Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

"Silly Zhu? What are you doing here?"

Madam Jia raised her swollen, triangular eyes and looked at the tall figure standing at the door. The white candles in the mourning tent flickered, casting intermittent light and shadow on Sha Zhu's face.

"Help me." Sha Zhu said, his voice hoarse, carrying a bag of flour. "Sister Qin is gone, I'm here to help."

Madam Jia was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant. She wiped her eyes and softened her voice, a rare occurrence for her: "Come in."

Sha Zhu walked into the Jia family home. The house was deserted. Bang Geng had been taken away by the Third Aunt, who said she was afraid the child would be frightened if he saw the mourning hall. Jia Dongxu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), staring blankly at the ground, lost in thought.

"Dongxu, Zhuzi is here," said Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Dongxu raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. He glanced at Sha Zhu, then lowered his head again, saying nothing.

Sha Zhu put the flour on the table and rubbed his hands together. "Brother Dongxu, you have to pull yourself together. We haven't avenged Sister Qin yet."

"Report?" Jia Dongxu sneered. "How? That bastard Chen Feng is hiding somewhere; even the police station can't find him."

"He'll be back," Sha Zhu said confidently. "He killed Sister Qin, he definitely won't let this go. As long as we guard the courtyard and wait for him to return, then..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up: "That's right! When he comes back, let's all go for it! Kill him! Avenge Huairu!"

Jia Dongxu didn't speak, but his fists clenched.

Sha Zhu sat at the Jia family's house for a while and helped tidy up the house. He was clumsy, but very serious, as if he were doing something very important.

In fact, everyone in the courtyard knew that Sha Zhu had always had feelings for Qin Huairu. However, Qin Huairu married Jia Dongxu, so he could only keep those feelings hidden. Now that Qin Huairu is dead, his inexplicable emotions have transformed into hatred for Chen Feng.

"Zhu Zi," Madam Jia suddenly spoke up, "how much do you think Huai Ru's funeral will cost?"

Sha Zhu did the math: "The mourning tent, coffin, burial clothes, paper money... it'll cost at least fifty or sixty yuan."

Madam Jia sighed, "The total amount of money given as gifts by all the families in the courtyard is only a little over seventy yuan. After the funeral, there won't be much left. Dongxu still needs to remarry, and Banggeng still needs to be raised..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear—there wasn't enough money.

Sha Zhu hesitated for a moment, then took out a cloth bag from his pocket: "Auntie, I have twenty yuan here, you can take it first."

"How could I possibly accept this..." Madam Jia declined verbally, but her hand had already reached out.

"Of course," Sha Zhu said. "Sister Qin was very good to me when she was around."

Madam Jia took the money, calculating in her mind. With this twenty, she'd have thirty or forty left after the funeral. If she were to be even more frugal, she might even have fifty. She could use that to find Dongxu a wife; a smaller dowry would be enough.

She suddenly felt that Qin Huairu's death wasn't entirely a bad thing. At least Sha Zhu's feelings for her hadn't been so obvious before.

At the same time, at the home of Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office.

Director Wang sat at the table, holding a teacup, but her hand was trembling. She didn't even notice when the tea spilled and burned her hand.

My mind was filled with Chen Feng's cold eyes and his words, "Think about what happened to Qin Huairu."

Should we call the police?

This question had been swirling in her mind all morning. If she called the police, Chen Feng might find out and come to kill her. If she didn't call the police, Chen Feng would come demanding her in three days, and if she couldn't hand over Chen Xiaoyu, she would still die.

Either way, it's all the same – death.

Director Wang suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room. She thought of the money Yi Zhonghai had given her, the cloth coupons the Jia family had given her, and all the favors she had received over the years. If she called the police, these things might be unearthed. But if she didn't, what use was money if she was already dead?

She gritted her teeth and made a decision.

Go to the police station! You have to go! Chen Feng is a fugitive, a murderer, we have to catch him! As for taking bribes… we'll deal with that later, it's better than dying now!

