I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 39 Serious

After running through the dark alley for a while, a faint light at the alley's exit caught Jia Dongjin's eye, as if guiding him out of the darkness and towards the light.

It was around 9 p.m., and the night patrol team had not yet started their patrols. Jia Dongjin's cries for help echoed in the ears of the neighbors. Many people were just about to take off their clothes and go to bed when they heard the cries for help. They hurriedly wrapped their clothes up again and gathered outside the courtyard at No. 95 Tongluo Lane.

"A supposedly civilized courtyard house turned into an uncivilized place, resulting in a murder?"

"Uncle Hou, the gate is locked, we can't get in."

"Hey, what happened? Shall we break down the door?"

"I am Grandpa Hou. Everyone, don't move. Grab your weapons and wait for the police to arrive."

Not long after, a team of police officers came running over, one of them carrying someone on his back.

"Hurry to the Jia family's house! I'm worried they're in danger! Go quickly, go right now!"

Jia Dongjin cried out, then fell into a coma.

"Break down the door first. The person who called the police must have been too agitated and fainted. Carry him inside."

The police officer in charge glanced at it briefly and then gave instructions.

As the three panicked women opened the courtyard gate, one policeman was left to guard the gate while the rest of the policemen rushed into the courtyard, followed by the crowd of onlookers.

Soon, the crowd arrived at the Jia family's door, but no matter how much the police and the crowd knocked, the Jia family only said that everything was fine, but resolutely refused to open the door.

It wasn't until Director Wang from the neighborhood office rushed over that Jia Dongjin regained consciousness. He hurriedly opened the door to the Jia family's house, and in front of everyone, the four adults of the Jia family burst into tears.

After a long while, Jia Dongjin stopped crying, began to follow the instructions of the police, recounted the events in detail, and identified the relevant personnel one by one.

Xu Damao stood in front of the moon gate, watching familiar courtyard residents being expertly pinned down and tied up by the police. Among them were the four members of the Yan family, Yi Zhonghai, He Yuzhu, and Erdan's father, Liu Daneng.

He noticed that Liu Daneng seemed to have spoken on behalf of the Yan family, advising Jia Dongjin to sell the house to the Yan family at a low price.

Then, Xu Damao actually heard a policeman calling his name, "Your name is Xu Damao, right? Come with us and give a statement."

"My son didn't do anything," Xu Fugui said anxiously, rushing forward to explain.

"We know, we just need to send him over to ask questions and take his statement. You're his father, so go with him too. After you've given your testimony, you can go home together. Liu Haizhong, you come along too."

The police officer sounded extremely impatient. He thought something serious had happened late at night, but it turned out to be just some trivial, annoying dispute.

"Outrageous! Is this some kind of minor dispute? Have we been living in peace for too long? This is blatant house robbery, an extremely heinous and serious crime! The perpetrators have confessed; they either wanted to steal the house or extort money. They even had kitchen knives, rolling pins, and other weapons, bullying a widow and her orphanage. They're incredibly audacious! And some people are even aiding and abetting this, preventing us poor farmers from reporting to the neighborhood committee, instead setting up a makeshift court in the courtyard to speak on behalf of the small property owners. In the words of the victims, is this still the new society where people are in charge?"

Police Chief Du slammed his fist on the table and stood up, leaving even the high-ranking Director Wang from the neighborhood office and a group of junior police officers dumbfounded.

"Continue the interrogation and get to the bottom of every detail, especially the matter of setting up a private court and speaking up for small property owners. This involves matters of principle and is by no means a trivial matter. If anything goes wrong, everyone from top to bottom will have to write self-criticisms, and we might even have to strip each other naked."

Director Du made it very clear that this matter could be a big deal or a small deal. If the victim is not satisfied with the outcome, as long as they file a complaint, every single person involved will be held accountable. At best, they will have to write a self-criticism; at worst, they will be stripped of their clothes and removed from their posts as police officers. It wouldn't be uncommon for them to arrest even a few of the officers who handled the case.

The instructor next to him nodded repeatedly. This was a critical moment. Since the victim, Jia Dongjin, had brought up the words "counterattack and retribution," he knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully. Only a few of the police officers below were too unenlightened and still habitually treated it as a neighborhood dispute.

After realizing the seriousness of the situation, everyone took action. Even Director Wang of the neighborhood office looked grave. He spent the whole night at the police station and didn't even have time to go home.

"Director Du, how about I ask the victim for his opinion? I know that Jia Dongjin."

The next morning, while eating a cornbread, Director Wang suggested that she was too old to handle the workload and was unfamiliar with police work, so she should go back to her old profession.

