As they reached the outside of the steel mill, He Yu Zhu finally let out a sigh of relief: "How did you know I had chicken in here?"
Yang Xuan said mysteriously: "I have divine powers of foresight. Silly Zhu, believe it or not, this chicken will land you in a huge mess."
He Yu Zhu, of course, didn't believe him: "I believe you like I believe a ghost!"
"Let's make a bet. This mess, you'll have to deal with it, whether you like it or not," Yang Xuan said.
They hadn't walked far when they passed by a row of prefabricated culverts and heard children's voices.
He Yu Zhu recognized the voices and quietly went to take a look.
Yang Xuan didn't need to see to know it was Pang Geng and his siblings eating Xu Da Mao's chicken.
He Yu Zhu saw Pang Geng and his siblings eating chicken and knew Pang Geng had been up to no good. Stealing soy sauce from the steel mill today was just to get some roast chicken. He didn't bother to get involved.
Yang Xuan wasn't going to get involved either.
"Guess who's chicken Pang Geng stole?" Yang Xuan asked.
He Yu Zhu didn't know: "Whose?"
"Don't you remember? Last night, Xu Da Mao came home with two big hens on his bike rack," Yang Xuan said.
"Xu Da Mao's? Serves him right!" He Yu Zhu said with a mischievous smile.
Yang Xuan knew He Yu Zhu and Xu Da Mao were rivals, and he enjoyed seeing Xu Da Mao suffer.
"Silly Zhu, don't get too happy. The kids eating the chicken are Qin Widow's, but the blame will fall on you," Yang Xuan said with a chuckle.
"Why?" He Yu Zhu asked in confusion.
"Because of the chicken in your lunchbox. Where did you get it?" Yang Xuan asked.
"From..." He Yu Zhu's face paled. He couldn't say it was from the factory. That would mean stealing public property! That crime was much worse than stealing Xu Da Mao's chicken.
In the show, everyone in the courtyard knew He Yu Zhu's chicken wasn't Xu Da Mao's. But they used this opportunity to make He Yu Zhu take the blame for stealing the chicken.
He Yu Zhu wanted to throw the chicken away.
Yang Xuan quickly stopped him: "What a waste."
"Not throwing it away, I'm a fool for going back and taking the blame?" He Yu Zhu felt the lunchbox in his hand was getting hot.
"Don't worry, they won't make you take the blame. We'll definitely buy chicken from the market today. Later, we'll say we kept some for you. Who can say anything then?" Yang Xuan said.
He Yu Zhu didn't want to throw away the chicken, and after hearing Yang Xuan's explanation, he felt relieved. But he was still confused: "How did you know Pang Geng would steal chicken today? And that I brought chicken back from the canteen?"
Yang Xuan chuckled: "Last night, when I was arguing with Xu Da Mao, I saw Pang Geng's eyes fixed on the hens Xu Da Mao brought back. I knew he was going to target those hens. This noon, at the canteen, I heard Xu Da Mao bragging about having a dinner with Director Yang. I figured you'd be bringing something back from the canteen."
Yang Xuan's explanation was convincing, and He Yu Zhu didn't think twice. He never suspected that Yang Xuan knew the plot.
Yang Xuan's family was indeed cooking chicken, and He Yu Zhu took the initiative to add his chicken to the pot.
"Zhuzi, why did you bring your own meat?" Zeng Wen Fang asked.
He Yu Zhu laughed: "It's from the canteen anyway. They get to eat meat, can't common folk have a little soup?"
Yang Xuan quickly said: "Mom, don't talk about it. Otherwise, Silly Zhu will be in deep trouble."
Zeng Wen Fang rolled her eyes at Yang Xuan: "Your mother isn't stupid."
He Yu Zhu's culinary skills were excellent, and the chicken he cooked was fragrant.
"Mom, where did you buy this chicken?" Yang Xuan asked.
"From the market. I finally managed to get a rooster today. I wanted a hen, but they were all gone," Zeng Wen Fang said.
"What color was it?" Yang Xuan continued to ask.
Zeng Wen Fang was confused: "Why do you ask?"
"I heard that "luhua" chickens are more nutritious. I was just curious," Yang Xuan said.
"It's not a "luhua" chicken. It's a regular red rooster. The feathers are outside drying," Zeng Wen Fang said.
In those days, chicken feathers and duck feathers could be sold at the recycling station for a few cents, so naturally, they wouldn't throw them away.
Zeng Wen Fang didn't know why Yang Xuan was asking the color of the chicken, but He Yu Zhu did.
The two hens Xu Da Mao brought back yesterday were "luhua" chickens. Zeng Wen Fang had bought a rooster from the market, and it was a red rooster. This way, there would be no trouble.
After eating his fill, Xu Da Mao returned to the courtyard. As he walked towards his home, he took a special look at the two "luhua" chickens in the cage at his door. He found only one was left.
He started searching the courtyard.
Coincidentally, Yang Xuan's family was cooking chicken, and it smelled delicious. His chickens were gone, but Yang's family was cooking chicken. This was too much of a coincidence, so Xu Da Mao walked inside.
"Yang Xuan, are you cooking chicken?" Xu Da Mao's eyes were fixed on the pot.
Yang Xuan knew what Xu Da Mao was up to, so he smiled: "Yes. We're having Silly Zhu over for dinner. Cooked a chicken. What's it to you? Do I have to report to you before cooking chicken in my own home?"
Xu Da Mao said: "No need. Where did you buy this chicken?"
"From the vegetable market. What's it to you? Xu Da Mao, what are you implying?" Zeng Wen Fang glared at Xu Da Mao.
"Nothing, just asking," Xu Da Mao was suspicious but didn't have any evidence to accuse them. But he couldn't just let it go. He asked another question, "What kind of chicken is it?"
Zeng Wen Fang found it odd. Yang Xuan had asked the same question when he came home. Now Xu Da Mao was asking the same thing out of the blue. She didn't mind when her son asked, but she wasn't happy with someone else asking.
"Xu Da Mao, what do you mean? Can't we have chicken in our own home? We didn't steal or rob anyone. What kind of chicken we eat is none of your business!" Zeng Wen Fang was not someone to be trifled with.
Xu Da Mao panicked: "No, no, I was just asking."
He Yu Zhu laughed out loud: "Xu Da Mao, you're being unreasonable. They didn't invite you in, yet you barged in and ask all these random questions. It's like you're interrogating a thief. Are you thinking that after having dinner with Director Yang, you've become the director of the steel mill?"
Zeng Wen Fang was furious: "Xu Da Mao, you're not leaving until you explain yourself!"
Xu Da Mao couldn't tell the truth. If he said his chickens were missing, it would be worse. That would be like admitting he suspected Yang's family of stealing his chickens.
Judging from Zeng Wen Fang's attitude, the chicken Yang's family was cooking must have been bought from the market.
But if Xu Da Mao didn't explain himself, how could Zeng Wen Fang let him leave?