Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

Ever since Liu Guangqi listened to Zhang Dabiao's advice and decided to have a second child named "Andy Lau," the couple has been busy. Sure enough, just as summer began, You Hongjuan's belly started to show signs of pregnancy.

This made Liu Haizhong in the backyard extremely happy. Although he looked down on his second son Liu Guangtian and third son Liu Guangfu, he doted on his eldest son Liu Guangqi like the apple of his eye. Now that his eldest daughter-in-law was pregnant, Liu Haizhong wished he could pluck the stars from the sky to nourish You Hongjuan's body.

Every day after get off work, Liu Haizhong would either be carrying two live fish or a few eggs, swaggering straight to the west wing of the central courtyard.

That evening.

Madam Jia sat at her doorway sewing shoe soles, her triangular eyes fixed on the west wing next door.

Liu Haizhong, carrying a steaming bowl of crucian carp and tofu soup, walked over from the backyard and knocked on Liu Guangqi's door. The aroma of the fish soup wafted directly into Jia Zhangshi's nose on the hot breeze.

"Pah! What are you showing off for!" Madam Jia spat on the ground, her awl digging deep into the sole of her shoe. "What's so great about being pregnant? When I was pregnant with Dongxu, I couldn't even get enough cornmeal to eat, and I still gave birth to a big, healthy boy!"

"So it makes it seem like you have a child? Who knows, it might just be a money-loser!"

She swallowed hard, her stomach rumbling loudly.

Just then, Banggeng ran back from outside, covered in sweat. He ran to the pool to wash his face, and then dashed over to Jia Zhangshi.

"Grandma, I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat at home?" Banggeng sniffed, his eyes involuntarily glancing towards the west wing across the street. "It smells so good. They're eating fish over there."

Seeing her eldest grandson's greedy look, Jia Zhangshi felt a pang of pain in her heart. She rolled her eyes, lowered her voice, and beckoned the stick closer.

"My dear grandson, would you like to eat fish?" Jia Zhangshi's face was scrunched up, revealing a mysterious expression.

Banggeng nodded repeatedly: "Yes! I haven't eaten fish for months."

Madam Jia looked around and, seeing that no one in the courtyard was paying attention to this side, pointed to the west wing next door.

"Grandma saw it just now. Fatty Liu bought two fish and only cooked one bowl. I bet there's another one being kept in the big water basin behind their door," Jia Zhangshi muttered in a low voice. "It'll be dark soon, and their family will be eating in the inner room. You sneak over and take that fish out. We'll secretly cook it for dinner tonight!"

Banggeng's eyes lit up, but then he became a little scared: "Grandma, this...this is stealing. If we get caught, Uncle will definitely hold a meeting in the whole courtyard to criticize me."

"What are you afraid of!" Jia Zhangshi slapped Banggeng on the back of the head. "You're just a child. Taking a fish isn't stealing, it's taking! Besides, they have so much good food, what's wrong with sharing some with us? Listen to Grandma, if anything happens, Grandma will take the blame for you!"

Bang Geng bit his lip, looked at the light coming from Liu Guangqi's house, and smelled the lingering fish aroma in the air. Finally, he nodded vigorously.

As night fell, the courtyard gradually quieted down.

A thin, dark figure crept silently along the wall toward the backyard.

------------

In July, the weather in Beijing was unusually hot and humid.

There wasn't even a breeze at night.

The cicadas in the trees kept chirping, making people feel uneasy.

Xu Damao was wearing a vest and getting ready to go out.

He held a large palm-leaf fan in his hand, and every now and then he would fan himself with it.

Lou Xiao'e's belly was already very big, and she was due to give birth around the middle of the month.

Xu Damao dreams of becoming a father, and he wants to be a father before Shazhu, and it has to be a son!

Now that things are about to turn around, he's been incredibly nervous lately. He was just looking for a chat with Zhang Dabiao, and maybe see what good stuff or supplements he had.

