The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

Xu Damao returned home after finishing his meal.

After parking his bicycle at the door, he still hadn't realized that something was wrong with his house.

Yan Jiecheng doesn't drink, so he didn't drink much. He just showed off his business experience to acquaintances and encouraged his old neighbors to start their own businesses as soon as possible.

Whether it's opening a restaurant, a recycling station, or even just setting up a street stall selling electronic watches, sunglasses, or women's underwear, you can earn more than working in a factory.

Even if factories were begging him to come and offering him a grand wedding, Xu Damao would still refuse to go to work properly.

Individual business owners have a lot of freedom; they have all the time to themselves, and there are no bosses nagging them. They are the biggest bosses themselves. Yan Jiecheng was persuaded as if he could see his own restaurant bustling with customers.

"After all these years, I, Xu Damao, have finally become a leading figure (a great Peking Opera artist)!"

"Hiccup~!"

The burp still carried the aroma of roast duck. Xu Damao had a great time tonight, and he also enjoyed pretending to be a teacher. He felt a great sense of accomplishment, like a teacher guiding others through life.

"Ok?"

He took out the key from his pocket and struggled for a long time before finally getting it into the lock, but the moment he turned it, Xu Damao sensed something was wrong.

When I came out, the door was deliberately locked from the inside. It was supposed to be turned one full turn and then half a turn to open, but I opened it by turning it half a turn.

The smile on Da Mao's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion.

"The door wasn't locked? That shouldn't be the case. I remember locking it from the inside?"

Muttering to himself, he pushed open the kitchen door, and as he closed it, he subconsciously tugged at the light switch cord next to the door.

"Click!"

The pull switch bounced once, and after turning half a circle, the copper plate snapped shut, and the kitchen lights came on. The scene that greeted Xu Damao as he turned around made him break out in a cold sweat.

The handbag in his hand fell to the ground, and Xu Damao pounced on the rice jar, which had obviously been moved, with lightning speed.

He tilted the rice container to the side and reached his left hand towards the bottom. Xu Damao's heart jumped into his throat; the savings book was gone.

"Oh no, oh no, a thief has broken in!"

Next came the box under the cupboard. When it was opened, the more important savings book was also gone. Xu Damao was so anxious that cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he sat down on the ground with a thud.

Realizing that the thief couldn't steal the money from the passbook (it was all in the bank), Xu Damao breathed a sigh of relief and scrambled back to the living room.

"Click!"

Warm lights came on, revealing the chaotic scene inside.

Looking at the moved sofa and the open wardrobe in the bedroom, Xu Damao's heart was completely dead.

Her slightly flushed cheeks, still flushed from the alcohol, instantly turned pale. Although most of the family's money was deposited in the bank, there was still some that hadn't been deposited yet, because they needed to share the profits with their partner, who had connections in the government.

Xu Damao has earned far more than this amount of money over the years; to be precise, he has earned more than 30,000 yuan. However, half of it went to others, and the theft of more than 3,000 yuan means that he still has to pay more than 1,000 yuan to his partner.

They don't care whether a thief broke in or not; at most, they'll let the police know. As for whether the thief can be caught quickly and the losses recovered, that's up to fate.

The scene was in such a mess that even the money box hidden behind the sofa was gone. Everyone must have been caught. This was a huge loss. If he had to take out another thousand or so, his family fortune would shrink instantly. How could Xu Damao not be anxious?

"My money! My money! Which bastard did this despicable thing?!"

Clutching his chest, Xu Damao slumped to the ground, clenching his fists and pounding them against the floor.

He was filled with regret, deep regret. If he hadn't had a meal with Yan Jiecheng, he would have taken some of the money with him to the house in Hongxing Community.

Wait, Yan Jiecheng?

Xu Damao's expression was somewhat gloomy and unreadable. The timing of today's meal was just too coincidental.

During the day, there are neighbors around, so even strangers will be watched by the old folks, let alone thieves. At night, Xu Damao comes back on time and leaves the video arcade to his underlings, so thieves don't dare to enter.

Why did Yan Jiecheng have to treat him to duck today, and then a thief broke into his house? Xu Damao couldn't help but think that he had been set up.

In recent years, he has traveled all over the country, experiencing all kinds of people and things.

He touched the seal on his body. Fortunately, it was still there. He lost his bankbook, but it was okay. Although the loss was quite significant, he was not yet in dire straits with no money left.

His expression changed. Although he hadn't lost the money, it didn't mean anything good. Outsiders didn't know exactly how wealthy he was. When others called him a millionaire, he remained humble or just laughed it off, making him impossible to fathom.

My bankbook was dug up, my savings were exposed, and a thief who broke into my house stole more than three thousand yuan. Doesn't that mean I'm in danger now and might be being watched?

We can't live here anymore, at least not in this house!

