Ever since Jia Dongxu got married, Jia Zhangshi has been living a comfortable life. She no longer needs to cook or wash clothes, and spends her time sitting at the front door chatting with a group of old women.
As comfortable as Jia Zhangshi was, Qin Huairu was miserable. She had to cook, clean, and do endless laundry every day. What's worse, Jia Zhangshi would always find something to do.
Before getting married, I thought that having an elder in the family could help me out, but who knew that my mother-in-law was lazy and loved to gossip behind my back.
Fortunately, Jia Dongxu treated me very well, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to live like this.
But no matter what, Qin Huairu's character is very well-received in the courtyard. Everyone who mentions this new bride has to give her a thumbs up and say "good!"
A few days after the Jia family's wedding, He Daqing's verdict was also handed down. He Daqing was sentenced to 3 years in prison, his gold was confiscated, and he was exiled to Fangshan to smash stones.
The neighborhood committee even held a special meeting about this matter, urging everyone to learn from this experience and not to do anything illegal. They also commended Xu Fugui for his meritorious report.
The neighborhood committee should have protected the whistleblower, but too many people knew about Xu Fugui's report, so it couldn't be kept secret any longer. They simply gave him a big commendation and a reward of 500,000 yuan.
This put Xu Fugui in an awkward position, and the people in the compound started looking at him differently. Everyone thought to themselves, "Damn it, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing! We should stay away from him from now on."
Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill received the notice and made a decision: to dismiss He Daqing and never hire him again.
After He Daqing's incident, Sha Zhu's life became difficult. He hadn't been able to become a full-fledged apprentice at Hongbinlou, and he would never be able to in this lifetime. He became a temporary worker, a member of the "Five Black Categories," and it was impossible for him to become a full-fledged worker anywhere. He was only able to become a full-fledged worker because his master protected him; otherwise, he wouldn't even be a temporary worker.
He Yushui was even more unlucky; she was supposed to be in second grade this year, but was expelled. (I checked online; people from the "five black categories" can't go to school.)
The He family and the Xu family have now become sworn enemies, and it's a deep and irreconcilable feud.
In the detention center's visiting room, He Daqing, who was not yet forty, looked increasingly aged. Sha Zhu stared at He Daqing without saying a word, while He Yushui sobbed softly to the side. The atmosphere was quite somber.
After a long silence, He Daqing broke the silence.
“Shazhu, Yushui, I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault for being so blinded by greed. I shouldn’t have kept it from the government. You two have suffered so much.”
As He Daqing spoke, he slapped his own cheeks with both hands.
Seeing He Daqing so remorseful, Sha Zhu also felt quite sad. Who could be blamed for this?
"Dad, don't be like this. We don't blame you. I have a salary now, and I can support my brother and me."
Sha Zhu didn't dare tell He Daqing about their family's current situation, for fear of increasing He Daqing's psychological burden.
He Daqing told Shazhu that he had about 8 million yuan with Widow Bai, and another 2 million yuan with Yi Zhonghai, and told Shazhu to go back and ask for it.
The two chatted until the police urged them to stop, and they could only meet again in Fangshan. Fortunately, Fangshan is not far from Beijing.
After leaving the detention center, the brother and sister decided to find Widow Bai first. Following the address given by He Daqing, they arrived at a large courtyard. According to He Daqing, Widow Bai rented a place there.
"Young man, who are you looking for?"
The old man at the entrance of the courtyard asked alertly.
"Hello sir, I'm looking for a widow surnamed Bai. I heard she lives in this courtyard."
"The white widow you're looking for has run away. I heard that her lover was arrested, and fearing she would be implicated, she fled with her two children overnight."
Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu understood everything. The widow had run away with his father's money and wasn't afraid of him calling the police. First, there was no evidence, and second, if he dared to call the police, she would sue He Daqing for indecent behavior, and might even have to eat peanuts.
Back at the courtyard house, Sha Zhu didn't go to find Yi Zhonghai until he got off work in the evening.
"An elderly man and an elderly woman are both here."
"Silly Zhu, come, come, sit down."
Yi Zhonghai said, while holding a stool and beckoning to Sha Zhu.
"You've come to collect the money, haven't you? Your father entrusted the money to me, intending to have us take care of you after he passed away and then gradually give it to you. But Da Qing has been arrested, and you two siblings aren't having an easy time either, so I'll just give it to you directly."
After saying that, Yi Zhonghai opened the drawer next to him and took out the money he had prepared beforehand.
Yi Zhonghai is no longer planning to keep Sha Zhu as a backup plan for retirement. Sha Zhu's current class background is not good, so he can't get promoted no matter what job he does. It's uncertain who will take care of whom in retirement.
Sha Zhu took the money from Yi Zhonghai, said thank you, and chatted for a few words before taking his leave and preparing to go home, seeing that Yi Zhonghai was also unwilling to talk any longer.
"Zhonghai! Why don't you help them? Look how pitiful the brother and sister are, especially Xiaoyushui. She lost her mother when she was young, and now her father has been arrested. What a tragedy!"
The old woman was kind-hearted. She had gynecological problems when she was young, which left her unable to have children. He Yushui had been with the old woman since she was a child and they had a deep bond. She said this with a heavy heart.
“What do you know, you're just a woman? It's not that I don't want to help, but how can I? The He family's social standing—who dares to get too close to them? They might just get themselves into trouble. Let me tell you, don't bring rainwater into the house anymore. Stay away from them.”
Yi Zhonghai was unaware that their conversation was overheard by Sha Zhu, who was standing at the door and hadn't left yet.
Ever since He Daqing was arrested and his class background was redefined, Sha Zhu felt out of place in this compound. Everyone avoided him and his sister, afraid of causing them trouble.
Even the deaf old lady in the backyard is the same. She used to treat him like her own grandson, but now their relationship has become distant. When they meet occasionally, she doesn't even want to talk much.
Thinking of all this, Sha Zhu's hatred for Xu Fugui intensified. He dared not retaliate now, because if he were found out, he would be doomed. Sha Zhu was waiting, waiting for the right opportunity.
He glanced at Yi Zhonghai's house one last time, his heart filled with deep hatred, and walked home without looking back.
At this moment, Sha Zhu transformed.
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