Seeing this scene, Xu Shu knew the opportunity to deal with Mrs. Jia had arrived. Had Yi Zhonghai or Qin Huairu been present, they surely would have stepped in to stop it. Unfortunately, Qin Huairu had been sent out early that morning to find food and had yet to return. As for Yi Zhonghai, he had been so infuriated before the Jia mother and son arrived at the Back Courtyard that he had stormed out of the Red Star Courtyard to get some air.
Jia Dongxu and Mrs. Jia were not exactly people with much brainpower; in their moment of desperation, they abandoned all caution. Xu Shu did not step forward to stop Mrs. Jia from pulling her "ultimate move." He had no fear of a repeat of the Xu Damao incident. On the contrary, the more outrageous Mrs. Jia’s behavior, the more miserable her consequences would be. Catching sight of Xu Haitao clenching his fists beside him, Xu Shu tapped his shoulder, signaling for him to remain calm.
Just as the four of them watched Mrs. Jia’s performance, an unexpected development occurred—or rather, an unexpected windfall. Xu Shu’s home was not large enough to hold so many bicycles, so Xu Liang and Xu Hua usually kept theirs inside the house, just like Xu Shu did, to prevent sabotage. However, Xu Haitao did not live in the Red Star Courtyard, and since he had only bought his bike today, it was parked right outside Xu Shu’s door, unlocked. The door was left open, so they could keep an eye on it from inside without worry.
Chapter 148