Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 342 Attempt to Steal a Chicken Backfires, Losing Money
The police officer's face turned pale and then red. Chen Lanxiang's meaning was all too clear: she was upset that he was being unfair and biased towards acquaintances.

The whispers and pointing eyes of the onlookers made him feel uneasy.

"Madam, what you're saying... We definitely handle things based on evidence and the law..." The police officer tried to save face, but his tone softened.

"It's good to talk about the law!" Chen Lanxiang raised her voice. "Then let's have a proper talk about the law! Officer, take this kid from the Jia family with you, shall we go to the police station?"

"Didn't you want to mediate? What's wrong?"

"I don't want to mediate anymore. Granddaughter, what do you think? Should this kid be sent to jail?"

“That’s right,” He Ningxue replied cooperatively.

"Young lady, things aren't that serious, are they? Why don't you tell us what happened again, and then we'll decide whether or not to take Jia Geng away!" the police officer said.

"Here's what happened," Chen Ningxue recounted what had just occurred.

After listening to the story, the police officer understood the situation. Based on the facts, it really was a case of hooliganism, but the circumstances were relatively minor. However, if the person were actually sent to jail, things would be unpredictable. Nowadays, minor offenses are punished severely, and this guy would probably be in jail for many years even if he didn't die.

“Auntie, let me mediate your matter. This boy just said a few inappropriate things and didn’t cause any harm to your granddaughter. If he’s really sent to jail, her life will be over,” the police officer said.

"How can you talk like that, comrade? You only arrest people after actual harm has been done? Such egregious behavior, and you think an apology is all it takes? What's the point of having police then?"

"Yes, this old lady is right."

"We can't let this kid off easily."

"."

Bang Geng was trembling with fear. He looked at Qin Huairu, who gritted her teeth, walked up to Chen Lanxiang, and knelt down with a thud.

“Aunt He, it’s all my fault as a mother for not taking good care of you. Son, if you’re going to send someone, then send me in.”

“You’re still the same as before. Your son has become like this because you spoiled him.” Chen Lanxiang looked at her and nodded seriously.

Qin Huairu's lips trembled, unable to utter a word.

Just then, a sharp voice came from outside the crowd: "Damn it, who is bullying us orphans and widows! Old Jia! Dongxu! Open your eyes and see!"

Then Jia Zhangshi rushed over, waving her arms. The onlookers, afraid of being hit, made way for her. Jia Zhangshi, crying and wailing, came in and saw her daughter-in-law kneeling in front of Chen Lanxiang. She immediately sat down on the ground and was about to start her performance.

Chen Lanxiang slammed the feather duster on the ground and sneered, "Jia Zhangshi, stop with your act! We've been neighbors for decades, everyone knows each other. If you can really bring your husband and son here, and they see how you and your good daughter-in-law have raised your grandson, aren't you afraid they'll take you away?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone felt a chill in the sweltering heat, and they all unconsciously stepped back, wanting to stay away from Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Zhangshi was so choked by Chen Lanxiang's words that she almost fainted. Her cries were stuck in her throat, neither coming out nor coming out, and her face turned red.

The gazes of the neighbors around her felt like needles pricking her, especially the phrase "Aren't you afraid they'll take you away?", which gave everyone goosebumps under the blazing sun.

Her triangular eyes glared fiercely at Chen Lanxiang, but she dared not mention "Old Jia" and "Dongxu" again. She just slapped her thigh and wailed, "This is outrageous! The old bully the young, and the rich and powerful bully us orphans and widows! We can't live like this!"

Chen Lanxiang wasn't buying it at all. Pointing the feather duster at Jia Zhangshi's nose, she said coldly, "Jia Zhangshi, stop with your act! After all these decades, is this all you've got? The neighbors have all seen it. It was your grandson who started this harassment and stopped my granddaughter, and it was his wife who lay on the ground and tried to extort money from us! What, now it's us who bullied you? If you really think you can't live like this, then fine, call your old Jia and Dongxu here and have them take you away."

Like a chicken with its neck being choked, Jia Zhangshi's screams stopped abruptly, leaving only heavy breathing.

Chen Lanxiang's words were incredibly harsh, telling her to summon her own soul and then take her away. Seeing that Chen Lanxiang showed no mercy, Qin Huairu stopped kneeling, stood up, and tugged at Jia Zhangshi's clothes, whispering, "Mom, stop talking. Quickly think of a way to help your grandson, otherwise..."

