Kill the beasts in the courtyard, I fled to Hong Kong, surrounded by beauties on both sides.

"How can that be?" Yan Bugui immediately objected. "Grain coupons are grain coupons, and money is money!"

"But I don't have any money," Chen Fei said. "If you're not willing, then we can talk about it after I recover and find a job."

Yan Bugui fell silent. He knew Chen Fei was stalling, but there was nothing he could do. If he really pushed Chen Fei too far, he wouldn't get the 1.42 yuan back.

"Alright," he closed the ledger, "then I'll give you a few more days. But Xiao Chen, to be honest, the courtyard has a lot of complaints about you now. As for Bang Geng, although it's not your fault, you're the one who couldn't save him. As for the Jia family... sigh, you'd better be careful."

After saying that, he got up and left.

As soon as Chen Fei closed the door, the "sickly look" on his face vanished.

That old bastard Yan Bugui is truly cunning to the core. Is it really worth coming back so many times for just 1.42 yuan?

However, his last sentence did remind Chen Fei.

What will the Jia family think about Bang Geng's death? Will they suspect him?

Although he managed to fool everyone yesterday, that old woman Jia Zhangshi is extremely suspicious and might take her anger out on him.

We need to be prepared.

Afternoon: Spatial Cultivation and Planning

In the afternoon, everyone in the courtyard went to help with the funeral arrangements. People were coming and going at the Jia family's place, and the sounds of crying, talking, and footsteps created a chaotic scene.

Chen Fei closed the doors and windows, and with a thought, entered the planting space.

Suddenly, he found himself standing on that patch of black earth.

The space is always like daytime, with soft light and a comfortable temperature. Ten acres of black soil lie there quietly, with a spring flowing gently in the center, and simple, tidy thatched cottages nearby.

Chen Fei walked to the spring, scooped up a handful of water, and drank it. The spring water was sweet and refreshing, and after flowing into his stomach, it quickly spread to his limbs and bones, sweeping away his fatigue.

"Good stuff," he exclaimed.

After drinking the water, he went into the thatched hut and opened the "Planting Manual".

According to the manual, any crop can be grown in this space, and its growth rate is ten times that of the outside world. Moreover, the soil in this space is fertile and does not require fertilizer; only regular watering is needed.

After thinking about it, Chen Fei decided to plant some grain first.

He took out some seeds from the system space—these were bought from the black market a few days ago; they included wheat, corn, potatoes, and some vegetable seeds.

He first marked out one acre of land and began sowing.

Sowing seeds is physically demanding, but Chen Fei's physique has reached the peak of human potential, making it effortless for him. Following the instructions in the manual, he dug holes, sowed seeds, and covered them with soil, his movements as practiced as an experienced farmer.

One acre of land was planted with half an acre of wheat and half an acre of corn. The wheat is a winter wheat variety, which normally needs to overwinter to mature, but in this space, time flows quickly, so it's estimated that it can be harvested in about a month.

Corn has a shorter growth cycle; it should be ready for harvest in about twenty days.

After planting the grain, he set aside a small plot of land next to it and planted potatoes and cabbage.

After finishing these tasks, he sat down to rest by the spring and began to think about his next plan.

Bang Geng is dead, the first enemy is dealt with. Next, it's Jia Zhangshi's turn.

However, Jia Zhangshi rarely went out, making it difficult to create an "accident". Moreover, now that Banggeng has just died, Jia Zhangshi is grief-stricken and will be even less likely to go out.

We need to find a way to get her out of the house.

Chen Fei thought for a moment and then came up with an idea.

Jia Zhangshi was addicted to opium—this was information from the original owner's memories. Jia Zhangshi smoked opium when she was young, quit after the liberation, but would occasionally secretly buy opium paste to relieve pain. With Bang Geng dead, she would certainly need to numb herself even more in her grief.

You can get some "spiked" opium paste from the black market, and then...

Chen Fei shook his head. This method was too direct and easy to expose. Besides, Jia Zhangshi was dead, but Qin Huairu was still alive, Yi Zhonghai was still alive, and the others were still alive.

He needs a more ingenious approach.

It would be best to let the beasts kill each other.

Chen Fei recalled the conflict between Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong and came up with a new plan.

He exited the space and returned to the house.

As darkness fell outside, the crying from the Jia family's side had not yet stopped.

Chen Fei lay on the bed and began listening to the sounds coming from the courtyard.

Evening: Sha Zhu's suspicions and Xu Damao's return

In the evening, Sha Zhu returned with a lunchbox—he had taken the day off to help with the funeral arrangements.

He placed the lunchbox on his own table, but instead of delivering the food to the Jia family as usual, he sat in a chair in a daze.

He was thinking about the stick.

The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

He knows that kid Banggeng too well. He grew up by the sea in Shichahai, ice skating in the winter and swimming in the summer. He knows that lake like the backyard. He knows exactly where the ice is thick and where it's thin.

In previous years, when the ice first started to melt in the spring, Banggeng never went to skate in the center of the lake; he only played on the shore. Why did he dare to go to the center of the lake this year?

Also, the swan is a good swimmer. Although falling into an ice hole is dangerous, given its agility, it should have been able to struggle a bit and grab the edge of the ice. How could it have sunk so quickly?

Sha Zhu recalled the scene of Chen Fei saving people yesterday. After Chen Fei dragged Bang Geng up, he performed CPR, and his movements were very standard, as if he had been trained.

How could Chen Fei, the son of a fitter, suffer from CPR?

