Courtyard House: The Thief System of All Realms

As dawn broke, activity gradually began to stir in the courtyard of the siheyuan (traditional courtyard house). Families opened their doors one after another and busied themselves. Just as Jia Zhangshi pulled Jia Dongxu out of the house, intending to buy some food at the alley entrance, a noisy sound of cart wheels rolling on the ground came from outside the courtyard gate, mixed with the loud shouts of the workers. Several carts loaded with goods went straight into the siheyuan.

The mother and son, always eager to join in the fun, quickly squeezed through the crowd, eager to see who had acquired such a large item. But as soon as they reached the front of the crowd and saw the scene in the center of the courtyard, they froze on the spot, their casual demeanor vanishing, replaced by shock and astonishment, unable to recover for a long time.

Qin Huairu stood in the middle of the courtyard, dressed in a neat dark dress, her hair neatly combed without a speck of mess, calmly directing the workers to unload goods. Several workers carefully lifted a glossy black sewing machine, its paint shining without a scratch, clearly a brand new item just picked up from the department store; next to it was a women's Flying Pigeon bicycle, the red ribbon on the handlebars still attached, the smooth rims clearly reflecting her image, making it particularly eye-catching in the courtyard.

In addition, the remaining carts were piled high with brand-new cotton quilts, solid wood wardrobes, and sets of tables and chairs. The items were sturdy and brand new, taking up almost half of the yard. It was clear that a lot of money and a lot of ration coupons had been spent to acquire them.

The neighbors in the courtyard were also attracted by this spectacle, and they all gathered around to watch the excitement. Looking at the courtyard full of brand-new items, everyone looked envious, and their discussions rose and fell.

An elderly man named Yi Zhonghai squeezed to the front of the crowd, frowning as he watched Qin Huairu's extravagant spending. He stepped forward and spoke, his tone full of disapproval: "Qin Huairu, why are you buying so many things all at once? Life should be lived frugally. How can you expect to have a peaceful life after all this extravagance?"

"Uncle, I'm not being extravagant." Qin Huairu turned to look at Yi Zhonghai, her tone calm but full of confidence, and replied with a smile, "Now that I live alone, these furniture and daily necessities are all necessities. I can't keep making do, so I might as well get them all at once, so it will save me trouble in the future."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to brush away the stray hairs that had fallen to her temples, and gently lifted her wrist, revealing a brand-new Shanghai brand watch. The silver dial shimmered in the morning light, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Uncle Liu Haizhong's eyes widened in disbelief as he pointed at the watch, exclaiming, "A Shanghai brand watch! You actually own a watch?"

It's worth noting that Yi Zhonghai was the only one in the entire courtyard who owned a slightly worn watch, which he treasured dearly. Yet Qin Huairu, a divorced woman, was wearing a brand-new Shanghai watch. This display of wealth was truly astonishing.

A murmur of sour grapes immediately rose from the crowd. A neighbor shouted, his voice laced with undisguised envy, "Is Huai Ru really going to ruin her good life? She might as well get a radio too, and have all three!"

No sooner had these words been spoken than Yan Jiefang, standing nearby, suddenly pointed to the last cart and exclaimed in surprise, "My God! There really is a radio! It's a Diamond brand!"

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw workers carrying wooden crates with the word "radio" printed on them, unloading them. A collective gasp filled the yard, and the crowd erupted in chaos.

"Three turns and one sound! We actually managed to collect them all!"

"Even weddings in our neighborhood don't have such a grand spectacle!"

"Where did Qin Huairu get such great abilities? Where did she get the ration coupons and money?"

Standing in the crowd, Jia Dongxu stared at the four brand-new pieces of furniture, his eyes burning with envy, his whole body trembling. He could no longer contain himself, and suddenly rushed forward, pointing at Qin Huairu and demanding, "Qin Huairu! You explain yourself! Where did all these things come from? So many industrial coupons and purchase coupons—where did you, a woman, gather them all?"