"Did she make any demands?" Madam Jia asked in a low voice.

"They didn't say exactly what, just that they were returning their belongings to their family," Qin Huairu said.

"Did she really say that? She thinks I'll let my grandson go if I pay her back?"

"I do not know either."

“It’s just a house, give it all back to them. Nothing is more important than my grandson,” Jia Zhangshi said through gritted teeth.

"Mom, where are we going to stay?"

“Isn’t there still the rear quarters? I don’t believe they’re going to kill us all!” said Madam Jia.

When Jia Zhangshi stopped wailing, the atmosphere cooled down. The police officers didn't know how to persuade her; they were caught between taking her in and not taking her in.

He Yuxin squeezed through the crowd and approached He Yuzhu and Xiaoman, who were standing under the porch, and whispered, "Brother, Mom's charm is just as stunning as ever!"

Looking at his mother's straight back, He Yuzhu smiled and said, "The old lady has been wronged in Hong Kong. Now that she's back in Beijing, this is her territory. It's good for her to stretch her muscles; she's been holding back for so many years."

"Don't we need to get involved?" He Yuxin asked.

"You can try it, just see if you get a feather duster tonight," He Yuzhu laughed.

"Then I'll keep an eye on things. Where's Dad?"

"Look, isn't that someone standing behind to support our mother?"

He Yuxin looked in the direction He Yuzhu was pointing and saw He Daqing standing calmly behind Chen Lanxiang, smiling as he watched the disheveled Jia Zhangshi and the others.

At this moment, there was a commotion in the crowd. Several people looked in the direction of the sound and found that a few more people had entered from outside.

The leader, with a dark expression, walked directly to the head policeman and whispered a few words before kicking Banggeng in the buttocks.

"You're really something, aren't you? You'll do anything!"

"You dare hit me?" The joke quickly went viral.

"What, I'm your father, can't I hit you?" the man said angrily.

“You can be whose dad you want,” Bang said, sticking out his neck.

"you"

"Slap!" Bang Geng received a slap on the face. Qin Huairu shouted, "Then can I hit you?"

"mom"

"He's my man, how can he not be your father?" Qin Huairu demanded. She was truly disappointed in her son, who was still arguing about such things. What if the other party abandoned him?

"But he..."

"Alright, Huai Ru, I know what kind of kid he is. Let's deal with this first."

"Okay." Qin Huai felt reassured at this moment.

“Ma’am, my surname is Tan. I’m the logistics director of the steel rolling mill. I’m the head of the household. You can talk to me if you need anything,” Tan Yonghui said.

"What, are you not going to continue acting?" Chen Lanxiang said calmly.

“Look at what you’re saying, sir. The child is good for nothing and deserves a beating. But if you can draw a line, as long as we don’t send him to jail, we’ll accept it,” Tan Yonghui said.

"Are you capable of managing the household of Jia Zhangshi?"

"Yes." Tan Yonghui didn't answer, but Qin Huairu answered quickly.

"Alright, I'll give you a month to move out of courtyard number 95. Can you do that?" Chen Lanxiang asked.

"Move? Ma'am, that's going too far. This child just made a small mistake, and you want our whole family to live on the street?" Tan Yonghui said with a dark face.

"Really? I heard that we've tried to arrange for you to move several times, even offering subsidies, but you all complained that it wasn't enough, which is why you wouldn't move." Chen Lanxiang directly exposed his true colors. This guy isn't a good person either. He doesn't care about his own children, but he's devoted to the Jia family. He's completely under Qin Huairu's thumb.

"Auntie, you can't just say things like that. We've only just met, why are you trying to smear us?"

"Oh? Then shall we go and ask the neighborhood office and the housing management office?"

"No need, we're here," someone replied.

Chen Lanxiang smiled as soon as she saw the newcomers. She didn't know when Wang Hongxia had arrived, but she recognized the several people from the street office who were with her. However, she didn't recognize the people from the housing management office.

"District Chief Wang, what brings you here?" Director Yu Lei hurriedly went to greet him.

“I just happened to be here on business. I heard there was a big event here, and a crowd has gathered. How could I not come?” Wang Hongxia gave Yu Lei a deep look.

