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

Jia Zhangshi sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), her triangular eyes fixed on the window, cursing filthy language.

"A bunch of heartless bastards, they have so many good things but they don't even bother to help us orphans and widows."

"Old Jia, please show your power and take these ungrateful wretches away!"

Qin Huairu was mending clothes on the side, her head down and not saying a word, but she felt a pang of jealousy in her heart.

Banggeng pressed his face against the crack in the door, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the piece of pork belly in Zhang Dabiao's hand.

He swallowed hard, his stomach rumbling.

When trying to sleep at night, Bang Geng tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

My mind is filled with the aroma of salted fish and pork belly.

He gritted his teeth inwardly. If these people wouldn't give it to him, then he would find a way to make something delicious himself.

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

The next afternoon, Banggeng played with Xiaodang and Huaihua in the yard.

As he passed by the backyard, he heard a "clucking" sound.

Those were two old hens that Xu Damao kept in a cage.

Banggeng walked over and looked at the two plump old hens through the cage, his saliva almost dripping down his face.

He looked around and, finding no one paying attention, suddenly became bolder.

……

As evening approached, the closing bell rang at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

Sha Zhu changed out of his chef's uniform, carrying a lunchbox, and hummed a little tune as he walked home.

Today the cafeteria had a special special meal, so he specially saved half a chicken to take home and make some chicken soup.

He Yushui has been interning at the factory recently and keeps complaining about being tired. Her face has even gotten thinner, so we need to give her some extra nutrition.

Zhang Dabiao's place has good food, and He Yushui and Qin Jingru have paid their rations to eat with him. But as the older brother, he can't just ignore it, right? Besides, Zhang Dabiao and Mu Wanqing are getting married soon, and it's not right for Yushui to eat with them every day.

So Sha Zhu often cooks some delicious food and lets the rain carry it to make up a dish, which is also a way of showing his attitude.

As Sha Zhu passed by the open space outside the steel rolling mill where cement pipes were piled up, he smelled a strong aroma of barbecue.

He leaned closer to take a look and burst out laughing.

Banggeng, along with Xiaodang and Huaihua, were gathered around a fire, enjoying a roasted chicken.

Sha Zhu is a level eight chef; his nose is incredibly sensitive.

During the day, he was in the kitchen when Banggeng came to steal soy sauce. He deliberately gave him a rolling pin, which hit Xu Damao, who came in to urge him to finish cooking. At the time, he wondered what Banggeng was up to.

Now, looking at the golden-brown roasted chicken in Banggeng's hand and the soy sauce bottle lying next to it, everything makes sense.

"Good lad, you've really gotten good at this."

Sha Zhu shook his head and went over to nag him for a bit. He also wanted to improve his relationship with Bang Geng and even praised him a couple of times, but Bang Geng still ignored him.

Sha Zhu, realizing he'd made a fool of himself, went back to his courtyard house, not intending to get involved in this mess.

He carried his lunchbox and strolled back to the courtyard house.

As soon as he entered the Intermediate People's Court, Sha Zhu greeted Qin Huairu, who was washing clothes.

"Sister Qin, are you doing laundry?"

Qin Huairu raised her head, tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and smiled at him.

Sha Zhu lowered his voice and leaned closer to say something.

"Sister Qin, your Banggeng is really something, taking his two younger sisters to eat roast chicken over by the cement pipe in that open space by the factory gate."

Qin Huairu's smile froze instantly.

She knows her son too well; where would the family get the money to buy chickens?

Where did that brat go to steal something again?

Seeing that her expression was off, Sha Zhu quickly waved his hand.

"Alright, I'm going back to my room. Go see what's going on yourself."

As soon as Sha Zhu entered the house, he lit the stove and put the half chicken into the pot.

Xu Damao pushed his bicycle into the backyard shortly after.

Xu Damao was in a good mood today. He had just returned from watching a movie and was about to check how many eggs his two old hens had laid.

My son, Xu Xiaojun, eats an egg every day, and the little guy is growing up strong and healthy.

He walked up to the cage and was dumbfounded.

The cage was empty, with only one chicken flapping its wings inside.

The other one didn't even leave a single feather behind.

"Who the hell stole my chicken?!"

Xu Damao's loud shout startled everyone in the backyard.

He wandered around the yard, angrily checking each house.

As soon as he arrived at the Intermediate People's Court, he smelled an enticing aroma of chicken soup.

The aroma is wafting from the house of the fool.

Xu Damao's eyes lit up, and he rushed to Sha Zhu's door, kicking it open.

"You idiot Zhu! You little rascal, how dare you steal my old hen!"

Sha Zhu was tasting the saltiness with a spoon when he was startled by the shout and almost dropped the spoon.

He turned around and glared at Xu Damao with annoyance.

"You scoundrel, watch your mouth! Who stole your chickens?"

Xu Damao pointed at the clay pot on the stove, spitting as he spoke.

"You still dare to argue? What's stewing in this pot? How did my chicken end up in your pot?!"

Sha Zhu sneered and threw the spoon into the pot.

"I'm just a cook, why would I need to steal your chicken? I bought it myself!"

The two started arguing back and forth inside the house.

The commotion grew louder and louder, and people in the courtyard gathered around.

Uncle Liu Haizhong, with his hands behind his back and a large belly, strode in.

"What's all the noise about? I can hear you two yelling from far away."

Xu Damao quickly ran over to complain.

"Second Uncle, you be the judge! Sha Zhu stole one of my old hens that was laying eggs, and he's refusing to admit it."

Sha Zhu rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay him any attention.

Liu Haizhong looked at the chicken in the casserole, then at Sha Zhu.

"Shazhu, you need to explain this clearly. Where did this chicken come from?"

Sha Zhu stiffened his neck.

"I bought it. What, do I have to report to you to eat a chicken?"

Qin Huairu stood outside the crowd, anxiously wringing her handkerchief.

She knew perfectly well that the chicken must have been stolen by Banggeng.

If things escalate, Bang Geng will be finished.

She looked at Sha Zhu pitifully, her eyes red and swollen, as if she was about to cry at any moment.

When Sha Zhu saw Qin Huairu looking like this, his heart immediately softened.

He knew that Banggeng had eaten roast chicken outside, and he also guessed who stole Xu Damao's chicken.

Seeing that Sha Zhu remained silent, Liu Haizhong felt that his authority had been challenged.

"Alright, since you all have your own versions of events, let's hold a college-wide meeting!"

"Call out Uncle One and Uncle Three, we must find this chicken thief today!"

The plot has now returned to normal.

As night fell, a square table was set up in the courtyard of the traditional courtyard house.

The three elderly men, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, sat down in a triangular formation.

On the table was a large enamel mug containing sorghum liquor.

All the residents of the compound brought their small stools and sat around the perimeter, ready to watch this grand spectacle.

Zhang Dabiao moved a grand chair and sat in the outermost corner.

Qin Jingru stood obediently behind him, holding a plate of roasted melon seeds in her hand.

Zhang Dabiao grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, cracking them open while watching the farce unfolding in the center of the arena, secretly amused.

The plot is exactly the same as in the TV series.

Does this count as watching a live event using 4DVR?

Should we cause some damage later?