Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 225 Collateral Damage: He Daqing Imprisoned (1 words)

"Officers, you haven't finished asking your questions yet, don't leave!"

As he confessed, and seeing that the police had lost interest in asking any further questions, Yi Zhonghai panicked completely.

The police officer who had stopped turned around and looked at Yi Zhonghai, complaining impatiently, "You've already confessed, what else do we need to ask?"

"What...what did I confess?"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned.

"You just said it yourself, all those injuries on Wang Guihua's body were inflicted by you. You admit to abusing your wife, right?"

Upon hearing the police's words, Yi Zhonghai became anxious and hurriedly defended himself, saying, "I admit to this, but you need to understand the specific details!"

There's more to this than meets the eye, and what if my wife actually agreed to it?

You and so many people in the hospital have really misunderstood each other. It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but since things have come to this point, I won't hide it anymore.

Actually, this is just our special way of flirting. If you don't believe me, you two can bring my wife over, and we can confirm it in person..."

Yi Zhonghai is truly impressed.

These two people weren't even given a chance to explain, and they were almost taken out of context.

His sudden confidence stemmed not only from this explanation that exonerates him, but also from his certainty that Wang Guihua would not betray him.

Without him, Wang Guihua would have no choice but to eat and drink, and she wouldn't be able to survive in Beijing.

As long as Wang Guihua is brought over, given their tacit understanding as husband and wife over the years, Yi Zhonghai believes that Wang Guihua knows what to say and what not to say, and will also know how to cover for him and cooperate with him.

In Yi Zhonghai's mind, he had long since molded Wang Guihua into the person he wanted her to be, so that if she went east, she would never dare to go west, and she would never escape his grasp.

"No need for that. We just need to confirm that it was you who did it. Nothing else matters!"

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was getting anxious, the two police officers in charge of the interrogation couldn't help but laugh.

Just now, Yi Zhonghai was acting like a seasoned veteran, but now he's finally gotten restless.

As for the nonsense Yi Zhonghai uttered, they didn't believe a single word of it.

Cruel abuse of women is just one of the charges against Yi Zhonghai.

Moreover.

Out of consideration for protecting Wang Guihua, the victim, they would not easily let Yi Zhonghai meet her.

After all, women like Wang Guihua, who have been oppressed for a long time, are often easily pressured by the oppressors and haunted by the shadows of the past, which can lead to some insincere or unintentional behavior.

Finding a breakthrough with Yi Zhonghai is quite difficult. Even with the facts right in front of them, Yi Zhonghai will not admit anything unless there is solid evidence to prove it. He will even try to make up various reasons and excuses to evade responsibility. They clearly do not intend to waste time on this.

"How can it not be important, officer? Everything I've said is true, completely accurate..."

As soon as Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, the two policemen who had gotten up to leave did not sit back down. Instead, while putting away their notebooks, they said to Yi Zhonghai, "Alright, since you don't intend to tell the truth, then today's interrogation will end here."

Go back and think it over carefully. When you're ready to cooperate and confess honestly, then we'll have a proper talk.

The police sending Yi Zhonghai back clearly did not mean he should leave the police station and return to the courtyard house, but rather that he should remain locked up in the small hut.

Yi Zhonghai, who had initially harbored some doubts, felt his unease grow stronger as he realized that the police genuinely intended not to continue the interrogation and were not playing games with him.

I don't know.

The police did this partly because they realized Yi Zhonghai was not being honest and wanted to put him on the defensive and play psychological games with him.

On the other hand.

In some cases, however, they need to conduct further investigations and verifications.

For example, the matter of He Daqing and his son, and the traditional Chinese medicine doctor who was bribed by Yi Zhonghai, have already been contacted.

After today's encounter, they discovered that Yi Zhonghai is a cunning man. It would be difficult to achieve a breakthrough by simply getting through to him, so they could only try other approaches and see what Yi Zhonghai would say next.

As long as there is sufficient evidence, even if Yi Zhonghai does not cooperate and remains silent or does not tell the truth, he can still be convicted.

……

Emei Restaurant.

It wasn't dinner time yet, and there were hardly any customers in the restaurant. Chef He Daqing was chatting and resting in the kitchen with Dong Congyou and the others.

At this moment, the company manager suddenly came in from outside, searched around for a moment, and finally landed on He Daqing, saying, "Master He, please come out for a moment."

"Manager Liao, what can I do for you?"

