Chapter 387: Courtyard Turmoil

Yang Ruihua heard the commotion and ran out, disheveled. She hurriedly helped Yan Bugui up from the ground, then began to curse loudly: "Which thousand-cut wretch did this? They have no conscience and deserve a miserable death! Lao Yan's arm is broken; how are we supposed to live now? Heavens, open your eyes! Strike that bane of existence down with lightning!"

"Yan Jiecheng! Yan Jiefang! Why are you two just standing there like wooden stakes? Hurry up and wake everyone in the courtyard! There's a villain in this courtyard trying to disrupt our great situation of stability and unity... Call a full courtyard meeting! We must hold a meeting!" Yan Bugui shouted.

Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang finally snapped out of it and rushed off, knocking on doors one by one to call people out.

Before long, lights flickered on in the rooms around the courtyard.

Immediately, complaints and curses began to ring out.

"Yan Laoxi, what kind of madness are you pulling in the middle of the night?"

"Yan Bugui, damn you! I just closed my eyes and you woke me up. What do you want? Even when the Japanese devils were here, it wasn't this bad!"

"Third Master, your family had an accident, why are you dragging us all out of bed?"

In the freezing cold, having been rudely awakened from a deep sleep, the residents were all in a foul mood, their words dripping with irritation.

Wang Zhifu from the front courtyard walked over, wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket, and asked with a frown: "Lao Yan, what kind of act are you putting on in the middle of the night?"

Yan Bugui leaned against the wall, crying with snot and tears: "I don't know which heartless, smoke-belching grandson poured water at my door and smashed my window glass! I came out, 'whoosh,' and slipped, breaking my arm! How am I supposed to go to school to teach? My whole family depends on my salary; how are we going to live from now on..."

Yi Zhonghai walked to the front of Yan Bugui's house, shone his flashlight for a long time, touched the ground with his hand, stood up, and said: "This water was poured by someone, and it hasn't been long. They even sprinkled some wood ash evenly on top; in the pitch black, you really can't tell at all. This person is quite cunning; it's likely an adult who did it! Lao Yan, who have you offended lately?"

Liu Haizhong, standing to the side, felt a glimmer of joy. He knew someone from his family had gone out; at the time, he just assumed they were going to the bathroom. Seeing this situation, it was ten to one that his second son had done it, but since Yi Zhonghai was shifting the target to an adult, he might be able to get away with it.

He Daqing also ran over, shone his flashlight for a while, and said: "Old Yi, I think your theory has some problems. There's a small footprint nearby. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a child, not very old, between ten and fifteen years old."

Hearing He Daqing's analysis, Yan Bugui immediately perked up. His gaze swept through the crowd like a searchlight as he named them one by one: "There are only a few people who fit that age, aren't there? Liu Guangqi, Liu Guangtian, Li Yong, Wang Shucheng, Xu Damao... though Xu Damao doesn't live in the courtyard anymore..."

Li Yong, who had been named, immediately jumped up and cried injustice: "Third Master! Don't you go framing an innocent person! I was already asleep; my mother can testify for me!"

Wang Zhifu also hurriedly chimed in: "I'm a light sleeper; if there had been any movement in the house, I definitely would have known. Our Shucheng hasn't gone out."

Liu Guangqi stiffened his neck and shouted: "Everyone in our family was sleeping soundly too; no one went out!"

Seeing that no one would admit it, Yan Bugui said anxiously and angrily: "None of you will admit it, right? Then we'll invite Director Wang from the neighborhood office and call the comrades from the Lianfang Team to judge this case!"

He Daqing couldn't bear to watch from the side and advised: "Lao Yan, investigating the case is important, but your arm is also urgent. Bone injuries can't be delayed. Forget about who did it for now; hurry to the hospital. Zhuzi happens to have a car; I'll drive you!"

"Go to the hospital?" Yan Bugui grimaced in pain but shook his head repeatedly. "Where would the money come from! If I don't catch this villain and make them pay, I... how can I go? If I go to the hospital, the culprit might just refuse to pay up!"

"You really are someone who would risk your life but not your wealth!" He Daqing shook his head and sighed helplessly.

At this moment, He Yuzhu finally sauntered out from the East Cross Courtyard, breathing out white mist and rubbing his hands as he asked: "What's going on? Did a thief get into the courtyard? Everyone is gathered here; aren't you afraid of freezing into icicles?"

