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

Cao Wei was in a good mood when he returned from Yu Li's house.

He hummed a little tune and walked briskly. The breeze in the alley brushed across his face, bringing a sense of comfort.

As he reached the entrance of the alley, a burst of noise reached his ears.

The sound echoed in the alley, sounding particularly noisy, breaking his originally relaxed mood.

Cao Wei subconsciously looked up and saw a group of children playing together not far ahead.

The sun shines on the ground in the alley, and the children's figures dance in the light and shadow.

Cao Wei glanced among the children and soon found Bang Geng who was surrounded in the middle.

The few friends who often played with Banggeng nearby now had looks of disgust on their faces. Their eyes were filled with undisguised disgust as they pointed at Banggeng.

One of the children yelled at the top of his voice: "You will play Jia Zhang, that nasty old woman."

The sound was sharp and piercing, and it spread throughout the alley.

The other children immediately burst into laughter, and their laughter was as unpleasant as the cry of a night owl. They rushed forward and pushed the stem of the stick to the open space in the middle.

They began to simulate the parade scene, and the children quickly divided the work and each played the role of spectators.

They laughed and their eyes sparkled with excitement, which seemed a little dazzling under the sunlight.

They searched the ground here and there, picking up stones one by one.

They threw stones at the stick and shouted at the top of their lungs: "Beat that wicked old woman!"

Stones flew towards the stick like raindrops, and a few of them hit him, causing him great pain.

Banggeng's body trembled slightly and he tried to protect himself with his arms, but the stones continued to fall on him.

Banggeng looked aggrieved, with tears welling up in his eyes. His lips trembled slightly and his eyes were full of fear and helplessness, but he did not dare to resist.

He knew that if he resisted, he might be attacked even more violently.

Cao Wei stood quietly by and watched this scene, with a gloating look in his eyes. He crossed his arms, his mouth slightly raised, and thought to himself: "This kid has done a lot of bad things, and now he has this day, it's really retribution."

He had no intention of stopping it and even thought the scene was a little funny.

Cao Wei was humming an unknown tune, but the relaxing melody seemed out of place in this tense atmosphere.

Afterwards, he walked straight home at a leisurely pace as if nothing had happened, leaving Banggeng alone to bear the grievance amid the play of the group of children.

After returning home, Cao Wei heard Lou Xiao'e talking to Qin Huairu, with helplessness and irritability in her voice.

When he got closer and listened, he found out that it was Jia Zhang who was causing trouble again.

Cao Wei frowned, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

This Jia Zhang was like a dog-skin plaster that couldn't be thrown away. She always popped up to cause trouble and every time she did so, she disturbed the peace of the courtyard.

Cao Wei came to Qin Huairu's house and looked at the still messy yard with some overturned objects on the ground. He was filled with disgust for Jia Zhang.

He looked at Qin Huairu and said with concern, "Sister Qin, are you okay? Jia Zhang is really too much. She always makes trouble for me."

Qin Huairu shook her head slightly and smiled bitterly, "What can I do? I'm just annoyed by her. I've been through so many years in the Jia family and have endured all the hard times. Why should I be afraid of her troubles?"

There was a hint of fatigue in her eyes; years of entanglement with Jia Zhang had exhausted her.

Cao Wei found a stool in the yard and sat down, thinking with a frown.

He knew Jia Zhang's character very well. This old woman was selfish and would do anything to gain a little profit.

If he fails this time, he will definitely not let it go.

"We have to think of a way. We can't always be led by her. Aunt Li can calm her down this time, but what about next time?"

Lou Xiao'e echoed, "Yes, Jia Zhang saw Qin Huairu's kindness and that's why she's being so unreasonable."

Qin Huairu sighed and said, "She is an old lady after all, and she was my former mother-in-law. I don't want to make things too extreme. But she keeps coming here to make trouble, and I really don't know what to do."

There was a helpless expression on her face, and she felt both angry and helpless about Jia Zhang's behavior.

Cao Wei patted his thigh and said, "Sister Qin, you are too soft-hearted. She doesn't take you seriously. We have to take the initiative."

"Take the initiative? How do you take the initiative?"

Lou Xiao'e asked curiously, with anticipation glittering in her eyes, hoping that Cao Wei would have a good idea.

