Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 24 The Egg Mystery Unfolds a Storm, Ironclad Evidence Cannot Suppress Panic

The 24th of the twelfth lunar month is the day for sweeping dust. A thin layer of frost still lingered on the blue brick floor of the Hongxing Courtyard, and a crowd had gathered around the public water tap in the central courtyard. Qin Huairu was washing the clothes of the Jia family, her hands red and swollen from being immersed in the icy water. She deliberately chose the intersection where Sha Zhu always passed by on his way to work, glancing up at the courtyard gate from time to time. Her face no longer showed the deliberate weariness of the past, but rather a more grounded calmness—since learning the craft from Lin Chen, she had secretly practiced chiseling at night, her calluses thickening, and her confidence growing.

"Good morning, Sister Qin." Lin Chen walked over carrying a serving of soy milk and fried dough sticks he had just bought from the cafeteria, and handed one of them to her. "These are for Jia Geng and Huaihua. The children are growing, so they shouldn't always eat cornbread."

Qin Huairu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved her hand to decline, "Comrade Lin, this is too much. You just helped my Gengzi arrange an apprenticeship yesterday, and I haven't thanked you yet."

"Take this, consider it a gift for the apprentice." Lin Chen stuffed the breakfast into her hand, his gaze sweeping over the old locust tree in the corner of the yard—half a piece of coarse cloth was vaguely visible in the tree hole, the very one Jia Zhangshi used to hide the stolen pickled radishes last time. "By the way, keep an eye on Jia Geng lately. There's a lot of ironware in the workshop, let him familiarize himself with the safety regulations from Uncle Wang first, so he won't be reckless."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Bugui's shrill voice suddenly rang out from the front yard: "Who stole my eggs! I just bought ten eggs yesterday to give to the children as New Year's gifts, how come five are missing!"

The shout was like a thunderclap, instantly shattering the tranquility of the courtyard. Liu Haizhong, who was sweeping snow in front of his own house, dropped his broom and ran over, joining in the commotion by shouting, "Old Yan, count again, are you sure you didn't miscount? Our courtyard may be a mixed bag, but stealing eggs is just too low-class!" As he spoke, his eyes darted towards the Jia family's direction, clearly not forgetting the time when Jia Zhangshi stole Aunt Li's pickled radishes.

Yan Bugui, holding the half-empty basket of eggs, stamped his feet anxiously: "How could I be wrong? I specifically wrote 'ten eggs, three cents and five cents' in the ledger when I bought them yesterday, and this morning there are only five left! The doors and windows are all fine, it must have been someone in the yard who did it!" As he spoke, he walked towards the middle courtyard, his eyes scanning the doorways of each household, finally stopping at Jia Zhangshi's door—Jia Zhangshi was sneaking into the kitchen, her apron still stained with some yellow egg liquid.

"Aunt Jia, stop right there!" Yan Bugui rushed over, pointing at her apron, "What's that on your apron? Did you steal my eggs?"

Jia Zhangshi hurriedly covered her apron, her neck stiff as she retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting! These are my own eggs. I'm just making eggs for my grandson Jia Geng. What's it to you?"

"You have eggs at home?" Liu Haizhong sneered. "I just heard you complaining to Qin Huairu about being broke the day before yesterday, saying you could barely afford salt. How come you suddenly have eggs to fry? I bet you stole them!"

The two argued heatedly, their faces flushed, and the neighbors in the courtyard all gathered around. Qin Huairu wanted to step forward to mediate, but Jia Zhangshi pushed her away, saying, "Don't interfere! I haven't even said anything to you yet. You're always hanging out with Lin Chen. Who knows, he might be the one giving you advice to scheme against our family!" As soon as she said this, everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Chen. Even Sha Zhu, who had just come home from get off work, stopped and looked at her in confusion.

Just as Lin Chen was about to speak, Yi Zhonghai suddenly came out from the backyard, carrying an enamel mug. He said slowly, "What's all the commotion about? It's the New Year, this is really bad. Old Yan, it's just five eggs, is it worth making such a fuss? Old Zhang, don't get agitated, it might be a misunderstanding." He seemed fair, but deliberately emphasized the word "misunderstanding," and subtly gave Jia Zhangshi a wink.

