The officials at the yamen comforted Qin Huairu and then informed Jia Zhangshi that she would stay there to receive criticism and education.
"Comrade, my mother-in-law and that doctor were fighting each other, so they shouldn't have to pay compensation, right?"
Qin Huairu didn't care about Jia Zhangshi, but she did care whether Jia Zhangshi needed to pay compensation for her recent actions.
Logically, the old Chinese medicine doctor was forced to retaliate because of Jia Zhangshi's behavior, but Qin Huairu described it as a mutual fight.
"It's unclear at the moment. You should go home first."
Qin Huairu nodded nervously, then left the yamen.
On the way back, Qin Huairu kept thinking about this matter.
Although the old Chinese medicine doctor's medical skills are not very good, he should be able to make no mistakes in the most basic thing like taking a pulse.
If there's no mistake, and Jia Zhangshi is indeed pregnant, then the person she's having an affair with is definitely He Daqing.
If you calculate the date He Daqing returned from Baozhou, it really does match up.
If Jia Zhangshi really is pregnant with He Daqing's child, the two of them will most likely get a marriage certificate in order to avoid being labeled as having an affair.
Qin Huairu absolutely could not accept this.
Therefore, the first thing to do upon returning to the Taoist temple was to find He Daqing.
Unfortunately, He Daqing had already gone to work as a tricycle driver. Qin Huairu thought for a moment and then turned to go to the Intermediate People's Court to find Sha Zhu.
"Qin Huairu, what's wrong?"
Sha Zhu's tone was harsh, clearly indicating that he disliked Qin Huairu.
To be precise, he disliked not only Qin Huairu, but also Jia Zhangshi.
The recent gossip in the courtyard made him feel somewhat ashamed.
Qin Huairu glanced around the courtyard, then lowered her voice and said, "Could you let me in first? I have something important to discuss with you."
Ouch?
Do you still want to come inside?
Sha Zhu refused without even thinking. If Qin Huairu were to enter the house, he wouldn't be able to sleep in bed tonight; Liu Lan would definitely kick him out of bed.
Helpless, Qin Huairu could only stand at the door and say in a very low voice, "Shazhu, you don't want He Daqing to be with my mother-in-law either, do you?"
"That's for sure, but I've already asked He Daqing. He's never bothered your mother-in-law, and the two of them have hardly ever spoken. I don't know which scoundrel spread the rumors!" Sha Zhu shouted loudly on purpose, so that the residents in the courtyard would hear that He Daqing and Jia Zhangshi were innocent and that they shouldn't spread rumors in the future!
But the next second, Qin Huairu's words left Sha Zhu completely dumbfounded.
"But my mother-in-law is pregnant!"
What?
Sha Zhu was stunned. He felt a slight itch and tingling on his scalp, as if his brain was about to grow.
Whom do you listen to?
After a long pause, Sha Zhu finally came to his senses and asked with a blank expression.
He had just gone to He Daqing to ask for clarification when He Daqing thumped his chest loudly, guaranteeing that he would not have any involvement with Jia Zhangshi.
But then he heard the news himself.
Damn it.
He Daqing is not picky about food at all!
"My mother-in-law vomited during dinner, so I took her to see a doctor. The doctor took her pulse and said she was pregnant," Qin Huairu briefly explained.
This time, Sha Zhu was even more confused.
"This...this can't be He Daqing's, can it?" Sha Zhu still refused to believe it.
If He Daqing could find Jia Zhangshi attractive, then why did he go through all that trouble to follow the White Widow to Baozhou in the first place?
Although it's said that rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows, those who are close to the water get the moon first.
If He Daqing wanted to seduce Jia Zhangshi, it would be much easier than running away to Baozhou.
"I just calculated the days, and it's about the time when He Daqing returns to the courtyard..." Qin Huairu said with a serious expression, "If you don't want He Daqing to get a marriage certificate and live with my mother-in-law, then you'd better keep He Daqing in check!"
Given Jia Zhangshi's temper, Qin Huairu couldn't control her, so she could only ask Sha Zhu to lend a hand and stop He Daqing.
As for how to stop her, Qin Huairu didn't care.
"Wait a minute, let me sort this out!"
Sha Zhu tapped his numb head, then paced back and forth at the door.
"You haven't told anyone else about your mother-in-law's pregnancy, have you?"
Qin Huairu shook her head: "I came straight to you as soon as I got back. You have to think of something quickly. If those two get married and are together, I won't have the face to stay in the courtyard!"
"You talk like you're so great." Sha Zhu waved his hand irritably. "I'll go home and think about it."
After saying that, he walked into the house without looking back.
Seeing that Sha Zhu had no good ideas, Qin Huairu sighed helplessly and decided to go home to wash the dishes.
But as soon as he entered the backyard, he saw Xu Damao teasing the pheasant with chicken claws.
"Call me grandpa, call me grandpa and I'll give you some!" Xu Damao said cheekily, holding the chicken feet high and deliberately teasing his appetite.
Banggeng's mouth watered at the sight of the chicken feet, but he also knew that Xu Damao had a grudge against their family, so he kept yelling and trying to grab the chicken feet.
But how could a little kid like him be a match for Xu Damao? So he was furious and yelled.
Seeing how angry he had made Banggeng, Xu Damao burst into laughter.
"Xu Damao, you even bully children!" Qin Huairu walked over in annoyance, snatched the chicken claw from his hand, and shoved it into Banggeng's hand.
"Oh, you're back?"
Xu Damao chuckled lewdly, then subconsciously glanced at Qin Huairu's large buttocks, and realized something was missing.
"Hey, where's your mother-in-law?"
"At the hospital!"
Qin Huairu dared not tell the truth, so she could only make up a lie.
Unexpectedly, Xu Damao, who didn't follow the usual path, yelled, "Hospitalized? Your mother-in-law isn't really pregnant, is she?"
Xu Damao said these things only to amuse Qin Huairu.
What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener, and Qin Huairu immediately became nervous.
"Xu Damao, don't talk nonsense! My father-in-law has been dead for so many years, how could I be pregnant!" Qin Huairu glared at Xu Damao fiercely: "Be careful, or I'll go to the yamen and sue you for defamation."
"and!"
Xu Damao snorted dismissively.
slander?
Only a government official with nothing better to do would bother with something like this.
However, Qin Huairu's reaction was a bit unusual!
But before Xu Damao could ask any more questions, Qin Huairu took the stick home.
Qin Huairu originally thought that Jia Zhangshi would be able to go home after receiving criticism and education, but she waited until the next morning and still did not see Jia Zhangshi.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Huairu decided to go to the yamen to inquire about the situation.
It wasn't that she cared about Jia Zhangshi, but rather that she was worried Jia Zhangshi might cause trouble at the yamen, delaying her from hauling the manure cart.
In the sweltering summer, pulling a manure cart is no easy task. If Jia Zhangshi hadn't already developed immunity, she might not have been able to do it.
If Jia Zhangshi is unable to return for several days in a row, Qin Huairu will have to help Jia Zhangshi pull the manure cart.
When they arrived at the yamen, they learned that the reason Jia Zhangshi hadn't been released was because she refused to admit her mistake and kept saying that the old Chinese medicine doctor deserved a beating.
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