Courtyard House: The Frog Boy Brings Back a Genetic Potion at the Start

Now that she has lost her means of retirement, it's practically taken away half of Jia Zhangshi's life.

Xu Damao sneered from the side: "Oh, I thought it was something serious! Stealing your things? Aunt Jia, you're really joking."

"Your Jia family is so poor you can't even afford to eat, what treasures are worth stealing?"

Yan Jiecheng immediately chimed in, "It's just an old bundle, how much is it worth? What's all the fuss about during the New Year? You're getting on in years, can't you be a little more composed?"

Yan Bugui then strolled out and glared at Ji Zi: "You can't say that. What if it's something Old Jia left behind?"

Hao Jianguo munched on sunflower seeds while listening to the conversation, secretly amused—how interesting would their expressions be if they knew that what Jia Zhangshi had lost was worth at least a thousand yuan?

"Judging from Aunt Jia's demeanor, she doesn't seem to be faking it. Since she's really been robbed, why don't we just call the police?"

Hao Jianguo made the suggestion while spitting out sunflower seed shells.

Once the police are called, the Jia family's true colors will be exposed.

But Jia Zhangshi didn't think that far ahead. When she heard this, she just thought it made sense. Only the police could find her manhood.

"Yes, yes, yes! Call the police, call them now!"

Most people in the courtyard didn't take her commotion seriously.

It's just a lost package, is it really worth getting the police involved on the first day of the Lunar New Year? It's just causing trouble.

They're just making trouble out of nothing.

In an instant, the dissatisfaction with the Jia family in the courtyard increased even more.

The police arrived shortly afterward, and their brows furrowed when they saw it was the same courtyard house again.

There's so much going on in this courtyard.

"What's missing?"

The police officer took out his notebook to take notes.

Madam Jia quickly gestured: "Such a big blue cloth bundle!"

"What's inside?"

When the police pressed her for details and learned it was just an ordinary bundle, they already felt the old woman was making a fuss over nothing.

"Yes……"

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Jia suddenly choked.

Chapter 83 The richest woman in the courtyard is actually Jia Zhangshi

Jia Zhangshi glanced around at the neighbors watching the commotion in the courtyard, and suddenly realized—the contents of the bundle must never be made public!

Otherwise, wouldn't her carefully constructed image of poverty that she's maintained in the courtyard for so many years collapse instantly?

She stammered, her lips moving for a long time, but she couldn't utter a single word.

After waiting for a while without a response, the police officer's patience wore thin: "Tell me then, what valuable item was lost?"

But he thought to himself: "I called the police, but they won't tell me the details. Isn't this just making things difficult for me?"

At this moment, Jia Zhangshi calmed down.

"Officer...why don't we go inside and talk? There are too many people here."

These words immediately sparked a wave of discontent.

"Aunt Jia, what are you whispering about inside? Is there something you're hiding?"

"Exactly, what can't be revealed in front of the police?"

Xu Damao and a few others took the lead in making trouble.

In the past, it was always the Jia family that was treated like thieves and guarded against, but now this Jia Zhangshi is guarding against everyone in the courtyard, which is really unpleasant.

Hao Jianguo continued cracking sunflower seeds and casually interjected, "Aunt Jia, everyone means well. We all live in the same courtyard. If you tell us, we can help you look for her."

What's the point of hiding it?

"Even now you still won't tell us? Do you not trust us?"

Hao Jianguo's words drew nods of agreement from everyone, and several pairs of eyes in the courtyard fell on the Jia family, their impatience growing stronger.

Everyone whispered among themselves, but their hearts were all restless—what important thing had the Jia family lost? The old lady was so anxious, yet she kept her mouth shut like a clam shell.

The policeman, growing impatient, tapped his knuckles twice on the edge of the table: "Just tell me already, what's missing? Why are you making things up with this old lady? Who has time to waste here?"

He lowered his voice, "If you keep hesitating, we might really have to call it a day."

During the holidays, nobody wants to waste time with you guys.

That last, emphasized sentence hit her like a stone, and Jia Zhangshi shrank back, finally deflated.

The money in that bundle was her lifeline; who else could she rely on but the police? She opened her mouth several times before finally managing to squeeze out a sound:

"It's...it's money!"

