Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 49 Nighttime theft of the chicken coop, the bell rings in the courtyard; the wicked woman

Late August in Beijing was already showing signs of autumn chill, but dinnertime at the Hongxing Courtyard was more lively than usual. On the stone table in the central courtyard, the aroma of stewed cabbage and tofu by Sha Zhu wafted through the air. Lin Chen and Yan Bugui sat around it, shoveling rice into their rough porcelain bowls, occasionally discussing optimization plans for the workshop's ledgers. Only the Jia family's door remained tightly shut; even the usual aroma of thin porridge was nowhere to be heard, only the occasional low-pitched curses of Jia Zhangshi could be heard.

"The Jia family is truly out of food." Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses and pointed in the direction of the Jia family with his chopsticks. "I've calculated it. Sha Zhu hasn't received a single pound of grain coupons this month. Qin Huairu was transferred to the logistics department to wash work clothes, and her salary was reduced by 30%. Jia Geng still has to pay tuition for school. The little food the family has won't last more than five days." Lin Chen scooped up a spoonful of tofu and glanced at the chicken coop at Aunt Li's house in the corner of the yard—that speckled chicken was brought by Aunt Li through a relative in the countryside. It lays one egg every day and is treasured like the apple of her eye, kept tightly enclosed by a bamboo fence.

Sha Zhu snorted and slammed his bowl on the table. "Who cares about them! When I was the one getting ripped off, Jia Zhangshi had meat every meal. Now it's her turn to suffer, she deserves it." Even so, he couldn't help but glance in the direction of the Jia family's house, a complex look flashing in his eyes as he recalled Jia Geng begging him for meat. Lin Chen saw his thoughts and put down his bowl, saying, "There's always a reason why someone is pitiful. If she were willing to find some honest work, she wouldn't be starving. If you're soft-hearted, you'll be pestered again next time."

Just then, the sound of the deaf old woman coughing came from the backyard, followed by the sound of her cane tapping the ground. She slowly walked to the middle courtyard, her gaze sweeping over the food on the stone table before finally settling on Sha Zhu: "Zhu Zi, we're all neighbors. The Jia family, with their orphaned children and widow, is having a hard time. Please help them out a bit more..." "Old lady, you're wrong about that," Yan Bugui interrupted. "I've done the math. The grain coupons Zhu Zi gave the Jia family over the past three years were enough to buy three hundred catties of rice, enough to feed an adult. Now he needs to save money to get married; where would he find the spare capacity to help others?"

The deaf old woman's face darkened, and she feigned deafness, saying, "What did you say? I can't hear you." Lin Chen stood up and smiled, "Grandma, it's late, you should get some rest. The neighborhood committee will handle the Jia family's affairs, so you don't need to worry about it." He knew this old woman was trying to morally blackmail Sha Zhu again, so he deliberately raised his voice so that the neighbors could hear him. Seeing this, the deaf old woman could only awkwardly lean on her cane and return to the backyard. When she passed the chicken coop, she paused for a full three seconds.

After dinner, Lin Chen returned to his room and opened the system panel. Since unlocking the "Equipment Modification" function, a "Mechanical Trap" category had been added to the panel. He spent 500 points to combine the wire, bell, and old springs he had collected during the day into a "touch-activated anti-theft bell," about the size of a palm, which he fixed to the chicken coop door latch with thin wire. As long as someone touched the latch, the bell would ring out with a piercing sound. "If that Jia Zhangshi dares to make a move tonight, I'll make sure she's in big trouble." Lin Chen hid the anti-theft bell in the gaps of the bamboo fence and sprinkled some fluorescent powder around the chicken coop—this was a mixture of discarded light bulb tubes and talcum powder that would glow faintly at night and leave clear footprints.

In the dead of night, the sound of snoring filled the courtyard. Jia Zhangshi quietly slipped out of her house, wrapped in a tattered black cotton-padded coat, clutching a sharpened bamboo stick in her hand. She crouched in the corner, observing for a while, until all the neighbors were fast asleep, before crouching low and making her way towards the chicken coop. These past few days, the family had been eating only thin porridge, and Jia Geng was crying from hunger. Qin Huairu, having been upset at the logistics department, would come home and argue with her. She had long coveted Aunt Li's speckled chickens, planning to steal them to make a pot of chicken soup to nourish herself.

