Courtyard House: The Thief System of All Realms

After thoroughly intimidating the Jia mother and son and closing the courtyard gate to isolate them from the outside world, Sun Jingyuan did not immediately start working with the carpentry tools. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and his consciousness sank directly into the myriad spaces of the God Thief System.

The set of premium grain and vegetable seeds obtained from the previous theft of treasures from the heavens was quietly lying in the system's storage compartment, along with a rare planting and breeding manual provided by the system. The space breeding section, which had not been fully organized before, was also completely unlocked at this time.

[Thief System Notification: The host can plant seeds of various grains and vegetables in the exclusive spiritual field area of ​​the space. The spiritual field is nourished by spiritual energy, which shortens the growth cycle of crops and makes their taste and nutritional value far superior to those in the mortal world. Once mature, they can be preserved permanently without decaying.]

[The spatial livestock breeding area has been unlocked. The host can obtain livestock cubs through theft from the heavens and system rewards. Nourished by the spiritual spring, the livestock grow quickly and have strong immunity, and the meat, eggs and milk produced are of far superior quality to ordinary products in the mortal world.]

With a thought, Sun Jingyuan sent all the seeds in his storage compartment into the spiritual field. This spiritual field was about half an acre in size, with dark, soft soil and a faint aura of spiritual energy surrounding it. In one corner, there was a bubbling spiritual spring with clear, bright water and a refreshing spiritual energy.

Following the instructions in the planting manual, he planted the seeds of the five grains and various vegetables, categorizing them accordingly. He lightly touched the spiritual field with his fingertips, drawing upon a wisp of spiritual energy to irrigate it. In an instant, tender green shoots sprouted from the field, growing rapidly at a visible speed. In just a moment, they reached half a height, and at this rate, they would be fully mature in a few days.

After dealing with the planting in the spirit fields, Sun Jingyuan once again triggered the system's small random reward for stealing from the heavens, targeting the farms and ranches in the mortal realms.

[The Thief System has triggered a small-scale theft across the heavens. Target: Livestock pens in the ancient agricultural and pastoral realm.]

[Theft successful! Obtained 2 black piglets, 10 local free-range chicken chicks, 1 young Qingshan goat, and 8 high-yield egg-laying ducklings]

[Reward Distribution: The animals have been automatically placed in the spatial livestock breeding area and will be fed automatically by the spiritual spring, requiring no care from the host.]

The next second, a group of lively young livestock appeared in the spatial livestock area. Each one was strong and energetic, drinking and foraging around the spiritual spring, showing none of the weakness of livestock found outside. The system had a fully automatic care mechanism, so Sun Jingyuan didn't need to spend any time tending to them; the livestock could grow on their own, which was extremely worry-free.

Looking at the thriving crops and lively livestock in the space, Sun Jingyuan didn't indulge in any extravagant daydreams. After confirming that the planting and raising were going smoothly, he exited the system space. He got up, picked up the carpentry tools he had just bought, and, referring to the techniques in "The Record of Creations of the Heavenly Crafts," began to polish the golden nanmu wood and start making furniture. His movements were skillful and smooth, not at all like those of a novice.

Outside the courtyard, the noise inside gradually subsided, but the scheming and jealousy in everyone's hearts did not dissipate in the slightest.

Yi Zhonghai returned to his house and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with a gloomy face. Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui also came over one after another, and the three of them huddled together, plotting in hushed tones.

"This Sun Jingyuan is too arrogant. He has so much valuable timber. We can't just let this go." Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, his tone full of resentment. In his grand plan for retirement, he couldn't tolerate such a troublemaker overshadowing him in the courtyard.

Liu Haizhong nodded in agreement, rubbing his hands together and saying, "The old man is right. We need to slowly gather evidence. His timber and money must have come from illegitimate sources. As long as we find something to hold against him, we can report him to the street office and the factory. He'll definitely be in deep trouble."

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses, his eyes darting around as he calculated, "Let's not rush into anything. If we alert him, it'll be counterproductive. Let's keep an eye on him and wait until he's finished building all the furniture before we make our move. That way, we can secure the good stuff."

The three hit it off immediately and decided to lie low in the shadows, waiting quietly for the best opportunity. On the surface, however, they pretended that nothing had happened and continued to maintain the kind demeanor of the old man in the courtyard.

