Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

46

Every penny he earns is hard-earned money, earned with blood and sweat, licked from the edge of a knife!

Which debtor doesn't drag their feet on paying back their debts?

If you don't shine, who's going to take you seriously?

Xiao Dang asks for money the moment he opens his mouth?

Dream on!

"I'm really broke lately."

Brother Long shrugged, not even lifting his eyelids. "I just settled the bill for Huaihua. Aren't you all family? She wouldn't shortchange you, would she?"

"No, that won't work!"

Xiao Dang's heart skipped a beat—

Huaihua went home with money in her pocket, but found herself empty-handed.

If we ever meet again, I'm afraid we'll have to hold our breath!

Pleading, begging, and whining were all useless.

Brother Long clutched his wallet tightly, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get!

Two girls he had long since grown tired of had turned around and emptied half of his savings.

If this gets out, the guys down there will probably laugh their heads off!

His face darkened, his voice as cold as ice: "Xiao Dang, stop making trouble! If you keep this up, our little bit of friendship will be reduced to ashes! You want to break up? Let's break up now, and don't ever set foot in my house again!"

"Money? Not a single penny!"

Xiao Dang's nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

So... it really can't compare to locust flowers?

Brother Long said he didn't care about the child's gender, but his actions had already revealed his true intentions.

Is it the locust flower that's younger? Or is it the one inside... that's really different?

She dared not mention money again, and her fingers secretly tightened around the hem of her clothes.

His eyes lit up, and a new idea popped into his head—

If he won't even do this small thing, then all my clean-cut face has been given to him for nothing...

"Brother Long!"

Xiao Dang gripped the hem of her clothes, her nails digging into her palms.

Brother Long leaned back on the sofa, the cigarette butt glowing faintly.

"There's someone in my house who needs tidying up."

Her voice trembled, but she straightened her back.

Brother Long raised an eyelid: "Who?"

"Wang Aiguo".

I gritted my teeth so hard that those three words made my jaw ache.

"From Xinfei Factory?"

He flicked his cigarette ash but didn't reply.

Xiao Dang took a half step forward, her hand unconsciously touching her stomach: "He hid in Hong Kong for over ten years, and the first thing he did when he came back was to show up at my door! I went over just now to let him see the baby... and he shrank back like he'd seen a ghost!"

Brother Long frowned: "And then?"

"Cripple him!"

She poked her lower abdomen with her fingertip, "I hope he has no offspring!"

Brother Long took a deep drag on his cigarette, the smoke making him squint.

"Even an eight-year-old is moving?"

Xiao Dang swallowed hard, but didn't say anything.

The cigarette ash broke and fell onto my pants.

Brother Long lowered his head and dusted himself off, the firelight illuminating half of his face.

"I can't help with this."

He stubbed out his cigarette, his voice lowering.

Xiao Dang froze, her lips trembling: "You...are afraid?"

Brother Long stood up and tugged at his collar: "It's not that I'm scared."

"It's because it's dirty."

Brother Long gasped, staring at Xiao Dang and shaking his head: "I can't take this job! If I do, I'll lose my job!"

Xiao Dang pouted, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her eyes darting around.

The more successful Wang Aiguo became, the more embarrassed the Jia family felt.

That smug look of his made her angry every time she saw it.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh: "That's right! His son!"

"So that he can't be a father in the future!"

She lowered her voice.

Brother Long almost spat out his tea.

Why do you always target children?

But having said that, it would be unfair to refuse any longer.

Anyway, no one will die. Giving him a beating to scare him will be enough to give Xiao Dang an explanation.

"Okay! I'll take care of it!"

He slammed his hand on the table.

Xiao Dang immediately smiled, pondering how to explain things to Huaihua.

Who does Wang Aiguo think he is?

Factory manager? Hong Kong boss? In Beijing, even Brother Long's stomping foot makes a louder noise than him!

The Jia family is no longer the pushover they once were!

