Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

[Godfathers, please hand over your brains first; as long as you're having fun, that's all that matters.]

[That was awesome! Let me do a somersault to wish you good luck: ጿ ኈ ቼ ዽ ጿ ኈ ቼ ዽ ጿ ኈ ቼ ዽ ጿ……]

Sijiu City Suburban Crematorium.

Old Zhang, the furnace worker, poked half his body out from the inner room, his expression somewhat strange.

"Master Yi, you...you should go in and take a look. The child you brought over is still alive."

"What happened?"

Yi Zhonghai's voice was deep and authoritative, "Didn't I tell you to burn it this morning?"

Old Zhang said in a deep voice, "This child is lucky... He's not dead yet. I was just about to push him into the furnace when I heard him groan. Upon closer inspection, I saw that his chest was still rising and falling."

Yi Zhonghai's pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly regained his sanctimonious expression:

"Nonsense! The person has been dead for two days, how could they still be alive? You must be seeing things."

"You'll see for yourself."

Old Zhang stepped aside, gesturing for him to go inside.

The crematorium was dimly lit.

On a simple tin cart lay a small, thin body—eight-year-old Lin Tian.

His face was as pale as paper, and the bloodstains on his forehead had already scabbed over—they were from when Jia Dongxu hit him with a brick the day before yesterday.

Yi Zhonghai took two steps closer and bent down to observe carefully.

Sure enough, Lin Tian's chest rose and fell slightly, a faint but unmistakable sign that he was still alive.

"This...this is really great (I'm so lucky)."

Yi Zhonghai murmured, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

That little beast is really hard to kill; it's not quite dead yet.

He recalled what had happened in the courtyard: Lin's father died tragically, Lin's mother died of anger, Lin Tian was beaten to death, and Lin Wan'er was preparing to be sold...

Everything was arranged perfectly, except for this final step.

Old Zhang asked, "Master Yi, the child is still alive. Please take the child home in a little while."

"Ugh!!! My head hurts so much!!!"

Lin Tian suddenly let out a scream, which immediately attracted everyone's attention. A memory forcibly entered his mind, and he fainted again.

Old Zhang immediately stepped forward to check. "He's still breathing, and his heartbeat is normal. It seems the head injury caused him to faint from the pain."

Yi Zhonghai feigned concern and said, "Oh, it's good that you're alright. This child is pitiful; his parents died one after another, and he suffered a tremendous blow."

Why not just die from the pain?

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the other three people who were busy collecting Lin's mother's ashes.

So many people at the scene know that the little beast is still alive; it seems we'll have to find a new way to kill him.

He sighed, "Alas, this child is unfortunate. Since even the King of Hell won't take him, it must be fate. At least the Lin family has a descendant."

He turned to face Old Zhang, a hint of "pity" on his face, "Could you please lend me a hand? I'll take him back."

Old Zhang hesitated for a moment: "This child's head injury is quite serious. Should we take him to the hospital to get it checked out first?"

"No need."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, "The neighborhood will take care of him. They're all old neighbors, how could they just stand by and do nothing?"

He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to Old Zhang, saying, "Old Zhang, you still have work to do. I can manage on my own."

Old Zhang squeezed his cigarette, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions.

When Yi Zhonghai carried the unconscious Lin Tian back to the courtyard, the courtyard was bustling with activity.

Five square tables were set up in the center of the front yard, laden with large fish and meat dishes, as well as Xifeng liquor.

Lin Tangtang asked cautiously, "Grandma Jia, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten for two days. Could you give me a steamed bun?"

Madam Jia Zhang, hands on her hips, was cursing and saying, "Eat, eat, eat! You little good-for-nothing, you think you deserve to eat white flour buns? Why don't you go die with your brother?"

Tangtang was so frightened that she plopped down on the ground, "Waaah... Daddy, Mommy, Tangtang missed you so much, waaah..."

"What are you crying for? What does your hunger have to do with me? Look at you, you've cried your parents to death, and today you've cried your brother to death too. If you cry again, I'll throw you out too."

"My buddy didn't die, boohoo..."

Tangtang curled up on the ground, trembling, and cried even louder.

Not a single one of the more than thirty people present stepped forward to offer a steamed bun.

Madam Jia shouted, "Dongxu, serve Mom a bowl of meat. This feast hosted by Yi Zhonghai is really good, with lots of fish and meat."

"Mom, keep your voice down."

Jia Dongxu's voice was hesitant, "That Lin family brat just died, are we going to eat like this..."

"They're already dead, how can they come back to life?"

Jia Zhangshi spat, "If you ask me, Yi Zhonghai is just too soft-hearted. Why did he even hold a funeral for their family? He could have just rolled up three tattered mats and burned them."

Yi Zhonghai carried the unconscious Lin Tian into the courtyard and said, "Sister-in-law, say no more!"

The courtyard fell silent instantly.

More than thirty pairs of eyes stared at the doorway, or more precisely, at Lin Tian in Yi Zhonghai's arms.

"Mom...it's a ghost!"

The bowl in Jia Zhangshi's hand crashed to the ground, splashing oily meat soup all over the floor.

