Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

Qianmen Street.

In a hutong, Secretary Wang pushed open a faded vermilion courtyard gate and stepped aside to let the deaf old lady go in first.

This is a two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), much smaller than the one in Nanluoguxiang, but with its blue bricks and gray tiles, and square courtyard, it is still quite respectable.

Two families already live in the courtyard, one in the front yard and the other in the east wing, while the west wing is empty.

"Grandma, you'll be living here from now on."

Secretary Wang led the deaf old lady to the door of the west wing and handed her the key. "As for the grain ration, you can go to the street office when you have time."

The deaf old lady took the key and pushed open the door to go inside.

The two rooms in the west wing, facing south, were much more spacious than the side room she used to live in in the backyard.

The walls were freshly painted white, the window paper was newly pasted, and an old straw mat was laid on the kang (a heated brick bed).

The deaf old lady walked around the house with her cane, the tip of the cane tapping on the ground.

"Not bad, not bad."

She nodded, her face full of wrinkles, and suddenly thought of Wang Cuilan.

If Cuilan were still here, she could come and serve me, and I'd live a wonderful life.

It's a pity that the girl ran away.

The deaf old lady sighed, turned to Secretary Wang and said, "Thank you, Xiao Wang, I understand."

"Okay, ma'am, please take good care of yourself. I have things to do at the factory, so I'll head back now."

Secretary Wang gave a polite bow and turned to leave.

The deaf old woman stood at the door and waved to him: "Go on, go on, work is important."

After Secretary Wang left the courtyard, an older woman walked up to the deaf old lady and forced a smile:

"Hello, ma'am, I'm the caretaker of the compound. My surname is Zhou. Welcome to our compound."

The deaf old woman squinted at Aunt Zhou with her cloudy eyes, tilted her ear, and suddenly shouted:

"Oh? It's the lady in charge. Hello, hello. The one who brought me here was a junior of mine."

Aunt Zhou frowned slightly, thinking: Did I ask? Are you deaf or just spreading rumors?

Are you a junior?

Secretary Wang was Director Yang's secretary; she knew that.

Secretary Wang lives in the alley next door, and we work in the same neighborhood office. I've seen her several times.

The old lady said that Secretary Wang was her junior?

Why don't I believe it?

"Is Secretary Wang your junior?"

Aunt Zhou's gaze lingered on the deaf old lady for a moment, her smile unchanged.

"Madam, what's your relationship with Secretary Wang...?"

The deaf old lady smiled and said, "You mean Xiao Yang's secretary, Xiao Wang? He's just a junior."

Xiao Yang.

blow!

continue!

Aunt Zhou's heart skipped a beat. In this old lady's mouth, Director Yang had become "Little Yang"?

Who is this old lady, that she is so arrogant and dares to force me?

Director Yang of the steel rolling mill is called Xiao Yang, so I need to find out more about him.

The smile on her face didn't fade, but her eyes changed, now showing a more scrutinizing and calculating look.

However, she doesn't believe everything others say.

When Secretary Wang left just now, he clearly told the old lady to go to the neighborhood office to get her grain ration book herself.

If they were truly juniors, which junior wouldn't run errands for their elders to handle things like food rations?

How can you expect an 80-year-old woman to run around on her own with a cane?

The deaf old lady also noticed the suspicion on Zhou Dama's face. It was different from the courtyard house at No. 95. She couldn't be fooled.

She stopped smiling and said in a clear voice, "I just moved in, and the house isn't tidied up yet, so please have a seat."

Aunt Zhou wasn't annoyed. She smiled and said, "Then you go ahead with your work, ma'am," before turning and leaving.

After taking a few steps, he turned back to look at the half-closed door of the west wing, his smile completely gone.

The deaf old lady went into the house, closed the door, and then stood in the empty room, lost in thought.

There were very few pieces of furniture in the room: an old table, two benches, an empty cabinet, a hole in the straw mat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and no bedding or pillows.

There wasn't a single pot, pan, or bowl left in the kitchen, not even a kettle.

No, we have to get it done.

What about money?

The money was all in the courtyard house at No. 95. It was her pension, which she had kept hidden for more than ten years. It was in an iron box and tucked under the bed in the side room of the backyard.

I left in a hurry, only taking a few dollars with me, and spent it all on two sesame seed cakes.

The deaf old lady looked up at the window. The sun was high in the sky, and it was bright and sunny in broad daylight.

What's there to be afraid of in broad daylight?

Besides, the courtyard gate was surrounded by police officers, and the task force of more than 30 people had the courtyard surrounded like an iron barrel. Even if the evil spirits were fierce, they wouldn't dare to come out during the day, right?

They're really getting worse as they get older.

The deaf old lady thought of Wang Cuilan again.

Cuilan ran away, but what if she didn't go far?

What if she's still inside the courtyard house?

If we can find her, we can invite her to live with us. We'll pay for it and she can help out. One of us can take care of the other in her old age, which is perfect.

"When I get old, I still need a maid to serve me."

The deaf old lady muttered something to herself, leaned on her cane, went out the door, locked the door to the west wing, and put the key in her pocket.

As I walked out of the courtyard, I passed through the front yard and saw Aunt Zhou squatting next to the tap washing vegetables. Our eyes met briefly.

Aunt Zhou kept washing vegetables with her head down, without saying hello.

The deaf old lady didn't mind and walked away with her cane.

After she left the courtyard, Aunt Zhou looked up at her retreating figure and muttered to herself:

"Pah, what are you pretending to be, acting all high and mighty?"

Then she continued washing the cabbage stalks.

We can all live our own lives behind closed doors; nobody cares who you are.

So what if Secretary Wang brought it?

Even if she's Secretary Wang's mother, it won't work.

She still had to go out and collect the grain herself; why pretend to be an old lady with filial piety from her younger generation?

What happened to the secretary? Does it have anything to do with her family?

The deaf old lady, leaning on her cane, walked along Nanluoguxiang towards the No. 95 courtyard house.

This familiar alleyway sounds especially lonely today.

There were few people in the alley. Occasionally, one or two pedestrians would pass by, but they would keep their heads down and walk quickly, not daring to look to either side.

Everyone knows that eight people died in this alley last night, and nobody wants to stay here for even a second longer.

As she approached the entrance of the courtyard house, two police officers on guard duty saw her and came to greet her.

"Grandma, why are you back again?"

Xiao Zhang recognized her; he was the one who opened the gate for the deaf old lady and her family this morning. He thought she had left after going out.

"I came back to get something."

The deaf old lady smiled.

"Walk slowly, the ground in the yard is uneven, be careful not to trip."

"I know, I know."

When the other police officers saw her, they all greeted her, after all, she was an elderly person.

Eight murders have occurred in the hospital; we must show concern for those in need.

They turned a blind eye to the people leaving the courtyard and forcibly kept them there. Who would be responsible if someone died?

No one dared to take responsibility, not even Qin Ming, the head of the special task force, and it was even less likely that Director Li would.

Now he's playing support for Qin Ming.

The deaf old lady entered the courtyard, which was empty.

There was no one in the front yard, no one in the middle yard, and still no one in the back yard.

What about people?

Where did they all go?

The deaf old woman panicked for no reason and turned around to wave at a policeman who was taking notes not far away.

"Comrade, where have all the people in the compound gone?"

……