When they arrived at the house, Cen Zhengnian opened the courtyard gate, and as they walked into the yard, Chuxia immediately noticed something was off.

She stopped Cen Zhengnian and Jiang Zhida from moving forward, holding An’an’s hand, her heart racing.

Chuxia whispered, “I didn’t leave any chairs in the yard, and I closed all the room doors. The broom isn’t in its usual place.”

Before Chuxia could finish, the others also became alert. Cen Huai’an tightly gripped Chuxia’s hand, his little face tense.

“Did we get robbed?”

Jiang Zhida muttered suspiciously.

Chuxia shook her head.

She didn’t know.

Cen Zhengnian frowned as he surveyed the yard and noticed something was indeed wrong.

He had left the research institute this morning and didn’t return to his home because he knew Chuxia’s train was in the morning.

Instead, he borrowed a car from Jiang Zhida and went straight to the train station to pick up An’an before heading to the capital.

The house had been empty for as many days as Chuxia was away, and no one had been living there.

Just as Chuxia was about to make some noise to check if the intruder had left, a burly man swaggered out from the main house and came face-to-face with them.

The man’s face showed panic when he saw them, and he tried to run toward the wall to escape.

Chuxia, in a panic, quickly shouted to the dogs still spinning around her feet, “Huangzi! Heizi! Go!”

The two dogs darted out like arrows, and before the man could climb the wall, they each grabbed him—one biting his foot and the other pouncing on his back, pulling him down hard.

The man let out a miserable scream that echoed through the entire yard.

He struggled desperately, trying to fend off the dogs.

At this moment, Jiang Zhida and Cen Zhengnian reacted and rushed over to help.

Chuxia looked around and grabbed a piece of wood, telling Cen Huai’an to go to the door and call for help, saying they had caught a thief.

She ran toward the thief with the piece of wood, furious that someone had dared to steal from her home and wondering how badly it had been ransacked.

Jiang Zhida, skilled in fighting, and Cen Zhengnian, who had learned some military techniques, along with the two dogs, easily subdued the burly man.

Seeing she wasn’t needed in the struggle, Chuxia, still fuming, struck the man several times with the piece of wood.

As she started hitting him, Cen Zhengnian looked surprised but quickly composed himself, ensuring that the man’s most sensitive areas were exposed for Chuxia to strike.

Jiang Zhida kicked the man a few times and said, “Don’t you know whose house you’re trying to rob? Have you heard of my name, Dazi?”

Aside from the moment he was bitten by the dogs, the man remained silent, glaring fiercely at Chuxia and the others.

Especially when Chuxia was hitting him, his eyes seemed to want to kill her.

Chuxia hit him hard again with the piece of wood. “What are you looking at? Do you think stealing is justified?”

The man’s expression seemed to change slightly, shifting from fierce to pitiful, as he whimpered, “Please let me go. I didn’t steal anything. You can check your house—I haven’t had the chance to steal anything yet. Do whatever you want to me, just don’t send me to the police. My mother is old, and if she finds out I’ve been taken by the police, she’ll be devastated.”

Chuxia squinted at him, not speaking.

She looked up at Cen Zhengnian, who showed a thoughtful expression and slightly shook his head.

Jiang Zhida glanced at both of them and pressed the man down further. “Behave yourself!”

At this moment, the neighbors Cen Huai’an had called arrived, each holding tools—brooms, shovels, wooden sticks, and some even had knives.

“Where’s the thief?”

“Where’s that thief?”

“Ah, he’s been caught. He really doesn’t look like a good person.”

Chuxia threw away the piece of wood and went inside to get a sturdy rope.

Cen Zhengnian, using his military training, quickly tied up the burly man in a secure manner, the more he struggled, the tighter the ropes became.

The thief, lying on the ground, continued to beg for mercy, saying he would do anything as long as he wasn’t sent to the police station.

However, with his coarse features, downturned triangular eyes, and pitiful act, he gave off an unpleasant vibe.

The neighbors gathered around, kicking him and cursing at him.

After a while, Chuxia smiled and stopped the neighbors. “Everyone, don’t beat him to death. It wouldn’t be good if that happened.”

The man was in great pain, his eyes flashing with malice, but he continued to wail and beg for his release.

Chuxia walked over and kicked his leg. “Stop whining. Tell me when you came to my house and how you got in.”

The man’s wailing paused. He looked at Chuxia and asked, “If I tell you, will you let me go?”

Chuxia smiled, “You don’t have the right to bargain now. You only have the choice to say or not say.”

The man gritted his teeth. “If you promise to let me go, I’ll tell you.”

Chuxia replied, “In that case, never mind. You don’t need to say anything. Does anyone know the way to the police station?”

“I’ll tell, I’ll tell!” The man gritted his teeth and quickly spoke up. “I happened to pass by last night, saw that the door was locked, and since no one came back until this morning, I impulsively jumped over the wall to get in. But I really hadn’t had the chance to steal anything. Please let me go.”

Chuxia laughed. “You noticed it last night and jumped in this morning to steal things. You really timed it well.”

The man wanted to plead further, but Chuxia was done talking to him.

No matter when he came in, she had no intention of letting him go.

