The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

The days before cell phones.

Around 8 o'clock, after taking a shower, I was basically in bed.

On summer nights, accompanied by the intermittent chirping of cicadas, one can quickly drift off to sleep, washing away the fatigue of the day.

Jia Geng squatted under the tree, glancing at the stolen watch on his wrist every now and then by the light of the street lamp, his heart filled with an intense struggle.

Sniping bags on the street or on a bus is different from burglary. Even if someone sees them stealing, they can just glare at them and they'll turn their heads away and pretend they didn't see anything.

But when burglarizing, they're surrounded by neighbors. Strangers on the street wouldn't dare do anything to them, but the neighbors are different. If they spot them, a tap on the bottom of a basin and everyone comes out with their tools.

In this line of work, if you want to make a living, you have to be careful in everything you do. If your skills aren't good, there are plenty of colleagues who have had their legs or arms broken.

The best time is when the homeowner isn't home and all the neighbors are asleep; that's the perfect time for the group to make their move.

The warm lights inside the houses gradually went out, and the checkered shadows cast on the ground disappeared.

Banggeng tossed the flashlight tucked under his armpit in his palm, his hawk-like eyes scanning the surroundings. Seeing that no one was around, he shone the light on a spot not far away.

Pi Ge, along with several Buddhist monks who had been hiding in the corner, quickly walked over. The soles of these men's shoes seemed to be soft, making only a faint sound when they landed on the ground, which was barely noticeable unless you paid attention.

“This is ‘Ce Shen Mei’s’ territory. We’ve overstepped our bounds, Brother Pi!”

One of the monks looked around and couldn't help but frown.

Perhaps because half of it had to be given away, he was slightly unhappy, and since it was someone else's territory, he still had some complaints about the location chosen by Bang Geng.

"Then we need to hurry up. They're rich, they're millionaires. They wouldn't do something like breaking and entering. Are we just going to leave this easy target like this?"

Bang Geng snorted coldly. He was the leader of another territory, with a similar status to Brother Pi in the underworld. They had all "debuted" around the same time, but some of them had made it big while others had left.

The disadvantage lies in age; Brother Pi is two or three years older than me. When boys are around ten years old, a difference of two or three years means their physiques are different.

Back then, when people fought in the streets or fought for territory, it was always Brother Pi who stood in front of them. Over time, this led to a situation where he was the leader. Otherwise, it's hard to say who would stay and who would leave now!

"Ergui, go over there and keep watch. Hide in the shadows behind the telephone pole; it'll be hard for most people to see you. Sanyunzi, you go over there. The rest of you, come with me. Keep it low-key!"

In those days, the allure of a millionaire to a Buddhist monk was no less than that of Ye Guohuan seeing a gold shop counter or Zhang Ziqiang discovering an ATM box in an armored truck.

Since we're already here, why bother with chivalry? We're not going to let this piece of meat, Xu Damao, slip by. Brother Pi won't be polite.

Just as he was about to instruct the Buddha to open the door, Bang Geng stopped him with a gesture, and after everyone was in position, he whispered something.

"I'll do it!"

His footsteps were as light as a cat hunting for food. He landed on his heels first, then his forepaws glided down in a silky motion until he reached the door. He looked around and shone the dim light of the flashlight hidden in the cloth on the keyhole.

Wearing work gloves slightly affected my feel, but the batter was in really good form today.

Perhaps it was his mother Qin Huairu's divine protection, or perhaps it was Xu Damao's boasting about his mother to Yan Jiecheng in the video arcade that provoked him.

It didn't take long for the key to open, and with the turning of the lock pick, the locked door was slowly pushed open.

I took the small bottle of oil for sewing machines and squeezed some onto the hinges. Only then did the creaking sound of the old wooden door being pushed open completely disappear.

From these actions and various preparation details, it can be seen that Bang Geng's skills have reached the pinnacle. You should know that Sha Zhu only taught him a part of it; the rest he figured out on his own. Being crowned the Courtyard Thief Saint is no joke.

The flashlight beam shone on the ground, revealing a cement floor without any of the anti-theft measures that some people would take. Bang Geng then took the flashlight and shone the cloth-covered flashlight in that direction.

Upon entering, one finds a makeshift kitchen with all the cupboards closed. Banggeng glances at it after entering and heads straight for the rice bin. The living room and bedroom are left for Pi Ge and the others who come in later.

In most households, people hide things half under the bed in the bedroom and half in the kitchen. He Yuzhu likes to hide things under the box under the bed. Xu Damao is a very cautious person, so he will most likely choose to hide them under the rice jar or the cupboard.

Before long, a rustling sound came from inside the house. Ignoring everyone else, Banggeng opened the lid of the rice jar, reached in and stirred it, and only managed to scoop out some eggs from the bottom.

Cursing under his breath, Banggeng carefully moved the rice container, holding a flashlight in his mouth, and felt around at the bottom. He actually found something.

When they pulled it out, it turned out to be a bankbook.

On the pink cover, several flowers bloom, seemingly mocking the burglar who broke in. In this era, there were no withdrawal passwords, but for personal withdrawals, in addition to the passbook, there was also a seal. The bank had a sample of the seal, and withdrawals were made at the same place where the money was deposited.

