Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

He had no choice but to change his approach and continue to persuade him: "Jianye, as the old saying goes, when you catch a thief, you should see the stolen goods."

What if the child hides the things well? Even if the police come and can't find the evidence, they can't convict him, right? Besides, what you lost was nothing more than money and food. Even if you really found it in the Jia family's house, how can you prove it's yours? Calling the police would be a waste of time.

How about this, I'll step in and negotiate, and I guarantee I'll get it back for you exactly as it was.

If there's a shortage, I'll make it up to you!

"Uncle, you're not right about that."

"

"What do you mean?"

"The saying 'Catch the thief with the stolen goods' means that you should act based on solid evidence, not that you have to catch the thief red-handed before you can file a case."

Nowadays, police investigations emphasize the chain of evidence—that is, systematically linking together various physical and witness testimonies. As long as the crime process can be fully reconstructed and a closed loop is formed, the suspect can be arrested and interrogated.

Just think about it, how many rounds of questioning could a five-year-old child withstand from the police?

Yi Zhonghai was stunned by these words.

He was completely confused by the concepts of evidence chains and interrogation techniques.

"Ridiculous!" he thought to himself in surprise. "Isn't this just a farmer? How does he know more about reporting a crime than I do?"

Seeing that he remained silent, Li Jianye added, "Director Wang told me all of this."

You see, these footprints are physical evidence, and Lou Xiao'e's testimony is witness testimony.

With witnesses and physical evidence, there is sufficient grounds to initiate an investigation.

"

Yi Zhonghai then realized—it was Director Wang from the street office who had given him the pointers.

Even though he understood, he felt even more panicked.

"This is really bad... He's right."

If the police are really called, that kid Banggeng will be ruined.

How can a five-year-old withstand interrogation? We absolutely cannot let him call the police!

Seeing Li Jianye about to rush out again, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly blocked his path: "Jianye! Banggeng is still an immature child! If you call the police, his life will be ruined! You can't be so heartless!"

"A child?" Li Jianye stopped, his voice turning cold. "I've been bullied by a 'child' coming to my door. If I don't speak up, who in this yard will be able to trample on me from now on? Then..."

The air inside the courtyard walls seemed to have solidified into heavy, leaden blocks, making it hard to breathe.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yi Zhonghai's forehead. He took half a step forward, and the voice that rolled out from his throat carried a final struggle: "Jianye, let's discuss this again."

How about this? You check what's missing in the house, and I'll pay for it right away.

"Let's just pretend this never happened, okay?"

Li Jianye simply shook his head, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

"I'll add another hundred!"

Yi Zhonghai's tone suddenly rose, "One hundred yuan is enough for many people to live on for several months."

"Take the money, and we'll call it a day, okay?"

"No, it won't work."

Li Jianye's answer was as crisp as a knife cutting through a rope: "This isn't the first time that Bang Geng's hand has reached into my house."

How many eyes in the yard saw this? I can't swallow this insult.

The person in charge should be held responsible.

Yi Zhonghai's jaw tightened, and he held up three fingers: "Three hundred! Three hundred yuan should be enough! From now on, I will keep that kid under control and never let him step into your door again."

We all live under the same roof, and life is long; why escalate to the point of complete breakdown?

Towards the end, a subtle hint of harshness crept into his tone.

Li Jianye laughed instead, the corner of his mouth curving coldly: "Master Yi, what you're saying sounds like you're giving me a warning."

He paused, his gaze falling on the gray sky in the corner of the courtyard, as if recalling a distant memory. "I grew up in the countryside."

Years ago, the wheat seedlings I was tending were ruined by a fight.

The person apologized, and since I saw that the loss wasn't significant, I softened and let it go.

Guess what happened next? Not only did he not remember my kindness, he also thought I was weak and easy to bully.

The next time they fought, they specifically targeted my territory; later on, they even openly came to pluck my wheat ears.

I've certainly had my fill of that taste.

From that moment on, I understood one thing: if someone bullies you, you should block their path the first time.

"one thousand!"