The group of people who were chatting stopped talking, and He Daqing asked them directly.

"Please come out first, I need to talk to you about something."

Hearing what Manager Liao said, He Daqing didn't think much of it and got up to walk outside.

However, Manager Liao did not explain anything to him afterward, but instead took him directly to a private room.

There were two uniformed police officers in the private room. While He Daqing was still in shock, Manager Liao said to him, "Master He, may I trouble you for a moment? These two police officers have some questions for you."

After saying that, Manager Liao left the private room on his own and considerately closed the door for them from the outside.

"Master He, we meet again."

When the two sides remained silent, one of the police officers smiled and broke the silence, saying, "This time it's just that there are some issues that I need to understand from you. You don't need to be nervous or overthink it."

After being reminded by the other party, He Daqing quickly recognized the other party as well.

The last time he was secretly reported by Yi Zhonghai and taken away for investigation, Yi Zhonghai was one of the police officers in charge, so they had met before.

He found out it was an "acquaintance," and from what he said, it didn't seem like anything serious, so He Daqing felt a little relieved.

result.

The first thing the other party said stunned He Daqing.

"Master He, when you left Beijing and went to Baocheng with your previous wife, did you entrust Yi Zhonghai to take care of your two children who were left in Beijing at that time, namely He Yuzhu and He Yushui, the brother and sister?"

Upon hearing this, He Daqing was startled, but quickly regained his composure and looked up tentatively, asking, "Officer, why are you suddenly asking this?"

The investigation into Yi Zhonghai's case is still ongoing, so it's not convenient to reveal too much to He Daqing. Therefore, the police simply said, "Master He, you don't need to worry about these things. Just answer truthfully."

"Well... that's true!"

He Daqing's mind raced with thoughts, but he did not deny the matter.

Others may not know, but these things are no secret in the courtyard house.

If the police really want to investigate, it won't be difficult at all.

Lying about this kind of thing is a foolish choice.

Moreover, He Daqing had not yet figured out the other party's reasons and intentions for investigating these matters, so he could only deal with it carefully and try his best not to get involved.

However, when the police questioned him about how Yi Zhonghai had exposed his relationship with Sha Zhu and his son, and how he had withheld the living expenses that He Daqing had sent back to Sha Zhu and his sister from Baocheng, He Daqing realized that something was wrong.

Since these past events have already been touched upon, if we continue to dig deeper, we will no longer be able to hide the fact that he took action against Yi Zhonghai back then.

If it gets out, even if he doesn't go to jail, he won't get away with it.

However, He Daqing was obviously not foolish enough to expose himself. Instead, he pretended to be curious and probed again, without rushing to answer.

"That's right, we received a report about Yi Zhonghai, which mentioned these circumstances, so we came to you specifically to verify and confirm the situation."

Based on Wang Guihua's confession and revelations, He Daqing was clearly seen by the police as one of the "victims" of Yi Zhonghai's wrongdoings. Therefore, they did not completely hide the truth from him and revealed some of the information.

"Oh, I see. I thought it was something serious!"

After a brief moment of confusion, He Daqing, realizing the "truth" of the matter, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Officer, there's a misunderstanding here. The report is untrue; none of these things happened."

The claims that they tried to sow discord between us, father and son, or embezzle our living expenses are completely unfounded; they are just rumors and gossip.

In reality, these living expenses were only temporarily managed by Yi Zhonghai for Sha Zhu and Yu Shui... oh, that is, my son and daughter at the time. After I came back, Yi Zhonghai returned the rest to me.

not to mention.

When I left Beijing, the reason I asked Yi Zhonghai to take care of my son and daughter was naturally because I trusted him.

"Tell me, if Yi Zhonghai weren't a trustworthy person, would I entrust my son and daughter to his care?"

He Daqing's words stunned the police.

Are they mistaken about what they know?
Or rather, Wang Guihua lied.

After the police confirmed and questioned him, and then sent them away, He Daqing's mood became heavy.

He Daqing spoke up for Yi Zhonghai not to protect Yi Zhonghai, but simply to protect himself.

After He Daqing kicked those two kicks, the feud between him and Yi Zhonghai was temporarily put to rest.

Even after He Daqing returned from Baocheng, the two remained at odds and secretly plotted against each other, but neither of them ever mentioned the matter openly again.

If Yi Zhonghai gets into trouble, and this matter is exposed, he will also suffer.

