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

Banggeng's right middle finger was firmly caught in a mousetrap. These days, the mousetraps sold by supply and marketing cooperatives had incredibly strong springs, all made of thick steel wire, capable of snapping bones in two.

Although the dog touched a rat trap, not a wild boar trap, the force of its bite was enough to cause a nine-year-old child excruciating pain.

"It hurts so much! Grandma! Help!" Banggeng's face contorted in pain, tears and snot streaming down his face. He frantically shook his right hand, trying to shake off the metal lump that was gripping his finger so tightly.

The more he shook it, the tighter the mousetrap gripped, its serrated edges digging deep into his flesh, and blood dripped down between his fingers.

Bang Geng was in so much pain that he rolled around on the ground, but he couldn't move his hands now, so he could only kick his legs wildly. He was already feeling guilty, and his mind was blank. As a result, when he kicked his leg, his heel kicked directly under the base of the dresser.

Xu Damao went to great lengths to keep the rats away. He not only placed traps on top of the cabinet, but also slipped one into a dark corner under the cabinet.

"Snap!"

Another crisp, muffled thud.

Double Kill!

"Agh—!!!" Bang Geng's scream instantly rose eight octaves, his voice cracking.

His left toe, clad in a cloth shoe, sank firmly into the second mousetrap. The metal clamp pierced through the cloth shoe, reaching right up to the bone.

One in his hand, one on his foot. Banggeng was like a mudfish thrown onto dry land, writhing on the cement floor of Xu Damao's kitchen, howling like a pig being slaughtered. He tried to twist and shake it off, but his hands and feet hurt as soon as he moved, so he just stood there crying in fear.

The Jia family of the Intermediate People's Court.

Madam Jia was sitting in the main room sewing shoe soles, still calculating how much malted milk powder Bang Geng could steal back. Hearing the scream from the backyard, the awl in her hand trembled and almost pierced her own thigh.

That voice... isn't that her precious grandson's?

"Oh my God! Something's happened to Bang Geng!" Jia Zhangshi yelled in her hoarse voice. Without even putting on her shoes properly, she shuffled towards the backyard in her tattered cloth shoes, dragging her obese body like a mad sow.

She ran to Xu Damao's house and found the door locked, but the kitchen window next to it was wide open.

When Jia Zhangshi peered through the window, she was terrified. She saw Bang Geng rolling around on the ground, with large iron clamps hanging from his hands and feet, and bloodstains scattered all over the ground.

"My grandson!" Jia Zhangshi's eyes reddened. Ignoring her obese figure, she grabbed the windowsill with both hands and squeezed half of her body in, tumbling and crawling into the kitchen.

"My dear grandson! Grandma's here! Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!" Jia Zhangshi rushed to Banggeng's side and reached out to pry the mousetrap off Banggeng's hand.

But the spring in the mousetrap was too tight, and an old woman like her didn't have that much strength. She was so anxious that she was covered in sweat, and she knelt on the ground, trying her best to pull it.

The kitchen wasn't big to begin with, and the sticks were rolling around on the floor while Jia Zhangshi busied herself around. In the chaos, Jia Zhangshi took a step back, trying to find a foothold for support.

As it turned out, her kick was incredibly precise, landing squarely in the shadows at the edge of the bed. Xu Damao, that cunning fellow, had even placed a mousetrap under the bed.

"Snap!"

The third crisp sound.

Triple Kill!

"Ouch!!"

Jia Zhangshi felt a piercing pain in her left heel, as if it were being bitten by steel teeth. She looked down and saw a large mousetrap clamped tightly around her heel, the rusty edges of the trap already digging into her flesh.

"Xu Damao, you son without an anus, you dead childless bastard! Are you trying to kill me by putting so many traps in your house?!" Jia Zhangshi sat down on the ground in pain, hugging her feet, and howled like a banshee in the kitchen along with Bang Geng.

The screams of the grandfather and grandson rose and fell, making it even more lively than slaughtering a pig during the Lunar New Year.

By this time, everyone in the courtyard had already been alerted.

Second Auntie had just returned from a stroll carrying Liu Xiaoqing when she heard the commotion and rushed over. Third Auntie from the front yard, along with several other children, including Tiger's younger brother Xiao Tao, Big Head's younger sister Xiao Li, and several older women, all crowded around Xu Damao's window.

Everyone peered inside and gasped in shock.

The scene was incredibly impactful. Bang Geng had clips on his hands and feet, and Jia Zhangshi also had clips on her feet. The two were rolling around on the ground, their shouts and screams mingling together.

"What... what's going on?" The third aunt stared wide-eyed, her face full of shock.

"What else could have happened? The door wasn't even open, it's obvious, isn't it?" Aunt Er curled her lip, looking disdainful. "Xu Damao and his wife weren't home, so Bang Geng climbed in through the window. What do you call that? That's burglary! And then he got caught in someone's mousetrap. Jia Zhangshi went in to rescue him, and she got caught too."

Big Head shook his head, saying, "The Jia family is really something else. They dare to break through windows and steal things in broad daylight."

Tiger's younger brother, Xiao Tao, chimed in, "Exactly! Serves them right! That mousetrap was well-placed; it caught those two big rats in the yard!"

Everyone stood outside the window, pointing and whispering, but no one offered to go in and help. Everyone knew Jia Zhangshi's unreasonable and argumentative nature; if they went in to help now, she might accuse them of deliberately sabotaging them when they were breaking the clips.

In the east courtyard.

Zhang Dabiao was lying on a deck chair under the shade of a tree, resting with his eyes closed. He painted too late at night and was always sleepy during the day. Qin Jingru was peeling peanuts for him beside him, treating him like a wealthy landowner. He Yushui and Mu Wanqing were also on summer vacation and were helping to plant vegetables in the courtyard.

Hearing the earth-shattering commotion in the backyard, Zhang Dabiao picked at his ears and sighed helplessly.

"Brother Biao, what's going on in the backyard? It sounds like Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng's voices." Qin Jingru stood up and looked outside.

Zhang Dabiao stood up and stretched: "Let's go see what's going on. These two oddballs must have come up with something new this time."

Zhang Dabiao walked to the backyard, pushed through the crowd, and peeked inside.

—Wow—

Good heavens, this scene is practically a low-budget version of "Home Alone"! That bastard Xu Damao is ruthless; he bought only extra-large mousetraps.

Why don't you buy animal traps? You can kill them all and be done with it. If you can't kill them, you can have them amputated.

(Xu Damao—I set animal traps in my own yard, do I have some serious illness?)

"Zhang Dabiao! Qin Jingru, why aren't you coming in and helping me get this piece of junk out of here!" Jia Zhangshi saw Zhang Dabiao through the window and immediately shouted at the top of her lungs, her tone full of self-righteous command.

Zhang Dabiao crossed his arms and sneered, "What does Jia Zhangshi have to do with me? This is Xu Damao's house, how can I get in without a key?"

"Besides, why should I help you? This is burglary, and I'm not going to tamper with the crime scene."

"You're talking nonsense! We just came to visit!" Jia Zhangshi was sweating profusely from the pain, but she was still being stubborn.

"Yes, yes, you're right. You're just dropping by under someone's dresser? Do you visit people through their windows?" Zhang Dabiao rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with her.

He turned to look at Yu Shui and Mu Wanqing beside him and immediately began making arrangements.

"Report to the factory, the neighborhood committee, and the police!"

"This is burglary, a very serious offense!"