Siheyuan: Start with a big car

But what Old Man Zhang didn't know was that the reason Li Weidong bought the mousetrap was not to deal with mice.
Li Weidong smiled at Old Man Zhang and said, "Don't worry, old uncle. I need the mousetrap for another purpose this time. Just give it to me."

Old man Zhang frowned, his eyes full of confusion, but he didn't ask too much. After all, if Li Weidong didn't tell him, he couldn't guess. After hesitating for a moment, old man Zhang said, "Okay, since you said so, I won't ask any more questions. Wait, I'll get it for you."

Old man Zhang turned around and took Li Weidong to the warehouse of the scrap shop. When they opened the door, a stale smell hit them. The warehouse was filled with all kinds of scraps, including old bicycles, rusty iron pots, broken furniture, etc., piled together in a disorderly manner. Some of the scraps were still covered with dust, and looked particularly old in the dim light.

Old man Zhang struggled to find mousetraps in the waste pile. After a while, he found more than a dozen mousetraps. Some of these mousetraps were rusty, but they looked still usable. Old man Zhang handed the mousetraps to Li Weidong and said, "These are all the mousetraps I can find. See if they are enough."

Li Weidong took the mousetrap and smiled with satisfaction. "That's enough, old uncle, thank you. These mousetraps are very useful to me."

Old man Zhang looked at Li Weidong and couldn't help asking, "What on earth are you going to do with these mousetraps?"

Li Weidong smiled mysteriously and said, "Uncle, don't ask anymore. You will know later."

Li Weidong took the mousetrap and took out the money from his pocket, ready to hand it to Old Man Zhang. "Uncle, you must keep this money, otherwise I will feel bad." Li Weidong said sincerely.

Old man Zhang waved his hand and pushed Li Weidong's hand back. "Weidong, these mousetraps are nothing. They are worthless. How can I take your money? Take them back." Old man Zhang said with determination.

Li Weidong frowned, put the mousetrap aside, and handed over the money again. "Uncle, if you don't want the money, I can't take this mousetrap. It's not easy for you to run a store, I can't take your things for free." Li Weidong's tone was firm.

When old man Zhang heard what Li Weidong said, he became anxious. "Hey, Weidong, what are you doing? Aren't you making things difficult for me?" Old man Zhang looked troubled.

Li Weidong looked at Old Man Zhang and said seriously, "Uncle, I know you mean well, but I can't take advantage of you. Just take the money, or I really can't have these mousetraps."

Old man Zhang hesitated for a while, and finally sighed helplessly. "Okay, Weidong, I'll charge you two dollars as the cost. I really can't take more." Old man Zhang took the two dollars from Li Weidong and carefully put them in the drawer.

Li Weidong smiled and picked up the mousetrap. "Thank you, old uncle. I'll come to you again if I need anything in the future." After saying goodbye to Old Man Zhang, Li Weidong left the scrap shop.

Old man Zhang looked at Li Weidong's departing back and muttered, "This kid is so polite."

...

Li Weidong returned home with a mousetrap and started to work as soon as he entered the house. He squatted in the corner of the living room and carefully placed a mousetrap. This corner was piled with some sundries and usually did not attract much attention, but it was a place where Li Weidong thought there might be "unexpected visitors". He adjusted the mechanism of the mousetrap to ensure that the trap would close quickly if something touched it.

Then he went to the kitchen. The kitchen was relatively small, but there were many cabinets and corners to hide things. Li Weidong placed a mousetrap under the cabinet and next to the refrigerator. He placed them carefully, trying to make the mousetrap less conspicuous so that it would not be accidentally touched by others.

Then he walked into the bedroom. The bedroom was relatively tidy, but Li Weidong still placed mousetraps under the bed and next to the wardrobe. He moved gently, fearing to wake up his wife Yu Li who was sleeping.

After setting up the mousetrap, Li Weidong looked at his "masterpiece" with satisfaction. At this moment, Yu Li woke up and felt very strange when she saw Li Weidong busy in the house.

"Weidong, what are you doing? There are no mice at home, why do you set a mousetrap?" Yu Li asked puzzledly.

Li Weidong smiled mysteriously and said, "Don't worry about it. This is a little plan of mine. Don't worry, there will be no danger."