Director Wang changed her clothes and hurriedly left. She didn't ride her bicycle; Chen Feng had stolen it. She walked to the police station, her heart pounding with fear, constantly feeling that Chen Feng would suddenly rush out from some corner.

"Comrade, I want to report a case." Director Wang walked into the police station, his voice trembling.

The police officer who was receiving the call looked up: "What is it?"

"Chen Feng... Chen Feng attacked me! He stole my money and my bicycle!" Director Wang said in one breath, feeling a little relieved.

"Chen Feng?" The police officer immediately became alert. "When did this happen?"

"Last night, around 7 p.m., on my way home."

"Why are you only reporting this now?" the police officer frowned.

"I...I'm scared." Director Wang lowered his head. "Chen Feng said he'd kill me if I called the police."

The police officer noted down the situation and then said, "Wait a moment, I'll go report it."

A few minutes later, the police officers in charge of Chen Feng's case arrived. The leader, surnamed Zhang, was a veteran police officer in his forties with a scar on his face and sharp eyes.

"Director Wang, please explain the situation in detail," said Officer Zhang.

Director Wang recounted the events of the previous night, including Chen Feng asking about her sister's whereabouts, giving her three days, and the robbery. However, she omitted the part about Yi Zhonghai possibly having met Chen Xiaoyu, only saying that Chen Feng forced her to find someone.

"Three days..." Officer Zhang stroked his chin. "So, he'll come looking for you again in three days?"

"That's what he said," Director Wang nodded. "Officer Zhang, you guys have to protect me! Chen Feng's a madman now; he's capable of anything!"

"Don't worry, we'll arrange for people to protect you," said Officer Zhang. "But this is also an opportunity. Chen Feng has been hiding since his escape, but now he's showing up and even arranged a time and place, which is perfect for us to set up a trap."

Another young policeman excitedly said, "That's right! Let's ambush him near Director Wang's house, and as soon as Chen Feng arrives, we'll arrest him!"

"It's not that simple." Officer Zhang shook his head. "Chen Feng isn't stupid. Since he dared to make an appointment, he must have been prepared. We can't just lie in ambush near Director Wang's house."

He unfolded a map and pointed to several points: "This is Director Wang's house, this is Laohuaishu Hutong, and this is the courtyard house. Chen Feng's area of ​​activity should be around here. We'll split into three groups: one to protect Director Wang, one to patrol near Laohuaishu Hutong, and one to stake out near the courtyard house. As soon as Chen Feng appears, arrest him immediately."

"But Director Wang said Chen Feng won't be here for another three days," the young police officer said.

"That's what he said," Officer Zhang sneered. "Can you believe a fugitive? He said three days; he might come tonight, or he might come tomorrow. We need to start preparing now."

He looked at Director Wang: "Director Wang, you need to cooperate with us for the next three days. Go to work as usual, go home as usual, everything as normal. We will send people to protect you secretly. If Chen Feng contacts you, or if you discover any clues, report it immediately."

Director Wang nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I will definitely cooperate!"

She felt a little more at ease. With the police protecting her, she should be safe, right?

Inside the abandoned factory, Chen Feng had no idea that the police station had laid a trap. Even if he did know, he wouldn't care.

He sat in the corner, carefully polishing his newly bought dagger. The blade was sharp, gleaming coldly in the dim light. He tested its feel; it was lighter than a sickle, making it more suitable for close combat.

After wiping the dagger, he took out the sickle. The blade still bore traces of Qin Huairu's blood, dried and dark red. He didn't wipe them away; instead, he felt it was better this way—to let the blade remember the hatred, remember the blood debt those people owed.

Chen Feng carefully put away both knives, stood up, and stretched his limbs. It was three in the afternoon, several hours before nightfall. He needed to plan his actions for tonight.

He had no hope of getting any useful information from Director Wang. She was just a street office director; she wasn't even at the scene of the fire that night. What could she possibly know? Yi Zhonghai was the key.

