Siheyuan: I am Banggeng's uncle

Chapter 823 An Unexpected Clue!
Around 5 p.m., Jia Dongming returned to the courtyard after get off work. As he pushed his bicycle into the front yard, he saw Yan Bugui sitting happily under the eaves of the west wing, humming a little tune.

Seeing Yan Bugui's expression, as if he had found money, puzzled Jia Dongming. However, because the relationship between the two families was already very strained, Jia Dongming did not greet Yan Bugui, but ignored his presence and pushed his bicycle toward the central courtyard.

At this moment, Yan Bugui also saw Jia Dongming returning from get off work. Upon seeing Jia Dongming, Yan Bugui completely ignored his presence. Thinking about how his family was about to become rich, he spat in the direction where Jia Dongming disappeared through the hanging flower gate and said with a disdainful look, "So what if he's a minor section chief? What's so great about that? Once our family's treasure hunting team finds that batch of yellow croaker, our Yan family will become the richest family in this courtyard. Who knows who will be beholden to whom then?"

As Jia Dongming pushed his bicycle into the courtyard, He Daqing, who was drinking tea there, greeted him warmly upon seeing him return from get off work, saying, "Dongming! You're back from get off work."

Upon hearing He Daqing's words and seeing the smug He Daqing before him, Jia Dongming couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Ever since He Daqing got married, his clothes have been impeccably clean and neat, and he's always all smiles. It really proves the saying, 'A man is a boy until he dies!'"

Upon seeing He Daqing greet him, Jia Dongming subconsciously stopped and greeted him with a smile, "Uncle He! Why are you off work so early today?"

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's question, He Daqing thought of his gentle wife and happily replied to Jia Dongming, "Dongming! Before, your Uncle He would often go to the nearby tavern for a drink after get off work. But since I married your Aunt Ye, I've finally been able to enjoy the life of a wife, children, and a warm bed. Of course, I have to come home earlier from get off work!"

Upon hearing He Daqing's words, Jia Dongming jokingly said to He Daqing, "Uncle He! Before you married Aunt Ye, Zhu Zi and La Li took good care of you. If Zhu Zi heard you say that, I think he would be very sad."

"Dongming! My silly Zhu, he can't even take care of himself, how could he possibly care about me? The person who really takes care of me is Zhu's wife, Liang Lali, who has nothing to do with Zhu." He Daqing scolded Zhu in annoyance when Jia Dongming mentioned Zhu and his wife.

"Dad! I was even thinking of buying some braised meat so I could have a couple of drinks with you tonight. I never imagined that you would see me as this kind of person. In that case, I'll drink this wine by myself tonight." Just as He Daqing finished speaking, Sha Zhu pushed his bicycle into the courtyard and said to He Daqing, pretending to be aggrieved.

He Daqing, who was scolding Shazhu, never expected that Shazhu would come back at this time. However, he did not feel embarrassed by Shazhu's complaints. Instead, he adopted the posture of a father disciplining his son and reprimanded Shazhu with dissatisfaction: "Shazhu! I am your father. What's wrong with me saying a few words to you?"

Faced with the pressure from his bloodline, Sha Zhu's face showed a frustrated expression. He handed the braised food and wine in his hand to his daughter and said with a smile, "He Ye! Help Dad take these things home, have your mother put them on a plate, and then go call your brother back for dinner."

Upon hearing Sha Zhu's words, his daughter immediately ran to him, took the things from his hands, and happily exclaimed, "Time to eat meat! Time to eat meat!"

After watching his daughter run into the house with her things, Sha Zhu suddenly remembered overhearing a conversation between Yan Bugui and Yang Ruihua in the front yard. Curious, he said to He Daqing, "Dad! Is that stingy old man Yan in the front yard about to die? He actually gave Yan Jiefang three thousand yuan? Isn't that like the sun rising in the west?" Jia Dongming, who was about to go home, overheard Sha Zhu and He Daqing's conversation and remembered Yan Bugui's smug expression when he saw him. He immediately sensed something was wrong and stopped, asking Sha Zhu curiously, "Zhu Zi! What did you just say? Yan Bugui gave Yan Jiefang three thousand yuan? What's going on?"

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's question and seeing his curious expression, Sha Zhu immediately explained to Jia Dongming, "Brother Dongming! Here's what happened: Just now, when I passed by the front yard, I overheard a conversation between Aunt Yang and Yan Bugui. They said that Yan Bugui gave Yan Jiefang three thousand yuan and mentioned something about treasure hunting. At that moment, Yan Bugui happened to see me and immediately interrupted Aunt Yang."

Upon hearing the words "treasure hunt," Jia Dongming immediately thought of the special task force that had just been established that day. He earnestly asked Sha Zhu, "Zhu Zi! Are you sure Aunt Yang mentioned the words 'treasure hunt'?"

When Sha Zhu heard Jia Dongming's question and saw Jia Dongming's serious expression, he first showed a puzzled look on his face. After recalling carefully for a moment, he answered with great certainty, "Brother Dongming! Although Aunt Yang's voice was not loud, I am sure that I did hear the words 'treasure hunter'."

Although Jia Dongming did not join the task force, he kept thinking about the case after returning to the steel rolling mill. Now, when he heard Sha Zhu mention the three thousand yuan and the words "treasure hunt," Jia Dongming immediately realized that Yan Jiefang had become the murderer's target.

After confirming that Sha Zhu hadn't misheard, Jia Dongming solemnly instructed Sha Zhu, "Zhu Zi! Hurry up and ride your bike to the police station and ask them to send a few people to our compound."

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's instructions and seeing Jia Dongming's serious expression, Sha Zhu asked curiously, "Brother Dongming! Has something happened?"

Upon hearing Sha Zhu's question, Jia Dongming immediately pushed his bicycle to the wall and parked it. As he walked towards the front yard, he replied to Sha Zhu, "Zhu! This matter concerns Yan Jiefang's life. I can't explain it to you clearly in a short time. You should go to the police station to call for help."

"Brother Dongming! I'm going to the police station to call for help right now!" When Shazhu heard Jia Dongming mention Yan Jiefang's life, he immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. He instinctively responded and then pushed his bicycle and walked quickly towards the front yard.

After seeing Sha Zhu pushing his bicycle and walking quickly toward the gate of the courtyard, Jia Dongming immediately went to the door of the west wing of the front yard and called out to the room, "Teacher Yan! Come out for a moment, I have something very important to tell you."

(End of this chapter)