Lin Chen sneered inwardly, instantly realizing this was Yi Zhonghai's trap. He had just been promoted to team leader yesterday, usurping Yi Zhonghai's authority in the precision group, and today the egg theft occurred. Jia Zhangshi had conveniently "slipped up"—clearly, they wanted to frame him for the egg theft. After all, he had just helped Qin Huairu yesterday, and Yi Zhonghai was certain everyone would think he had instigated Jia Zhangshi to steal, thus ruining his reputation in the courtyard.

"Master Yi is right. Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, we'll find out by checking." Lin Chen took a step forward, his gaze falling on Jia Zhangshi's apron. "Aunt Jia, you said the eggs are from your own farm, so where did you buy them? What brand are they? I went to the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday and chatted with Master Li, who sells eggs. He said the eggs he's been getting lately are from 'Red Star Farm,' and they have a small red mark on the shell. Would you dare to take out your eggs and let me see them?"

Madam Jia's face changed, and she stammered, "I...I forgot where I bought it, but it's mine!"

"Forgot?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Then let me ask you again. The egg yolk on your apron, it got there while you were frying the egg, right? But the egg yolk on a fried egg is loose, but the clump of egg yolk on your apron is in chunks, like you just cracked an egg and got it there. And I just saw you crawling under the old locust tree, is there something hiding there?"

Jia Zhangshi's eyes darted away, and she unconsciously moved her feet towards the old locust tree. Yan Bugui immediately reacted, rushed over and reached into the tree hole, and sure enough, he pulled out an oiled paper package containing five eggs with red marks on them. The oiled paper was still damp with the scent of osmanthus-scented hair oil—the hair oil that Jia Zhangshi used for many years.

"The evidence is irrefutable, and you still dare to deny it!" Yan Bugui, holding the eggs, was so angry his hands were trembling. "Master Yi, look, is this what you call a misunderstanding? Five eggs may not be worth much, but this is theft! We must report it to the authorities!"

When Jia Zhangshi realized that her scheme had been exposed, she plopped down on the ground and began to throw a tantrum: "I didn't steal! Lin Chen framed me! He helped Qin Huairu yesterday and wanted to win over the Jia family, so he instigated me to steal the eggs so that he could have a chance to mediate and gain favor! I'm just an old woman, how could I have such thoughts? He forced me to do this!" She cried as she crawled toward Lin Chen, trying to grab his trouser leg, but Lin Chen skillfully dodged her.

The courtyard erupted in an uproar. Liu Haizhong immediately chimed in, "I knew something was off! Lin Chen just got promoted and he's already helping the Jia family? He's definitely up to no good! Maybe last time he helped Qin Huairu learn a skill so Jia Zhangshi would steal for him!" Yan Bugui also looked at Lin Chen suspiciously, gripping the eggs in his hand even tighter. Sha Zhu frowned, walked over to Lin Chen, and asked, "Brother, what exactly happened? Tell me the truth, did you do it?"

Lin Chen ignored the crowd's questions and instead looked at Yi Zhonghai: "Master Yi, what do you think should be done about this? Aunt Jia said I instigated her to steal. You are an elder in the neighborhood and a model worker in the factory. You can be the judge."

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback when Lin Chen threw the question at him. He paused for a moment before saying, "Little Lin, don't take it to heart. Old Zhang must have been confused in his desperation to accuse people randomly. But you have indeed been getting a bit too close to the Jia family lately. You should be more careful in the future to avoid misunderstandings. Old Yan, how about this, I'll compensate you with five eggs, and we'll let it go. It's the New Year, it wouldn't look good to report this to the authorities."

"Master Yi, what you're saying makes it sound like I've actually done something wrong." Lin Chen sneered, pulling a small oil paper packet from his pocket. Inside was half a bar of osmanthus hair oil. "I found this under the old locust tree this morning. It's exactly the same as the hair oil Aunt Jia uses. And I have a witness, Uncle Wang, didn't you see Aunt Jia hiding something in the tree hole this morning?"