In the current situation, it is clear that someone has reported Yi Zhonghai.

I wonder who Yi Zhonghai offended.

However, dragging him into this doesn't necessarily mean it's only targeting Yi Zhonghai; it could also be aimed at him.

After calming down, He Daqing wasn't too panicked about the matter.

He Daqing didn't implicate Yi Zhonghai just now. Unless Yi Zhonghai has lost his mind, he won't implicate He Daqing for his own sake. Now the two of them are clearly in cahoots.

This is a consensus among them.

Even though there was no explicit agreement, these two old foxes clearly knew what was going on in their hearts.

No matter what.

He Daqing, unaware of what had truly happened, suffered from the information asymmetry and became somewhat overconfident.

Not long after.

The news of He Daqing's situation was relayed back to the hospital, and soon someone contacted Wang Guihua again to inquire about the situation.

Previously, Wang Guihua had only revealed all the unspeakable things Yi Zhonghai had done, but she hadn't mentioned things like He Daqing's return for revenge or Yi Zhonghai's decision to cut off his penis.

The reason is actually very simple.

Wang Guihua was only targeting Yi Zhonghai and had no intention of dragging He Daqing down with her; she hadn't even thought about it.

She naturally wouldn't want to offend "unrelated" people for no reason.

Even if she realizes it, she most likely won't say it out loud.

Looking back now, Wang Guihua thinks that Yi Zhonghai's decision to cut off his roots was actually the retribution he deserved.

That's how the scene just now unfolded.

With He Daqing's denial, the part of the matter that Wang Guihua had voluntarily reported now seemed to be a false accusation.

At this time, Director Su had already left. After all, the matter had made progress, and as the director of the Women and Children's Health Center, she had a lot to do every day and couldn't stay here to watch over Wang Guihua all day. She only sent someone from the Women and Children's Health Center to take care of her.

The police station also sent a police officer to protect Wang Guihua, the victim, and also to facilitate the follow-up on the case.

"Officer Chang, the situation is like this, back then..."

Upon learning that He Daqing denied these matters, Wang Guihua clearly understood that even if it was to prove her innocence and that she had not deceived or fabricated the facts, she had no choice but to tell the whole truth, completely exposing Yi Zhonghai and He Daqing.

Although this also implicated He Daqing, Wang Guihua clearly couldn't care less about that anymore.

In her heart, she had no obligation to cover up for He Daqing, especially when it involved herself.

Having learned of these developments, the case was updated, and the police station naturally took new action, launching an investigation into the matter.

Such a heinous incident, resulting in injury and disability, occurred within the jurisdiction. Even if it happened several years ago, the police station responsible for maintaining public order in this area could not pretend it never happened, even if Yi Zhonghai is now a suspect in another case.

With the facts of the case in hand, reopening an old cold case and finding a breakthrough in the not-so-isolated courtyard house is not difficult.

then.

Having just dealt with the two police officers who came to investigate in the afternoon, He Daqing was already facing another crisis before he even got off work.

This time, however, the police had gathered sufficient evidence and went directly to his home to take him away.

at the same time.

The police station interrogated Yi Zhonghai again, not only because of his entanglement with He Daqing, but also because of the fact that Yi Zhonghai had bribed a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to conspire to cheat Wang Guihua and make her take "fake" medicine for so many years.

Although Yi Zhonghai did not intend to poison Wang Guihua, it is true that he tricked her into taking "fake" medicine for so many years for his own ulterior motives, and thus there is such behavior and fact.

Thanks to Li Hongbing for extracting the causes, consequences, and nature of this matter, they might not have noticed these things, let alone launched a special investigation.

When Yi Zhonghai discovered that the police had managed to find out about his loss of male genitalia, he instantly realized that Wang Guihua had "betrayed" him and sold him out. He was struck dumb.

Because of this, apart from the doctor and nurse who performed the surgery and treatment on him, only he and Wang Guihua knew about it. Even his apprentice Jia Dongxu, whom he regarded as his successor in retirement, was completely unaware of it.

……

Siheyuan.

night.

Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru returned home from get off work together. Just as they pushed their bicycles into the front yard, they heard Yan Bugui shouting at them, "Hongbing, you're finally back! Something big happened in our yard today."

"What's wrong, Uncle Yan?"

Yan Bugui's actions aroused Li Hongbing's curiosity.

It's genuine curiosity.

