"Hmph, Xu Damao, do you dare to bet that Sha Zhu didn't steal your old hen? If I win, you'll make me kowtow to you five times and call you 'Grandpa'! Do you dare?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao said, "Wang Qiang, what if Sha Zhu stole my old hen?"

Wang Qiang laughed when he heard this: "If Sha Zhu steals your old hen, I'll pay you 50 yuan!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard was astonished. This Wang Qiang was incredibly wealthy. Xu Damao was overjoyed, as he hadn't been able to earn any extra money in a long time.

"Alright, Uncle, Uncle, ladies, sisters, everyone, be our witnesses."

Xu Damao agreed and brought everyone in the hospital to witness the agreement.

When Second Uncle Yan Bugui heard that Wang Qiang wanted to make a bet and stand up for Sha Zhu, he hated both of them and thought that Xu Damao would definitely win.

The others in the courtyard had no choice but to agree.

However, Qin Huairu, who was standing nearby, was anxious. She knew that it was her son Banggeng who had stolen the chicken. She desperately looked at Wang Qiang, begging him to protect her son.

Wang Qiang gave her an ambiguous smile. Qin Huairu knew what that smile meant, so she could only nod. It was just a matter of a belt, after all. For her son Banggeng, she was willing to risk it all.

Half an hour later, Uncle Yi Zhonghai and Uncle Yan Bugui sat down at the octagonal table, while the others brought their own stools and sat around it.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Xu Damao couldn't wait to call out to Wang Qiang.

"Wang Qiang, how can you prove that Sha Zhu didn't steal my old hen?"

In Xu Damao's view, it was obvious that Sha Zhu was stealing his family's old hen; it was as clear as day. Wang Qiang standing up for Sha Zhu must have had ulterior motives.

Wang Qiang looked at the women in the courtyard: Qin Huairu, Qin Jingru, He Yushui, Yu Li, and Yu Haitang. In terms of figure and appearance, Qin Huairu was definitely number one in the courtyard.

An elderly man named Yi Zhonghai coughed twice and cleared his throat: "Everyone should know by now that Xu Damao's old hen was stolen. In our yard, this is a big deal; it's never happened before."

Taking advantage of the situation, Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, said, "Uncle Yi is right. Our courtyard house has always been considered advanced. If the neighborhood committee finds out, the consequences will be severe!"

Yi Zhonghai glanced at Yan Bugui with displeasure. It seemed this guy wanted to usurp the throne. He had always known that his second uncle, Liu Haizhong, was a power-hungry official, but he hadn't expected Yan Bugui to be so keen on it as well.

He interrupted Yan Bugui: "Let me say this: I believe that none of us in this courtyard would do such a petty theft, but it did happen. Therefore, I hope that this matter can be resolved within the courtyard so as not to cause trouble for our superiors!"

Yan Bugui chuckled to himself upon hearing this. "Hmph, Yi Zhonghai, you've finally met your match. This is your stain on your reputation. I'll find a chance to bring you down!"

Before Wang Qiang could speak, Sha Zhu suddenly stood up and said:

"I think it's unnecessary to say anything more. I admit that I stole this old hen!"

The moment Sha Zhu uttered those words, everyone in the courtyard was shocked, especially Xu Damao, who was now overjoyed and shouted, "Wang Qiang, you deserve it! Sha Zhu himself admitted it, and you still dared to be stubborn!"

Sha Zhu was also dissatisfied with Wang Qiang, believing that Wang Qiang's actions would definitely force him to hand over the stick, and if he took the blame, Qin Huairu would definitely look at him with new respect.

Yan Bugui seized the opportunity to say, "Just now, Shazhu admitted it, but Wang Qiang said that Shazhu didn't steal it. So let's be witnesses today and see if he can produce any evidence."

Wang Qiang sneered, "Shazhu, you dare admit you stole it?"

Sha Zhu was stunned, looking at Wang Qiang with confusion, thinking to himself: Anyway, I've already eaten it, so what if I admit it? Qin Huairu will still look at me differently.

Thinking of this, Sha Zhu immediately agreed: "Yes, it was for theft, so what? We've already eaten it!"

After hearing Sha Zhu's words, everyone started to murmur among themselves. Sha Zhu caught a glimpse of Qin Huairu's subtle smile at him, and felt secretly pleased, while spouting even more nonsense.

"I've disliked Xu Damao for a long time. That guy is always flirting with women and even got two old hens to show off. To punish him, I stole Xu Damao's old hens."

At this moment, Xu Damao stood up cheerfully and said to Wang Qiang, "Wang Qiang, do you remember the bet we made earlier? Give me fifty yuan!"

Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, also looked at Wang Qiang: "Yes, everyone here is a witness to this. Wang Qiang, do you have anything else to say?"

Wang Qiang, watching Xu Damao and Yan Bugui jumping around, exclaimed, "How about we raise the stakes again? Are you in?"

Xu Damao believed victory was within reach. Sha Zhu had already admitted it, so what else could he do? Without thinking, he agreed: "Okay, what do you want to add? I, Xu Damao, will definitely play along to the end!"

Wang Qiang stood up and addressed the crowd, "Everyone, you heard that. Be witnesses. If I can prove that it wasn't Sha Zhu who stole Xu Damao's old hen, Xu Damao will have to move out of this yard. What do you say?"

Xu Damao laughed upon hearing this: "Haha, I thought it was something serious. Okay, that's settled then. If you can't prove it, I won't make you move out. Just give me your bicycle!"

Seeing the two of them like this, Yan Bugui was very pleased. He spoke up before the old man Yi Zhonghai could:

"It's settled then, and everyone here is a witness!"

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Wang Qiang looked at Bang Geng. Before Jia Zhangshi could speak,

Sha Zhu was unhappy; if things continued like this, his performance would have been for nothing.

"No proof needed, I did it! Wang Qiang, what do you mean?"

Qin Huairu felt relieved to see that Sha Zhu had taken the blame. Luckily, there was still such a scapegoat. Otherwise, her son Bang Geng would have been arrested by the police, and finding a job and getting married would have been a problem.

But seeing that Wang Qiang was unwilling to give up, Qin Huairu looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to stop investigating. Let Sha Zhu take the blame!

Wang Qiang naturally understood Qin Huairu's gaze. As long as he could keep Banggeng, he was willing to do anything. Wang Qiang chuckled, "You've been mine for a long time, so stop pretending to be innocent."

Seeing that Wang Qiang was ignoring her, Qin Huairu could only turn her gaze to Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu knew that if Wang Qiang continued, Bang Geng would definitely be implicated and treated as a chicken thief.

Therefore, Sha Zhu suddenly stood up: "It was me who did it, Wang Qiang, don't pretend to be a good guy here!"

The old man always treated Sha Zhu as someone who would take care of him in his old age. Now that Sha Zhu has done something like this, what will happen to him in the future?

They wanted to protect Sha Zhu, but Sha Zhu was emotional when he spoke just now.

However, his gaze kept drifting towards Qin Huairu, then back to Banggeng hiding in Jia Zhangshi's arms. Yi Zhonghai understood, and his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Qin Huairu as well.