Courtyard House: The Thief System of All Realms

Sun Jingyuan stood there without saying a word, while Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong looked smug. They exchanged a glance, both seeing the certainty of victory in each other's eyes.

If it weren't for the need to maintain the dignity of the elders in the courtyard, they would have loved to show their joy on the spot, just waiting to see Sun Jingyuan's embarrassed and humiliated appearance.

Hiding behind the crowd, Jia Zhangshi felt an undisguised sense of pleasure welling up inside her. She stared intently at Sun Jingyuan, thinking to herself: "Serves you right for being so arrogant and domineering, never taking us elders seriously. You've finally messed things up! I'll see how you clean up this mess!"

"Sir, I gave my consent to have this door installed."

A clear female voice suddenly rang out, breaking the stalemate. Qin Huairu walked slowly out of the side room, her posture upright and her eyes calm, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

"You slut, how dare you interrupt? What makes you think you can agree? Old man Zhao has long since disappeared, this house has nothing to do with you, what are you going to use..." Jia Zhangshi immediately started yelling angrily, but she only got halfway through her sentence before it was as if someone had grabbed her throat out of thin air, and the rest of her words were stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word.

The reason was that Qin Huairu was holding a stack of documents stamped with a bright red official seal, and the top one was the official deed for the two side rooms.

Although Jia Zhangshi was illiterate, she recognized the glaring bright red official seal on the document; it was the official seal of the street office, and there was no way to fake it.

Yi Zhonghai rushed forward, his eyes wide as he stared at the property deed, his face filled with disbelief, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Qin Huairu, this house... it really belongs to you?"

"That's right, these two side rooms are now my private property." Qin Huairu raised her eyebrows slightly, her tone calm but exuding an undeniable confidence. "Sun Jingyuan consulted me beforehand and obtained my personal consent before installing this moon gate."

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Jia Dongxu trembled with excitement, his voice sharp and piercing as he stared intently at Qin Huairu in front of him.

The woman before him was well-dressed and had a rosy complexion. Her entire demeanor had changed. He couldn't believe that this was the ex-wife he had shared a bed with for seven years and whom he had abused at will.

Liu Haizhong took a step forward, his face so dark it could drip water, his tone laced with interrogation: "Qin Huairu, you better explain yourself clearly, how exactly did you get this house? Did you do something shady?"

"Second Uncle, my private affairs are none of your business." Qin Huairu's smile faded, and her tone became blunt and sharp, instantly leaving Liu Haizhong speechless. "If you're really worried and want to report me, I won't stop you. These are the property ownership certificates issued by the street office, as well as the gift registration documents from the original owner, Zhao Xian. They're all here and can be checked at any time."

As she spoke, she laid out the documents in her hand in a row, displaying them to everyone. Uncle Yan Bugui quickly stepped forward, adjusted his glasses, and carefully checked each word and sentence, going over them several times. Finally, he slowly nodded to Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, confirming the authenticity of the documents.

Once she recovered, Madam Jia immediately started screaming like a madwoman: "I know! You must have been secretly hiding money from the Jia family! You've been lining your own pockets all these years!"

"Secret stash of money? How dare you even mention that?" Qin Huairu sneered, her eyes filled with disdain. "You only give me ten yuan a month. How am I supposed to support your entire Jia family of three? We rely on that little bit of money for everything, from firewood to oil and salt. When we're out of food, I have to shamelessly go back to my parents' house to borrow. Tell me, where am I supposed to save up to buy a house?"

These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the surrounding neighbors, who pointed and whispered about Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Dongxu's face flushed red under the stares of the crowd, but he still stubbornly retorted, "Qin Huairu, we've been husband and wife, you have to explain where this money came from today! Otherwise, I'll have the joint defense office investigate you right now!"

Qin Huairu didn't even bother to glance at him, turning directly to the construction team beside her, and said crisply, "Sun Jingyuan, let the workers start work. Don't pay any attention to these irrelevant people."

Lei Aniu was already waiting to start construction. Upon receiving the order, he immediately led the workers, picked up their tools, and went forward to measure the dimensions, preparing for construction.

He had no suspicion about the inconspicuous little door next to the moon gate. Director Wang of the neighborhood office had specifically mentioned earlier that the house was only registered under Qin Huairu's name and actually belonged to Sun Jingyuan. He assumed that the owner had left such a hidden location for convenience.

"Qin Huairu, how dare you ignore me! I'm going to call the joint defense office right now!" Seeing that he was completely ignored, Jia Dongxu's face instantly turned ferocious and twisted, his anger having nowhere to go.

