Under the cloak of night, many families in the courtyard were chatting.
Take the Third Uncle's family, for instance. The Third Uncle and Third Aunt were talking, and Yan Jie Cheng was also talking to Yan Jie Fang.
The deaf old lady in the backyard looked innocent. She had just asked Qin Huai Ru to empty her chamber pot for her. Who knew...
At this time, Yi Zhong Hai was washing the chamber pot in the courtyard.
Jia Zhang Shi and Jia Dong Xu both refused to wash it.
Yi Zhong Hai thought for a moment, and then, with a grimace, he washed the chamber pot for the old lady.
While Yi Zhong Hai was washing the chamber pot, Qin Huai Ru was taking a bath.
"You scoundrel, peeking at Sister Qin taking a bath, are you?"
Hearing Sha Zhu's angry voice, Yi Zhong Hai turned his head to look, only to see Sha Zhu beating Xu Da Mao.
Xu Da Mao scurried away, but still received a few kicks from Sha Zhu.
"You're the one peeking at Sister Qin taking a bath, Sha Zhu. You got caught by me, so you're framing me." Xu Da Mao ran while shouting.
Sha Zhu accused Xu Da Mao of peeking at Qin Huai Ru taking a bath, while Xu Da Mao claimed it was Sha Zhu who was peeking.
It was unclear who was telling the truth.
"Xu Da Mao, Sha Zhu, both of you, stop right there!" Jia Dong Xu's face turned green.
It was true that Qin Huai Ru was taking a bath, and one of Xu Da Mao and Sha Zhu must have been peeking.
As for whether they saw anything, that was hard to say.
But Qin Huai Ru was his wife, Jia Dong Xu's wife!
Xu Da Mao dashed to the backyard and went home. As for Sha Zhu, he also chased after him to the backyard.
Unlike Xu Da Mao, who ignored Jia Dong Xu, Sha Zhu did engage with him for a moment.
At the entrance of Xu's house, Xu Fu Gui and his wife stopped Sha Zhu.
"Uncle Xu, Aunt Xu, your son Xu Da Mao was peeking at Qin Huai Ru taking a bath." Sha Zhu said.
"Dad, Mom, don't listen to Sha Zhu's nonsense. It was him who was peeking at Qin Huai Ru taking a bath. I caught him, and he wanted to beat me up. He's framing me now." Xu Da Mao hid behind his parents and spoke.
Xu Fu Gui and his wife naturally believed Xu Da Mao, after all, he was their son.
Even if Xu Da Mao really peeked at Qin Huai Ru taking a bath, they would never admit it.
This was a matter of reputation.
If their reputation was tarnished, finding a partner for their son in the future would become difficult.
Soon, Jia Dong Xu, Jia Zhang Shi, the old lady, and Yi Zhong Hai all arrived.
Then, the Second Uncle and Second Aunt came to join the fun.
Although Qin Huai Ru hadn't finished washing, she didn't dare to continue.
Because she hadn't cleaned herself properly, you could still smell a faint odor standing next to her.
Being caught peeking at while taking a bath had also frightened Qin Huai Ru.
As for whether it was Xu Da Mao or Sha Zhu who was peeking, Qin Huai Ru didn't know.
But Qin Huai Ru still believed Sha Zhu a little more.
…
Zheng Da Ma returned from outside.
She had heard that Qin Huai Ru had fallen while emptying the chamber pot, and it was said to be... quite a sight.
But she didn't see Qin Huai Ru. She only saw... some dirt outside the public toilet.
Several people who went to use the public toilet cursed.
And as she got closer to Courtyard 95, Zheng Da Ma vaguely heard someone talking about someone peeking at Qin Huai Ru taking a bath. They said it was Xu Da Mao who was peeking, and then again, it was Sha Zhu who was peeking.
Now, Zheng Da Ma was no longer a resident of Courtyard 95, so she didn't go in.
After walking around outside Courtyard 95, Zheng Da Ma went home.
When Zheng Da Ma returned home and chatted with Ma Cheng Gong, Zheng Ai Min also heard.
Courtyard 95 was filled with 'talents'.
With Zheng Da Ma taking care of the old lady and Yi Zhong Hai, the courtyard could have been much better.
But now, without Zheng Da Ma, all sorts of problems had emerged.
Qin Huai Ru was good at taking care of people, but would she really take care of the old lady diligently?
It would be okay to have Qin Huai Ru take care of the old lady diligently for a few days, but over time, it wouldn't be possible for her to do so.
After all, Qin Huai Ru had to take care of her children first, then her mother-in-law and husband, and then the old lady.
As for Yi Zhong Hai, nobody was taking care of him now.
Therefore, the lives of the old lady and Yi Zhong Hai were much worse than before.
