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

"No! I'm not going!"

Jia Dongxu panicked completely. Seeing the gleaming handcuffs about to lock his wrists, he was so scared that his soul almost flew away.

He wasn't like his mother, Jia Zhangshi; he didn't have the guts to throw a tantrum on the ground, especially in front of these police officers who looked like they were not to be trifled with.

Like a frightened child, he helplessly turned his head to look at the only person he could rely on in the yard.

"Master! Save me! Master!"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen, and he cursed Jia Dongxu a thousand times in his heart, calling him a good-for-nothing who was more likely to ruin things than to accomplish anything!

But since things had come to this point, he, as the master, had no choice but to step forward.

"Officers, there must be some misunderstanding!"

"Dongxu is a worker at our steel rolling mill. He's an honest and law-abiding man. How could he do such a thing? This thug must be framing him!"

Yi Zhonghai explained.

However, Zheng Chaoyang didn't even lift his eyelids, and coldly uttered a few words: "When we handle cases, we talk about evidence."

He turned to Jia Dongxu, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Jia Dongxu, you are suspected of hiring thugs to cause trouble and attempted extortion. Come with us!"

Hao Pingchuan didn't care about anything else. He tightened his grip, and with a "click," the cold handcuffs locked onto Jia Dongxu's wrists.

This completely shattered Jia Dongxu's psychological defenses.

Just then, Qin Huairu, who was inside the house, could no longer stay still and rushed out crying.

"Comrade, police officer! Please, don't arrest him!"

"He didn't do it on purpose; he was just confused for a moment!"

She just got married, and her mother-in-law was arrested. What will she do if her husband is arrested too?

How can we live like this? How can we hold our heads high in the courtyard from now on?

She tried to rush up and grab Hao Pingchuan, but Bai Ling stopped her.

"Madam, please calm down and don't obstruct us from performing our duties."

Bai Ling's tone was calm, but it carried an irresistible force.

Qin Huairu was stopped and could only stand there, tears streaming down her face as she looked at her man in despair.

Looking at his wife, who was crying her eyes out, and then at the amused looks on the faces of the neighbors around him, Jia Dongxu felt a surge of emotions, including shame, fear, and regret.

He knew that he was completely finished today.

He suddenly turned to Cheng Shuhai, his face no longer showing the arrogance and resentment he had before, only pleading remained.

"Shuhai! Brother Cheng! I was wrong! I was really wrong!"

"You're so kind, please talk to the police and let me go! I'll kowtow to you!"

He struggled to kneel down, but Hao Pingchuan held him firmly, making it impossible for him to move.

Cheng Shuhai just watched him quietly, without saying a word. There was no sympathy or schadenfreude in his eyes, only indifference.

That look in Cheng Shuhai's eyes sent chills down Jia Dongxu's spine. He knew that pleading with Cheng Shuhai was useless.

His last hope lay with his master!

As if grasping at the last straw, Jia Dongxu mustered all his strength and roared in Yi Zhonghai's direction:

"Master! Save me! Save me! You agreed to this...you agreed to it back then!!!"

That shout was like a thunderclap dropped into a peaceful courtyard.

"Buzz!"

The entire courtyard fell silent instantly, and everyone held their breath for a second.

Immediately, everyone's eyes were focused on Yi Zhonghai.

Those eyes held shock, doubt, curiosity, and above all, excitement at the prospect of a good show.

Xu Damao was so excited he almost jumped up. He had long disliked Yi Zhonghai's hypocritical attitude, but he never expected to see such a show today!

Yi Zhonghai froze completely, feeling his mind go blank with a "boom".

He stared intently at Jia Dongxu, his eyes filled with anger and disbelief.

What an idiot! What a useless and utterly incompetent fool! How dare he! How dare he drag himself into this mess!

Finished!

This was the only thought in Yi Zhonghai's mind.

His carefully cultivated image of "high moral standing" over decades was shattered in an instant by the shout of his beloved apprentice.

"Oh dear, so Yi Zhonghai got involved too?"

"I knew it! Jia Dongxu doesn't have the brains or the guts; he must have some powerful backer guiding him!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, he always seems so serious, I never imagined he was such a scoundrel behind people's backs!"

The neighbors in the courtyard didn't care about any of that and immediately started gossiping. Every word they said was like a knife stabbing into Yi Zhonghai's heart.

