“First Master, Chen Jianye is back, threatening to call the Public Security and send me to prison.”
“This guy was half-dead last night, I thought he’d be in the hospital for at least ten days to half a month, but who would have thought, he’s back today.”
“He’s determined to send me to prison.”
Sha Zhu’s voice was tearful.
He was truly too panicked.
Once Chen Jianye calls the Public Security, and they arrive, there will be witnesses and evidence that he almost beat someone to death.
Seventy or eighty people in the Courtyard all knew he was the one who did it.
The hospital has records, Sha Zhu has no chance of escaping.
“Don’t worry, for now, Chen Jianye is just spreading rumors, which means you still have a chance.”
Yi Zhonghai said with a steady and composed demeanor.
“Do I still have a chance?”
Sha Zhu licked his lips: “First Master, you must help me.”
“I will definitely help you.”
Yi Zhonghai reassured Sha Zhu, thinking to himself that this matter was truly difficult to handle.
How to help?
“First Master, yesterday Chen Jianye attacked you with a knife, everyone saw that.”
“How about you make a deal with him? You don’t report him to the Public Security, and he doesn’t report me. What do you think?”
Sha Zhu offered a suggestion.
“I think it’s difficult.”
Yi Zhonghai pondered for a moment, seeing Sha Zhu’s grim face, then added: “But we can try.”
“Then let’s go to the Chen Family and talk to Chen Jianye.”
Sha Zhu said eagerly.
“First, check if there’s any movement inside the Chen Family’s house.”
Yi Zhonghai instructed.
Sha Zhu looked through a crack in the window at the Chen Family’s house diagonally opposite: “It looks like there’s smoke, that guy is making breakfast.”
“Hmm, he’s making breakfast now, and then he’ll have to eat breakfast, so he won’t be leaving anytime soon.”
“Go to the Yan Family and the Liu Family, and call Second Master and Third Master over.”
Yi Zhonghai arranged.
Sha Zhu quickly opened the door and went to the front Courtyard and Backyard to call people.
Whether he would go to prison and eat prison food, or live a normal life enjoying good food and drink in the Courtyard, depended on this time.
Chen Family.
Chen Jianye finished making breakfast and placed it on the dining table.
Steaming hot food, emitting white vapor.
Suddenly, a light screen, similar to a panel, appeared in Chen Jianye’s vision, as if a projection had appeared within his line of sight.
Chen Jianye couldn’t help but rub his eyes, and then turned to face a different direction.
The light screen in his eyes moved with his gaze.
“System, what’s going on? Give me a hint.”
Chen Jianye actively communicated with the system.
“Host has actively cooked once, Cooking has gained three experience points.”
“To boost Host’s enthusiasm, skill experience points can be viewed on the panel.”
The system replied with a cold, mechanical voice.
Chen Jianye suddenly understood, and his gaze fell on the panel.
Name: Chen Jianye
Skills: Yang Style Tai Chi (Mastered)
Cooking LV1 Experience 3/200
The information on the panel was very simple, and Chen Jianye understood it.
Making breakfast once could earn three Cooking points, while lunch required Cooking dishes, which was definitely more complex than breakfast, so it would naturally yield more skill points.
Dinner was the same principle.
If he insisted on Cooking for himself every day, he could gain over ten experience points, and he could probably level up his Cooking after about half a month of Cooking.
It was quite reasonable.
‘So the ‘Effort’ system is for leveling up skills?’
Chen Jianye suddenly had an epiphany.
Clearly and intuitively seeing one’s skill status, and the experience points needed for promotion, makes one more motivated to improve their skills.
What a practical system.
Chen Jianye silently complained, then thought of the Carpentry position he was about to take over.
Carpentry was also a skill.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Chen Jianye’s face.
He felt that this system was pretty good.
You reap what you sow, after all.
Although his stomach was rumbling with hunger, Chen Jianye endured the sensation of hunger from his body and walked to the bed to sit down.
“Mom, I’m back.”
Chen Jianye looked at the woman on the bed and reached out to hold her hand: “I didn’t hack Yi Zhonghai to death; instead, Sha Zhu hit him with a stool and sent him to the hospital, almost costing him his life.”
“But Mom, you don’t have to worry, I’m fine now, strong enough to kill an ox.”
“Look, I can cook for myself. From now on, when you’re not around, I won’t starve.”