Yu Li was even more puzzled, but she knew that Li Weidong must have his own ideas, so she stopped asking. "Okay, then be careful and don't get caught by the mousetrap." Yu Li warned.

Li Weidong nodded, but in his heart he was looking forward to the smooth implementation of his plan. In this seemingly peaceful home, an unknown "battle" was about to begin.

The next morning, the sun had just risen, and the golden sunlight shone on the roof and walls of the courtyard. Li Weidong and Yu Li came out of the house pushing their bicycles as usual. Their faces were filled with the morning vigor, ready to go to work.

At this time, Qin Huairu happened to pass by the yard. She saw Li Weidong and Yu Li, smiled kindly, and greeted them warmly: "Weidong, Yu Li, are you going to work so early?"

Li Weidong responded with a smile: "Yes, Sister Qin, good morning to you too."

Yu Li also said, "Sister Qin, we're leaving first. You can go do your thing."

Qin Huairu nodded and said, "Okay, be careful on the road."

Li Weidong and Yu Li rode their bicycles and slowly drove out of the courtyard. Banggeng hid in the house and saw through the window that both of them had left. He was secretly happy. He felt that this was a great opportunity and prepared to take action.

Banggeng walked out of the house carefully, and every move he made was extremely cautious. He first looked around like a vigilant little animal, and after making sure that there was no one else in the yard, he gently closed the door. At this moment, he could clearly hear his heartbeat, "bang bang bang", beating very fast, and he felt nervous and excited.

The task Liu Haizhong had assigned to him involuntarily emerged in his mind. He clenched his fists tightly and encouraged himself in his heart: "Don't be afraid, Banggeng. As long as you complete this task, there will be no trouble."

As Banggeng walked, he was thinking about what to do. His brows were slightly furrowed, and there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes. However, before he reached Li Weidong's house, he was seen by Qin Huairu who suddenly appeared. Qin Huairu had just come out to get something, but saw Banggeng acting sneakily. She suddenly felt confused and thought her son was really weird today. She walked quickly to Banggeng, her eyes full of concern and confusion, and asked, "Banggeng, what are you doing? Why do I feel like you're a little weird today? Are you trying to do something bad?"

Bang Geng was shocked when he heard his mother's question, and a trace of panic flashed across his face. But he quickly adjusted his mood and argued: "Mom, what are you talking about? I didn't do anything bad. I was just walking around in the yard."

Qin Huairu stared at Banggeng closely, her eyes seemed to be able to see through Banggeng's thoughts. "Banggeng, don't lie to me. Look at you, your eyes are evasive and your words are hesitant. You must be hiding something from me."

Banggeng's eyes became more evasive. He didn't dare to look his mother in the eye. His hands fiddled with the corners of his clothes unconsciously. "Mom, I really didn't. I was just taking a walk. Why don't you believe me?"

Qin Huairu's face turned serious, and her voice became a little higher. "Bang Geng, you are my son, don't I know you? You have been naughty since you were a child, and now you are sneaking around like this, it must be bad news. Tell me honestly, what's going on?"

He bit his lip, his eyes a little vague, and continued to argue: "Mom, I really didn't do anything bad. Don't let your imagination run wild. I just felt bored and wandered around the yard."

Qin Huairu frowned and stared at Banggeng closely, her eyes full of suspicion. "Banggeng, don't lie to me. I saw you and Liu Haizhong whispering together, you must be up to no good."

Banggeng's face turned pale instantly. He didn't expect his mother to see him and Liu Haizhong together. He looked away even more and stammered, "Mom, I... Liu Haizhong and I didn't have anything to say. We just chatted for a while."

Qin Huairu's face became more gloomy, and her voice became louder. "Why don't you tell the truth? Banggeng, I'm your mother, don't I know you? If you don't explain yourself clearly today, don't even think about leaving the house." As she spoke, Qin Huairu stepped forward and grabbed Banggeng, preparing to drag him into the house.

Bang Geng didn't want to be locked up at home like this. He struggled to break free from his mother's hand and shouted, "Mom, please don't do this! I really didn't do anything bad!"