As soon as Yan Bugui saw He Yuzhu, it was like seeing a savior. He hurriedly shouted: "Zhuzi! You're knowledgeable; hurry and take a look for me, which bastard did this evil deed?"

He Yuzhu walked unhurriedly to the door of Yan Bugui's house, turned on his flashlight, carefully shone it on the blurred footprints, and even stretched out his finger to gesture meaningfully.

Liu Guangtian, hiding behind the crowd, felt his heart jump to his throat, and his hands unconsciously shrank into his sleeves.

Yan Bugui stared eagerly at He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, did you see anything?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer directly; his gaze first turned toward Li Yong.

Li Yong immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "He Yuzhu! We don't get along, but don't you go pointing fingers randomly!"

He Yuzhu then glanced at Liu Guangqi.

Liu Guangqi immediately straightened his back and cast his eyes elsewhere, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.

Finally, He Yuzhu looked at Yan Bugui and smiled, "Judging by the depth and size of the footprints, it's a child in their teens. Just check the hands of the children in the courtyard between ten and fifteen. If they got wood ash on them, it's not easy to wash off. Even if they washed their hands, it's easy to leave black marks in their fingernails."

"That's right! You lot, stretch out your hands!" Yan Bugui realized, shouting excitedly.

Before his voice had even faded, Liu Guangtian in the crowd turned and tried to drill his way out.

Yan Jiecheng was quick-witted and grabbed his arm, using his other hand to forcefully pry open his tightly clenched fist.

They saw that the palms and backs of Liu Guangtian's hands, along with his fingernails, were covered in wood ash.

"It's Liu Guangtian!" Yan Jiecheng shouted loudly.

"Zhuzi! You really are Di Renjie reborn, Judge Bao come to life!" Yan Bugui didn't forget to praise He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu knew clearly that he was laying the groundwork for borrowing the car to go to the hospital.

Seeing he couldn't deny it, Liu Guangtian hardened his heart, held his head high, and said: "Yan Bugui! I, your grandfather, take responsibility for what I did! Why did I do this? It was your Yan Jiefang who provoked me first! As for what he did, go home and ask him. I know he squats in the latrine at five o'clock every morning; I originally just wanted to make him trip, who would have thought..."

Hearing this, Yan Bugui didn't want to dwell on it anymore and pointed at Liu Haizhong, who had been playing deaf and dumb on the side: "Did you hear that! It was your son who did this good deed! If my arm isn't treated, it'll be ruined! Daqing, hurry, hurry and drive me to the hospital! Liu Haizhong, you hurry up and prepare the medical expenses for me!"

He Yuzhu shook his head, tossed the keys to He Daqing, and said: "I'm really too tired, I won't go with you!"

"Go back then!" He Daqing said as he took the keys.

Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat and said: "Today's matter is too vile; we'll hold a full courtyard meeting tonight!"

Meanwhile, near Qianmen, on the second floor of an inconspicuous porcelain shop.

The room was tightly shut, with only a single candle lit in the center of a square table.

The candlelight, like a bean, stretched the shadows of the few people sitting around, casting them distortedly onto the walls and ceiling.

The thick curtains were hung in two or three layers, covered tightly; from the outside, there wasn't a glimmer of light from the window.

Hu Jing'an, the chief person in charge of Jingzhe Operation, sat in the main seat. He took off his gray-haired wig and slowly peeled off his white beard, revealing the face of a man in his thirties with a square face and thick eyebrows.

Standing or sitting beside him were five people: the young and beautiful Lin Wanning, the tall and thin sniper Ye Guanying, the sharp-featured Mei Feng, the flat-topped Sun Li, and the mediocre-looking middle-aged man—the director who had successfully escaped, Tang Heng.

These five were the absolute core of the Jingzhe Operation team.

Hu Jing'an spoke slowly: "This time, I must criticize Lin Wanning. Obtaining the intelligence is certainly something to be happy about, but the price was too high. That spot in the Gynecology Department of Beijing First Hospital is too important to us... yet you destroyed it with your own hands; it's a great pity..."

Lin Wanning said embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, Siqiang... it was my failure to handle it well, leaving behind a flaw."