In the morning, Li Hongbing went to the subdistrict office to file a formal complaint against Yi Zhonghai.

From the moment he made this move, Li Hongbing knew that something was bound to happen, and the courtyard would certainly not be peaceful.

only.

Li Hongbing went to the Women and Children's Hospital with Director Wang, but he was not involved in anything after that and had no idea what happened afterward.

They knew nothing about the current state of the courtyard house.

"It's already blown up; the news has spread everywhere..."

After Yan Bugui's slightly exaggerated reaction and tone, he continued, "You just got back, so you don't know yet, but our old Yi... Yi Zhonghai from our compound was arrested by the police station. It was the local police station that went to the steel mill and arrested him on the spot. A lot of people saw it..."

Although Li Hongbing knew that Yi Zhonghai would most likely not have a good ending, he was still taken aback when he heard the result. Such a swift move.

He knew that Director Wang from the subdistrict office and Director Su from the women's health department would definitely take action today, but he didn't expect it to be so fast.

I had just left the women's quarters that morning when Yi Zhonghai was arrested at the steel rolling mill. It must have been less than half a day.

Li Hongbing knew that there were plenty of people who got things done in this era and were very efficient, but he never expected that speed would be so crucial.

"Uncle Yan, what did Yi Zhonghai do to be arrested?"

This time, Li Hongbing was simply asking a question he already knew the answer to; he was starting to put on an act.

How could the person who personally reported Yi Zhonghai to the street office this morning not know why Yi Zhonghai was arrested?
However, Li Hongbing is very dedicated, and he still couldn't miss the performances that were supposed to be performed.

"You probably don't know this, and you'd be shocked if you did. No one would have guessed that Yi Zhonghai actually abused Wang Guihua. Sometimes the screams coming from their house at night, at first we all thought it was... you know... we never imagined that Wang Guihua was actually being beaten by Yi Zhonghai!"

Yan Bugui's performance this time was clearly a display of acting skills.

How could Li Hongbing not know about this?

The key point is that Yan Bugui knew that Li Hongbing knew about this, and that it was he who told Li Hongbing in the first place.

However, as the head of the management office, Yan Bugui could not let others know that he had been aware of this matter beforehand, otherwise it would constitute a matter of concealing the truth or even dereliction of duty.

At this moment, Yan Bugui was unaware that Li Hongbing had betrayed him earlier that morning, but had also covered for him and pleaded for him. So far, Director Wang had not caused him any trouble and would most likely not hold him accountable for this matter.

Even Hongbing himself wasn't sure whether his actions had tricked or helped Yan Bugui.

"Such a thing has happened? This Yi Zhonghai is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing. I knew he wasn't a good person long ago..."

Their conversation at this moment clearly drew the attention of many residents in the front yard. Li Hongbing took the opportunity to cooperate with Yan Bugui and acted as a "prophet," publicly stepping on Yi Zhonghai's foot.

Yan Bugui, who also knew that Li Hongbing was performing, couldn't help but smile knowingly, secretly marveling that Li Hongbing was a better actor than himself.

The main reason Yan Bugui pulled this stunt was because he was afraid Li Hongbing might not know the situation and might accidentally let slip something, betraying him as the "intelligence agent." So he was reminding him not to betray his teammate.

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. I never expected Yi Zhonghai to be this kind of person."

"What's so strange about that? Yi Zhonghai was never a good person to begin with. Have you forgotten how he tricked Sha Zhu and He Daqing back then?"

"That's true. I just didn't expect Yi Zhonghai to be so heartless as to treat his own wife so cruelly."

"Who would have thought of that?"

"Wang Guihua is really good at enduring things. This situation has been going on for several years, and she hasn't let out a single word."

"What can she do even if she can't bear it? Without Yi Zhonghai, is she supposed to starve?"

"I wonder how they'll deal with Yi Zhonghai this time..."

"The women's federation has already intervened, and it's still about the abuse of women. We've been in a new society for so many years now, and this is still happening right under the nose of the capital. I think Yi Zhonghai is finished this time!"

"..."

As Yan Bugui and Li Hongbing talked about Yi Zhonghai and Wang Guihua, the other people in the courtyard joined in the discussion, expressing their own opinions and views.

Just as Li Hongbing thought that was the end of the day and was about to take Chen Xueru back to the house, Yan Bugui, who was standing to the side, seemed to remember something and quickly said to Li Hongbing, "By the way, Hongbing, there's something else I think you might need to know."