The bank tellers would recognize a "customer" like Xu Damao without a doubt, and it would be a pipe dream for him to take the passbook and withdraw the money himself.

"Damn it, what bad luck!"

The good news is that the location of the sticky bird was correctly identified; the bad news is that it's useless to him.

Even if it's useless, Bang Geng still wants to know just how rich Xu Damao is after opening the bankbook cover.

One page, two pages—the passbook was filled with densely packed entries of deposits, expenditures, and balances, followed by the red name stamps of the bank clerk and auditor. "Three, nine, eight, zero, zero, three thousand nine hundred and eight!"

Bang Geng closed the passbook, his heart aching. Never before had he hated bank deposit services so much. Why couldn't he learn from He Yuzhu and deposit money in a bank?
Nearly four thousand yuan, thank goodness, thank goodness. I figured my family wouldn't keep that much money. Banggeng could only convince himself that the money in his savings account wasn't yet at the ten-thousand-yuan household standard.

Xu Damao is a cunning man with multiple burrows; he probably doesn't keep all his money in the bank. He understands the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Then...

When they found the second bankbook in the tin box under the cupboard, Bang Geng was numb, his heart aching so much he could hardly breathe, and he wished he could wait for Xu Damao to come back.

"Ten thousand yuan! Xu Damao is not just a ten-thousand-yuan household, he's a big one among ten-thousand-yuan households!"

Bang Geng was so angry he could have teeth itched. Just those two locations alone brought in 14,000 yuan. Over the years, only God knows how much money he's actually made in secret.

How can a video arcade make so much money?
A deep disappointment flashed across Bang Geng's eyes. He asked himself honestly, he had already mastered his skills, but no matter how he stole, he could never earn this much. Xu Damao had only been out of prison for a few years, and he earned several thousand yuan a year.

"Found it! The money box is here!"

Hearing the commotion inside, Banggeng grabbed the bankbook and rushed inside. He saw several dim lights shining to one side, and the sofa against the wall had been moved. There was a wooden box on the floor, which was obviously found behind the sofa.

Inside the cash box were loose bills and coins. When a flashlight was shone down, the bottom was not visible. It was impossible to count exactly how much there was, but it was at least several hundred.

"There are two savings books in the kitchen, one with four thousand yuan in it and the other with ten thousand yuan in it!"

Taking advantage of the others rushing over, Bang Geng threw the found passbook onto the open money box lid, and the other Buddhas immediately started cursing.

"How does this son of a bitch have so much money?"

"Holy crap, he really is a millionaire!"

"The money's all in the bank, what are we going to do?"

The chaotic noise lingered around their ears, and everyone became a little anxious. It was as if they had seen a treasure trove but returned empty-handed. The loose change in the money box was nothing compared to the savings book.

"What can we do? Can we rob a bank? He's all alone, and he doesn't have a son. Otherwise, we could...!"

Pi Ge, the leader, was also getting annoyed and started cursing under his breath. Although they were in the business of breaking and entering, with such a huge sum of money involved, it wasn't impossible for them to do other side jobs.

But Xu Damao has no weaknesses. He has to go to the bank in person to withdraw money. Are you suggesting we kidnap him and send him to the bank?

If every household deposits their money in the bank from now on, their industry will be left with nothing.

"Look again, be more careful. There should be more than this. He's so rich, he must keep at least a few thousand dollars in cash, right?"

After everyone had a general idea of ​​the amount in the money box, they continued to search separately, determined not to give up until they found it. Normally, a few hundred dollars would have been enough to feed them, but this time the person had a lot of money, and a few hundred dollars was not even enough to fill their teeth.

"I have some too, they're whole!"

As the money box was turned over, good news gradually came in: Xu Damao had indeed not deposited all his money in the bank.

Besides the area behind the sofa, inside the wooden clock, and in the iron box under the wardrobe, stacks of banknotes were found.

Five-yuan notes, ten-yuan notes, all added together, probably amounted to more than three thousand yuan.

The monk was overjoyed. Although he hadn't gotten a "big order" starting with ten thousand, he hadn't done it many times. It was only because Xu Damao was single and anyone with children in their family couldn't find that much money.

"Here's a property certificate, it's in Xu Damao's name. He owns another house, should we go take a look? It's in Hongxing Residential Area."

Inside the bedroom, a Buddhist monk emerged, holding a property deed. He shone a flashlight on it, presumably thinking that at least two or three thousand could be found there.

"There are night patrols in Hongxing Residential Area. Which district? The West District is a little better!"

Having earned so much in one night, Pi Ge's eyes were completely red, but thinking that half of it should be given to Bang Geng as compensation for his departure from the team, he didn't care about crossing any lines.

"Room 101, Building 15, East District!"

"where?"

When the stick-like creature squatting on the ground heard the room number, it subconsciously raised its head and asked in return.

"East District, Building 15, Room 101!"

Banggeng stood up and snatched the property deed from the Buddha's hand, impatiently shining the flashlight beam on it.

They even disregarded the danger and removed the cloth covering their faces just to get a better view.

Room 101, Building 15—that was his home, the home he would never forget. How did it become owned by the Xu family? (End of Chapter)