Seeing the panicked Qin Huairu, Liu Haizhong's face revealed an excited expression. Liu Haizhong wasn't doing well these days, so instead of reporting Qin Huairu, he planned to blackmail her.
If it weren't for Qin Huairu, his life wouldn't be so miserable. Liu Haizhong planned to recoup everything, with interest.
"Qin Huairu, I never thought you'd end up in my hands. If you don't want to die, you'd better behave, or I won't hesitate to make you eat peanuts."
"I never expected you to still have such abilities even after you've become like this. You must have made a lot of money these past two years! My demands aren't high, just give me 1500 yuan. If it's a penny less, I'll report you, and all your money will be confiscated, and you'll get shot too."
Upon hearing Liu Haizhong's words, Qin Huairu nearly vomited blood. It wasn't that Qin Huairu couldn't afford 1500 yuan; it was simply that Liu Haizhong's asking price was far too high.
She had lived in constant fear for the past two years, and had only managed to save a little over two thousand yuan. Liu Haizhong's offer to take away most of it—how could Qin Huairu accept that?
"Liu Haizhong, don't go too far. I'll give you 500 yuan at most, not a penny more."
Upon hearing Qin Huairu's words, Liu Haizhong didn't say a word and turned to leave.
Seeing Liu Haizhong turn and leave, Qin Huairu could only try to bargain.
"Liu Haizhong, I can only give you 1,000 yuan at most. I've only earned a little over 1,000 yuan in total over the years. How am I supposed to live if I give it all to you?"
"I'm not discussing this with you. I'll be waiting for you at the courtyard gate this evening. If you don't give me a single penny, you can expect to be shot. If it weren't for you, our Liu family wouldn't be in this state now."
“I’m already being lenient by not asking you for it. You can easily come up with 1500. I’ve been keeping a close eye on you lately. I know exactly how much money you make every day.”
"You should try to erase all traces as soon as possible. I just don't know if others will keep it a secret for you, or if you can withstand the police station's investigation."
Having lived in the courtyard house for so long, Liu Haizhong naturally knew Qin Huairu's character. So after speaking, he turned and left without giving Qin Huairu any chance at all.
Liu Haizhong understood Qin Huairu, and Qin Huairu understood Liu Haizhong. Watching Liu Haizhong walk away, Qin Huairu didn't even chase after him. Because chasing after him would have yielded the same result; besides his volatile temper, Liu Haizhong loved to tattle and was obsessed with becoming an official.
Even if you don't have a grudge against Liu Hai, he might still report you.
Qin Huairu was already filled with regret, wondering why she had ever schemed against the Liu family. If she hadn't, it could have been resolved for a few hundred yuan. Given the animosity between her and the Liu family, if she hadn't obediently paid up, Liu Haizhong would definitely have reported her. Her actions wouldn't have stood up to scrutiny.
She was fine when she arrived, but she was completely different when she left. If Qin Huairu hadn't been completely disfigured, one could have seen just how bad her complexion was.
Qin Huairu didn't even know how she got home. Thinking about the 1500 yuan she needed to give Liu Haizhong that evening, she had no heart to take care of anything at home.
Lying in bed, I kept thinking about how to resolve this matter, but after thinking it over and over, I realized that the only solution was to pay compensation.
Qin Huairu took out all the money in the house and counted it carefully. She discovered that she had actually saved more than 2,400 yuan over the years. Even if she gave Liu Haizhong 1,500 yuan, she would still have 930 yuan left.
There are so many black markets in Beijing; you can always find one far away from the courtyard houses. If all else fails, you can just sell it in Changping.
This way, not only would the risk of exposure be reduced, but it would also avoid touching her bangs. Having figured this out, Qin Huairu immediately felt fully revitalized.
To save more money, Qin Huairu didn't stay idle for long. After sleeping for half a day, she cleaned her oxcart and then started harvesting vegetables at home.
Qin Huairu is now a well-known figure in the Qin Family Village area. Every afternoon, people bring their surplus vegetables to Qin Huairu's place.
