Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

After waiting for about two minutes, the door creaked open, and the third uncle stood in the doorway with a wine bottle, still steaming, carrying it.

The banquet table had just been set up.

The old man shook the bottle: "Silly Zhu, try this old-fashioned liquor, you're in luck! Guess who sent it?" With that, he twisted the cap open with a "sizzle," and the aroma of the liquor burst out.

He Yuzhu shook his head.

The third uncle slapped his thigh: "Qin Huairu! Didn't expect that, did you?" His mouth was practically stretched to his ears.

Today, Qin Huairuo not only brought him a bottle of wine, but also two catties of peanuts and two catties of flour, and entrusted him with a corn cob, hoping to get him into the class he was in charge of.

It's only been a little over a month since school started.

He received the books and studied them at school during the day, while Qin Huairu would catch up on his studies under the lamp at night, so his progress was not much different.

She herself attended primary school, but didn't graduate.

We were supposed to send Banggeng to school this year, but just over a month ago, his father passed away.

This delay pushed the registration period past. It would be fine to wait until next year, but her mother-in-law was teaching the child to steal things, which really drove her crazy.

She hadn't thought much of Banggeng stealing snacks; but when He Yuzhu turned on her and confronted her in public, she suddenly realized that stealing could really make someone hold a grudge for life.

To gain a foothold in the yard, you have to turn things around little by little.

Besides, the child is young and will correct his mistakes if he knows them, so who can hold a grudge?

That very day, she brought five kilograms of rice and went to the old man's door to compensate him.

The old man shook the bottle of wine: "Someone asked me to do this for them, and just casually shoved this bottle of good wine into my hand."

He Yuzhu frowned: "Third Uncle, don't drink before you've even finished your business—what will you do when she comes knocking on your door demanding payment?"

His heart pounded with anxiety: what if the Third Uncle let slip that he had already drunk the wine? Wouldn't Jia Zhangshi be blocking the door and cursing every day? She would buzz around him like a fly, and he really couldn't do anything about her.

The third uncle puffed out his chest: "Don't worry! When your third uncle gets things done, it's always a sure thing!"

He Yuzhu then picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back, and downed it.

As the night grew quiet, the Third Uncle staggered to his feet to say goodbye. He Yuzhu reached out to help him, but the Third Uncle waved his hand and insisted on swaying out of the courtyard gate on his own.

Yan Bugui wasn't actually drunk; he was quite cheerful and happy as he walked.

I ate a lot of meat today, and the wine was forced on me by someone else; I got a freebie.

As I approached my doorstep, I suddenly saw a dark figure crouching beside my bicycle, hunched over, acting furtively like a night owl, seemingly up to something.

He casually grabbed a dry branch from the base of the wall, tiptoed, and silently crept closer and closer...

With a sudden leap, he swung the stick high and smashed it down hard on the back of his head!

"Crack!"—The stick broke in two on the spot.

"Ouch—!" With a scream, the man collapsed to the ground, motionless.

……

Xu Damao had tolerated Sha Zhu more than once or twice.

But I haven't been able to find a suitable excuse to deal with him.

This time, he came up with a brilliant idea.

I stayed up all night, afraid that I would fall asleep before the plan could even begin.

I specially brewed a bowl of very strong, bitter tea today. Mother Xu poked her head in and asked, "Drinking this stuff in the middle of the night, will you even be able to sleep tomorrow?"

Xu Damao didn't even lift his eyelids: "I drank too much with my colleagues, my throat is parched, I just wanted to quench my thirst."

Xu's mother didn't ask any more questions.

At midnight, he glanced at his watch in the dark and finally sat up straight.

All the valuables in the courtyard were locked in the houses; he didn't have the ability to pry them open.

Bicycles are very precious these days—the old man in the backyard moved his bicycle into his main room a long time ago; although Sha Zhu's bicycle wasn't locked, he didn't want to touch it at all: it was meant for Sha Zhu, how could he do it himself?

The safest target is Uncle San's car.

He knew very well that his third uncle's precious car was locked at the gate every night at nine o'clock sharp, and the wheels were chained to the window frame, making a clanging sound.

Simply remove the two wheels and quietly slip them under Sha Zhu's kitchen stove—

If Uncle San makes a fuss tomorrow morning, he'll immediately send the police to investigate. Even if Sha Zhu doesn't die, he'll be badly injured!

This plan is meticulous and leaves no room for error.

He picked up a wrench and screwdriver he had rented from a repair shop for a dollar, and slipped off the bed barefoot.

It was too dark, and it took me a long time to find the screw. I didn't dare make any noise, so I could only hold my breath and slowly pry and tighten it with my fingertips.

As soon as the front wheel was removed, his heart began to pound.

When crouching down to deal with the rear wheel—

With a sharp "crack!", everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

The old man was actually quite lucid, but when the blow struck and the man fell, his heart skipped a beat.

The effects of the alcohol were still building, and while they were emboldened, if a fight actually resulted in someone's death, it would be a catastrophe.

He locked the gate himself, opened it when Sha Zhu came back, and locked it again with a "bang" after Sha Zhu came in.

So—this person must be from the compound.

Sha Zhu! Yes! It must be him!

Right now, the only ones still lit up in the yard are myself and Sha Zhu.

We need to get him to come and take a look!

But I didn't dare to get close enough to look, afraid that if I really saw a dead face, I would be scared out of my wits.

He ran towards He Yuzhu's house as fast as he could, his hands trembling so badly that his knocking was as soft as a cat's scratch.

My mind was in complete chaos.

Hearing the noise, He Yuzhu fumbled for the light in the dark, turned on the light, and opened the door.

