Courtyard House: A Carefree Life Begins with a Lottery of Wish Power

Yi Zhonghai inwardly groaned, but could only force himself to speak, saying:

"Dongxu, did you pick the lock on the Lin family's house?"

Jia Dongxu's face turned bright red. He was about to deny it subconsciously, but under Yi Zhonghai's stern gaze, he reluctantly nodded.

Although Yi Zhonghai already knew the answer from the Third Uncle, he still felt a surge of anger when he saw Jia Dongxu admit it himself.

The old man always considered himself a moral exemplar, never imagining that his apprentice would do such a thing.

Unable to resist, he kicked Jia Dongxu hard in the thigh.

Jia Dongxu took a kick but didn't dare to dodge, he just lowered his head.

Seeing her son being beaten, Jia Zhangshi immediately stepped forward, grabbed Yi Zhonghai, and said sternly:

"You, Yi Zhonghai, Lin Zhuo burned our things and you didn't care, but you started hitting our Dongxu. Do you even have any sense of reason?"

Yi Zhonghai broke free from Jia Zhangshi and was about to kick her a couple more times, but was stopped by an older woman and an older man.

Yi Zhonghai, his face ashen, said sternly to Jia Dongxu:

"Jia Dongxu, you really lived up to my expectations. I taught you metalworking, but you used it to pick locks."

Jia Dongxu said in a low voice, "Master, I..."

Yi Zhonghai shouted:

"Don't interrupt me. You should apologize to Lin Zhuo right away and buy him a new lock later."

"I want copper, with three rings, don't buy cheap junk."

After speaking of Jia Dongxu, Yi Zhonghai turned to Lin Zhuo and said:

"Lin Zhuo, the cause of this matter was indeed Jia Dongxu. He moved your things to your house without your consent."

Yi Zhonghai's words seemed sincere, and the onlookers nodded in agreement.

"But," Yi Zhonghai changed the subject, "for this alone, you just burned their things. Isn't that a bit much?"

"Although the Jia family's belongings are a bit old and worn, they are still items, and they can be sold as scrap for some money."

"How about this, you give the Jia family 5 yuan, the Jia family will take the rest of these things away, and they'll also give you a new lock. That'll settle the matter."

Lin Zhuo sneered inwardly, having long known that Yi Zhonghai was no good.

No matter how eloquently you speak at the beginning, the key point is in what comes later.

Ignoring Lin Zhuo's reaction, Yi Zhonghai turned to Yan Bugui beside him and said:

"Old Yan, do you think this will work?"

Yan Bugui realized that although Yi Zhonghai seemed stern and harsh towards Jia Dongxu, he actually raised the paddle high and then gently lowered it.

Jia Dongxu only needs to buy a replacement lock, apologize, and make amends, and everything will be fine.

On the contrary, Lin Zhuo, whose door was broken into and some junk was burned, had to pay out five yuan.

However, on the surface, Yi Zhonghai's handling of the situation seems to be quite flawless.

Yanbu Guiren is a shrewd and experienced man, and he won't get involved in this mess.

I just don't know what to do with the furniture I got in exchange. At worst, I can return it and bring the firewood back.

Yan Bugui squinted his small eyes and said with a smile:

"You're the boss, you can make the decision."

Madam Jia, however, was unconvinced and brandished her claws, saying:

"Five yuan is not enough, it needs to be at least twenty yuan."

Listening to Yi Zhonghai's words, Jia Dongxu seemed to have grasped the meaning, and was secretly pleased. He pulled back the still-nagging Jia Zhangshi and respectfully said to Yi Zhonghai:

"Master, I'm fine. I'll do whatever you say."

Then he turned to Lin Zhuo and said in a pretentious manner:

"Lin Zhuo, I was wrong this time, please don't take it to heart. Don't worry, I'll definitely get you a good new lock later."

Yi Zhonghai was very satisfied with Jia Dongxu's performance, smiled and nodded, then looked at Lin Zhuo.

The crowd watching the commotion in the courtyard also turned their attention to Lin Zhuo.

Lin Zhuo glanced at Yi Zhonghai, then at the neighbors watching, and said calmly:

"Uncle, I've long heard that the old man in our courtyard is an upright and fair man. Meeting him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

Yi Zhonghai didn't expect Lin Zhuo to be so perceptive, and he was quite pleased with himself after hearing Lin Zhuo's words.

Once the commotion was resolved, the onlookers prepared to go home.

At this moment, Lin Zhuo changed the subject:

"But……"

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up their ears again.

