The moment Ye Jianguo spoke, everyone’s expressions became varied.
They suddenly realized that this street loafer, Ye Jianguo, had actually become so articulate.
Moreover.
He had even managed to leave Jia Zhangshi completely speechless.
This had never happened before.
One had to understand.
In this courtyard compound, Jia Zhangshi was practically lawless.
Aside from Deaf Old Madam being able to suppress her, even First Grandpa Yi Zhonghai found it difficult to control her.
And yet.
Ye Jianguo had now retorted until she was left speechless.
Her face alternated between red and pale.
She was obviously furious.
Everyone found the sight inexplicably satisfying.
At this moment.
Jia Zhangshi was both extremely agitated and furious.
She never would have imagined that things would develop this way.
This was something she had never expected.
She had originally believed that Ye Jianguo was the damn chicken thief.
To make Ye Jianguo pay the price, she had even sworn a poison oath.
And yet.
Now Third Uncle had proven otherwise.
Moreover.
Third Uncle had even vouched for him.
That was precisely why.
After hearing Ye Jianguo’s words, she no longer dared to argue with him.
If she went and brought over that half chicken.
And it really was a rooster.
Would she really have to apologize to Ye Jianguo?
She could not do that.
In the end.
Jia Zhangshi snorted, “Hmph, why should I apologize to you?”
“Even if this chicken of yours wasn’t stolen from Xu Damao, you definitely stole it from somewhere outside.”
“That must be it!”
Smack!
First Grandpa Yi Zhonghai, who had remained mostly silent, suddenly slapped the tabletop.
He spoke up: “All of you, shut up.”
“Since it has now been proven that Xu Damao’s chicken wasn’t stolen by Ye Jianguo, Ye Jianguo is no longer under suspicion.”
Xu Damao was dumbfounded.
He looked at Yi Zhonghai and said, “First Uncle, what about my chicken?”
“Could my chicken just disappear like that? Was it lost?”
Yi Zhonghai glanced at Xu Damao and said, “You’ve lost a chicken. That isn’t a trivial matter.”
“However, the only suspect, Ye Jianguo, has now proven his innocence.”
Jia Zhangshi immediately interrupted Yi Zhonghai. “Hmph, who knows whether Ye Jianguo secretly took Xu Damao’s old hen outside to sell it, then exchanged it for a rooster and brought that back?”
Liu Qian had not expected Jia Zhangshi to keep targeting them.
She was furious.
She spoke up: “Aunt Jia, what are you saying?”
“How could my Jianguo possibly do something like that?”
“Besides, my Jianguo has always been working at the Steel Rolling Mill.”
The others also began discussing the matter in hushed voices.
It was obvious.
They did not believe Ye Jianguo would be as Jia Zhangshi had claimed.
She was clearly just twisting the facts to make an unreasonable argument.
Ye Jianguo was also becoming angry.
Originally, he had thought that Xu Damao, that rotten bastard, deserved to have his chicken stolen.
It would be fine if they could not catch the chicken thief.
But.
This damn old hag had targeted him again and again.
She kept provoking him.
Since that was the case.
Then she could not blame him.
At this thought.
Ye Jianguo spoke up.
Ye Jianguo looked at Xu Damao and asked a question that left everyone stunned.
“Xu Damao, if I help you find out who the chicken thief is, will you give me one yuan as a reward?”
One yuan might not seem like much.
But it could buy nearly two pounds of pork.
In that era, it was absolutely a huge sum of money.
Everyone was astonished and dumbfounded.
Xu Damao had not expected Ye Jianguo to say something like that either.
One yuan.
That was enough to buy nearly half of his old hen.
However.
He was already troubled by the thought that he had somehow lost an old hen for nothing.
Moreover.
Judging from the current situation, there was a high probability that they would never find the chicken thief.
Therefore.
Xu Damao gritted his teeth and asked, “Ye Jianguo, are you serious?”
“If I give you one yuan, will you really help me find the chicken thief?”
Ye Jianguo nodded. “Yes. As long as you agree, I’ll help you expose the chicken thief.”
Xu Damao gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, I agree. Hurry up and catch the chicken thief. I’ll make him compensate me for my losses.”
After hearing their exchange, Yi Zhonghai’s face darkened.
He said in a low voice, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Do you even have any respect for the three uncles?”
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong also reprimanded them. “Are you two acting completely lawlessly?”
Xu Damao said irritably, “First Uncle, Second Uncle, if you want me to respect you, then why don’t you help me catch the chicken thief?”
Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were rendered speechless.
They truly had no idea where to begin.
Because.
Nothing like this theft had ever happened before.
In their eyes, since Ye Jianguo had not stolen it, then most likely someone from outside had come in and stolen it.
If someone from outside had stolen it, how were they supposed to track down the chicken thief?
Jia Zhangshi saw that Ye Jianguo actually dared to say such a thing.
She mocked him. “You’re going to find the chicken thief? Isn’t the chicken thief you?”
“How laughable.”
Even now, Jia Zhangshi still believed that Ye Jianguo was the chicken thief.
Ye Jianguo looked at Jia Zhangshi with a half-smile. “Jia Zhangshi, since you still insist that I’m the chicken thief.”
“How about you swear another poison oath? Whoever the chicken thief is will be cursed with no descendants.”
“I’m sure you’d be very willing to do that, wouldn’t you?”
Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi swore without a moment’s hesitation. “A vow? Fine, I’ll make one.”
“Whoever the chicken thief is will be cursed with no descendants! They’ll become childless!”
“Hmph!”
Ye Jianguo smiled, even more happily than before.
He looked at Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong and asked, “I’m going to expose the chicken thief now. Do you still have any objections?”
Xu Damao said directly, “Ye Jianguo, stop wasting time and hurry up and expose the chicken thief.”
“I’ll make sure he suffers.”
“He must compensate me. Otherwise, I’ll never let him off!”
Seeing that Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong had fallen silent, Ye Jianguo smiled.
Afterward.
He looked at Sha Zhu and asked another question that left everyone stunned:
“Sha Zhu, did you see Bang Geng in the kitchen today?”
Sha Zhu was somewhat confused.
However.
He really had seen Bang Geng that afternoon.
That little fellow had gone to the kitchen to get soy sauce.
He replied, “Ye Jianguo, why are you asking that?”
“What does it have to do with you whether I saw Bang Geng?”
Although Sha Zhu did not know why Ye Jianguo was asking, he wisely did not answer directly.
Moreover.
That bastard had just said he would expose the chicken thief, and now he was asking about Bang Geng.
What did he mean by that?
However.
Although Sha Zhu did not answer directly.
Xu Damao answered instead. “When I went to the kitchen this afternoon, I really did see Bang Geng carrying a small bottle of soy sauce and running away.”
With that.
Xu Damao looked at Ye Jianguo and asked, “Ye Jianguo, why are you asking about that?”
“You’re not going to say that Bang Geng is the chicken thief, are you?”
Xu Damao had clearly thought of that possibility as well.
Jia Zhangshi immediately began cursing. “Ye Jianguo, if you dare spout nonsense, I’ll never let you off.”
“My Good Grandson could never steal anything.”
“That is absolutely impossible.”
Qin Huairu had originally just been watching the spectacle.
At the same time.
She had also been wondering when Ye Jianguo had become so eloquent.
Moreover.
He had repeatedly managed to leave her mother-in-law speechless.
But.
She had never expected Ye Jianguo to turn his accusations toward her son.
She immediately snapped, “Ye Jianguo, I’m warning you. My Bang Geng is a good child.”
“If you dare slander him, I’ll never let you off.”
Sha Zhu, however, trembled all over.
Because.
When he had returned from work, he really had seen Bang Geng eating Beggar’s Chicken together with Xiaodang and Huaihua.
At the time, he had even praised Bang Geng for being sensible.
He had brought along his two younger sisters despite having food.
At the time.
He had not thought much of it and had assumed Jia Zhangshi had given him money to buy the chicken.
But.
Now that he thought about it.
It seemed that was not the case.
Adding to that the fact that Bang Geng had taken the soy sauce......
Sha Zhu was stunned.
However.
He quickly came back to his senses.
He angrily said, “Ye Jianguo, you’re actually trying to frame a child.”
“Are you even human?”
The others were also dumbfounded.
Could Ye Jianguo really be saying that the chicken thief was Bang Geng?
For a moment.
Everyone began discussing it heatedly.
Ye Jianguo smiled.
He had not expected Bang Geng to have really gone to the kitchen to steal soy sauce.
Moreover.
Xu Damao had even witnessed it with his own eyes.
Now this was getting interesting.
Faced with the aggressive pressure from Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, Sha Zhu, and the others.
He said calmly, “I haven’t even said anything yet, and you’re already so eager to admit that Bang Geng stole the chicken?”
With that.
He suddenly changed tack and declared loudly, “However, none of you guessed wrong. The chicken thief I’m talking about is Bang Geng, that little ingrate.”
The moment Ye Jianguo spoke, the crowd erupted.
“Damn, Ye Jianguo really identified Bang Geng as the chicken thief?”
“Is that possible?”
“Bang Geng is only a child. Could he really be the chicken thief?”
“I can’t believe it. This is insane.”
“Exactly. I can’t believe it either. After all, this is chicken theft. If he’s caught, he’ll be sent to juvenile detention.”
“.....”
Jia Zhangshi immediately knelt on the ground and wailed, “Dongxu, can you see this from beyond the grave?”
“How long has it been since you left?”
“And now that murderous Ye Jianguo is slandering your Good Grandson by accusing him of stealing.”
“What a well-behaved child your son Bang Geng is.”
“Dongxu, if you can see this from beyond the grave, take this bastard Ye Jianguo away!”
“Sob, sob.....I don’t want to live anymore!!!”
Qin Huairu also cried, “Ye Jianguo, what do you mean?”
“You were wrongly accused by Xu Damao of stealing the chicken. What does that have to do with us?”
“Why are you falsely accusing my son Bang Geng?”
“He’s still a child. How could he possibly do something like that?”
“That is absolutely impossible.”
Sha Zhu also angrily shouted, “Ye Jianguo, apologize to Sister Qin and Aunt Jia immediately.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rough with you.”
Sha Zhu hated seeing Qin Huairu cry more than anything.
Now.
This damn Ye Jianguo had actually dared to make Qin Huairu cry.
It was utterly unforgivable.
Even though he knew Ye Jianguo was telling the truth.
But.
He did not care about that.
He absolutely refused to admit it.
Bang Geng was such a lovable child. If he had stolen Xu Damao’s chicken, then Xu Damao had only himself to blame!
......