“Smack!”
Yi Zhonghai slapped the tabletop again.
He scolded, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Report it to the police?”
“Is that really necessary?”
“Our courtyard compound has always been the community’s Advanced Courtyard Compound. There has never been any conflict, dispute, or theft here.”
“Once you report this, do you think our courtyard compound can still compete for the Advanced Courtyard Compound title?”
At this point,
Yi Zhonghai looked at Xu Damao and said, “The old hen you lost, even counting the eggs it would have laid, was worth no more than five yuan at most.”
“How about this? To preserve our courtyard compound’s chance of being rated an Advanced Courtyard Compound, I’ll personally compensate you five yuan.”
“Let’s consider this matter settled. What do you say?”
Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai’s words, Xu Damao was genuinely tempted.
Why had he made such a big fuss?
Wasn’t it for compensation?
Now,
Yi Zhonghai was actually willing to take the initiative and compensate him five yuan.
Of course he was happy to agree.
His old hen rarely laid eggs.
He had long wanted to butcher it and eat it.
Everything he had said earlier was merely to emphasize the value of his old hen.
Now,
Yi Zhonghai was willing to compensate him five yuan.
He had struck it rich.
Wasn’t that great?
As for who had stolen his chicken, he did not care at all.
However,
just as he was about to speak, Ye Jianguo spoke first.
Looking at Yi Zhonghai coldly, he said, “Yi Zhonghai, is this your sense of responsibility as the First Uncle?”
“Is this your way of handling matters as the First Uncle?”
“Such a serious incident has occurred in our courtyard compound, yet for the sake of the so-called Advanced Courtyard Compound rating, you’re actually telling Xu Damao not to report it.”
“You’re letting the real chicken thief remain at large.”
“What exactly do you mean by this?”
“I now have every reason to believe that you already know the chicken thief is Bang Geng.”
“Yet you’re selfishly covering for him.”
“You’re shielding him.”
“So this is our courtyard compound’s First Uncle!”
“You’re nothing but a hypocrite!”
Seeing Xu Damao’s expression, Ye Jianguo knew that Xu Damao was useless and could not be relied upon.
That useless man had clearly taken a fancy to Yi Zhonghai’s compensation and wanted to agree to his demand.
How could Ye Jianguo possibly let them have their way?
He spoke first.
He was specifically targeting Yi Zhonghai, grinding him into the dirt.
Yi Zhonghai’s expression became extremely ugly.
When he saw the expressions of Sha Zhu, Jia Zhangshi, Bang Geng, Qin Huairu, and the others, he had actually realized that the chicken thief was very likely Bang Geng.
Exactly.
That was why he had come up with this method.
He was paying out of his own pocket and using the greater good to persuade everyone else in the courtyard compound.
After all,
this concerned the courtyard compound’s Advanced Rating.
If they won,
everyone would have something to be proud of, right?
Besides,
he had also calculated that Xu Damao wanted to catch the chicken thief merely for compensation.
Therefore,
he had deliberately valued the old hen at five yuan.
He knew
that this price would definitely tempt Xu Damao, who had dollar signs in his eyes.
But
what he had not expected was that that bastard Ye Jianguo would speak before Xu Damao.
And target him so aggressively.
After quite a while,
he finally came back to his senses.
He said coldly, “Ye Jianguo, what nonsense are you talking about?”
“I’m only thinking of everyone’s interests.”
“Our courtyard compound has always been a winner in the community’s Advanced Rating.”
“Do you really want to see our courtyard compound lose this collective honor because of this incident?”
Yi Zhonghai still intended to use this matter to target Ye Jianguo.
At the same time,
he looked at the others and said, “Does everyone here really not want this Advanced Rating grand prize?”
“If none of you want it, then I have nothing more to say. Xu Damao can do whatever he wants, and I can even save five yuan!”
After speaking, Yi Zhonghai put on an expression of deep disappointment and anger.
Everyone present
was stunned for a moment.
Some of them felt that Yi Zhonghai was right and that the Advanced Rating mattered more.
After all,
they would not have to pay any compensation.
Yi Zhonghai was paying for it himself.
Naturally, they would not refuse.
However,
some people felt that the chicken thief still had to be caught.
After all,
nobody even knew who the chicken thief was.
As for that Advanced Rating,
it was merely a ceremonial banner.
It could not be eaten.
At this moment,
Lou Xiaoe, who had remained silent all this time, spoke up.
She said, “Report it to the police. This matter must be reported!”
“I absolutely have to catch this chicken thief!”
Lou Xiaoe actually did not care who had stolen the chicken, nor did she care how much compensation was involved.
In her eyes, none of it mattered.
Because
she was not short of money.
But
she had seen Ye Jianguo helping her so much and speaking up for her.
Therefore,
she could not bear to let Ye Jianguo put in so much effort only to end up with no one supporting him.
Therefore,
she spoke up.
She insisted on reporting it to the police.
The real chicken thief had to be caught.
Xu Damao was frustrated.
He looked at Lou Xiaoe and said irritably, “Lou Xiaoe, you’re a woman. What say do you have in this?”
“I haven’t even said anything yet!”
Lou Xiaoe said angrily, “What? Why can’t I have a say?”
“Xu Damao, I’m telling you, I really am going to report this. I really am going to catch the chicken thief!”
Lou Xiaoe was deeply disappointed in Xu Damao.
She was furious.
She immediately shouted at that bastard Xu Damao.