This afternoon, the police from the local police station came over again to investigate the matter of He Daqing returning from Baocheng to take revenge on Yi Zhonghai.

Perhaps Yi Zhonghai knew he was finished and wanted to drag He Daqing down with him, so he took the initiative to expose the whole thing.

Sha Zhu had just gotten home from get off work not long ago when his master sent someone to look for him. The person left in a hurry, without revealing anything, but I suspect that He Daqing has also run into trouble…”

Li Hongbing usually had a decent relationship with He Daqing and his son Shazhu. Although He Daqing was a senior figure in the culinary world and had no direct relationship with Li Hongbing, Yan Bugui still felt it was necessary to tell him about this matter.

"Uh... is that so?"

After learning about the situation from Yan Bugui, Li Hongbing realized that he had inadvertently tricked He Daqing today.

Once Yi Zhonghai knows he's finished after his incident, he certainly won't be so well-behaved.

When people are completely desperate, it's not uncommon for them to give up entirely and act recklessly.

In games, when a boss is low on health, it will go berserk before it dies, let alone Yi Zhonghai.

Of all the people in the courtyard, He Daqing was undoubtedly the first to have a grudge against Yi Zhonghai.

As for Li Hongbing...

After taking action against Yi Zhonghai last night, Li Hongbing must have added another layer of hatred to his reputation. However, Yi Zhonghai doesn't have any leverage over Li Hongbing, and since he preemptively sent him to jail, he's not afraid of Li Hongbing causing any trouble.

Li Hongbing wasn't worried about this at all.

Yi Zhonghai at this moment is a typical grasshopper in autumn; he won't be able to jump around for long.

Although Li Hongbing did not consider He Daqing before targeting Yi Zhonghai, causing him to be caught in the crossfire and involved in the incident, to be honest, Li Hongbing cannot be blamed.

From beginning to end, Li Hongbing had no intention of targeting He Daqing.

Even considering this situation, Li Hongbing would still do it for the safety of his family without any psychological burden.

He Daqing can only blame himself for choosing that way to retaliate against Yi Zhonghai, which left him with such a huge hidden danger and led to his current predicament of being imprisoned.

He Daqing thought he had something on Yi Zhonghai that would make Yi Zhonghai hesitate to fight him to the death, but he didn't consider other possibilities.

If Li Hongbing were He Daqing, he would have definitely made a big fuss about it and sent Yi Zhonghai to jail, solving the problem once and for all.

Sending Yi Zhonghai to a labor camp, stripping him of his status as a state worker and the associated benefits, leaving him penniless, might not be a bad way to vent one's anger.

It can only be said that everyone has a different personality, thoughts, and choices.

Otherwise, the world wouldn't have so much diversity; everything would be the same.

While the others in the courtyard changed the subject and started discussing He Daqing's affairs, Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru returned to their own home.

As soon as you enter the house.

Li Hongbing saw Li Jianwu practicing calligraphy at his large desk, completely absorbed in his work.

Influenced by Li Hongbing, Li Jianwu, who was exposed to calligraphy from a young age, showed talent and interest in it at the age of three and a half. His current level is already quite impressive.

Because he is still young, Li Jianwu is obviously not tall enough, so he can only stand on a small stool, holding a calligraphy brush to write, looking like a little adult.

What Li Hongbing found interesting was that Chen Jiwen, who had just turned one year old, was sitting in the baby chair that Li Hongbing had specially made for Li Jianwu. He neither cried nor fussed, but quietly watched his older brother Li Jianwu practice calligraphy, showing some resemblance to Li Jianwu in his younger days.

Judging from the way the two brothers look at each other, it seems that they are trying to develop their family into a scholarly family.

"Dad, hug!"

Seeing Li Hongbing enter the house first, Li Jianwu only glanced up, gave Li Hongbing, the father, a smile, and then continued practicing his calligraphy. Chen Jiwen, on the other hand, stretched out his hands, twisted to get off the baby chair, and used his limited vocabulary to call for the arrival of his father's love.

Seeing this scene, Chen's mother and Chen Xueru, who was behind Li Hongbing, both showed helpless yet warm smiles.

Seeing this, Li Hongbing went straight over and picked Chen Jiwen up from the baby chair. He playfully pinched the chubby little face of the baby, making him giggle. Then they watched Li Jianwu practice calligraphy together.

