Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1008 Four Robbers
Wang Li was at home eating fruit and reading a comic book. The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, making the whole main room warm.

Just then, the door opened, and the curtain was lifted to reveal Wang Zhan carrying a hen. Wang Li asked, "Brother, are you stupid? We have so many chickens at home, why did you buy another one?"

“You’re the idiot. I’m not buying chicken to eat, I’m buying it to show off to the neighbors. Otherwise, how can we openly eat chicken on New Year’s Eve? It’s not just chicken, I’ve been running around these past few days buying everything I need. It’s mainly to let people see that you really want to spend the New Year in your space, without any of the warmth and life of the New Year,” Wang Zhan said.

Wang Li thought about it for a moment, and it was true. If so much meat appeared out of nowhere, it would be a real problem if someone reported it.

He looked at Wang Zhan and asked, "So, how do we raise this chicken? Where do we raise it?"

"We'll keep it in the east wing of the front yard. I'll clean out an empty room tomorrow and put all the things we buy in there. I'll also move the stove from the storage room over there so it won't get cold." Wang Zhan put the hen aside and went to the kitchen to get some chicken feed.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai was sitting at home with a worried expression, thinking about the Jia family. He really didn't want to get stuck in the Jia family's mess anymore. He had made sacrifices before because he had Jia Dongxu as his apprentice, but now the Jia family was clearly a huge pit.

Jia Zhangshi is like a greedy pig, only taking in and never giving out. She takes so much money in sympathy funds but doesn't spend a single penny. Yesterday, when I found her, the implication was that she wanted me to organize the people in the compound to donate money to her.

The main problem was that his own family's ration was insufficient, and he needed Yi Zhonghai's support. Yi Zhonghai cursed inwardly, wondering how much ration his family of two could possibly have. He worried for a whole day and night, but couldn't come up with a good solution, so he drank alone in silence.

Unexpectedly, there was a knock on his door. Why would anyone come knocking so late?

Yi Zhonghai asked, "Who is it?"

"Uncle, it's me, Zhu Zi." An echo came from the doorway.

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback, then stood up and opened the door.

Then Sha Zhu walked in carrying a plate of peanuts and a bottle of liquor, saying, "I saw your light was on, so I came over. You've been in a bad mood lately, so I didn't dare come over. But I thought I'd have a drink with you today."

Yi Zhonghai felt a little relieved and said, "Okay, I'm alone too, let's have a drink together."

The two sat down and began to drink together, but He Yuzhu kept bringing up the hardships the Jia family was facing and how difficult life was.

Yi Zhonghai listened without offering any opinion, but as he listened, his eyes lit up. Wasn't this the best candidate to help the Jia family?

Yi Zhonghai started to agree with Sha Zhu, and the more he talked, the more Sha Zhu felt that what he said was right and that his analysis was correct.

Yi Zhonghai, seeing that it was about time, said, "Shazhu, look, your Sister Qin isn't working now. Although she gets a subsidy, she doesn't have a fixed quota. You have to help her out, you have to take the initiative. Just talking isn't enough."

"No, I didn't just talk about it. I don't know how to help people. You know my family still has rainwater, and we barely have enough food," Sha Zhu quickly said.

“Look, you work in the cafeteria, and there are always leftovers every day. If you bring some to the Jia family, the problem will be solved. It’s that simple. You did a small favor, and they will remember your kindness, right?” Yi Zhonghai said, guiding the conversation.

Sha Zhu hesitated. He often brought leftovers, which were very oily and juicy, to improve his younger sister's meals. If he gave them to the Jia family, his sister wouldn't have anything to eat. Seeing Sha Zhu's hesitation, Yi Zhonghai said, "Sha Zhu, a person shouldn't only think of themselves. They should also do good deeds. It's an act of accumulating virtue and doing good. Besides, didn't you say that the Jia family, with their orphan and widow, is pitiful? If you share a box with them, they will be grateful to you."

Sha Zhu thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll bring it to their family tomorrow. Come have a drink, Grandpa."

Yi Zhonghai smiled. This was his first step. He would need to meet with Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu to discuss the rest.

The 29th of the lunar year is tomorrow, and it will be New Year's Eve tomorrow. Most households have already prepared their New Year's goods. There are some vendors selling New Year's goods on the streets, but there aren't many, and they have to be on guard against inspectors at all times.

The four little ones, who had been keeping an eye on Wang Zhan's house for two days, were starting to get restless. The weather was cold, and the guy was staying home and never going out, so they had no chance to carry out their plan. The two younger ones had already given up, but the two older ones, Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiecheng, kept them in check.

Yan Jiecheng and Liu Guangtian also discussed that today was the last day, and if they didn't come out, they would cancel the plan.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, after having lunch, Wang Zhan thought about delivering some New Year's goods to the homes of his brothers. He didn't need these things, so he decided to deliver them early.

He loaded the things onto the tricycle, gave Wang Li a few instructions at home, and then pushed it out the door.

The four little ones who were lying in ambush in the dilapidated courtyard across the street immediately saw Wang Zhan pushing the tricycle out and became excited. Liu Guangtian and the two little ones wanted to rush out, but Yan Jiecheng pulled them back.

Yan Jiecheng said, "Are you looking for death? Look at the streets, they're full of people. If you go up there, it'll be like robbing someone on the road. You won't even be able to run away."

The three men broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. Liu Guangtian said, "Then should we go with him?"

Yan Jiecheng, looking like he had everything under control, said, "No need. We'll just wait and see. Look at all the stuff on his tricycle. He probably won't be back anytime soon. Let's go home for dinner and meet here again this afternoon. We'll wait and see."

Liu Guangtian thought Yan Jiecheng was right, so he made some arrangements and the four of them went home separately, planning to come back after having dinner in the afternoon.

Wang Zhan spent quite a bit of time on this trip, mainly because Xiao Wu's mother wouldn't let him leave and insisted that he stay for dinner. He had no choice but to stay, and he didn't dare to have any thoughts of resistance towards Xiao Wu's mother.

Afterwards, they went to Xiao Si's house, Da Lao Tie's house, and finally Fei Qing's house. Fei Qing's grandfather also held Wang Zhan and wouldn't let him leave, wanting him to stay for a meal. At this point, Wang Zhan got anxious and said, "Grandpa, normally I would have stayed, but I have a younger sister at home. I haven't been home all day, and I'm really worried about her."

Upon hearing this, Fei Qing's grandfather finally let him go. By the time Wang Zhan returned to Nanluoguxiang, it was almost eight o'clock. He was genuinely worried about his younger sister, so he rode as fast as he could.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered Yu'er Hutong, four people suddenly jumped out in front of them. Each of them was holding a stick and they were all masked. Wang Zhan was startled and quickly stopped the car to look at the four people in front of him.

One of them said, "Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over all the money and tickets in your pocket, and we'll let you go. If you utter a single word of objection, the stick in my hand won't recognize you."

Wang Zhan wasn't afraid, he just found it troublesome. He was thinking about how to deal with it when he saw seven or eight people coming from behind the four men. One of them saw Wang Zhan looking at them and gestured for Wang Zhan to keep quiet. Wang Zhan realized they were the joint defense team members and smiled.

(End of this chapter)