Just as Xu Damao was about to say something, Ye Jianguo spoke again.
“Everyone, do you really want to obtain some so-called honor that merely deceives you, and let such a thief remain at large in our courtyard compound?”
“You may think this matter has nothing to do with you.”
“But I’m telling you, this matter concerns every person here.”
“Once a thief gets away with it the first time, there will be a second time and a third time.”
“If you think it does not matter, then you had better be careful when you leave home in the future.”
“Be careful that your belongings are not stolen.”
“After all, you can guard against theft by day and by night, but you can never guard against a household thief.”
After Ye Jianguo said this, the expressions of the people watching the spectacle finally changed.
At first,
they had felt that this matter had nothing to do with them.
Whether the thief was caught or not, they simply did not care.
But
now,
after hearing Ye Jianguo’s words, they felt that this thief absolutely had to be caught.
After all,
who locked the door every single time they went out?
There would always be times when someone forgot.
Not to mention,
you could guard against theft by day and by night, but never against a household thief.
Thus,
they all called out that the matter had to be reported and that the real chicken thief had to be caught.
At this moment,
Sha Zhu, Jia Zhangshi, and the others were also frightened when they heard Ye Jianguo’s words.
Report it to the police?
If they really reported it,
Bang Geng would definitely be caught.
Once Bang Geng was truly exposed, he would really be sent to the juvenile detention center.
Once he went to the juvenile detention center,
Bang Geng’s entire life would be ruined.
Therefore,
their expressions changed drastically, and they were momentarily at a loss.
Qin Huairu had originally refused to believe that her Bang Geng would do such a thing.
But
after hearing Ye Jianguo’s series of remarks and recalling her mother-in-law’s behavior just now,
as well as Bang Geng’s current deathly pale expression, she suddenly realized that this might really have been done by her own Bang Geng.
In other words, Xu Damao’s chicken really had been stolen by Bang Geng.
At this moment,
when she heard everyone in the courtyard compound insist that they report it and catch the real chicken thief, her face grew even paler.
If Bang Geng were truly caught, he would definitely be sent to the juvenile detention center.
If he went to the juvenile detention center,
Bang Geng’s entire life would be ruined.
Qin Huairu immediately became flustered and lost her bearings.
With reddened eyes, she looked at Sha Zhu in a Pitiful and delicate manner.
She looked so pitiful that anyone would want to pull her into his arms and cherish her.
Although Sha Zhu was also stunned at this moment,
but
as Qin Huairu tugged at him, he naturally sensed what she wanted.
When he saw Qin Huairu’s Pitiful and delicate appearance, his entire body trembled.
What a coquettish, Pitiful and delicate expression.
He truly wished he could cherish her properly.
At the same time,
he also understood what Qin Huairu wanted him to do.
His expression shifted repeatedly.
In the end,
looking at the crowd that had already become agitated, he gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, I admit it. I was the one who stole Xu Damao’s chicken.”
“You all know that I’ve always disliked Xu Damao.”
“He insulted me yesterday, so I came back secretly this afternoon to steal one of his old hens in revenge.”
“Then I killed it and prepared it for Bang Geng to make Beggar’s Chicken.”
As soon as Sha Zhu said this, the crowd exploded.
They had not expected the matter to develop like this.
Xu Damao’s old hen had actually been stolen by Sha Zhu?
The crowd erupted.
This result was truly beyond everyone’s expectations.
Upon hearing this, Xu Damao shouted furiously, “So it was you, Sha Zhu! I knew my old hen had to have been stolen by one of you!”
“So it really was you!”
“Sha Zhu, pay me compensation immediately and apologize to me!”
“Otherwise, I won’t let this go!”
When Yi Zhonghai saw Sha Zhu step forward,
he knew it was time for him to act.
He slapped the tabletop and shouted angrily, “Sha Zhu, Xu Damao’s chicken was actually stolen by you?”
“How could you do something so outrageous?”
“Your actions are completely unacceptable. You must receive severe punishment!”
Sha Zhu looked at Yi Zhonghai and said, “First Uncle, I accept my punishment.”
“After all, I was in the wrong. But I did this to get revenge on Xu Damao.”
“Xu Damao went too far yesterday. I was so angry that I ended up doing this.”
Yi Zhonghai shouted, “No matter what happened between you two, that is no reason for you to steal Xu Damao’s chicken.”
“Therefore, you must compensate Xu Damao.”
“How about this? Pay Xu Damao five yuan in compensation and apologize to him.”
“In addition, you will be punished by sweeping the courtyard for a week.”
At this point,
Yi Zhonghai looked at everyone, paying particular attention to Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui.
Finally, he looked at Ye Jianguo and asked, “Do any of you have any objections to this punishment?”
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was somewhat depressed.
He had just been preparing to target Yi Zhonghai, but before he could say anything, Sha Zhu had admitted to the chicken theft.
Immediately afterward, Yi Zhonghai had punished Sha Zhu like this.
What else could he say?
This punishment was indeed quite severe.
Therefore,
Liu Haizhong said, “Since the chicken thief is Sha Zhu, he must receive severe punishment.”
“If Xu Damao agrees to this punishment, I have no objections.”
Third Uncle Yan Bugui also spoke up. “I have no objections either.”
When Yi Zhonghai saw that Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui had fallen silent, he could not help but mock them inwardly.
With their shabby appearance, they actually thought they could target him?
Afterward,
he looked at Ye Jianguo and said in a deep voice, “Ye Jianguo, what about you?”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
.....