When Yi Zhonghai saw Qin Huairu crying so pitifully, looking so pitiful and delicate, his expression inexplicably turned angry.
One had to know.
He had always harbored special feelings for Qin Huairu.
Not to mention.
There was an even deeper, unknown relationship between them.
Now.
Qin Huairu was being targeted so harshly by Ye Jianguo.
As the First Grandpa.
How could he possibly not step forward?
He immediately snapped angrily, “Ye Jianguo, what are you doing?”
“Is this what you call exposing the chicken thief?”
“Directly framing a child?”
“Bang Geng is such a good, well-behaved child. Who doesn’t know that?”
“Do you think anyone would believe Bang Geng stole something?”
“I advise you to apologize to Aunt Jia and Qin Huairu immediately. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude.”
Liu Qian was also stunned at this moment, completely dumbfounded.
She had never expected things to develop this way.
Weren’t they supposed to be watching the excitement?
Why had Jianguo stepped forward as well?
Even.
He had directly declared that Bang Geng was the chicken thief?
Now.
Almost everyone was standing on the opposing side.
Liu Qian was truly dumbfounded.
At the same time.
She was also very worried.
In her view.
As long as they could prove they had not stolen the chicken, that would be enough.
She had never thought about exposing who the chicken thief was.
She simply was not someone who meddled in other people’s affairs.
But.
Ye Jianguo had now taken such an action.
Not only was Liu Qian stunned—even Lou Xiaoe, who had been made to cry by Sha Zhu.
She was also staring at Ye Jianguo with a look of astonishment.
She suddenly realized that the Ye Jianguo before her seemed very unfamiliar.
That street loafer and gambling addict, Ye Jianguo—could he really speak so clearly and logically?
Especially when Ye Jianguo declared that the chicken thief was Bang Geng and was targeted and questioned by so many people, he still remained completely calm and unconcerned.
He was neither flustered nor nervous in the slightest.
It was as if victory were already in his grasp.
For some inexplicable reason.
She was drawn to him.
At the same time.
She wanted to see how Ye Jianguo would turn the tide.
As for Ye Jianguo at this moment.
He truly was not afraid at all.
Even.
When he saw Yi Zhonghai enter the fray, he became even happier.
This sanctimonious hypocrite.
He had finally been unable to resist getting involved?
And.
Was he even openly siding with Qin Huairu and the others?
Since that was the case.
Then don’t blame me for being rude.
Thus.
Ye Jianguo looked at Yi Zhonghai and said coldly, “First Grandpa, is this how you act as the First Grandpa?”
“You declare Bang Geng innocent without distinguishing right from wrong?”
“And I’m automatically the one at fault?”
“You’re directly ordering me to apologize to them?”
“Isn’t your favoritism a little too obvious?”
Yi Zhonghai’s entire body trembled. He had not expected Ye Jianguo to actually dare talk back.
He had even questioned his authority.
He said coldly, “Ye Jianguo, you can’t make reckless accusations.”
“How have I shown favoritism?”
“Bang Geng is only a child. Would he really commit such a serious act as chicken theft?”
“Who do you think would believe what you say?”
Ye Jianguo laughed and mocked him, “First Grandpa, and this isn’t favoritism?”
“You didn’t even ask whether I had evidence before declaring that this little ingrate, Bang Geng, wasn’t the chicken thief.”
“You even directly declared that no one would believe me.”
“How is that not favoritism?”
“What a joke!”
As soon as Ye Jianguo finished speaking, the crowd immediately began discussing it in low voices.
“Oh my, the First Grandpa does seem to be targeting someone.”
“Not necessarily, right? Bang Geng is only a child. Would he really steal something?”
“Heh, Bang Geng is a child, sure, but he isn’t exactly a good person.”
“Exactly. Bang Geng really isn’t a good person. He’s so young, yet his mouth is already full of foul language, and he likes fighting and snatching things.”
“The First Grandpa’s approach is indeed a little excessive. He should have asked whether Ye Jianguo actually had evidence.”
“......”
Originally, Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was also very displeased with Ye Jianguo.
After all.
Ye Jianguo did not give the three uncles any face at all.
This made him very unhappy.
But.
What he had not expected was that Ye Jianguo suddenly opened fire on First Grandpa Yi Zhonghai.
Moreover.
Most importantly, what Ye Jianguo said made perfect sense.
First Grandpa Yi Zhonghai was clearly siding with Qin Huairu and the others.
After all.
Yi Zhonghai had not even asked whether Ye Jianguo had evidence before flatly insisting that Bang Geng was not the culprit.
He had coveted the position of First Grandpa for a long time.
He had long wished to pull Yi Zhonghai down from the position of First Grandpa.
However.
He had suffered from never having the opportunity.
Now.
He knew his chance had arrived.
He coughed, adopted an official tone, and said, “First Grandpa, you truly shouldn’t have declared that Bang Geng wasn’t the chicken thief without first asking whether Ye Jianguo had evidence.”
“Although Bang Geng isn’t very old, he isn’t exactly little anymore.”
