Chapter 8: Nailing Down the Pillar of Shame, Severing the Bloodsucking Root

In the backyard, the dim glow of the horse lantern flickered, casting shifting shadows on faces etched with anger, disdain, and schadenfreude.

Bang Geng was pushed into the center, head bowed, body trembling slightly. Behind him stood Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu, their eyes filled with despair and venom.

Liu Haizhong, his belly protruding beneath his fringe, his face ashen, pointed at Bang Geng, spitting as he shouted, “Everyone saw it! Picking the lock of my coal shed! Stealing my retirement savings hidden in the toolbox! Caught red-handed!”

“If it weren’t for Comrade He Yuzhu catching him right then and there, who knows whose house this little bastard would have robbed next! Lawless and reckless! He must be severely punished! Compensation! An apology! A written guarantee! Next time, straight to the juvenile detention center!”

“Yes! Severe punishment!”

“Compensation! Apology!”

“Written guarantee! Fingerprint!”

The neighbors were indignant. Bang Geng had stolen small things before, but out of courtesy, no one had made a fuss. This time, breaking locks and stealing money was an entirely different matter! Who didn’t keep some savings tucked away? Who wasn’t afraid of thieves?

“Waaah… I didn’t do it… It’s stupid Zhu framing me…” Bang Geng couldn’t bear the insults and covered his face, wailing and trying to dodge responsibility.

“Framing you?” He Yuzhu crossed his arms and stepped from the crowd’s edge into the lantern light, his gaze sweeping over Bang Geng. “Bang Geng, the wire you used is still on Second Uncle’s floor! The broken lock is right there! The stolen money pouch is here, too! Both witness and evidence are clear! So tell me, how exactly did I frame you?”

He Yuzhu turned his sharp eyes toward Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady, raising his voice with accusation: “First Uncle, Old Madam! In our courtyard, the stolen goods aren’t just Second Uncle’s, are they? The chicken from Xu Damao’s backyard—the lily-feathered one that went missing two winters ago—where was the feather found in the end?”

“The cured meat on Auntie Li’s windowsill, the half piece that disappeared last year—whose child had a greasy mouth those days? And… wasn’t my door lock tampered with last month?”

With every sentence, He Yuzhu named a neighbor, his gaze piercing. Those named, like Xu Damao and Auntie Li, instantly changed expressions, their eyes turning to Bang Geng with dawning realization and deeper fury.

“Right! I remember now! My chicken—Bang Geng was always sneaking into the backyard those days!”

“Exactly! Bang Geng was loitering around the yard the day my cured meat was stolen!”

“Stupid Zhu, after you said that… last month I heard noises at my door lock and thought it was a mouse!”

The evidence was overwhelming! Coupled with He Yuzhu’s precise recall of old cases, Bang Geng’s reputation as a thief was no longer something that could be excused as childish ignorance.

“It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!” Bang Geng panicked completely, crying out amid the angry stares.

“Bang Geng!” Qin Huairu screamed and lunged forward to protect her son but was held back by the outraged Auntie Li and others.

Jia Zhang collapsed as if her bones had been pulled out, sitting on the ground, beating her thigh and wailing, “Such misery… being bullied… Old Jia…”

“Enough!” The deaf old lady struck her cane heavily on the ground, her cloudy eyes sweeping over the crowd with unyielding authority. The noise instantly subsided.

Her gaze rested on the collapsed Jia Zhang and the wailing Bang Geng, full of disappointment. “From the Jia family! Your grandson has done something so shameful—how can you, as his grandmother, not bear responsibility? How have you been raising him?”

She turned to Yi Zhonghai. “Xiao Yi! You’re the First Uncle of the courtyard! Handle this according to the rules! Liu’s loss must be fully compensated! Not a penny less! Bang Geng, before all the elders and children, kneel and admit your fault to Second Uncle! Write a guarantee! Fingerprint it! And if there’s a next time…” Her eyes suddenly sharpened like knives, “No need to send him to the juvenile center; this old woman will break his legs! Kick him out! No empty threats!”

“Wise words, Old Madam!”

“Exactly how it should be done!”

The neighbors cheered. The deaf old lady’s judgment gave Liu Haizhong satisfaction, preserved some face for the Jia family, and most importantly, shackled Bang Geng with the strictest rules and guarantees.

“I’ll pay! We’ll pay!” Qin Huairu grasped at a lifeline, nodding through tears as she pulled Bang Geng. “Bang Geng! Hurry! Kneel and apologize to Second Uncle!”

