Just as the two of them were having a disagreement, Yi Zhonghai finally returned from the hospital. He could have been discharged much earlier, but for the sake of his future, he stayed in the hospital for a month and a half.
Yi Zhonghai didn't want to be riddled with health problems when he got old. Since the steel mill would cover his hospital bills anyway, he figured he might as well focus on getting his ailments treated first.
Upon returning to the courtyard house, Yi Zhonghai discovered that the Jia family had an extra daughter. To find out the details, he asked the deaf old lady about it after returning home.
"Grandma, how come the Jia family has an extra girl?"
“That’s Qin Huairu’s cousin. Didn’t Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng go to jail? Her two daughters have no one to take care of them, so she found someone from the countryside to help them.”
Hearing that it was Qin Huairu who had asked him to take care of the two children, Yi Zhonghai didn't pay much attention. Having been in the hospital for so long, Yi Zhonghai didn't want to stay there any longer.
Back in the courtyard house, they tried to do what they could. Yi Zhonghai was a well-known figure in the courtyard, and everyone was talking about him after they found out he was back.
Yi Zhonghai had long since stopped caring about what others were saying. His reputation was already infamous; he'd rather focus on recovering his health or how to achieve another merit like Wei Hua.
Earning more merits would improve his reputation and raise his salary. Having learned he was infertile, Yi Zhonghai no longer thought about having children, because further effort was futile; he was completely infertile. Now, Yi Zhonghai only wanted revenge on Jiajia and those who had offended him.
During this time, Liu Guangqi also adapted to his new identity as a labor camp inmate. Liu Guangqi knew that he would never become a worker again, much less return to school.
Now, besides doing odd jobs, all Liu Guangqi does is seek revenge on Qin Huairu. He believes he's become like this because of Qin Huairu. Back at the courtyard house, Liu Guangqi's thoughts are consumed with plotting his revenge.
Although Liu Guangqi was a bookworm, he wasn't stupid. If Qin Huairu could frame him, why couldn't he frame Qin Huairu?
Qin Huairu has stolen things more than once or twice. Given Qin Huairu's connections in the courtyard, it's impossible for anyone to stand up for her.
After taking a few dozen yuan from home, Liu Guangqi wrote his family name on the money. When Qin Huairu came to the backyard to look for the child, he went straight to her and slapped her several times. It's incredibly easy for a grown man to hit a woman, especially since Qin Huairu wasn't in good health. Faced with a man like Liu Guangqi, she could only passively take the beating.
While beating Qin Huairu, Liu Guangqi threw the money he had prepared beforehand on the ground. He kept muttering to himself as he hit her.
"Fine, you Qin Huairu. I've finally caught you stealing money today. I'll beat you to death, you thief."
Upon hearing Qin Huairu's screams and Liu Guangqi's words, Xu Damao immediately rushed out. Without saying a word, he grabbed a stick and joined in beating Qin Huairu.
Even Yi Zhonghai, who had just returned, grabbed a stick and joined in beating Qin Huairu. None of the three held back; as long as the thief wasn't killed, nothing serious would happen, and even crippling him wouldn't matter.
Whether Qin Huairu stole the money or not, they didn't care at all; all they needed was a reason. A reason that would justify beating Qin Huairu.
The beaten Qin Huairu could only keep crying out her innocence and protecting her head. No one cared about her words. Because the others were even more wronged than Qin Huairu, just like Liu Guangqi before, who simply wanted to go to the toilet but was accused of harassment.
Xu Damao didn't care whether Qin Huairu was innocent or not. He only cared that Qin Huairu had tried to frame him. Last time, she had even hired a woman to stage a charade and extort 150 yuan from him.
Xu Damao now only wants revenge. The feud between Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family is even more unresolved. None of the three want to let Qin Huairu go, so they fight with exceptional force.
The people in the middle and front courtyards were completely unaware of the details, but everyone had a problem with Qin Huairu, so no one stepped in to help. The only one trying to mediate was Qin Jingru, but as an outsider, how could she possibly persuade Liu Guangqi and the others?