He scrambled to his feet, no longer in the mood to check the extent of his losses. Compared to money, his life was more important. He had to report the crime; if the police could catch the thieves, he would be safer.

He hopped on his bicycle and rode towards the Jianguomenwai Police Station. Regardless of whether Yan Jiecheng was involved or not, Xu Damao wasn't a police officer. If he had any doubts, he would leave the investigation to the police.

"My house has been burgled! Officer, my house has been broken into!"

Mr. Xu, the owner of the Youth Video Hall, came to report the case. It was quite a rare occurrence. His flustered appearance was strangely amusing.

The staff on night duty immediately perked up and asked in a businesslike manner.

"What was stolen, and when was it stolen?"

“The money, the more than three thousand yuan I kept at home, is gone. I went to Bianyifang with my old neighbor, Yan Jiecheng, for a Peking duck dinner. When I got home, the place was robbed, and two bankbooks were also stolen. You should send someone to check on it as soon as possible.”

More than three thousand yuan is undoubtedly a major theft case, especially since it was a burglary that happened in their own jurisdiction. After learning the details of the case, the police officers at the local police station immediately chose to report it to the branch office.

These days, even a case involving tens or hundreds of dollars can be fatal. If someone loses thousands of dollars, it's definitely the kind of case that makes the news.

Unsurprisingly, when the police station dispatched officers, even at night, real reporters rushed to the scene. Don't ask, they were all called by the neighbors. People are different now; they know that providing news to newspapers can earn them rewards.

Police officers searched the house. Given the current crackdown on crime, such a major theft in the area was already disgraceful. The officers also treated the reporter who tried to interview them and obtain a press release for tomorrow with little respect.

Once the article is published, their workload will increase even more. It's still unclear whether it was a passing thief or another gang. They were dismissed with a simple "the case is complicated and we can't comment for now."

In the evening, the neighbors pointed and whispered about Xu Damao's brightly lit house, especially when they saw how listless Xu, the owner of the Youth Video Hall, looked, they felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

This isn't like a few years ago; nowadays there are many more video arcades showing all kinds of movies, the kind that everyone knows are high-energy. As a result, the reputation of the video arcade industry has also been ruined.

Regardless of whether your video arcade shows videos at night or not, as long as you run a video arcade, in the eyes of parents and schools, it is a "bad place," no different from internet cafes and online games decades later.

"Serves them right! The video arcade makes money through unethical means, and students stop studying and skip classes to watch movies. Oh, those movies are all unacceptable. How can children watch that kind of stuff?!"

"Does the owner of this video rental shop?"

The reporter, as if he had found a potentially viral topic, pounced on the complaining neighbor like a badger in a melon patch, looking on expectantly, hoping to get more information out of him.

The article, which delves into the social ills of video arcades by referencing a theft case, is most likely to stimulate deep reflection in readers. Such a piece would inspire readers to write with great enthusiasm.

"It'll definitely get in. I work for a newspaper, look!"

After showing his newspaper credentials, the reporter quickly picked up his pen.

"That's him, isn't it? He owns that video arcade near the Workers' Stadium. He's incredibly rich. I heard he had over three thousand yuan stolen from him. Tell me, who keeps that much cash at home when they're working a regular job?"

The middle-aged woman, dressed in a cotton shirt and fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, perked up immediately upon hearing that she would be featured in the newspaper.

"What kind of good place is a video arcade? All sorts of people come here, and they watch vulgar films. Besides ruining the enthusiasm and fighting spirit of our generation of young people, it didn't bring any benefits to the country. Back then, we didn't have time to go to the cinema every day. We would only watch it occasionally when we were dating. The rest of the time we were thinking about how to do a good job in socialism and build our country well!"

An elderly man standing nearby was equally vocal in his criticism of the video arcade. But the reporter, always eager to address such hot topics, scribbled down the criticisms of the elderly folks with swift and skillful writing.

In the eyes of the parents, Xu Damao was making ill-gotten gains and ruining their own sons. Although no one said he deserved it, language can have many meanings.

After the police finished their inspection and left, Xu Damao's eyes were almost bloodshot. He knocked on the door of the video arcade and, feeling listless, hid there to heal his wounded heart.

He was aware of the gossip and pointing fingers from the neighbors, but these days, money talks, and without it, you're treated like dirt.

As for other people's opinions or evaluations, do they matter? Making money is the most important thing!

"Knock knock knock, knock knock knock~!"

Just after eight o'clock, the gate outside the video arcade courtyard was banged on loudly.

Waking up, Xu Damao thought that guests had arrived. He called his younger brother to open the store and start business. He had lost so much money, so he had to earn it back as soon as possible.

"We're from the Beijing Municipal Tax Bureau. Is Xu Damao here?" (End of Chapter)