Chapter 52: The Secret of the Deaf Old Lady

While on the way to search for Jia Zhangshi, Ma Baoguo and a few others ran into Zhao Gangzi, who was looking for them.

"Director Ma, I've finally found you! Please step aside for a moment; I have an urgent matter to tell you, I want to report someone!"

Even with Zhao Gangzi's stamina, after searching for everyone for so long, his energy was nearly exhausted; he was panting heavily and drenched in sweat.

Seeing Zhao Gangzi in this state, Ma Baoguo hurriedly walked over and asked, "Little comrade, don't be anxious. Tell me slowly—have you found the whereabouts of Jia Zhangshi?"

Zhao Gangzi caught his breath for a moment, then continued, "No, this matter is much more important than that fat old hag. It's about the old lady in our courtyard..."

Zhao Gangzi then recounted what he had seen and heard, specifically describing the piece of paper in front of the Deaf Old Lady; he was certain he hadn't misread it—it was definitely Japanese text.

As for Ma Baoguo asking how he discovered it, Zhao Gangzi did not reveal that he possessed a Micro Surveillance Ball, but instead fabricated a reason.

If it were anyone else, they certainly wouldn't believe such a thing, but Ma Baoguo listened seriously, contrary to his usual behavior, as if he had been prepared for this in his heart.

Xu Damao, who was following along, saw the two chatting so intensely and wanted to lean in to listen, but was kicked directly into the nearby sewer by Zhao Gangzi.

"Damn you, Zhao Gangzi, how did I provoke you? Kicking me like that!" Xu Damao cursed while lying in the sewer.

"Shut up!"

Ma Baoguo glared fiercely at Xu Damao.

That sharp gaze seemed to treat Xu Damao like a heinous criminal, startling him so much that he had to shut his mouth obediently, not daring to speak again.

However, he could still hear some fragmented things, something about the old lady and Yi Zhonghai, which left him completely confused.

Moreover, Xu Damao wanted to go home, but these comrades wouldn't let him leave, saying there was an important operation coming up and they were afraid Xu Damao would cause trouble.

Soon, the time arrived at dusk.

The Siheyuan.

Jia Dongxu lay on the bed, unable to sleep no matter how he turned; there were two pillows on the bed, one was Jia Dongxu's, and the other was also Jia Dongxu's.

"How could my mom break out of prison? If she gets caught, even if she isn't executed, she'll be locked up for decades; that's no different from just dying..."

"No, no, if this really happens, wouldn't that little bitch Qin Huairu poison me to death the next day?"

"On the third day she'd abort the child in her belly, on the fourth day she'd get together with that old eunuch Yi Zhonghai, on the fifth day she could be pregnant with Zhao Gangzi's child, on the sixth day Shazhu would take over, and on the seventh day..."

Jia Dongxu lay on the bed, half-dead, watching Qin Huairu smiling as she washed dishes by the stove; the more he thought, the more terrified he became.

His son was already a bit mentally challenged; perhaps after he passed away, the boy would be sold to human traffickers, and then the Jia Family line would be cut off.

Furthermore, the question Qin Huairu asked Ma Baoguo during the day was very sharp; if it were in the past, he would definitely have beaten her up.

But now he felt a bit guilty; before, he relied on the fact that Jia Zhangshi would be out of prison in a few months, but now it was hard to say.

Whether he lived or died didn't matter, but in the future, no one would sincerely help him; wouldn't he just be the fish on the chopping block?

Jia Dongxu held onto this thought and didn't fall asleep until midnight, whereas Qin Huairu slept extremely soundly, even wetting the bedding with her drool.

Who knows what kind of dream she was having to sleep like that.

The moonlight was bright in the courtyard, and now that their Jia Family had moved to the Back Courtyard, Jia Dongxu seemed to see a bloated figure standing in the yard, looking especially like Jia Zhangshi.

It was just that she was much thinner than before!

"Is Mom back?" Jia Dongxu was very excited and hurriedly climbed off the bed, light-footed, intending to go into the courtyard to find Jia Zhangshi.

