Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

Although it was true, Jia Zhangshi couldn't admit it: "I just didn't want to get involved. Besides, it's not like Huai Ru went out with her two sisters, it's not a big deal!"

"Aunt Jia, your family has set a bad precedent for the whole compound. Your daughter-in-law is in charge. Haven't we been suffering all these years for nothing?" Aunt Er also came to the middle courtyard.

"Exactly, no matter how I calculate it, it doesn't make sense. When we were young, the mother-in-law was in charge. Now that the daughter-in-law has finally become the mother-in-law, the daughter-in-law is in charge. It's none of our business!"

The third and second aunts were both about to become mothers-in-law, and they were particularly displeased with the Jia family letting Qin Huairu take charge of the household.

"Who said my daughter-in-law is in charge of our family? She may be in charge, but she doesn't make the decisions. I'm the one in charge. Besides, who's in charge of the Jia family is none of your business. Mind your own business!"

"Hey! Aunt Jia, you're not saying this because you're so quick to judge. With your Jia family setting such a good example, aren't they all just copying you?" The second aunt retorted, not to be outdone.

The third aunt added insult to injury, "Old Yi often talks about the atmosphere in the compound during meetings, and I think your Jia family embodies this corrupt trend. You must be criticized!"

The other middle-aged women also joined in the commotion.

Yes, criticism is necessary...

This all concerns the vital interests of all the aunties, so of course we should respond actively. Also, Qin Huairu has been eating and drinking at the Niu family's house all day long, and now she has gained weight and her figure is a bit exaggerated.

It's good that everyone is poor, so why does your Qin Huairu get to eat eggs every day?

We can't afford to offend Section Chief Niu's family, but we can at least control your Jia family!

When Jia Zhangshi saw this scene, she realized she had angered everyone, so she quickly picked up Xiaobanggeng and slunk back into her house.

I'm so angry!

She gained nothing but trouble. Madam Jia Zhang began to reconsider...

"Auntie, this Saturday night, I'm having your husband, Lao Yi, hold a general meeting for the whole courtyard. He must criticize the Jia family. This kind of evil practice must be suppressed!" Auntie Er is really ruthless, just like Liu Haizhong. You can't say that birds of a feather flock together.

"Is this appropriate? After all, it's their private matter!"

"Auntie, you don't have any children, so you don't know how hard it is for us mothers. It's not easy to raise a son and get him a wife."

"It's time for us to enjoy our retirement. We can't bring back another empress dowager, we'd still have to worship her. This kind of unhealthy trend must be cracked down on!" The second aunt spoke without restraint.

The fact that the older woman couldn't have children was a lifelong pain and a taboo for her, and now that the younger woman had just brought it up, she immediately became unhappy.

"So what if I don't have kids? My husband, Lao Yi, hasn't complained about me yet, so why are you criticizing me? Humph!" An older woman also went home.

"That's right, Second Aunt, it's your fault. Why did you bring up the fact that I don't have children?"

Okay! The topic has shifted back to the issue of older women being unable to have children...

It was Qin Ningru's first time riding a bus. She felt both curious and timid, and she clung tightly to Niu Dazhuang's clothes with her little hands.

Niu Dazhuang spent two cents to buy four tickets. Back then, buses weren't as crowded as they are in later times; you had to buy a ticket and still ride.

The four of them tacitly moved to the last row. Qin Huairu sat by the window, followed by Ningru, Xueru, and Niu Dazhuang. They sat down in a row.

Qin Ningru said softly, "It only cost two cents? That's such a waste."

"Don't be shy, just sit properly!" Xue Ru replied softly.

"Oh!" Ningru immediately pursed her lips. Her two big eyes began to look out.

When the bus passed Tiananmen Square, Qin Ningru, no longer afraid of showing weakness, leaned against Qin Huairu and tried to stick her head out, but Xueru pulled her back.

"We'll get off the bus soon and go inside to take a look."

"Okay, thank you, brother-in-law."

Such a wonderful sister-in-law must be pampered, so I got off the train at Tiananmen West Station.

Without consulting them, Niu Dazhuang mischievously bought four bottles of Beibingyang orange soda, opened the caps, and handed them to the three girls.

Qin Huairu whispered a reminder, "Don't litter the soda bottles after you finish them; there's a deposit!"

Qin Ningru took a small sip first, her big eyes narrowing into slits. She smacked her lips and said, "It's so delicious! It's sweet and has an orange flavor. I wish I could drink a bottle of this in the summer, but it's still a bit chilly now!"

The three sisters chatted together while Niu Dazhuang went to buy tickets. He bought a package ticket at a high price. At that time, the Forbidden City had a five-cent pass and a ten-cent package ticket.

A five-cent ticket allows you to walk along the central axis and see the five major historical sites, while a ten-cent ticket allows you to see the various exhibition halls inside.

Niu Dazhuang has just gotten rich and is not short of money.

Women in this era, whether pregnant or newly widowed, are not delicate; they can spin around for two or three hours straight without complaining of being tired.

They had a great time.

The Dongcheng District Police Station was bustling with activity.

"Hey, did you hear? The comrades who came back from the scene said that Ma Xingbang's house was burgled!"

"Isn't it normal for capitalists to get robbed? What's so strange about that?"

"Listen to me! I heard from Xiao Liu, who came back from the scene, that the place was spotless. Ma Xingbang's kitchen was completely ransacked, leaving only a slop bucket! There wasn't a trace left; it was as if it vanished into thin air!"

"What did you say? You stole the kitchen?"

"What kind of ears do you have? What I mean is, not only did they steal everything from the living room and the safe, but they even stole the bed and blankets from the bedroom... Let me put it this way, the entire Ma Xingbang family is now just a garbage can. They weren't even this clean when they moved."

"That must have been a gang crime. With Ma Xingbang's wealth, how come they didn't make several truckloads? This case is easy to solve; we'll definitely find them by following the tire tracks."

"That's too simplistic. If it were that simple, our director would have called to ask for people back. The strange thing is that there were no traces left at home or outside. Isn't that strange?"

"How is that possible? There's so much stuff, more than a truckload could carry, how come there's not a trace of it?"

"Don't believe it. Why don't you call over Xiao Liu, who was at the scene, and ask him?"

"Holy crap! Could it be a fox spirit haunting us?!"

"Shh! We absolutely mustn't say things like that!" The two comrades then huddled together and whispered.

"That's what I think too, otherwise there's no way to explain it! That's the home of an entire capitalist, a two-story villa, imagine how much stuff that must contain."

Even if it were our own family moving during the day, we couldn't possibly help them all in one day.

According to Ma Xingbang's wife, she left around 3 PM and returned that evening to find everything gone.

"Come on, it's time for a meeting!" The instructor called out, signaling the start of the meeting.

A meeting was held to reach a consensus, and a special task force was established because the stolen goods were of great value.

Nothing stays hidden forever; because it was so eerie, the news spread by the afternoon.