Yi Zhonghai also frowned slightly.

I want to ask everyone a question.

Yi Zhonghai didn't know what Lin Zhuo was up to. He was getting impatient, but he couldn't show it openly. Instead, he pretended to be generous and said:

"Feel free to ask any questions."

Lin Zhuo said calmly:

"I just want to ask everyone, if someone breaks into your house and gets in, what kind of behavior is that?"

Yi Zhonghai was about to say, "This is different."

Before the words could be uttered, a child in the crowd shouted:

"Thief!"

Upon hearing this, the parent nearby quickly slapped the child on the head and whispered:

"Shut up, kid, don't talk nonsense."

The child was hurt by the slap and cried out:

"I'm not making this up. Breaking into someone's house by picking the lock makes you a thief, that's what the teacher said."

When the parents saw that the child was crying harder and harder, they quickly took the child home.

Although the adults present didn't say it aloud, they all agreed with the child's statement.

Yi Zhonghai's face was also ashen, and he didn't know how to refute it for a moment.

Lin Zhuo didn't give Yi Zhonghai a chance to speak, and continued to ask:

"Dear neighbors, if someone broke into your house, browsed around, and then came back to replace your lock, would you be willing to do that?"

The onlookers shook their heads inwardly, many thinking that if they caught the lock picker, they would at least give him a good beating.

Yan Bugui watched the old man get his comeuppance and was secretly delighted.

Yi Zhonghai hadn't expected Lin Zhuo to be so sharp-tongued and disrespectful, so he suppressed his anger and said:

"Lin Zhuo, Jia Dongxu did something wrong, but I know my apprentice. His purpose was just to store some odds and ends, not to steal your things."

"You lost nothing except a lock, but you actually chopped up and burned the Jia family's belongings."

Madam Jia was also furious at this moment, and said:

"You little brat, who are you calling a thief? I'll tear your stinking mouth apart!"

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and was about to go forward to tear it apart when he was stopped by several women nearby.

Lin Zhuo said to Yi Zhonghai:

"Uncle, you are the most respected person in this courtyard, that's common knowledge."

"However, everyone has their own expertise, and this kind of professional work should be done by professionals."

"Did Jia Dongxu enter my house just to store things, or did he have some other purpose? Is the only thing my house lost a lock, or is something else missing?"

"I think these questions should be answered by the officers at the local police station."

When Yi Zhonghai heard Lin Zhuo say he was going to call the police, his heart tightened.

Yan Bugui was delighted to hear this.

If the police station were to be alerted, Yi Zhonghai, as an elderly man, would certainly lose face, especially since it involved his apprentice.

But then Yan Bugui felt a pang of anxiety.

When the police arrive, they will definitely want to know what happened. The Lin family's house was broken into, and as the third uncle who lives across the street from Lin Zhuo, he will inevitably bear the responsibility for this oversight.

Yan Bugui thought for a moment and decided that since the old man had already lost face today, he might as well do him a favor.

"Lin Zhuo, it's not worth bothering the police with such a small matter."

"Our compound is always recognized as an advanced unit by the neighborhood committee. If this goes to the police, this year's advanced unit award is definitely off the table."

"Won't we residents look bad then?"

Lin Zhuo smiled and shook his head, saying:

"Uncle, I don't want to involve the police, but there are some things we can't explain without their help."

"Let the police officers come and assess how much compensation I should receive for breaking the lock and what I burned. Even if they ask me to pay 50 yuan, I'll pay it."

At this point, everyone present, even the fools, understood Lin Zhuo's meaning.

This is because they feel that the old man was being unfair.

Madam Jia, however, disagreed and pointed at Lin Zhuo, saying:

"Go ahead and sue! Don't try to intimidate me with the police."

Jia Dongxu quickly grabbed Jia Zhangshi and said:

"Mom, please don't make things worse."

Yi Zhonghai angrily shouted at the Jia family mother and son:

"You two shut up! Aren't you ashamed enough already?"

Jia Zhangshi is senile, but he is not.

The arrival of the police station will surely alert the factory's security department, and soon the whole factory will know.

Even if Jia Dongxu's actions don't constitute a crime, they will still become a stain on his record.

In the future, not only will there be no chance of being recognized for outstanding performance or awards, but job promotions will also be affected.

Even he himself, as the master, would become a laughing stock.

Jia Dongxu was clearly aware of the implications. He glanced at Yi Zhonghai's expression, suppressed his anger, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Lin Zhuo, what exactly do you want?"