Everyone turned to look, and Grandpa Wang walked out from the crowd, holding a pipe in his hand. He slowly said, "Yes, I got up at five o'clock this morning to shovel snow. I saw Old Zhang sneakily stuffing something into the tree hole. At the time, I thought it was something good, but I didn't expect it to be stolen eggs. I also heard her whispering with Master Yi in the corner, saying something about 'making Lin Chen suffer.'"

These words caused an uproar. Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen, and he said sternly, "Old Wang, don't talk nonsense! When did I whisper anything with her?"

"Whether it's nonsense or not, just ask Sha Zhu." Lin Chen looked at Sha Zhu. "Sha Zhu, didn't you hear Master Yi telling Aunt Jia yesterday that he was going to teach me a lesson? You even advised him, saying, 'Lin Chen is a good person, don't scheme against him,' right?"

Sha Zhu paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, I did hear it yesterday when I passed by Master Yi's house. At the time, I thought Master Yi was just angry that you took his spot, but I didn't expect him to actually instigate Aunt Jia to steal and frame you!"

With irrefutable evidence, Yi Zhonghai could no longer pretend. Pointing at Jia Zhangshi, he cursed, "You old woman, when did I instigate you? You were just greedy for small gains and tried to drag me down with you!" Jia Zhangshi also became agitated, pulling out a crumpled bill from her bosom: "You still deny it! Yesterday you gave me five cents to steal Yan Bugui's eggs, saying you'd give me another five cents after it was done! I still have that money on me!"

Everyone in the courtyard was completely stunned. They never expected that Yi Zhonghai, who usually appeared so respectable, would do such a thing. Yan Bugui was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at Yi Zhonghai's nose and cursed, "Yi Zhonghai, are you even human? To get revenge on Lin Chen, you actually instigated someone to steal! I think your model worker title is watered down!" Liu Haizhong also curled his lip and took two steps back, clearly not wanting to have anything to do with Yi Zhonghai anymore.

Seeing that he had been completely exposed, Yi Zhonghai decided to throw caution to the wind: "So what if I don't like Lin Chen? He's just a greenhorn who's only been in the factory for a few days and he's already taken my position. Why should he? I've worked for the factory my whole life, and my skills as an eighth-grade fitter are inferior to those of a young man who relies on crooked methods!"

"By resorting to underhanded methods?" Lin Chen took out the mold material analysis report and crankshaft quality inspection report generated by the system and handed them to the neighbors who had gathered around. "This is the mold test report I made yesterday using scrap materials. Its hardness is three times higher than the original. This is the crankshaft quality inspection report. The pass rate is 100%. The heavy machinery factory even signed a long-term contract with our factory. I relied on technology, not scheming!"

The neighbors passed the report around. Although most couldn't understand the technical jargon, they understood the phrases "100% pass rate" and "long-term contract." Their gazes towards Lin Chen instantly changed, from skepticism to admiration. Sha Zhu even patted his chest and said, "I knew Brother Lin Chen was awesome! Yi Zhonghai, you're not as skilled as him, yet you try to frame him—how shameful!"

Just then, Director Li from the neighborhood committee suddenly walked in, followed by two staff members. It turned out that Grandpa Wang had already suspected Yi Zhonghai was acting strangely. That morning, after seeing Jia Zhangshi hiding eggs, he secretly went to the neighborhood committee to report it. Looking at the chaotic scene in the yard and listening to Grandpa Wang and Lin Chen recount the whole story, Director Li's face darkened: "Yi Zhonghai, as a factory-level model worker, you actually instigated others to steal and even tried to frame someone! This not only violates public security regulations but also tarnishes the image of a model worker! Come with us to the neighborhood committee office for investigation!"

Yi Zhonghai's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground, muttering, "I'm a model worker, I can't go... my honor..." But the staff member didn't give him a chance to explain and dragged him out. Jia Zhangshi was also too frightened to make a scene anymore, and she lowered her head and hid back in the house. Yan Bugui, holding the eggs he had just recovered, glared at her fiercely and also turned and went back inside.

After the crowd dispersed, Sha Zhu patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and said, "Brother, thanks to you today, otherwise I would still be in the dark. I always thought Master Yi was a good person, but I never expected him to be so vicious. Come to my house tonight, I'll make you braised pork, let's celebrate!"

