Not even a hair on the handlebars could be seen!

"He's really not there!" Liu Dong said with a bitter face. "Why would I lie to you? If someone really died, I'd just grab a stranger on the street and run away with my bike!"

"Yi Zhonghai, you're saying you don't believe me!" "I..." Yi Zhonghai's face was as stiff as a frozen sheet of dough.

Not only did he fail to borrow a car, but Liu Dong also scolded him in front of everyone, his words hitting the nail on the head.

He felt a tightness in his chest!

The key point is—Liu Dongjia's tricycle is really there! He's willing to vouch for it!

That afternoon, his wife, an older woman, saw it with her own eyes; it was parked right by the door of the side room. Would his own wife lie to him? That would be playing with his life!

"Heh..." Yi Zhonghai sneered, his throat dry. "Liu Dong, no matter how sweet your words are, they can't cover up the truth—your car was clearly locked in the side room!"

"Click!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Dong raised his hand and opened the door to the east wing room—

empty!

With another "click," the door to the west wing was also pushed open—

I didn't see even a single handlebar hair!

What about tricycles?

There wasn't even a trace of them!

As for the main wife?

Don't even think about it!

There was a covered walkway in front of that place, and two steps leading up to the walkway—

Even if a tricycle has long legs, it can't jump onto it!

At this, Yi Zhonghai was stunned, and a chill ran down his spine.

"Master Yi, what do you think we should say now?" Liu Dong stood there with a smile, his hands in his pockets, not in a hurry at all.

By this time, his doorstep was already surrounded by people; all the neighbors had come, craning their necks to watch the spectacle.

This time, the blame has really been shifted onto Yi Zhonghai's head!

What?

Bowing down and admitting fault?

No!

Yi Zhonghai has spent half his life preaching in the courtyard. His prestige is his lifeblood. If he bows his head once, who will listen to him afterward?

He turned and walked away, his heels clattering loudly.

"Yi Zhonghai! You were just yelling that people would stand by and watch someone die, then you turned around and ran away? What kind of logic is that?"

"Shouldn't you apologize to them?"

But the person had long since vanished, leaving only a few fallen leaves swirling in the night wind at the alley entrance.

The neighbors chattered amongst themselves, creating a buzzing atmosphere:

"Tsk, I really didn't expect that..."

"This is truly embarrassing, a disgrace to Nanluoguxiang."

"It's always been held up so high, but it turns out it breaks with the slightest touch."

Liu Dong grinned, then slammed the two side doors shut with two loud bangs before turning and going back inside.

"Bah! Yi Zhonghai, if I don't teach you a lesson today, I'll have wasted my time living in this courtyard!"

"It's been a while since I opened that 'cursed wine,' so I'll warm it up for you today!"

He went inside, pulled out a piece of scrap paper, picked up a pen, and quickly wrote:

Yi Zhonghai

Address: No. 7 Nanluoguxiang, courtyard house (center courtyard)

Pour a spoonful of dark red, shimmering liquid over it—

"laugh!"

With a flick of the match, a blue flame shot up, and the paper strip was reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

A semi-transparent screen suddenly lit up in front of me, and the image automatically switched to Yi Zhonghai's side—

It's as clear as a live broadcast!

"Ouch...it hurts! It hurts so much..."

Jia Dongxu collapsed to the ground, clutching a pillow tightly against his stomach, his body shrunken like a boiled shrimp, trembling all over.

"Did you borrow it?" Jia Zhangshi grabbed Yi Zhonghai as he entered the room, her voice cracking.

"No!" Yi Zhonghai's voice was weak.

Yan Bugui quickly chimed in, "I checked, there really isn't a car! I lifted the covers of both side rooms, they're empty! Someone must have borrowed them!"

"What should we do? We need to get him to the hospital right away!" Mrs. Jia was so anxious that she stamped her feet.

"How about... we use Sha Zhu's bicycle?"

"No way!" Yan Bugui waved his hand and shook his head, looking serious. "Too bumpy! Dongxu's stomach is full of gas right now. If he's jostled, his intestines will shake apart!"

"Then... let's use a handcart!" Yi Zhonghai slapped his thigh. "I have one at home, let's go! It's only two stops away!"

As soon as he stepped out, Yan Bugui immediately lowered his voice and asked Jia Zhangshi, "How much did he eat?"

"Eight steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water!"

"Holy crap?!"

Yan Bugui's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The steamed buns at that time were nothing like the soft and fluffy flower rolls that came later. Old Jia's steamed buns made from two kinds of mixed flour weighed two ounces each and were so hard they could crack walnuts!

An average strong laborer could only manage three or four meals at most. Jia Dongxu usually ate four at most, but today he devoured eight in one go!

"Are you crazy?!" Liu Haizhong jumped up and down. "He'll either burst from overeating or bloating!"

Qin Huairu muttered under her breath, "I told you a long time ago that eating too much would cause problems, but Mom still scolded me for being a jinx and insisted on giving it to him..."

Madam Jia's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot: "Who knew it would stretch like this?!"

"Mom...water...I want water..." Jia Dongxu huddled in the corner, squeezing out a few words through his teeth, his face turning purple.

"Oh dear, Mom's coming right now!" Jia Zhangshi turned around and was about to rush to the kitchen.

"Stop!" Yan Bugui snatched the bowl and splashed it all on the ground. "Drink my ass! If he drinks a mouthful now, his intestines will burst!"

As they were talking, Yi Zhonghai pushed the cart in.

Everyone scrambled around, lifting arms and legs, and finally managed to put Jia Dongxu safely into the car.

"Old Yi, my wife Jie Di is being restless again tonight, I have to go back and coax her..." Yan Bugui rubbed his hands together and slipped away.

"I have something urgent to attend to too!" Liu Haizhong quickly turned around, "Just in time!"

The two disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Yi Zhonghai stood there and sighed: These two are unreliable!

"Fine, I'll go!" he gritted his teeth. "I can't handle it alone, I'll call my mom!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately replied, "Yes, yes, I'll go with you!"

An older woman, worried that her son and daughter-in-law being alone together would cause gossip, made up an excuse to join them: "I'll help you push the lever!"

So, Yi Zhonghai pulled from the front, while Aunt Yi and Jia Zhangshi pushed from behind, and the three of them, in one cart, huffed and puffed their way to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor examined her, listened to her stomach a few times, and shook his head: "Go home first! Remember—not a drop of water, not a bite of food!"

"If he's still not relaxed by midnight, feed him a small spoonful of sesame oil, just a tael or two..."

Go!

The three men lifted the person back onto the vehicle and drove back the way they came.

Just as I entered the alley, I looked up and saw—

Hey!

The entire courtyard was a deep red, and even the sky was dyed a dark red, like fire!

"What's going on?!" Yi Zhonghai's heart clenched.

"I don't know!"

"Why is it so bright?!"

The three of them rushed in, the cart wheels creaking as they rolled over the blue bricks.

Just as I stepped into the courtyard—

Yi Zhonghai's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down!

The yard was packed with people!

His neighbors, all dressed in clothes and wearing slippers, crowded around his doorway.

And his house—

It was burning fiercely, with flames leaping higher than the eaves!

"Pfft—" Yi Zhonghai felt a sweet taste in his throat and almost vomited blood. "My money! My cloth coupons, grain coupons, coal coupons..."

All the savings I've accumulated over the years, more than a thousand yuan, are stored in the cabinet inside the house!

If a house burns down, it's okay, just rebuild; but what if money is burned?