Just as I was about to open the door, I saw a dark figure flash past outside.

A short, dark figure crept in along the wall.

The dark figure skillfully made its way to the doors of the east and west wing rooms of the Liu family's residence.

A large wooden basin was placed under the eaves of the Liu family's house.

During the day, Liu Haizhong bought two crucian carp. He stewed one and kept the other in a basin.

These days, food is precious, and meat and fish are even rarer. Besides, everyone's been fishing in the rivers and lakes for ages, and they've already caught almost everything; fishing is even harder now. Old Liu's family went to the market early this morning to queue up and buy their catch.

The dark figure squatted by the wooden basin, reaching out its arm to scoop water into it.

Xu Damao took a look in the dim light.

Isn't this the story of that ingrate from the Jia family in the Intermediate People's Court?

Xu Damao was always annoyed by this kid.

Banggeng often caused him trouble in the yard, and used to often join Shazhu in teasing him.

Now that he'd caught them red-handed, Xu Damao wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by.

He suddenly flung open the door and jumped out, letting out a loud, hoarse roar.

"What are you doing!"

"Whose little thief dares to steal from the backyard!"

The shout was particularly loud in the quiet courtyard.

Banggeng was intently scooping up fish.

The moment my hand touched the slippery fish scales, I was startled by that shout and my whole body trembled.

Feeling guilty, he suddenly stood up and tried to run away.

As a result, he slipped and stepped on the water splashed out from the edge of the basin.

A muffled thud.

Banggeng lunged straight forward.

His forehead slammed heavily against the bluestone steps.

My knee was also scraped and scraped.

"Wow--"

The stick was in so much pain that it rolled on the ground and burst into loud wails.

The commotion alerted everyone in both the front and back yards.

One family after another came out.

The door to the Jia family's house in the middle courtyard was kicked open with a "bang".

Jia Zhangshi rushed over without even putting on her shoes properly, just slipping on her cloth shoes.

That speed was so fast it was hard to believe he was over fifty.

"Oh my God!"

"Which heartless bastard dared to bully my precious grandson?!"

Jia Zhangshi rushed to Banggeng and pulled him into her arms.

By the light shining from someone else's house, she saw that Bang Geng had a large bump on his forehead, from which blood was oozing.

Jia Zhangshi immediately bristled and turned to glare fiercely at Xu Damao beside her.

"Xu Damao, you're the kind of guy who fathers sons without dermatitis!"

"What right do you have to hit my grandson!"

Xu Damao laughed in anger, pointing at the basin of water on the ground with his palm-leaf fan.

"Aunt Jia, you should speak from your conscience."

"Who hit him?"

"He ran to the backyard to steal fish from Uncle Er's house."

"I just yelled, and he tripped and fell because he felt guilty."

At this moment, Liu Haizhong also came out wearing a coat.

He glanced at the water basin behind his door, then at the sticks on the ground, and his face immediately darkened.

"Jia Zhangshi, Da Mao is right."

"What are you doing at my doorstep so late at night?"

Jia Zhangshi's eyes darted around, and she immediately started to argue and make a scene.

"Don't make baseless accusations!"

"My hamster ate too much this afternoon, so we're out here to digest!"

"I tripped and fell here, how does that make me steal fish?"

Do you have any evidence?

"We caught the thief red-handed, but where's the fish? Is it in his hands?"

Xu Damao was so angry at this absurd logic that he stared wide-eyed.

"He had his hand in the basin, but I startled him and he didn't pull it out."

"This doesn't count as stealing?"

Just as the two sides were arguing fiercely, Yi Zhonghai walked over from the Intermediate People's Court with his hands behind his back.

He had a stern face and adopted the air of an old man.

"What's all the noise about in the middle of the night?"

Looking at the situation on the ground, I immediately understood what was going on.

have to--

A leopard can't change its spots; this hamster has started stealing again.

This child is ruined.