Madam Jia Zhang also came to her senses and immediately squeezed next to Jia Dongxu, hands on her hips, shouting in a shrill voice, her tone full of resentment and accusation: "That's right! It must have been you who secretly hid money and embezzled a lot of good stuff when you were in the Jia family! Otherwise, how would you have been able to acquire all this?"

Faced with the two men's aggressive questioning, Qin Huairu didn't even raise her eyelids, completely ignoring them and turning her head to continue directing the workers to move items into the side room, utterly too lazy to pay attention to their unreasonable behavior.

This blatant disregard ignited Jia Zhangshi's fury. She immediately flew into a rage, cursing and lunging at Qin Huairu, reaching out to tear at her hair: "You heartless wretch, how dare you ignore me! I'll teach you a lesson today!"

Qin Huairu was prepared. She moved her feet lightly and took a half step back, easily dodging Jia Zhangshi's tearing motion. Her face instantly turned cold.

"Jia Zhangshi, this is my last warning to you. Don't cause trouble or make a scene here." Qin Huairu stared at her coldly, her tone full of intimidation. "This is a public compound, not a place for you to throw a tantrum. If you dare to touch me again, I will immediately call the comrades from the joint defense office to deal with you according to the regulations."

Startled by her gaze, Jia Zhangshi instinctively stopped in her tracks. However, emboldened by the large number of onlookers, she quickly regained her courage and shouted defiantly, "Go ahead! Do you think I'm afraid of you? Today I'm going to teach you a lesson, you ungrateful wretch, and see who dares to stop me!"

Qin Huairu didn't waste any more words with her. She gave her a cold glance, turned around, and walked straight out of the courtyard without any hesitation.

Seeing Qin Huairu actually leave, Jia Zhangshi's arrogance vanished instantly, replaced by panic. She grabbed Jia Dongxu's arm, her voice trembling as she muttered, "Dongxu, she...she wouldn't have really gone to the joint defense office, would she?"

Jia Dongxu's earlier arrogance vanished, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hands and feet felt chilly. He stammered, "I... how was I supposed to know... she actually dared to go?"

Just as the two were in a panic, a leisurely voice came from the side. Sun Jingyuan leaned against the wall, watching the mother and son's flustered appearance, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he said, "It's just the joint defense office doing its job. You haven't done anything wrong, why are you in such a panic?"

"Sun Jingyuan, this is none of your business, stop making sarcastic remarks!" Jia Dongxu, with nowhere to vent his anger, turned around and glared fiercely at Sun Jingyuan, shouting sternly.

Sun Jingyuan shrugged indifferently, ignoring him, and took out cigarettes and matches from his pocket, lit them, and slowly began to smoke. Sure enough, as soon as the smoke dissipated, Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, came over with a smile and stood aside waiting to be offered a cigarette. The two of them silently observed the movements in the courtyard.

Not long after, two brisk figures entered the courtyard. They were the comrades from the joint defense office responsible for this area, familiar faces who had come earlier to handle property ownership matters. As soon as they entered the courtyard, their eyes swept around, and they asked sternly with stern faces, "Who is Jia Zhangshi? Step forward and cooperate with us to verify the situation."

"It's...it's me..." Jia Zhangshi's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she slowly moved out from behind the crowd.

"Someone reported you for openly causing trouble in the compound and even physically threatening the personal safety of others. Is this true?" The comrade from the joint defense office stared at her sharply and asked in a serious tone.

"I didn't! I just had a few words with her, I didn't threaten her at all!" Madam Jia hurriedly waved her hands, denying it outright, but her eyes darted around, not daring to look directly at the other person.

"You dare to yell and assault people in front of the entire neighborhood? And you still want to deny it?" The joint defense office officer shouted sternly, and the surrounding neighbors nodded in agreement.

Terrified, Jia Zhangshi's mind went blank. In her panic, she lay down on the ground, slapping her thigh and wailing, "Old Jia! Open your eyes and see! My daughter and I have been bullied to the core! Come and uphold justice!"

The moment these words promoting feudal superstition were uttered, the entire courtyard fell silent. Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong's expressions changed drastically, and they instinctively took a few steps back, fearing they would be implicated. In those days, feudal superstition was strictly prohibited; to even touch upon it was a real offense.

