Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Silly Zhu, it's just the two of us right now. Tell me the truth, and I'll cover for you. We'll see each other all the time, so we have to consider our relationship."

He Yuzhu's ears were ringing, and his head was throbbing with annoyance.

"Alright, alright, do whatever you want!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he slammed the door shut with a "bang," making the paper windows tremble.

They must have a lot of free time.

It's just a chicken, why make such a big fuss about it? They're just bored and have nothing better to do!

Ding! Mission complete. Ignore the harassment and drive away Xu Damao. Reward of seven yuan has been credited to your account.

He Yuzhu instantly had twelve yuan in his wallet.

Without saying a word, he took out ten yuan and went straight to the skills bar:

Ding! Your divine cooking skills have reached the maximum level! New skill unlocked: Physical Skills (Lv0).

"Physical skills?"

He paused for a moment, realizing this thing was quite practical. Once mastered, one's body would be strong and one's back would be straight.

Health is the foundation of a stable life. No matter how much money you have, it's all for nothing if your health fails.

……

An hour later, everyone in the courtyard finished their work, ate and drank their fill, and were about to rest.

But as soon as they heard that a hospital-wide meeting was going to be held, everyone immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks and rushed over.

Who wouldn't want to get closer and hear the real story of such an exciting event?

In the open space in the courtyard, the three old men had already settled down steadily. As the oldest, their words carried the most weight, and they were always the ones who could make the final decisions in this courtyard.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the second uncle cleared his throat and was about to speak:

"Fellow neighbors, we've gathered here today for one thing."

"The matter of Xu Damao losing his chicken."

"His family is missing a chicken, and coincidentally, someone else's doorstep is covered in chicken feathers, and the aroma of stewed chicken is wafting out of their house. Isn't that an incredible coincidence? Don't you all think so?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a buzzing sound arose from the crowd.

"Ouch!"

"It actually sounds plausible."

"Stop beating around the bush! Just say what you want to say, I haven't even washed the dishes yet!"

"Exactly! Don't they have any sense of public morality?"

He Yuzhu interrupted with a frown, his tone full of impatience.

This guy really thinks he's a host, rambling on and on, he's just bored and has nothing better to do.

"Ding! A new task has been issued by the system. Please select one."

Option 1: Admit to stealing the chicken on the spot, and receive a reward of one yuan.

"Option 2: Prove your innocence and accuse Xu Damao of framing you, reward seven yuan."

"Um……"

"Looks like I'll have to use my words a bit more."

He Yuzhu silently made his plans.

"you,"

"Idiot Zhu! You!!!"

The second uncle had a lump in his throat, and was about to put on his elder's airs and give him a few words of reprimand, but He Yuzhu's words silenced him.

What's even more infuriating is that He Yuzhu shoved him aside, walked straight to the center of the courtyard, and stared down at Xu Damao:

"Xu Damao, are you insisting that I stole your chicken?"

Xu Damao was taken aback, not expecting the other party to be so assertive, and couldn't answer for a moment. He could only nod hesitantly.

"Yes, my house is indeed missing a hen, and at your door..."

"Stop!"

He Yuzhu raised his hand to intercept it, then turned to face the crowd:

"Everyone heard it, Xu Damao accused me of stealing his chicken, right?"

"That's right!"

"That's how it is!"

The onlookers chimed in with their own opinions, but their eyes were all fixed on He Yuzhu, trying to figure out what he was up to.

Seeing everyone nod, He Yuzhu turned around and looked directly at Xu Damao:

"I'm asking you, what makes you so sure I stole it? Can you produce any evidence?"

"Do I need evidence? I came home from get off work and there was one missing. There were chicken feathers all over your door, and the smell of stewed chicken was wafting out of your house. Isn't that enough?"

He turned to look at his second uncle, his brows furrowed: "Second uncle, don't you think so?"

The second uncle had just opened his mouth when He Yuzhu beat him to it, making him so angry that he kept clicking his tongue.

"Everyone, listen carefully: Xu Damao has no evidence whatsoever; he's just making baseless accusations and framing me!"

"Everyone knows how much I earn. Why would I steal a chicken?"

His tone was calm, yet every word he spoke carried weight.

"yes!"

"Why would Sha Zhu do something like that?"

"He earns so much a month, buying it with his own money is better than stealing!"

"you do not say……"

The crowd echoed his sentiments, and the tide instantly turned in He Yuzhu's favor. Xu Damao's face gradually paled, and his heart tightened: How come everyone's on his side?

He Yuzhu glanced around, seeing that everyone understood, and with a slight smile, he spoke again:

"Actually, I also have evidence."

"What proof?"

An old man couldn't help but ask a question, his gaze filled with inquiry.

"It's very simple."

"The chicken I stewed was bought through a Malaysian Chinese business. My sister, He Yushui, just came back, and I specially made this stew for her to help her recover."

"MCA can testify."

"Also, Xu Damao was complaining that he lost an old hen, but I was stewing a rooster in the pot."

After saying that, he turned and went into the house, picked up the chicken head and placed it on the table. The bright red comb was clearly visible.

Xu Damao rushed over for a closer look and, sure enough, it was a rooster. His legs went weak.

"Impossible! Where did my chicken go? Who did it?"