“If he wanted to steal a chicken, there would be no problem at all.”
“As the uncles of the courtyard compound, we must find this chicken thief. We absolutely cannot let the matter go.”
“At the same time, we must not let anyone be unjustly accused.”
“That is what we, as the uncles of the courtyard compound, ought to do.”
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong’s words practically amounted to dragging Yi Zhonghai out for a reprimand.
When Third Uncle Yan Bugui saw Second Uncle Liu Haizhong speak up.
He also said, “Second Uncle is right.”
“As the uncles of the courtyard compound, we must remain fair and impartial. We cannot show favoritism.”
First Grandpa Yi Zhonghai’s face was gloomy.
He had not expected Ye Jianguo’s reasoning to be so clear.
When faced with his questioning.
Ye Jianguo had not been afraid at all; instead, he had struck back at him.
This had also given Second Uncle Liu Haizhong, who had always wanted to replace him, an excuse to open fire on him.
This infuriated Yi Zhonghai.
However.
He was, after all, the courtyard compound’s First Grandpa.
His authority was not so easily questioned.
He snorted coldly and said, “As the courtyard compound’s First Grandpa, I will naturally remain fair and impartial. This has always been my principle when handling matters in the compound.”
“I’m sure everyone knows what kind of person I am.”
“As for this time, the reason I concluded so quickly that Bang Geng did not steal the chicken is naturally because I have my own judgment.”
At this point.
Yi Zhonghai looked at Xu Damao and asked, “Xu Damao, tell me, how long ago did you bring back your old hen?”
Xu Damao answered honestly, “A little over a week ago.”
Yi Zhonghai asked again, “Where do you usually keep it?”
Xu Damao answered, “At the entrance.”
Yi Zhonghai looked at everyone and said, “Everyone, you heard him. Xu Damao brought back his old hen more than a week ago, and he usually kept it at the entrance.”
“No one stole it during all that time.”
“So why was it stolen today?”
“Don’t you understand the logic?”
“It’s obvious that the chicken thief wasn’t someone from our courtyard compound, but an outsider.”
“If someone from our compound had stolen it, would he have waited so long to act?”
Yi Zhonghai spoke at length.
Listening to him, the crowd inexplicably felt that Yi Zhonghai’s words made quite a lot of sense.
Indeed.
If someone from the courtyard compound had really stolen it, he could not possibly have waited so long before acting.
He definitely would have stolen it as soon as it was brought back.
But.
Nothing had happened for more than a week.
Yet something had happened today.
That must have been because outsiders had learned that Xu Damao’s family had chickens.
So an outsider had stolen one.
Thus.
They discussed it animatedly, all taking Yi Zhonghai’s side.
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong and Third Uncle Yan Bugui were both astonished.
They had been rendered speechless by First Grandpa Yi Zhonghai’s words.
Because.
Yi Zhonghai’s reasoning was too clear.
And it made far too much sense.
They were inexplicably irritated.
But.
They were powerless to do anything about it.
They could only turn their gazes toward Ye Jianguo.
They only hoped Ye Jianguo would show some backbone and target Yi Zhonghai again.
As for Sha Zhu, after hearing Yi Zhonghai’s words.
He immediately spoke up, “The First Grandpa is absolutely right. It’s obvious that someone from outside stole it.”
“After all, Xu Damao often tells people what he brings back after projecting films in the countryside.”
“Well, look what happened. He directly invited thieves to his door.”
“When all is said and done, Xu Damao brought this on himself!”
At this point.
Sha Zhu looked at Ye Jianguo and said coldly, “Ye Jianguo, since everything is clear now, hurry up and apologize to Sister Qin and Aunt Jia.”
“Otherwise, I definitely won’t let you off.”
Xu Damao became anxious at this moment.
He could not help looking at Ye Jianguo and asking, “Ye Jianguo, what exactly is going on? Didn’t you say you would expose the chicken thief?”
“Hurry up!”
Ye Jianguo could not help glancing at Yi Zhonghai.
For Yi Zhonghai to become the First Grandpa and maintain his sanctimonious hypocrite’s mask for so long, he truly had some ability.
He had actually brushed the matter aside so cleanly and effortlessly.
However.
Unfortunately.
This time, the person Yi Zhonghai was facing was him.
Today, he was determined to tear off Yi Zhonghai’s hypocritical mask.
At the thought of this.
Ye Jianguo looked at Yi Zhonghai and said, “First Grandpa, according to you, the chicken thief was an outsider?”
Yi Zhonghai said solemnly, “That is the inevitable conclusion.”
Ye Jianguo laughed and mocked him, “First Grandpa, if an outsider really stole it after going to all that trouble to sneak into the rear courtyard and steal a chicken.”
“Then why did he steal only one?”
“Why didn’t he steal both at once?”
“Xu Damao’s two chickens were in the chicken coop. If an outsider had really stolen them, he could have simply carried off the coop and taken them with ease.”
“Yet he stole only one. Do you think that’s possible?”
......