Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 83 Rusty Lock and Pry Marks Conceal Malicious Intent; Ironclad Evidence Deterrs the Shrew

The early winter fog hadn't completely dissipated, and a thin layer of frost covered the blue brick floor of the Hongxing Courtyard. Lin Chen, carrying his toolbox, had just stepped into the central courtyard when he saw Qin Huairu squatting by the public pool, washing clothes. Her hands, red from the cold, were repeatedly rubbing in the icy water. Next to her, in a bamboo basket, were several patched work clothes, one of which was a dark blue coarse cloth garment—clearly the one Yi Zhonghai had been wearing when he was dragged away by security guards yesterday.

"Good morning, Master Lin." When Qin Huairu looked up, the redness in the corners of her eyes hadn't faded yet, and her voice was hoarse from crying. "Uncle Yi didn't come back last night, and there wasn't even a hot bowl of porridge at home. I washed his dirty clothes, just to fulfill my duty as his apprentice." As soon as she finished speaking, the door to the west wing creaked open, and Jia Zhangshi, wrapped in a greasy cotton-padded coat, poked her head out. Her triangular eyes swept over Lin Chen's toolbox, and a sinister smile appeared on her lips.

Lin Chen didn't respond to Qin Huairu's words, but only glanced at her hands soaking in the water—the knuckles were red and swollen, but there were no signs of frostbite or cracks, indicating that she had only been soaking them for a short time. He gave a light "hmm" and walked straight to the north wing room. When he took out his key to open the door, his fingertips touched the lock cylinder and felt an unusual resistance. Looking down, he saw several fresh scratches on the brass lock lug, as if it had been pried open with a thin wire.

"System, scan the lock and surrounding area for signs of damage," Lin Chen silently commanded in his mind. A light blue panel instantly appeared, with a red marker lighting up inside the lock cylinder. The accompanying analysis report showed that trace amounts of rust and cotton fibers remained inside the lock cylinder, consistent with common traces of fine wire picking. The traces appeared within two hours. A small window popped up below the panel, displaying thumbnails of the courtyard's surveillance footage from 10 PM last night to 2 AM this morning—a simple surveillance device he had created last week using the system, incorporating discarded camera parts and a magnifying glass, with the lens pointed directly at the central courtyard corridor.

Upon entering the room, Lin Chen first checked the storage room in the corner. Here were several key tools he had integrated using the system: a modified, wear-resistant wrench, a high-precision micrometer, and the newly completed milling machine spindle blueprints—these were essential for his survival in the workshop. The wooden door to the storage room was ajar, the bolt showing signs of breakage. He quickly walked over, lifted the straw covering the floor, and found the tin box hidden in the brickwork still there. Opening it, he found the tools and blueprints inside intact, except for a blurry handprint on the lid, with obvious calluses on the fingertips and a speck of dark red rouge powder on the edge.

"Looks like it didn't work out." Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned. Jia Zhangshi wasn't involved in Yi Zhonghai's affairs last night, so why was she suddenly eyeing his tools? Just as he was pondering this, Liu Haizhong's loud voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Is Master Lin home? Guangtian said you were going to teach him a new forging technique, and this kid has been waiting at the workshop door since early this morning!"

Lin Chen hid the tin box back in the brickwork and had just locked the door when Liu Haizhong walked in carrying a cloth bag, followed by Liu Guangtian, who was clutching a worn-out copy of the "Forging Technology Handbook." "Thanks to you last night, otherwise that old bastard Yi Zhonghai would have really screwed over our workshop." Liu Haizhong placed the cloth bag on the table; inside were two steamed buns and a small jar of pickled vegetables. "Guangtian's mother steamed these this morning; make do with them."

They had only exchanged a few words about forging techniques when Jia Zhangshi's wailing suddenly echoed from the inner courtyard: "Damn thief! He stole from this old woman! My eggs, which I've saved up for half a year, have been stolen!" Lin Chen and Liu Haizhong exchanged a glance and quickly went outside. They saw Jia Zhangshi sitting on the stone mill in the inner courtyard, slapping her thigh and wailing. Beside her, Jia Geng held up an empty basket, also wiping away tears with exaggerated expressions. Qin Huairu stood to the side, her face full of embarrassment.

"What's going on?" Yan Bugui from the front yard also rushed over upon hearing the commotion, holding an arithmetic notebook in his hand, clearly having just finished tutoring his students. He adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces before finally settling on Lin Chen. "Master Lin just came out of the house, could it be...?"

"Teacher Yan, you can't just say things like that!" Liu Haizhong immediately stood in front of Lin Chen. "Who in our workshop doesn't know who Master Lin is? But some people have been up to no good for a long time." As he spoke, he glared at Jia Zhangshi. Last time, when Jia Zhangshi was caught stealing chickens from Aunt Li's house, it was Liu Haizhong who helped deliver the money to the neighborhood committee.