"Openly promoting feudal superstition is making matters worse. Come with us to the Joint Defense Office for processing!" The officer from the Joint Defense Office's face darkened completely. He stepped forward, grabbed Jia Zhangshi's arm, and restrained her.

"I won't go! Dongxu, save me!" Jia Zhangshi struggled desperately, crying and begging Jia Dongxu for help.

Jia Dongxu kept his head down, trembling all over, and didn't dare to utter a single word of pleading. Yi Zhonghai also turned his head away, watching coldly from the sidelines, not daring to get involved. Soon, Jia Zhangshi was escorted away from the courtyard by the joint defense office comrades, crying and sobbing.

With the crisis averted, Qin Huairu returned to the courtyard and continued directing the workers to finish up the remaining fixtures. Seeing her composed demeanor, Jia Dongxu was consumed by rage. He stepped forward and growled menacingly, "Qin Huairu, find a way to release my mother right now, or I'll make you pay!"

Qin Huairu stopped and turned around, looking at him coldly, completely unmoved by his threat. Jia Dongxu was thoroughly enraged by her indifference. His anger clouded his judgment, and he clenched his fist and suddenly raised it, actually intending to swing it at Qin Huairu's face.

Qin Huairu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and her aura instantly became sharp. She raised her eyes and stared intently at Jia Dongxu, sternly rebuking him word by word: "Have you forgotten? I clearly told you last time that I am from the Women's Federation of the Steel Rolling Mill! Today you publicly provoked me and attempted to hurt me. This is the second warning. I'm telling you now—there will be no third time!"

Her voice was clear and powerful, echoing throughout the entire courtyard. All the neighbors present could hear it clearly. Jia Dongxu's raised fist froze in mid-air, his anger instantly extinguished by fear, and his face turned ashen.

In that tense moment, Banggeng suddenly rushed out from behind Jia Dongxu, crying and screaming while waving his little fists at Qin Huairu: "Bad woman! You kidnapped my grandma, I'll beat you to death!"

Qin Huairu didn't move her eyebrows, but her reaction was extremely fast. She raised her hand and delivered a slap that was neither too light nor too heavy, but extremely intimidating, knocking the unruly man, Banggeng, to the ground.

The entire room erupted in uproar. Jia Dongxu's eyes turned red with rage, and he roared as he was about to rush forward to fight. However, Qin Huairu remained calm and composed, raising her hand to reveal the exclusive badge for women's federation staff on her lapel. The badge was clearly marked and was a certificate issued uniformly by the factory, with no trace of forgery.

Jia Dongxu froze on the spot, staring at the badge, not daring to move an inch. He knew better than anyone that the steel mill job was the family's only livelihood. If their employment was revoked, he and Jia Zhangshi would be left with nothing but the northwest wind, with absolutely no way to survive.

"I've never liked arguing with people, but I'm definitely not someone to be trifled with." Qin Huairu coldly glanced at the stubborn boy on the ground who dared not cry anymore, then looked at Jia Dongxu, her tone icy and resolute, "This matter ends here today. If you dare to cause trouble or act recklessly again in the future, I will not give you any leniency and will deal with things according to the rules."

After saying that, Qin Huairu stopped looking at Jia Dongxu's livid and twisted face, and ignored the gossip and stares of the neighbors around her. She turned around and went straight into her side room, closing the door behind her and shutting out all the disturbances.

Jia Dongxu stood there, his clenched fists clenching and unclenching, his heart filled with a mixture of resentment, jealousy, and fear, yet he dared not lash out. The stares of the surrounding neighbors, some watching the spectacle, others gossiping, made him feel utterly ashamed. He could only angrily flick his sleeve, grab the stick from the ground, and slink back to the Jia family home, locking the door tightly behind him, never daring to show his face again.

Qin Huairu entered the side room, where brand-new three-turn-one-sound equipment was neatly arranged, solid wood furniture was clean and tidy, and all kinds of daily necessities were readily available.