"It's not a big deal, it'll be resolved soon," Yu Lei said hurriedly.

"Oh, really?"

"Can anyone tell me what happened?" Wang Hongxia asked deliberately, clearly not wanting to hear Yu Lei's explanation.

“I’ll speak, I’m the person involved,” He Ningxue said loudly. “Okay, young lady, go ahead!”

He Ningxue recounted the story again, and Wang Hongxia immediately understood what was going on. It couldn't be anything good for the Jia family to be hanging around the He family's door. He Ningxue's incident today must have been a coincidence, or there must have been something else going on.

The fact that the person hasn't been taken away yet suggests that the old lady of the He family wants to take this opportunity to resolve the housing issue. In fact, she had heard from the person who helped the He family buy the house that this family was extremely difficult to deal with, with all sorts of demands not only from Jia Zhangshi and her family, but also from the Tan family.

He said that with his level of status, he could have lived in an apartment building long ago, that he was nostalgic, and so on. In the end, he just wanted to move to a bigger house, and it had to be an apartment building. Even that wasn't enough; he wanted to pay more.

The implication is that the original owner of the house was wealthy, and he can wait for the original owner to return and sell it for a good price.

It's easy to figure this out; it must have been Qin Huairu who instigated it. Otherwise, how would this Tan guy know about the He family's situation? When he joined the steel mill, He Daqing was already in Hong Kong.

Wang Hongxia said to Yu Lei with a stern face, "Director Yu, isn't the matter clear now? Attempted harassment followed by extortion in the street is no small matter."

Yu Lei, sweat beading on his forehead, said, "District Chief Wang, yes, yes, we're just about to handle it."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Wang Hongxia said sternly. "Take them back for investigation if they need to be taken back!"

Tan Yonghui and Qin Huairu panicked immediately.

Tan Yonghui quickly stepped forward: "District Chief Wang, please listen to me, the child is still young, he's just confused."

"Foolish?" Wang Hongxia sneered. "I've worked in Nanluogu Street for so many years, do you think I don't know what Jia Geng is like? Director Tan, right? You're a cadre, yet you let your family members run wild like this?"

Tan Yonghui wanted to say something, but Yu Lei tugged at his clothes hard, so he stopped talking.

When Jia Zhangshi saw this, she tried to sit down on the ground again, but Wang Hongxia glared at her and made her afraid to move.

"Don't gather here!" Wang Hongxia waved to the crowd. "Neighbors, please disperse. The neighborhood committee will handle this."

The crowd gradually dispersed, but a few curious onlookers remained watching from a distance.

Wang Hongxia then said to Chen Lanxiang, "Sister-in-law, what do you think is the best way to handle this? Why don't we go inside and talk?"

Chen Lanxiang nodded and gave He Yuzhu a wink.

He Yuzhu understood and stepped forward to open the door: "District Chief Wang, everyone, please come in."

The group entered the He residence.

The Jia family and Tan Yonghui followed nervously behind.

Yu Lei and two police officers followed them in.

Upon entering the courtyard, Madam Jia and Qin Huairu were stunned by the newly renovated three-courtyard house.

The blue brick flooring and the painted corridors exude sophistication, making it far more impressive than their own courtyard at No. 95.

The Intermediate Court didn't even let them go. They were just in the front yard. He Yaozu and a few others brought out some stools for Wang Hongxia and the others to sit on, while the rest of them just stood.

Wang Hongxia cut to the chase: "Sister-in-law, you just said to make them move out of courtyard number 95, what exactly is the procedure?"

Chen Lanxiang glanced at He Yuzhu, who then said, "District Chief Wang, Director Yu, here's the thing. The houses in the middle and back courtyards of No. 95 originally belonged to our He family. They were entrusted to the street office for management in the early years, but now that we've returned, we naturally want to take them back."

He produced the property certificate he had prepared beforehand: "This is a copy of the property deed and the street's trusteeship agreement from back then."

Wang Hongxia took it, looked at it, nodded, and turned to Tan Yonghui: "Xiao Tan, what do you have to say about this?"

Tan Yonghui's face was grim: "We've lived here for so many years, and we have nowhere else to go."

"Oh, I heard that you gave up the welfare housing from your steel rolling mill just to get a few more rooms in the No. 95 courtyard. Is that true?"