Seemingly sensing Li Hongbing's actions, Li Jianwu, who had been completely focused, gradually began to feel pressure, and even his movements and writing became somewhat unnatural.

Even though Li Hongbing had never lost his temper at home or been harsh with Li Jianwu, and the father and son usually had a very close and harmonious relationship, Li Jianwu still couldn't help but feel nervous and pressured during the situation just now.

Maybe.

This is the legendary bloodline suppression.

Helpless, Li Hongbing had no choice but to carry Chen Jiwen away, acting as a "sensible" parent and not causing any trouble for Li Jianwu.

……

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

morning.

When Li Hongbing woke up, he saw Chen Xueru sleeping soundly beside him. He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gave up on his plan to wake her up and urge her to do morning exercises with him.

Chen Xueru is still young and in very good health. However, it is always better to start taking care of one's health and exercising as early as possible, and it is something that needs to be maintained over a long period of time.

However, their battle last night was so intense that Li Hongbing couldn't bear to torment her any longer.

After getting up and dressed, I pulled the blanket up for Chen Xueru to cover up the glimpse of her private parts that had accidentally been exposed. Then I went to the sink in the room and started washing up.

When Li Hongbing was renovating the house, he also applied for running water. Naturally, he communicated extensively with the craftsmen at the time and made as many design and modification changes as possible to make things convenient for him, including this.

A small washbasin doesn't take up much space, but it provides a lot of convenience. You don't have to go to the kitchen or bathroom to fetch water to wash up every morning; you can do it all in your own room. Especially in winter, you don't even have to go out to wash up in the morning.

Although it's only a little later, unless it's a day off, even if someone specially prepares the meal and brings it over, it's impossible to stay home all the time. But the comfort brought by this convenience still has emotional value.

After washing up, Li Hongbing went out alone.

At this time.

As usual, everyone in the courtyard got up early to cook breakfast. Apart from having more gossip to talk about, nothing else seemed to have affected the courtyard yesterday.

After exchanging a few greetings, Li Hongbing began his morning exercise in the courtyard as usual.

Except for windy or rainy days, or other inclement weather, this has become a regular occurrence in the hospital almost every day.

Seeing that Li Hongbing has been in excellent health since he started morning exercises and has persisted in them, and that he hasn't been sick in the past few years, and that no one in the entire courtyard can rival him, naturally some people have tried to follow suit.

Although Li Hongbing had no interest in teaching, everyone quietly followed along to learn and practice without being stopped. They would even correct and give guidance when asked questions. However, few could persevere like him.

Even those who initially kept saying "learning is earning" and "health is the foundation of life" gradually gave up after practicing for half a month and finding no significant changes in their bodies.

After all, most of them came with utilitarian and quick-fix ideas. Even though Li Hongbing reminded them that the effects would not be immediate and that they needed to persevere to make progress gradually, they still did not believe in the "evil" and had a mysterious confidence. Then their enthusiasm was dampened and they began to doubt themselves, ultimately giving up halfway.

Moreover, people like Li Hongbing get up early every day and practice for half a day, while those who have jobs would rather stay in bed longer. Even if the housewives in the courtyard have free time, they don't have any interest in this kind of thing.

Only Chen's mother, because she trusted her son-in-law Li Hongbing and had been practicing with him for a long time and felt the effects, would often use her less busy evenings to complete her health regimen. In this respect, she was much more self-disciplined than Chen Xueru.

Just as Li Hongbing was finishing his morning exercise, Sha Zhu rushed in from outside, his eyes bloodshot and his face haggard, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night.

"Silly Zhu, what's wrong with you?"

Noticing Sha Zhu's condition, Yan Bugui, who had just finished washing up in the yard and was about to go back to the house, exclaimed in surprise.

In just one night, Sha Zhu looked as if he had aged more than ten years, which made Yan Bugui very surprised.

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's voice, everyone else in the courtyard looked towards Shazhu, even Li Hongbing subconsciously glanced at him.

It's clear that Shazhu, who didn't come home all night, is in a bad state.

"It's nothing, thank you for your concern, Uncle Yan."

Faced with Yan Bugui's question, Sha Zhu acted out of character, completely abandoning his usual prickly demeanor, and immediately began to express his gratitude politely, which made Yan Bugui somewhat uncomfortable.

