The entire courtyard is full of villains

"Money! My money!" Yan Bugui exclaimed excitedly.

"Old Yan, let me tell you, the doctor said if you faint again, it'll cost a lot of money!"

Upon hearing that it would cost a lot of money, Yan Bugui immediately forced himself to calm down and turned to ask his son, "Jiecheng, have you reported it to the police?"

"No, Jiefang and I carried you to the hospital."

"Hey! You—" Yan Bugui became agitated again, "Why don't you report it to the police? That's our family's lifeline!"

“Old Yan,” Yang Ruihua quickly advised, “Old Liu has already asked Guangtian to report the case to the police.”

"Oh, that's good..." He pressed on, "Then...who else in the yard got burgled? Was Zhang Erhe's house across the street burgled?"

"No," Yan Jiecheng replied in a muffled voice, "Our house was the only one in the yard that got robbed."

"Oh! You damned thief!" Yan Bugui pounded his chest and stamped his feet. "Why did you target our family? We live off my meager twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents! Why didn't you steal from Zhang Erhe? He's the workshop foreman, his family is rich—"

"Yan Bugui, your idea is wrong!" A voice came from the door of the ward.

Yang Ruihua turned around and exclaimed, "Chief Zhang!"

Zhang Guowei strode in: "Yan Bugui, your thinking is dangerous. What, you're not happy that the thief didn't steal from your neighbor?"

"No, no, no!" Yan Bugui hurriedly explained, "I just... I just got confused from anger..."

"Even if you're angry and confused, you shouldn't say such nonsense! In the future, say less things that are detrimental to unity, understand? This time, I'll let it go because your family has suffered a misfortune."

"Understood, Director Zhang..."

"Xiao Yu, take notes." Zhang Guo turned to the young policeman behind him, and after he took out his notebook, he asked seriously, "Yan Bugui, I'm asking you, what time did you discover your house had been burgled tonight?"

"What time? It should be around 12:40."

How did the thief get into your house?

"I...I don't know either..."

"So how did you find out it was stolen?"

"I...I...I..." Yan Bugui's eyes flickered.

"Yan Bugui!" Zhang Guowei slammed his hand on the bedside table. "This concerns what was stolen from your house! If you don't tell the truth and we don't catch the thief, this case will have to be shelved!"

"Chief Zhang, I'll talk, I'll talk!" Yan Bugui quickly confessed, "Around midnight, I was planning to go to the black market to buy some food. I was just about to lock the door with Jie Cheng when I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, Jie Cheng found that my pockets had been searched. I thought to myself, since the thief searched my pockets, could he have already entered the house? When I went inside... all the money in the house was gone!"

“You mean,” Zhang Guowei keenly grasped the key point, “that you were knocked unconscious by a thief in front of your house?”

"Correct!"

Did you bring your keys with you at the time?

"Yes, I wear it. It's clipped to my waist."

Zhang Guowei clenched his right fist and slammed it heavily into his left palm, then looked at Yan Bugui with an almost pitying gaze.

“I suspect the situation is like this: the thief had already sneaked into your yard, but he was a clumsy thief who didn't know how to pick locks. He just randomly slashed around the keyhole with a dagger, and couldn't open any of the locks. By sheer coincidence, you and your son were heading out to the black market in the middle of the night and ran right into him. So he went all out, knocked you unconscious, took your keys, and broke into your house... that's how he emptied it all.”

"Huh?!" Yan Bugui was completely dumbfounded.

He was filled with regret—if he had known this would happen, he would never have even considered going to the black market that night! Now, not only did he fail to buy any food, but his family's savings were also wiped out.

With a mournful face and a last glimmer of hope, he asked, "Chief Zhang, then..."

“Yan Bugui,” Zhang Guowei interrupted him, his tone tinged with helplessness, “When I arrived at the courtyard after receiving the report, the traces at your door had already been trampled into a mess, and there probably weren’t any valuable clues left. Right now, all I can do is file a case for you and see if we can catch this stupid thief later. If we catch him, your family might be able to recover some of your losses.”

He paused, then put away his notebook: "Since you've come this far, and I have a basic understanding of the situation, I'll head back now."