Yi Zhonghai seemed to be forced to the edge of a cliff, squeezing out those two words through gritted teeth.

Jia Dongxu was the reliable support he had carefully arranged for the rest of his life. If they were to have a falling out because of this foolish thing called Bang Geng, it would be a pain that would tear his heart out.

He was going all out, as long as he could get through this hurdle.

"This isn't about money."

Li Jianye's voice was calm and composed.

Does he lack that thousand yuan? With the steady monthly income from the workshop, plus some connections unknown to others, this amount is no longer of any interest to him.

"If you don't see eye to eye, there's no point in saying more."

I'm going to the police station right now.

Li Jianye didn't delay any longer and reached out to push.

Although Yi Zhonghai was a well-known strong old fitter in the factory, he was still staggered back to the door by this seemingly casual pull.

Li Jianye slammed the door shut behind him, the brass lock clicking shut.

With a swift movement, he pushed the bicycle aside and left the courtyard house without looking back.

There weren't any valuables in the house, so that kid Banggeng probably came up empty-handed.

But returning empty-handed does not mean one has not committed a crime.

In those days, although formal criminal laws had not yet been promulgated, the articles issued from above and the drafts prepared in earlier years were enough to define right and wrong.

Breaking into a house with the intention of stealing, even if the person is too young to go to jail, the person behind it is an "instigator".

He will likely not escape the charges.

If the person who instigated the behavior is an underage child, the punishment will be even more severe.

"Ugh!"

Yi Zhonghai watched the figure disappear around the corner of the alley and stomped his foot heavily.

He usually considered himself a calculating and resourceful person, but the current situation was like a tangled mess with no end in sight, which he couldn't untangle simply by being clever.

He was so anxious that he rushed into the Jia family's house—but the door was still locked and there was no one there.

He didn't bother going back to his own room, so he simply turned around and went out of the courtyard. He stood by the blue stone steps, looking longingly at the entrance of the alley, hoping that the Jia family would show themselves soon.

The early spring wind blew by, carrying a lingering chill, which cooled the beads of sweat on his forehead.

Yi Zhonghai's dejected appearance made Yan Bugui uneasy.

He leaned forward to ask a few questions, but the other person just waved his hand and continued to stare at the courtyard gate without saying a word.

Yan Bugui was rebuffed, so he simply turned around and went back to his own house, ignoring him completely.

The sun began to set in the west before we knew it, casting long shadows on the courtyard wall.

Just as dusk was falling, Jia Zhangshi finally appeared at the entrance of the alley, leading Bang Geng.

Banggeng tightly hugged an old fish basket, and both grandfather and grandson had undisguised joy on their faces.

Jia Dongxu followed slowly behind, clutching a newly bought book in his hand, muttering to himself, seemingly deep in thought.

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly went to greet him.

Jia Zhangshi had no intention of actually buying meat on this trip.

She had already planned another way out—stealing something while she was at it.

These days, the meat in government-run shops is gone in the blink of an eye as soon as it hits the chopping board in the morning, so how could she possibly get a turn? The black market is even worse; it's a chaotic place, and there's hardly anyone around until the dead of night. At her age, she can't afford to go through all that trouble.

To make a move, you have to choose a secluded, isolated spot.

It would be best to bring along an inconspicuous helper.

She led Banggeng onto the tram, and they rode all the way to the riverbank on the outskirts of the city. After walking along the embankment for a long time, they finally saw an old man fishing alone.

The bamboo fish basket was half-submerged in the water, and you could vaguely see the silvery shadows splashing inside.

Jia Zhangshi immediately perked up.

She went up to him and started a conversation, chatting about the weather with the old man, and pretending to haggle, deliberately raising her voice.

While the old man was distracted, Banggeng crouched down and slipped to the back, grabbed the fish basket and ran.

Upon seeing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately cried out, "Oh dear! Someone's stealing the fish basket!"

After shouting, he turned around and disappeared into the reeds. The grandfather and grandson made several turns and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The fish basket contained only three or four pounds of miscellaneous fish, mostly palm-sized crucian carp, but Jia Zhangshi was already quite satisfied.

