Courtyard House: The Thief System of All Realms

Sun Jingyuan looked down at the deaf old woman who was slumped on the ground with a face full of resentment. A sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, and his tone was cold and mean: "A coffin? Someone like you who is always scheming and envious of others, when it really comes to that, it would be cleaner and more efficient to burn you up. Why bother with all that trouble and make a coffin?"

"Sun Jingyuan, how dare you!"

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately strode forward, pointed at Sun Jingyuan, and angrily rebuked him, adopting a righteous stance in defense of his elder: "The old lady is a legitimate family member of a martyr, her name is clearly listed in the street office's preferential treatment register, and she is personally supported by the state! Today, you publicly insulted her and damaged her cane, which is an offense against a family member of a martyr, and to put it more seriously, a violation of the law and regulations. If this really gets to the street office, you will definitely be in deep trouble!"

"Family of a martyr?"

Sun Jingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across his face, but his eyes remained calm and composed, without the slightest sign of panic.

Yi Zhonghai assumed he was scared, so he pressed his advantage, straightening his back and confidently accusing him: "Of course! You call yourself an educated man? Don't you even understand the basic principle of respecting the families of martyrs? You must bow your head and apologize to the old lady today, or this isn't over!"

"That's right! Openly offending the families of martyrs is against the rules and should be severely punished!" Liu Haizhong immediately jumped out to echo, putting on a stern face and adopting the demeanor of a cadre, righteously supporting the cause, attempting to join forces to exert pressure.

Only Yan Bugui remained silent. He squinted his small eyes, scrutinizing Sun Jingyuan, and muttered to himself. Sun Jingyuan had been too calm from beginning to end. He was neither flustered nor argumentative. He didn't seem like someone had caught him red-handed or that he was in a desperate situation. On the contrary, he seemed to have been prepared. There was definitely something fishy going on here.

Sun Jingyuan looked at Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, deliberately softening his tone and feigning hesitation, as if he understood but not quite: "So, according to you, speaking disrespectfully to the families of martyrs is considered breaking the law?"

"Of course! This is a rule that everyone should follow!" Yi Zhonghai became more and more certain that he had Sun Jingyuan under control, and his tone became more forceful, his eyes full of confidence.

"Yeah?"

Sun Jingyuan suddenly chuckled, turned, and strode back into the house. He returned a moment later, holding a bright red, gold-embossed certificate for families of martyrs. He handed the certificate directly to the group, his gaze sweeping coldly over Yi Zhonghai. His tone was calm, yet his words were clear: "Coincidentally, I am also a nationally recognized family member of a martyr. Yi Zhonghai, you were just pointing at me, yelling and shouting at me—wasn't that disrespectful to a family member of a martyr? According to your rules, shouldn't you kowtow and apologize to me on the spot?"

"You...you're also a family member of a martyr?!"

These words struck like a thunderbolt, instantly stunning everyone present. The onlookers and neighbors all stared wide-eyed at the red booklet in Sun Jingyuan's hand, their faces filled with disbelief. The once noisy courtyard fell silent instantly, and no one dared to breathe.

"Don't just stand there. You said those rules yourself." Sun Jingyuan waved the preferential treatment certificate in his hand, then turned his gaze to Liu Haizhong, who was cowering to the side. His tone was somewhat sarcastic. "Liu Haizhong, you were the one who shouted the loudest just now. Why are you hiding behind? Hurry up and come forward and apologize."

Liu Haizhong's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. His lips trembled for a long time, his face flushed red, but he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal. He was both angry and flustered, but given his status as a martyr's family member, he dared not act recklessly any longer and could only stand frozen in place, caught in a dilemma.

Sun Jingyuan glanced at him, his tone merciless, each word piercing: "You can't even distinguish right from wrong, yet you always like to stand up and put on airs. You don't even understand the basics, yet you dare to meddle in other people's business?"

One sentence from him made Liu Hai feel a tightness in his chest, and he almost collapsed on the spot. The neighbors next to him quickly reached out to support him, and the scene was extremely awkward.

Yi Zhonghai was completely panicked. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. His previously confident expression vanished. He turned to look at the deaf old lady who was slumped on the ground, his voice flustered and helpless: "Grandma, look at this situation..." He never expected that Sun Jingyuan was also a martyr's family member. If this matter really escalated to the street office, he would not only lose face by deliberately targeting martyrs' families and stirring up trouble, but he might also lose his job.

The deaf old woman closed her eyes, forcibly suppressing the anger and resentment in her heart. Her aged face was frighteningly gloomy. After a long while, she finally uttered a sentence in a cold and hard tone: "Let's retreat first and discuss it again when Jia Zhangshi returns." She knew in her heart that if she continued to stalemate, she would not gain any benefit. She could only retreat first and think of a countermeasure later.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and their group dared not utter another word. Covered in dust and grime, they carefully helped the deaf old woman and awkwardly turned back to the central courtyard. The onlookers, having lost their excitement, dispersed, and the courtyard gradually returned to calm.