Yan Bugui lay paralyzed on the bed, his face ashen. Seeing that Zhang Guowei was really about to leave, he suddenly jolted awake and sat bolt upright:

"Chief Zhang! Wait, wait a minute! Do you think... is it possible that this wasn't a theft at all, but someone deliberately retaliating against our family?"

"Deliberate retaliation?" Zhang Guowei stopped and turned around. "Who?"

"Zhang...Zhang Erhe!"

"Zhang Erhe? Why would he want revenge on you?"

“He…he…” Yan Bugui’s lips trembled. “A couple of days ago, my wife accidentally spread the word that he hit his father-in-law…but he didn’t react at the time, nor did he retaliate against us in person…”

"Hmph," Zhang Guowei chuckled upon hearing this, "Just because you didn't retaliate openly doesn't mean you'll definitely do it behind my back. Yan Bugui, is there something you're hiding from me?"

"Director Zhang, you have no idea how vengeful Zhang Erhe is! Ever since we offended him, our whole family has been living in fear these past few days... We never expected him to still make a move!"

“Alright,” Zhang Guowei said seriously, “I will look into this matter privately. But Yan Bugui, you need to think carefully. If you really want to report Zhang Erhe, then think carefully about what will happen to Jia Dongxu.”

After saying that, he didn't say anything more, turned around and left the ward.

Yan Bugui felt as if his spine had been removed, collapsing completely onto the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, his heart filled with coldness.

Good heavens... why is our Yan family so unlucky?!

Chapter 102 Accepting My Bad Luck

Yan Bugui's words ultimately left a shadow in Zhang Guowei's heart. After handing over his shift in the morning, he lay on the makeshift bed in the office, smoking and tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Around noon, he got up and splashed cold water on his face. Before leaving, he glanced at his police uniform, hesitated for a moment, then went back to his office to change into civilian clothes. He then went to the supply and marketing cooperative, bought two cans of food and a bag of pastries, and headed straight for the courtyard house at No. 95.

As luck would have it, just as he entered the alley, he saw Zhang Erhe pushing his bicycle towards him. Zhang Jiao was sitting on the front bar, with Guan Xue beside her. The family was chatting and laughing, clearly having just returned from outside.

"Zhang Erhe".

"Hey!" Zhang Erhe looked up at the sound of the voice and chuckled, "Isn't this Uncle Zhang? What a coincidence!"

"Uncle my foot!" Zhang Guowei laughed and scolded, "You little brat, you didn't even come to my house to wish me a Happy New Year."

"Oh my," Zhang Erhe feigned surprise, "Why does that sound so sour coming from you? I remember a couple of years ago when I went to pay my respects, what did you say? 'If you can't accept such a generous gift, get lost!'"

“That was before!” Zhang Guowei waved his hand. “Back then, you were always hanging around on the streets. Now that you’re a workshop foreman, what’s that saying again? ‘Respect for clothes, not for people,’ so I have to come and curry favor with you, right? If you won’t come to my door, then I’ll have to come to yours.”

“Sure!” Zhang Erhe readily agreed. “Then let’s go home and have a good meal together.”

Zhang Guowei leaned closer, sniffed, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Wow, you smell of alcohol... Did you drink with your father-in-law last night?"

"No, my father-in-law is taking his medicine, how could I dare to bother him? I took it at Ma Qianli's place, he got married yesterday!"

"Ma Qianli? That cowardly kid got married?"

"That's right, he married a Mongolian girl, she's tall and strong."

"Good, good, good. It's a good thing that this kid is willing to settle down." Zhang Guowei nodded. "How much did you guys drink last night? It's been a whole night, and you still smell so strongly."

"I didn't keep track of exactly how much we drank, but out of the nearly 20-pound jar, I estimate that in the end, we had... well, about five or six pounds left."

Wow! You guys are really something!

"Absolutely."

The two walked into the courtyard as they talked. Zhang Guowei casually asked, "Zhang Erhe, do you know what happened in your courtyard last night?"

"What's the big deal? I went to my father-in-law's house to pick up Jiaojiao and Guanxue this morning. Where would I have heard about this?"

