Chapter 14

The scorching temperature and the smell of alcohol made her pretty face flush red, as if it were boiling water.

Cao Cao Weiguo asked with concern, "Sister E, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Thank you, Cao Weiguo."

Lou Lou Xiaoe stood up, her face flushed and her heart racing.

Cao Cao Weiguo, however, couldn't bear to let go, holding Lou Lou Xiaoe in a daze.

The drunken Cao Cao Weiguo looked at the pretty and moving Lou Lou Xiaoe as if he were seeing a fairy.

"Cao Weiguo."

Lou Lou Xiaoe pushed Cao Cao Weiguo away, her face red and her heart pounding.

Cao Cao Weiguo finally came to his senses and let go reluctantly.

Lou Lou Xiaoe came out of his embrace, her face as red as a ripe apple, and a strange feeling grew in her heart.

Lou Lou Xiaoe said shyly, "Cao Weiguo, help me get Xu Xu Damao to bed."

Cao Cao Weiguo nodded groggily, and he and Lou Lou Xiaoe helped Xu Xu Damao up, one on each side.

After getting Xu Xu Damao to bed, Lou Lou Xiaoe said, "You sit for a while, I'll go get you the hangover soup."

Lou Lou Xiaoe turned and left, and soon returned with a steaming bowl of bean sprout hangover soup.

"Thank you, Sister E."

Cao Cao Weiguo took the hangover soup and, without caring if it was hot, brought it to his mouth.

"Cao Weiguo, it's hot!"

"Phew! It's delicious! Thank... thank you, Sister E!"

"I'm going back now."

Returning the empty bowl to Lou Lou Xiaoe, Cao Cao Weiguo left in a fluster.

"Slow down, don't fall!"

Lou Lou Xiaoe chased him to the door and called out with concern. ===== CHAPTER 25 =====

Sihe Academy

Cao Cao Weiguo returned home in a hurry, his heart filled with strange feelings.

Pushing the door open and seeing the three fish in the laundry basin and the water all over the floor, he was furious.

"Who stole my fish!"

"Who stole the fish! Get out here!"

The drunken Cao Cao Weiguo couldn't suppress the anger in his heart and rushed out, his face flushed red, shouting.

"Stealing?"

"That sounds like Cao Cao Weiguo's voice!"

"Cao Cao Weiguo's fish was stolen?"

"Serves him right!"

"There's a thief in the courtyard!"

Soon, the residents of the Sihe Academy rushed to the back yard.

The Second Master, who lived in the back yard, was already "investigating" the scene.

The First Master and Third Master also arrived one after another, and Lou Lou Xiaoe also came to Cao's door.

"I caught six fish at Houhai!"

"I gave one to the Third Master, braised one, and kept four in the basin."

"I went to Xu Xu Damao's house for a drink at noon, and when I came back, I found one fish missing—the biggest one."

"That fish weighed over seven jin. I couldn't even bear to eat it myself; I was planning to use it as a gift!"

The First Master looked at the furious Cao Cao Weiguo, knowing that this matter couldn't be settled easily.

And there was a thief in the courtyard; this was no small matter.

The Second Master directly announced a courtyard-wide meeting, and the residents who were at home were called to the back yard.

"A very malicious incident has occurred in our Sihe Academy today!"

"Cao Cao Weiguo's fish, which he kept in his room, was stolen! This is burglary! This is a criminal act! It seriously affects the reputation of our Sihe Academy!"

The Second Master puffed out his chest and waved his hands majestically as he spoke. The First Master and Third Master also looked serious.

The First Master said with a stern face, "Stealing others' property is no small matter, but if the person who did it comes forward voluntarily to admit their mistake, we can handle it leniently for the sake of being neighbors."

Burglary!

Criminal act!

The residents who arrived all became serious.

This was really no small matter!

Even if a fish wasn't worth much, being caught and sent to the police station meant jail time, or even prison.

Cao Cao Weiguo said with a flushed face, "Whoever stole the fish, stand up. Let me see who has such guts!"

The whole place was silent. They looked at each other, but no one spoke.

The Third Master pushed up his glasses, "Don't hide it. If you remain stubborn, it won't be easy to settle if it goes to the police station."

Jia Jia Zhangshi's body trembled. Cao Cao Weiguo, who had long been suspicious, shouted angrily, "Aunt Zhang, did your family steal it!"

All eyes were immediately focused on her. Jia Jia Zhangshi shouted in panic, "You're making false accusations! My Bang Geng is so well-behaved, how could he steal things!"

Cao Cao Weiguo sneered, "Aunt Zhang, I didn't say it was Bang Geng."

The expressions of Seeing Shazhu and the First Master changed, and the residents looked at Jia Jia Zhangshi with strange eyes.

Was this a confession without being asked?

Those who eat are soft-mouthed; those who take are soft-handed.

The Third Master scanned the crowd and stared at Jia Jia Zhangshi, asking, "Why didn't your three children come?"

Jia Jia Zhangshi: "Why would the children come for such a trivial matter?"

Cao Cao Weiguo said angrily, "Three Masters, I want to go to the Jia house and take a look."

Jia Jia Zhangshi shouted anxiously, "Who do you think you are? Why should you go to my house? I don't agree."

The First Master said with a stern face, "Cao Weiguo, don't be impulsive."

He also suspected Bang Geng, but Bang Geng's father was his apprentice.

He also wanted Bang Geng to provide for his old age, and he didn't want anything to happen to Bang Geng.

The Second Master spoke up, "I think we should go to the Jia house to check. If it's not there, it will clear Bang Geng's name."

Jia Jia Zhangshi shouted, "Why! Why! You're just bullying our Jia family! Bullying us orphans and widows!"

Seeing Shazhu jumped out and looked at Cao Cao Weiguo with contempt, "Cao Cao Weiguo, you're a grown man, is it interesting to bully an old woman and children? It's just a fish, is it worth it?"

Cao Cao Weiguo glared at Seeing Shazhu with a belly full of anger, "Seeing Shazhu, why do you always jump out whenever something happens to the Jia family? Don't blame me for being impolite if you keep talking nonsense."

"Hey! A toad yawning—what big talk! Try being impolite!"

Seeing Shazhu considered himself invincible and wasn't afraid of Cao Cao Weiguo.

He rolled up his sleeves and was about to make a move, preparing to take the opportunity to vent his anger and get revenge.

Cao Cao Weiguo said with cold eyes, "Seeing Shazhu, I advise you not to be foolish. If the courtyard can't handle this, I'll go to the police station. Don't blame me if someone ends up in prison."

Jia Jia Zhangshi shouted anxiously, "You can't go to the police station!"

Cao Cao Weiguo ignored Jia Jia Zhangshi and turned to the three masters, "Three Masters, are you going to the Jia house? Give me a decision."

The Second Master pounded the table, "Everyone, let's go to the Jia house together."

"Go to the Jia house!"

The Second Master took the lead, and a crowd of people rushed straight to the Jia house.

Jia Jia Zhangshi opened her arms to block them, but was pushed aside by the Second Master.

"Bullying people! Bullying people!"

"Bang!"

Cao Cao Weiguo pushed open the door of the Jia house. Bang Geng, Xiaodang, and Huaihuai were all full of panic and fear.

"There's a fish smell!"

"There are fish bones here!"

A group of people rushed into the Jia house, and the whole room smelled of fish. ===== CHAPTER 26 =====