Today's banquet was a great success. Sha Zhu's cooking was excellent, and the guests were very satisfied, including Liu Haizhong. The only ones who were not satisfied were probably the Jia family.
News of what happened in the morning spread in the afternoon: Jia Zhangshi was in deep trouble and would be sentenced. When the neighbors in the compound found out, they all clapped and cheered, saying that this was good, as it had removed a malignant tumor from the compound.
...
Two weeks later, at the entrance of the courtyard house.
"General! Third Uncle, it's your turn to perform!"
Sun Zhengguo said with a mocking expression.
"I'll perform my ass! You heartless bastard, you don't even know how to leave a way out for me."
Looking at the doomed situation on the chessboard, Yan Bugui's lips twitched, and he cursed inwardly.
How many rounds has this been? This kid from the Sun family isn't showing any mercy today, and doesn't even know how to give way to the old man.
"You were careless. I'll let you win this round for now! But I won't let you win next time!"
Yan Bugui said shamelessly.
"Uncle, you call yourself a teacher? What do you mean by 'let's say you win for now'? A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. Don't add any modifiers."
"Also, you absolutely mustn't go easy on me, or I'll become arrogant, haha!"
Faced with Sun Zhengguo's sarcasm, Yan Bugui said it was nothing, pretending nothing had happened, and continued to place the chess pieces.
After the game restarted, the two began to fight again. Yan Bugui kept a close eye on the game and refused to give an inch. The two clashed in the middle lane.
"Ding ding ding..."
A bicycle bell rang, pulling the two men, who were engrossed in the game of chess, back to reality. When they looked up, they saw a familiar face – Zhang Chu from the police station.
"Officer Zhang, what brings you here today? Is there any progress in Jia Zhangshi's case?"
"It's Uncle Yan! The verdict just came down, and I've come to deliver the judgment."
Since everyone knew each other, there was no need to hide anything, so Zhang Chu directly stated his purpose.
"Oh dear! That's unfortunate. The Jia family's son has gone to work, and his daughter-in-law just went out to buy groceries. Officer Zhang, what do you think about this...?"
"It's alright! Aren't you the old man in charge of this courtyard? I'll give it to you first, and you can give it to him when his family comes back."
After Zhang Chu finished speaking, he took out the judgment from his briefcase and handed it to Yan Bugui.
"Okay, Officer Zhang, don't worry. I'll hand him over when his family comes back. I guarantee it won't delay your business."
Yan Bugui said with absolute certainty.
"You are all the responsible elders assigned by the subdistrict office, and you are all model workers. What do I have to worry about? It's all settled. Thank you for your hard work. I have things to do at the office, so I'll be leaving now."
Zhang Chu came in a hurry and left in a hurry. He put down the judgment and rode away on his bicycle.
After Zhang Chu left, Yan Bugui picked up the judgment and slowly began to read it.
"So, Third Uncle, how long was Jia Zhangshi sentenced to?"
Sun Zhengguo didn't go over to look, but asked from the side.
Yan Bugui didn't say anything, he just kept reading until he finished, then handed it to Sun Zhengguo.
"See for yourself! This time, Jia Zhangshi has fallen, and I didn't expect her to be sentenced so severely."
Yan Bugui'er kept the answer a secret.
Sun Zhengguo took the judgment and skimmed through it, only seeing the final result at the very end.
Jia Zhangshi was convicted of theft, framing, and spreading feudal superstition, and was sentenced to three years in prison.
"Goodness! This Jia Zhangshi has a lot of crimes to her name. This police officer Li is really something. He didn't hold back at all. He did what he said and arranged everything for her."
Sun Zhengguo sighed.
"Ah! This is good too. With Jia Zhangshi gone, the courtyard will be much quieter."
"However, it's bad for the reputation of the courtyard. Look at He Daqing before, and Jia Zhangshi after. Our courtyard is going to become even more famous!"
Sun Zhengguo rolled his eyes at Yan Bugui, thinking to himself.
"This courtyard is full of demons and monsters. What good reputation do they have? Don't try to make yourself look good."
However, upon hearing the name He Daqing, Sun Zhengguo became curious and asked him a question.
"Hey! Third Uncle, you just mentioned He Daqing, it seems he'll be out soon, right?"
"It'll be soon, soon, in the near future! He Daqing isn't an easy person to get along with. Just you wait and see! As soon as he comes back, he'll definitely cause trouble for Xu Fugui."
"You tell me, one goes in and another comes out, isn't that a seamless connection?"
"Hahaha……."
After they finished having some fun, the two started battling it out on the chessboard again.
Around 10 a.m., Qin Huairu was carrying her child and returning from grocery shopping with several older women when Yan Bugui called her to stop.
"Third Uncle, is there something you need?"
Qin Huairu asked listlessly, explaining that she had been in a bad mood these past few days because people would point and whisper about her whenever she went out.
"Huai Ru! The police just came and brought the judgment. No one was home, so I accepted it on your behalf. Here you go."
After Yan Bugui finished speaking, he took out the judgment and handed it to Qin Huairu.
Qin Huairu took the judgment, didn't even look at it, put it in her vegetable basket, said "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle!" and walked towards the Intermediate Court.
This piqued the curiosity of several middle-aged women nearby, who gathered around Yan Bugui to inquire about the outcome.
Seeing this, Sun Zhengguo quickly made his escape and ran home.
Yan Bugui was surrounded by a group of middle-aged women. Should he speak? He would offend them. Should he remain silent? He would be unable to get past this hurdle.
Weigh the pros and cons!
Yan Bugui still chose the aunties' side. As for offending people, he'd find out sooner or later anyway. Let the Jia family think what they want; it's none of his business.
Upon receiving the news, the women immediately began visiting each other's homes.
After returning home and settling Banggeng in, Qin Huairu picked up the judgment and began to read it slowly.
After reading it, Qin Huairu felt a mix of joy and worry.
The good news is that Jia Zhangshi, that wicked mother-in-law, has finally been sentenced, and no one will bully her anymore. She has also saved on food rations.
The worry is that once Jia Zhangshi goes to jail, her whole family will suffer, and her children's future studies, jobs, and marriage prospects will all be affected.
Putting down the verdict, Qin Huairu stopped thinking about it. She didn't even cook lunch, just ate two cornbread buns with pickled vegetables.
After finishing her meal, Qin Huairu sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) holding her child, reminiscing about everything that had happened since she married into the Jia family.
Life is so hard! Tears of regret welled up in my eyes.
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