Jia Zhangshi had come back to life again.
She had nearly been scared to death earlier, thinking her Good Grandson would really be taken away.
Yet she had never expected a turn for the better.
Sha Zhu had actually stepped forward.
Didn’t that mean Ye Jianguo had slandered their family?
Then shouldn’t he hurry up and pay compensation?
She certainly had not forgotten what she had promised earlier.
Thus,
she looked at Ye Jianguo and said through clenched teeth, “Ye Jianguo, apologize to us immediately and compensate me for my losses!”
“It wasn’t my Good Grandson who stole the chicken at all.”
“Sha Zhu stole it and gave it to my Good Grandson to eat.”
“This has nothing to do with my Good Grandson!”
“So you slandered my Good Grandson. You must apologize and compensate me five yuan, and you must also compensate me with the chicken from your home.”
“Everyone heard what you said just now.”
“If you dare renege, there will be no place for you in this courtyard compound!”
Jia Zhangshi shouted smugly.
She looked as though victory was already in her grasp.
Only after hearing this did the others remember what had been said earlier.
That was right.
Ye Jianguo had said that he could prove the chicken thief was Bang Geng.
But what happened?
The actual chicken thief was Sha Zhu.
Didn’t that mean Ye Jianguo could not prove it?
Since he could not prove it, then he had lost.
He had to apologize to Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi, and compensate them five yuan.
At this thought,
everyone could not help looking toward Ye Jianguo.
They all wanted to see how Ye Jianguo would respond.
Ye Jianguo felt everyone’s gazes.
He was not flustered in the slightest, and his face remained completely calm.
He ignored Jia Zhangshi entirely and instead looked at the coldly smiling Yi Zhonghai. With a half-smile, he asked, “Yi Zhonghai, are you very happy to see me humiliated?”
Yi Zhonghai said with a dark expression, “What would I be happy about?”
“The question now is, do you have anything else to say?”
“Sha Zhu has admitted that he stole the chicken. That means everything you said earlier is invalid. You were wrong.”
“Moreover, you wronged Bang Geng, this good child. Shouldn’t you fulfill your promise?”
Sha Zhu also spoke up. “Ye Jianguo, fulfill your promise immediately. Apologize to Sister Qin and Aunt Jia, and pay compensation.”
“Finally, apologize to First Uncle!”
Ye Jianguo laughed. Looking at Sha Zhu, he said sarcastically, “Sha Zhu, are you really willing to take the blame for Bang Geng for the sake of a widow?”
“Is this widow really that wonderful, for you to remain so hung up on her?”
“Is this widow truly worth doing all this for?”
“Even accepting the label of chicken thief just to take the blame?”
Sha Zhu’s expression changed slightly. He snorted, “Ye Jianguo, what nonsense are you talking about?”
“What do you mean, taking the blame?”
“I did this myself.”
“I did it to get revenge on Xu Damao.”
“This has nothing to do with Bang Geng, much less Sister Qin.”
“Keep talking nonsense, and don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Seeing that Ye Jianguo had actually ignored her, Jia Zhangshi grew even angrier.
She shouted again, “Ye Jianguo, are you still trying to argue here?”
“There is absolutely no way my Good Grandson would steal anything.”
“Apologize and pay compensation immediately!”
“Otherwise, I absolutely won’t go easy on you!”
Seeing this, Ye Jianguo could not help shaking his head.
These people really would not shed a tear until they saw the coffin.
Since that was the case,
they could not blame him for being ruthless.
He said coldly, “Since you still intend to deceive everyone and get away with it,”
“and still want to shield the real chicken thief and let him continue to roam free,”
“then report it!”
Yi Zhonghai laughed and said mockingly, “Ye Jianguo, are you still arguing here? What’s the point?”
“Sha Zhu has admitted that he stole the chicken, yet you still want to slander Bang Geng, this child?”
“You even want Xu Damao to report it?”
“Are you deliberately damaging the relationship between our neighbors?”