The gaps in the bamboo fence were just big enough for her hand. Jia Zhangshi held her breath and slowly used the bamboo strip to pry open the wooden latch of the chicken coop. Just as the latch was about to open, a piercing "ding-a-ling—" suddenly rang out in the quiet courtyard, startling her so much that her hand trembled and the bamboo strip fell to the ground with a "thud." The speckled chickens were startled and flapped their wings and clucked incessantly in the coop, instantly waking the entire courtyard. Lights in each house gradually came on.

"Who is it! What's all the noise about in the middle of the night!" Aunt Li was the first to rush out, clutching her nightcap. When she saw Jia Zhangshi squatting by the chicken coop, with the coop door half-open, she immediately understood and trembled with anger: "Jia Zhangshi! You old hag! How dare you steal my chickens!" Jia Zhangshi was terrified and turned to run away, but was blocked by Sha Zhu, who had just come out.

"Fine, so it really was you who stole the chicken!" Sha Zhu stood with his hands on his hips, burning with anger. "I used to give you meat to eat, and you still stole things from the neighbors. A leopard can't change its spots!" Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes, sat down on the ground, slapped her thighs, and wailed, "Injustice! I only came to check when I heard the chicken crowing. How did I become the one who stole the chicken? You're bullying an old widow like me. It's outrageous!" She cried and threw a tantrum, deliberately opening her cotton-padded coat to reveal her shriveled chest, trying to gain sympathy.

Qin Huairu and Jia Geng also ran out of the house. Qin Huairu quickly pulled Jia Zhangshi, saying, "Mother, get up quickly, let's talk this out." Jia Geng hid behind Qin Huairu, his eyes fixed on the chicken coop, swallowing hard. At this moment, Lin Chen and Yan Bugui also came out. Lin Chen held a flashlight and shone it around the chicken coop, saying, "Aunt Li, look at what's on the chicken coop latch."

Aunt Li went over to take a look and saw a small bell hanging on the door latch, with several strands of black cotton thread wrapped around the wire. "What's this?" "This is the burglar alarm I installed," Lin Chen explained. "It will ring if anyone touches the latch. And look at the footprints on the ground, they're covered in fluorescent powder." In the beam of the flashlight, a clear trail of footprints stretched from the Jia family's door to the chicken coop, with bamboo leaves from the bamboo fence still clinging to the edges of the footprints—the very spot where Jia Zhangshi had just been squatting.

"You're talking nonsense! These footprints might not be mine!" Jia Zhangshi was still arguing. Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses, squatted down, and examined them carefully. "These footprints are size 36. Besides Aunt Jia and the deaf old lady, no one else in the yard has that size. The deaf old lady has difficulty walking; she couldn't possibly be here in the middle of the night. Besides, the mud on these footprints is the same composition as the mud in front of Jia's kitchen door. I paid special attention to that when I was doing the accounts this morning." He paused, then added, "Also, the cotton thread on Aunt Jia's cotton-padded jacket is exactly the same as the thread on the security bell. This can't be a coincidence, can it?"

The neighbors chimed in, and Aunt Liu brought out a sewing basket from inside the house: "I have some leftover cotton thread from when the Jia family used to mend clothes, it's exactly the same as this!" Uncle Zhang added, "I heard a commotion inside just now, and I saw Jia Zhangshi squatting by the chicken coop through the crack in the window, there's no mistake!" Jia Zhangshi's face flushed red and then turned pale, her crying gradually subsided, but she still refused to admit it: "Even if the footprints are mine, I came here to feed the chickens. Aunt Li's chickens crow every day, keeping me awake!"

"Feed the chickens?" Aunt Li laughed angrily. "I have grain in my chicken coop, why do I need you to feed them? Besides, what are you up to by feeding the chickens in the middle of the night?" She turned and rushed into the house, taking out a bamboo basket. "This chicken is for my grandson. He's recovering from an illness in the countryside, and he's hoping I can save enough eggs to help him recover! If you steal this chicken, I'll fight you to the death!" As she spoke, she lunged at Jia Zhangshi.