The old man stood outside the door, his face ashen, his eyes glazed over, and his lips trembling.

"Third Uncle! Third Uncle!" He Yuzhu called out twice.

His heart sank: This appearance... could it be that he's been possessed by an evil spirit?

The third uncle grabbed He Yuzhu's arm, his hand trembling: "Silly Zhu! You have to help your third uncle this time!" His face was completely drained of color, and his eyes were wide open.

"You said—as long as it's not illegal or interferes with national affairs, I'll definitely help." He Yuzhu agreed verbally, but his mind was racing: Hopefully, it won't be about borrowing money, food, or getting into fights for someone else…

The old man took a breath and lowered his voice: "I just finished drinking here and was walking home. When I got to the gate of the courtyard..." The last half of his sentence was cut off as if he was being choked, revealing the whole terrifying experience he had just had.

— He grabbed a wooden stick and struck him hard on the head, knocking him down on the spot.

Is the human head really that fragile? Not necessarily. But if it hits the hard bone at the back of the head—the Yuzhen acupoint—it can really knock you unconscious, stop your breathing, and leave you hanging by a thread. (Reach out and touch the small, bulging bone at the back of your neck; that's it.)

He Yuzhu grabbed a flashlight and followed the Third Uncle to the scene. The beam of light swept across the area, and he was stunned: "Oh ho, Xu Damao?" He put his fingertip under his nose and then checked the carotid artery on the side of his neck—it was beating steadily, exactly sixty beats; his chest rose and fell, his breathing even.

"Uncle, he's alright, he just fainted. I'm going back to my room to rest for a bit." His eyelids were drooping.

"He's alright? I'm in trouble!" The third old man gritted his teeth. "Shazhu, give him a hand and tie him up tightly! We'll talk about it at dawn!" His anger was so intense that even this schoolteacher cursed, "Damn it! Xu Damao, you bastard!"

Not only did they steal his car, but they also made him live in constant fear and his legs cramped up. Is there no justice in this world?

The third uncle turned around and went into the house, rummaging through several old cloth strips. He Yuzhu helped Xu Damao sit up against the wall, wrapping the strips only around his ankles, leaving some room for looseness—lest they suffocate if they were too tight.

The third uncle dragged over a bamboo chair, sat down facing Xu Damao, his back ramrod straight, as if keeping vigil and waiting for dawn.

He Yuzhu was too lazy to sit with them, so he yawned and turned to leave.

early morning

A cold wind blew through his collar, jolting Xu Damao awake. His ankles were numb and he couldn't move them. He opened his eyes and looked around—the walls were peeling, the morning light was slanting, and he was sitting crookedly on the ground, looking like a sack of potatoes with its bones removed.

"Who am I? Where am I? Who tied me up?" His mind was buzzing, and suddenly a sharp pain shot through his head. He raised his hand to touch it—and a bump the size of a steamed bun appeared!

"Hiss—!" He gasped.

The third uncle, who had been dozing, suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, coldly fixed on his face, without uttering a single word.

Xu Damao saw it clearly too—Yan Bugui was sitting right across from him. He kept his mouth shut, not even lifting his eyelids. The evidence was overwhelming; arguing would be a waste of breath. But how could this meticulously planned scheme have collapsed so completely?

Over there, Xu's mother brought in a bowl of freshly cooked porridge to call her son for dinner, but the bed was cold and he was nowhere to be seen. She tried to open the bathroom door a couple of times, but no one answered, so she wandered towards the front door.

From afar, I saw Yan Bugui sitting upright in a chair. Just as I was about to ask a question, my gaze shifted to the side—my son was curled up against the wall, his ankles wrapped in strips of cloth, looking just like a chicken with its claws tied.

Her mind went blank for a moment, and she turned and ran home, grabbing Xu's father and the crumpled stack of banknotes in the cabinet, heading straight for her third uncle's house.

The two men helped Xu Damao into the house and whispered amongst themselves for a long time. Finally, the three members of the Xu family came out with their heads down, their faces as stiff as freshly laundered bed sheets.

Neither of Xu's parents asked their son a single question. He was a twenty-two-year-old adult; they couldn't get the truth out of him, and they couldn't get anything out of him by forcing him.

Xu Damao locked the door as soon as he entered the room, slumped on the edge of the bed, and didn't even drink a drop of water.

He pondered repeatedly: Which link revealed the flaw?

Mother Xu stamped her feet, clutching the empty money bag: "That heartless Yan Laoxi! One hundred and fifty yuan? Is he robbing me?!"

Mr. Xu sighed, "It's a bit too much money... but at least our reputation is preserved. If they had really called the police, we wouldn't have gotten to jail, and our secure jobs at the factory would be gone—which workshop would dare keep a thief working nearby?"

Mrs. Xu frowned: "Isn't the bicycle at home perfectly fine? What would he want from stealing Old Yan's bicycle wheel?"

Mr. Xu shook his head: "Things aren't as simple as you think. If he doesn't speak, there's no use guessing."

Mother Xu slapped her thigh: "Hurry up and find a wife! If we keep going like this, getting up in the middle of the night to cause trouble, we'll get into big trouble sooner or later!"

Father Xu waved his hand: "You decide this."

But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt—his son earned a decent salary and never asked for money, so why would he suddenly do something so foolish? Could it be that he'd been tricked into losing money and was too ashamed to go home to ask for it back? He'd have to quietly ask his coworkers…

He Yuzhu was completely unaware of all these intricacies in the early morning.

Starting today, I won't have a lunch break anymore. I still have to ride my bike to that silly moth's place to look through old books—if we don't rush to read these old books now, they'll probably be burned to ashes in a couple of years.