The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Yang Dalin overheard the conversation behind him and thought to himself, "Me too. I only remember two lines from 'Ode to the Knight-Errant': 'Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles. After the deed is done, dust off your clothes and leave, concealing your identity and name.'"

Yang Dalin only remembered these two sentences.

However, strangely enough, Yang Dalin remembered the "Ode to the Humble Abode" very clearly.

It's strange that I can still recite it word for word after more than 20 years.

I've completely forgotten all the other classical Chinese texts I've studied, not to mention long poems.

Yang Dalin didn't know that these classical Chinese texts and poems weren't taught in early middle school.

But it's not right for a Chinese language teacher like you not to know this.

"Red palms slapping the waves, oh my god, I almost laughed Yang Dalin to death."

Where did this kid learn classical poetry?

That's really talented.

When Yang Dalin escorted him back, the leader of the thief gang had already been woken up, and the money had been found in the pregnant woman's belly by the train police and placed on a dining table.

The leader immediately lowered his head when he saw the men Yang Dalin was escorting.

Yang Dalin noticed his movements; it seemed they knew each other.

The boss probably never expected that one of his hidden pawns, unknown even to his own subordinates, would be captured.

It can be said that the entire theft gang was wiped out.

When the train police officer saw Yang Dalin bringing another person back, he stood up and asked in confusion, "Who is this?"

Yang Dalin smiled and said, "One of their hidden gangs is probably also a backup plan for transferring money."

"Is that right, boss thief?"

Yang Dalin grabbed the thief leader by the hair, forcing him to look up at the person he had brought back.

The thief leader, frustrated, tried desperately to break free from Yang Dalin's grasp, but to no avail.

Yang Dalin grabbed the leader of the thieves by the hair, while another guy who had recited the wrong poem and was being held by Yang Dalin tried to attack him.

Then Yang Dalin kicked him away.

The gang leader tried to resist Yang Dalin, but Yang Dalin kicked him to the ground again.

The fake Chinese teacher who had just been kicked away cried out pitifully, "Second Uncle?"

Yang Dalin lifted him up again, picked up the rope prepared by the train police, tied the man up, and forced him to squat down: "Did you hear that, nephew of the gang leader?"

It's part of the gang, I'm leaving it to you guys, I'm going back to rest now.

Secure these securely, so they don't run away.

No, break the leg of every thief. I've heard that professional thieves hide razor blades or something similar on their bodies.

Be careful.

Yang Dalin glanced with pity at the little girl next to him who was being held by a female flight attendant.

He took out twenty yuan and handed it to the female flight attendant: "The child is pitiful. Find out where he came from, make sure he is settled, and I'll do my part."

There are so many pitiful children nowadays, Yang Dalin simply can't help them all.

The only thing we can do is lend a hand when we encounter someone.

Judging from the child's appearance, he doesn't seem to be that old woman's relative.

Hopefully, the local police will find her a good family.

Taking her away by myself would be troublesome. I'm not married yet, and I'm living at my aunt's house. It would be difficult to get a Beijing household registration.

Settling here means the disaster is less severe.

It's better than taking it to Beijing.

Yang Dalin bid farewell to everyone and returned to his private room.

The two leaders asked him, "How did it go? Was it resolved?"

Yang Dalin nodded: "Yes, we helped catch a professional theft gang. The gang leader is probably an old-fashioned thief from before the liberation."

They're quite good at organizing people, but thankfully, they were all caught in one fell swoop.

The soldier couldn't stand it and slammed his fist on the table, saying, "These people should all be shot."

The leader of that government agency said, "I guess he was forced by life to return to his old ways."

These kinds of things have become more common in the area in the last two years, all because people aren't getting enough to eat.

These words shouldn't have come from the mouth of this government leader, but at least a leader who can say such things understands the suffering of people.

While petty theft may be driven back to crime by the desperation of disasters and hardship, the people they steal from are likely in even worse situations. They do not deserve sympathy; adults who make mistakes must accept the consequences.

That brought the topic to a close.

The three men remained silent, raised their glasses, and downed a drink.

After finishing one bottle of wine, everyone stopped drinking.

Yang Dalin suggested playing cards, since they still had five hours to go before reaching the provincial capital.

It's better to play Dou Dizhu with three people, but Yang Dalin didn't dare call this game "Dou Dizhu" to avoid future trouble and harming people. He just called it "Two Against One".

Just have some fun anyway.

So Yang Dalin took out a deck of cards from his backpack and started playing a two-against-one game with the two leaders.

Often, it would be two people from the other side ganging up on Yang Dalin.

In the end, Yang Dalin won more often than he lost, because Yang Dalin had a good memory and could remember the cards. Also, he often hid a joker, a two, or even three sharp cards.

So why do I always lose?

Later, to add some good luck...

Yang Dalin then suggested that whoever lost should have a sticker stuck to their face.

A while later, the train conductor and two police officers, led by two leaders' secretaries and bodyguards, came in to thank Yang Dalin.

The two leaders' faces were so covered in stickers that they were almost invisible.

Fortunately, both leaders were people who could afford to lose and did not try to cheat.

The colonel shoved aside the note obscuring his view and peeked out, asking, "What's wrong, Xiao Sun?"

The guard, Xiao Sun, wanted to laugh but dared not, and said with a pained expression, "Sir, the train conductor and the train police officer want to thank this young comrade."

When the train conductor and his team came in, they were almost amused to see the two leaders' faces covered in notes.

Fortunately, they managed to hold back.

It's really tough holding it in.

The colonel, of course, saw their expressions and seized the opportunity to tear off the note, saying, "It's just a game of cards. If you lose, you have to accept it. Laugh if you want, or you'll get sick of holding it in."

"Haha, hehe..."

None of them dared to laugh for long; after all, he was a leader, so a little laughter was enough.

Meanwhile, Yang Dalin and another leader shouted, "Old Wang, stop cheating!"

"You've already torn all the notes down before I've even finished typing."

Colonel Wang, the regimental commander, said, "Who's cheating? I just saw that Comrade Yang was busy and needed to rest for a while. We'll continue later. Don't worry, I'll reattach it later."

The train conductor, along with two police officers, thanked Yang Dalin, saying they would write a letter of thanks and also inform his unit.

After exchanging pleasantries, Commander Wang even showed off a bit, teaching these people how to play a two-on-one game where the loser gets a sticker. They watched and played a couple of rounds before leaving.

Yang Dalin was unaware that a card game called "two against one" would later become popular on trains in all directions across the country.

The loser has to stick a note on their head. In rural areas where there are no other options, the loser has to put a brick on their head. If there are no bricks, they have to put a stone slab on their head.

Even hanging straw on your head is fine; since it's not for real money, you can do whatever is convenient—it's a form of entertainment.

As for the many people who asked about this gameplay later, I have no idea.