Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Jia Dongxu's aunt strolled slowly through the courtyard, her shoes crunching over the broken coal slag on the ground. The pent-up anger she felt towards Aunt Tan was like a ball of mud. The more she thought about it, the more angry she became: If Aunt Tan hadn't been like a fly, always hanging around Yi Zhonghai, serving him tea and water, asking about his well-being, she might have already been together with Yi Zhonghai. Why would she have had to wait on a paralytic in the Jia family, suffering from the indescribable odor in the house? Aunt Tan had more wrinkles on her face than she did; she was a few years younger than her. Why should she have the position that allowed her to enjoy the good life of Yi Zhonghai?

Aunt Tan had no idea that this new aunt of Jia Dongxu's was harboring such dirty thoughts. She had just returned from taking out the trash with an empty dustpan when she saw Jia Dongxu's aunt standing at the gate, her brow slightly furrowed. Thinking she must be tired, she walked over with small steps, a kind smile on her face: "Sister, you've been really busy lately. Dongxu's kid is paralyzed on the kang, and you have to take care of everything inside and outside. If there's anything you can't handle, let me know and I'll lend a hand. I can do some laundry, sweep the floor, or something." In her opinion, it was not easy for this woman to take care of such a family at such a young age. As neighbors, any help she could provide was appreciated.

But Jia Dongxu's aunt found this irritating - wasn't this saying that just because he was young, he had to do heavy work? She curled her lips, her tone carrying a hint of inexplicable toughness: "I'm fine. After all, I'm young and nimble, so doing some physical work is nothing."

Aunt Tan didn't notice the sarcasm in her words, and just thought she was being stubborn. She smiled and said nothing more, then turned around and went back to her room.

Jia Dongxu's aunt stared at Aunt Tan's back, her eyes hardening with a fierceness. Her lips moved, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's: "Why don't you die?" The thought in her mind grew wildly: If Aunt Tan were gone, and Yi Zhonghai was no longer tied down, and she took more initiative, wouldn't the position of Yi Zhonghai's wife be hers? She had already found out everything: Yi Zhonghai was a seventh-level fitter, earning a decent monthly salary, and the family had a considerable amount of savings. If she worked hard and gave Yi Zhonghai a child, wouldn't she be able to live a comfortable life in the future? Why would she have to endure this poverty in the Jia family?

She was thinking about how to find an opportunity to talk to Yi Zhonghai and how to make Aunt Tan "get into trouble" without being noticed, but she didn't know that there had been a more secretive affair in the courtyard - Qin Huairu had been secretly having an affair with Yi Zhonghai for a long time, and even the third brother Jia Cai whispered that the child in Qin Huairu's belly looked a bit like Yi Zhonghai.

The day drifted by like the smoke from the courtyard. In the afternoon, the sun hung slantingly over the western wall. He Feng, briefcase in hand, went out. Just as he reached the entrance of the alley, he bumped into Ma Xin, walking towards him. Lately, he and Ma Xin had been interacting more and more. They'd worked together several times, occasionally chatting. Their relationship had warmed up like tea brewing over warm water.

He Feng himself didn't quite realize it, but the slight wariness he had felt towards Ma Xin had long since melted away, like snow melted by the sun. In his eyes, Ma Xin was just a young woman who had just entered society, speaking softly and looking innocent. What bad intentions could she have?

He recalled the fingerprints the technical department had extracted from the gun used in the practice shoot during the recent gun investigation. The match was unequivocal, confirming Ma Xin's. Furthermore, judging by the trajectory and grip, she was clearly unfamiliar with firearms. Her trigger pull was uneven, a clumsy quality that was definitely not fake. This dispelled his last remaining doubts—how could a woman who couldn't even hold a gun steady stir up any kind of trouble?

"Captain He, are you going out?" Ma Xin greeted him with a smile, his eyes curved into crescents, looking particularly sincere.

"Well, let's go to the police station." He Feng nodded without stopping. The contempt he had for Ma Xin in his heart was like a speck of dust and had long been thrown behind him.

He Feng looked at the faint blue shadows under Ma Xin's eyes, his brows showing some genuine concern, and his tone softened a little: "Ma Xin, are you too tired from work today? You don't look very energetic. Do you want to take a break first?"

Ma Xin shook his head slightly, his fingertips pausing on the document, and tried to sound relaxed: "Fortunately, I have a few cases to follow up on. It's a bit busy, but not too tiring. By the way..."

She was about to bring up the progress of the investigation into Zheng Qiang when the office door creaked open. Zheng Qiang walked in with a smile, his eyes darting between the two of them. "Director, Ma Xin, what are you two talking about here? Why are you so engrossed?"

Ma Xin's smile remained unchanged, and he changed the subject naturally: "It's nothing serious. It's almost time to get off work, and I want to report some work details to the director for confirmation."

Zheng Qiang smiled and waved his hand: "Then you guys go ahead and do your work. I still have some things to deal with over there, so I'll go over first." After saying that, he turned and left - he was still thinking about finding the place where he was originally imprisoned. He didn't have time to stay here for long. He just wanted to get rid of that matter as soon as possible.

After Zheng Qiang left, Ma Xin looked up at He Feng, his expression a little more serious than before: "Director, is there any new progress in the investigation of Director Zheng Qiang?"

He Feng picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. He avoided her gaze and said vaguely, "This matter is still under investigation according to the procedures. I will tell you when there is news. Well, it's getting late. I'll go back first."

After saying that, he picked up the coat draped over the back of the chair and walked out quickly. Ma Xin watched him hurriedly leave, a hint of ambiguous smile on the corner of his mouth. Without saying anything more, he just lowered his head and slowly sorted through the documents on the table. As his fingertips ran across the papers, a sharp look flashed in his eyes.

Elsewhere, relying on his hazy memory, Zheng Qiang drove to the intersection where he'd been blindfolded. He turned off the engine, rolled down the window, and glanced around cautiously—the street was bustling with activity, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Once he'd confirmed there were no suspicious individuals following him, he pushed open the door and exited the car, retracing the route he remembered being dragged along, searching for the place where he'd been held captive. He had a single thought: he had to find the gang's lair and capture them all, finally putting this matter to rest.

He walked along the alley beside the street, checking every corner based on his vague impression, and finally found the courtyard gate with iron fences in his memory deep in a secluded alley.