Lei Aniu, who was helping out, quickly went to Sun Jingyuan's side, lowered his voice, and reminded him with a worried expression: "Master, these people are all up to no good. They will definitely not let this go after suffering such a big loss today. You must be more careful in the future and not let them take advantage of you."

"It's alright, they only have these underhanded tricks, they can't cause any real trouble." Sun Jingyuan said calmly, casually putting the martyr's family certificate back into the house, then turned to look at Lei Aniu, his tone even, "You're quite perceptive, you can see through their true colors."

Lei Aniu scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "I was just working with the boss and took a few extra glances. There are many people around, so you should be careful." Sun Jingyuan smiled and nodded, without saying anything more. He turned around, picked up his woodworking tools, and continued to polish the golden nanmu wardrobe. His expression was calm and composed, and he didn't take the farce from earlier to heart at all.

On the other side, Yi Zhonghai and his group gathered in a corner of the central courtyard, their faces solemn. They waited from afternoon until evening, until it was completely dark, but Jia Zhangshi still hadn't returned.

The panic in everyone's hearts grew stronger, and they could no longer sit still. They huddled together and whispered among themselves. They finally decided that Jia Dongxu would ride Yan Bugui's bicycle and rush to the steel mill to inquire about Jia Zhangshi's whereabouts. Yan Bugui was always shrewd and unwilling to suffer any loss, so Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to reluctantly take out three cents to lend him the bicycle.

About half an hour later, Jia Dongxu rode his bicycle back to the courtyard house in a daze. Before the bicycle had even come to a complete stop, his legs gave way and he fell to the ground, covered in dust, his face as pale as paper, and his whole body trembling.

"How is it? Where is your mother? What did the factory say?" Yi Zhonghai was the first to rush forward, grabbing Jia Dongxu and asking urgently, his voice trembling slightly.

"The security guards said... that my mother maliciously framed an outstanding employee of the factory and disrupted the factory's order. They said they would deal with her according to the law, and they are still interrogating her, forcing her to reveal who instigated her..." Jia Dongxu stammered, terrified. He knew better than anyone that if Jia Zhangshi couldn't withstand the interrogation and implicated them all, everyone would lose their jobs and their lives would be completely ruined.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong's legs went weak, and they collapsed to the ground, their eyes vacant, their minds blank, unable to recover for a long time. Yan Bugui was the first to react, frantically spinning on the spot, his forehead covered in cold sweat, grabbing Jia Dongxu's arm and urgently saying, "Dongxu, you must persuade your mother not to reveal us! If our secret is exposed, we'll lose our jobs, and our whole family will be doomed!"

"Yes! Yes! You must make your mother grit her teeth and not say a single word!" Liu Haizhong also came to his senses and quickly echoed, his voice filled with barely suppressed fear.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and looked at Jia Dongxu, asking in a deep voice, "Has the factory said how this matter can be resolved?"

"A friend in the security department gave me a pack of cigarettes and secretly told me that the only way to turn things around is to get Sun Jingyuan to issue a letter of understanding. As long as Sun Jingyuan doesn't pursue the matter, the factory can be lenient and release my mother." Jia Dongxu looked at Yi Zhonghai with red eyes and a sob in his voice, "Uncle, please think of something and save my mother. She's old and can't take this kind of ordeal!"

Yi Zhonghai subconsciously looked at the deaf old lady, but she kept her eyes closed and leaned back in her chair. No matter how he gestured or called out softly, she pretended not to notice, clearly wanting to distance herself from the matter and not care about it at all.

Now, the only way out is to beg Sun Jingyuan for forgiveness. But they had been targeting and scheming against Sun Jingyuan at every turn, and even instigated Jia Zhangshi to falsely accuse him. How could Sun Jingyuan possibly give in so easily? Yi Zhonghai's eyes darted around, and his sinister gaze fell on Qin Huairu, who was standing silently to the side. Instantly, a wicked idea formed in his mind.

"Now that things have come to this, there's only one way: to find something to hold against Sun Jingyuan and force him to compromise and issue a letter of understanding," Yi Zhonghai said slowly to everyone in a low voice.

Jia Dongxu, quick-witted, instantly understood his meaning. His eyes hardened as he looked at Qin Huairu, his tone vicious: "Master, do you want Qin Huairu to seduce Sun Jingyuan and set a trap to catch him red-handed?"

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap rang out as Qin Huairu raised her hand and slapped Jia Dongxu across the face. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she trembled with rage. "Jia Dongxu, are you even human? To save your mother, for your own selfish reasons, you actually want me to do such a despicable thing!"

