An extraordinary life journey through old Beijing courtyard houses

Young people are quick on their feet, and He Yuzhu was the first to rush into the yard, asking excitedly:

"Where is it? Where's the thief? They must have a death wish to cause trouble in our yard!"

Jiang Baobin: "He's inside."

Jia Dongxu followed him in and asked curiously, "Why didn't he run away?"

"I kicked him down."

Then Liu Haizhong said, "Wow! You're that amazing?"

"What a coincidence! He ambushed me, and I kicked him in the stomach and then kicked him twice in the head. He's quiet now."

He Yuzhu laughed: "Wow! Then that means we're finished? Why don't you just arrest them?"

As he was about to go inside, He Daqing grabbed him from the side:

"You idiot! It's pitch black, I'll stab you with a knife!"

He Yuzhu scratched his head, knowing that with his father stopping him, he dared not act impulsively again.

Liu Haizhong suggested, "Why don't we report it to the police station (which is where we got the idea)? They specialize in dealing with thieves."

Everyone looked at him strangely, meaning:

You don't have a grudge against Jiang Laosan, do you? Those "yellow dogs" are easy to invite but hard to send away.

We won't stop until we've skinned the third brother alive.

After coming up with a bad idea, Liu Haizhong was a little embarrassed: "What else should we do?"

"It's pitch black here, we can't just go in rashly. We can't let thieves build up our house, can we?"

"Why don't we all leave and let the Buddha leave on his own?"

Yi Zhonghai: "How can that be? Wouldn't our things be stolen?"

Jiang Baobin explained, "We're not worried about the things; there's nothing there except a chair."

Yan Bugui: "Hey! If there's nothing valuable, we're not afraid. Once we all disperse, the thief will leave on his own."

Suddenly, Madam Jia interjected, "You're all really meddling in things that don't concern you."

"The second son of the Jiang family is in charge of things at the bureau, so just let him handle it."

People then expressed their opinions, with some saying that since they weren't from the same bureau, it was none of their business;

Some say that a local official is more powerful than a distant one, and in the end, the situation will fall into the hands of the "yellow dog" (a derogatory term for a corrupt official), making it a losing proposition.

However, most people agreed and advised Jiang Baobin to ask his second brother for help, even if they didn't care about the monk.

Jiang Baobin rolled his eyes, thinking to himself: What second brother is this? He knows me, but I don't know him?

He feigned concern and said, "I think we should just let it go. It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester."

"I've already taught him a lesson, and besides, I didn't lose anything, so I'll just let him go."

"What if he holds a grudge and comes back to retaliate?"

Immediately, someone echoed, saying that thieves are also driven by poverty, and it's better not to exterminate them all.

Some people objected, saying that we cannot tolerate evil, otherwise it will be someone else's turn next time.

Just as people were talking amongst themselves, the Chiang family arrived.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang walked in front, with their sister-in-law carrying Jiang Hongsheng behind them.

The little guy was still holding a slice of watermelon and eating it.

The group of people all had smiles on their faces, and it seemed they had just gone for a walk and bought some watermelon to eat.

It's one thing that they didn't invite Jiang Baobin, but they didn't even include Jiang Daya. That's going too far.

She was the only girl in her family, and she was busy working all day long.

The result was this – its treatment was only slightly better than its predecessor.

Upon seeing this family, Madam Jia immediately became gloating: "Why did you take so long to arrive?"

"A thief broke into your third son's room, and he's still hiding inside."

"Hurry and get your second son to help catch the thief, or all the gold and silver treasures will be lost, hahaha..."

As soon as she started, many people laughed along with her.

These days, without any entertainment, this is considered quite a bit of fun.

Jiang Wangshi scoffed, "The thief who broke in was a fool. What's there to steal from that dilapidated house?"

Jiang Mantang scanned the crowd, frowned, and asked, "Where's the boss?"

Aunt Jiang also realized, "That's right, where did the eldest go? I told him to come find the third one."

The sister-in-law, who had been gloating just moments before, was now flustered and shouted:

"Baowen'er, Baowen'er!"

Jiang Mantang looked at Jiang Baobin: "You came back and didn't see your older brother?"

Jiang Baobin shook his head, looking completely bewildered.

The eldest sister-in-law stamped her feet anxiously and asked in a panic, "Won't the Buddha have ruined the child's father?"

"Oh my goodness! What are we going to do now!"

Jiang Wangshi was so frightened that she trembled and tried to slide to the ground.

Yi Zhonghai immediately perked up: "We can't wait any longer, call the police immediately! Saving lives is the priority."

Jiang Baobin certainly didn't want to escalate the situation, otherwise he would definitely be the one in trouble.

He quickly said, "There's only one thief in the house, no one else?"

Jiang Mantang pressed, "Did you see clearly?"

Jiang Baobin was very certain: "I've seen it clearly, and there's nowhere in the house to hide anyone."

"When I came back, I wanted to turn on the light, but I found that the power was out and it was pitch black."

"Then someone sat up on the kang (a heated brick bed). I thought it was a ghost; I was almost scared to death!"

"When I asked who it was, he said it was me. When I asked him who he really was, he got angry and tried to slap me."

"I kicked him in the stomach, then kicked him twice in the head, and then he ran out."

He Yuzhu grinned and said, "Wow! Old Jiang, you're pretty daring."

Several other people chimed in, saying that in this day and age, martial prowess and fighting skills are highly valued among men.

Jiang Baobin still had a few words of modesty to say.

Jiang Mantang, however, quickly called out to his wife, "Don't just stand there! Quickly bring the kerosene lamp! Who knows, the eldest son might be inside!"

"Ah..." Everyone gasped in astonishment.

Jiang Wangshi responded with two "oh oh" sounds and ran outside.

Jiang Mantang cupped his hands to the crowd and said, "Gentlemen, if you have any tools, hurry back and get them."

"Let's catch the thief today, and then we'll collect the reward. Everyone who helps gets a share."

"But it could also be my boss, so don't use your weapons until you're sure it's who it is..."

Upon hearing that there was money to be made, and relying on their numbers, the crowd readily agreed and prepared to go back and grab their weapons.

Just as things were getting chaotic, a hand suddenly reached out from the door.

Then came a trembling voice: "Father, Mother, help..."

Madam Jia, with her keen hearing, called out, "Hey! Who's calling for help?"

Jiang Mantang slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Oh no! It really is my boss!"

This was going to be quite a spectacle, and everyone eagerly crowded around.

Only Yan Bugui grabbed his wife and eldest son Yan Jiecheng, who were trying to move forward.

Faced with his wife's questioning gaze, Old Man Yan maintained a calm and collected expression.

"What's the rush? What if it's a thief trying to scam us? They might take you hostage."

Yan Bugui's wife suddenly realized what was happening and stood on tiptoe to look inside.

By now, Jiang Mantang had already helped the person out. Who else could it be but Jiang Baowen?

Jiang Hongsheng was so frightened that he burst into tears, and his sister-in-law was also extremely anxious:

"Dad, what happened to you? Are you alright?"

Jiang Baowen pointed at Jiang Baobin, his voice filled with resentment, "That little bastard ambushed me!"