Chen Feng clearly remembers that the day after the fire, Yi Zhonghai convened a meeting of the entire hospital. Standing in the middle, Yi Zhonghai said with deep sorrow, "Last night's fire was an accident. The Chen couple's improper use of fire led to this tragedy. We must learn from this and pay close attention to fire safety in the future."

At the time, Chen Feng was still in a labor camp, and he learned all this later from his cellmate. One of the inmates' relatives lived next door in the courtyard and overheard the meeting.

Looking back now, why was Yi Zhonghai so eager to classify it as an accident? Why didn't he allow the fire department to conduct a thorough investigation?

Also, as Director Wang mentioned, Yi Zhonghai might have met Xiaoyu.

If Yi Zhonghai really met Xiaoyu but kept it a secret, what does that mean?

Chen Feng's gaze grew colder and colder. There was only one answer—Yi Zhonghai was connected to the fire and to Xiaoyu's disappearance.

Tonight, he's going to ask Yi Zhonghai.

Find out exactly what happened.

Chen Feng pulled a hard flatbread from his pocket, broke it in half, and ate it slowly. The flatbread was very hard, and he had to eat it with water to swallow it. But he ate it very seriously because he needed the energy.

After finishing his meal, he leaned against the wall to rest. His mind went over the layout of the courtyard house—the front yard, the middle yard, the back yard, the location of each household, and the routes the patrolmen might take.

Yi Zhonghai lived in the middle courtyard, in the east wing. The house wasn't large, but it had a good location, directly facing the moon gate. From there, one could see most of the front and back yards.

There will definitely be more people on watch tonight. Qin Huairu just died, and everyone in the courtyard is terrified; they'll certainly be on high alert.

But Chen Feng wasn't afraid. He was in the shadows, while the others were in the open. He was patient; he could wait until everyone relaxed their guard.

He closed his eyes to conserve his energy.

Time passed second by second. The workshop grew darker and darker, with only the light from the broken windows gradually turning from white to gray, and from gray to black.

it's dark.

Chen Feng opened his eyes, his gaze devoid of sleepiness, only filled with a cold, clear-headedness. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and then took a cloth bag from the corner.

Inside the cloth bag were his prepared items: two knives, a kettle, several hard flatbreads, and some money and food coupons he had stolen from Director Wang. He slung the bag over his shoulder, checked it over, and made sure nothing was missing.

Then he quietly left the workshop and went to where he had hidden the bicycle. The bicycle was still there, and the bottle of malted milk powder was in the basket. He thought for a moment, then took the malted milk powder out and stuffed it into his cloth bag. This thing couldn't be left here; it would be troublesome if someone found it.

He pushed his bicycle out of the abandoned factory. The night wind blew, carrying a biting chill. There were few pedestrians on the street, and occasionally a bicycle would hurry by, its headlights leaving streaks of light in the darkness.

Chen Feng didn't ride his bicycle; pushing it made him even less noticeable. He walked along the side path towards the courtyard house.

He remained highly vigilant throughout the journey. At each intersection, he would observe carefully before crossing. Whenever he heard footsteps, he would immediately hide in the shadows.

He was like a real ghost, silently moving through the shadows of the city.

Half an hour later, he arrived near the courtyard house. He hid his bicycle in an abandoned coal shed and then walked closer.

Two white lanterns hung at the entrance of the courtyard house, swaying in the night breeze. Candles burned in the mourning tent, their flickering light casting a pale white glow over the courtyard. The sound of weeping could be faintly heard; it was Jia Zhangshi crying, her voice rising and falling like that of someone performing in an opera.

Chen Feng hid in the alley across the street, observing the situation in the courtyard through the gaps in the brick wall.

Several people sat in front of the mourning tent: Jia Dongxu, Sha Zhu, and a few other young men. They all held sticks, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily. Yi Zhonghai was also there, standing by the tent, talking to Jia Zhangshi.