"Stop!" Yi Zhonghai's voice suddenly rang out. He came out of the house wearing only a thin shirt, his face grim. Since being removed from his position as technical advisor, his prestige in the courtyard had greatly diminished, but he still habitually tried to play peacemaker: "Aunt Li, calm down. Aunt Jia was just confused for a moment. Since the chicken wasn't lost, let it go. We're all neighbors, we see each other all the time, it's not good to make things worse."

"Let it go?" Aunt Li sneered, pointing at the chicken coop. "Master Yi, last time she stole your eggs, you said you'd let it go for Qin Huairu's sake; this time she stole my chickens, and you said you'd let it go again. If she steals from you next time, do you think you'll let it go? This old hag is a habitual thief. If we don't send her to the street today, our courtyard won't have any peace!" Her words struck a nerve with Yi Zhonghai. Qin Huairu's egg theft had made him lose face, and this time he dared not openly show favoritism again.

Lin Chen spoke up at the opportune moment: "Master Yi, it's not that we're not giving you face. This is the third time Aunt Jia has stolen something. The first time she stole my sweet potatoes, the second time she stole your eggs, and this time she stole Aunt Li's chickens. If we try to smooth things over every time, she'll only get more emboldened. The neighborhood has long had regulations that petty thieves will be sent to labor reform. Let's call the police."

"Don't call the police!" Qin Huairu quickly grabbed Lin Chen, forcing a weak smile. "Junior Brother Lin, please let my mother go. She's old and can't take any more trouble. I promise I'll discipline her properly from now on and never let her steal again." Jia Geng chimed in, "My mother didn't do it on purpose. I was hungry, so she tried to steal a chicken for me."

"Don't give me that!" Sha Zhu stepped forward, pointing at Qin Huairu's nose. "You've always pretended to be pitiful to fool me like this, and now you want to fool Master Lin? Jia Geng can steal things just because he's hungry? If I'm hungry, can I just rob your house of grain?" He turned to Aunt Li and said, "Aunt Li, don't waste your breath on them, just call the police station!"

Seeing the crowd's resolute attitude, Jia Zhangshi knew she couldn't escape this time. Suddenly, she scrambled to her feet and ran towards the deaf old woman's house, crying, "Old sister, save me! They're bullying me, a widowed old woman!" The deaf old woman slowly walked out and asked, feigning concern, "What's going on? Why is it so noisy?" Jia Zhangshi threw herself into her arms, crying, "Old sister, they say I stole a chicken and they're going to send me to a labor camp! Please save me!"

The deaf old woman patted Jia Zhangshi on the back and looked at everyone: "In my opinion, let's settle this privately. Aunt Jia should compensate Aunt Li for a chicken, and write a guarantee that she won't steal again. We're all neighbors in the same courtyard; there's no need to take it to the police station." She tried to smooth things over by relying on her status as a "martyr's family member." Lin Chen had long disliked her hypocritical act and said coldly, "Old lady, if you really care about the neighbors, why didn't you speak up for her when Aunt Jia stole eggs last time? Now that she's stolen from Aunt Li, you're trying to mediate? Is it just because Aunt Li isn't Master Yi's apprentice?"

The deaf old woman's face instantly darkened: "How dare you talk like that, young man? I just didn't want to make a scene." "If you don't want to make a scene, then the perpetrators must pay the price." Lin Chen took out his phone—a simple camera integrated with the system—and pressed play. The conversation between the deaf old woman and Jia Zhangshi from the previous night played: "...That speckled hen lays eggs every day. You stole it and stewed it to nourish yourself, without anyone noticing..." "What if they find out?" "With me here, they won't dare do anything to you..."

The moment the recording was played, everyone was stunned. Aunt Li trembled with rage: "So that's what you were doing behind the scenes! You fake martyr's relative, you actually instigated others to steal!" The deaf old woman's face turned deathly pale, pointing at Lin Chen: "You...when did you record this? This is an invasion of privacy!" Lin Chen sneered: "I was collecting evidence to prevent anyone from pretending to be deaf and dumb and sowing discord. If you were truly innocent, why would you be afraid of being recorded?"

