Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

At this time, Cheng's small restaurant was still doing booming business.

Cheng Shuhai was sweating profusely as he cooked in the kitchen, as if everything that had happened that morning had nothing to do with him.

He knew in his heart that the police would definitely come knocking on his door.

After all, he had a conflict with Liu Haizhong before.

It's perfectly normal for the police to have doubts about themselves.

But he wasn't afraid.

He was absolutely confident that the other party would not find a single piece of evidence.

He had already prepared all his explanations and was ready to face the "test" from the police.

..............

Not long after, the police arrived at the steel rolling mill.

In the forging workshop, the workers were startled when they saw the police officers in uniform and immediately stopped what they were doing.

When they heard from the police that Liu Haizhong had been brutally beaten that day, with all four of his limbs broken, and that the police had come to question Director Zhou, the entire workshop erupted in chaos.

"My God, could it really be Director Zhou who did it?"

"No way? Director Zhou may have a fiery temper, but surely he wouldn't go this far?"

"That's hard to say. Old Liu's affair really made Director Zhou lose face in front of Director Li. Anyone would be anxious in that situation, right?"

The workers were all talking about it, and the way they looked at Director Zhou had changed.

Director Zhou was called aside by the police for questioning, and he was both shocked and angry.

Shockingly, Liu Haizhong was beaten into a cripple.

What's infuriating is that this dirty water has actually been poured on my head!

"Officer, I'm innocent!" Director Zhou hurriedly protested. "I admit, I really hate that idiot Liu Haizhong, but hitting someone is illegal. How could I do such a thing? This morning, I was reporting to Deputy Factory Director Yang in his office. Deputy Factory Director Yang can testify for me!"

The police verified the situation and found that Director Zhou did indeed have an alibi, but the police did not dispel their suspicions about him, after all, he could pay someone to beat him up!

"Director Zhou, we're just asking routine questions, please don't be nervous."

"But we will continue to investigate this case."

After the police finished speaking, they left.

As soon as the police left, Deputy Factory Director Yang called Director Zhou into his office.

"Old Zhou, I've heard about what happened between you and Liu Haizhong." Deputy Factory Director Yang tapped the table, his tone stern. "Personal grudges are one thing, but now the police have even come to the factory. This is really bad for the situation! You need to be careful!"

Deputy Factory Director Yang was now very suspicious that Director Zhou was involved in this matter.

However, since the police didn't find any evidence, he naturally wouldn't go looking for trouble.

However, I still need to warn Director Zhou!

"Yes, yes, factory manager, I was wrong."

Director Zhou bowed and scraped, cursing Liu Haizhong a thousand times in his heart.

This guy with bangs was a menace when he was alive, and now that he's been crippled, he's dragging me down with him!

He came out of the factory director's office, increasingly angry, with nowhere to vent his rage.

He hated the culprit who crippled Liu Haizhong, and he hated Liu Haizhong even more for being the jinx who brought him endless trouble!

The investigation into the steel rolling mill has temporarily reached a stalemate.

Meanwhile, Zheng Chaoyang arrived at Nanluoguxiang alone.

He wasn't wearing a police uniform; he was dressed in civilian clothes, just like an ordinary diner, and strolled into Cheng's small restaurant.

It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was packed, with a queue outside.

Cheng Shujun was so busy in the front hall that he didn't have time to rest. When he saw Zheng Chaoyang, he immediately came up to him warmly.

"Officer Zheng, you've arrived! There are no seats inside, would you like to wait outside for a while?"

"It's okay, I'll wait a bit."

Zheng Chaoyang smiled, but his gaze passed through the crowd and landed on the busy figure in the kitchen.

Cheng Shuhai also saw him, nodded to him as a greeting, but didn't stop what he was doing.

Zheng Chaoyang wasn't in a hurry. He found a corner by the entrance and stood there, observing the small restaurant with great interest.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, an empty table finally appeared.