…
Yi Zhong Hai's face was dark.
To Yi Zhong Hai, Jia Dong Xu was his illegitimate son, and Qin Huai Ru was his daughter-in-law.
How could Yi Zhong Hai not be angry when his daughter-in-law was caught peeking at while taking a bath?
However, Xu Da Mao and Sha Zhu were different in Yi Zhong Hai's eyes.
"First Uncle, trust me, it really was Xu Da Mao. This scoundrel has peeked at Sister Qin taking a bath before." Sha Zhu said anxiously to Yi Zhong Hai.
"It must be Xu Da Mao who peeked at Dong Xu's wife taking a bath." The deaf old lady said.
However, Xu Da Mao insisted that it was Sha Zhu who was peeking.
When it was said that Xu Da Mao was peeking at Qin Huai Ru taking a bath, Xu Fu Gui and his wife wouldn't agree.
As time went by, more and more people gathered at the entrance of Xu's house.
Some came to watch the commotion.
Some people spoke up for Sha Zhu, and of course, there were also people who spoke up for Xu Da Mao.
Qin Huai Ru was ashamed. After all, the discussion was about someone peeking at her taking a bath.
In this era, the social climate was conservative. A married woman being caught peeking at while taking a bath was a huge blow to her reputation.
But now, everyone in the courtyard knew.
If so many people knew, wouldn't they talk about it outside?
Once it spread outside...
Just thinking about it made Qin Huai Ru anxious.
Sha Zhu and Xu Da Mao insisted on their own stories.
Jia Zhang Shi and Jia Dong Xu both didn't want this to be brushed aside.
"I think it's a misunderstanding. Neither Da Mao nor Sha Zhu seem like the type to peek at a woman taking a bath." Liu Hai Zhong said.
"Second Uncle makes a good point. I also think it must be a misunderstanding." The Third Uncle said with a smile.
Yi Zhong Hai's face was dark.
There was nothing else they could do but brush it aside. What else could they do?
Sha Zhu said he saw Xu Da Mao peeking at Qin Huai Ru taking a bath, but Xu Da Mao said it was Sha Zhu who was peeking!
Although he believed Sha Zhu more, it wasn't appropriate to attack Xu Da Mao now.
Besides, he had to consider Qin Huai Ru's reputation.
So, it was best to assume it was a misunderstanding, that Xu Da Mao and Sha Zhu didn't actually peek.
After thinking about it, Yi Zhong Hai nodded and agreed with Liu Hai Zhong's opinion.
But Jia Zhang Shi and Jia Dong Xu were not satisfied.
However, the three uncles had reached a consensus, and the old lady didn't speak up anymore.
It was useless for only Jia Zhang Shi and Jia Dong Xu to be dissatisfied.
In short, the matter was dropped.
"Alright, everyone, go home." Yi Zhong Hai said.
Then, Yi Zhong Hai took Jia Dong Xu to the middle courtyard.
"Dong Xu, you need to think about your wife's reputation." Yi Zhong Hai patted Jia Dong Xu on the shoulder and said in a low voice.
As for Sha Zhu and Xu Da Mao, Yi Zhong Hai would find an opportunity to teach them a lesson.
Jia Dong Xu remained silent.
To Jia Dong Xu, he felt a bit betrayed. Whether it was Xu Da Mao or Sha Zhu who peeked, it was his wife who was being watched by others.
Therefore, Jia Dong Xu was not at peace.
Xu Da Mao was younger than Sha Zhu, and besides, Sha Zhu and the Jia family were both in the middle courtyard.
Analyzing it in his mind, Jia Dong Xu still thought it was more likely that Sha Zhu was the one peeking.
He remembered how Sha Zhu had 'gazed' at Qin Huai Ru several times before.
Thinking about it, Jia Dong Xu decided to deal with Sha Zhu first and then deal with Xu Da Mao later.
After all, he couldn't completely rule out the possibility that Xu Da Mao was peeking.
Seeing Jia Dong Xu's face changing between anger and sadness, Yi Zhong Hai sighed helplessly. He knew that Jia Dong Xu wouldn't let this go so easily.
…
"Brother Sha, was it really Xu Da Mao who peeked at Sister Qin taking a bath?" He Yu Shui asked Sha Zhu when they got home.
"Of course it was, I saw it with my own eyes. That scoundrel almost drooled." Sha Zhu said with a look of displeasure.
Sha Zhu felt uncomfortable that Qin Huai Ru was caught peeking at by Xu Da Mao while taking a bath.
Besides, he, Sha Zhu, was telling the truth, but not many people in the courtyard believed him.
If most people in the courtyard believed him, they could have punished Xu Da Mao directly, and Xu Da Mao's reputation would have plummeted.