28: Being remembered, angry at neighbors

"That child has already been sent to the Children's Reformatory. Don't worry, someone is taking good care of her."

Officer Liu Xiuan thought Long Feiyang was simply concerned about the baby girl's situation, so he told him directly without a second thought.

"Alright, thank you so much, Officer Liu. I'll find some time to visit her."

Long Feiyang replied in a sincere tone, with a hint of concern.

As soon as Officer Liu Xiuan and the other two police officers left, Long Feiyang was instantly surrounded by neighbors, making it impossible to pass.

"Long Feiyang, who did you report? How did you get so many rewards?"

Third Aunt Yang Ruihua was quick-tongued and the first to ask impatiently, her tone full of jealousy.

At this moment, her eyes were fixed on the pile of abundant food inside the Long family's house, her gaze revealing undisguised greed.

In this era of extreme food shortages, this pile of food would be enough for an ordinary family of three to live frugally for two or three months. Combined with the Long family's monthly grain rations, such a rich reserve would make anyone green with envy.

In fact, it wasn't just Third Aunt; many neighbors looked at the food with greedy eyes, like hungry wolves staring at their prey.

"It was Zhao Huaian and his group. Three days ago, they tried to force me to sell my daughter, pushing my family to a dead end. I couldn't take it, so I investigated secretly and found out they were enemy agents and Child Traffickers. Once the evidence was solid, I reported them. A lot of food was found in Zhao Huaian's house, so... hehe."

Long Feiyang knew very well that since Officer Liu Xiuan could openly deliver the rewards, he could reveal some of the truth appropriately. However, he could never mention his rebirth, so he explained his change of heart as being provoked by the evil deeds of Zhao Huaian and the others.

"What?" Third Aunt and the other neighbors were instantly shocked upon hearing this.

They never imagined that the people Long Feiyang associated with were such vile enemy agents and Child Traffickers.

Now, they finally understood why Long Feiyang's personality had undergone such a drastic change.

For a father, his family was his bottom line. "A fit of rage for the sake of one's family"—it was only reasonable for Long Feiyang to change because his family was threatened.

"Daddy, are you going to sell me?" At this moment, Yao Yao was trembling all over, her voice shaking as she asked with a sob.

She was only three years old and didn't understand complex matters very well, but she understood the words "sell daughter." She couldn't help but recall her previous painful experiences, her heart filled with fear.

"No, Yao Yao, don't be afraid. Daddy loves you most; no one will ever hurt you. All those bad people have been reported by Daddy, and they won't show up again."

Seeing this, Long Feiyang quickly knelt down, gently hugged Yao Yao, and explained patiently and tenderly.

Just now, he was so focused on proving the reason for his change to the neighbors that he forgot Yao Yao was right beside him. As the person directly involved in the matter, she had heard things she shouldn't have.

Long Feiyang coaxed her softly for a long time before Yao Yao gradually calmed down.

He gently stroked Yao Yao's little head, his eyes full of affection, and vowed in his heart: My baby, I will never let anyone hurt you.

At this moment, Long Feiyang felt more and more that this world was full of hidden dangers.

There was already Xu Damao, a man with ill intentions, in the courtyard, and now bad people like Zhao Huaian had appeared. He had to find a way to resolve these potential threats.

He needed to create an absolutely safe living area for Yao Yao.

Li Ruzhen watched all this from the side, and the sequence of events gradually became clear to her.

She was truly happy for Li Wenting and Yao Yao: No wonder Long Feiyang's personality had changed so much; he must have been provoked by those bad people to turn over a new leaf.

"Long Feiyang, you have so much food, you definitely can't finish it all. Why don't you share some with us?"

Third Aunt was thick-skinned and didn't hide her greed, being the first to speak up and ask. Many neighbors followed suit and joined in the clamor.

"Yeah, Long Feiyang, letting all this food sit there is a waste, and it'll spoil over time. It's better to share it with everyone; consider it doing a good deed."

Long Feiyang scanned these people coldly, his gaze becoming increasingly icy.

He had risked his life for this food; what right did they have to ask for it? In the entire South Luogu Lane, and even in this Siheyuan, the only ones Long Feiyang truly acknowledged were the Lei Family and Sha Zhu.

Back when his predecessor was doing evil, only the Lei Family, Sha Zhu, and the leaders of the Womens Federation had helped Li Wenting and her daughter.