Fortunately, Liu Guangqi and his companions still retained a shred of rationality. They didn't kill Qin Huairu; seeing that she was no longer making any noise, they stopped.
Xu Damao dropped the stick and immediately ran out of the courtyard, then brought the police officers over.
"Tell me what exactly happened?"
"Officer, this is what happened. In the evening, my family and I were all working in the kitchen. I felt a little unwell and went to the toilet. But as soon as I stepped out of the kitchen, I saw Qin Huairu coming out of our bedroom."
“Our two families already had some grudges, so how could Qin Huairu possibly be in my bedroom? I wanted to find out what was going on, so I called out to Qin Huairu. In the ensuing scuffle, I found several tens of yuan in Qin Huairu’s pocket.”
"How could we let such a thief get away so easily? So I beat Qin Huairu up, but who knew that others didn't want to let such a thief like Qin Huairu get away either, so they joined me in giving Qin Huairu a beating."
Upon hearing Liu Guangqi's words, the police officers from the local station set their sights on Yi Zhonghai and Xu Damao.
“Officer, I also saw Qin Huairu come out of the Liu family’s bedroom, and I even saw Liu Guangqi take several tens of yuan from Qin Huairu’s pocket. The reason I took action was just to teach the thief a lesson.”
Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, the police officers from the police station looked at Xu Damao again.
“Officer, Qin Huairu is a habitual thief. She’s stolen from the yard many times before. You can ask around if you don’t believe me. I only joined them to teach Qin Huairu a lesson because I saw her stealing.”
“You can’t let a habitual thief like this get away with it easily. You must bring her to justice. If you give her a chance, she’ll keep stealing. This time she was caught by Liu Guangqi. If she hadn’t, the Liu family would have lost tens of yuan for nothing.”
Hearing the three of them falsely accusing her, Qin Huairu, despite her serious injuries, kept refuting them. But no one listened to her at all. Instead, the people in the courtyard began to kick her while she was down.
At this moment, Qin Huairu finally understood what it felt like to be falsely accused. She had only come to the backyard to find Xiao Dang, but Liu Haizhong had framed her for a thief and even beaten her up like this.
The thought of Xiao Dang gave Qin Huairu a sense of hope.
“Officer, there is someone who can testify to my innocence. I came to see my daughter. She must have seen everything.”
"Hahahaha! Qin Huairu, if you're going to make an excuse, at least make a better one. There isn't even a single child in our backyard, so how did your daughter end up here? Your daughter was brought here by your cousin after Xu Damao went out to call the police."
"If you don't believe me, you can ask your cousin and your daughter if they've been to the backyard."
"Jingru, tell me where you went just now? Did you see what happened to me, that they framed me?"
With so many people watching, Qin Jingru dared not lie. Especially with police officers from the local police station present.
"Cousin, I don't know anything. I was having tofu pudding at Yangtao's house with Xiaodang. We had just finished eating when we heard a noise in the backyard. When I went into the backyard, I saw Xu Damao running outside. As for the rest, I really don't know anything."
Hearing her cousin's words, Qin Huairu knew the matter was settled. She was now in deep trouble, even if she wasn't already in a mess. If she had known they'd gone to Wei Hua's house for tofu pudding, she shouldn't have come to the backyard.
Instead, he should go to Wei Hua's house and have a bowl of tofu pudding. As long as he went to Wei Hua's house, the subsequent events would not happen again.
"Qin Huairu, do you have anything else to say? If not, please come back with us!"
Qin Huairu's heart sank at the police officer's words. She knew she was completely finished. Given the current situation, even if she didn't go to jail, what good would it do if she couldn't overturn the case? Her injuries would take at least six months to heal, not to mention she'd lose her job at the steel mill.
The thought of how they had framed her filled Qin Huairu with rage. If looks could kill, Liu Guangqi and his gang would have been torn to pieces long ago.
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