Back to 1984: I built a chicken farm on a barren mountain.

It was evening.

Chenjiazhuang Village Committee.

Chen Wenfeng and Chen Youwei were chatting.

Zhou Zhiming, Niu Da, and Niu Er were all sent out by him.

Old Sun was smoking in the yard.

"Wenfeng, are you saying that Han Laosi set a trap for Zheng Dali to lose money?"

"Yes. That's the information I have so far. Zheng Dali has been winning for several nights in a row, but he lost last night, and I reckon he'll lose again today."

"oh......"

Chen Youwei fell silent. When his father was the village chief, there had been incidents in the village where people sold grain because of gambling, which had a very bad influence.

So, after dealing with that farce, his father said to him very seriously:

People should not gamble.

Human nature is the most vulnerable to test. No matter how good a person is, once they sit at the gambling table, they may change and become someone they don't even recognize.

Niu Da rushed in and said as he entered:

"Brother Feng, I went to check, Chen Shou's, your third uncle's house, is locked!"

It's locked!

According to Chen Wenfeng's plan, if Chen Shouxin was at home, he would find a reason to arrest him, thus waiting for him to come to him.

But it's locked now. Do we have to go somewhere else today?

What's going on? Perhaps Hou Laizi's information is wrong?

Chen Wenfeng was also a little worried.

No, no, Han Laosi is a cautious person and won't easily change locations. He's worked so hard to prepare the bait, and if he rashly changes locations, he'll scare the fish away.

Don't panic, wait a little longer, just a little longer.

He told Niu Da to wait in the yard until Niu Er and the others returned before discussing it further.

Although Niu Da was simple-minded, he was the kind of person with strong execution skills. He did whatever Chen Wenfeng said without asking any questions and left the house.

As soon as he stepped out of the house, he saw Zhou Zhiming and Niu Er run in at the same time.

Zhou Zhiming went to Zheng Dali's house, but only Zheng Xuejiao and Xiaodouzi were there.

Zheng Dali did not go home, and Zhang Caifeng showed no intention of returning from her parents' home.

Niu Er came back from Han Laosi's soy sauce factory. He secretly kept an eye on things and saw that Han Laosi was still in the factory. He then took the opportunity to bump into Hou Laizi.

Based on the information they brought back, Chen Wenfeng deduced that Han Laosi probably hadn't changed his plans.

"What time does Han Laosi's factory close for the day?"

"It'll be soon. It gets dark early now, and the workers start going home around 5:30. Lai Zi said that Han Lao Si has been leaving around 6 o'clock these past few days."

Chen Wenfeng glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already 5:50. He then said:

"The courtyard across from my third uncle's house is deserted and has been abandoned for many years. We're all going there to wait now."

When Chen Wenfeng and his gang came out of the village committee, it was already quite dark.

In the past, villagers would usually go out for a walk after dinner at this time, but now very few people go out.

The weather is getting cooler, and it gets dark earlier.

In at most half a month, it will freeze over.

The courtyard across from Chen Shouxin's house has been abandoned for many years, still with the old wooden gate and the collapsed adobe walls.

The yard was overgrown with grass and trees.

Because no one takes care of them, these plants have become the masters of this yard.

Under the dilapidated eaves, there were two empty swallow nests, the mud nests were still there, and the ground was covered with droppings.

Chen Wenfeng looked around the courtyard again and again with a flashlight. He used to play here often when he was a child. Now the owner of this house has moved away from Chenjiazhuang. In just a few years, it has become so dilapidated.

"Everyone, please choose a better spot. We might have to wait a while," Chen Wenfeng instructed.

Zhou Zhiming was also familiar with this place. He and Chen Wenfeng had grown up together. He quickly found a spot against the wall where he could look across through a gap in the wall and sit comfortably.

Niu Da and Niu Er quickly found their spots.

Old Sun didn't choose a place; he simply sat cross-legged on the ground by the well in the courtyard, closing his eyes to rest.

"Brother Feng, look, why are the lights on over there?" Niu Er was the first to notice something was wrong.

Chen Wenfeng had just chosen a gap in the earthen wall and squatted down when he heard Niu Er say this, and he immediately looked at the courtyard opposite.

The gate to Uncle San's house across the street was locked. Chen Wenfeng knew that Uncle San's house had grapevines planted in the yard and a side room built there, which looked dark at first glance.

But in the darkness, Chen Wenfeng noticed a faint yellow light emanating from behind the side room.

That's the location of the east room, or more precisely, the location of the small east wing. Since the light is on, it means someone is home!

Damn, they actually pulled this stunt. Looks like Zheng Dali is in there.

"Brother Feng, how about I break the lock, storm in, and drag Zheng Dali out?"

Niu Da was eager to try. He held a flashlight in one hand and kept the other hand in his pocket, where a small slingshot was hidden.

Although Chen Wenfeng forbade him to bring a slingshot, Niu Da felt more confident having it on him.

He may not need it, but he cannot go without it.

Chen Wenfeng was somewhat swayed by Niu Da's words; the timing wasn't bad. At least Han Laosi wasn't around, and they were outnumbered. While he was hesitating, he kept his eyes fixed on Niu Er outside and said:

"Brother Feng, someone's here."

Chen Wenfeng immediately became alert and said:

"Turn off all the flashlights!"

Chen Wenfeng, Zhou Zhiming, Niu Da, and Niu Er all peered through the cracks in the door and walls at the opposite side.

In the hazy night, the two walked side by side to the gate of Chen Shouxin's courtyard. They stood still in front of the gate, presumably because it was locked.

The two men shone their flashlights, and Chen Wenfeng observed their builds, appearances, and other information through the flickering light.

They must be the two outsiders that Lai Zi mentioned; they were probably shills hired by Han Lao Si.

Niu Da couldn't sit still any longer, and he quietly asked Chen Wenfeng:

"Brother Feng, let's hold these two down first."

"Alright. You, me, and Niu Er, the three of us will hold them down!"

"good!"

"good!"

The three of them climbed over the earthen wall, which was already low and had collapsed, so it was no problem for Chen Wenfeng and his two companions.

Just as they were about to rush across the street, Chen Wenfeng saw another figure approaching and quickly said:

"Wait a minute, it should be Han Laosi who's here."

Niu Da and Niu Er also stopped, and the two of them hid in the corner with Chen Wenfeng. Their clothes were all dark, and they didn't move at all, so they couldn't be recognized in the night.

Sure enough, two more figures gradually approached, also carrying flashlights, their beams stretching like two ropes down the dark road.

These two joined the previous two and stood at the front gate of Chen Shouxin's house.

A gust of wind blew by, and the dark clouds in the sky parted slightly, allowing the moon, which had been hiding for so long, to shine its light through earnestly.

Under the bright moonlight, Chen Wenfeng saw clearly that the people who came were Han Laosi and Hou Laizi.

Han Laosi took a key out of his pocket, opened the courtyard gate, and the four of them filed in.

Chen Wenfeng saw clearly that Hou Laizi was the last one, and then he closed the door.

Chen Wenfeng addressed Niu Da, Niu Er, Zhou Zhiming, and Old Sun in the courtyard:

"That's about enough, let's move out!"