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

"You can replace the shoes, but you can't expect the thrush to chop off your hand, can you?"

Jia Zhangshi froze for two seconds, then turned to Banggeng and yelled, "How could you leave your handprint? Use your brain next time you take something!"

Yi Zhonghai was nearly driven mad by this old hag: "Jia Zhangshi, is this how you teach your children? There's no way they'll grow up to be good people!"

"What do you mean by stealing? That's taking!"

Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened into triangles. "That's called taking! Do you understand?! They have so much meat and make so much money; they should help our family out. Going to take it is doing them a favor!"

"Yes, I'm doing them good deeds!"

Banggeng shook his head, his face full of pride.

"They've already called the police, and the officers will be there soon."

Yi Zhonghai's voice was as cold as ice, "Bang Geng can't escape this time. He'll end up in a juvenile detention center, carrying a criminal record for life!"

"What? Juvenile detention center? And a criminal record? That won't do! My grandson is going to be a cadre, a steel mill manager!"

Madam Jia let out a loud wail, "That little beast dared to ruin my precious grandson's future! I'll never forgive him!"

Yi Zhonghai had long known that Jia Zhangshi's mind was different from that of a normal person, but he still didn't expect her to be this bizarre.

In Madam Jia's eyes, her beloved grandson was both intelligent and handsome, destined for a high-ranking official position—at the very least, he'd be a steel mill director. She firmly believed the saying that mischief was the path to becoming a cadre. In her view, Banggeng was simply a bit naughty.

In Jia Zhangshi's mind, the steel rolling mill director was the highest-ranking official.

"Grandma, I won't go to juvenile detention, I'd rather die than go!"

Banggeng was terrified and kept shouting, "Those are all bad guys locked up in there, I'm not a bad person!"

This kid still thinks he's in the right.

"Don't worry, my dear grandson, Grandma won't let them take you away."

Madam Jia patted her chest and declared, "I'll go to their doorstep, roll around on the ground, and make a scene. Let's see what they can do to me then!"

"You go if you want!"

Banggeng yelled at the top of his lungs, "You're the one who told me to steal it!"

The onlookers all curled their lip in disapproval. Everyone knew that Jia Zhangshi's hands were not clean; now, she had dragged her grandson down with her.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Grandma will go and make a scene!"

Jia Zhangshi gritted her teeth and made a fierce vow.

Seeing her unruly behavior, Yi Zhonghai could no longer hold back. He threw aside all pretenses of being a nice guy and a moral gentleman, and slapped her hard across the face.

"Jia Zhangshi, you're not going there to act tough, you're going there to kneel down and beg Li Weidong for your life!"

Yi Zhonghai roared until his voice cracked, "If you dare to throw another tantrum, just you wait! Who's going to listen to you then?"

Jia Zhangshi was stunned for a moment after being hit, but then her anger flared up.

"You old geezer, how dare you hit me!"

She stretched out her dark, claw-like hands, about to strike Yi Zhonghai's face.

This move is called Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. Countless people in the courtyard have been hit by it, even Sha Zhu couldn't dodge it.

"Snapped!"

Another slap landed hard on Jia Zhangshi's face, so hard that blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Yi Zhonghai is going all out, all for the future of Bang Geng.

"Listen to me clearly, what's the big deal about your tantrums, Jia Zhangshi!"

Yi Zhonghai's veins bulged. "If it weren't for me backing you up, you'd be kicked back to the countryside by now! Go kneel down in front of Li Weidong's house right now and pay whatever compensation you owe! Otherwise, I'll personally send you back to your hometown!"

After yelling like that, Yi Zhonghai finally calmed down a bit. The disdainful looks from all around him made his skin crawl. He knew he had been thoroughly humiliated, but right now, the important thing was getting back to the main issue.

Jia Zhangshi was so dizzy from the two slaps that she finally behaved herself.

"How...how could I possibly kneel down?"

She mumbled incoherently, "Besides, I don't have any money to pay. How about we wait for Qin Huairu to come back? Or you can pay for it."

The moment money was mentioned, Jia Zhangshi immediately became stingy.

"You pay!"

Yi Zhonghai's forehead veins throbbed. "Old Jia and Dongxu's pensions are all in your hands. Where is Qin Huairu going to get money? Zhu Zi is still in jail! You still get three yuan a month for retirement. Do the math, how much have you saved?"

Old Zhao couldn't stand it anymore and angrily interrupted, "The Jia family has a lot of money, Yi Zhonghai, why are you still asking everyone to donate money to them? This matter needs to be clarified with the neighborhood committee!"

Yi Zhonghai's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he regretted it so much that he wanted to slap himself. How could he have let his mouth run wild and spill all the Jia family's secrets?

"Alright, Lao Yan has the records of how much you donated. I'll return every penny to you once this is over."

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and agreed.

When the people in the courtyard heard that they could get their money back, their faces lit up with joy, and for the time being, no one bothered to leave him alone.

Yi Zhonghai was cursing under his breath. If it weren't for Li Weidong, that troublemaker, living in the courtyard, even if everyone knew about the Jia family's messy affairs, who would dare to challenge him and demand money?

"Hurry up and come with me to the backyard. You can't kneel, but a pheasant can kneel, right?"

Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, "We'll see how much they lost later, and we'll compensate them double. As long as they don't pursue the matter, Bang Geng won't be able to go to the juvenile detention center."

"Make my precious grandson kneel before him? Dream on! My grandson is destined to be the steel mill manager!"

Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened.

Yi Zhonghai raised his hand and slapped him across the face: "Shut the hell up! If you dawdle any longer, even the Heavenly King himself can't save you!"

To put it bluntly, Jia Zhangshi is a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. She's like a fly drawn to blood when she sees something good, completely oblivious to the danger. Now that Yi Zhonghai has turned against her, she immediately cowered.

"Okay, okay, I'll go!"

Jia Zhangshi pulled the stick and walked towards the backyard.

Li Weidong and his group didn't rush to pick the lock; they would wait for the police to arrive. The group turned and went into the newly renovated house, moving a square table and long benches inside to sit down.

"Brother Dong, your house is so spacious and bright."

He Yushui's eyes lit up as she looked around.

"Rain, you still have a month before school starts, right?"

Li Weidong asked casually.

"Yeah, summer vacation is already halfway over."

He Yushui nodded reluctantly.

"I have an idea, but don't tell anyone."

Li Weidong lowered his voice, "Do you want to study in Hong Kong?"

"Huh? Go to a place like that?"

He Yushui's eyes widened. "How can I go? I have no connections."

"Besides, I'm doing quite well here. Why would I go all that way by myself..."

While He Yushui was still in a daze, Li Weidong had already arranged everything clearly.

"You'll go with Sister E and study economics and management there."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight: "Can you lend me a hand in the future? Once my business is up and running, I won't be able to do without someone reliable by my side."

"Set up the stall?"

Lin Yurou and He Yushui exchanged a glance, both dumbfounded.

"Don't worry about any of that. Don't let a single word of what I just said slip out."

Li Weidong instructed, "Yushui, go out and broaden your horizons. Who knows, Xiaorou and Xiaoxi might have to go someday too."

Xiao Xi nestled in his arms, focused on biting into the tomato in her hand, completely unaware of what the adults were saying.

"But this..."

He Yushui bit her lip. "It must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"Don't worry about the money. Just focus on your studies and you'll be able to help me in the future."

Li Weidong's tone turned serious, "I hope you go."

"OK."

He Yushui made a tough decision, "Then what should I bring?"

"You don't need to bring anything."

Li Weidong waved his hand, "Just do it the same as usual. I'll arrange for someone to take you there, or if I have time, I'll take you myself."

He knew that going to Hong Kong would be complicated for him, but getting to Guangzhou wouldn't be difficult. He could just have Lou Xiao'e come and pick him up.

"Okay, I won't tell anyone about this."

He Yushui nodded.

"By the way, did He Daqing leave an address?"

Li Weidong suddenly asked.

"Left behind..."

A hint of hatred flashed in He Yushui's eyes. "When he left, he gave me a mailing address."

"Send him a registered letter and ask him to produce something."

Li Weidong said, "You and Shazhu should divide the house. Otherwise, the Jia family will have to move in the moment you leave."

He Yushui bit her lip and remained silent. She hated He Daqing to the core—he abandoned her back then and ran off with a widow. Now Sha Zhu was doing the same thing, abandoning even his own sister for someone else's wife.

"I'll go write the letter right now."

He Yushui made up her mind.

Just then, there was a noise at the door.

Yi Zhonghai, leading Jia Zhangshi and followed by Bang Geng, had already blocked the doorway.

"Li Weidong, I'm here to apologize!"

Jia Zhangshi stood at the door, her voice harsh, "That kid Banggeng is ignorant; he shouldn't have come to your house and caused trouble. I'll pay for it..."

"Mrs. Jia, go and talk to the police."

Li Weidong sneered, "This has nothing to do with me anymore."

"Wei Dong, Wei Dong!"

Yi Zhonghai quickly stepped forward, putting on a pained expression. "We're all neighbors living in the same compound. Please, show some leniency and let Bang Geng off this time. He's still young. If he gets a criminal record, his life will be over."

His voice was pleading: "We can't ruin a child's life over something so trivial."

Li Weidong shook his head with a cold laugh: "It wasn't me who ruined him, it was himself. Yi Zhonghai, you're quite the talker, coming right up to accuse me."

"This...this..."

Yi Zhonghai was so choked up that he couldn't utter a single word.

He then realized that the person in front of him was not one of the easily fooled ordinary people in the courtyard.

"Get out of here!"

Li Weidong snorted coldly, his tone impatient: "All day long, I don't know what's going on in your head. By the way, Bang Geng, don't go back, the police have already arrived."

Director Zhang led two people into the courtyard.

Hearing that the matter was related to Li Weidong, he naturally had to make the trip himself.

"Director Zhang, the thief is this guy, Bang Geng, and he's admitted it himself."

Li Weidong walked out of the room and pointed towards the kitchen: "Go take a look at my kitchen. There are still pry marks on the lock."

"Xiao Ding, arrest him."

Director Zhang gave an order, then turned to another person and said, "Xiao Wang, come with me to check the scene and write down what happened."

Xiao Ding pulled out the handcuffs, and they snapped with a crisp sound.

Banggeng was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, his crotch instantly becoming soaked, and the smell of urine filled the air.

Actually, Banggeng's arrogant behavior in the yard was all due to the spoiling of those old folks. They even thought the kid was clever and destined for great things.

To put it bluntly, Bang Geng is a lazy and gluttonous good-for-nothing.

"Don't arrest me! Don't arrest me! I don't want to go to juvenile detention!"

Banggeng lay on the ground rolling around, crying like a pig being slaughtered.