After everyone had left that morning, Jia Zhangshi finally returned home.
The moment she entered, she said to Bang Geng, "Take your sister out to play in the courtyard. Don't disturb my sleep. I'll get up at noon and cook for you."
Bang Geng curled his lip. "Didn't you sleep at the hospital? My dad doesn't call for anyone at night anyway. You're just there in case something happens, so why do you still need to sleep?"
Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened. "Who told you that? Was it your mother?"
Bang Geng lowered his head and said nothing. Xiao Dang did not dare make a sound either.
Jia Zhangshi said angrily, "That's outrageous. She tells the children everything. Go out and play first. I didn't sleep well last night!"
Bang Geng and Xiao Dang left unhappily.
They made a round of the courtyard but did not find Lin Guo, Lin Jia, Lin Dong, or Lin Liang.
Xiao Dang said, "Brother, Aunt Lou isn't home either. Did they go out to play?"
Bang Geng pressed himself against the crack in the door and peered into the inner room, confirming that no one was home.
His eyes darted about, and he whispered, "Xiao Dang, go stand by the main gate. If anyone comes, cough once."
"Why?"
"Don't ask. I'll get you something tasty."
"Huh? Are you going to steal..."
"Shh! Don't make a sound!"
Bang Geng had long wanted to raid the Lin family's kitchen, but he had never found the chance.
Today, the four little tyrants were not home, making him the toughest kid in the courtyard.
He usually could not steal anything good from Silly Zhu's home, but today he had finally found his chance.
Bang Geng pulled a piece of wire from his pocket and slipped it through a crack in the kitchen window.
He gently lowered it onto the latch, then gave it a hard tug. The kitchen window instantly popped open.
Those practiced movements did not look like something a five- or six-year-old child could do. He looked more like a habitual criminal.
Bang Geng stood on tiptoe and reached his hand through the window.
He could not see what was inside, so he simply groped around.
He knew the Lin family's food rack was close to the window. If he blindly felt around, he was sure to find something delicious.
But after only a few swipes—
A crisp snap came from inside the window.
The next second, piercing pain shot through his fingers.
"Ah!!!..."
Bang Geng wailed as he yanked his hand back, bringing a mousetrap with it.
The middle and index fingers of his right hand were clamped tightly.
It was an extra-large mousetrap, big enough to catch even a wild cat.
Bang Geng's agonized howl instantly brought all the old women in the courtyard outside.
When Third Mistress came out, Bang Geng's hand was already covered in blood.
"Oh my, Bang Geng, what happened?"
"Waaah..." Bang Geng only knew how to cry.
Third Mistress spotted the open kitchen window at Lin Zhen's home and immediately understood what had happened.
"Hey, why were you stealing from their home? Hurry and find your grandmother!"
First Aunt from the middle courtyard, along with Second Aunt and the Deaf Old Lady from the back courtyard, all came out.
Seeing Bang Geng in that state, they hurried to knock on the Jia family's door.
Jia Zhangshi had just fallen asleep, and the knocking immediately made her furious.
She rolled over and sat up, about to start cursing, when she heard her grandson crying.
She rushed outside, took one look, and froze.
"Oh, heavens! What happened to my precious grandson? Who was it? Which one of you hurt Bang Geng like this?"
That shout left all the old women in the courtyard bewildered.
Second Aunt said, "The Old Lady and I just came out from the back courtyard. We have no idea what happened."
First Aunt said, "old sister, why are you getting so worked up? Bang Geng came from the front courtyard."
Third Mistress quickly said, "He pried open Lin Zhen's kitchen window to steal something and got caught by the mousetrap inside!"
"Pah! Bullshit! My grandson isn't that kind of person!"
Jia Zhangshi spat right in Third Mistress's face.
Third Mistress said angrily, "I was foolish enough to come out and check on him. Bang Geng stole something and got caught by a mousetrap!"
"Bullshit! You're talking nonsense!" Jia Zhangshi cursed as she moved to strike her, frightening Third Mistress into backing away again and again.
"Enough! Jia Zhangshi! Stop arguing! Hurry and take Bang Geng to the hospital!" In the end, the Deaf Old Lady was the one who brought the situation under control.
Jia Zhangshi immediately came to her senses.
"Yes, yes, yes, the Old Lady is right!"
First Aunt said, "old sister, hurry and pry the mousetrap open. His fingers are practically breaking off."
In her panic, Jia Zhangshi had forgotten that she needed to free Bang Geng's hand first.
She hurriedly said, "First Aunt, you pull the top, and I'll pull the bottom. Bang Geng, the moment the trap loosens, pull your hand out!"
"Waaah..." Bang Geng was too busy crying to take her words to heart.
After being spat on, Third Mistress was so furious that she turned and went home, with no intention of helping at all.
Second Aunt still remembered the fight at the hospital a few days ago, so she stood to the side unwilling to help as well.
Jia Zhangshi and First Aunt used all their strength to pry the trap open.
But Bang Geng only howled and cried, failing to pull his hand out in time.
The mousetrap was already slick with blood.
Jia Zhangshi and First Aunt had barely pried it open when their hands slipped before they could react.
Snap!
This time the sound was even sharper as it clamped down on Bang Geng's hand again.
Between the old injury and the new one, the first joint of Bang Geng's right index finger and the second joint of his middle finger were snapped clean off at the bone.
This time, the huge mousetrap fell to the ground, taking two sections of his fingers with it.
"Ah!!!..." Bang Geng let out a miserable scream and ran outside.
Jia Zhangshi was dumbfounded. She slapped her thigh and chased after him. "Bang Geng, come back! Hurry to the hospital and get it bandaged!"
First Aunt stood there in shock. "Th-this..."
The Deaf Old Lady said, "Hurry and bring money. Follow him to the hospital!"
In those days, once a finger was severed, there was no chance of reattaching it.
The Deaf Old Lady looked at the mousetrap on the ground, larger than a shoe sole, and angrily struck it toward the base of the wall with her cane.
"Jia Zhangshi! This is all because you spoiled him! He got used to stealing from Silly Zhu, and this time he stole from someone he shouldn't have, didn't he?"
At noon, Lou Xiao'e happily returned with her four sons.
She had passed the exam smoothly and would be able to start work tomorrow, the eighth day of the first lunar month.
She had been in high spirits and was planning to celebrate with her husband that evening.
But before she could enter the courtyard, Third Mistress came running over from the entrance.
"Xiao'e, don't go into the courtyard! Jia Zhangshi is waiting to fight you!"
"Huh? Th-this... why?"
Lou Xiao'e was truly afraid. In this courtyard, the only woman who was not afraid of Jia Zhangshi was the Deaf Old Lady.
"Bang Geng pried open your kitchen window to steal something and got his hand caught in the mousetrap. When Jia Zhangshi and First Aunt tried to pry it open, their hands slipped and it snapped shut again. Two of Bang Geng's fingers were severed. Now Jia Zhangshi is waiting to settle the score with you!"
Lou Xiao'e said in shock, "Oh, no... How did this happen?"
Lin Guo and Lin Jia said, "Mom, don't be afraid. We'll stand up for you. Can't we even go into our own home?"
Lou Xiao'e did not want trouble. "No, we'll listen to your third grandmother. Mom will take you to the park. This afternoon, we'll wait for your father outside the steel mill, then we'll go home together."
Third Mistress smiled. "That's right. Go have fun. I'll keep watch for you at the entrance!"
Lou Xiao'e led her four sons away, unable to understand why Third Mistress was being so kind that she was willing to offend Jia Zhangshi for her.
Of course, she did not know that Jia Zhangshi had spat in Third Mistress's face.
If Bang Geng had not been injured, Third Mistress would have started cursing Jia Zhangshi out right then and there.
At that moment, Jia Zhangshi crouched outside Lin Zhen's home like a mad dog chained in place, waiting for Lou Xiao'e to return.
She planned to beat Lou Xiao'e to vent her anger while Lin Zhen was not home.
That afternoon, just as Lin Zhen stepped out of the factory gates after work—
He heard his sons shouting, "Dad! You're finally off work!"
Lin Zhen smiled. "Why are the five of you here at the factory gates?"
Lin Guo said, "Bang Geng's grandmother wants to beat Mom. We didn't dare go home until you came back."
"What? She's got some nerve! What happened?"
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