She dragged Cen Zhengnian inside to check, and indeed, nothing seemed to be missing.

However, the quilts in the main room were messed up, and there were signs of someone having slept there.

“This person is lying. He doesn’t look like a real thief,” Chuxia said.

Cen Zhengnian frowned as he looked at the messed-up quilts and nodded. “His gaze is too fierce; he has the aura of someone who has killed before.”

Cen Zhengnian had seen the demeanor of soldiers returning from missions in the army, and it was somewhat similar to the man’s aura, but soldiers had a sharpness, while this man’s was purely brutal.

No matter how much he pleaded, the man was eventually sent to the police station.

On the way, the man struggled desperately and cursed loudly, even threatening to kill everyone.

Fang’s mother gave him a slap with her shoe. “Threatening to kill people? Cursing again and I’ll slap you dead!”

The man glared at her, and Fang’s mother slapped him again. “What are you staring at? You deserve to be beaten for stealing!”

At the police station, the police were astonished upon seeing the man, looking at him in disbelief. “Where did you catch this man?”

Cen Zhengnian stepped forward, speaking calmly, “He came to my house to steal, and we caught him.”

The police gave Chuxia and the others a thumbs up, looking impressed. “Do you know who he is?”

Chuxia and the others shook their heads.

“He’s the owner of the Xidan Meat Bun Shop.”

“Wow!” Everyone gasped in surprise and instinctively took a few steps back.

Fang’s mother looked at her shoe and quickly threw it far away, regretting a bit as it was an old shoe she could have used later.

But hitting a murderer’s face was too unlucky; she wished she had brought a wooden stick instead.

“How did he end up at our place?”

From the rumors Chuxia had heard, the Xidan Bun Shop owner was supposed to be in the police station.

How did he end up in her house?

The police didn’t tell Chuxia and the others the details, only saying they had done a good job bringing in the criminal and asking them to make a statement. They advised them not to inquire further.

“The specifics of the case are for the police to handle. You don’t need to worry about it or ask too much.”

After all, it was not a pleasant matter, and the murderer was so ruthless that no one wanted to deal with him or know the details of the case.

Hearing too much was not only disgusting but also frightening.

A murderer selling human meat—just thinking about it was enough to make one vomit.

It was appalling that this man had shamelessly sold it to customers.

Those who had beaten the criminal quickly discarded the items they had used and thought about crossing a fire pit or something when they got home to cleanse their bad luck.

Chuxia thought the same way.

She was just relieved that the murderer had not chosen the west wing to sleep in but went to other rooms instead.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t dare to stay in the west wing anymore.

After returning home, she threw out all the quilts and decided to fumigate the entire house with mugwort.

Chuxia didn’t ask the police how the criminal ended up in her house; there was no point since it had already happened.

After making their statements, she, Ci Zhengnian, Cen Huai’an, and Jiang Zhida headed home.

The police were curious and asked about the bite marks on the man’s body.

“The bites were from my two dogs.”

The police complimented, “The dogs are great; they know how to protect their owner.”

Remembering that the dogs had bitten the criminal, Chuxia realized she needed to wash Huangzi and Heizi’s teeth to get rid of the bad luck.

When they got home, Chuxia wouldn’t let Cen Zhengnian and the others enter the house right away.

Instead, she found a basin, lit a fire, and made everyone step over it before entering.

Jiang Zhida grumbled about Chuxia’s superstitions.

Chuxia defended herself, “This isn’t superstition; it’s the wisdom of our ancestors!”

Though she wasn’t very superstitious, encountering the Xidan Bun Shop murderer had made her feel deeply unsettled.

She needed to use the fire-crossing ritual to dispel the discomfort and fear she felt.

Chuxia shuddered to think about what might have happened if, like last time, only she and Cen Huai’an had returned home at night.

If the criminal had hidden in the house and waited for them to enter—one woman and a child—what would have happened?

Even with the two dogs, the outcome might not have been good.

The mere thought of it made her back chill and her body tremble.

Cen Zhengnian noticed Chuxia’s fear and, like her, was also shaken by the thought.

He could imagine what Chuxia was thinking.

“I’m worried about you and Cen Huai’an staying here,” Cen Zhengnian said, wrapping his arm around Chuxia’s shoulders and gently patting her back. “I’ve found a place at the research institute. You and Cen Huai’an should come with me.”

Even without the murder incident, Cen Zhengnian had intended to suggest moving Chuxia and Huai’an to the research institute.

Whether they would stay there long-term depended on their feelings.

However, after the incident, Cen Zhengnian was determined that Chuxia and Cen Huai’an should not continue living in this area.

Chuxia was vulnerable, and Cen Huai’an was only six.

Even if it weren’t a murderer but just a thief, it would still be very frightening.

Cen Huai’an, who had been clinging to Chuxia, had not been involved in the statement-taking and knew little about the incident.

However, he was perceptive and had heard the initial remarks from the police.

He looked at Chuxia’s face, pursed his lips, and resolved to be a strong man, to learn martial arts well and protect his mother.

Jiang Zhida, looking grim, bit his teeth and said, “Cousin, listen to my second cousin. The research institute is protected by the military; it’s much safer than here.”