To be honest, if He Jin hadn't already decided to leave the capital and lacked the time to dig deeper, he truly would have liked to secretly investigate Yi Zhonghai's background. He wanted to know what Yi had really done in the past.
Even so, He Jin hadn't taken everything from the Yi household. In the wardrobe, he had discovered two bankbooks, each with a balance of 5,000 yuan.
Since taking the bankbooks wouldn't allow him to withdraw the money anyway, he hesitated for quite some time before ultimately leaving them behind.
He guessed that most of the deposited money came from Yi Zhonghai's years of saved wages. As for the large amounts of cash hidden at home, those were clearly funds that couldn't withstand scrutiny—such as the living expenses Yi had intercepted from He Daqing—so they hadn't been deposited in the bank.
At first, He Jin had considered taking the bankbooks anyway. Even if he couldn't access the funds, forcing Yi Zhonghai to go through the hassle of reissuing them would be satisfying.
But after a brief thought, he felt that would be childish. Better to leave them. Perhaps Yi Zhonghai, with his suspicious nature, would become increasingly paranoid instead.
Moreover, in He Jin's view, once the thefts came to light and the police investigated, the existence of those two bankbooks would inevitably become known to the rest of the courtyard.
When that happened, the Second Uncle's family, the Third Uncle's family, and the Jia family—having suffered heavy losses—would hardly remain calm. They would surely find ways to borrow money from Yi Zhonghai.
Even if Yi could fend off the Second and Third Uncles, Qin Huairu would be far harder to deal with. After He Jin's departure, with Sha Zhu no longer available as a source of support, Yi Zhonghai would become Qin Huairu's primary target.
And Yi Zhonghai, having lost Sha Zhu as a retirement backup, would likely cling even tighter to Qin Huairu as his only remaining hope for old-age security.
In the end, his money would gradually flow into the Jia family's pockets.
He Jin wanted to see what would happen when Yi Zhonghai grew old—without substantial savings and without Sha Zhu to rely on. Would he still enjoy a peaceful retirement as in the original drama? Or would he be cast out by Qin Huairu and Bang Geng, left to die alone outside the courtyard?
The image filled He Jin with anticipation. Considering the timeline of Yi Zhonghai's death in the original story, there was a good chance he could return one day to witness Yi's ultimate fate.
After leaving the Yi residence, He Jin briefly felt the urge to return to the Jia household and take the money he had left behind for Qin Huairu.
But since he had already chosen to leave it, going back—even unseen—would feel petty. He abandoned the thought.
Next, instead of heading straight to the rear courtyard, He Jin returned to his own home.
To ensure neither the police nor Yi Zhonghai would suspect him, he needed to stage his own house as having been robbed as well.
After all, in the eyes of the courtyard residents, the He family's circumstances were considered decent. If his home alone remained untouched, suspicion would naturally arise—even without evidence.
Once he had finished staging the scene, He Jin hurried toward the rear courtyard.
His first stop was Xu Damao's house.
In He Jin's estimation, having been married to Lou Xiaoe for years, Xu Damao—cunning as he was—must have secretly siphoned off a portion of her dowry.
From the original owner's memories, Lou Xiaoe had once mentioned that when she divorced Xu Damao, she took only a few valuable items—such as the heirloom jade bracelet she later left to Sha Zhu—while leaving much of her dowry behind, especially the gold, silver, and cash she had brought into the marriage.
He Jin understood why. By the time of the divorce, the political climate had worsened. To placate Xu Damao—who knew quite a bit about the Lou family—the Lous had likely sacrificed some wealth to prevent him from turning against them.
Besides, while the sum might have seemed substantial to ordinary people, to the Lou family it was insignificant.
Unfortunately, even after receiving money, Xu Damao had not spared them.
In addition, since the political campaigns began, Xu Damao had followed Li Huaide in persecuting capitalists and had taken part in numerous confiscations. Given Xu's personality, he surely would have hidden away plenty of valuables for himself.
However, after thoroughly searching the house, He Jin was somewhat disappointed.
Though Xu Damao had hidden items, the amount was less than expected. There were only three hiding spots, containing a little over 3,000 yuan in cash, three large gold bars, ten small gold bars, some jewelry, and two porcelain pieces that appeared unusual.
He Jin knew nothing about porcelain, but they looked exquisite. The fact that Xu Damao had hidden them separately suggested they were antiques—and likely valuable ones.
After transferring everything into his secret realm, He Jin couldn't shake the feeling that even losing all this wouldn't cripple Xu Damao.
Xu was not the type to put all his eggs in one basket. He was surely the kind to maintain multiple secret stashes—perhaps elsewhere in the city, or even with his parents.
Despite the suspicion, He Jin could only marvel at Xu Damao's cunning. He had no intention of visiting Xu's parents, nor did he have the time to track down other possible caches.
Before leaving, he glanced at Qin Jingru, who had been secretly snacking since he entered, her face full of simple delight.
He couldn't help but sigh softly for her before turning away.
In truth, He Jin didn't harbor much ill will toward Qin Jingru. She was simply an ordinary young woman who had wanted to marry into the city and live a better life. She was young, inexperienced, and had been misled by her cousin Qin Huairu and by Xu Damao.
Had she truly ended up with the original Sha Zhu, her life would likely have been better than with Xu Damao—at the very least, she would have had children of her own.
In the original drama, Qin Jingru's later years were destined to be lonely and without support.
Unfortunately, He Jin had arrived too late. Otherwise, he might have changed her fate—perhaps even married her himself.
After all, a girl like Qin Jingru, so long as you provided her with a good life, would remain loyal. Even if you strayed outside, she would endure it quietly rather than cause trouble.
But now, such thoughts were meaningless.
Qin Jingru had already chosen Xu Damao.
Her path was set.
..................................