The subordinate returned and muttered, "Boss, that kid stays at home all day and never even leaves the house."

"Are you stupid?"

Brother Long kicked the stool. "Can't you trick them out? Alleyway entrance, abandoned factory—five minutes isn't enough, is it?"

"Enough, enough, enough!"

Boss...

The subordinate rubbed the hem of his clothes, looking troubled: "We're in the loan sharking and debt collection business; we've never done anything like child abduction before!"

Brother Long stroked his chin: "Alright, laymen shouldn't interfere. I'll coax the kids out the door, you guys just need to provide support."

As Xu Damao was tightening screws, he looked up and saw a familiar face. He paused for half a second, then immediately greeted him with a beaming smile: "Hey, Brother Long! What a rare guest!"

"Da Mao!"

Brother Long patted him on the shoulder, "The factory's doing pretty well, huh? Are you short on cash? I'm always happy to lend a hand if you need any money."

Xu Damao felt uneasy, but laughed it off, saying, "It's just small-scale tinkering, nothing more than messing around."

The two each led a group of people, and they kept to themselves.

As soon as Brother Long sat down, he got straight to the point: "I heard that all those old-timers in Beijing are now working for you? I'd like to ask you something."

ha?

Xu Damao felt a weight lifted from his heart—it turned out they weren't there to cause trouble.

He breathed a sigh of relief and scratched the back of his head: "Why is Brother Long suddenly thinking about this? Things aren't like they used to be. The police are keeping a close eye on things, and kids are very precious. If something really goes wrong, no one can cover it up!"

"rest assured!"

Brother Long waved his hand, "What would I be after? How many coins could I earn selling kids? Not even a fraction of what I could make from lending money out small loans."

Xu Damao was taken aback: That's true, Brother Long really doesn't need this much money.

"To be honest..."

Brother Long leaned forward, "A friend asked me to deal with a rival, I wanted to scare his kid."

But that child is locked at home every day, so we have to find a way to trick him out.

My men are clumsy and I'm afraid they'll give themselves away.

Oh--

Xu Damao grinned and took a sip of tea from his enamel mug.

Xu Damao slapped his thigh: "Great idea! Quickly call Old Liu and Old Sun over!"

Banggeng immediately ran off.

This kid is now following him around like a shadow, even more diligently than his own shadow.

Old Liu was in his early fifties, wearing a faded blue cotton shirt.

Old Sun was dark-skinned and thin, with finger joints as thick as tree roots.

Who would have thought that these two honest men started their business by kidnapping children?

"Trying to lure a child out?"

Old Sun picked at his ear. "Are his parents still home?"

"Mom stays home to take care of the baby."

Brother Long stroked his chin. "Dad's often not around."

Old Liu rubbed his hands together: "To lay a hand on someone right under your mother's nose? That's not robbery, that's suicide."

Old Sun nodded, then suddenly grinned: "If you're really in a hurry to get rid of them... let's put on a show."

"Pretend to be his grandparents!"

"The more lively the better! Just grab one at the alley entrance and go!"

Xu Damao was stunned: "Hit his mother?"

"right!"

Old Sun didn't even blink. "Slap her, yell at her for arguing with her husband, saying the child is burned to a crisp and she hasn't taken him to the hospital!"

The onlookers were stunned; who would dare to interfere in their own family affairs?

There are many neighbors and familiar faces in the courtyard house—Old Liu had already thought of this.

He scratched the back of his neck: "This trick works at the train station, but in the alleys... it's easy to be exposed."

He frowned and shook his head: "Too many acquaintances, this trick won't work! By the way, Brother Long, where is that family you've got your eye on? A courtyard house?"

"Wang Aiguo lives in a courtyard house; the address is..."

Before Brother Long could finish speaking, Bang Geng and Xu Damao's faces turned pale instantly.

What? Wang Aiguo?

!

The address matches!

It really is him!

"Brother Long, I'm so sorry—I can't take this job!"

