Chapter 51: Human Nature

Li Xuewu pointed the gun at Jia Zhangshi's forehead and said, "What are you doing? Huh? Using ignorance of the law as capital for being willful?"

Li Xuewu scanned the surroundings and said, "It was just a trivial matter. Was it necessary to make it so complicated? Xu Damao lost a chicken, and He Yuzhu knew it but pretended to be stupid. Is this the principle of conduct you learned from the First Master?"

Seeing Sha Zhu felt like he had been struck by lightning when he heard Li Xuewu's words. This... how did he know...

Li Xuewu said to Qin Huairu again, "You clearly knew your son made a mistake. If you had taken the initiative to apologize and pay money, and then gone home to discipline your son, would there be so many things? Is this how you set an example for your son? You never get enough of taking small advantages. There will be a day when you send your son to the execution ground."

Qin Huairu heard Li Xuewu's reprimand and sat on the chair crying, looking at Banggeng and shedding tears.

Li Xuewu said to Xu Damao, "You have nothing to do and are just showing off. You have two chickens and don't know where to put them. Next time, put them in your pants to avoid losing them, so you don't get reported for accepting gifts from fellow villagers and lose your job."

Li Xuewu's words were unpleasant, but the last sentence hit Xu Damao's weak spot. It could also be considered a reminder. He didn't dare to say anything more and hurriedly lowered his head.

Looking at Seeing Sha Zhu standing on the side, Li Xuewu said, "If you don't have the heart to be someone's father, don't spoil other people's children. Spoiling a child is like harming a child. What's the matter? Do you have a grudge against the Jia family?"

Seeing Sha Zhu saw others being scolded and thought it had nothing to do with him. Who knew that his crime was the greatest? It turned out that Banggeng daring to steal things was all his fault.

At this time, Seeing Sha Zhu was thinking about finding a good partner and had no intention of living with a widow. He hurriedly nodded and said, "I know, I know. I was wrong, I was wrong. Put the gun away quickly. Jia Zhangshi was just anxious."

Li Xuewu asked him, "What's the matter? Do you really want to find a mother?"

Seeing Sha Zhu's face turned red from being retorted, and he returned to his seat without a word.

Only then did Li Xuewu point the gun at Jia Zhangshi again and said, "I'll tell you since you don't know the law: assaulting a police officer will get you a bullet! Assaulting a police officer without knowing the law will also get you a bullet! Do you understand?"

Jia Zhangshi nodded repeatedly at this moment. She was really afraid that this thing would go off. She had seen the Japanese beasts use this thing to harm people before, and she couldn't help but shiver whenever she thought about it.

Li Xuewu looked at this old woman and said, "If you really have any evil deeds, even if you stole a needle from someone, I would execute you. But you're good—you don't steal yourself, but you teach your grandson to steal. You are truly a good grandmother. A good grandmother who sends her grandson to the execution ground. I'll tell you another law: instigating children to commit crimes and theft will also get you jail time. In the future, throw more tantrums in the courtyard and be more aggressive with me. I'll keep a total account for you and settle it all at once."

"I won't dare, I won't dare. I'll never dare again."

He slowly withdrew the Type 54, unloaded the chamber, engaged the safety, and put it into the holster.

Jia Zhangshi sat on the ground with a thud, wanting to cry but not daring to. Qin Huairu and Seeing Sha Zhu hurriedly stepped forward to help her.

Li Xuewu sat on the chair, looked at Banggeng who was standing straight, and said, "I'll ask you one thing now. As long as you have one lie, I won't ask a second time. I'll send you in directly."

Banggeng was already afraid of this "Li Scarface." Just now, he pointed a gun at his grandmother, and now his support was gone. He didn't even dare to cry.

Li Xuewu just wanted to smash Banggeng's inner support. Otherwise, this child would always think that someone would wipe his butt, and he would be lawless.

"Did you steal the chicken?"

Banggeng looked at his mother. Seeing that his mother was only shedding tears and didn't dare to help him, he looked at his grandmother, who was paralyzed on the chair and shivering, and then looked at Uncle Sha... why was he sitting next to his mother?

Li Xuewu saw that the kid was still looking for someone to take the blame: "Huh?"

Seeing that no one could help him, Banggeng said tremblingly, "It was me..."

Li Xuewu shouted, "Louder!"

Banggeng shouted with a crying voice, "I stole it!"

Li Xuewu asked again, "Did your mother teach you, or did your grandmother teach you?"

Once this question was asked, everyone in the courtyard stretched their necks, because this was a key question. A child's mistake was one way of handling it, and an adult's instigation was another way of handling it.

Banggeng had already shed tears, but he didn't dare to cry out. He said with a hoarse voice, "I was greedy myself. Grandmother and mother only knew about it at dinner. Grandmother said I wasn't allowed to tell anyone."

"This old woman doesn't look like a good cookie at all!"

"Exactly, who educates children like this?"

"Wait for the day you get a bullet."

"We have to be careful about her in the future."

Everyone in the courtyard pointed at Jia Zhangshi, and the discussion rose suddenly.

Li Xuewu couldn't do anything about this old woman. Concealment wasn't instigation, and it wasn't even enough for detention, and it was easy to get into trouble. But it was different to peel off her face. People still wanted face now, and she would have to keep her tail between her legs in the courtyard in the future.

"Do you know what punishment you get for stealing things?" Adults now don't understand the law, let alone expect to be able to talk about the law with children.

Banggeng shook his head and nodded again: "I know I was wrong."

That's fine. Knowing he was wrong is enough.

Li Xuewu pointed at Banggeng with the handcuffs and said, "Children who make mistakes must also be punished. Considering that you are a first-time offender, I will give you two paths: one is that I send you in to accept reform, and the second is to accept the supervision of everyone in the courtyard and do labor reform in the courtyard."

Banggeng wasn't stupid at all. Now he wasn't confused at all, and his thinking was very clear: "I choose the second one."

Li Xuewu pointed at everyone in the courtyard and said, "See? Because of your mistake, the whole courtyard is freezing here with you. From now on, the sanitation of these four courtyards—outside, front, middle, and back—belongs to you. You can only end it when everyone in the courtyard agrees."

Banggeng hesitated for a moment, nodded, and said, "Okay."

This condition of Li Xuewu was enough for this kid to work until the Third Master died. If this cheap Third Master let it go, he wouldn't be the Third Master.

Li Xuewu said to Xu Damao and his wife and Qin Huairu, "Tomorrow, the three of you go to the vegetable market. Whichever chicken Xu Damao and his wife pick, you buy that one."

Qin Huairu nodded readily and responded, "Okay."

Li Xuewu said to Jia Zhangshi, "I will go to the factory security division tomorrow to file a record of your crime of assaulting a police officer. I won't deal with you for the time being, but as long as there is another theft in this courtyard, I will arrest you and Banggeng directly."

Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu wanted to say something, but they didn't have the courage.

Li Xuewu said to Banggeng again, "You bear your own mistakes. You are also responsible for feeding those two chickens. Didn't Xu Damao say that the chicken was left to lay eggs for his wife to sit in confinement and produce milk? You will feed it until his wife gives birth and finishes confinement."

Banggeng didn't think this was very difficult. His mother had given birth to Huaihua less than a year ago, so he wouldn't be too tired.

These words made Lou Xiaoe blush, and Xu Damao's expression was also very awkward.

Li Xuewu was just shaming this group of people who had nothing to do but cause trouble.

He turned around and asked the three masters at the table: "Do you think this handling is okay?"

The First Master nodded and said, "Very good. It should be managed. In the future, keep your own children under control, otherwise, just send them in directly."

The Second Master also nodded and said it was good. Only the Third Master had been poked twice and didn't express his position, nor did he oppose it.

Li Xuewu ignored him, stood up, and said with a smile, "Official business is finished, let's talk about private business. Because I separated the family and set up a separate household after I came back, the factory coordinated with the neighborhood to allocate me a house. The neighborhood allocated the area inside the front courtyard screen door and the four rooms facing south to me. I see that there are still some belongings of our residents in the south-facing rooms. Please move them away within three days. After three days, I will treat them as garbage."

The Third Master's family had the most things in those south-facing rooms.

The Third Master hurriedly said, "Xuewu, we didn't receive any notice, did we? Besides, can you use all four rooms? Lend us one to use as a warehouse."

Seeing the Third Master taking the lead, other residents in the courtyard echoed, "Exactly, anyway, you can't use it..."

Li Xuewu looked at the Third Master with a ferocious smile and said, "I have the title deed in my hand. If you want to see it, come to my house to see it later."

Li Xuewu said to everyone again, "We are all neighbors living here. I don't want to cause conflicts. Our family has many people, and housing is tight. I am in a hurry to move out. After three days, I will start cleaning up the house. Whether you clean up the things inside or not is up to you. Don't come to me and talk nonsense later."

Everyone didn't speak, and the three masters didn't speak either. They really didn't dare to speak hard words.

Li Xuewu lit a cigarette and said, "Of course, you can also use your methods on me. I'll take them all. Anyway, when the time is up, I will clear the field."

Li Xuewu turned and walked towards his house, then paused and looked back, saying, "Take what should be taken, don't touch what shouldn't be touched. If a brick is missing, I will go to your house and dismantle the house." After speaking, he entered the house.

Leaving everyone looking at each other.

Tomorrow and the day after are workdays, and there is no time during the day to go to work. Now they are going to the south-facing rooms to move things, very afraid that others will take their things.

For a time, every household was moving water vats, kang mats, stoves, coal balls, broken furniture... from the south-facing rooms.

Liu Yin in the house naturally heard Li Xuewu's words. Seeing Li Xuewu enter the house, she asked, "Is it not very good to say that? We will all live in one courtyard in the future."

Li Xuewu said indifferently, "I wanted to talk nicely, but does anyone listen? We ate pork last night, and today, as soon as their interests are touched, they dare to bare their teeth. They are all ungrateful..." ===== CHAPTER 52 =====