Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

"Tsk, half a pack of cigarettes? Look at you, so stingy. Aren't I here to help you get revenge today?"

"I never said you couldn't smoke! I'll hand out the cigarettes; these are from home..."

"Hey, it doesn't matter who takes it, there are only a few of us, why should we divide it up?"

Qiangzi chimed in, then reached out and took one from Cai Quanwu's hand. Cai Quanwu then offered it to Niu Ye and Pian'er Ye.

The cigarette pack dented immediately, which broke Fan Jinyou's heart.

"Cai Quanwu... You can smoke the cigarettes, but you have to keep the box, don't throw it away, I need to take it home!"

"Oh? Did you steal this from your house? You're really going all out!"

"What do you mean by 'steal'? That's awful! Can't I even take something from my own property?"

……

In Niu Ye's left ear was the lecturing mutterings of Pian Er Ye, and in his right ear was the commotion of three young men arguing.

He had a bad feeling; this team today... didn't seem very united!

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he saw four people coming out of the courtyard.

"You gentlemen are here today to see me because..."

He Daqing was puzzled, but his tone was quite polite. Uncle Niu cleared his throat.

"Master He, I thought you were a man of principle, so why are you taking revenge in private? I remember saying that if you're not satisfied, come to the tavern at the front gate and we'll have a fair and square match..."

"Give me a break, 'upright and honorable'? Last time you all beat up my son and me, how was that upright and honorable? What do you mean, you're here to cause trouble again today?"

Before Niu Ye could finish speaking, He Yuzhu interrupted him with a look of disdain.

This made Old Niu so angry that his noodles trembled. Old Pian'er was right; the people in this courtyard had no respect for elders.

When I was talking to He Daqing, was it his place to interrupt as a junior?

No manners!

Niu Ye cursed inwardly, but on the surface he was too lazy to pay attention to He Yuzhu and disdain to argue with him. He simply pulled Fan Jinyou forward.

"He Daqing, I'm just asking you, did you beat up this young man from the front gate?"

"Huh? My pillar isn't wrong, is he? You lot really came here to cause trouble today? And you even brought this kid to put on an act? I don't even know who he is, why would I hit him?"

Fan Jinyou pointed at He Daqing and stood up to refute him.

"Uncle Niu, it's him. He's putting on an act. He was so arrogant that day, saying there's not a single good person in Qianmen, and we should be more polite to those from their courtyard houses in the future..."

"Oh my god?" Including Yan Bugui, everyone from the courtyard who came out to watch the play looked at He Daqing with surprise.

He Daqing actually had this much guts? Don't say that, it's inspiring to hear!

"Dad, stop wasting your breath on them. They're obviously here to cause trouble! Do they think the He family is easy to bully? Come on, if you dare, we'll beat you to a pulp!"

He Yuzhu frantically urged them on.

His injuries had fully healed, and he saw that the other side consisted of only five people, including two old men who posed little threat.

Isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for revenge? What are we waiting for?

Qiangzi's personality was even more unruly than He Yuzhu's, and he couldn't stand such words. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and pointed.

"Hey! How dare you talk like that, kid? You've grown your pubic hair and you're already so arrogant? You try it! Let's see who beats whom!"

He Yuzhu was about to step forward when his father stopped him.

He Daqing wasn't afraid of trouble; he wanted to be in the right completely, so he couldn't act rashly.

Are you blind? Didn't you see there were five of them...?

He Daqing glared at his silly son, telling him to shut up, and then turned to look at Master Niu.

"Uncle Niu, I know you're someone important in Qianmen, but things should be reasonable, right? Last time I was unreasonable, so my son and I took it. But I'm not taking the blame for this today, because I didn't do it at all!"

He Daqing stomped his foot angrily, waved his hand as he finished speaking, took a breath, and then became sarcastic.

"As you just said, any conflict should be brought up openly and honestly. So let's get straight to the point. Don't use this as an excuse. By blocking our courtyard gate time and time again, you're clearly trying to bully us, aren't you?"

"I bullied you?! He Daqing! You think you're so great? Trying to turn the tables on me, huh? Last time I saw you as an honest man, someone who dared to take responsibility for his actions. Now you're just spouting empty words? Ask yourself honestly, did you really not do anything? If you really have a clear conscience, how do you explain what happened at the silk shop last time?"

Niu Ye's face turned red, partly from embarrassment and partly from anger.

I never expected He Daqing to become so shameless, he's completely different from last time!

Could this be something that Yi Zhonghai taught us?

He Daqing wasn't taught by anyone; he just had a lot of confidence because he was carefree.

He's already lost his job, what else is he afraid of?

"Don't mention the silk shop to me. I did stir up some gossip, but you still beat me up and sent me to the hospital! Are you still holding a grudge because of this, so you've come back again? What excuse do you have? Is it worth it? Do you think you can call the shots in front of the gate, whether it's black or white? Do we courtyard houses have no status at all?"

He Daqing's words drew nods of agreement from the residents of the courtyard house.

The front gate is indeed being a bit too much. They keep coming over to block the gate. What are the neighbors supposed to think of No. 95 Courtyard?

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm not trying to be mean, but this time I heard you clearly. This wasn't Old He's doing at all! You guys blocked our courtyard twice in a row at the front gate. Did you really think we were all alone?"

Hearing the dissatisfied murmurs from the crowd, Liu Haizhong quickly seized the opportunity to stand up.

At this crucial moment, it's time for him to steal the spotlight with his bangs!

Liu Haizhong made his stance clear, and Jia Dongxu naturally had to stand up and support him. He also recalled the night he was wrongly accused.

If it weren't for them, would my hidden salary have been exposed?

"Master, Master He, why do I feel like they're turning the tables on us? A few days ago, Xu Damao was covered in a sack on his way home from school, and the Xu family even suspected us! We're so wronged!"

When He Daqing saw Liu Haizhong and Jia Dongxu stepping forward to support him, he thought to himself that this wave was finally in the bag.

He changed his tone and took two steps forward.

"Hey, Mr. Niu, before you try to reason with others, can you at least check if your own place is clean? You say I beat up the people at your front gate, but what about the sacks you put in our yard at your front gate? Xu Damao is just a child! How could you do that to him?"

"Bullshit! Who in Qianmen would do such a despicable thing? You're clearly blaming others while pretending to be thieves! That kid just said the Xu family suspects you, but why would they suspect you first? Don't you know that?"

Niu Ye refuted without hesitation, but his heart suddenly tightened.

He recalled the way Fan Jinyou's eyes lit up when he suggested putting burlap sacks on the sacks that day. Could it be... that this kid did it?

As more and more people gathered to watch, the Xu family father and son also came to the door to join in the fun.

Xu Fugui was resting at home, and Xu Damao was already bored. When he heard that the culprit who had put the sack over his head had appeared, he couldn't hold back any longer.

He quickly pushed his way through the crowd to the front.