"Officer Zheng, please have a seat!"

Cheng Shujun quickly wiped the table clean and invited him to sit down.

"The usual, a bowl of egg noodles."

Zheng Chaoyang said.

"Okay!"

Soon, a steaming bowl of egg noodles was served.

Zheng Chaoyang picked up his chopsticks and ate slowly, but his eyes were constantly observing Cheng Shuhai.

Once the peak mealtime period had passed and the number of customers in the restaurant had gradually decreased, Cheng Shuhai finally had a moment to come out from the kitchen.

He wiped his hands and sat down opposite Zheng Chaoyang.

"Brother Zheng, what brings you here alone today?"

Cheng Shuhai asked with a smile, his tone as natural as if he were chatting with an old friend.

Zheng Chaoyang put down his chopsticks, smiled, and said casually, "I was just passing by and thought I'd grab a bite. By the way, Xiao Cheng, I have something to ask you."

"Please speak."

"You know Liu Haizhong from your department, right?"

Cheng Shuhai nodded: "Yes, I know him. He's my neighbor in the backyard. What's up?"

"Something happened to him." Zheng Chaoyang stared into his eyes and said slowly, "This morning, in the alley, someone broke both his legs and both his arms. It was a really brutal attack; he's crippled."

At that opportune moment, a look of shock appeared on Cheng Shuhai's face.

"What?! Such a thing happened?" His eyes widened, and his voice rose several decibels. "Really? In broad daylight! This is outrageous! Who did it? Have they caught them?"

His reaction was so perfect that there wasn't a single flaw.

At the same time, there was a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.

Zheng Chaoyang looked at him quietly without saying a word.

He wanted to find even the slightest flaw in Cheng Shuhai's eyes.

For example, feeling guilty, or a fleeting sense of pride.

but.

Cheng Shuhai's eyes were clear and open, yet also gloating.

At this moment, Zheng Chaoyang felt that this matter definitely had little to do with Cheng Shuhai.

He was relieved about this; Zheng Chaoyang genuinely didn't want this matter to be related to Cheng Shuhai.

"We're investigating." Zheng Chaoyang looked away, picked up his bowl, and took a sip of noodle soup. "His family said he had a fight with you a few days ago and you even threw him out of the restaurant. Is that true?"

coming.

Cheng Shuhai sneered inwardly, knowing that the real topic was about to be discussed.

"Hey, you mean that thing?" He sighed helplessly and said with a wry smile, "Brother Zheng, you have no idea, that Liu Haizhong is a complete scoundrel."

He recounted in detail how Liu Haizhong bought counterfeit liquor, ran to his shop to accuse him of selling counterfeit liquor, and was eventually thrown out and paraded through the streets by other diners.

"...Tell me, how can this be my fault? He's stupid, he got scammed by a conman, and now he's blaming me."

"I haven't even asked him for compensation for my reputational damage yet, and he's already accusing me first."

Cheng Shuhai shrugged, looking aggrieved and angry.

"So, you have a lot of opinions about him?" Zheng Chaoyang pressed.

"Of course! Who wouldn't be angry in that situation?"

"But we taught him a lesson at the time, and the matter was over."

"But now that he's ended up like this, what if he went to cause trouble for the person who sold him the fake alcohol, and got retaliated against?"

Cheng Shuhai smiled coldly.

Zheng Chaoyang's eyes flickered slightly.

That's definitely possible!

"That is indeed possible."

"Once he wakes up, go ask him what's been going on lately."

Zheng Chaoyang said calmly.

"Uh-huh."

Cheng Shuhai nodded

After finishing the last bite of his noodles, Zheng Chaoyang stood up. "Alright, I'm full. I have to go. You go ahead with your work."

"Okay, take care."

Cheng Shuhai escorted him to the door and watched him disappear into the crowd before the smile on his face slowly faded.

He knew that he had temporarily passed this hurdle.