Cheng Shuhai sneered inwardly, but on his face, he perfectly feigned surprise.

He looked at Zheng Chaoyang, then at Yi Zhonghai, whose face was deathly pale, and said, "Yi Zhonghai, I never expected you to be involved in this! You actually instigated your disciple to do such a despicable thing?"

Upon hearing Jia Dongxu's words and observing Yi Zhonghai's reaction, Zheng Chaoyang understood the situation.

He strode up to Yi Zhonghai, his eyes, which seemed to see right through people, fixed on him: "Old comrade, it seems you'll have to come with us too."

Yi Zhonghai broke out in a cold sweat.

He wanted nothing more than to rush up and tear Jia Dongxu's mouth apart, but now was not the time to lose his temper; he had to save himself!

He forced himself to calm down, waved his hands repeatedly at Zheng Chaoyang, and forced a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Comrade, it's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding! How could I possibly instigate him to do such a thing?"

"A couple of days ago, his mother was... taken away, right? His family is in financial difficulty, so he borrowed money from me, saying he wanted to prepare some things for his mother inside. I gave him 500,000 yuan."

"I lent him money out of pity for them, a widow and her child, to tide them over. Who knew... who knew he would use the money for this! I... I really had no idea!"

As Yi Zhonghai spoke, he frantically tried to wink at Jia Dongxu.

The meaning was clear: Fool, take all the blame! If your master goes in too, who will help you out from the outside?

Although Jia Dongxu is stupid, he's not completely stupid.

He saw the look in Yi Zhonghai's eyes and instantly understood.

Yes, Master has to be out there! Only if he's out there can he find connections to get himself out!

Thinking of this, he disregarded everything else and quickly changed his tune, taking all the responsibility upon himself.

"Yes, yes, yes! It has nothing to do with my master! It was me! I did it all by myself!"

"I hate Cheng Shuhai for ruining my mother. In a moment of foolishness, I took the money my master gave me and went to find someone! My master knew nothing about it!"

The master and apprentice worked together, seemingly managing to smooth things over.

Can Cheng Shuhai grant them their wish?

He slowly began, "What a coincidence! You just borrowed money and then went to have someone vandalize the shop. Who knows what you actually borrowed the money for? After all, only you and your apprentice know the truth. One of you tells the story, and the other admits it. No outsider can possibly know the whole story."

As soon as he said that, Xu Damao, who was watching the commotion from the side, immediately chimed in.

"Exactly! What a coincidence! I think there's something fishy going on here! Maybe it was Yi Zhonghai's idea, and Jia Dongxu carried it out!"

"Yes, yes, that must be it!"

"That old fox, he's wicked!"

The people in the courtyard nodded in agreement. Those who already had grievances against Yi Zhonghai were now kicking him while he was down.

Listening to the surrounding discussions and glancing at the flustered Yi Zhonghai and his apprentice, Zheng Chaoyang understood perfectly well what was going on.

He was too lazy to waste any more words with them and simply waved to his colleagues behind him.

"Whether you know the truth or not, you're all coming back with us for questioning! The facts will become clear once we're at the station!"

"take away!"

Two policemen stepped forward, one on the left and one on the right, to restrain Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai was truly panicked now. He knew that once he entered that place, even if he eventually got out, his reputation would be completely ruined for the rest of his life!

He can't go! Absolutely not!

In a moment of desperation, he suddenly looked at Cheng Shuhai.

The one who tied the knot must untie it; the root of today's troubles lies with Cheng Shuhai! As long as he opens his mouth, there's still a chance for things to turn around!

"Officer!" Yi Zhonghai hurriedly called out, "I... I wonder if I could discuss this with the victim, with Comrade Cheng Shuhai? We're neighbors, maybe this... this matter can be settled privately."

His only thought now is to spend money to avoid trouble.

He thought of giving Cheng Shuhai some money to make him change his tune and say it was just a minor dispute between neighbors, so as not to escalate the matter.

Zheng Chaoyang glanced at Cheng Shuhai, then at Bai Ling and Hao Pingchuan beside him, and they exchanged a look.

Listening to the opinions of those involved can also help us better understand the situation.

Zheng Chaoyang nodded and said, "Okay, you have three minutes."

Yi Zhonghai seemed to have received a pardon, let out a long breath, quickly turned around, and walked briskly to Cheng Shuhai.