When Ma Hua arrived at the courtyard, he immediately heard Jia Zhangshi cursing loudly in the yard: "You bastard! We only have so little stuff, and you still have the nerve to steal it? You even have the nerve to let others call you Second Aunt? I think Little Second is more like a thief! Old Jia!"
Come on up, I can't live like this anymore! This damn fringe is so mean! Our family is already in such a miserable state.
They even stole our cabbages and coal for the winter! They're deliberately trying to starve and freeze our Jia family to death! Old Jia, come up here and take them away! Waaaaah!
Qin Huairu also feigned a delicate appearance, her eyes red as she looked at her second uncle, Liu Haizhong: "Second Uncle, I know our family of orphans and widows is easy to bully in the courtyard, but you can't do this! This is our family's hope for getting through the winter!"
Without this, how would my family survive? If our family has ever wronged you in any way...
"Just say it! I'll apologize, okay? If you keep doing this, we're all orphans and widows, how are we supposed to survive? Waaaaaah!"
Qin Huairu's eyes were slightly red, tears still clinging to her peach blossom eyes. Her delicate face was deathly pale from the cold. Her feigned retreat, coupled with her pitiful appearance, stirred the blood of the men in the courtyard, especially Sha Zhu.
Sha Zhu, who was still sulking, cursed at Liu Haizhong: "Liu Haizhong, you still have the nerve to call yourself the second-in-command of our courtyard? Look at what your family has done! Bah, shameful!"
"My sister Qin's family is already struggling so much, and you still have the nerve to steal from them? Bah, you're truly despicable!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong immediately flew into a rage, panting heavily. Who did he think he was? The second-in-command of this courtyard! He could let the Jia family curse him, since he was in the wrong, but what did it have to do with Sha Zhu? "What do I have to steal? I don't need that little bit of stuff!"
How would I know how the Jia family's things ended up in my house? I'd say the Jia family deliberately extorted me. And what business is it of yours, Sha Zhu? I'm the second-in-command of this compound, watch your mouth!"
"Pah, what a load of rubbish, Second Uncle? The old man who steals cabbages?" Sha Zhu sneered.
Upon hearing Sha Zhu's words, everyone burst into laughter. Although they found the matter suspicious—why would Second Uncle, who earned so much money, steal such a measly cabbage from the Jia family?—Sha Zhu was simply too mischievous and too funny.
Yi Zhonghai frowned when he heard Sha Zhu's words. He could allow the Jia family to slander the Second Uncle, but what Sha Zhu did was a bit too much. What did he mean by calling the Second Uncle a cabbage thief? He himself called himself the Second Uncle, so wasn't that implying that he was also stealing?
Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai immediately stopped Sha Zhu: "Zhu Zi, you can't say that. I don't think your second uncle is that kind of person."
Yi Zhonghai was thinking about how to exonerate Liu Haizhong when he heard the sound of a bicycle. "Right," he thought, "everyone, think carefully, when has anything like this ever happened in our courtyard before yesterday?"
As soon as Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, Yan Bugui, who was standing to the side, knew what he was up to. But old Yi, old Yi, I guess you're about to kick a hornet's nest.
The people in the courtyard were also pondering the meaning of Uncle Yi Zhonghai's words. What did he mean by "before yesterday"? Yesterday—wasn't that the day Ma Hua moved in? Thinking of this, they then noticed Ma Hua standing at the courtyard gate. Ma Hua was quietly pushing his cart, watching them.
Liu Haizhong seemed to have grasped at a straw: "Yes, yes, that's right, this must be a frame-up, it definitely wasn't me. How could I, the second eldest uncle of the Siheyuan, do such a thing?"
Hearing Uncle Er's excuse, everyone immediately realized what he meant: "That's right, with Uncle Er's high salary, how could he do such a petty theft?" "I don't think it's possible either."
"Exactly. Besides, who would steal from? It's not the Jia family's. They only have so little stuff prepared. Pshaw." Everyone in the courtyard knows how stingy the Jia family is; they'd probably count it eight hundred times a day.
Gradually, everyone's attention turned to Ma Hua. Seeing the shift in the tide, Yi Zhonghai immediately coughed twice at Ma Hua: "Ma Hua, what do you think about this?" Regardless of whether you did it or not...
It has to be you. Otherwise, why would I ask someone to get you into this house? You know, I just want to get MCA into the house so I can control them.
"Me? I'm just standing here watching, what else can I be watching?" Ma Hua chuckled twice. Oh, Yi Zhonghai actually guessed the truth.
"You, you, I'm talking about you stealing Jia Baicai," Yi Zhonghai felt like he was about to be driven mad by Ma Hua. How could this person be so hateful?
"I stole cabbage? Grandpa, don't be ridiculous. I've been working overtime at the factory the whole time. Or you can ask Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu knows too. Grandpa, you're just accusing me of stealing cabbage. Who did I steal from?" Ma Hua retorted directly.
Yi Zhonghai looked at Sha Zhu: "Zhu Zi, is Ma Hua working overtime at the factory?"
“Hmm,” Sha Zhu’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Ma Hua. That damned Ma Hua, he hadn’t forgotten how Ma Hua had forced him to kowtow to him in the kitchen earlier.
Yi Zhonghai was at a loss. What could he say? The facts were right there. Besides, he hadn't heard a thing when he delivered cornmeal to the Jia family last night. This was unrealistic.
Then Yi Zhonghai said with a gloomy face, "Ma Hua, if it wasn't you, who did it? This kind of thing has never happened in our courtyard before. It only started after you moved in."
Ma Hua chuckled, "Good heavens, what you said makes perfect sense. Oh, if that's the case, then all the young wives and widows in our compound should probably avoid getting pregnant. If Yi Zhonghai finds out, who knows what he'll say about us."
Upon hearing Ma Hua's words, the young wives in the courtyard immediately became agitated, shouting, "Pah! You damned Ma Hua, what nonsense are you spouting?"
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