Just then, Director Wang from the neighborhood office suddenly walked in, followed by two staff members. "Director Wang, what brings you here?" Yi Zhonghai quickly stepped forward to greet him. Director Wang frowned: "Someone anonymously reported that someone in your compound was stealing chickens, and that someone was instigating the crime. I want to see who's so bold!" It turned out that Lin Chen had anticipated the deaf old lady's interference and had made the report in advance using the simplified phone integrated with the system.

Aunt Li quickly stepped forward and recounted the entire incident in detail, producing evidence such as the security bell and fluorescent footprints. After listening, Director Wang looked at the recording and photos provided by Lin Chen, his face growing increasingly grim: "Jia Zhangshi, the evidence of your chicken theft is conclusive. According to regulations, you must be sent to labor reform for a month. And you," he pointed to the deaf old woman, "you instigated others to steal. Although you didn't directly participate, you must still write a profound self-criticism and accept criticism and education from the neighborhood committee. We will reinvestigate your status as a martyr's family member!"

The deaf old woman was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost sat down on the ground: "Director Wang, I didn't instigate them, they're framing me!" Director Wang took out a recording pen: "Is the voice in this recording yours? We've already had it verified by professionals, it's definitely true. If you keep denying it, we'll hand you over to the police station!" The deaf old woman didn't dare to say anything more and stood aside with her head down.

Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi knew the situation was hopeless. She threw herself into Qin Huairu's arms and cried, "Daughter, I'm so sorry. You must take good care of the child from now on." Qin Huairu also cried, but didn't say a word of pleading—she knew in her heart that Jia Zhangshi couldn't escape this time, and it was better to go with the flow than to implicate herself. Director Wang had Jia Zhangshi taken away. As she left, Jia Zhangshi glared fiercely at Lin Chen: "I won't let you get away with this!" Lin Chen didn't care at all; this kind of person would suffer a lot in the labor camp.

The deaf old lady was also taken away by Director Wang to write a self-criticism, and the courtyard finally quieted down. Aunt Li held Lin Chen's hand gratefully and said, "Little Lin, I owe you so much this time, otherwise that old hag would have stolen my chickens." Lin Chen smiled and said, "Aunt Li, no need to thank me, it's what I should do. If you're worried about your chickens being stolen again, I'll install a sturdier anti-theft device for you."

Sha Zhu looked at the Jia family's tightly closed door and sighed, "The Jia family is in even more trouble now." Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses, "They brought this on themselves. But it's really not easy for Qin Huairu, a woman raising three children alone. I just calculated that her salary plus the relief grain from the neighborhood is barely enough to support the children; it's just that life is tough." Lin Chen knew that although Yan Bugui used to be calculating, he wasn't a bad person at heart; he was just terrified of poverty.

The next morning, as soon as Lin Chen arrived at the workshop, he saw Qin Huairu washing her work clothes in the logistics workshop, her hands red and swollen from being soaked in cold soapy water. When she saw Lin Chen, she quickly lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. Lin Chen ignored her and went straight into the forging workshop. Just as he put down his tools, Director Zhou walked in, holding a document: "Xiao Lin, the factory has decided to establish a technical innovation team, with you as the team leader, responsible for improving the forging equipment. These are Yi Zhonghai's old technical notes; please take a look."

Lin Chen took the notebook, flipped through it, and saw that it recorded Yi Zhonghai's many years of experience as a fitter, as well as some insights into mold processing. He understood that the factory completely trusted him and had entrusted him with core technical tasks. A system panel popped up with a notification: "Side quest 'Frustrate Jia Zhangshi's chicken-stealing conspiracy and expose the deaf old lady's instigation', reward 2000 points, current points: 57500 points. New feature unlocked: Technical drawing optimization."

Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction. The technical drawing optimization function was perfect for improving the forging equipment. He took out Yi Zhonghai's technical notes, optimized them with the system, and found several design flaws, especially in the mold's cooling system, which was extremely inefficient. Combining his knowledge of modern mechanics, Lin Chen redrawn the drawings, changing the cooling system from water cooling to oil cooling and adding an automatic temperature control device, which improved the equipment's efficiency by 30%.

