there, you secretly ate the meat in the lunchbox; I saw it all. You also ranted at my father's photo, saying my mother, alive, is a Jia family person; dead, she is a Jia family ghost. Even though my father is gone, you still want to act as his replacement to watch over my mother. You say no matter what, my mother cannot remarry; whoever dares to marry her, you will go cause trouble, making their household unsettled."

Feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Found Jia Zhangshi.

A boundless bitterness welled up in his heart.

Years of painstaking effort.

In an instant.

All turned into flowing water.

The bitter drama he had painstakingly performed was pierced through by Bangeng with just a few words.

How long ago.

Has suffered such humiliating treatment.