The more Sha Zhu thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

But he had no evidence, only suspicion.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. It was Xu Damao returning, with Lou Xiao'e following behind him—the two seemed to have made up, but their expressions were not good.

"Hey, Sha Zhu, spacing out?" Xu Damao said sarcastically. "Why aren't you going to the Jia family to curry favor? Sister Qin needs some comfort right now."

Sha Zhu glared at him and said, "Get lost!"

"Get out of here!" Xu Damao persisted. "Did I say something wrong? Haven't you always been after Qin Huairu? Now that your chance has come, why don't you hurry up and show your skills?"

"Xu Damao, are you fucking asking for a beating?" Sha Zhu stood up.

"Go ahead and hit me!" Xu Damao also lost his temper. "Let me tell you, Shazhu, I've been holding in a lot of anger these past few days, and I'm just looking for a place to vent!"

Just as the two were about to fight, Yi Zhonghai's voice rang out: "What are you doing! What kind of time is this to be making a scene!"

The two then stopped.

Yi Zhonghai walked over, his face grim: "The Jia family is holding a funeral, and you're making a scene here, is that appropriate?"

Xu Damao snorted and pulled Lou Xiao'e back into the house.

Sha Zhu sat back down in his chair, remaining silent.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at him and sighed, "Zhuzi, I know you're upset. But it's too late to say anything more now. The most important thing is to help the Jia family with the funeral arrangements."

"I know," Sha Zhu said in a muffled voice, "Uncle, I just feel... Bang Geng's death was suspicious."

Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat: "How so?"

"Bang Geng is a very clever kid, he shouldn't have made such a mistake," Sha Zhu said. "Besides, Chen Fei's rescue technique... was too skilled, not like an amateur."

Yi Zhonghai remained silent.

He did have his doubts. But doubts are one thing, without evidence, nothing else matters.

Moreover, Chen Fei's grief and self-reproach yesterday didn't seem fake. If Chen Fei really did it, then his acting skills are too good.

"Zhu Zi, that's enough of that," Yi Zhonghai said in a low voice. "Don't talk nonsense without evidence. It won't be good for anyone if it gets out."

Sha Zhu nodded, but the doubt in his eyes didn't disappear.

Hearing this, Chen Fei, who was inside the house, felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

Both Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai became suspicious.

Although they have no evidence, once the seed of doubt is planted, it will take root and sprout.

He needs to speed things up.

Late at night: A new frame-up plan

Late at night, Chen Fei lay in bed and began to formulate a new plan.

Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai became suspicious; this was a dangerous sign. He had to divert their attention.

How to transfer?

Let them distrust and attack each other.

Chen Fei came up with a good idea.

He concentrated his mind, his thoughts penetrating the walls, and entered Yi Zhonghai's house.

Yi Zhonghai was already asleep, and so was the older woman. The room was quiet.

Chen Fei searched the room and quickly found the notebook in the desk drawer—the one that recorded the cause of his father's death.

On a whim, he took out the notebook and turned to the page recording his father's death.

"March 15th, sunny. Chen Jianguo is stubborn and refuses to step down. Everything has been arranged; we'll get started tomorrow. The safety ropes in the workshop have been tampered with; they will come loose when the steel ingots are hoisted. I'll be there, but I'll 'coincidentally' leave. No one will suspect anything afterward."

As Chen Fei looked at these words, the hatred in his chest surged up again.

He suppressed his anger and began to act.

He took out a piece of paper and a pen—writing with his left hand—and copied down the line in a crooked, illegible hand. Then, he added a line below it:

"Shazhu knows about this and threatened to report it. We need to find a way to keep him quiet."

After writing it, he folded the paper and mentally placed it back into Yi Zhonghai's notebook, tucking it into the page recording Bang Geng's death—a page Yi Zhonghai had written the night before: "April 25th, Bang Geng died unexpectedly. Was he saved by Chen Fei? Suspicious. Needs investigation."

In this way, when Yi Zhonghai flips through the notebook, he will see this note.

What will he think?

Does Sha-zhu know the truth about his father's death? And he even threatened to report it?

Given Yi Zhonghai's suspicious nature, he would definitely suspect Sha Zhu.

At that time, a rift will appear in the relationship between Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu.

Meanwhile, on Sha Zhu's side...

Chen Fei thought for a moment, then wrote another note, still with his left hand:

"Yi Zhonghai suspects you know the cause of Chen Jianguo's death and wants to get rid of him. Be careful."

He used his mind to place the note under Sha Zhu's pillow.

After doing all this, Chen Fei felt that most of his mental energy had been used up, and he was extremely dizzy.

He lay down to rest and practiced breathing exercises to recover.

The frame-up tonight will take effect tomorrow.

At that time, Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu will be suspicious of each other and won't have the mind to doubt him.

Moreover, the truth about his father's death would cause Yi Zhonghai panic because of this note.

Kill two birds with one stone.

Chen Fei fell asleep while thinking about it.

In his dream, he saw his younger sister, Chen Xiaoyu, again.

This time, Xiaoyu didn't stand in the water, but in a flower bed, wearing clean clothes and smiling.

"Brother," she whispered, "thank you."

Chen Fei wanted to walk over, but the flower bushes suddenly turned into ice, and Xiao Yu fell into the ice hole.

"Brother—save me—"

Chen Fei suddenly woke up, covered in cold sweat.

Outside the window, it was still dark.

He sat up, staring into the darkness with a cold gaze.

"Xiaoyu, wait a little longer," he whispered. "Brother will send all those who harmed you down to join you."