In the blink of an eye, a week had passed. It was Sunday again. After breakfast, He Yuzhu took out the cured meat, fish, and chicken from the big jar one by one. She pricked them with a sharp knife, tied them with a thin rope, and pulled an iron wire under the eaves. She hung them all up to dry. She also pulled out the sausages from the kitchen and hung them up.
He told He Yushui to watch out and left. Two families had asked him to cook for them today, so he left early.
In the afternoon, He Yuzhu came back happily with his things. However, he realized that two pieces of cured meat were missing from the sun, and a string of sausages was also missing. He quickly called for the rain."Rain, why are there fewer dried meat and sausages? Did you see who took it?"
He Yushui was doing her homework in her room. When she heard her brother calling her outside, she quickly came out. When she saw that there were really not many preserved meat and sausages left, she was so anxious that tears were about to fall.
She said angrily," Brother, I've been doing my homework in the house. I came out at around four o'clock to see that there was nothing missing. I didn't hear any movement either. Why is there so much missing?"”
Two pieces of cured meat were about four catties, and a string of sausages was about two catties. Two catties of cured meat required about three catties of fresh meat, two catties of sausages required about four catties of fresh meat, and two pieces of cured meat and a string of sausages required about ten catties of fresh meat.
Now, a catty of pork cost 80 cents, and ten catties cost 8 yuan. With the sausage casing, seasoning, and effort, the cost could not be less than 10 yuan. Ten yuan was not a small sum these days. It was equivalent to half a month's salary for many workers.
He Yuzhu comforted her sister and went to find Yi Zhonghai.""First Uncle, the cured meat and sausages I hung in the yard to dry were stolen. What do you think we should do?”
An old man also came out to take a look when he heard that. He found that the rope used to dry the dried meat and sausages at He Yuzhu's door was empty. He looked for He Yushui to ask about the situation. It was Sunday today, and most of the people in the courtyard were at home. If outsiders came in, they would pay attention. He knew that someone in the courtyard must have stolen it.
He said to He Yuzhu,"I'll discuss it with Second Master and Third Master. We'll hold a general meeting of the whole academy and try to resolve it internally."”
He Yuzhu did not want to make a big deal out of it. As long as he could find the lost bacon and sausages, he agreed.
The three elders separately informed the people in the courtyard to hold a general meeting. Soon, the entire courtyard became lively. Those who were cooking dinner at home walked out of the house and gathered in the courtyard. The three elders sat at a square table.
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong enjoyed the feeling of being a host. It was as if he was sitting on the podium. He rushed to host,"Today, we've gathered everyone for a meeting. Something big has happened in the courtyard. There are fewer preserved meat and sausages left in the courtyard by He Yuzhu. Maybe someone in the courtyard took them, or maybe someone outside the courtyard stole them.”
He picked up the teacup and took a sip. Liu Haizhong continued,"The three of us have discussed it and decided to hold a general meeting. If it was someone from the courtyard who took it, then we will return it to the pillar. If not, everyone will provide clues to see if anyone saw who took it. Zhu Zi, explain the situation first.”
He Yuzhu stood up and said," This morning, Rainy and I hung the cured meat and sausages under the eaves to dry. I went out to do some work while Rainy was at home. She came out at around four o'clock to see that there were still a lot of them. When I came back at six o'clock to collect them, I found that two pieces of cured meat and a string of sausages were missing."”
He looked around at his neighbors and continued,"A piece of bacon is about two catties, so two pieces is four catties. A bunch of sausages is about two catties. My sister, Yu Shui, has been at home all afternoon and didn't hear any big movements. That's the situation. I hope that whoever took it will quickly take it back.”
When everyone heard this, they started discussing. Jia Zhang-shi mumbled,"If you report this little bit of bacon and sausage to the government, why would the government care about this? Besides, you don't lack a mouth, so forget it.”
When He Yuzhu heard this, he was unhappy. In fact, he suspected that Jia Zhangshi had stolen it, so he immediately retorted,"This is a matter of whether or not you want to talk about it. This is a matter related to the safety of the property of each family in the quad. All these years, no one has lost even a needle or thread. Now that such a situation has occurred, will everyone feel at ease if they don't find it?
