Courtyard House: Starting with handing over the keys, the state helps me abuse birds.

Banggeng's lips trembled twice, and suddenly he cried out "Wah!"—a cry so loud it could shake the roof tiles off.

"They're hitting people! They're bullying a child! The outsiders are hitting people!"

He ran while crying, running incredibly fast, as if a demonic wind was chasing him.

The courtyard instantly became lively, with pairs of eyes peeking out from under the windows, behind the doors, and under the eaves.

These people usually act like honest folks, but when something really happens, they love watching the drama unfold more than anyone else.

Xie Weihong raised an eyebrow as she watched Bang Geng's retreating figure.

Before Banggeng even reached the Jia family's door, a sharp scream came from inside the house, like a hen being strangled.

"Who?! Who dares to bully my precious grandson?!"

As soon as the curtain was lifted, Madam Jia rushed out.

That face was a mass of fleshy fat, and her glaring eyes could send chills down your spine. She was also clutching a handful of sunflower seeds, and as she ran out, the shells scattered all over the ground with a "crackling" sound, like ashes strewn everywhere.

She took a step forward and hugged the stalk tightly, as if protecting her own manhood.

"Bang Geng! What happened to you? Who hit you? Tell me! Grandma will stand up for you!"

Banggeng hid in her arms and cried, but his eyes secretly peeked out.

With that glance, he spotted Xie Weihong.

Xie Weihong stood ramrod straight, her expression calm and composed, showing no sign of panic, as if she were watching a poorly made play.

Bang Geng's initial timidity was instantly distorted by this "calm," as if someone had stepped on his face in public.

He suddenly stopped crying.

He wiped away his tears, then suddenly peeked out from Jia Zhangshi's arms, his face still streaked with tears, but his eyes were as sinister as a little venomous snake.

"It was him! He hit me!"

Madam Jia immediately turned around, pointing her thick finger at Xie Weihong, her voice rising even higher than a stick: "Xie Weihong! How dare you! What right do you have to bully my grandson? Do you want to die?!"

"You hit me yesterday, and you dare to hit my grandson today? Do you really think the Jia family has no one left?"

The ears in the yard all perked up.

Yi Zhonghai slowly came out of the house, putting on a "parental" face. He didn't rush to say who was right or wrong, but coughed twice first, as if waiting for the whole courtyard to pay attention to him.

Liu Haizhong also appeared, his belly sticking out, and he couldn't hide the excitement of watching the show in his eyes.

Xie Weihong sneered inwardly.

The people in this courtyard are all part of a set.

On the surface, they talk about reason, but in reality, whoever is weaker will suffer.

But today, they are destined not to understand the play.

Madam Jia was still cursing: "Let me tell you! If you dare to lay a finger on me, I'll make sure you can't stay in this courtyard any longer!"

Upon hearing "I can't stay here any longer," Bang Geng seemed to be injected with adrenaline and instantly became arrogant.

He hid in Jia Zhangshi's arms as if he were hiding behind an iron tower, and relying on someone to protect him, his words became increasingly venomous.

"You just wait! If you dare touch me, I'll get my grandma to make you pay!"

"People like you should be kicked out!"

"You just wait! If I, Bang Geng, want to get back at you, I have plenty of ways to do it!"

As he spoke, he suddenly stiffened his neck, his eyes became terrifying, and his voice lowered, yet carried a chilling ruthlessness.

I'm going to kill you.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment after those words were spoken.

Even Yi Zhonghai subconsciously frowned.

It's normal for children to speak without thinking, but these kinds of things...

Seeing that everyone was silent, Banggeng thought he had scared them all, so he became even more emboldened, grinning widely and squeezing out an even more vicious remark through his teeth:

"Like killing your parents!"

boom--

These words exploded like a thunderclap in the courtyard.

Xie Weihong's eyes instantly turned cold.

It wasn't the kind of cold that comes from anger, but rather a pure, suffocating chill, like a knife blade pressed against the skin.

The stuntman was still laughing, laughing triumphantly, laughing disgustingly.

Some people in the courtyard changed their expressions, some pretended not to hear, and some had shifty eyes, as if they remembered something but dared not speak.

At that moment, Madam Jia's expression suddenly changed.

She had been swearing with her chest puffed out, but upon hearing those words, she felt as if someone had grabbed her by the neck. The fierceness in her eyes instantly vanished by half, replaced by panic, evasion, and even a hint of... guilt.