Qin Huairu saw Banggeng was still trying to argue, and her anger was ignited. She raised her hand and slapped Banggeng hard. The "slap" sound was particularly loud in the quiet yard. "You useless thing, I worked so hard to raise you, is this how you repay me? What good can come of you hanging out with someone like Liu Haizhong?" Qin Huairu's voice was filled with anger and disappointment, and her eyes were slightly red.

Bang Geng was stunned by the slap. He covered his face with his hands, his eyes full of disbelief and grievance. "Mom, you hit me..." His voice was a little tearful.

Qin Huairu looked at Banggeng's face full of grievance and stubbornness. Although she felt a little regretful that she had slapped him too hard, she knew that she could not be soft-hearted. She said to Banggeng seriously, "Banggeng, I am doing this for your own good. If you continue like this, you will get into trouble sooner or later. You must stay at home today and reflect on yourself."

After saying that, Qin Huairu locked Banggeng in the room despite his resistance. She was worried that Banggeng would escape, so she moved a stool and stood guard at the door. Banggeng paced around the room, feeling annoyed and helpless. He knew that his mother was really angry this time.

Meanwhile, Liu Haizhong waited for a long time at home, but didn't see Banggeng start to act, so he became anxious. He paced back and forth in the room, muttering, "What's wrong with Banggeng? Why hasn't he taken any action yet?" The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, so Liu Haizhong decided to go to Qin Huairu's house to find out what was going on.

Liu Haizhong came to Qin Huairu's door and saw Qin Huairu sitting at the door. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He still walked forward and asked with a fake smile: "Qin Huairu, what are you doing here?"

Qin Huairu raised her head and looked at him coldly, her eyes seemed to be able to shoot ice knives, and said: "Liu Haizhong, you still dare to come? What bad thing did you let Banggeng do?" Her voice was cold and full of questioning.

His eyes flickered like a guilty thief, and he stammered, "I...how could I ask him to do anything bad? I was just chatting with him." He didn't dare to look Qin Huairu in the eye, and his eyes wandered around.

Qin Huairu didn't believe what Liu Haizhong said at all. Her face became more and more gloomy and her tone became more severe: "Liu Haizhong, I warn you, don't come to Banggeng again. He is my son, and I won't let him hang out with people like you." Her eyes revealed firmness and determination.

Seeing Qin Huairu's tough attitude, Liu Haizhong knew that it was no use to continue pestering her, so he turned around and left in disgrace. However, he had just taken a few steps when he remembered that the copper was still in Bang Geng's hand. That was the key evidence for him to frame Li Weidong. If he couldn't get it back, his plan would be ruined.

So Liu Haizhong quietly ran to the back of Qin Huairu's house and came to the window of Banggeng's house. He carefully raised his hand and knocked gently on the window.

"Banggeng, Banggeng, open the window." Liu Haizhong shouted softly.

Bang Geng, who was in the room, was startled when he heard the sound coming from the window. He knew it was Liu Haizhong who came, and he was suddenly a little flustered. He looked at the door and saw his mother still guarding there. He didn't know what to do.

"Banggeng, give me the copper block quickly. If the truth comes out, none of us will end up well." Liu Haizhong continued to urge outside the window.

Banggeng hesitated for a moment, but finally walked to the window. His heart was beating so fast that it seemed like it was going to jump out of his throat. He whispered to Liu Haizhong, "Uncle Liu, my mother won't let me go out now, and I can't give you the copper block."

When Liu Haizhong heard this, he became even more anxious. He looked around and said to Banggeng in a low voice, "Banggeng, pass the copper block to me through the window. Hurry up and don't dawdle."

Bang Geng bit his lip, looked at the door, and then looked at Liu Haizhong outside the window. He knew that doing this might make Qin Huairu angry, but he was afraid of what Liu Haizhong would do to him. So he turned around to get the copper block.

The copper block was very heavy, and Bang Geng had to work hard to move it to the window. When he was about to hand the copper block to Liu Haizhong, he was too nervous and his hand slipped, and the copper block accidentally hit the window, with a loud crash, the window glass was broken.

This sudden noise was particularly harsh in the quiet courtyard. Liu Haizhong was startled. He saw Qin Huairu walking towards him after hearing the noise, and he was panicked. He knew that he couldn't be discovered by Qin Huairu, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

"Run!" This thought flashed through Liu Haizhong's mind, and he turned around and ran away like a frightened rabbit. (End of this chapter)