When Sha Zhu nervously approached the Jia family's door, he gently knocked a few times and asked, "Excuse me, may I come in?"
Hearing this, Qin Jingru looked at Qin Huairu in confusion. Qin Huairu quickly explained, "It's just politeness. If you don't say come in, he definitely won't come in."
Qin Jingru immediately chuckled to herself, thinking, "He's just like the village schoolteacher. It's quite amusing."
As soon as Qin Huairu led Sha Zhu in from outside, Jia Zhangshi immediately started belching. Despite being lazy and a country girl, Jia Zhangshi had never smelled this kind of aroma before.
A series of dry retching sounds echoed in the Jia family's house. Qin Huairu also glanced at Sha Zhu with an embarrassed expression. "You smell so bad, how dare you come to my house?"
Qin Jingru and Jia Zhangshi could no longer hold back. They exchanged a glance and said, "Sister, please sit down first. I'm going to the restroom."
"Yes, I'll go too. It's Jingru's first time here, I'm afraid she'll get lost. Let's go, let's go." Jia Zhangshi, unusually, didn't contradict her; she genuinely felt like she was suffocating.
Despite being an old widow, Jia Zhangshi was remarkably clean. Her clothes were always spotless; she had never received such treatment before.
As soon as the two stepped out of the courtyard, they breathed a sigh of relief. Good heavens, if they had stayed any longer, they might have suffocated! If it weren't for the money from Sha Zhu, Jia Zhangshi would have already cursed them out.
Just then, Ma Hua arrived at the courtyard house on his bicycle. He happened to see Qin Jingru and Jia Zhangshi. Qin Jingru said to Ma Hua with surprise, "Comrade Ma Hua, you live in this courtyard too!"
"Yes, Comrade Qin, what brings you to our compound?" Ma Hua then remembered that he knew Qin Jingru from when he and the greenhouse workers cooked for Qin's family in Qin Village.
"Yes, my cousin is Qin Huairu, she's from the same courtyard as you," Qin Jingru said happily. Seeing an acquaintance in this unfamiliar place was incredibly exciting.
“Okay, you guys chat, I’ll head back first,” Ma Hua nodded politely, said goodbye to Qin Jingru, and pushed the cart toward the backyard.
Qin Jingru watched Ma Hua's departing figure with longing eyes. When Jia Zhangshi saw this, she immediately became unhappy and snorted, "You shameless hussy, just like your cousin!" "What are you looking at? Can't you see that he's already far away?"
"Auntie, I'm just curious, why is Ma Hua living in our compound too?" Qin Jingru asked with some confusion.
"I don't know what tricks this kid used to get assigned to our courtyard. Let me tell you, you'd better stay away from that little bastard Ma Hua," Jia Zhangshi hurriedly warned. She didn't want Qin Jingru to fall for Ma Hua.
"Oh, why? Isn't Comrade Ma a good person?" Qin Jingru asked, puzzled. Ma Hua was a very nice person, without any airs. Last time, he even secretly gave her meat.
"What do you know? Do you really think anyone would be interested in someone from the countryside like you? Alright, stop asking. Just go on your blind date with Sha Zhu honestly, and stop looking for something better. Do you hear me?" Jia Zhangshi scolded.
"Oh," Qin Jingru nodded, feigning an obedient demeanor, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in her eyes. She had just seen Ma Hua ride his bike back. That silly Zhu, whom you all praised to the skies, didn't even own a bicycle.
When Jia Zhangshi and Qin Jingru returned, Sha Zhu had already been sent back by Qin Huairu. It was just too smelly. She could tolerate it, but the children couldn't. At this moment, Qin Huairu was preparing to lift the curtain to let the smell dissipate!
When Qin Huairu saw the two return, her face immediately darkened, and she said with a hint of reproach, "Jingru, why are you like this! They're all here, why did you run away!"
"It's because Sha Zhu smells so bad. Cousin, let me ask you, what does Sha Zhu do?"
"I heard from the movie I was watching that Sha Zhu is not only a thief but also a manure collector?" Qin Jingru immediately retorted. She had no intention of marrying such a scoundrel.
"This," Qin Huairu was speechless for a moment, "This is because Sha Zhu made a mistake a few days ago. I'm telling you, don't worry, Sha Zhu will be transferred back to the cafeteria soon. If you can't even handle this little bit of hardship, what else can you do in the future?" Qin Huairu said earnestly.
Seeing Qin Jingru's disbelief, she immediately said, "I'm your cousin, would I lie to you?"
"Huai Ru, I bet this girl has fallen for someone else!" Madam Jia sneered.
"Oh, who have you taken a fancy to?" Qin Huairu was truly bewildered this time.
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