The others, at most, had denounced his predecessor under the leadership of the Three Elders and the Womens Federation. When the Long family was in trouble, not a single person had offered grain or money.

Although they hadn't done anything wrong, they also had no right to demand a share of the food.

"Long Feiyang, don't agree to it."

Seeing this, Li Ruzhen hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him, her face full of worry.

She knew well that in this era of scarcity, food was hard to come by, and she couldn't bear to see Long Feiyang being swindled by these people.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, I'm not that stupid." Long Feiyang assured Li Ruzhen, then gently placed Yao Yao in her arms, asking her to look after the child.

"I risked my life for this food. Why should I share it with you? Just because you're thick-skinned? When my family was in trouble, why didn't you take out a single grain or a single cent?"

Long Feiyang could no longer suppress the anger in his heart and roared loudly.

His predecessor was, after all, a hooligan and had some level of intimidation. This roar made those people feel somewhat afraid.

"Then, can you sell some to us?" Third Aunt looked at Long Feiyang timidly, still not giving up, thinking that if she couldn't get it for free, she could buy it with money.

"Right, right, I'm willing to pay for it."

"I'm willing too."

Seeing that they couldn't get it for free, some people wanted to buy it, thinking Long Feiyang would surely agree to that.

"I won't engage in speculation and profiteering; that's illegal."

Long Feiyang's face was full of disdain as he refused without hesitation.

He knew clearly that in this special period, such behavior was strictly forbidden. Once he sold it, someone would definitely report him, and then there would be big trouble.

Seeing that there were no benefits to be had, some people found it boring and left dejectedly.

Others glared at Long Feiyang with hearts full of resentment before leaving unwillingly.

Long Feiyang keenly noticed that as these people left, black aura appeared above their heads.

He immediately became alert and quietly memorized their appearances.

In the crowd, the black aura on two people's heads condensed into a pale black character for "Evil," indicating they harbored deep resentment toward him and were likely plotting something bad in secret.

The black aura on the others' heads also thickened, showing a clear increase in their resentment.

"Sister-in-law, thank you." Long Feiyang hurried to take back Yao Yao, who had been frightened by the noise just now, and comforted her softly: "Yao Yao, don't be afraid, it's okay now."

Under Long Feiyang's soothing, Yao Yao's emotions gradually calmed, and she was no longer terrified.

"Long Feiyang, you have to be extra careful during this time." Li Ruzhen's face was full of worry as she gave him a kind reminder.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, I'll be careful."

Afterward, with Li Ruzhen's help, the food was organized and properly stored.

"Sister-in-law, come to my house for a dinner party tonight to celebrate."

Having received such a generous reward today, he felt it was a wonderful event that deserved a good celebration.

He planned to invite both the Lei Family and the He Family for a lively gathering.

"I'd better not. Grain is precious and shouldn't be wasted." Li Ruzhen shook her head gently and politely declined.

In truth, she also wanted to taste Long Feiyang's cooking, but she knew how tight the food supply was. Every grain was hard-won, and Long Feiyang's family should live frugally.

"It's fine, Sister-in-law. Look, they were right about one thing; some of this food won't keep for long. There are only three of us in my family, and with so much food, like the fresh vegetables and some other items, we really can't finish it all in a short time." Long Feiyang explained patiently.

He couldn't tell Li Ruzhen that he had the Super Warehouse to keep food fresh forever. After thinking it over, he felt he could use the dinner party to consume some of the food.

As long as he was careful when taking vegetables from the Super Warehouse in the future and didn't host dinner parties frequently, others wouldn't easily become suspicious.

Li Ruzhen listened and thought it made sense. After hesitating for a moment, she finally nodded and agreed.

After seeing Li Ruzhen off, Long Feiyang let Yao Yao play with Big White Rabbit while he walked quickly to the kitchen and then entered the Red Queen Basement.

"Red Queen, open the surveillance footage of the courtyard from just now."

[Understood, Master.] Red Queen responded quickly.

Immediately after, an ultra-high-definition surveillance image appeared on the monitor. It was the scene of the neighbors crowding around in envy while the police were moving the food earlier, and their voices could be heard clearly.

Obviously, the surveillance camera positions chosen by Red Queen were very logical, and the coverage was well-placed, clearly and completely recording the situation in the courtyard.