Jia Zhangshi said angrily, “Ye Jianguo, are you still trying to argue at this point?”
“You still want to slander my Good Grandson?”
“Sha Zhu stole the chicken, and he has agreed to apologize and pay compensation. This matter is over.”
“Now apologize and pay compensation immediately, or I will never let this go!”
Qin Huairu also cried, “Ye Jianguo, just what did my son do to offend you that you have to slander him like this?”
“Are you even human?”
Ye Jianguo was just about to angrily retort at this group of beasts when Lou Xiaoe, sitting beside him, spoke again.
Lou Xiaoe looked at everyone and said, “I believe Ye Jianguo.”
“The real chicken thief is definitely not Sha Zhu, but Bang Geng.”
“I’ll give you one more chance. If Bang Geng still refuses to admit stealing the chicken, then don’t blame me for actually reporting it.”
“Once it is reported, this will not be as simple as paying compensation.”
“Sha Zhu deliberately shielded another person’s crime and will certainly be held accountable. Bang Geng will be sent to the juvenile detention center.”
At this point,
Lou Xiaoe looked at Sha Zhu and said word by word,
“As for Sha Zhu’s claim that he came back in the afternoon, we only need to ask the people in the Security Section at the Steel Rolling Mill to know whether it is true.”
“In fact, we don’t even need to ask the Security Section. We only need to ask the people in the Steel Rolling Mill kitchen.”
“Whether he lied or not will be clear after one question.”
After hearing Lou Xiaoe’s words, Ye Jianguo stared at her in astonishment.
When had this young woman become so formidable?
She spoke clearly.
Her words were also very well organized.
She had practically said everything he wanted to say.
Not bad.
With her support, Ye Jianguo knew that this matter was already settled.
He was certain.
Neither Sha Zhu nor Qin Huairu would dare let them report it.
In other words,
all he needed to do now was wait and kick them while they were down.
Thus,
he said to Lou Xiaoe, “Lou Xiaoe, report it!”
“We must expose the real chicken thief. We absolutely cannot let him roam free.”
“Otherwise, once there is a first time, there will be a second and a third.”
“Will there still be a peaceful day in our courtyard compound in the future?”
Lou Xiaoe nodded and said, “I’ll give you one more minute to think. If you still refuse to tell the truth after one minute, don’t blame me.”
When Yi Zhonghai heard Lou Xiaoe’s words, his expression changed drastically.
He had not expected that, besides Ye Jianguo being so unyielding, Lou Xiaoe would also step forward.
She had even said she would report it and expose the real chicken thief.
This infuriated him.
However,
he also hesitated, unsure whether he should continue standing firmly with Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu.
Because
from the behavior of Sha Zhu, Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi, and Bang Geng, he already knew that the real chicken thief was definitely that little rascal Bang Geng.
Once Lou Xiaoe really reported it, the real chicken thief would certainly be exposed.
Not to mention,
even without reporting it,
a simple investigation would reveal that Sha Zhu was lying.
The afternoon was his busiest time. How could he possibly have had time to come back and steal a chicken?
That was absolutely impossible.
In the end,
Yi Zhonghai decided to make one more move.
He looked at Lou Xiaoe and asked with a dark expression, “Lou Xiaoe, are you really going to do this?”
“Sha Zhu, the one who stole the chicken, has already admitted it himself. Are you still going to send him to the authorities?”
“Isn’t that going a little too far?”
Yi Zhonghai had nearly called Lou Xiaoe sinister and vicious outright.
Lou Xiaoe’s expression changed slightly.
However,
she came from a different background, after all.
She snorted, “First Uncle, if Sha Zhu is the real chicken thief and nobody else is, I will withdraw the case with the authorities and settle it privately.”
“But if he isn’t...”
Lou Xiaoe did not continue, but her meaning was obvious.
She was determined to expose the real chicken thief.
Even reporting it would not deter her.
There was no other possibility.
Yi Zhonghai’s expression darkened.