Inside the Jia family's house, Jia Dongxu covered his face, while Jia Zhangshi sat to the side, wailing and cursing Sun Jingyuan.

"Mom, I can't swallow this! He not only hit me, but also humiliated our family. I must get revenge on him!" Jia Dongxu's eyes were bloodshot, and his tone was vicious. The jealousy and resentment in his heart were about to overflow. Why could Sun Jingyuan have a fortune in timber while he could only live a meager life?

Madam Jia slapped her thigh and screamed, "Just wait, he'll get his comeuppance sooner or later! We'll find an opportunity slowly, I refuse to believe we can't find something on him, and then we'll make him hand over everything and apologize to the Jia family!"

Qin Huairu stood aside, watching the mother and son, feeling helpless but not daring to say a word. She knew that with the abilities of the Jia family mother and son, they were no match for Sun Jingyuan and would only humiliate themselves time and time again. However, she couldn't persuade the mother and son, so she could only sigh silently and hope that they wouldn't cause any bigger trouble.

The other neighbors in the courtyard also had their own thoughts. Some envied Sun Jingyuan's wealth, some were jealous of his good luck, and most were just waiting to see how far Sun Jingyuan could go and how Yi Zhonghai and the others would deal with him.

Only He Yushui was filled with worry. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she quietly walked to the gate of Sun Jingyuan's courtyard. After hesitating for a long time, she still gently knocked on the door.

"Brother Sun, are you there?"

Sun Jingyuan stopped his carpentry work, opened the courtyard gate, looked at He Yushui who was standing outside with a worried expression, and asked calmly, "What's wrong?"

"Brother Sun, you must be careful. The old men in the courtyard and the Jia family are all plotting against you in secret. You must be extra vigilant." He Yushui lowered her voice, her tone full of urgency. She really couldn't bear to see Sun Jingyuan being schemed against by everyone.

Sun Jingyuan looked at the innocent-minded girl in front of him, his heart stirred slightly, and he nodded: "I understand, thank you for reminding me, I know what I'm doing, I won't let them take advantage of me."

"It's good that you know what's going on. I was just worried that you'd get taken advantage of." He Yushui breathed a sigh of relief, gave a few more instructions, and then turned to leave, not daring to linger for fear of being gossiped about by the people in the courtyard.

After He Yushui left, Sun Jingyuan closed the courtyard gate and continued polishing the wood. With the support of the top-notch craftsmanship of "The Record of Creations of the Heavenly Craftsmen", his movements became more and more skillful. Planing the wood, chiseling holes, and joining mortise and tenon joints, every step was extremely precise. Pieces of golden nanmu wood were gradually carved into the prototype of furniture, with a warm texture and exquisite patterns, showing the magnificence of imperial wood.

Meanwhile, within the Thief System space, life remained vibrant. The crops in the spirit fields grew increasingly vigorous and were nearing maturity; the livestock and poultry in the pastoral area, nourished by spiritual energy and spring water, grew rapidly in size, becoming several times stronger than their counterparts outside. The chicks were already flapping their wings and foraging for food, and the black piglets were also growing plump and strong, requiring no further care.

[System Notification: All celestial crops are nearing maturity and can be harvested at any time; livestock and poultry have reached 50% growth and can be automatically slaughtered and stored in the system's cold storage upon maturity.]

Sun Jingyuan merely scanned the space with his consciousness to confirm that everything was normal, and then paid no further attention. To him, cultivating plants in the space was merely a means to secure his livelihood, far less important than living a peaceful life and deterring troublemakers.

In the evening, Lei Aniu brought his apprentice to the gate of the courtyard to inquire about the start time of the house repairs, planning to start construction the next day to lay toilet pipes and renovate the house walls.

Sun Jingyuan finalized the construction details with him and reiterated the importance of ensuring the quality of the workmanship. Lei Aniu readily agreed, full of respect. This client was generous and had clear requirements, making him a rare and excellent customer. Naturally, he dared not be negligent in the slightest and was determined to use all his skills to repair the house perfectly.

After seeing Lei Aniu off, Sun Jingyuan tidied up a bit, took out some pre-ripened vegetables and a free-range egg nourished by a spiritual spring from his system space, and made a simple dinner. The food was incredibly fresh and fragrant, with a taste and nutrition far superior to anything found in the mortal world. After eating, he felt completely refreshed and his energy was replenished.