During the lunch break, Sha Zhu came to find Lin Chen, carrying a lunchbox: "Master Lin, this is some stewed pork ribs I made, to help you recover. Thanks to you for the soap incident and this chicken theft." Lin Chen took the lunchbox; the pork ribs inside smelled delicious. "Master Sha Zhu, no need to be so polite. Let's help each other out from now on, just work hard."

As the two were talking, Yan Bugui walked in with an account book, his face beaming with excitement: "Master Lin, great news! When I was organizing the ledgers, I discovered that the workshop's material consumption last month was 15% lower than before, all thanks to your optimization of the processing flow. Director Zhou said that our workshop will receive a bonus!" Lin Chen smiled and said, "This is the result of everyone's hard work. When the bonus comes in, let's treat everyone to a meal."

Yan Bugui's eyes lit up: "Great! I've already calculated it. There are 20 people in our workshop. A meal at a small restaurant outside costs 25 cents per person, which is only 5 yuan in total. I know a restaurant that has generous portions and good food." Lin Chen didn't expect him to have even calculated the cost of the meal, and couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

In the afternoon, Lin Chen handed the improved forging equipment drawings to Director Zhou. After reading them, Director Zhou excitedly slammed his fist on the table: "Lin, you're a genius! This improvement plan is perfect. If it succeeds, our workshop's production efficiency will increase significantly! I'll report it to the factory management and apply for special funds!" Lin Chen nodded: "Director Zhou, don't worry, I guarantee that the equipment improvement will be completed within three months."

Just then, Yi Zhonghai walked in, his face grim, and said, "Director Zhou, I object! Lin Chen has only been in the workshop for a short time and lacks experience. I'm not comfortable entrusting such an important task to her." Director Zhou glanced at him and said, "Master Yi, if you have a better solution, I can consider it. But look at your previous technical notes; there are so many design flaws in the cooling system. If we follow your solution, it will only be a waste of money."

Yi Zhonghai's face flushed red and then paled. He hadn't expected Lin Chen to find so many flaws in his technical notes. Lin Chen said calmly, "Master Yi, if you're willing, you can join the technical innovation team and be my assistant. We can work together to improve the equipment, which will be a contribution to the workshop." Yi Zhonghai hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded—he knew this was his only chance to save face.

Returning to the courtyard house that evening, Lin Chen had just entered when he heard Qin Huairu crying. He went to the middle courtyard and saw Qin Huairu squatting on the ground, sobbing. Jia Geng and her two younger sisters stood beside her, holding hard, dry cornbread. It turned out that after Jia Zhangshi was taken away, the family's food supply ran out. Qin Huairu went to the street office to collect relief grain, but was told that the Jia family's relief eligibility had been revoked because Jia Zhangshi had stolen something.

Lin Chen frowned, turned around and went back into the house to get two jin of cornmeal: "Senior Sister Qin, this is the cornmeal I saved. Take it and cook some porridge for the child." Qin Huairu looked up at Lin Chen with teary eyes: "Junior Brother Lin, thank you... I was sorry for what I did to you before. I shouldn't have conspired with my mother to steal your things, and I shouldn't have pretended to be pitiful to trick Sha Zhu out of his food coupons..." Lin Chen waved his hand: "Let's not talk about the past. Work hard from now on, raise the child, and don't go astray again."

Qin Huairu took the cornmeal and nodded emphatically, "I understand, Junior Brother Lin. I will definitely work hard from now on and never steal again." She turned and went back into the house, her steps much firmer than before. Lin Chen watched her retreating figure, a smile appearing on his lips—he wasn't a saint, but he didn't want to see the child go hungry. Giving Qin Huairu a chance to repent was also a way to accumulate some good karma for the courtyard.

Back inside, Lin Chen opened the system panel, looking at the 57500 points and the "Technical Blueprint Optimization" function, and felt a surge of confidence. He knew the upcoming equipment improvement tasks would be arduous, and Yi Zhonghai might try to sabotage him from the shadows, but with the system at his fingertips, the support of Sha Zhu and Yan Bugui, and the growing trust of his neighbors, he was certain he could overcome the difficulties. And those who had schemed against him would ultimately pay the price for their evil deeds.