Xu Damao waved his hand frantically, his voice trembling: "Take my advice, stop now. This shady business... I'm afraid it won't last long."

Brother Long was taken aback: "What's going on?"

They were just getting along well, and now they're avoiding them like the plague.

Little did he know, Xu Damao had already suffered a setback.

Back then, it wasn't Wang Xiaohu they were targeting, but Wang Yue.

As a result, he almost ended up in the crematorium!

The sinister aura emanating from Wang Aiguo is no exaggeration.

After Xu Damao finished his sentence and came out of prison, he swore a solemn oath: stay three miles away from him!

Brother Long is being used as a pawn without even realizing it; he's probably already prepared his funeral expenses.

He walked out of the alley in a daze, his mind full of questions.

Transformation? Transformation into what kind of transformation?

Go work as a security guard in an office building?

But Xiao Dang kept urging him on, and Brother Long's temper flared up.

Fuck!

What's so difficult about holding a baby?

That morning, he and his three brothers squatted down at the foot of the courtyard wall.

He'd scouted the spot—Wang Xiaohu loved to wander around alone, always choosing a corner to tend to the flowers and plants.

"Who should go?"

Brother Long asked in a low voice, "Who wasn't with us last time we went to collect the debt?"

"The fourth brother didn't go!"

All eyes turned to the shrewd, thin man.

The fourth brother swallowed hard, stomped his foot, and rushed out.

The wind whistled past his ears, and he leaped towards the child with lightning speed.

Wang Xiaohu was squatting by the wall, pouring a dark liquid onto a few wildflowers.

Hearing the noise, I looked up—

A monkey-like person approached, his face showing extreme urgency.

"You're Wang Xiaohu?"

The fourth brother's throat tightened, and before he could think, he yelled, "Your dad's in trouble! Come with me right now!"

what?

The bottle in Xiaohu's hand shook, and water droplets splashed onto his shoes.

He blinked. "What happened to my dad?"

"Oh, stop asking!"

The fourth brother shook his head and sighed as if he were about to die, then reached out and grabbed his wrist.

They wanted to take advantage of the child and drag him out of the courtyard house in a few steps.

result--

The moment I touched it, it felt like I was squeezing a red-hot lump of iron.

Not moving.

?

Is that arm welded on?

The fourth brother's mind went blank for a second, then he immediately changed the script: "Car accident! A big truck hit him! Any later... and he would be dead!"

"oops!"

Little Tiger's face scrunched up, and his eyes shone with anxiety.

Become!

The fourth brother felt relieved.

Kids are easy to fool.

But staring at that little face, he felt something was off—

Why is there a hint of eagerness hidden beneath that anxiety?

"Was the driver injured? Is the car totaled?"

Xiao Hu blurted out the question.

ha?

The fourth brother froze on the spot, his mouth half-open, unable to utter a single word.

Hey! You hit your own dad, bro!

"Take me there quickly!"

Xiao Hu, on the contrary, urged him on, his voice clear and bright, and he even moved his feet forward half a foot.

"Walk!"

The fourth brother snapped out of his daze, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him out.

Little Tiger walked very fast, his mouth almost stretched to his ears in a wide grin.

Very good!

I haven't seen my dad in his element for years!

I just don't know...

Will that big truck just vanish into thin air again?

When it was three years old, it vaporized into white smoke, scaring the dogs three blocks away to tears.

That year, Hong Kong was in complete chaos, like a pot of boiling porridge.

Wang Aiguo had just incorporated the docks, warehouses, and other facilities into his own territory.

They had made enough money, but in the streets of Hong Kong in the 1970s, fists were more effective than contracts.

Cut off one's path in life?

It's like digging up someone's ancestral grave.

Wang Aiguo not only snatched the cake, but also overturned the oven.

Both the underworld and the legitimate world have their eyes on him, wishing they could nail him to the crossroads and display him to the public.

That day, he was leading his three-year-old son, Xiaohu, across the street.