Intimidated by the furious stares and the old lady’s authority, and shamed by He Yuzhu’s exposure of his past, Bang Geng finally broke down.

He flopped to his knees before Liu Haizhong, sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for breath. “Se-Second Uncle… I was wrong… I won’t dare again… The money… I’ll pay it back…” He kowtowed twice.

Liu Haizhong felt some relief and snorted, “Twenty-one yuan and thirty-five cents, not a cent less! Write the guarantee now!”

Yi Zhonghai hurried to get Yan Bugui some paper and pen. Yan’s small eyes gleamed as he wrote and read aloud: “Guarantor Jia Geng, due to a moment of foolishness, stole neighbor Liu Haizhong’s property, deeply regrets it… hereby guarantees never to offend again! If there is a repeat offense, subject to any punishment, voluntarily accepting transfer to the security department or street office for severe punishment… hereby recorded!”

At Qin Huairu’s pleading, Bang Geng trembled as he pressed his fingerprint.

With Qin Huairu’s help, Jia Zhang shakily pulled a small cloth bag from her pocket, unfolded it layer by layer, and produced crumpled bills, counting out twenty-one yuan and thirty-five cents, pain evident on her face as she handed it to Liu Haizhong.

Liu counted the money, snorted coldly, and said no more.

The farce seemed to have ended.

He Yuzhu watched coldly as Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu helped the crestfallen Bang Geng retreat amid the neighbors’ scornful gazes.

He knew this grudge was sealed for good. But he didn’t care.

The deaf old lady’s gaze passed over He Yuzhu, tinged with barely perceptible approval and meaning, finally resting on Yi Zhonghai. “Xiao Yi, the atmosphere in this courtyard must be set right. Stop trying to smooth things over all the time! Those who need to be managed, manage! Those who should be punished, punish! Any more troublemakers like this, no mercy!” With that, she was helped away by neighbors.

Yi Zhonghai’s face turned pale and then flushed. The old lady’s words were a public slap across his face as the “First Uncle,” accusing him of poor management.

He glanced at the expressionless He Yuzhu and for the first time felt a deep wariness of this “stupid Zhu.” The guy was ruthless! Hard as nails! Today’s move not only dealt with Bang Geng but also stomped on Yi Zhonghai’s authority.

The crowd gradually dispersed. Xu Damao sidled up to He Yuzhu, his smile forced and insincere. “Stupid Zhu, you’re something else! You really crushed that little punk Bang Geng! But be careful—the old shrew from the Jia family and Qin Huairu are no pushovers!”

He Yuzhu glanced at him, uninterested in banter. “Mind your own business, Xu Damao. Next time the film breaks, watch out or the factory might just fire you as projectionist.” With that, he turned and left, leaving Xu Damao speechless.

Back in his quiet room, He Yuzhu blew out the oil lamp. Outside the window, muffled sobbing and Jia Zhang’s venomous curses drifted faintly—of course, aimed at him.

A smile curved He Yuzhu’s lips. Crushed? That was just the beginning. Bang Geng, this tumor, would be uprooted sooner or later.

Still brimming with energy, sleep eluded him.

Today’s battle had been won splendidly. Not only had he severed the Jia family’s parasitic hopes, he had established his own tough image and left the deaf old lady and some neighbors with an impression of reason and capability.

As for Yi Zhonghai… He Yuzhu sneered inwardly. His hypocritical moral posturing was utterly ineffective here.

Next, his focus would be on the factory.

[Notification! Suitable location detected: Siheyuan residence. Sign in?]

“Sign in,” He Yuzhu murmured.

[Sign-in successful! Acquired: Basic fitter knowledge (fragment). Knowledge has been infused.]

A burst of fragmented knowledge about lathe operation, blueprint reading, and simple tool use flooded his mind. He Yuzhu was momentarily surprised. Fitter skills? That seemed unrelated to the canteen or procurement… but skills never go to waste, maybe…

At that moment, a faint, deliberately muffled cold laugh came from outside the window, thick with implacable malice, then vanished instantly.

He Yuzhu’s eyes sharpened suddenly. Who?!

He sprang up silently, pressed close to the window crack, and looked out. The backyard was empty under the moonlight, only a faint light shone through Jia family’s window.

Bang Geng? Or… Xu Damao?

He Yuzhu’s gaze turned icy. Some people remember the beatings but not the pain.