He knew he had to withdraw from the matter.
Because
Lou Xiaoe simply would not listen to reason.
She did not give him, First Uncle, any face at all.
Sha Zhu’s expression kept changing.
He had not expected Ye Jianguo to be so unyielding.
Even less had he expected Lou Xiaoe to step forward as well.
She had completely ignored the furious Xu Damao and stepped forward to report it.
This was entirely beyond his expectations.
He had originally thought that if he stepped forward and admitted to stealing the chicken, Ye Jianguo would have no way to do anything.
That would not only humiliate Ye Jianguo, but also force him to apologize and pay compensation.
He himself would not need to apologize to Lou Xiaoe or compensate her.
It was simply a brilliant plan.
But then,
Ye Jianguo had refused to play along entirely.
He had insisted that Bang Geng stole the chicken.
And this Lou Xiaoe had apparently lost her mind somehow, actually joining Ye Jianguo in making trouble.
She wanted to report it.
Once it was reported, it would absolutely be discovered that he had never left the Steel Rolling Mill that afternoon.
After all,
he had been busy cutting vegetables and cooking in the kitchen all afternoon.
Everyone in the kitchen could testify that he had never left.
He would definitely be exposed.
By then,
just as Lou Xiaoe had said,
not only would Bang Geng be arrested, but he would also be arrested for shielding Bang Geng.
Moreover,
Lou Xiaoe clearly looked determined not to stop until she exposed the real chicken thief.
At this thought,
Sha Zhu could no longer sit still.
He could not worry about anything else.
He glared viciously at Ye Jianguo, then said through clenched teeth,
“I admit it. I’m not the one who stole the chicken!”
“Bang Geng stole the chicken!”
“But he must have only done it because he was momentarily troubled and lost his way.”
The moment Sha Zhu said this, everyone present was stunned and dumbfounded.
None of them had expected the situation to change again.
The chicken thief was not Sha Zhu?
Was the real chicken thief truly Bang Geng?
This...
This...
After hearing Sha Zhu’s words, Jia Zhangshi immediately threw a tantrum and shouted, “Sha Zhu, what nonsense are you talking about?”
“You stole the chicken yourself. What does my Good Grandson have to do with it?”
“Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
She had never imagined that the damned Sha Zhu would change his story at the critical moment.
It made her furious.
Qin Huairu was also completely dumbfounded.
She had originally thought that once Sha Zhu stepped forward and admitted to stealing the chicken,
the matter would be over.
At the same time,
they could make Ye Jianguo lose face and force him to compensate them.
But the result had shocked her.
Ye Jianguo was actually so unyielding.
That alone would have been enough.
Yet that damned Lou Xiaoe had also stepped forward to support Ye Jianguo.
This was simply too hateful!
Could the two of them be having an affair?
It was truly infuriating.
When she heard Sha Zhu’s words, she knew that Bang Geng would have to bear responsibility personally, no matter what.
Otherwise,
once it was actually reported, Bang Geng would be sent to the juvenile detention center.
Sha Zhu would also be imprisoned.
That was absolutely not what she wanted to see.
Therefore,
she struck Bang Geng across the face with a slap and asked tearfully, “Bang Geng, I’m asking you now: did you steal Xu Damao’s chicken?”
Bang Geng had already been scared senseless.
He had never expected that all he had done was take one of Xu Damao’s chickens, kill it, and eat it,
which was supposed to be perfectly normal, wasn’t it?
After all,
he could take anything from Sha Zhu’s home, and there would never be a problem.
Why had taking Xu Damao’s chicken caused trouble this time?
Why?
At that moment,
after Qin Huairu slapped him, he cried,
“Sob, sob...”
“I was so hungry and craving meat. Uncle Damao had two chickens. What was wrong with me taking one to eat?”
“Usually, when I go to Uncle Sha’s house, I can take all the food he has without any problem.”
“Why are you hitting me this time...?”
“Sob, sob...”
..