Seeing Sha Zhu come to the pond in the yard, turn on the tap, and wash his face with a handful of water to clear his mind, Yan Bugui couldn't help but ask, "Sha Zhu, how is your father now? Is his condition serious?"

As Yan Bugui finished speaking, Sha Zhu paused in his actions, turned to look at Yan Bugui, but did not reply.

This situation made Yan Bugui feel awkward, and he somewhat regretted asking that question earlier.

Knowing full well that Sha Zhu was in a bad mood, which must mean He Daqing was in a bad situation, he had asked that question unnecessarily.

As for the other people in the courtyard, none of them took the initiative to talk to Sha Zhu. After all, the police from the local police station came to investigate yesterday afternoon, and many of them had betrayed He Daqing. They were feeling guilty and afraid that Sha Zhu would come after them if he found out.

Soon.

After Li Hongbing finished his last finishing move and ended his morning exercise, Sha Zhu, who had stayed there the whole time, stepped forward and said, "Hongbing, can I talk to you alone?"

"About your father?"

Since Sha Zhu had stayed and hadn't left, Li Hongbing had already guessed why he had come to find him, until Sha Zhu spoke.

"Ok!"

Sha Zhu wasn't surprised that Li Hongbing could guess it, since the matter had already spread, and no matter who he contacted now, it would only be for this reason.

"Shazhu, I don't think I can help you with your dad's situation."

Li Hongbing doesn't know the specifics of He Daqing's situation, but the fact that Sha Zhu disappeared for a whole night and then came to him for help proves that this is no small matter.

Putting aside everything else, Dong Congyou, as Sha Zhu's master and He Daqing's close friend, must have done his best to help find people and connections. If it were useful, Sha Zhu wouldn't have needed to ask Li Hongbing, an outsider.

Although Li Hongbing has accumulated some connections and relationships over the years, and even knows important figures like Old Xu, he certainly wouldn't use them for He Daqing.

What He Daqing did was illegal, violated principles and red lines. There would be no benefit in helping him by pulling strings and pleading for leniency.

in contrast.

If we were to actually do that, it would be a terrible move.

Li Hongbing wasn't exactly close to Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office or Director Su of the Women and Children's Federation, but they were not strangers and had a good relationship. If anything happened, they would most likely be willing to lend him a hand.

However, if something violates principles or even crosses the line, they will not be lenient with him. Instead, they will criticize and educate him in a professional manner, and lose their goodwill and trust in Li Hongbing.

If Old Xu finds out about this, his image will be ruined, and he might even change his attitude towards him.

This is an era where principles and beliefs are emphasized in everything.

Li Hongbing didn't think it was a bad thing; at least he didn't commit crimes or take shortcuts, and he lived his life peacefully.

Even though he got to know some big shots with higher status and power than himself, Li Hongbing never thought of using them to do anything, nor did he feel that he was superior to others or that he was more capable than them.

“Hongbing, why don’t you find out what’s going on first? If there’s really no way, I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Although Sha Zhu knew that it was asking Li Hongbing for help at this time, it was still his own father who was in there, and he had to try as long as there was any hope.

Although Fengzeyuan Restaurant is still open to the public, after the public-private partnership, it has undertaken more political reception tasks and has many important figures coming and going. It has long since quietly "upgraded" and is incomparable to other high-end restaurants.

In recent years, Li Hongbing's performance has become increasingly outstanding, gradually overshadowing those veteran workers.

Under such circumstances, Li Hongbing naturally accumulated a lot of connections and networks, and may even have met some important figures who were far beyond what he, a cook working in a steel mill, could compare to.

"Fine!"

Seeing that Sha Zhu had already gone this far, Li Hongbing did not insist.

However, agreeing to look into the situation doesn't mean he'll agree to help. He'll still refuse if he should, but that just makes him seem less heartless.

soon.

Li Hongbing followed Sha Zhu home and, after hearing Sha Zhu's story, learned that Yi Zhonghai's manhood had been severed by He Daqing's two kicks, and that he had failed to save his precious child. Li Hongbing was somewhat surprised, but not particularly astonished.

Although he didn't know the situation, Li Hongbing had noticed something about the changes in Yi Zhonghai and had made some guesses.

After all, compared to most people of this era, Li Hongbing knew a lot of medical common sense and had even dabbled in traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology.

"Shazhu, causing injury and disability is not just a minor offense; I think you know that yourself. This isn't something I can help with just because I want to!"

(End of this chapter)