Seeing Qin Huairu step out, Jia Zhangshi muttered, "It's all because of that damned money-losing thing, the harbinger of misfortune. If it weren't for her, our family's life would be so much better."
At this time, Bang Geng was already seven years old, looking like a little tiger. They say parents are a child's best teachers, but Jia Dongxu went to work every day, came home to sleep, and when he had free time, he just went out for a drink, completely ignoring him!
As for Qin Huairu, she had no say at home, and Jia Dongshi kept instilling some inappropriate thoughts in his mind, making him believe that the entire courtyard owed their family.
After Qin Huairu stepped out, she noticed that everyone in the courtyard was staying indoors, and she felt a wave of frustration. At this point, who could she borrow grain from?
The only person she could think of was Shazhu!
At that moment, He Yuzhu was sulking in his house, feeling that the mother and son of the Jia family were being too unreasonable. Why were they making things difficult for Sister Qin?
Then, he saw Qin Huairu come to his door, crying like a pear blossom in the rain!
"Shazhu!"
When Qin Huairu called out to Shazhu, it made He Yuzhu's bones feel weak. He quickly got up and said, "Sister Qin, you're here? Is there something wrong?"
Looking at Shazhu's eager demeanor, Qin Huairu felt a deep sense of disdain, but she had no choice; she still needed to ask him for money and grain!
Qin Huairu also pretended to be in a difficult position, saying, "Zhuzi, do you have any grain at home? Can you lend Sister Qin some? We're out of food!"
Sure enough, just as He Yucheng said, when someone came to find him, it was either to borrow money or grain! Plus, whatever they borrowed would end up in the bellies of those two ungrateful wolves in the Jia family. Even He Yuzhu, who was usually simple-minded, felt angry, and his tone turned sour!
"We don't have any left. The last bit of grain was given to you this morning; we have nothing at home."
If someone with thin skin heard that there was no grain at home, they would surely turn around and leave. But Qin Huairu had developed a thick skin; as long as she could achieve her goal, why worry about face? She pretended to be in a difficult position and said, "Then Zhuzi, can you lend me a few coins so I can buy some grain?"
This time, He Yuzhu exploded. The Jia family was richer than his own family! After listening to Yida's words, he had made up his mind to help the Jia family in the future, even letting his younger siblings drop out of school. But unexpectedly, the Jia family was still a wealthy household in the courtyard, with plenty of money!
He angrily said, "No way! I mean, Sister Qin, you really have the nerve to ask! Who doesn't know that your Jia family is rich in the courtyard? Besides Yida and Erda, who else has more money than your family?"
Upon hearing about the family's wealth, Qin Huairu felt even more wronged. Who knew what kind of evil spirit had possessed that old witch Jia Zhangshi? In the past, whenever she mentioned borrowing money, Shazhu would find ways to give it to her. Now, as expected, it was impossible to borrow anything.
But who was Qin Huairu? She knew how to handle He Yuzhu, and she cried, "Zhuzi, you know my position at home. The front yard and the back yard are not unknown to you. I don't believe you don't know. My mother-in-law has money, but I can't get it from her. If she doesn't want to give me money, the food you bring back will all be eaten by her, and the child is still hungry. I can go hungry, but I can't let the child go hungry!"
Well, with this act of pity, He Yuzhu was flustered!
He pulled out two coins from his pocket and handed them to Qin Huairu, saying, "I mean, Sister Qin, your family is really something. Clearly, you have a fortune, yet you come to borrow money from us poor folks. Your mother-in-law must be a Pi Xiu, only taking in and never letting out!"
Receiving the money, Qin Huairu immediately broke into a smile, patted Shazhu, and said, "Shazhu, I knew you cared for me. Unlike your family, which has a steady supply of grain, today your family is having fish and rice, you must have eaten well. During the New Year, I didn't even have such a feast!"
He Yucheng sneered inwardly—this shameless woman was asking for trouble again, stirring up discord.
Sure enough, upon hearing Qin Huairu's words, He Yuzhu shot an angry glance at the neighbor!
"Hey, Sister Qin, don't mention it. I raised two ungrateful wolves. They eat well and live comfortably, yet they don't even come to ask me how I'm doing. In the cafeteria, I can't even get what I want to eat. Do they really think I'm that precious?"
After lighting the fire, Qin Huairu pretended to be kind and said, "It's just that they were spoiled since childhood. You, Yucheng, have been taking care of them since they were young. What hardships have they endured? If this were in our countryside, everyone would be toiling in the fields, or at least living comfortably in the city!"
Is this doggone woman still not done?
He Yucheng had a natural aversion to Qin Huairu. This white lotus wanted to bloom, and if she wanted to play, then let’s stir up some trouble.
He Yuzhu was pondering over what Qin Huairu said, while Qin Huairu's purpose had been achieved. Then, with Yi Zhonghai's words, He Yucheng would be sent to the countryside to gain some experience. Once Yushui got married, those two empty rooms would be under her control!
"Alright, Zhuzi, I’ll head back first!"
With that, she swayed her hips and walked towards her home! Just as she was about to enter the house, He Yucheng used his mental control to make everyone in the courtyard lose consciousness and become immobile. It was also the first time he stood before the twenty-something Qin Huairu.
They say Qin Huairu is beautiful, but upon closer inspection, she was just so-so. In this era of scarce clothing, a twenty-five-year-old woman who had given birth to two children and was now pregnant again, how young could she really look?
Unlike later generations, where various cosmetics are applied, they can't even afford to eat, so who has the time to care about their appearance! Childbirth consumes energy, and a lack of nutrition and sleep leads to aging. Qin Huairu's age was at least ten years older than her actual age, with a face full of age spots, enough to fool someone as naive as Shazhu.
If she were really like those rich beauties from later generations, He Yuzhu would probably bleed to death from a nosebleed upon seeing her!
He Yucheng had no interest in Qin Huairu at all, but she was used to stirring up trouble. He couldn't lay a hand on her, but he could find a way to have someone deal with her.
He directly scared her, intentionally unbuttoning one of her clothes, then gave her a hard slap on the backside!
Returning to his own room, he released the mental control!
Outside, he heard Qin Huairu let out a painful cry!
"Ouch!"
After the pain, Qin Huairu quickly turned around, realizing there was no one behind her. She was puzzled about who had hit her and instinctively stepped into her home.
Since Qin Huairu entered Shazhu's house, Jia Dongxu had been peeking through the window, afraid that Qin Huairu would do something to betray him.
When Qin Huairu came in and heard the scream, Jia Zhangshi raised her triangular eyes and impatiently said, "What are you screaming about? You scared me!"
At this moment, Qin Huairu was still holding her backside, but she could only endure it. What could she say? Who knew who had just hit her backside?
"Mom, it's nothing. I think a bug just bit me!"
Seeing that Qin Huairu was empty-handed, Jia Zhangshi was about to start scolding her for being useless, unable to borrow any grain. But when she glanced at Qin Huairu's clothes and saw that her buttons were done up incorrectly, she suddenly felt like a large patch of grass was growing on her eldest son's head!
"Dongxu, beat this shameless woman! She has no shame!"