After all, it was the middle of the night, the weather was so cold, and he had previously entrusted someone to bring a message to the prison to notify Jia Zhangshi about the house swap.

But that figure didn't go to the Jia Family, but instead turned and entered the Deaf Old Lady's house; Jia Dongxu became anxious upon seeing this and hurriedly followed.

But just as he pushed open the door to the Deaf Old Lady's house, what met his eyes was not the familiar figure of Jia Zhangshi, but a strange middle-aged man with a distinct toothbrush mustache pasted on his philtrum.

On the man's waist was a small knife; carrying tools in the middle of the night like this, he definitely wasn't a good person!

And the Deaf Old Lady sitting by the Eight Immortals table was currently looking at the crawling Jia Dongxu with a shocked expression, her originally kind gaze instantly turning sharp.

"Baka..."

"What is going on... didn't you say... no one would dare enter your house casually..."

The middle-aged man with the toothbrush mustache said to the Deaf Old Lady with some anger, then drew a long sword from his waist.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the entire room turned cold.

The Deaf Old Lady didn't speak either, just glanced at Jia Dongxu with a hint of pity and ruthlessness, then closed her eyes.

"Your... Your Excellency, I, I am a good citizen, I-I'm sorry, I went to the wrong place!"

Cold sweat broke out on Jia Dongxu; he hadn't expected to run into this scene in the middle of the night, and what he hadn't expected even more was that this suddenly appearing middle-aged man was definitely not one of their Chinese people.

He looked more like those ghosts who were beaten away over a dozen years ago!

And after so many years, how could such things still remain? It was truly terrifying!

It seems this old lady was truly as the rumors outside said—not simple at all! The long sword in the middle-aged man's hand flashed blindingly, and Jia Dongxu was so scared he almost peed himself.

"Whether you are a good citizen is not for you to decide; you have to ask the sword in my hand."

The middle-aged man spoke Sijiucheng dialect extremely fluently; if not for that toothbrush mustache, he would be no different from the purest old Sijiucheng local!

The old lady sitting to the side also nodded in tacit agreement, then sighed and said, "Dongxu, you know that Grandma usually dotes on you, but why don't you listen to Grandma? Don't you know you have to knock before entering..."

"Spare his life! Cut out his tongue and break his hands; he won't be able to betray us..."

"Old Lady, I was wrong, let me go! Let me live on, I definitely won't tell anyone about what's happening here!"

Jia Dongxu's voice trembled, his hands supporting him on the ground as he kowtowed to the two of them incessantly.

And the real Jia Zhangshi had also appeared in the Siheyuan at this moment; seeing Jia Dongxu suddenly crawl into the old lady's house, she followed behind, preparing to find him.

Just as she quietly reached the door, she saw this scene through the crack and became anxious immediately; without caring about anything else, she kicked the door open and entered.

"Little Japanese devil! Don't touch my son; if you have the guts, come at me!"

Jia Zhangshi shouted loudly, holding a stick in her hand and swinging it with great force; even Jia Dongxu didn't know his mother had this skill.

And Jia Dongxu, as if he had found a lifeline, grabbed her leg and cried, "Mom! You're finally back, you scared me to death! Sob sob sob..."

"Don't be afraid! It's just him alone; if we catch him, he'll definitely be executed!"

Jia Zhangshi was actually terrified as well.

Now that the noise was so loud, not only the middle-aged man but also the Deaf Old Lady began to frown; if this continued, something was bound to go wrong!

"Bad luck, I have no choice but to run away early!"

The middle-aged man said with annoyance, and Deaf Old Lady also understood that since the Jia Family mother and son before them could not be dealt with, there was absolutely no way to continue staying in the Siheyuan.

Originally, the old lady and this middle-aged man only met once a year, and always in the dead of night; she had not expected such terrible luck this time!

If it were anyone else, they could have brushed it off by claiming to be a relative, but the whole neighborhood knew that the old lady not only had no children, but didn't even have a single relative or friend, so there was simply no way to cover it up!