“Mom, after I eat, I’ll find Old Bai and ask him to help arrange for you and Dad to be buried together.”
“From now on, during festivals, I will…”
Chen Jianye held the woman’s hand and babbled on for a while.
He inherited everything from the original owner; the original owner was him, and he was the original owner.
It was his responsibility to care for his parents in their old age and see them off.
Now that his parents were gone before he could truly care for them, as a son, he should ensure they rested in peace.
After speaking, Chen Jianye returned to the dining table to eat.
Of course, it wasn’t fragrant white rice, but a bowl of mixed grain rice and two steamed buns made of mixed flour.
The Chen Family was not poor.
Chen Tuntian was a Level 3 Carpenter at the factory, earning 42.5 yuan a month.
Chen Jianye had an older brother and an older sister who both died of illness, making Chen Jianye the sole surviving child of the Chen Family.
The Chen Family couple had three children, two died, one lived.
This was very normal in this era.
The Chen Family couple tried their best to provide Chen Jianye with a relatively good upbringing.
Their family’s food and drink were not bad.
Thinking of this, Chen Jianye felt a bit down, and his resentment towards certain residents of the Courtyard deepened.
After eating, Chen Jianye walked around the house. The Chen Family’s house was only fifty square meters, not large.
But within the Siheyuan (Courtyard), it was considered a sizable house.
Chen Jianye’s gaze swept around, and the items in the house were clear at a glance.
Comparing them to the items in his memory, he found that at least six items were missing.
Needless to say, they must have been stolen by other residents of the Courtyard.
On the day of Chen father’s funeral, many residents of the Courtyard came to eat or help, entering and exiting the Chen Family’s house.
Some shameless residents secretly took items away.
Chen Jianye’s disgust for certain beastly residents of the Siheyuan (Courtyard) deepened further.
Just as he was about to go out to find Old Bai and Old Ding in the front Courtyard for help, a knock sounded on the Chen Family’s door.
“Jianye, are you inside?”
“It’s your First Master.”
Yi Zhonghai called from the doorway.
Beside him were Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui.
Behind them was Sha Zhu.
Around the four of them were other residents of the Courtyard, all gathered at the Chen Family’s door with an eagerness to watch the commotion.
“The door isn’t locked, just push it open.”
Chen Jianye’s voice sounded from inside.
Yi Zhonghai hesitated for a moment.
He worried that pushing the door open would be met with a kitchen knife.
Being chased and almost hacked to death by Chen Jianye yesterday had truly left a shadow in his heart.
Liu Haizhong reached out and pushed the door open.
Yi Zhonghai was extremely nervous, quietly retreating a little. If Chen Jianye were to strike with a knife, he would at least have some room to dodge.
Fortunately, what he worried about did not happen.
Chen Jianye was sitting at the dining table, with a set of used bowls and chopsticks in front of him.
This was the first time Sha Zhu had seen Chen Jianye after his discharge from the hospital, and he secretly observed him.
Seeing the gauze wrapped around Chen Jianye’s head, and the dried dark red blood on it, Liu Haizhong was secretly alarmed but showed no change in expression.
He thought to himself that Chen Jianye was absolutely determined to get him, and he hadn’t even fully recovered yet, but he ran back to call the Public Security.
That son of a bitch, why didn’t he die in the hospital?
All that money spent on medical fees was wasted.
Sha Zhu cursed inwardly.
“Jianye, it’s really good that you’re back. I was planning to take Lao Liu and Old Yan to the hospital to see you today.”
Yi Zhonghai entered the house with a smile.
Sha Zhu, who followed behind him, was his greatest confidence in facing Chen Jianye directly.
“First Master, are you looking for me for something?”
Chen Jianye’s gaze was calm.
“There is something I want to talk to you about.”
Yi Zhonghai replied, acting very familiar: “Since I’m at your house, won’t you invite me to sit?”
“Please do.”
Chen Jianye made a welcoming gesture with his hand: “Three Great Masters, please sit wherever you like. My body isn’t fully recovered, so I can’t serve you water.”
“No problem, no problem, I understand completely.”
Yi Zhonghai sat down, taking a seat opposite Chen Jianye.
Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui cursed inwardly, thinking, ‘You really know how to pick a seat, you chose the furthest one from Chen Jianye.’
‘Leaving us to sit to Chen Jianye’s left and right.’
The few of them took their seats, Sha Zhu still standing behind Yi Zhonghai, like a bodyguard.