As soon as Jia Zhangshi stopped crying, she pointed at Lin Chen's nose and cursed, "If it wasn't you who stole it, who else could it be? Yesterday you put Master Yi in jail, and today my family's eggs are gone! I think it's because you're holding a grudge and taking revenge on us honest people!" As she cursed, she moved closer to Lin Chen and reached out to grab his clothes, but Lin Chen dodged her.

"I only got back from the workshop at seven in the morning, with Director Zhou and Liu Guangtian as witnesses." Lin Chen's tone was calm, but his gaze swept over Jia Zhangshi's cuffs. "But Aunt Jia, the rust on your cuffs looks a lot like the scratches on my door lock. And the rouge on your finger is also on the tin box in my storage room."

Jia Zhangshi's face changed, and she hurriedly hid her cuffs behind her back, but she still spoke toughly: "I helped Qin Huairu sew clothes yesterday, so what if I got a little rust on them? The rouge was a gift from the neighbors, who knew it would be on your tattered box!" As she was about to throw a tantrum, Lin Chen suddenly took out a small glass bottle from his pocket, which contained a few thin iron wires with fresh brass shavings on the tips.

"I found this this morning next to my door lock," Lin Chen said, holding the glass bottle up to everyone. "This kind of thin wire is used by the equipment department; it's extremely flexible, and most people don't have it. Moreover, the brass shavings at the tip of the wire are exactly the same material as my door lock. Aunt Jia, where were you between 10 PM and 2 AM last night?"

Jia Zhangshi's eyes flickered, and she stammered, "I...I was sleeping at home, Qin Huairu can testify!" Qin Huairu's face turned pale, and she subconsciously took a step back. Last night, she clearly heard Jia Zhangshi tiptoeing out of the house, but she didn't dare to ask any more questions.

"What a coincidence, I have some 'evidence' here." Lin Chen took out a palm-sized wooden box from his toolbox. Inside was a simple video projection device—he had made it using a system that combined a discarded slide projector and surveillance parts, capable of projecting surveillance footage. He pointed the device at the white wall of the courtyard, and last night's surveillance footage immediately appeared clearly:

At 10:15, Jia Zhangshi, wrapped in a cotton-padded coat, came out of the west wing, clutching a thin wire in her hand. She sneaked to Lin Chen's door and squatted down, fiddling with the lock for a long time. Around 11:00, she pried open the door and slipped inside. Less than five minutes later, she rushed out in a panic, carrying nothing, but as she passed the stone mill, she hid something under it.

The moment the image appeared, everyone in the courtyard was stunned. Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses and clicked his tongue in amazement, "This is clearer than a professional photo studio camera! Aunt Jia, what else do you have to say?" Liu Haizhong was even more furious, blowing his beard and glaring, "You old woman, you stole something and then turned around and accused me! You're utterly shameless!"

Jia Zhangshi's face flushed red. Suddenly, she rushed to the stone mill, rummaged around for a while, and pulled out an oil paper package containing several round eggs. "I... I just thought Master Lin's tools were nice and wanted to borrow them to fix a toy for Jia Geng. Who knew his house was so securely locked!" She was still trying to argue when Lin Chen pulled out something else that left her speechless.

It was a small tin can, half-filled with dark red rouge. The pattern on the rim matched perfectly with the one on Jia Zhangshi's finger. "I found this under the old locust tree when I was helping Aunt Li fix the chicken coop last time. I thought someone had lost it, but I never expected it to be yours." Lin Chen's tone was icy. "There are your fingerprints on the tin box in my storage room, pry marks on the door lock, and your image on the security camera. Are you still going to deny it?"

Faced with overwhelming evidence, Jia Zhangshi could no longer hold back. She plopped down on the ground, slapping her thigh and wailing, "I was wrong! I shouldn't have stolen! But I had no choice! Uncle Yi's benefits were suspended, and the family lost its support. Qin Huairu's meager salary wasn't enough to support us, and Jia Geng is still growing. I was forced into it!"

"Forced to steal?" Lin Chen frowned. "Last time you stole Aunt Li's chicken, you were sent to a labor camp. What did you say when you came back? You said you'd never steal again, and what happened?" He turned to Qin Huairu. "Master Qin, you're doing mending in the logistics department now, earning twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents a month. If you're careful with your spending, it's enough to support the children. Why make her do such petty things like stealing chickens?"

Qin Huairu's face flushed red and then turned pale. She bit her lip and said, "I tried to persuade her, but she wouldn't listen..." Jia Zhangshi immediately jumped up, pointing at Qin Huairu's nose and yelling, "Stop pretending to be a good person! If you weren't so useless, unable to even pass the fitter's exam and only able to do odd jobs in logistics, would I need to steal? And Sha Zhu, he used to bring us lunchboxes, but now that you've offended him, he won't even give us a piece of bread!"

"Enough!" Lin Chen shouted, intimidating the shrewish Jia Zhangshi. "Stealing is stealing, don't make up so many excuses. I can spare you from being sent back to the neighborhood office, but you must write a guarantee promising never to steal again, and you must compensate me for the damage to the door lock—five cents, pay me within three days."

