"Tell me, why should I..."

"People don't like you, and there's no reason why they should."

"But, but..." Sha Zhu stammered for a long time without getting a "but."

"You need to be more mindful of yourself. You're over forty years old," the third aunt couldn't help but say. "The kindness the old lady left behind isn't something you can squander like this."

"What's wrong with the old lady?" Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding.

The old lady passed away in 1973, and her funeral arrangements were handled by an old man and him. He secretly hoped that the old lady's house would be his, but she simply sold it and divided the money among everyone. That wasn't a big deal, but he was the only one who wasn't included, which made him a little angry. After all, he had genuinely treated the old lady like his own grandmother.

"You, you," the third uncle sighed. "When the old lady was about to pass away, the only thing she couldn't let go of was you. Who do you think she sold the house for?"

"In this compound, everyone knows how much the old lady sacrificed for you. Seventy-three years later, has anyone in this compound spoken ill of you again? Has anyone spread rumors about you again?"

"Gossip just disappears as it's passed on, doesn't it?" Sha Zhu still didn't understand.

"Heh, no?" The third uncle sneered, "As long as people's lives are boring, these rumors will keep circulating. Whenever you bring a girl back, and she goes around asking about your family, do you think people will think of you?"

If Sha Zhu still didn't understand after hearing this, then he really must be out of his mind. His face turned red, and he slammed his fist on the table: "Why should I?!"

"Why should I?" The third uncle chuckled again. "Why do you think I should? Let's not talk about the past few years, but a few years ago, who liked you in the courtyard? I won't even mention your affair with Qin Huairu. Just talk about bringing lunch boxes from the factory. Everyone was starving, and you brought back two boxes of food every day. If you were bringing them secretly, that would be one thing, but you brought them so openly every day. Who could stand it?"

“Even the old man eats meat secretly. Wang Shouren only dared to eat meat more freely after he became a section chief. And you? Good heavens, a cook, showing off in the yard all day long.”

"That's because I'm capable!"

“Yes, yes, yes, you are capable, but others can’t stand it. Why should you eat the best? When others come to your door, won’t your neighbors talk about your shortcomings? Have I ever advised you before?” the third uncle asked.

Sha Zhu fell silent.

I've finally grown up. I'm in my forties now. If I don't grow up soon, I'll really be childless.

"This is just one issue. Besides, with your foul mouth, who wants to talk to you? You're always so quick to hurl insults. When you can't win an argument, you resort to violence. Think about it, which family around here hasn't been insulted by you? Oh, the Qin family, of course. I'm an old man, I haven't seen too much in this world, but I haven't seen too little either. But there aren't many people like you who you have to offend every single one of."

"How do you see yourself in the eyes of us neighbors?"

“I…I…” Sha Zhu couldn’t speak.

"The old lady has said a lot about you, hasn't she?"

Sha Zhu lowered his head, his stubbornness gone.

"The old lady scolded you, but you probably didn't care. With your temper, you think you're the most important person in the world. Lao Yi told me that the old lady originally planned to leave the house to you, but after thinking about it, she didn't do it. In the end, the old lady sold the house and distributed the money to everyone in the yard. Do you think that was for the sake of you? Wasn't it all for you, to make everyone give the old lady some face and stop bothering you?"

"The old lady deliberately didn't give you her share, just so you would think about why. Unfortunately, you don't seem to care about it at all."

Sha Zhu was stunned, staring blankly at the Third Uncle, his voice trembling slightly: "You mean..."

"That's right, that's exactly what I mean..."

A mournful wail came from Uncle San's house and drifted into the air.

Shichahai

Qin Huairu sat by the lake, staring blankly at the water in front of her.

"Oh, so late, you have the leisure to feed mosquitoes here?"

An unfamiliar female voice sounded behind her.

Qin Huairu looked back, paused slightly, narrowed her eyes, and for a moment did not recognize the person.

Lou Xiao'e plopped down next to her and said, "I am Lou Xiao'e."

"Why are you here?"

"I came to see you. What? Did he bring you here when you were dating before?" Lou Xiao'e chuckled, picked up a stone, and tossed it into the lake.

"When did you two get together?" Qin Huairu asked, watching the lake ripple, seemingly uninterested in the affair between Wang Shouren and Lou Xiao'e.

"Don't worry, you're the first one. I'm behind you. Several times, when you came over at night, he pinned me under the bed and I listened to your sounds from under the bed. It was so exciting."

Qin Huairu: ...

What does it mean to speak in a lewd and inappropriate manner? This is what it means to speak in a lewd and inappropriate manner. It means that Lou Xiao'e was also Wang Shouren's woman. Otherwise, she really wanted to call the police.

"What's wrong? Feeling down?"

"Do you think he really likes us?" Qin Huairu's gaze turned to the lake again.

Lou Xiao'e's eyes flickered, and she asked with a smile, "You're really greedy, just because of me?"

"No, actually I can tell he's wanted to move out of the courtyard for a long time, but he hasn't because of me. To be honest, these days have been very difficult. From the time Jingru married into the family until now, it's been over ten years, and I feel like I'm always the one who's superfluous. He's a good person, and he's very good at comforting people. But..."

"But you feel like he's using you."

Qin Huairu looked at Lou Xiao'e in surprise.

"That's just how people are. When guilt reaches a certain level, they always want to find some excuses to make themselves feel less guilty. So, you imagined that he doesn't love you."

"I……"

"Actually, it's a good thing for me that you think this way. After all, one less woman is competing with me. And it's been a long, long time since I've gone on a trip with him. However, as a woman, I still have to advise you, does he really not love you? Can you really convince yourself that?"

Qin Huairu opened her mouth, momentarily unsure whether Lou Xiao'e was telling the truth or not.

“You haven’t wasted these past ten years, have you? He’s been urging you to study.”

"Um……"

“His plans are grand. So,” Lou Xiao’e stood up, patting the dust off her backside, “go back, he needs you.”