Life in the countryside is not easy. In order to improve their family's situation, many people grow more vegetables to earn some extra income.
Every afternoon, Qin Huairu's house is definitely one of the liveliest places in the neighborhood. Many people want to improve their lives. Soon, Qin Huairu is busy.
Even if she didn't think about herself, Qin Huairu had to think about her son, because Bang Geng's sentence was about to end.
Qin Huairu, who used to dislike Bang Geng, no longer has the right to dislike her son, because her situation is even worse than his.
Perhaps because the weather has gotten colder, Qin Huairu hasn't received many vegetables, not even half of what she received a month ago.
Qin Huairu was already used to this situation. The weather was getting colder, and there were hardly any vegetables outside. Selling just eggs and the like wouldn't make much profit, so Qin Huairu decided to finish today's work and then rest at home.
With 1,500 yuan and some change in her pocket, Qin Huairu drove her oxcart slowly toward the courtyard house.
The thought of returning to that familiar place filled Qin Huairu with a mix of excitement and anticipation, for it held many of her memories.
Although these memories weren't all pleasant, they contained Qin Huairu's happiest moments. While those happy times didn't last long, they were the most glorious moments of Qin Huairu's life.
After nearly two hours of travel, Qin Huairu finally arrived at her familiar place in the oxcart. To avoid being discovered, Qin Huairu wrapped herself up tightly and went with Liu Haizhong to a secluded corner. There, she secretly handed the money to Liu Haizhong.
Before paying the money, she specifically asked Liu Haizhong to write a receipt. There wasn't a duplicate receipt, only one; Qin Huairu wouldn't hand over evidence of her crimes to someone else.
After finding what he wanted, he parked the oxcart near the courtyard house. The black market wasn't open yet, and if he took the goods to the vicinity of it now, it might arouse suspicion.
Qin Huairu, who had been away from the courtyard house for nearly two years, rarely returned. After learning about the others' situations, she remained silent. Qin Huairu hadn't expected so much to have happened in the courtyard house over the past two years.
Looking at the new house built on the site of the Jia family's old residence, Qin Huairu's eyes were filled with envy. If it weren't for Yi Zhonghai, she might still be living in a courtyard house. If she had been more careful before, she wouldn't be in this situation now.
As Qin Huairu was observing the Wei family in the central courtyard, everyone noticed her. Qin Huairu had changed a lot since then. But everyone still recognized her; after all, not many people were like her.
Seeing everyone staring at her like that, Qin Huairu felt embarrassed to stay in the courtyard any longer. She didn't want to have any further involvement with her former friends or enemies.
Qin Huairu hurriedly ran out of the courtyard and arrived at Liu Guangtian's house. Now Liu Guangtian could be considered Qin Huairu's younger sister, and it was better to stay indoors than outdoors on such a cold day.
Even if their relationship wasn't good, their kinship was still there. If Qin Huairu came to her house every day, Qin Jingru might kick her out. But Qin Huairu rarely came, and Qin Jingru couldn't possibly do such a thing. Besides, Qin Huairu was now a celebrity in Qin Family Village, and Qin Jingru's family would sell some vegetables to Qin Huairu.
Despite her large pregnant belly, Qin Jingru still invited Qin Huairu in. After all, this person was her cousin.
"Sister, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have had Guangtian pick you up in advance."
Although Qin Jingru said this, she was always wary of Qin Huairu. The better off she was, the more likely Qin Huairu was to make a move against her.
Qin Jingru understood Qin Huairu, and Qin Huairu understood Qin Jingru. Qin Huairu made no move, even though she secretly wished she could destroy Liu Guangtian.
How could Qin Huairu not harbor hatred? No matter what, Liu Guangtian was Liu Haizhong's son. Even though they had severed ties, they were still father and son.
"I happened to have something to do today, so I came to the courtyard house. Knowing that you live so close by, I just wanted to drop by."
"Sister, it's rare for you to come to my house. I'll make you dinner with Guangtian right away. Why don't you eat dinner before you leave? I wonder what the villagers will say about me if they know I didn't invite you to stay for dinner."
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