Upon returning to the courtyard house, Jia Dongxu excitedly rushed back to the Jia family home.
"Mom, I finally passed the Level 2 fitter exam this time."
Upon hearing Jia Dongxu's words, both Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu got up from the bed.
"Dongxu, are you telling the truth? Don't the assessments usually take three to five days to come out? How do you know you've already passed the assessment?"
"Mom, do you know how many assessments I've taken over the years? I've taken them for four years now, at least ten times in those four years. Success and failure are treated completely differently."
“In the past, whenever I failed, the examiner would always say a few words of encouragement. Although he was encouraging me, his expression was full of disdain.”
"The assessment is over. The examiners smiled. You could tell from their expressions whether I passed or not."
Hearing Jia Dongxu's words, Jia Zhangshi thought for a while. Finally, she decided to take her son to see Yi Zhonghai. If she didn't put some pressure on Yi Zhonghai, who knew when she would get the house?
No matter what method Yi Zhonghai uses, as long as he can get the Jia family a bigger house, that's all that matters. What risks Yi Zhonghai might take, what does that have to do with the Jia family?
"Dongxu, come with me to the Yi family. Just do what you want later, you don't need to suppress your temper like before. The more trouble you cause this time, the more our Jia family will gain. It doesn't matter if you punch Yi Zhonghai a few times."
"Qin Huairu, hurry up and go to the yard to see if Shazhu has come back. If Shazhu is back, go to Shazhu's house and chat with him for a few minutes."
“If the Yi family causes trouble, you should quickly take Sha Zhu to the Yi family. If Dong Xu suffers a loss, you must make sure Sha Zhu helps Dong Xu beat up Yi Zhonghai. If no action is taken, you should let Sha Zhu watch from the sidelines.”
"Mother-in-law, I'm going to the Intermediate People's Court right now to see if Sha Zhu has returned. If he's there, I'll chat with him for a bit and try my best to ease his dissatisfaction. If he's not there, I'll hurry back to cook."
Hearing Qin Huairu's words, Jia Zhangshi nodded. Having obtained her mother-in-law's permission, Qin Huairu went from the backyard to the middle courtyard. Seeing Sha Zhu cooking in the kitchen, she immediately went inside.
“Zhu Zi, are you cooking for Yu Shui? Please don’t worry about what happened a few days ago. You know Dong Xu isn’t a bad person. He was just provoked by Xu Damao. That’s why he spoke to you in that tone that day.”
"Please forgive your brother Dongxu for Sister Qin's sake! It was your brother Dongxu who asked me to apologize to you today, but he's a grown man and he's too proud to do so."
If someone else had said this, Sha Zhu might not have believed it. But if Qin Huairu said it, Sha Zhu would believe it without a doubt, and it certainly sounded like something Xu Damao would do.
"That damn Xu Damao, I'll get my hands on him when I get the chance."
But before he could finish speaking, Sha Zhu remembered what happened in the cafeteria that day. Thinking about it, Sha Zhu felt a pang of resentment. He also realized that it wasn't Jia Dongxu who had sent Qin Huairu.
"Zhu Zi, please forgive your brother Dong Xu for my sake."
Upon hearing Qin Huairu's words, Sha Zhu couldn't help but recall that snowy night in 1952. On that cold and hungry night, he and his sister were starving at home, but there was no food at all.
Just when he was in despair, Qin Huairu brought him a few cornbread buns and a bowl of hot water. Sha Zhu felt those cornbread buns were the best thing in the world. Sha Zhu would never forget the way Qin Huairu pulled the cornbread buns from her bosom. He even remembered clearly the words Qin Huairu said to this day.
Sha Zhu felt that nothing in the world was more touching than, “You two siblings, eat it while it’s hot! I stole this from behind my husband and mother-in-law’s back. If they find out I’m secretly giving you food, I’ll be in trouble. If you don’t want me to suffer, you’d better eat it quickly.”