She looked down at Banggeng, her lips trembling, as if she wanted to scold him, or as if she was afraid that Banggeng would say more.

"You... what nonsense are you talking about!" Jia Zhangshi's voice suddenly turned sharp and urgent. "Shut up!"

Banggeng was stunned for a moment by her shout, then became even more indignant: "I'm not lying! I'm going to kill him! I—"

Snapped!

Jia Zhangshi raised her hand and smacked Bang Geng on the back of the head.

It wasn't heavy, but it was enough to leave the stick-like creature stunned.

Who is Jia Zhangshi?

Those are people who treat the sticks like royalty!

She would rather scold the entire hospital than let Bang Geng suffer the slightest grievance.

But today, she actually made a joke?

This isn't right.

Xie Weihong did not move.

He just looked at Jia Zhangshi, watching her fleshy face reveal a flaw in an instant.

That wasn't anger.

That's fear.

I'm afraid the stick will make something clearer.

I'm afraid the people in the courtyard will overhear something.

I'm afraid Xie Weihong... will take this statement seriously.

Banggeng was hit, and tears welled up again. Her voice cracked with grievance, "Grandma, why did you hit me! Didn't you say you'd stand up for me if anyone bullied me?!"

Madam Jia, however, had no time to defend herself. As if suddenly remembering some enormous trouble, her face grew increasingly grim, and she muttered incoherently, "Back inside! Back inside! Stop making a scene outside!"

She scooped up the stick in one gulp, her movements as rough as if she were carrying a sack, and rushed into the house.

The stick-like creature was still struggling: "I won't go back! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to—"

Madam Jia gritted her teeth, almost growling, "Shut up! If you say another word, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Upon hearing this, Bang Geng was genuinely startled.

Jia Zhangshi rushed back into the house with the stick in her arms, slamming the door shut with a "bang," as if shutting everyone out, and as if locking the words she had just said into the darkness.

The courtyard was completely silent.

A gust of wind blew by, and the sunflower seed shells rolled twice on the ground, making a soft rustling sound.

Yi Zhonghai coughed, trying to smooth things over: "Um...it's just kids talking nonsense, please don't take it seriously—"

"Talking nonsense?"

Xie Weihong finally spoke.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was as steady as a knife.

He swept his gaze across the people in the courtyard, his eyes like ice water poured over them, making everyone feel a chill run down their spines.

"Do you think he's talking nonsense?"

No one said a word.

Everyone in the courtyard is very shrewd.

They all realized there was something hidden in that sentence.

And it's likely not a small matter.

Xie Weihong's gaze lingered on the Jia family's door, as if she could see the shadows of an old man and a child inside through the door panel.

He slowly exhaled.

He originally only intended to use the people in this courtyard as tools to "gain experience".

It's disgusting, vile, and despicable, but ultimately it's all just trivial matters.

Ke Bang's words just now caused a crack to suddenly appear in a long-forgotten corner of his heart.

He gleaned some vague fragments from the original owner's memories.

The father's silhouette, the mother's voice, the sudden chaos of a certain night, the indifferent gazes of the neighbors...

But those things dispersed like fog, without taking shape.

But Bang Geng's line, "I'll kill your parents," was like a hook, yanking that fog hard.

A faint hint of killing intent flickered in Xie Weihong's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

He is not a reckless person.

He is not the kind of person who goes crazy in public in the courtyard.

True ruthlessness is never something you shout out.

Instead, we should take it slowly.

He turned and walked into his room.

As he reached the door, he paused, his back to the crowd, his voice as indifferent as if he were speaking casually:

"I've made a note of what happened today."

After saying that, he pushed the door open and went inside.

The door closed gently.

The people in the courtyard seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to recover for a long time.

Yi Zhonghai stood in the wind, his face gloomy. He vaguely sensed that Xie Weihong had changed and was no longer someone they could easily manipulate.

Things were starting to slip out of his control.

Behind the Jia family's gate.

Jia Zhangshi held the stick tightly, her chest heaving violently.

Banggeng was still crying: "Grandma, he scared me! I'm going to kill him! I—"

"Shut up!"

Jia Zhangshi fiercely covered the mouth of the stick, her eyes flashing with a panicked viciousness.

She whispered through gritted teeth, pressing her ear close to the handle:

"If you dare mention that matter again... I'll kill you first!"

Banggeng's eyes widened; it was the first time he had ever been truly afraid.

Because he suddenly realized that what his grandmother was afraid of was not Xie Weihong.

It was the sentence he uttered.