Bang Geng was even more excited. This experience made him feel that he had found a new way to make meat dishes in the future.

Jia Dongxu, on the other hand, was quite happy.

He kept in mind his mentor Yi Zhonghai's advice to read more books. After get off work, he made a special detour to the bookstore, intending to pick out a technical manual, but at the door he overheard several idle people talking about "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" with great interest.

He was intrigued by the stories of intrigue and battles, so he bought an illustrated edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

He figured that reading these things would broaden his horizons, and his master would surely praise him for his diligence.

The three returned to the courtyard gate with their own thoughts, only to run into Yi Zhonghai, who was guarding there.

"Dongxu, come inside and let's talk."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, his expression revealing urgency.

Jia Dongxu quickly agreed and followed with his mother and son.

As soon as he entered the house, he proudly displayed the fish basket: "Master, my mom caught some fresh fish, shall we have some together tonight?"

Yi Zhonghai looked at the basket of fish, a complex emotion flashing across his face.

He nodded, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if he saw something else through those silver scales—like the chaotic scene in Li Jianye's house.

Yi Zhonghai's gaze was fixed on the glistening roast duck on the stove, and his heart sank—this duck was probably bought with the money that Li Jianye had stolen.

He quickly turned around and slammed the door shut, then turned to Banggeng, who was standing in the corner of the room, and asked in a low voice, "Did you go into Li Jianye's room today?"

"yes."

Banggeng nodded, seemingly puzzled.

"You...you child!"

Yi Zhonghai sighed heavily, his tone full of anxiety and helplessness. "How could you do something like this? You went to his place and someone saw you! And the shoe prints you left in the house are solid evidence!" Li Jianye was furious this time and insisted on reporting it to the police.

I offered him a thousand yuan to beg him to be lenient, but he didn't even lift an eyelid.

The person has already been taken to the police station; I'm completely helpless!

"One thousand dollars?!"

Everyone else in the room gasped in unison.

These days, a thousand yuan is a huge sum of money; many people work hard for more than ten years and still can't save that much.

Yi Zhonghai's monthly salary of ninety-nine yuan sounds like a lot, but over the years, he has only managed to save a little over five thousand yuan.

However, the crowd's astonishment quickly went astray.

"I said, Li Jianye has already gone to the police station!"

Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but raise his voice.

"Call the police?!"

Jia Dongxu trembled, then roared at Bang Geng, "Look what you've done!"

"But I... but I didn't take anything from him..."

Bangeng was stunned and stammered in explanation, "I wanted to go in and look for something, but the dilapidated house was empty. I looked around and didn't see anything valuable. In the end, I came out crying..."

As he spoke, his eyes reddened again, and tears of grievance welled up in his eyes.

"What?"

Yi Zhonghai froze, then asked incredulously, "You really didn't take anything?"

"Really, no."

Banggeng nodded vigorously.

"You didn't lie to Grandpa?"

"without……"

"Old Yi!"

Madam Jia interjected with dissatisfaction, "My grandson never lies."

He really did come out of that little beast's hut crying; I saw it with my own eyes!

"Ha ha!"

Yi Zhonghai suddenly burst out laughing. "Li Jianye didn't lose anything, so why did he call the police?"

"that is!"

Madam Jia became smug, "My precious grandson didn't touch anything, how could the police station arrest someone for no reason? Humph, that little brat dared to file a report, next time I'll teach him a lesson!"

"Sister-in-law, please don't make things worse."

Yi Zhonghai shook his head with a wry smile, "We've narrowly escaped this time, but we can't let it happen again."

What if he calls the police again next time?

"Didn't you say that shoe prints can be used as evidence?"

Madam Jia dismissed the idea, saying, "Just be careful not to leave footprints next time, won't that solve the problem?"

She bent down and patted Banggeng's head, reminding him, "Did you hear me? Next time you go, be careful where you step."

Even fingerprints must be carefully observed; not a single trace can be left.