"You dare hit me?!" Jia Dongxu was already furious with nowhere to vent his anger, and this slap completely enraged him. He reached out and grabbed Qin Huairu's hair, raising his hand to hit her.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu rushed forward and hugged Jia Dongxu tightly, urgently trying to calm him down: "Dongxu, calm down! Let's talk this out. Sister Qin was just angry for a moment, don't hit her!"

"Get out of my way! This has nothing to do with you, stop pretending to be a good guy!" Jia Dongxu struggled to break free from Sha Zhu, glaring at him fiercely. "Don't think I don't know you've been secretly watching Qin Huairu all along. Stop pretending to mediate!"

These words made Sha Zhu blush, stand there helplessly, and lower his head, no longer daring to offer any more advice.

Qin Huairu slumped to the ground, her eyes lifeless, her heart filled with despair. She had initially coveted the stable life in the city and insisted on marrying into the Jia family, but now she finally realized that she had married a heartless beast.

Yi Zhonghai stepped forward, adopting a serious demeanor, and feigned advice to Qin Huairu: "Huairu, this is the only way now, not only to save your mother-in-law, but also to save all of us. You sneak into Sun Jingyuan's room in the middle of the night. If he makes the slightest inappropriate move towards you, immediately shout loudly. We'll all be waiting outside and rush in to catch him in the act. Then, with evidence in our hands, he'll have no choice but to obey and issue a letter of forgiveness."

"Did you hear me? Agree now!" Jia Dongxu shouted at Qin Huairu, his eyes fierce, showing no regard for their marital relationship.

Qin Huairu slowly stood up, her face expressionless, her eyes eerily calm, and uttered a single word in a detached tone: "Okay."

Her quick agreement only fueled Jia Dongxu's displeasure, prompting him to hurl insults: "You bitch! Have you been eyeing that Sun Jingyuan all along?" Qin Huairu completely ignored his curses, turning and heading straight back to her room to boil water and wash up, remaining silent throughout as if the argument had never happened.

"Stop fooling around, everyone. Keep a close eye on things tonight and make sure nothing goes wrong. Stick to the plan." Yi Zhonghai patted Jia Dongxu on the shoulder and whispered his instructions. Everyone nodded, each with their own thoughts as they waited for the night to fall.

Before they knew it, it was late at night. Sha Zhu, carrying two jin of fresh pork and two bottles of liquor, knocked on Sun Jingyuan's door with a big smile on his face: "Master Sun, I'm so grateful for your help in getting me out of that predicament. I've been thinking of thanking you. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Let's have a couple of drinks."

Sun Jingyuan did not refuse; when someone brings wine and food, there is naturally no reason to turn down the offer.

The two sat in the room, toasting and drinking for a long time, until Sha Zhu was completely drunk, at which point he was helped away by the brothers Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang.

Sun Jingyuan had drunk quite a bit of wine. After tidying up briefly, he lay down on the newly made golden nanmu bed, ready to rest. He had only been lying down for a few minutes when the door was gently pushed open, and a slender figure tiptoed in, lifted the covers, and lay down beside him.

Sun Jingyuan instantly snapped back to reality. Just as he was about to speak, a warm hand covered his mouth. "Little Sun, don't make a sound, it's me." Qin Huairu's voice rang in his ear, trembling slightly.

Sun Jingyuan abruptly pulled her hand away, lowering his voice, his tone filled with anger: "Qin Huairu, are you crazy? If this gets discovered, we'll both be stigmatized, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"They forced me to do this. Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu set a trap, sending me to seduce you, waiting for you to make a mistake so they could rush in, catch you red-handed, and force you to issue a letter of forgiveness to release my mother-in-law." Qin Huairu didn't dare to delay and lowered her voice to tell Sun Jingyuan everything about their conspiracy.

After listening, Sun Jingyuan's expression turned cold, and he became even more disdainful of the group's despicable methods.

Qin Huairu looked at him with a firm gaze, showing no sign of backing down, and took the initiative to move a little closer.

In a corner of the courtyard outside the house, Yi Zhonghai, Jia Dongxu, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui and others huddled in the corner, shivering from the cold, but dared not make a sound, each staring intently at Sun Jingyuan's door.

Sha Zhu rubbed his hands together, shivering from the cold, and asked in a low voice with a worried expression, "Huai Ru has been inside for so long, why is there still no news? Could something have happened to her?"

"Shut up, say less, and wait patiently." Yi Zhonghai said coldly in a low voice, though he was also anxious, he could only pretend to be calm.

Jia Dongxu stood to the side, his face ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, radiating suppressed anger, yet he could only grit his teeth and bear it.

Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong exchanged a glance, both filled with doubt. According to the timeline, Qin Huairu should have called for help long ago as planned, but there was still no movement. Things had clearly deviated from their expectations.