Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

Cao Wei turned his gaze to Jia Zhang's family again, and saw Jia Zhang, Jia Dongxu and Bang Geng, each of whom had eaten three persimmons. At this moment, they were looking at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces.

Their eyes were full of confusion, as if they were silently asking each other: "Why doesn't my stomach hurt after eating persimmons?" Their expressions were like children trapped in a puzzle, eager to find the answer.

Cao Wei's eyes were as sharp as an eagle. He scanned the three of them one by one, and asked with scrutiny and inquiry, "How about you? How do you feel in your stomach after eating so many persimmons?"

The sound was neither high nor low, but it was clearly heard by everyone and echoed in the yard, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

When Jia Dongxu heard this, his heart suddenly shrank and his mind skipped a beat, as if it was being tightly grasped by an invisible big hand.

A trace of panic flashed across his face for a moment, and that panic was like the haze before a storm, quickly covering his face.

Subconsciously, he looked at his mother eagerly, his eyes full of help and anxiety, like a drowning man eager to grab a life-saving straw, as if waiting for his mother to rescue him and save him from this embarrassing predicament.

Jia Zhang was upset by Cao Wei's questioning. She glared at Jia Dongxu fiercely, her eyes seemed to be able to spit fire, as if blaming her son for his timidity and cowardice.

Then, she responded in a hoarse voice: "Why are you in such a hurry? I had a stomachache a long time after I ate persimmons yesterday. You need to wait a while."

As she spoke, she straightened her back, trying to hide her inner panic with this tough attitude.

However, her slightly trembling hands were like a traitor, exposing her guilty conscience. Her hands were like fallen leaves in late autumn, shaking involuntarily in the cold wind, telling of her inner uneasiness.

Cao Wei had no intention of urging them. He just stood there quietly, like a calm hunter, patiently waiting for his prey to reveal a flaw.

His eyes were firm and calm, as if to say, "I want to see when you will stop being stubborn."

His figure appeared particularly tall and straight in the sunlight, like an unshakable mountain.

Yi Zhonghai was still pondering to himself, but after hearing Jia Zhang's words, he suddenly realized and a look of "so that's it" appeared on his face.

His lips moved slightly, and he muttered, "Oh, it turns out it's not that my stomach doesn't hurt, it's that I need to wait a while."

It was as if he had grasped the last straw, and a glimmer of hope was rekindled in his originally dim eyes. That hope was like a ray of light in the darkness, allowing him to see a glimmer of hope again.

He subconsciously touched his stomach, as if expecting the pain to come so that he wouldn't have to pay the thousand dollars.

His hands gently rubbed his belly, with a hint of nervousness and anticipation in his movements, as if he was having a silent conversation with his belly.

After hearing what Jia Zhang said, the nerves of the people around, which had originally relaxed, became tense again, like taut strings that were ready to explode at any moment.

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes once again filled with confusion and worry.

Aunt Li frowned, her brows were as wrinkled as chrysanthemum petals in late autumn, full of worry.

She whispered to Uncle Wang next to her: "Why does this seem so mysterious? Can I really have a stomachache?"

There was a tremor in her voice, as if she was afraid of the unknown that was about to come.

Uncle Wang shook his head and sighed, and that sigh seemed to carry endless helplessness.

He said helplessly: "Who knows? I don't know if I can trust what Jia Zhang said."

There was confusion in his eyes, and he was full of uncertainty about how things would turn out.

Time passed minute by minute, and the yard was so quiet that only the occasional sound of the wind could be heard.

The sound of the wind was like a lonely traveler, singing softly in the yard, but it could not break the eerie silence.

Everyone stood there quietly, their eyes fixed on the Jia Zhang family, as if waiting for a big show to be staged.

Their eyes were full of anticipation and curiosity, as if they were expecting a wonderful performance, or waiting for the truth to be revealed.

Although Jia Zhang still looked righteous on the surface, her eyes were sometimes erratic, like a lost bird flying panickily in the sky.

A layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. The sweat was like morning dew, sparkling in the sunlight, but it could not conceal her inner tension and anxiety.

Banggeng's heart was in turmoil. He clutched the corner of his clothes tightly, which was wrinkled by him, as if telling of his inner fear.

He whispered to Jia Dongxu: "Dad, I'm so scared. If I really don't have a stomachache, are we in big trouble?"

His voice had a hint of crying, and that crying tone was like the cry of a lone goose in the night sky, full of fear and helplessness.

Jia Dongxu patted Banggeng's shoulder, wanting to comfort him, but no words came out of his mouth.

His hand stayed on Banggeng's shoulder, trembling slightly. His own heart was also a mess, as if it was entangled by countless threads and could not be untied.

After a long while, the Jia Zhang family still showed no signs of stomachache, but no one dared to speak first to break this eerie silence.

At this moment, Xu Damao suddenly jumped out with a sarcastic smile on his face. That smile was like the cold wind in winter, bringing with it a biting chill.

He pointed at Jia Zhang and said, "Humph, I think you are just making up stories here. You don't even have a stomachache. You just want to extort money from Cao Wei!"

When Jia Zhang heard this, she became furious and rushed towards Xu Damao like an angry lioness.

Her eyes were as big as copper bells, burning with anger, and she cursed: "You little bastard, you only know how to talk nonsense. Wait until we get a stomachache, and then we'll see what you have to say!"

After a while, Jia Zhang stood there, her eyes rolling around, and suddenly an idea came to her.

She first looked around cautiously, and after making sure that everyone's attention was still on her, she quickly winked at Jia Dongxu and Bang Geng.

That look was like a silent command, full of urgency and suggestion, as if telling them: "Hurry, follow me, this is our last chance."

Jia Dongxu was originally still flustered by the development of the situation. After seeing his mother's eyes, his heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously wanted to back off, but he did not dare to disobey his mother's wishes.

After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and prepared to cooperate with this ridiculous performance.

His heart was full of contradictions and struggles, like a walker wandering in the darkness, not knowing which way to go.

Bang Geng had a confused and frightened look on his face. His little hands kept tugging at the corners of his clothes. His eyes were full of helplessness. He whispered softly, "Grandma, this..."

Before he could finish his words, he was forced back by Jia Zhang's stern look. He could only stand there obediently and wait for the next instruction.

His eyes were filled with fear and confusion, and he didn't know where to go.

Seeing that both of them noticed her, Jia Zhang took a deep breath and began her performance.

She first slowly raised her hands and slowly covered her stomach. The movement was like a slow motion in a movie, full of drama.

A painful expression appeared on her face, and her facial features were twisted together, as if she was being kneaded by an invisible big hand.

She began to groan in pain: "Ouch, my stomach, my stomach is starting to hurt. It hurts so much."

Seeing this, Jia Dongxu followed suit. He bent down, covered his stomach tightly with both hands, and kept shouting, "Oh, it hurts, it hurts so much that I can't stand it."

As he shouted, he was secretly observing the reactions of the people around him. His heart was beating fast with nervousness, like a rabbit in his chest.

His eyes moved back and forth among the crowd, trying to find a hint of recognition in other people's expressions, but he only saw suspicion and ridicule.

Banggeng hesitated for a moment, then followed suit. He imitated Jia Dongxu, holding his stomach with both hands and whispering, "My stomach hurts, too. It's so uncomfortable."

The voice was a little sobbing, but more of it was fear and reluctance. His voice was like the buzzing of a mosquito, insignificant in this noisy scene.

At this moment, Jia Zhang was completely immersed in her performance. She didn't care whether she was pretending to be convincing or not. She kept twisting her body as if she was really suffering great pain.

In her mind, this was the only solution she could think of. Her mind was filled with the money she might get, and she didn't care about other people's opinions at all.

There was only one thought in her mind: "As long as I can get the money, everything is worth it."

But how could Cao Wei and the people in the courtyard not see that they were pretending?