Those two short words seemed to drain most of her strength.

Actually, the neighbors had already guessed it—besides money, what else could make this old woman so panicked? But then they thought, the Jia family always complained about being poor, how much could they possibly have saved? At most, three or five dollars.

"Oh, so it's only a few dollars after all that?"

Someone scoffed, "Aunt Jia, you're being too serious. When your Jia family was at its peak, you didn't care about such trivial matters."

"It's freezing cold, and you're just wasting everyone's time."

A buzz of discussion arose, and the crowd began to loosen up.

The police officer pressed further, referring to the notes: "How much exactly?"

He was also wondering to himself: If an ordinary person lost money, wouldn't they rush to explain the whole story? But this old lady was acting all coy like a young woman getting into a sedan chair.

Her face was flushed red; was it because the amount was too small and she was too embarrassed to speak up?

This misunderstanding wasn't limited to the police; even the onlookers in the courtyard thought the same thing.

Liu Guangfu yelled at the top of his lungs, "I think she's just embarrassed! It must only be two or three yuan, otherwise she would have shouted it out already!"

"Let the government official go home and rest. Is it really worth making such a fuss over a few cents?"

A barrage of questions rained down on her, and Jia Zhangshi's face turned pale and then flushed.

Qin Huairu, standing nearby, was also stunned—she, as the daughter-in-law, had never known how much money her mother-in-law had hidden away.

But judging from the mother-in-law's appearance, it's probably... not a small amount.

"Sister-in-law, the police are waiting."

Liu Haizhong urged him on, his hands behind his back.

Yi Zhonghai nodded in agreement: "Since a case has been reported, there has to be an explanation."

Tell me, how much was lost?

Xu Damao squinted and scanned left and right, his gaze lingering on Jia Zhangshi for a moment before turning to Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Wait a minute! We've probably all misunderstood—could that bundle be stuffed full of money? Otherwise, why would Aunt Jia be so evasive? Everyone knows she always cries poverty."

That really hit the nail on the head.

He Yuzhu and his sister immediately got angry. He Yushui spoke first and scolded, "Xu Damao, stop spouting nonsense! Open your eyes and see how difficult things are for the Jia family. Where would they get spare money? I bet that bundle is something left behind by Old Master Jia."

She turned her head and softened her tone to comfort her: "Grandma Zhang, if you have any difficulties, just tell us. The police officers are here and can always help you."

If you don't explain it clearly, how can they help you find it?

Jia Zhangshi choked up, her lips trembled, but she still couldn't utter a complete sentence.

Her heart was pounding like oil: if people knew about her family's financial situation, how could she continue to play the victim and try to get something for nothing? But if she didn't tell them, the money would be wasted, and the Jia family would truly be destitute.

Torn between the two forces, she stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

Several police officers frowned; such a hesitant owner was truly rare.

One of them bluntly said, "If you delay any longer, we're leaving."

I must also remind you that even if someone finds the money in the future, they will not be able to return it to you.

"You can't even describe the amount or characteristics, how can you prove it's your property?"

This warning made Jia Dongxu so anxious he stamped his feet: "Mom! What are you hesitating for? Money is the most important thing, we can talk about everything else later, okay?"

Jia Zhangshi was so swayed by his urging that she looked around—the neighbors were all craning their necks to stare at her, and the police officers were also watching her intently.

Under the intense gaze of countless eyes, she finally slowly raised her right hand, making a "six" shape with her fingers.

The gesture.

"Six pieces?"

Yan Jiecheng blurted out, "That's not much."

Madam Jia shook her head.

"sixty?"

Liu Haizhong tentatively responded.

This number made the police officers look slightly more serious.

But Jia Zhangshi shook her head and denied it again, and the crowd immediately erupted in uproar.

"Could it be... six hundred?"

As Yi Zhonghai murmured the number, a surge of anger rose in his heart—in the past, Jia Zhangshi had always complained of being poor, and had borrowed quite a lot of money from him.

Who would have thought that this family, which was considered the poorest in the courtyard, actually had such a substantial fortune!

What a melodramatic show that's been going on for years!

Not only Yi Zhonghai, but the entire neighborhood was astonished.

