Courtyard House: Starting by inheriting the tradition and suppressing the barbarians.

A cold autumn rain.

The autumn wind picked up in Beijing, carrying a touch of bleak chill.

They swirl the fallen leaves in the alley.

A thin figure appeared at the main gate of Hongxing Courtyard.

He was a young man, wearing a faded and ill-fitting old jacket.

His trousers were hanging down, revealing a section of his bluish-purple ankle.

His hair was short and flat against his bluish scalp.

The chubby baby face from childhood is gone; instead, cheekbones are prominent and eye sockets are deep-set.

What's most chilling is his eyes.

Grim and indifferent, like a venomous snake that has been lurking in the gutter for a long time!

It exudes a chilling ruthlessness.

This person was none other than Bang Geng, who had disappeared for a long time.

He spent two whole years in the juvenile detention center!

No one knows how he got through those two years.

Banggeng stood at the gate and looked up at the somewhat mottled plaque.

A mocking sneer curled at the corner of his lips.

Then, with his head down, he strode across the threshold.

......

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

Qin Huairu was sewing shoe soles; the stitches were a bit messy, revealing the unease in her heart.

According to the schedule, Bang Geng should be back today.

But she didn't dare to answer it, afraid of losing face and seeing the pointing and whispering looks from her neighbors.

"Creak!"

The door was pushed open.

Qin Huairu suddenly looked up, the needle in her hand pricking her fingertip, from which a bead of blood oozed.

Seeing the gloomy-faced boy standing at the door, Qin Huairu's tears instantly burst forth.

"My son...!"

Qin Huairu threw off her shoe sole and stumbled over.

She hugged the stick tightly, bursting into tears, "You're finally back!"

"Mom misses you so much! You've suffered so much in there!"

Bang Geng stiffened for a moment, but did not hug Qin Huairu back.

He simply let her hold him, his eyes still coldly observing the furnishings in the room.

It's still so dilapidated, still so crowded.

It looked even more shabby than when he left.

"My dear grandson! My dear grandson is back?"

The curtain in the inner room was lifted, and Jia Zhangshi's obese body squeezed out.

Upon seeing the stick, the old woman burst into tears and rushed over with her bound feet.

He pushed Qin Huairu aside, cupped Banggeng's face, and looked him up and down.

"You've lost weight! You've gotten darker! Oh, my precious baby!"

"Those damned bastards, didn't they feed you?"

Madam Jia Zhang was trembling with heartache. She turned and began to berate Qin Huairu, "You jinx, what are you crying for!"

"Hurry up and get some food for the hamster!"

"You want to starve me to death? You want to starve my unfilial grandson to death?"

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Mom will go right away, I'll go make noodles right away..."

With that, Qin Huairu turned around and got busy, leaving only the grandmother and granddaughter in the room.

Jia Zhangshi sat on the edge of the kang, holding onto the stick, her triangular eyes flashing with resentment and malice!

He lowered his voice and said, "Remember this, Bang Geng."

"The suffering you've endured these past two years was all caused by others!"

Banggeng's lifeless eyes finally moved, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "I know!"

"It's all that damned Li Xuan's fault!"

Madam Jia nodded through gritted teeth, "Yes! It's all his fault!"

"If Li Xuanfei hadn't called the police, and if Xu Damao hadn't kicked you when you were down, how would you have ended up in jail?"

"How did our family end up like this?"

"Your mother was bullied terribly to support the family!"

The old woman never mentioned the fact that Banggeng had stolen things.

Instead, all the hatred was directed at Li Xuan, who was living the best life.

Jealousy, and the fact that Li Xuan hadn't helped their family, became their original sin.

Banggeng's hands gripped the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) tightly, his fingernails digging into the soil, making a "crunching" sound.

"Li Xuan!"

He spat out those two names through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with hatred!

"Grandma, don't worry, I'm back."

"I'll settle accounts with him one by one!"

The juvenile detention center taught him what the law of the jungle truly means!

They taught him how to use dirty tricks!

He's not that kid who only steals soy sauce anymore; he's a wolf!

......

After finishing a bowl of noodles without a speck of oil, Banggeng pushed open the door and walked into the yard.

It was rush hour, and the courtyard was gradually becoming lively.

When the neighbors saw the stalk, they all stopped talking.

That was a look that you wanted to avoid at all costs!

It was as if they had seen something dirty, or as if they were afraid of getting into trouble.

"Oh, the hamster is back?"

Only that dimwitted Sha Zhu came in from outside, carrying a net bag and lunchbox.

He seemed quite pleased to see Bang Geng, saying, "You've grown quite a bit taller!"

"Hey, come over to Uncle He's place tonight, I'll cook you a couple of good dishes to welcome you back!"

Bang-geng glanced coldly at Sha-zhu, his eyes devoid of any gratitude.

Instead, it carries a mocking air about the prey.

"understood."

He gave a curt reply, without greeting anyone or offering thanks.

Sha Zhu didn't mind and went into the house happily, thinking to himself that the child had become more mature.

Banggeng didn't go back to the house, but instead, as if possessed, walked to the moon gate leading to the backyard.

He leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the vermilion gate in the backyard.

A rich aroma of braised pork wafted from there, filling his nostrils.

It whetted his appetite and also stirred up the deepest, most intense jealousy in his heart!

"Why should I...?"

The stick muttered to itself.

Why should he be eating moldy cornbread, sleeping on a cold dormitory, and being bullied inside?

Meanwhile, the person who got him arrested is living a life of luxury and comfort here.

Just then, the back door opened.

Li Xuan pushed out a brand-new Phoenix brand bicycle.

A piece of pork belly was hanging on the handlebars, along with a net bag of apples.

He was dressed in a smart Zhongshan suit, looking energetic and exuding an air of nobility.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Bang Geng's eyes were like knives, as if he wanted to cut a piece of flesh off Li Xuan.

Li Xuan merely glanced at him indifferently.

That look in his eyes was calm and indifferent.

It's like an elephant looking at an ant that has just crawled out of a mud puddle.

They don't even bother with mockery; they simply ignore it.

Li Xuan mounted his bicycle, pushed off with his feet, and sped past Bang Geng like a gust of wind, without even turning his head.

The stick stood frozen in place; this disregard drove him even crazier than any direct humiliation!

He watched Li Xuan's departing figure and slowly pulled out a toothbrush handle that he had sharpened in the juvenile detention center from his pocket!

He licked his dry, chapped lips. "Li Xuan...we'll see."

At this moment, the evil seed has fully sprouted.

......