The commotion at the Intermediate People's Court quickly attracted a group of onlookers.

The first to arrive were still Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, who stared at the person lying on the ground as if they were watching an animal documentary.

After a moment of recognition, they exclaimed in surprise, "Qin Huairu?"

Before long, several more families from the courtyard came over to watch the spectacle.

Because they were afraid of retaliation from the Smiling Tiger, the two brothers, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, had not dared to stay at home recently.

But those two just happened to come home today. What happened? They ran out of money.

500 yuan may seem like a lot, but it's not enough for them to squander.

Liu Guangfu recognized Qin Huairu and was puzzled: "Why is she back?"

Looking at Sha Zhu's house, the door was tightly shut. Liu Guangfu immediately perked up and clicked his tongue, saying, "That Widow Qin is really sentimental. She came back to find Sha Zhu again! But Sha Zhu is heartless. In this cold weather, he just threw Widow Qin out. It's a real tragedy!"

If we're talking about people who hate Liu Guangfu, besides Bang Geng, it has to be Qin Huairu.

If it weren't for the fact that he accepted 20 yuan from Xu Damao, and then gathered a group of people to beat up Banggeng and even ripped off his cotton-padded pants...

Could this extinguish his last glimmer of hope of marrying Sha Zhu?

If she had married Sha Zhu back then, would she have ended up in this situation today?

Although the reform and opening up has been implemented, the families in this courtyard have undergone tremendous changes.

But the tradition of watching the excitement and enjoying gossip hasn't been lost.

However, the enthusiasm for gossiping has waned considerably.

Many people came out to take a look, figured out what was going on, and then left.

Some didn't leave; they went straight up to Sha Zhu's house and knocked on his door. But once they entered Sha Zhu's house, they didn't come out.

The only ones who actually watched it from beginning to end were those two old guys, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui.

So who are these two people who went into Sha Zhu's house and never came out? Ben Lei Hu and Qin Jing Ru, of course!

Benleihu wasn't a talkative person. He greeted Shazhu and said, "My wife asked me to come and take a look," before sitting down to the side.

On the contrary, Qin Jingru was chattering away with Xiao Dang, her mouth moving as fast as someone playing clappers under a bridge.

Before long, the two of them figured out He Daqing's identity.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai said to him, "You've heard the children's opinions, Lao He, what do you have to say? Just say a word."

He Daqing still spoke in a listless tone: "I want to return to my roots."

He Yushui was about to speak in anger when Sha Zhu stopped her, gesturing with his eyes that everything depended on Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai is a shrewd and resourceful man, and most importantly, he is also very clear-headed.

So, when he realized he couldn't beat Fatty back then, he decisively reconnected with Sha Zhu.

After finally choosing Sha Zhu as his caregiver, he no longer regretted it and truly treated Sha Zhu like his own child all these years.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood, and Sha Zhu naturally sensed this, which is why he once again listened to Yi Zhonghai's every word.

Just moments ago, Zhong Hai was speaking up for He Daqing, saying that there are no faults of parents, only the shortcomings of children.

But then she started saying to He Daqing, "You've been gone for thirty years. Your children have all grown up and started their own families. Even if you force them to live together, they might not be able to make it work."

He Daqing gave Xiao Dang a sarcastic look: "If an outsider can live with you, why can't I?"

Just as Yi Zhonghai was thinking of what to say, Sha Zhu said, "This is my son's girlfriend. They're getting married soon. How can she be an outsider?"

This guy, not to mention Yi Zhonghai, even Ben Lei Hu and Qin Jingru looked at Xiao Dang and He Sui with shock.

He Sui, who was involved, was also completely bewildered. Was this matter going to continue?

Looking at Sha Zhu, Xiao Dang, and He Yushui, they all had calm expressions, as if this was a matter of course!

Qin Jingru and Ben Leihu looked at each other, but quickly figured out the key to the matter.

Isn't this blatant manipulation? And the people being manipulated aren't just outsiders, they're Sha Zhu and He Yushui's own father.

Everyone knows that it was Fatty's idea to match Xiao Dang and He Sui together; it's just a joke, no one will take it seriously.

But He Daqing took it seriously. Not only did he take it seriously, but he was so ashamed that he wanted to crawl into the cellar himself and have Sha Zhu lock the cellar door from the outside, never to come out again...

How shameful! Not only did he not give his own granddaughter-in-law a gift, but he also made snide remarks and asked her to vacate his house. How shameful!

Seeing He Daqing looking incredibly guilty, Xiao Dang and He Yushui exchanged a glance. They both understood the same thing from each other's eyes: the fat man's terrible idea actually worked!

Finally, He Daqing went to live with Yi Zhonghai at his home, and the two old men kept each other company.

He Sui, of course, slept side-by-side with his father, talking late into the night by candlelight; Xiao Dang, naturally, slept soundly in his own room...

Qin Huairu, carrying two bundles and a bedding roll, was ignored by her maternal grandmother and uncles. In the entire courtyard, no one showed her any pity or offered her a place to stay for the night.

Qin Huairu stood alone in the courtyard, her eyes fixed on the two houses belonging to the Jia family.

Benleihu, carrying a bowl, casually pushed open the door, stepped inside, and then bolted the door shut.

Smiling Tiger was severely beaten by Li Huaide's men and left lying pitifully in the house.

Benleihu placed the freshly brewed medicine on his bedside table, the steam rising painfully from the bowl; yet he spoke coldly: "Are you still breathing? If you are, get up and drink your medicine yourself. Do you want me to feed you?"

Despite the pain, the smiling tiger groaned and said to him, "Why do you still care about me?"

Benleihu was extremely agitated: "If it weren't for my wife forcing me, which bastard would be willing to do this? I don't care about you!"

The smiling tiger grinned widely: "It has to be Sister Yan, she knows how to take care of people."

Benleihu reached out and grabbed his arm, causing him to pound the bed with his other arm in pain, but he remained defiant and didn't utter a sound.

Benleihu sighed and reluctantly let go of him.

He couldn't quite explain what kind of feelings he had for Smiling Tiger; the five of them had sworn brotherhood back then.

But that Smiling Tiger betrayed Golden Tiger and Dragon-Catching Tiger, causing one of them to die and the other to be crippled, and even Thunder Tiger himself almost got caught up in it...

The hatred of betraying one's brothers is irreconcilable, but everyone advised him that times have changed and the past should be left behind.

He has a wife, a daughter, and a happy family; is he really going to abandon his family just to seek revenge?

Thunder Tiger couldn't figure this out, and Dragon-Capturing Tiger certainly couldn't either. But whether they could figure it out or not, didn't they still let it go back then for Fatty's sake?