Qin Huairu also came over, her face full of guilt: "Comrade Lin, I'm sorry, it's all because of me that you got involved in this. I'll discipline Jia Zhangshi properly, and I won't let her cause you any more trouble."

"It has nothing to do with you. It's Yi Zhonghai's own bad attitude." Lin Chen smiled and handed her the "Fitter Skills Diagram" that he had just redeemed from the system. "This is the material I asked someone to find for you. It will help you learn the skills. Practice hard, and you will definitely pass the next exam."

Qin Huairu took the diagram, her eyes reddening, and choked out, "Thank you, Comrade Lin. I will definitely study hard and earn a living with my own skills in the future. I will never do anything crooked again."

When Lin Chen returned to his room, a notification suddenly popped up on the system panel: "The host has successfully thwarted Yi Zhonghai's plot to frame him, protecting his own reputation and gaining 800 points in the 'Justice Execution' category. Due to exposing the unethical behavior of a model worker, a hidden reward has been triggered, unlocking the 'Networking Expansion' function, allowing you to view a list of trustworthy people in your vicinity."

He opened the list of trusted people, which displayed the names of Grandpa Wang, Sha Zhu, and Qin Huairu, with their trust levels indicated: Grandpa Wang 80%, Sha Zhu 75%, and Qin Huairu 60%. Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction. This was not only an increase in points, but also the foundation upon which he could establish himself in the courtyard—only by gaining everyone's trust could he gain a foothold in this complex community.

As evening fell, Lin Chen was studying the newly unlocked "Mold Optimization" blueprint in his room when he suddenly heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Liu Haizhong's second son, Liu Guangtian, holding a chipped hammer. Liu Guangtian bowed his head and said, "Team Leader Lin, my father sent me to apologize to you. He shouldn't have said those things this morning. This hammer is a family heirloom; it's a bit chipped. Could you fix it for me? I know you're skilled..."

Lin Chen looked at the hammer in Liu Guangtian's hand. The hammerhead was made of rare manganese steel, but there was a small chip on the edge. He remembered that in his previous life, Liu Guangtian actually had a great talent for forging, but it was suppressed by Liu Haizhong's volatile temper, which was why he had never made a name for himself. "Come in, I'll fix it for you." Lin Chen took the hammer and took out the special tools he had redeemed from the system. "Do you also want to learn forging? I saw you watching me repair the molds in the workshop last time, you were watching very intently."

Liu Guangtian's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously: "Yes! I've loved tinkering since I was little, but my dad always says I'm useless and won't let me learn. Team Leader Lin, could you teach me? I'm not afraid of hardship; I'm willing to do any dirty or tiring work!"

"I can teach you, but there are one condition." Lin Chen said while sharpening the hammer, "First, you must learn well and not give up halfway; second, you must communicate well with your father and get his support for you to learn the skill; third, in the future, if anyone tries to scheme against you in the yard, you must stand on the side of justice."

"I promise you!" Liu Guangtian said excitedly. "I'll go back and tell my dad right now. If he doesn't agree, I'll make a scene!"

Lin Chen smiled and handed her the repaired hammer. The edges of the hammer had been polished smooth and even, making it even better to use than a new one. "Don't rush, take your time. Your father also hopes that you will be successful. Come to the workshop tomorrow, and I'll teach you the basic forging techniques first."

Liu Guangtian grabbed the hammer and ran out happily. Lin Chen closed the door, looked at the sunset outside the window, and was filled with emotion. Yi Zhonghai's downfall was just the beginning; the disputes in the courtyard were far from over, but he already had his own plan—not only to gain a foothold in the factory, but also to unite the good people in the courtyard and leave no place for those who schemed against others to hide.

Just then, the system popped up another notification: "The system detected that the host is actively guiding young people to learn technology, triggering the side quest 'Technology Inheritance'. Quest objective: Train at least three qualified technical talents, with at least one of them winning a factory-level technical award. Quest reward: 3000 points, unlocking the 'Advanced Alloy Fusion' blueprint."

Lin Chen's lips curled up, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.