Jia Zhangshi wanted to bargain, but seeing the surveillance device in Lin Chen's hand, she swallowed her words. She knew that if this device were handed over to the neighborhood committee, she would be sent to labor camp for at least three months, so she could only nod and agree: "I'll write it! I'll compensate!"

After dealing with Jia Zhangshi's matter, Lin Chen and Liu Guangtian were about to go to the workshop when Sha Zhu hurriedly walked in carrying a lunchbox. Seeing the scene in the yard, he asked in confusion, "What's going on? I just came back from the military guesthouse and brought you some meat buns." As he spoke, he handed the lunchbox to Lin Chen. Inside were four steaming hot meat buns, which smelled delicious.

"Jia Zhangshi was caught stealing from Master Lin." Liu Haizhong briefly recounted the events. Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu's face immediately darkened. He walked up to Jia Zhangshi and said coldly, "I used to bring you lunchboxes out of pity and out of consideration for my relationship with Jia Dongxu. Now you've actually stolen from Master Lin! Master Lin is someone who helped me before; you've gone too far!"

Seeing that Sha Zhu was angry, Jia Zhangshi hurriedly put on a smiling face: "Sha Zhu, your aunt knows she was wrong and will never dare to do it again. Please, for Jia Geng's sake, don't hold it against your aunt..."

"It's no wonder Jia Geng went astray with a grandma like you!" Sha Zhu interrupted her. "I won't be sending you anything anymore. If you want to eat, earn it with your own hands. Stop thinking about stealing!" He then turned to Lin Chen and said, "Master Lin, if she dares to cause you any more trouble, just tell me, and I won't let her get away with it!"

Lin Chen took the meat bun, handed one to Liu Guangtian, and said with a smile, "Thanks, Shazhu. Come on, Guangtian, let's go to the workshop. Today I'll teach you how to forge high-strength gears." The two had just reached the courtyard gate when they saw Yi Zhonghai come in from outside with his head down. When he saw Lin Chen, his eyes were full of resentment, but he didn't dare to say a word and hurriedly returned to the east wing.

In the workshop, Lin Chen first explained the forging principle of high-strength gears to Liu Guangtian, and then took out a few pieces of alloy scraps: "This chromium-containing alloy has high hardness, but insufficient toughness. We need to change its internal structure through multiple forgings to make it both hard and not easy to break." As he spoke, he lit the heating furnace, and the flames shot up, reflecting red onto the faces of the two men.

Liu Guangtian listened attentively, nodding occasionally as he took notes. Suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Master, since Uncle Yi's benefits were suspended, won't he hold a grudge and cause us trouble again?" Lin Chen placed the alloy material into the heating furnace and said firmly, "If he dares to come again, we'll catch him red-handed again. As long as our skills are solid and we establish ourselves in the workshop, he can't do anything to us."

During the lunch break, Zhou Jianguo suddenly came to the workshop, holding a document in his hand. He smiled and said, "Lin Chen, the factory has decided to award you and Liu Guangtian a commendation, each receiving a cash reward of one hundred yuan. Moreover, you will be publicly commended at the factory-wide meeting!" It turned out that after the personnel who were inspecting the military order returned, they specially wrote a letter of thanks to the steel rolling mill, praising Lin Chen for repairing the equipment in an emergency and ensuring the quality of the order. The factory leaders attached great importance to this.

After receiving the prize money, Lin Chen first bought Liu Guangtian a new set of forging tools, and then bought Yan Jiekuang several professional books on mechanical drawing. He sent the rest of the money back to his hometown in the countryside—he hadn't had time to go back and visit since his rebirth, so he could only send some money back to help support his family.

Back at the courtyard house that evening, Lin Chen had just handed the book to Yan Jiekuang when Qin Huairu came over with a bowl of steaming dumplings. She said apologetically, "Master Lin, these are some cabbage dumplings I made. Please try them. Thank you for showing mercy today and not sending Jia Zhangshi in."

Lin Chen took the dumplings, smelling their aroma, a warm feeling rising in his heart: "Master Qin, actually, your skills are quite good; your mending is excellent. I think you could set up a mending stall at the entrance of the courtyard and take on jobs from the neighbors. It's much better than relying on others for help." Qin Huairu's eyes lit up. She had thought about it before but hadn't dared to try. Now, hearing Lin Chen's suggestion, she immediately gained confidence: "I'll try it tomorrow!"

Just then, Yi Zhonghai coughed from the east wing, followed by Aunt Yi's complaint: "We're almost out of coal, and you're still coughing! I knew you shouldn't have done that stupid thing. Now look what's happened, the bonus is gone, and the benefits have stopped. How are we going to live?" Lin Chen listened, just shook his head, and turned back into the house.

Lying in bed, Lin Chen opened the system panel, looked at the 3700 points and the newly unlocked "Advanced Material Fusion" function, and a smile appeared on his lips.