If Qin Huairu argued and quarreled with him, he would feel more at ease, but her completely indifferent attitude made him feel like he had punched cotton, making him feel suffocated and extremely uncomfortable.

Qin Huairu ignored him completely, turned around and went straight into the side room, closing the door behind her and completely shutting out the farce in the Jia family.

"Fine! Qin Huairu, you just wait!" Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth and threw down a harsh remark before turning around and running out in a fit of rage, determined to call the joint defense office.

Yi Zhonghai and the other two did not stop her. They were also full of doubts. They really couldn't understand how Qin Huairu, a woman who had just divorced, suddenly had her own house and her clothes and appearance had completely changed, making her a completely different person from before.

Not long after, Jia Dongxu returned with staff from the joint defense office. As soon as he entered, he shouted that he wanted to rush into the side room, but Qin Huairu stopped him at the door.

"Comrade, this is a private residence. I have the right to refuse entry to unauthorized personnel." Qin Huairu looked at the staff member of the joint defense office, her tone calm and her attitude firm.

Yi Zhonghai, fanning the flames from the side, said, "Comrade, you really need to investigate this thoroughly. A woman suddenly buying a house—the source of the money is definitely unclear. We need to go in and verify this to prove her innocence!"

Qin Huairu was silent for a moment, just about to speak, when Sun Jingyuan, who was lying on the recliner next to her, suddenly spoke slowly: "Qin Huairu, the comrades from the Joint Defense Office are present and can verify all the matters clearly. There is no need to involve irrelevant people."

"That's right, we are responsible for verifying the situation and can prove Comrade Qin Huairu's innocence. No one else needs to interfere." The staff member from the Joint Defense Office immediately echoed.

Yi Zhonghai and the other two froze on the spot, their smugness vanishing instantly. They all turned to look at Sun Jingyuan, their eyes filled with resentment, and immediately began to complain all at once.

"Sun Jingyuan, you're just being nosy!"

"We're all elders in the community, and we're doing this for Qin Huairu's own good!"

Sun Jingyuan shrugged indifferently, ignoring their accusations, and turned back to his residence, too lazy to waste words on these people.

"Why don't you three gentlemen come inside?" Qin Huairu spoke up at the right moment, breaking the awkward silence. "After all, we live in the same courtyard, so we don't want any misunderstandings or gossip to spread later."

"Huai Ru is so sensible, unlike some young people who have no respect for their elders at all." Yi Zhonghai immediately took the opportunity to speak veiledly before following him into the side room.

After everyone entered the room and sat down, Qin Huairu calmly explained the situation in a calm and even tone: "I have a formal job at the steel rolling mill. I borrowed a total of one thousand yuan from Sun Jingyuan, Wang Wenbin, the canteen director, and Li Hongmei from the personnel department, using my monthly salary as collateral. We agreed to repay the loan in installments over five years, with each month's payment being twenty yuan."

"A thousand yuan?" Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai gasped, slapping his thigh in shock. "Qin Huairu, are you out of your mind? Such a huge debt, you'll never be able to pay it off in your lifetime!"

Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong were also quite shocked. They exchanged a glance, both seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes. A thousand yuan was no small sum in those days; an ordinary family might not be able to save that much money even if they scrimped and saved their whole lives.

"I used to be able to support my whole family on just ten yuan a month, but now I only have seven and a half yuan left for living expenses, which is more than enough to support myself." Qin Huairu's eyebrows relaxed, and her tone was more relaxed than ever before. Now that she has a house and a job, her life is a hundred times better than before.

"You're a young woman, burdened with such heavy debt, how will you ever get married? Who would dare to come and propose marriage?" Yi Zhonghai persisted in his relentless persuasion.

"I have no intention of ever getting married again in this lifetime." Qin Huairu said firmly, without the slightest hesitation. "I've had enough of the torment I endured during my seven years of marriage to Jia Dongxu. It's enough to make me feel disgusted for the rest of my life. From now on, I'll focus on working to pay off my debts and saving money for my retirement. That's better than anything else."

Liu Haizhong immediately pressed on, "What about Bang Geng? He's your own son, aren't you going to care about him either?"

"His surname is Jia, and his household registration was transferred to Jia Dongxu's name a long time ago. He has nothing to do with me anymore." Qin Huairu's eyes turned cold when she mentioned the boy. The child's harsh insults had already chilled her heart. "I don't need to worry about his future, and I won't care anymore."

Yi Zhonghai wanted to continue persuading her, but Qin Huairu interrupted him, turning to the comrade from the joint defense office: "Comrade, I've explained everything clearly, there shouldn't be any problem, right?"