Cao Wei stood aside with a mocking sneer on his face. That sneer was like frost in winter, making people shudder.

He crossed his arms over his chest and watched all this quietly, his eyes full of disdain.

He knew in his heart that Jia Zhang's appearance when she had a stomachache yesterday was not like this. She was really in great pain. But now, her performance was full of loopholes and flaws.

His eyes were like a sharp sword, piercing through Jia Zhang's disguise and seeing her inner greed and hypocrisy.

The neighbors around also noticed what was going on, and a low murmur of discussion began to arise among the crowd.

Aunt Li frowned and said to Uncle Wang next to her with disgust: "Look at this Jia Zhang, she is really willing to do anything for money. This is too fake, how can a stomachache look like this."

Uncle Wang also shook his head repeatedly and sighed helplessly: "Alas, it's really embarrassing. For such a small amount of money, we have lost face and even the face of our courtyard."

Yi Zhonghai stood aside, watching the farce of the Jia Zhang family, his face turning red and white.

His expression was like a palette, constantly changing with his emotions.

He knew in his heart that this farce had completely gotten out of control, and his situation had become even more embarrassing because of Jia Zhang's behavior.

He subconsciously took a step back, trying to make himself less conspicuous, but Cao Wei's sharp gaze quickly locked onto him.

His figure seemed particularly small in the eyes of everyone, like a helpless ant with nowhere to escape in this chaotic scene.

Cao Wei walked towards Yi Zhonghai step by step, each step was steady and powerful, as if stepping on Yi Zhonghai's heart.

His steps were firm and confident, like a general about to return victoriously.

He stood in front of Yi Zhonghai and said with a firm look: "Uncle Yi, the facts are in front of us. There is no problem with the persimmons. According to the previous agreement, you should honor the one thousand yuan."

His voice was clear and firm, leaving no room for doubt, as if he was reading out an irreversible verdict.

Yi Zhonghai's throat seemed to be choked by something. He opened his mouth but could not make any sound.

His hands were tightly clenched on the corner of his clothes, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

His mind was in a mess. On the one hand, he felt sorry for the one thousand yuan. That was his hard-earned savings, and every penny was hard-earned. On the other hand, he knew he was in the wrong. He had made a promise with great confidence before, and now he could not deny it.

His heart felt like it was being burned on fire, and he was in great pain. He had a difficult choice between money and integrity.

Just when Yi Zhonghai was hesitating, Jia Zhang became more and more anxious when she saw that Cao Wei ignored her "performance".

She let go of her hand that was covering her stomach, rushed forward, grabbed Cao Wei's arm, and shouted, "You can't just leave like this, I really have a stomachache, you have to pay me!"

Cao Wei shook off Jia Zhang's hand in disgust and said coldly: "Jia Zhang, stop making trouble. Everyone has seen your tricks. Master Yi, I will give you one more chance. Do you want to take it out yourself, or should I go to your house to get it?"

There was a hint of threat in his eyes, which made Yi Zhonghai shudder. His eyes were like the eyes of a wolf in the cold night, flashing with a cold light, which made people tremble with fear.

Dense beads of sweat appeared on Yi Zhonghai's forehead, and the sweat beads were like beads that had broken off the string, rolling down continuously.

He was struggling fiercely in his heart. He thought about his savings and the future, but also about his promise and Cao Wei's tough attitude.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, as if he had made a great decision, and said, "I... I admit defeat. I will pay for it."

His voice was low and helpless, full of bitterness, as if it was a sigh from the bottom of his heart.

After hearing what Yi Zhonghai said, Jia Zhangshi seemed to have lost all her strength and sat on the ground, mumbling: "How could this happen, how could this happen..."

Her eyes were empty and confused, like a ship that had lost its direction, drifting in the vast ocean.

Banggeng and Jia Dongxu also lowered their heads, not daring to look at the people around them. They knew that this farce ended in their failure.

Their figures looked particularly lonely in the sunlight, like orphans abandoned by the world.

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