My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 206: Yi Zhonghai Sentenced to 3 Years

Soon, several days had passed in the blink of an eye.

Early that morning, before anything was happening in the courtyard, a police officer walked in. Uncle Yan Fugui, who was sweeping at the entrance, immediately put down his broom and went to greet him, asking with a smile, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"

The police officer glanced at him and said politely, "Hello, I'd like to ask if Yi Zhonghai lives around here? I'm looking for his family."

Upon hearing that the person was looking for Yi Zhonghai, Yan Fugui's heart skipped a beat. He then carefully examined the man's uniform and put on an even warmer smile: "Yes, yes, he's at the Intermediate People's Court. I'll take you there."

As he spoke, he led the police officers toward the Intermediate People's Court, but in his heart he was wondering: What has happened to Lao Yi this time?

They soon arrived at Yi Zhonghai's house. Uncle Yan Fugui stepped forward and knocked on the door: "Old Yi's house, someone's looking for you!"

The door opened, and an older woman came out. Seeing Yan Fugui and the police officers, she paused, then asked in confusion, "Uncle, what's going on here...?"

Yan Fugui quickly stepped aside to let the police officer pass: "This comrade said he came to see Lao Yi's family, and he came to see you, so I brought him here."

The police officer looked at the middle-aged woman and said sternly, "Sir, this is Yi Zhonghai's verdict."

As he spoke, he took a piece of paper out of his briefcase and handed it over.

The middle-aged woman took the paper, her hands trembling slightly. Her gaze fell on it, and she froze instantly.

The judgment clearly states in black and white: Yi Zhonghai was sentenced to three years in prison for the long-term theft of letters and money from He Yuzhu and his sister, and was ordered to pay He Yuzhu and his sister a total of 1,200 yuan in living expenses and compensation for mental distress.

"How...how did they get down so quickly?" The middle-aged woman's voice trembled, almost unable to believe her eyes.

The police officer looked at her and said calmly, "I'm just here to inform you of the verdict. If you have any questions, you can file an appeal with the court within the stipulated time."

After saying that, he didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

After the police officers left, a number of neighbors who had gathered to watch the commotion had formed in the courtyard, all peeking and looking in this direction.

Looking at the pale face of the older woman, Uncle Yan Fugui rubbed his hands somewhat embarrassedly: "Auntie, I... I didn't expect this result either. If I had known it was just a judgment, I wouldn't have been so proactive."

The older woman ignored him, clutching the judgment tightly until her knuckles turned white.

After a long while, as if suddenly realizing something, she abruptly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot, and shouted in a shrill voice, "Impossible! This is impossible..."

Her voice was choked with sobs, sounding particularly jarring in the courtyard early in the morning.

Yan Fugui sighed, wanting to say something but unsure how to comfort him, so he could only shake his head and quietly retreat to the side.

The neighbors around were also talking about it.

"Oh dear, three years! When this old man comes out, he'll probably never be able to hold his head up high again."

"There's still 1,200 yuan in compensation, which is no small amount."

"Serves him right for being so arrogant before. Now he's getting his comeuppance."

Hearing these comments, the middle-aged woman felt a wave of dizziness, her body swayed, and she almost fell to the ground.

She shoved aside the people gathered at the door and slammed the door shut, shutting out all the stares and whispers.

From inside the door came her suppressed sobs.

All of this was observed by He Daqing, who was not far away.

He stood at his own door, holding a bowl of freshly cooked porridge in his hand, looking at Yi Zhonghai's tightly closed door, a cold smile curving his lips.

"1,200 yuan, three years in jail, Yi Zhonghai, this is just the beginning."

He said in a low voice, without a trace of sympathy in his eyes.

Soon, the news that Yi Zhonghai had been sentenced to three years spread throughout the entire courtyard, and everyone in the courtyard knew about it.

Upon hearing the news, Zhang Lei immediately perked up and rushed to the Intermediate People's Court to see for himself, but the door to Yi Zhonghai's house was firmly shut, and he couldn't get in at all. He had no choice but to turn to his third uncle, Yan Fugui, who was standing nearby, and ask, "Third Uncle, is the verdict true?"

Yan Fugui nodded: "It's true, I even brought the police officers who delivered the judgment with me."

Zhang Lei immediately became interested: "Uncle, did you see how many years he was sentenced to?"

Yan Fugui said, "Three years. Oh, and there's also the compensation of 1,200 yuan for Sha Zhu and his sister."

Hearing this, Zhang Lei became even more interested: "Uncle, tell me more about it in detail."

Yan Fugui then recounted the events that had just occurred, with several other people listening nearby.

At this moment, He Daqing walked over.

Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Uncle He, why are you still so calm? Aren't you in a hurry at all?"

He Daqing glanced at him and said, "Why should I be in such a hurry? It's not like I'm the one being sentenced."

Zhang Lei said, "Isn't there still 1,200 yuan left? Aren't you afraid the old lady won't give it to you?"

He Daqing smiled and said, "Don't worry, she doesn't have the guts. Besides, this is a government judgment. I think the sentence is too lenient."

Zhang Lei listened, smiled, glanced at Yi Zhonghai's house, shook his head, and went straight home. He figured the older woman wouldn't open the door anytime soon.

To Zhang Lei's surprise, an older woman opened the door as soon as he left.

Immediately, everyone's eyes turned to Yi Zhonghai's house.

Ignoring the stares of the crowd, the woman grabbed the judgment and ran to the backyard to find the deaf old lady.

The deaf old lady looked at the sobbing woman and sighed, "Sigh, I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

An older woman, her eyes red-rimmed, said, "Grandma, didn't Factory Director Yang promise to mediate for us? How did it turn out like this?"

The deaf old woman shook her head: "It seems mediation is impossible. He Daqing isn't giving this old woman any face at all."

An elderly woman said anxiously, "Grandma, what should we do now? Zhonghai has been sentenced, he'll definitely lose his job, how are we going to live?"

The deaf old woman glanced at her and said, "Alright, don't worry. I have some savings here, enough for my daughter and me to get by for a while. Besides, your family should have quite a bit of savings too."

The older woman nodded: "It is quite a lot, but we can't just sit around and do nothing."

The deaf old woman said, "Three years is neither a long nor a short time. Just hang in there and it will pass."

An older woman looked up at the deaf old lady, her eyes filled with helplessness and fear.