“The house across from yours, Yan Bugui’s house, was burgled.”

"What? Yan Bugui's house was robbed?" Zhang Erhe was stunned at first, then burst out laughing. "Good riddance! Good riddance!"

He turned to his daughter and said, "Jiaojiao, it looks like Daddy will have to go with you to buy some fireworks today. We'll set off fireworks tonight to celebrate!"

"Okay, Daddy!" Zhang Jiao cheered immediately.

"Zhang Erhe! You brat..." Zhang Guowei slapped him from behind, "Your neighbor got robbed, and you're here celebrating? You're a cadre now, you should be more mindful of your image!"

"Affect my ass!" Zhang Erhe scoffed. "That old bastard had his wife running around the yard the other day, saying I hit my father-in-law. I haven't even settled the score with him yet!"

"Didn't you confront him?" Zhang Guowei asked in a low voice, his tone meaningful. "What happened last night... really wasn't your doing?"

"What happened last night?" Zhang Erhe asked, looking bewildered.

Zhang Guowei carefully examined his expression; it didn't seem fake.

“That’s true,” he said thoughtfully. “Given your personality, breaking the legs of Yan Bugui’s family members would indeed be something you’re capable of. But robbing them of everything… that’s really not like you.”

He thought he had Zhang Erhe's temperament figured out, but he was completely unaware that the Zhang Erhe in front of him was already a soul that had traveled from another time. He could see Zhang Erhe's straightforwardness, but he couldn't see Yan Bugui's true nature—for someone like Yan Bugui who valued money above all else, losing a leg was far less painful than emptying his entire fortune.

"You old Zhang!" Zhang Erhe suddenly realized, "I thought you came to see me, but it turns out you came to probe me! Tell me, did that old bastard Yan Bugui suspect that I did it?"

"No, no," Zhang Guowei quickly waved his hand. "I really came to visit you properly. After all, you're the workshop director now, and I might need your help in the future."

"Come on, Lao Zhang! It's the New Year, so we should treat everyone who comes as a guest. Guan Xue, go cut some sausages and meat, and I'll have a few drinks with Lao Zhang."

"Forget about the alcohol," Zhang Guowei waved his hand. "I have to work tonight, so I can't be like you, getting drunk every day. Since there's meat, just treat me to a good meal."

"Alright, alright, since you're the guest."

At noon, Zhang Guowei enjoyed a hearty meal at Zhang Erhe's house.

"Zhang Erhe, you really know how to manage money! You have such good meat, but you didn't even send me some."

"I'm just afraid of being labeled as 'trying to win over and corrupt public security officials'!"

"Alright, alright, stop using the same word to mock me for years. Since there's meat, pack me two pounds to take with me at noon. I'll eat here; your auntie at home is craving it."

"Guan Xue, cut two pounds of meat for Uncle Zhang and take it back so that your aunt can also see some meat. Otherwise, after following Zhang, even eating meat will become a luxury."

As Zhang Guowei left Zhang Erhe's house carrying the meat, a weight was finally lifted from his heart.

It wasn't Zhang Erhe who did it.

As long as it wasn't this kid who did it, that's fine. The Yan family... they can just accept their bad luck.

These days, there are too many unsolved cases. Unless the thief is unlucky enough to be caught red-handed when committing another crime, this case is likely to remain unsolved.

However, based on the assets Yan Bugui confessed last night—nearly two thousand yuan and a few "yellow croakers"—this thief is probably set to live on for a while and may not make another move anytime soon.

Thinking of this, Zhang Guowei couldn't help but shake his head.

Good heavens, no wonder Zhang Erhe said there wasn't a single honest person in their compound.

As expected, it truly lives up to its name!

After Zhang Guowei left, Guan Xue approached him and asked softly, "Uncle Zhang came to see you, was there something you needed?"

"You noticed all that?" Zhang Erhe chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Looks like Old Zhang's acting skills are really lacking." He gestured towards the Yan family across the street. "Last night, the Yan family's place was ransacked by thieves. Uncle Zhang is afraid I did it, so he came here to sound me out."

"Huh?" Guan Xue's eyes widened. "Yan Bugui's house was robbed clean?"

"Correct."