"Director Wang, thank you for your support and cooperation. The matter has been investigated and you are aware of the specific details and reasons. It would be best if it could be handled properly. If the victim has any requests, please feel free to make them, and we will definitely cooperate."

Director Du slurped down his cornmeal porridge. The matter was really too simple. The trouble was Jia Dongjin's accusation. Unfortunately, this matter couldn't be discussed openly. He could only try to get Jia Dongjin to understand by speaking indirectly. Otherwise, if he really took a hard line, Yi Zhonghai would be sent to a prison, and the Yan family would be even worse off. All four adults would have to go in, and none of them would escape.

The police also consider the people's feelings and do not want the Yi and Yan families to suffer too much. After all, they are not major villains, just serious neighborhood disputes.

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away. It shouldn't be a big problem. Please rest assured, Director Du. Jia Dongjin has a mild personality and won't cause any trouble."

Director Wang rubbed his forehead, preparing to begin the mediation process.

The heavy snow fell in a flurry, and the entire courtyard became quiet. The snowflakes landed on the roof and made a "rustling" sound, as if someone was whispering in your ear. The snowflakes fell in the courtyard and soon accumulated into a thin layer, covering the blue brick floor, stone tables and benches completely.

At this time, the Jia family in the Zhongyuan Court was at peace and tranquility.

"Mom, it's up to you now. You play the bad cop. If you want to move out, just go to the neighborhood committee and make a scene. If you don't want to move, just stay home quietly. Money will come to you, and you won't be able to refuse it. We've already covered the renovation costs for the back house, and maybe we'll even have some left over. My sister-in-law and I both have jobs, so we have to play the good cop and pretend to be nice. We won't cause any trouble; we'll just stay home quietly and make you some chicken soup."

Jia Dongjin was exhausted after a long night, but he couldn't fall asleep when he got home. He lay on the bed with his legs crossed and said smugly.

The latter half of last night's plenary meeting went largely as he had planned, except for one mishap: Xu Damao blocked the moon gate, almost trapping Jia Dongjin inside the courtyard.

Jia Dongjin did not intend to escape through the front gate. Qin Huairu's judgment was entirely correct. There were indeed many obstacles at the hanging flower gate, and it was very likely that the gate was locked, which was later confirmed.

After Qin Huairu reminded him, Jia Dongjin changed the key to escape to a gap in the backyard wall. When the residents of the courtyard secretly went to the pigeon market at night, they often climbed out of the courtyard through the gap in the backyard wall. Only the residents of the courtyard knew about this secret.

Jia Dongjin had just arrived at the courtyard house and was unaware of the gap in the plan. Fortunately, Qin Huairu was meticulous and helped him fill the loophole in the plan.

To his utter surprise, after locking the front gate, Aunt Yang Ruihua actually came to the middle courtyard with a kitchen knife to help, which was a godsend for Jia Dongjin.

Jia Dongjin doesn't yet know how the police will analyze and characterize the case, but in the end, it should be a process of downplaying the seriousness of the matter and letting it go. The specifics will depend on the power struggle among the leaders.

The incident was initiated by the Yan family, and Jia Dongjin felt no guilt about wronging them, especially since the Yan brothers, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, had already taken action, so he shouldn't be blamed for dealing with them ruthlessly.

Jia Dongjin comes from a previous life. He has a broad perspective and is different from the women in his family. He is not afraid of the several powerful men in charge at all. Jia Dongjin has plenty of opportunities to flatter them. You should know about the small business owners' counterattack against the poor peasants.

When it comes to matters of principle, the dispute over the house is just a minor one, like the tip of a fingernail. The police cannot define this as a trivial matter; otherwise, if Jia Dongjin were to cry foul, no one could withstand the backlash.

Since he had already gone this far, Jia Dongjin went so far as to drag Yi Zhonghai into the mess as well. Since Yi Zhonghai had ill intentions, Jia Dongjin shouldn't be blamed for being ruthless.

The only thing that embarrassed him was that He Yuzhu was also arrested, but He Yuzhu dared to step forward to stop it, which was no different from being an accomplice. Jia Dongjin would not be soft-hearted and would not mind wiping out all of these people in one fell swoop.

Aside from the Yan family, the others probably won't be imprisoned, but they will have to pay compensation. He Yuzhu may be somewhat wronged, but the others absolutely deserve what they got.

"The person who reported our family for speculation and profiteering is definitely among these people, no doubt about it! It's a good time to settle both the old and new scores together, one by one, and it's best if none of them can escape. It's just that Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu got caught up in it."

A cold glint flashed in Jia Zhangshi's triangular eyes as she vented her hatred.