Chen Feng counted eight people on night watch, divided into two groups, one in the front yard and the other in the back yard. They changed shifts every half hour, and each time they changed shifts, they would carefully check every corner of the yard.

The defense is very tight.

But Chen Feng was patient. He found a more secluded spot, squatted down, and waited quietly.

Time passed slowly. Night deepened, and the night watchman began to yawn. After all, they had been busy all day, and now they had to stay up all night; no one could keep going.

At 2 a.m., when it was time for the shift change, Chen Feng saw Sha Zhu asleep against the wall. Jia Dongxu nudged him a couple of times before he groggily woke up.

"Zhu Zi, perk up!" Jia Dongxu whispered.

"I know..." Sha Zhu rubbed his eyes, but he still didn't seem very energetic.

Chen Feng knew that his opportunity had arrived.

He silently scaled the wall and landed in the shadows of the backyard. His movements were as light as a cat's. There were dogs in the yard, but the Jia family's dog had been killed a few days ago, supposedly by rat poison. The absence of dogs made things easier for him.

Chen Feng moved slowly towards the central courtyard, hugging the wall. Yi Zhonghai's house was in the east wing, with windows facing the courtyard. He went around to the back of the house, where there was a small window—the kitchen.

The window was closed, but unlocked. Chen Feng gently pushed it open a crack and squeezed inside.

The kitchen was dark and smelled of leftovers. Chen Feng held his breath and listened. He heard snoring coming from the inner room; it was Yi Zhonghai.

He drew his dagger, held it in his hand, and silently went into the inner room.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, revealing the situation on the bed. Yi Zhonghai lay on his back, fast asleep. An older woman slept on the other side, her back to him.

Chen Feng walked to the bedside and pressed the dagger against Yi Zhonghai's neck.

Yi Zhonghai was startled awake. Just as he was about to shout, Chen Feng covered his mouth.

"Don't move." Chen Feng's voice was low, but every word was like an icicle piercing the heart. "If you dare to shout, I'll slit your throat."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes widened as he recognized Chen Feng's face in the moonlight. His body instantly stiffened, and cold sweat broke out.

An older woman was still asleep, snoring evenly.

Chen Feng loosened his grip slightly, but the dagger was still pressed against Yi Zhonghai's neck: "I ask, you answer. If you dare to lie, if you dare to raise your voice, you die."

Yi Zhonghai nodded vigorously.

What did you see on the night of the fire?

Yi Zhonghai's eyes flickered: "I...I saw the fire, so I called for everyone to put it out..."

"Anything else?" Chen Feng pressed his dagger harder. "Did you see someone run out of my house?"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned deathly pale: "You...how did you know?"

"Who ran away?"

"I...I couldn't see clearly...it was too dark..."

"Is that Chen Xiaoyu?"

Yi Zhonghai dared not speak.

Chen Feng pressed the dagger harder, the blade already cutting through the skin, blood seeping out: "Is it Chen Xiaoyu?"

"Yes...yes..." Yi Zhonghai finally admitted, "I saw...I saw Xiaoyu run out of the house and climb over the wall..."

"Where did they run off to?"

"They climbed over the backyard wall..."

"and then?"

"And then... I don't know..." Yi Zhonghai said. "I really don't know where she went! I wanted to chase after her, but the fire was too big, and everyone was putting out the fire..."

Chen Feng stared into his eyes and gleaned more from the flickering light in them.

"Yi Zhonghai, you're not telling the truth." His voice was even colder. "Did you see something else?"

Yi Zhonghai's lips trembled: "Chen Feng, please let me go! I... I'm sorry to your family, but that fire really had nothing to do with me! It's... it's..."

"Who is it?"

"It was Jia Dongxu!" Yi Zhonghai blurted out. "That night, I saw Jia Dongxu break into your house! He was carrying an oil drum!"

Chen Feng's heart sank.

Jia Dongxu.

It was him.

"Explain yourself clearly." Chen Feng's voice was as cold as ice. "Explain yourself clearly from beginning to end."