A torrent of accusations immediately followed:

"You, Jia Zhangshi! You always complained that you couldn't even afford to eat, but is this how you spell 'poor'?"

"Six hundred yuan! Our family might not even earn that much in half a lifetime, and you still have the nerve to complain about being poor every day? A few days ago, you even asked everyone to chip in for money for your grandson's medical treatment? Bah! You're shameless!"

"Have you lost your conscience? Your own coffers are overflowing, yet you expect us to open our own pockets? You've fooled us all these years!"

The spittle nearly engulfed the Jia family.

Everyone suddenly realized—just as someone had pointed out earlier, this family was probably the main characters on stage, and all their previous misery was actually a carefully rehearsed performance.

Hao Jianguo leaned to one side, his face showing undisguised amusement, his gaze lingering on He Yushui's face.

Seeing He Yushui's appearance, the sneer on his lips deepened.

He Yushui's eyes widened, almost bulging out of their sockets, so disbelief left her frozen in place, unable to utter a single word.

"He Yushui, what did I just say? The Jia family has a solid foundation, but you just wouldn't believe me and even made that kind of poisonous oath to guarantee their safety? Ha, if you ask me, your brain must be filled with mush."

Their family is so wealthy, why should you be the one donating money? You're so generous, but have they even given you a shred of kindness?

"Now look what's happened. I think you'll have a really hard time finding a husband in the future. You're really... utterly foolish."

Hao Jianguo's words were like needles piercing her skin, making He Yushui tremble all over.

She clearly remembered her resolute demeanor earlier, even swearing an oath about her life's most important matter.

But the result?

He Yushui felt a lump in her throat, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.

The Jia family's actions were truly disheartening for her.

What made her even more uneasy was what she would do if that vow came true.

Several police officers were also taken aback by the number.

In this day and age, the disappearance of more than 600 yuan is definitely a major case.

However, listening to the chatter around them, the police officers felt no sympathy for Jia Zhangshi's family; instead, they felt that they had brought it upon themselves.

Of course, given their status, it's inconvenient to say this outright.

"Besides the six hundred yuan, was there anything else in the bundle?"

Having revealed her biggest trump card, Jia Zhangshi no longer concealed anything.

She hung her head, her voice muffled: "There's... a gold ring, and a silver bracelet..."

She explained in fits and starts.

The surrounding area immediately erupted in chaos again.

"Good heavens! All these things together must be worth at least a thousand yuan, right? Isn't this obviously the wealthiest family in our compound?"

Xu Damao immediately shouted, his eyes filled with disdain as he looked at Jia Zhangshi.

Aunt Er and Aunt San looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The Jia family, you're really something! You've got so much money hidden away. You even asked us for Bang Geng's hospital bills, and now you're trying to steal Sha Zhu's money? So your money is real money, and ours just falls from the sky?"

The two women couldn't help but recall the time when Qin Huairu went to Sha Zhu's house to borrow money.

They already had some reservations about Qin Huairu, and now with this latest incident, in their eyes, the Jia family was utterly heartless.

Little did they know that Qin Huairu was no less astonished than they were.

She, the daughter-in-law who married into the Jia family, had no idea that the family had such savings.

Liu Haizhong was even more furious when he recalled what happened on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

"This is a serious problem with your morals! So you guys are really that generous. No wonder you complained that one or two yuan wasn't enough when you were asking for New Year's money. You must have seen a lot in the world."

Liu Haizhong immediately escalated the issue.

Now, the Jia family became the target of everyone's hatred and disgust. Every gaze was like a knife, and one harsh word after another was thrown at them.

Not only were they criticized, but He Yushui, who had previously raised funds for the Jia family, and Yi Zhonghai and others who had helped the Jia family in the past were also pushed into the spotlight and criticized by the public.

Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu, and the deaf old lady were all struck dumb, as they had never expected this situation to unfold.

Especially the deaf old lady, whose hand holding the cane was trembling uncontrollably, all because of her anger.

When the old lady got angry, she didn't care about anything else and swung her cane, hitting Jia Zhangshi hard.

"You little brat, you dare to fool even an old woman like me? Are you even human?"

The deaf old lady was so angry that her chest hurt.

In the past, in order to help the Jia family, she often said things against her conscience, which even damaged her prestige in the courtyard.

But the result?