Having lived in the courtyard house for so long, Sha Zhu naturally knew the character of the Jia family mother and son. But in all the world, nothing could compare to his beloved.
Don't even mention it's just some petty sowing of discord. So what if I get beaten up by Jia Dongxu?
"Sister Qin, look at what you're saying. Do you think I, Sha Zhu, am that petty? I was just thinking about that bastard Xu Damao. When I have time, I'll definitely teach Xu Damao a lesson. Let's see if he dares to do such a thing again!"
Seeing that she had already appeased Sha Zhu, Qin Huairu smiled at him. Looking at the fluctuating grain sacks on Qin Huairu's hands, Sha Zhu couldn't help but recall that spring night.
Although it was only a brief moment, in Sha Zhu's eyes, time seemed to stand still. The thought of that sacred and inviolable place being constantly kneaded by Jia Dongxu filled Sha Zhu with hatred for Jia Dongxu and his mother.
He secretly resented his sister Qin for being born a few years too early. If she had been born a few years later, he could have married her.
Sha Zhu kept shouting in his heart, "You were born before I was born, and I was born after you were old." The thought of the word "old" made Sha Zhu keep spitting and muttering "Pui pui pui" endlessly.
This left Qin Huairu, who was standing nearby, somewhat bewildered. She immediately used her sleeve to wipe Sha Zhu's mouth. Sha Zhu, who had never had intimate contact with a woman before, almost surrendered on the spot.
The thought of having such filthy thoughts made Sha Zhu want to slap himself. The sounds he heard eavesdropping at the Jia family's house seemed to echo in his ears again.
If Qin Huairu hadn't wiped Sha Zhu's mouth and kept a certain distance from him, Sha Zhu would have remained captivated by Qin Huairu's milky scent for who knows how long.
Seeing that Qin Huairu had kept her distance from him, Sha Zhu finally regained his senses.
"Sister Qin, a bug just flew in from somewhere and crawled right into my mouth."
“Since it’s just a bug, it’ll be fine once you spit it out. Now that you’ve forgiven your brother Dongxu, I can go back and explain later.”
"But I have a few more words to say to you. Don't argue with Xu Damao next time. After all, you are neighbors in the same courtyard, and you are friends who grew up together. There are some things that cannot be explained away."
Upon hearing Qin Huairu's words, Sha Zhu really wanted to tell her that the reason he and Xu Damao had ended up like this was all because of that bastard Jia Dongxu's instigation.
But when the words reached his lips, Sha Zhu couldn't say a word. Even if he wanted to sow discord, he couldn't say it in front of his beloved.
Sha Zhu felt it was time to let his sister Qin see the true colors of the Jia family mother and son. Once Qin saw their true colors, she would definitely leave the Jia family, given her character. And if Qin divorced Jia Dongxu, he would have a chance to marry his dream girl.
In Sha Zhu's eyes, Jia Dongxu was completely unworthy of Qin Huairu, not even deserving the chance to carry her shoes. Only he himself was worthy of Qin Huairu.
But another voice kept shouting in Sha Zhu's mind, constantly telling him that although his dream lover was wonderful, she couldn't compare to a virgin. Besides, this dream lover had already had two children with someone else.
At that moment, another thought echoed in Sha Zhu's mind: "No virgin can compare to the allure of a dream lover. No virgin can match the understanding and compassion of my Sister Qin. Which virgin would think so much for me? And which virgin would bring me steamed buns on a snowy night?"
Watching the two little figures in his mind constantly bickering, Sha Zhu had no choice but to send them away for the time being. To cherish the time he spent with Qin Huairu, Sha Zhu even put the pot aside. After all, the food could be cooked later, but Qin Huairu might not stay any longer.
But Sha Zhu didn't realize that in the eyes of Qin Huairu and the Jia family, he was nothing. In their eyes, Sha Zhu was just a reckless man who could be used.
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