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses, squinted for a long time, and said, "Is it really Lin Tian? No... wasn't he taken to be cremated this morning?"

"Luckily, he survived."

"The rules at crematoriums state that living people are not to be burned."

Yi Zhonghai said casually, and walked to the main table to sit down.

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.

"Old Yi, about this matter..."

Liu Haizhong put down the enamel mug and stood up.

"It's a good thing the child came back to life."

Yi Zhonghai interrupted him, his tone firm, "This shows that our courtyard has accumulated good karma. So, let's send the child back to his room first and let his sister take care of him. We can talk about the rest later."

"Brother, brother..."

When Tangtang saw Lin Tian being carried back, she immediately shouted happily, knowing that her darling was not dead.

These people are all liars, and Granny Jia is a bad person.

Yi Zhonghai carried Lin Tian to a side room in the backyard and pushed open the door.

Tangtang's little face was covered in tears, her eyes were red and swollen, and she followed him happily.

Yi Zhonghai put Lin Tian on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said to Tangtang, "Your brother is still alive. Take good care of him. I'll go get you some food."

Tangtang didn't listen to what he said at all. She rushed to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and touched her brother's face with her little hands: "Brother... Brother, wake up..."

Yi Zhonghai left the room and gently closed the door behind him.

Outside the gate, people from the courtyard had already gathered around.

"Uncle, what's going on?" Yan Bugui asked in a low voice.

"The crematorium worker found the child; he was still breathing."

Yi Zhonghai said in a deep voice, "This matter must not be spread. If it gets out, people will think that something shameful has happened in our courtyard."

Madam Jia leaned closer, her face grim: "Then...the house..."

"Don't mention the house yet!"

Yi Zhonghai interrupted her sharply, then softened his tone, "The child has just returned, we need to give outsiders a break. We are all elders, we can't be too harsh."

Liu Haizhong nodded: "Old Yi is right. How can someone be alive at the crematorium and then die as soon as they come back? If word gets out... But he did sign that contract. It's in black and white, and it can't be changed."

"I know."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes were unfathomable. "Let the child rest for a couple of days. Once he wakes up, I will make my own arrangements."

With her triangular eyes, Jia Zhangshi scoffed, "Arrangements? How are they arranged? Lin Tangtang is only three years old and doesn't understand, so she's easy to fool, but Lin Tian is already eight."

A cold glint flashed in Yi Zhonghai's eyes, and he sneered, "Eat your own flesh. What does a woman like you know?"

Now that he's dead, wouldn't he be a suspect?

If they die a few days later, they can still find an excuse to say they died of illness.

Jia Zhangshi shrank back in protest.

Jia Dongxu awkwardly pulled Jia Zhangshi and said, "Mom, hurry up and eat your meat, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Jia Zhangshi angrily ate large mouthfuls of meat.

"Master, don't listen to my mom's nonsense, I'll listen to you..."

……

Lin Tian woke up with a splitting headache.

He opened his eyes and saw a dimly lit room with mud walls, paper windows, and dark, gloomy roof beams.

This wasn't the modern apartment he was familiar with, but rather...

Two and a half minutes later.

Lin Tian knew where he was.

He time-traveled, and ended up in a traditional courtyard house.

His father offended Yi Zhonghai and was transferred to overhaul the boiler, where he died tragically. His mother couldn't bear the shock and died of anger from the rumors spread by the people in the compound. He himself was beaten to death by Jia Dongxu, Yan Jiecheng, and Liu Guangtian...

And that lease agreement with the numbers altered...

"elder brother!"

A soft, sweet voice sounded in my ear.

Lin Tian turned his head with difficulty and saw a thin girl lying on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her eyes red and swollen, but now they were shining brightly.

"Candy..."

He blurted it out, his voice hoarse.

Lin Tangtang, the original owner's three-and-a-half-year-old younger sister.

"Honey, you're awake! You're really awake! That's wonderful, that's wonderful!"

Tangtang laughed and cried at the same time, her little hands clutching his sleeve tightly. "They said you're dead... I don't believe it... Brother won't die..."

"Tangtang, your brother is alright, don't worry."

Lin Tian struggled to sit up, the wound on his head still throbbing.

He looked around at this so-called "home"—aside from a kang (a heated brick bed) and a tattered wardrobe, there was almost nothing there.

His memory told him that the things in his house had been "cleaned up" by the people in the courtyard.

The room I'm currently living in is a side room of my own house.

"Did they...bully you?"

Lin Tian asked, his voice carrying a coldness he himself was unaware of.

Tangtang shook her head, then nodded: "Grandma Jia won't feed me, and she says I'm a money-losing burden. What's a money-losing burden, buddy?"

She suddenly remembered something, "Honey, are you hungry? I'll go find an old man and ask him for some food..."

Don't go.

Lin Tian grabbed her.

The Yi Zhonghai I remember was outwardly kind and benevolent, but in reality, he was cunning and extremely vicious.

The deaths of his father, his mother, and even his own death were all inextricably linked to him.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a knock.

"Lin Tian, ​​are you awake? I'm coming in."

Yi Zhonghai's voice came through, and before anyone could respond, the door was pushed open.