"I prefer courtyard houses; I've grown attached to them after living here for so many years."

"Is that really the case?" Wang Hongxia asked calmly.

"That's true."

“You are tenants. According to regulations, if the property owner takes back the house, you have to move out,” Wang Hongxia said firmly. “Didn’t the neighborhood committee arrange resettlement housing for you before? They also gave you relocation subsidies.”

Qin Huairu quickly said, "Those resettlement houses are too small; our whole family can't fit in them!"

“When we negotiated, we agreed on a one-to-one replacement, and we even specially gave you a detached house.” At this moment, the person from the neighborhood committee spoke up.

“It’s a 1:1 scale, but the houses are all much smaller,” Qin Huairu said.

“Alright then, we don’t need the house for now. You can stay if you want. Director Yu, right? Please take this scoundrel back with you. My whole family can give statements.” He Yuzhu said.

"Zhu Zi, are you really going to be this ruthless?" Qin Huairu gave He Yuzhu her most classic expression, a look that seemed to be crying but hadn't, and almost made He Yuzhu vomit.

“Your Jia family has done too many bad things, this is retribution. Zhu Zi, send her in. Madam has no desire for that courtyard anymore.” At this moment, an old voice came, and the old lady was pushed out by He Yuzhu’s second uncle.

The old lady had been restless for a while, but was stopped by Grandpa Chen. He was really afraid that if she got excited or something happened to her, her older sister, she might suffer some mishap, given her advanced age.

"Grandma, you, you, you're still alive!" Jia Zhangshi exclaimed in surprise.

"What? You, Zhang Cuihua, are alive and well, but I can't?" the old lady said.

No, it wasn't you.

"Alright, I don't want to bring up the past. Zhu Zi, let them arrest the people. This yard is too noisy, and I'm getting anxious."

"Yes, madam, Director Yu."

Yu Lei is now regretting coming so early. He could have just let his subordinates handle it. He's such a fool; as soon as he heard it was related to the Tan family, he came.

"We'll move, we'll move. Can we still have our old house?" Qin Huairu asked hurriedly.

Tan Yonghui wanted to say something, but Qin Huairu tugged at his clothes hard, and he let out a long sigh.

“We won’t take advantage of you; we’ll compensate you according to the latest market price,” He Yuzhu said calmly. “But you must move out within a month. As for Jia Geng’s matter today…”

He glanced at the terrified Banggeng, who was shrinking back, and said, "We can let it go for now, but you all have to sign a guarantee that you will not harass our family again. Otherwise, we'll settle all the old and new scores together."

Tan Yonghui and Qin Huairu exchanged a glance.

Tan Yonghui gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, we'll sign."

“But I still have my own house in the courtyard,” Jia Zhangshi protested, pointing to her row of outbuildings.

That's right, it's a whole row of them. She also bought the other two a few years ago, the kind with property certificates.

“I bought it at the market price,” He Yuzhu said.

“No, that courtyard is different from the others,” said Madam Jia.

"Oh, how is it different, Aunt Jia?" He Yuzhu asked with a smile.

"It's different, I'm not selling."

"Okay, you can keep it yourself. I'll tear down the screen wall later and you can open a separate door for me."

"You, you..." Jia Zhangshi was stunned. Could this really be done?

"Mom, the market price is enough for you to buy a proper house," Qin Huairu said. Actually, she had other ideas. Her family currently occupies quite a few houses. If they were all compensated, it would be a lot of money. Not to mention one, they could probably buy another house with a courtyard, so that Banggeng could move out on his own after getting married.

As she spoke, she kept winking at Jia Zhangshi, who took a long time to realize what she meant.

He gritted his teeth and said, "I'll sell it, but I want it sold at the price of a side room."

"Zhang Cuihua, don't push your luck." The old lady protested.

What a joke! The back room is far inferior to the main hall and the side rooms, yet they still want to sell it at the price of a side room. They must be desperate for money.

"mom"

Jia Zhangshi remained unmoved.

"Grandma," Bang Geng finally spoke.

"Okay, I'll sell, I'll sell." Jia Zhangshi's fat face was trembling. Taking money from her hand was like tearing flesh from her body, but even that pain couldn't compare to the pain of her eldest grandson.

(End of this chapter)