Chapter 4: Watching the Show, Bang Geng Bites Back

"Bang Geng, hurry up, what are you hiding in the back for? Our family's chicken was stolen by you, right!" Xu Damao was unhappy; if he couldn't find out who stole it, wouldn't his family's chicken be lost for nothing?

"Damao, what nonsense are you spouting? Our Bang Geng would never steal things. If you talk nonsense again, I'll tear your mouth apart." As soon as Jia Zhangshi saw Xu Damao aiming his spear at her precious grandson, she immediately refused to have it, tilting her head and preparing to go up and hit Xu Damao.

"That's right, Xu Damao, you're spouting dung. How old is Bang Geng? You're slandering a child. Bang Geng, come here." Qin Huairu also called Bang Geng to her side with an icy expression.

Bang Geng shuffled to the middle, gently put his finger into his mouth, touched it on his tongue, pretended to dry heave twice, and then looked at everyone with an innocent face.

"That's not right, who are you trying to fool?" Xu Damao was suddenly anxious.

The two comrades from the Public Security Station also walked up, looking serious: "Little friend, please try again."

"Hurry up, Bang Geng, don't delay everyone's time." Yongfu, the son of the Second Elder, complained from behind.

"Exactly, wasting time."

"I'm still hungry, what is this for?"

Hearing everyone's complaints, sweat instantly appeared on Bang Geng's forehead.

He Yuzhu suddenly chuckled; you little brat, let's see how you pretend now.

Bang Geng had no choice but to tremble and poke his throat hard, and suddenly, his stomach, filled with food, vomited everything out with a "wa" sound.

"Hey, it really was you, you little brat." As soon as Xu Damao saw the chicken meat on the ground, he grabbed the endlessly vomiting Bang Geng with a furious face and walked to the side of the two comrades from the Public Security Station.

"Comrades, what do you think we should do?" Xu Damao gave a fierce tug, and Bang Geng immediately fell to the ground, his clothes covered in what he had vomited.

"Since it's been found, then compensate according to the market price. Given that this chicken could sing and dance... no, wait, it could still lay eggs, so compensate two yuan. In addition, come back with us to make a statement, go to the Juvenile Detention Center, and be punished."

The older comrade took a notebook and pen from his pocket, scribbled a note, and looked at Bang Geng's grandmother, Jia Zhangshi, and Qin Huairu.

"Ah?! No, no, can't we just compensate for the chicken money? Why do we still have to go to the Juvenile Detention Center?"

Jia Zhangshi panicked, ran up to protect the shivering Bang Geng, and pulled him into her arms.

"Do you think this is a vegetable market? Bargaining! This is theft! This is illegal!"

The comrade glared, and Jia Zhangshi immediately dared not speak loudly.

Qin Huairu walked up with a fawning smile: "Comrade, you misunderstood. Bang Geng is still young, he's just a child. Can you please show mercy? I will discipline him when I go back, beat him hard. Can you not arrest him? I guarantee he will never steal again."

"That's right, comrade, this is a matter within the courtyard after all. Since it's been found, can't you handle it leniently?"

The First Elder's stubborn face also squeezed out a little smile.

"Exactly, exactly."

"Just compensate for the chicken, comrade. If you arrest him, how am I, Xu Damao, supposed to get along in this courtyard? We see each other every day."

Xu Damao was also dumbfounded. Is the punishment for stealing a chicken this heavy?

"What? Then why did you report it to the Public Security Station? It's already on record, there's no leniency. Not dragging him out to parade through the streets is already out of consideration for his young age. Hurry up, pay the two yuan compensation, sign this form, we have to go back!"

Having been here for half a day without even a sip of water, and being in a special period, the older comrade looked impatient.

"Oh, I can't go on living! My precious grandson, if you dare to touch him, I'll fight you to the death!"

Jia Zhangshi spread her hands and sat on the ground, throwing a tantrum.

The young comrade was about to speak, but the older one stopped him.

He had seen many people like this; he just took the handcuffs from behind him and said indifferently: "Give you a moment, if you keep throwing a tantrum, we'll take you back to the station together."

"Gah." Jia Zhangshi immediately lost her fire and looked at Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu was also anxious, tears streaming down, constantly begging the two comrades.

But how could the comrades, who were used to such things, relent? They just shook their heads and raised the handcuffs on their arms to signal.

Qin Huairu, with tears in her eyes, bit her lip, took out small change—one cent, one cent, ten cents, ten cents—from her pocket, gathered two yuan, and threw it fiercely at Xu Damao: "Xu Damao, listen to me, if anything happens to my Bang Geng, I'm not finished with you!"

"I..." Xu Damao was also dumbfounded.

No one expected that just losing a chicken would be so serious.

Qin Huairu felt even more aggrieved; she was just watching the show and it ended up involving her.

Seeing Qin Huairu sign the form, the two comrades put the handcuffs on Bang Geng's hands and pulled him to walk out: "Remember to pay the fine! Otherwise, we will extend the detention time! Move!"

"I'm not going, I'm not going, wa, sob, Mom, Grandma, I'm not going, sob, save me, ah!"

Tears instantly blurred Bang Geng's eyes. How could he not know his family's situation?

Where would they get the money to pay the fine? They couldn't even afford tuition. He immediately wailed and shouted wildly.

The two comrades kicked Bang Geng on the backside: "Behave yourself! At such a young age, you don't learn anything good, you learn to steal! Go to the Juvenile Detention Center and reform properly!"

"I'm not going, I'm not going, I didn't steal it, Shazhu stole it, he stole it and gave it to me to eat."

When Bang Geng heard about the Juvenile Detention Center, he became even more afraid and started biting back wildly without restraint.

Shazhu, who was eating peanuts and watching the show, was almost choked to death by Bang Geng when he heard this. He hurriedly raised his head and swallowed hard several times.

Damn it, this little brat, you can't pity him.

"Oh?" The two comrades stopped suspiciously and turned to look at Shazhu.

He Yuzhu thought for a moment, reached into his pants pocket, and took out the money inside, along with the ten ten-yuan bills in his System Space: "Comrades, I, Shazhu, don't need to steal chickens, I can buy them myself."

"That's true." The two nodded. He had money and also had a rooster; why would he steal a chicken to give to others? They stopped talking and pulled Bang Geng away.

Seeing the large roll of money in Shazhu's hand, Qin Huairu's eyes lit up. She glared at Shazhu with teary eyes and ran into the house crying.

He Yuzhu clapped his hands and laughed inwardly: The Destined One, the White-eyed Wolf, the Courtyard Thief Saint, Jia Geng has been caught.

Hey, the teacher was right after all, one must walk the righteous path!

As for Qin Huairu's gaze, he naturally noticed it, but he wouldn't be like Shazhu, rushing to do good deeds; it wasn't worth it.

The people in the Siheyuan discussed in twos and threes and dispersed.

Lou Xiaoe slapped Xu Damao's arm hard a few times: "Look at you, what kind of mess is this! Hmph!" She turned around and swayed her waist as she went home.

Xu Damao looked aggrieved: "Why are you picking a fight with me? It was our family that lost the chicken, and Shazhu was the one who told us to report it to the Public Security Station. What does it have to do with me?"

Xu Damao squatted down and carefully picked up the money on the ground: "Damn you, Qin Huairu, you shorted me one mao and three cents!"

He spat, but he didn't dare to go to her door to ask for it, so he could only shout a few words in the courtyard and returned to the Back Yard.