Cao Wei's eyes flashed with a gleam, and he said, "Keep it secret for now, I'll tell you after I finish it."

This time when leaving Lou Xiao'e's house, Cao Wei did not climb over the wall to go back, but returned to the entrance of the alley.

He saw that the group of children were still there, but Banggeng was surrounded in the middle, and the situation seemed to be even worse.

Cao Wei strode over and shouted, "What are you doing? Stop it!"

His voice was like a huge bell, echoing in the alley.

The group of children were frightened by Cao Wei's momentum. They stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

Cao Wei looked at them sternly, and the children were so scared that they scattered and fled in all directions like frightened sparrows.

Cao Wei walked up to Bang Geng, squatted down, and asked with concern in his eyes: "Bang Geng, are you hurt?"

Bang Geng turned his head away, with resentment in his eyes, and said coldly: "I don't need your kindness. I'm having a good time with them. What do you want to do?"

There was a hint of crying in his voice, and his heart was full of hostility towards Cao Wei.

Cao Wei was not angry. He knew that Banggeng was resentful of him. Besides, Jia Zhang often scolded him at home, so Banggeng would not have a good attitude towards him.

Cao Wei asked patiently, "Bang Geng, I know you blame me, but let's not talk about that for now. Do you want to restore your relationship with your friends?"

As he spoke, he took out a few beautifully wrapped candies from his pocket and handed them to Bang Geng.

The candy wrapper sparkled with colorful light in the sun, exuding an enticing sweet scent.

Banggeng's eyes were immediately attracted by the candy. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded slightly for the sake of the candy.

Cao Wei smiled, patted Bang Geng's shoulder and said, "I have a way to make your friends stop bullying you and have fun with you. Do you want to listen?"

Banggeng's eyes suddenly lit up, and the flickering light in his eyes was like a candle suddenly lit in the darkness, instantly driving away the previous grievances and fears.

He stared straight at Cao Wei, his eyes full of curiosity and expectation about the method Cao Wei proposed.

Bang Geng longed to return to his friends; the feeling of being isolated was too uncomfortable for him.

The recent period was like a nightmare for Bang Geng.

The incidents of his grandmother, Jia Zhang, being paraded through the streets were like a shadow that ruthlessly cast a shadow over his young heart.

His friends began to stay away from him. Every time he tried to get close to them, he was greeted not with familiar smiling faces, but with cold eyes and disgusted expressions.

That feeling was like a cold wind in winter, blowing straight into his heart and making him feel cold all over.

This feeling of being isolated was like countless tiny needles constantly pricking his heart, and every prick made his soul tremble.

Today, when he saw his friends gathered together again, the fire of wanting to play in his heart burned again.

So when his friends asked him to play Jia Zhang, although he was a little reluctant, he gritted his teeth and agreed in order to have fun with everyone.

He thought that as long as he followed his friends' wishes, he could integrate back into their group and regain his former happiness. He hoped that his friends would accept him again, laugh with him, and play with him.

However, things did not develop as he expected.

Instead of accepting him for his cooperation, his friends became even more aggressive and picked up stones to throw at him.

Those stones were like hitting his heart, making him feel aggrieved.

Banggeng didn't understand. He just wanted to play with everyone, why did he have to be treated like this?

His eyes turned red again and tears welled up in them, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

He didn't want to show his vulnerability in front of his friends, but the pain in his heart surged like a tide.

He looked at Cao Wei with complicated emotions in his eyes.

That glimmer of hope was like the last straw a drowning man grasped. How much he hoped that Cao Wei really had a way to get him back into the circle of his friends.

Banggeng's eyes showed both a desire for friendship and suspicion towards Cao Wei. He wondered whether this person who had been so unfriendly to him could really help him.

"any solution?"

Bang Geng asked eagerly, his voice trembling slightly and his eyes full of anticipation.

Cao Wei did not tell him the solution directly. Instead, he squatted down, looked Banggeng straight in the eye, and asked gently, "Do you know what your friends like most?"

When Banggeng heard this question, he tilted his head, put his little finger to his mouth, rolled his eyes around, and thought about it seriously.

A look of reminiscence appeared on his face, and scenes of playing with his friends emerged in his mind.

After a while, Banggeng seemed to have opened up a chatterbox and answered incessantly: "They like the police and bandit game the most! Every time we play it, everyone is so excited. Some people play the police, some people play the bandits, running around in the alleys, shouting 'Don't move' and 'Surrender your guns and you won't be killed', it's so fun. Also, they like firecrackers very much. The crackling sound is as lively as the New Year, and everyone thinks it's fun. But firecrackers are not easy to buy. Sometimes you have to save up pocket money for a long time to buy a small string. Oh, and there are snacks. Every time someone has snacks, everyone gathers around and looks at them eagerly. They are so greedy. But we have no money. We can only look at those delicious snacks and can't afford them at all."

His voice became more and more excited, as if he was immersed in those happy memories, but when he mentioned that he had no money to buy snacks, he became depressed again.

Cao Wei raised his mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile. He smiled and said to Banggeng: "Banggeng, think about it. If one day you have money, you can buy a lot of candies and snacks of various flavors, and a lot of firecrackers. If you have these fun and delicious things, are you still afraid that your friends won't play with you?"

His words echoed in Banggeng's ears like sweet temptation.

When Banggeng heard this, his eyes opened wide instantly, like two bright stars, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

In his mind, he seemed to have a picture of himself holding snacks and firecrackers, surrounded by his friends.

Banggeng saw the envy and desire in his friends' eyes, and saw them surrounding him, laughing and talking happily.

A happy smile appeared on his face, as if he was already in that beautiful scene.

However, after just a moment, the light of excitement quickly dimmed like a candle in the wind.

Banggeng hung his head and said dejectedly, "Where can I get the money?"

His voice was low and full of helplessness.

Yes, where can a little kid like Banggen get so much money?

He had no way to make money, and his family's poverty left him with very little pocket money.

"Didn't you often ask Sha Zhu for money before? You even came to my house to steal things before. You're asking for money far away. Let me tell you, your grandma has a lot of money. Your dad used to give his salary to your grandma every month. Your grandma has saved a lot of money."

Cao Wei's voice sounded in Bang Geng's ears, with a hint of bewitching meaning.

Banggeng understood Cao Wei's meaning immediately. He widened his eyes and asked in disbelief, "Are you asking me to steal my grandma's money?"

His voice trembled a little. Although his desire for his friends moved him, he knew that stealing was wrong, especially stealing his grandmother's money. It was a betrayal.

Cao Wei smiled disapprovingly and said, "How can you say you stole money? You and your grandmother are family, and it is normal for relatives to give each other some money. Your grandmother loves you so much, even if you don't take the money actively, if she knows you need money to get along well with your friends, she will definitely be willing to give it to you."

He tried to use these words to allay Banggeng's concerns and make him accept this seemingly simple method.

Bang Geng frowned, a hesitant look on his little face.

He knew that although grandma loved him, she always attached great importance to money. Moreover, the family had been in turmoil recently because of various things. If grandma found out that he had taken the money, she would definitely be furious. "But...if I took grandma's money, she would definitely beat me up if she found out, and I don't want to make grandma angry."

A trace of fear flashed in his eyes, and he couldn't help trembling when he thought of his grandmother's angry look.

Cao Wei patted Banggeng's shoulder and said earnestly: "Think about it, you are so pitiful now. Your friends don't want to play with you anymore. If you have money, buy snacks and firecrackers, and everyone can play together happily again. If your grandma knew that you were wronged because of this, she would definitely hope that you can find your friends back. Besides, you can take a little first, not too much, then grandma might not notice."

His words were like the devil's whisper, planting a seed of hesitation in Banggeng's heart.

Bang Geng bit his lip and fell into deep thought.

On the one hand, he was so eager to reintegrate into the circle of his friends, and the pain of being isolated was unbearable for him.

On the other hand, he was afraid of his grandmother's scolding. His grandmother's angry look kept appearing in his mind. He was struggling fiercely between morality and desire, not knowing how to choose. After a while, he whispered: "Then... I'll just take a little, just buy some snacks and firecrackers, it should be okay, right?"

Cao Wei nodded with satisfaction: "Yes, that's right. This way you can reconcile with your friends and make yourself happy, how great."

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