He Yuzhu completely ignored him, turning instead to the three old men, his voice steady:

"You all saw and heard it with your own eyes and ears. I didn't steal the chicken; he's just making things up. Do you agree with that?"

"Um."

An old man slowly nodded, then looked at He Yuzhu suspiciously: The truth is clear, what else does he want to do? He asked:

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

Everyone stared at him.

What else can I say?

"Since he slandered me without cause, I am the victim. He should compensate me for emotional distress."

"What?"

"Compensate me for emotional distress?!"

Xu Damao's face turned bright red, and he blurted out a roar.

He was already feeling resentful because he thought he had lost the chicken, but now he's being asked to pay compensation. Where is the justice in this?

"You're not going to pay me, are you?"

He Yuzhu glanced at Xu Damao, then turned to the old man, his tone calm but weighty.

"this……"

The old man was speechless for a moment, unsure how He Yuzhu would handle the situation.

"Stop with the 'this' and 'that'."

"Fine, since you absolutely refuse to pay, sir, you'd better come with me to the police station right now. I need to report this to the police; someone is maliciously framing me!"

Who am I? A genuine transmigrator. To try and reason with him is like walking into the line of fire.

He Yuzhu smiled coldly to himself.

Everyone around was stunned when they heard this. It turned out that Sha Zhu really intended to make a big fuss about it!

The three old men looked at each other, completely bewildered.

It's just a lost chicken, such a trivial matter, why make a fuss about it and take it to the police station?

An elderly man quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, saying that if the situation continued to escalate and the police actually arrived, it would be awkward for everyone.

"Silly Zhu, calm down, don't take it so seriously, okay? We live in the same compound, we'll run into each other all the time. I'll have Xu Damao apologize to you in person right now, let's call it a day, okay?"

He Yuzhu had already softened and was about to nod in agreement,

"Ding! New mission issued, please make your choice, host."

Option 1: Settle the matter peacefully, forgive Xu Damao, and receive a reward of two yuan.

Option 2: Use this opportunity to pressure Xu Damao into paying compensation, and you will receive a reward of ten yuan.

"Oh……"

"As expected, it's a stingy yet shrewd money-making system; it doesn't even let go of such a small advantage. Just what I wanted!"

"He had long been dissatisfied with Xu Damao. Before he transmigrated, this man had already ruined the original owner's reputation. He couldn't let a single debt go unpaid."

He remained expressionless, only saying calmly:

"Turn the page? No way."

"We must pay compensation."

Xu Damao's face grew increasingly grim, knowing that he probably couldn't avoid it today. But the more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became: When did Sha Zhu become so unyielding?

In the past, I would at most scold him or kick him a couple of times, and that would be the end of it.

"How will you compensate? How much will you compensate?"

Xu Damao gritted his teeth and decided to admit defeat for now, and deal with the kid slowly later.

"Not much, thirty yuan."

He Yuzhu spoke in a light and casual tone.

He knew very well that Xu Damao made a lot of extra money on the side while working as a projectionist, so this amount of money wouldn't be a big loss for him.

"What?"

The audience gasped. Thirty yuan? That's more than an average person's monthly salary!

Xu Damao's eyes widened, and he jumped up and down on the spot:

"You idiot Zhu, you're robbing me!"

"Thirty yuan is enough to buy more than a dozen chickens!"

Second Uncle was close to Xu Damao and often received cigarettes, alcohol, candy, and tea from him. He immediately stepped forward to speak up for him:

"Silly Zhu, stop arguing! Thirty yuan is enough for a family of three to eat fine grains for a month! We're all from the same compound, so how about you give me a discount? Three yuan, okay?"

Three pieces?

He Yuzhu shook his head inwardly. These days, three yuan couldn't even buy half a pound of vegetables.

"Xu Damao, thirty yuan is really not much. Don't you believe me? You'll see soon enough."

Before he finished speaking, he turned and went into the house, took out paper and pen, sat down and started writing, the pen tip making a scratching sound.

Everyone was completely baffled: This cook can write? And his handwriting is neat and strong?

The old man was so surprised that he opened his mouth wide, never expecting that Sha Zhu had this skill!

A moment later, He Yuzhu put down his pen, handed the paper to the third uncle, and said in a calm voice:

"Uncle, you can read, could you please read it aloud?"

"Um?"

The third uncle looked down and his expression changed immediately. His lips trembled, and he was speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, bystanders urged him to ask:

"Uncle, what did Sha Zhu write?"

"Read it aloud!"

The old man was surrounded in the middle, caught in a dilemma, his face turning red.

"I'll read it."

He Yuzhu reluctantly reached for the paper and read aloud:

"Xu Damao has repeatedly spread rumors in the compound and the steel rolling mill, falsely claiming that I have an ambiguous relationship with Qin Huairu, which has seriously damaged my reputation."

"Based on this alone, I can sue you for defamation. If the circumstances are serious, I can report it to the police directly."

"What?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was complete silence. Everyone was so shocked that they couldn't speak and stared at Xu Damao.

No one expected that he would do such a thing behind the scenes!

Qin Huairu's ears turned red, feeling both ashamed and embarrassed. She never expected that He Yuzhu would expose this matter in public.

Xu Damao hurriedly waved his hands: "No! No! I was just drunk and talking nonsense, I've completely forgotten!"

He Yuzhu ignored it completely and continued reading: