Bang Geng

Biodata

Name	Bang Geng (Jia Geng)
Alias(es)	Lei Erniu; Liu Lianxing (false identity) 456 494
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jia family; later associated with Deputy Director Li's fraud ring 458
Occupation/Role	Thief, con artist, fugitive; briefly worked under a false identity in a Baocheng restaurant kitchen 542
Status	Deceased; died from blood loss after being shot while fleeing 548
First Appearance	Chapter 26

Background / History

Bang Geng grew up in the Jia household under the protection of his mother Qin Huairu and grandmother Jia Zhangshi. His father, Jia Dongxu, died while Bang Geng was young; afterward, the family’s indulgence left him largely unpunished for theft and violence. Bang Geng learned to view stealing as a skill whose only failure was being caught. 110 287

By age five or six, he was already breaking into neighbors’ homes. He used wire to open the Lin family kitchen window and instructed his younger sister Xiao Dang to act as lookout. 26 His resentment toward Lin Zhen’s family intensified after injuries from a rat trap cost him two segments of fingers on his right hand. 287 494

Following repeated thefts, Bang Geng was sent to juvenile detention for a month. The re-education program made him fitter and introduced him to Baji Quan, but he treated the experience chiefly as preparation to challenge the Lin brothers rather than as a moral correction. 291 292 His attempt to prove himself immediately after release ended in a decisive loss to Lin Jia. 293

As an adult, Bang Geng returned to the courtyard with Tao Xiurong, a widow with three children. His relationship with her began after he fled rather than helping her husband, Chen Dahong, during a mountain-bear attack that killed him. Tao Xiurong used Chen Dahong’s final accusation against Bang Geng to bind him to her and her children. 385

Unable to find legitimate work because of his criminal record, Bang Geng drifted into betrayal, fraud, and flight. He joined Deputy Director Li’s con operation, helped swindle investors, and became a wanted fugitive after attacking Liu Guangfu and stealing his money. 397 446 458

While hiding in Tianjin and later Baocheng, Bang Geng allied himself with the foreigner Peter, stole jade pendants, and attempted to sell them back to Lin Zhen for an inflated price. His planned exchange drew a police operation. Shot during the ensuing escape, he knocked Silly Zhu unconscious rather than accepting help, then bled to death beneath a bridge. 494 543 547 548

Appearance

Bang Geng is recognizable in later life by the loss of two finger segments on his right index and middle fingers, caused by a rat trap at Lin Zhen’s home. 287 291

• Missing two segments of the right index and middle fingers. 291 494
• Changed his clothing and discarded his old hat while fleeing police to avoid recognition. 445
• Used the false identities Lei Erniu and Liu Lianxing while on the run. 456 494

Personality

Bang Geng is resentful, competitive, and deeply preoccupied with status. He repeatedly compares himself to Lin Guo and Lin Jia, framing their advantages as the result of their father’s support while insisting that he deserves to rise through his own ability. 435 440

He is opportunistic and adaptive under pressure. As a child, he used theft and intimidation against those younger or weaker than himself; as an adult, he employed false identities, manipulation, and fraud to survive. 26 330 445 458 His caution is practical rather than moral—he avoids risks when outmatched, but readily betrays allies or relatives when doing so benefits him. 401 458

Despite repeatedly claiming to seek revenge on Lin Zhen, Bang Geng also fears Lin Zhen’s power and avoids direct confrontation. Peter identifies this contradiction when Bang Geng surveils Ba Cui Lou while denying that he wants revenge. 494 495

Abilities & Skills

Theft and Infiltration

Bang Geng developed practical burglary skills from childhood and remained an experienced thief as he grew older.

• Opened a kitchen window with wire while planning a raid on the Lin family home. 26
• Stole eggs from Liu Yuhua’s hen and attempted to conceal the theft with eggshells. 189
• Stole 11 yuan from the Deaf Old Lady after observing her sell grain coupons. 287
• Continued committing thefts while evading police, including stealing money from Liu Guangfu. 446 458
• Stole jade pendants from foreigners and concealed twelve pendants in his Baocheng rental home. 542 548

Deception and Fraud

Bang Geng is skilled at adopting false identities and exploiting greed in others.

• Used Lei Erniu as the supposed head of a construction team. 456
• Helped Deputy Director Li’s group deceive a wealthy man surnamed Li out of 50,000 yuan. 458
• Persuaded Liu Guangqi, Liu Guangfu, and the Chang family to invest through his false business proposal, taking a 30% commission. 438
• Negotiated with Lin Zhen to sell thirteen stolen jade pendants for 30,000 yuan each. 543
• Changed clothes and discarded identifying items after becoming a criminal suspect. 445

Fighting and Physical Training

Bang Geng relies on aggression and size advantages, though he is repeatedly defeated by more capable fighters.

• Overpowered the much younger Lin Dong and Lin Liang when backed by Xu Damao. 81
• Learned basic Baji Quan during juvenile re-education and improved his endurance, jumping, and kicking ability. 292
• Lost quickly to Lin Jia despite his month of training. 293
• Bullied two-year-old He Feibiao, but was severely beaten by the four Lin brothers. 330
• Attacked Liu Guangfu with a brick while fleeing. 446
• Knocked Silly Zhu unconscious with a brick during his final escape. 547

Relationships

• Qin Huairu — Mother. She repeatedly protects and worries over Bang Geng, even pleading with him by phone to return home; his death causes her to faint. 291 545 548
• Jia Zhangshi — Grandmother. She dotes on and defends him, contributing to his lack of accountability as a child. 110 287
• Jia Dongxu — Deceased father. Bang Geng invokes his memory during household disputes and places his portrait beside Jia Zhangshi’s bed. 324 426
• Xiao Dang and Huai Hua — Younger sisters. Xiao Dang served as his lookout during an early attempted burglary and later tried to help him while he was fleeing. 26 445
• Silly Zhu — Stepfather and longtime adversary. Bang Geng resents Qin Huairu’s marriage to him, later threatens him with a cleaver, and finally attacks him during his escape. 324 394 547
• Tao Xiurong — Wife/partner and mother of three children Bang Geng brought into the courtyard. Their relationship formed after Bang Geng abandoned her husband Chen Dahong during a bear attack. 385
• Chen Dahong — Former friend. Bang Geng fled when Chen Dahong was attacked by a mountain bear, leading to Chen’s death and lasting hostility from Tao Xiurong’s family. 385 426
• Lin Zhen — Primary target of Bang Geng’s resentment. Bang Geng blames him for his damaged fingers and repeatedly seeks revenge against him. 178 494
• Lin Guo, Lin Jia, Lin Dong, and Lin Liang — Childhood rivals. Bang Geng frequently targets them when their older relatives are absent, but is repeatedly defeated or restrained by them. 81 189 293 330
• Shen Cuizhen — Revenge ally and later Deputy Director Li’s associate. They shared information about Lin Zhen and pursued schemes against him. 401 431
• Deputy Director Li — Fraud-ring leader who recruited Bang Geng as a useful subordinate for his theft and deception skills. 458
• Peter — Foreigner who offered resources and an opportunity to go abroad in exchange for information and assistance against Lin Zhen. Their alliance was based on mutual manipulation. 494 496

Story Role / Major Arcs

Childhood Theft and Courtyard Rivalries

• Attempts to burglarize the Lin family kitchen with Xiao Dang acting as lookout. 26
• Is injured after biting Lin Guo during a wrestling match, losing a front tooth in the confrontation. 48
• Exploits his age and Xu Damao’s backing to beat Lin Dong and Lin Liang. 81
• Tries to cheat Liu Jiacheng out of firecrackers and is beaten by Lin Guo and Lin Jia. 146
• Throws a brick intended for Lin Zhen’s solar stove but accidentally smashes Yan Bugui’s stove. 178
• Steals eggs from Liu Yuhua and is caught by Lin Dong and Lin Liang. 189

Re-education and Failed Reform

• Steals the Deaf Old Lady’s money, leading to exposure and a month in juvenile detention. 287 291
• Gains physical conditioning and basic Baji Quan training during detention. 292
• Challenges the Lin brothers after release, only to be beaten by Lin Jia. 292 293
• Later bullies He Feibiao and suffers a severe retaliatory beating from the four Lin brothers. 330

Family Conflict and Criminal Escalation

• Reacts violently to Qin Huairu’s marriage to Silly Zhu and later attacks Silly Zhu with a cleaver. 324 394
• Fails to obtain legitimate employment because of his criminal record and briefly studies projection work under Xu Damao. 397 400
• Betrays Xu Damao by giving Shen Cuizhen information about Lin Zhen. 401
• Joins Shen Cuizhen in plotting revenge against Lin Zhen and seeks help from Deputy Director Li. 431 435
• Draws investors into Deputy Director Li’s fraudulent land-bidding scheme, then discovers the operation has vanished with the money. 438 440
• Becomes a fugitive after attacking Liu Guangfu and stealing his money. 445 446

Fraud Ring and Final Flight

• Uses the alias Lei Erniu and joins Deputy Director Li’s group to deceive a wealthy investor. 456 458
• Hides in Tianjin, where Peter identifies him and recruits him as an informant against Lin Zhen. 494 495
• Steals jade pendants, hides in Baocheng, and attempts to sell thirteen pendants to Lin Zhen. 542 543
• Refuses Qin Huairu’s request to return home and proceeds with the exchange plan despite the police surveillance net. 545
• Is shot during the train-track operation, tricks Silly Zhu into carrying him, then strikes him unconscious with a brick. 546 547
• Dies from untreated blood loss beneath a bridge; police recover twelve jade pendants from his rental house. 548

Trivia

• Bang Geng was around five or six when he first demonstrated lock-opening and burglary skills. 26
• At age eight, he was in the second year of primary school. 287
• He considered theft a matter of skill rather than wrongdoing, believing that being caught meant only that his technique was inadequate. 287
• He was ultimately undone by the same pattern that shaped his life: fleeing consequences rather than accepting help or accountability. 548