"No problem, everything is compliant and legal." After verifying all the documents, the staff member smiled, nodded, and got up to leave the courtyard.

In less than half a day, the news that Qin Huairu had incurred a huge debt of one thousand yuan to buy a house spread throughout the entire courtyard.

The man who had harbored ulterior motives towards Qin Huairu instantly abandoned all such thoughts. No one dared to touch such a heavy debt; even the most active matchmaker stopped visiting. Qin Huairu, on the other hand, was able to enjoy peace and quiet, completely undisturbed.

Working until evening, Lei Aniu and his construction team finished the job. Not only were heavy and sturdy double doors made of solid wood installed at the moon gate, but the hidden door that the two had agreed on was also made perfectly, so that it could not be found without careful inspection. The inside and outside were cleaned up spotlessly.

After Sun Jingyuan settled the final payment and saw the construction team off, the courtyard gradually returned to peace. Yi Zhonghai and the others, having been humiliated, dared not cause trouble again. Qin Huairu also settled down in the new house, completely away from the troubles in the courtyard.

By late that night, the entire courtyard was completely silent, even the usually noisiest Jia family was quiet, and everyone in the courtyard was fast asleep.

After confirming that the doors and windows were locked and there was no movement around, Sun Jingyuan immediately sat cross-legged and entered the Myriad Realms Thief Space with a thought.

The safe zone shrouded in white light remained secure, and the space was still full of planting and livestock supplies. Without any delay, Sun Jingyuan took out his standard hunting rifle and fully loaded magazine with a slight thought. After carefully checking the condition of the weapon and confirming that the ammunition was sufficient, he gripped the rifle and slowly walked towards the secret forest.

This time, instead of probing and observing from the outside, he used the heightened senses enhanced by the Body Tempering Pill to follow the tracks of the beasts he had previously noted and steadily made his way into the depths of the forest.

The forest was shrouded in mist, with ancient trees reaching for the sky. The decaying leaves underfoot were thick and soft. He kept his body low to the ground and held his breath the whole time, taking each step cautiously and paying attention to the slightest movement around him. He wanted to test his enhanced strength and also planned to hunt a ferocious beast to replenish his spatial resources.

After venturing nearly two hundred meters deeper into the forest, the fishy and pungent smell in the air suddenly became strong and irritating. The sound of branches and leaves rustling came from the forest. A huge adult wild boar with protruding tusks was foraging for food by rooting around in the decaying leaves. Its body was robust and its fur was coarse and stiff, making it a very striking sight.

Sun Jingyuan stopped abruptly, quickly hiding behind a thick, ancient tree. He steadily raised his rifle, aiming at the wild boar's vital parts. Holding his breath, he slowly pulled the trigger. A muffled gunshot suddenly shattered the silence of the forest, the bullet hitting the wild boar precisely in the body.

The injured wild boar went berserk instantly, letting out a furious growl in pain. It stomped its four hooves hard on the ground, lowered its head, and bared its sharp tusks. It turned around and charged at an extremely fast speed toward the location where Sun Jingyuan was hiding. The ground trembled slightly as it charged forward with ferocious momentum.

Sun Jingyuan was shocked by the wild boar's explosive power after being injured. Without thinking, he used his increased reaction speed and strength after body tempering to roll to the side and narrowly avoid the collision.

The wild boar galloped past him, brushing against his clothes, and crashed hard into the ancient tree behind him. The trunk shook violently, and branches and leaves fell in a flurry. If he had been even a moment slower in his reaction, he would have been pierced by the sharp tusks and seriously injured by the massive body.

Still shaken, Sun Jingyuan quickly got up, not daring to be careless in the slightest. He immediately raised his gun again, aimed, and fired a precise follow-up shot, completely ending the wild boar's struggle.

He leaned against the tree trunk, panting heavily. His back was covered in a cold sweat. The scene just now was extremely dangerous, and he could have been seriously injured if he had been careless.

Looking at the wild boar carcass on the ground, Sun Jingyuan's emotions gradually calmed down, but he also became secretly vigilant. Even with his enhanced physique and firearms at his disposal, this secret forest still harbored deadly dangers. He had acted too hastily just now, and if he hadn't been careful enough, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

From now on, when venturing into the forest for exploration or hunting, we must be even more cautious and careful, proceeding step by step, and never harbor any侥幸 (a sense of luck or chance).

He composed himself, stored the wild boar carcass in his spatial storage area, and did not continue to explore. He immediately returned along the route he remembered, safely retreating back to the white light safety zone.

After tidying up his weapons and confirming that he was unharmed, Sun Jingyuan withdrew from the Thief Space and returned to the house. Only after completely calming down did he rest quietly.