Besides, two pieces of cured meat weighed four catties, and a string of sausages weighed two catties. They were worth more than ten yuan. It was not a small amount of money. If they were caught, they could be sentenced to several years in prison. Wasn't it normal to report it to the police?”
First Uncle said," Everyone, whoever took it, hurry up and return it. This matter will be handled by our department. If we report it to the officials, it will not look good on everyone's face."”
Seeing that no one responded, the first uncle said,"Did anyone see who took it? If anyone sees it, say it."
After hearing that there was still no response, He Yuzhu stood up again and said,"The seasoning used for the bacon and sausages I made is different from others. If we report it to the police, we can bring the police dog over to check. It won't be a problem if no one sees it. I hope that if our people take it out, they can take it out themselves.”
After saying that, he waited for a while, but there was still no response. He Yuzhu walked towards the door and said as he walked,"Since it's not someone from our hospital who took it, I'll go to the police station to report it.”
Jia Zhangshi, Jia Dongxu, and Qin Huiru exchanged glances. Jia Dongxu stood up and called out to He Yuzhu,""Zhu Zi, my wife didn't figure it out this afternoon. She thought it was our family's preserved meat and sausages, so she took it home and made it. I'm sorry. I'll return it to you when my family makes preserved meat and sausages next time.”
Qin Huairu was still a new daughter-in-law who had just married into the Jia family from the countryside less than a year ago. She had yet to train her shamelessness and tea skills. When she heard Jia Dongxu push the blame onto her, she blushed in embarrassment. Her eyes were teary and she looked like she was about to cry. She looked very pitiful.
When everyone heard Jia Dongxu's words, they started discussing. Wasn't he obviously being shameless? There were only three people in his family who could eat six catties of bacon and sausages. How could he finish it in one meal?
"I'm sorry, Brother Jia. I did this for someone else. It's best if you can return it. Otherwise, you can compensate me with 20 yuan.”
Jia Zhang-shi heard this and shouted," Silly Zhu, you must be crazy about money. Six catties of cured meat and sausages cost 20 yuan. Go and rob them." Besides, I watched you two siblings grow up. As an elder, what's wrong with eating some bacon and sausages from you?”
"The cured meat and sausages made by me, He Yuzhu, are worth this price. Either return it or pay 20 yuan. After my father left, when my brother and I relied on each other to survive, I didn't see your family help at all. Why should I give you meat to eat?”
He Yuzhu rolled her eyes at Jia Zhangshi and said,""Look at us growing up. We all moved to this courtyard because of our leader. It's only been four or five years. Do you know what I was like when I was young?”
After saying that, He Yuzhu looked around at his neighbors and continued,"According to what you said, as long as the elders in our courtyard house are older, they can take other people's things as they please. If they don't find out, they'll be secretly happy. If they find out, they'll say,'What's wrong with the elders eating and taking some from you'. Does everyone agree with this statement?”
Jia Dongxu was a little angry.""Didn't I say that my wife took the wrong one? I promised to return you six catties of bacon and sausages in the future!”
"How are you going to pay me back? I said that I was helping someone else make it. They came for my cooking. Who made the bacon? Also, I have to give it to someone else in the next two days. When are you going to return it?”
First Uncle always walked the golden mean in dealing with people. When there was a conflict, he always thought about how to reconcile the conflict instead of solving it. It was commonly known as making peace. At this moment, he said,"Zhu Zi, why don't we forget about it? We'll talk about it when they're making bacon and sausages.”
He Yuzhu was a little annoyed. This old man always wanted to smooth things over. He knew that he had always respected him enough. If he didn't ask him to help him, he wouldn't even ask for fairness.
As he thought about it, he retorted," Stealing without telling me is stealing. Stealing something from me that costs more than ten yuan, I won't report it to the authorities, and I won't double the compensation. I just want to return it to me or compensate according to the price. Is that too much?" I'm the victim. Why should I make up for it first? I'll make it clear today. Either give me back the bacon and sausage, or compensate me 20 yuan. If not, I'll report it to the authorities.”
The first uncle's face turned red from the scolding. He was speechless for a long time. In the end, he waved his hand and said,"Forget it. You can do whatever you want. I don't care.”
He Yuzhu turned around and walked out of the door.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。