He Jin had no idea that Jia Zhang-shi was secretly cursing him.
But even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
If being cursed behind someone's back could actually harm them, the world would lose countless people every single day.
As for the courtyard gossip the night before—he had heard most of it.
And honestly?
He felt nothing.
What they mocked was the original "Sha Zhu," not him.
Why should he take offense on someone else's behalf?
If anything, he found it interesting.
The neighbors saw more than they let on.
It seemed everyone in the courtyard knew how to pretend.
After all, the loudest troublemakers were usually the Jia family, the original Sha Zhu, and Xu Damao. Most of the time, their drama didn't directly hurt the others' interests.
Even when donating to the Jia family, the biggest contributions came from Sha Zhu, the three uncles, and Xu Damao. The rest combined only gave a few yuan.
It stung—but it was bearable.
So unless someone was foolish, the smartest move was to watch quietly.
—
The next morning, He Jin was awakened by loud shouting.
He listened carefully.
It was Xu Damao—cursing furiously in the back courtyard.
He Jin blinked in surprise.
Xu hadn't even shown up last night. Why the uproar now?
After washing up, He Jin stepped into the courtyard and saw a crowd gathered near the moon gate, enjoying the spectacle.
Instead of going to the back, he asked someone nearby what happened.
Soon he understood.
Xu Damao had come home drunk the night before and knew nothing of the theft.
This morning, after sobering up and hearing from Qin Jingru, he checked his hiding spot—
Empty.
Cash and gold bars—gone.
And thus, the explosion.
He Jin smiled inwardly.
Outwardly, however, he sighed dramatically.
"Damn thief… stole from so many families. I don't even have money for meals now. I've got no mood to watch Xu Damao's show. I'm heading to work."
As he walked away, several neighbors looked at him with unmistakable envy.
They all knew what he meant—
He was going to eat breakfast at the factory cafeteria.
That thought alone dampened their interest in gossip.
One by one, they dispersed.
Seeing the audience vanish, Xu Damao suddenly lost enthusiasm for yelling.
Turning to Qin Jingru, frustration boiling over, he slapped her.
"Why'd you hit me?" she cried, clutching her cheek.
"Why?" he snapped. "You're home all day and can't even guard the house! What use are you?"
Tears welled in her eyes.
"It's not just me! The three uncles' homes had people too. Even Auntie Yi didn't notice anything."
Xu froze.
She wasn't wrong.
Yi Zhonghai and his wife had been so furious they landed in the hospital.
Even Jia Zhang-shi's retirement savings were gone.
If it was truly some master thief, even he might not have stopped it.
After a moment, Xu Damao drank some water and exhaled.
"Forget it. Just be more careful next time."
Then something occurred to him.
"Sha Zhu's house got hit too?"
Qin Jingru nodded.
"All his savings are gone. Director Wang even urged him to marry, but he said without money, what girl would want him? He begged them to recover it."
Xu Damao slapped the table and sneered.
"Him? Get married? He's destined to be a bachelor."
Then he grinned.
"Serves him right. Before, he had money and still couldn't marry. Now he's broke. Even your cousin probably won't look at him."
The thought visibly cheered him.
For a moment, losing his own money didn't feel quite as painful.
Eventually, calmer, he stood up.
"Make something to eat. I'm going to my parents' place to borrow money."
"Oh—" Qin Jingru quickly added, "The police said you need to report our losses today."
Xu frowned.
"Fine. I'll stop by."
He had no intention of revealing everything.
Of course, he wouldn't report the full amount.
As he walked toward his parents' house, he felt a wave of relief.
Thankfully, he hadn't kept all his wealth at home.
Otherwise, this would have wiped him out completely.
And without money, how could he live comfortably?
—
Meanwhile, at the factory cafeteria, He Jin had barely arrived when Liu Lan hurried over, eyes bright with curiosity.
"Is it true your courtyard got robbed last night?"
He Jin couldn't help but marvel.
The news traveled fast.
And Liu Lan truly deserved her reputation as the kitchen's information hub.
He sighed solemnly and confirmed it.
Under her sympathetic gaze, he added deliberately,
"I'll probably have to eat all my meals here for a while."
He hadn't expected what happened next.
Ma Hua and Fatty, his apprentices, immediately emptied their pockets.
"Master, take this. For emergencies."
Others in the kitchen followed suit—fifty cents here, one yuan there.
Even Liu Lan contributed.
In total, they scraped together over ten yuan and pressed it into his hands.
For a brief moment, He Jin was genuinely stunned.
This—
This wasn't part of the plan.
Looking at their sincere faces, he suddenly felt something unfamiliar stir in his chest.
Maybe…
Not everyone in this world was calculating.