Courtyard House: She got anxious when He Yushui wasn't licked.

"Wow!"

A bucket of cold water was poured over Jia Zhangshi's head. The instant chill caused her to spring up on her own, a truly miraculous feat.

Everyone looked over and saw Lou Xiao'e carrying a basin; it was she who had splashed the cold water earlier.

When Lou Xiao'e saw everyone looking at her, she innocently asked, "Didn't you see the shit on her mouth?"

Everyone wanted to say that they had seen it, but no one spoke up; it was best not to step forward at this point.

"Who splashed water on me!" Jia Zhangshi covered her face. The suffocating sensation of the cold water hitting her face brought her back to her senses. Her great-grandmother was gone. She felt sore back, aching legs, and pain.

"Aunt Jia! I splashed it, no need to thank me." Lou Xiao'e thought Jia Zhangshi wanted to thank her.

"Lou Xiao'e! You old hen that can't lay eggs! How dare you splash cold water on me! I'll tear your mouth apart!" Jia Zhangshi rushed up like a shrew.

"Wow!"

Another bucket of cold water was splashed on Jia Zhangshi's face.

This time it wasn't Lou Xiao'e who splashed it, but He Yushui. She saw Lou Xiao'e carrying a basin of water over, and she followed suit.

Another bucket of cold water was poured over her, soaking her completely. Pointing at He Yushui, she said in a trembling voice, "He Yushui! You run away, your father is dead, your mother is gone, and you're a good-for-nothing!"

Everyone knows that Jia Zhangshi has a foul mouth and her insults are incredibly immoral.

He Yushui and Lou Xiao'e exchanged a glance. The two of them went to the water pipe to get water. Their purpose was obvious: if their mouths smelled bad, they would wash them properly.

When Jia Zhangshi saw the two women go to fetch water again, she shouted, "Qin Huairu! Are you just going to stand by and watch your mother-in-law be bullied by outsiders!"

Qin Huairu knew it was her turn, so she immediately went to Jia Zhangshi and begged Lou Xiao'e and He Yushui for mercy, saying, "Xiao'e, Yushui, please let my mother-in-law go."

Chapter 91 Washing clothes in exchange for a meal

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai also stepped forward to stop He Yushui and Lou Xiao'e, saying, "What are you two doing? Jia Zhangshi is already in such a terrible state, how can you add fuel to the fire? We are neighbors in the same courtyard, we should love and care for each other."

He Yushui and Lou Xiao'e exchanged a glance as she carried the basin of water for the second time. It seemed they had no chance to retaliate, so they could only put down the basin. Lou Xiao'e then argued, "Uncle, don't you see the shit on Aunt Jia's mouth? We're just helping out."

He Yushui immediately chimed in, "That's right, without these two basins of water, Aunt Jia would still be lying on the ground."

Although what he said doesn't seem to make sense, something still feels off.

"Alright, you two hurry up and find some paper for Jia Zhangshi to wipe herself up. That will make up for your mistake."

As a seasoned cunning manipulator, Yi Zhonghai was well aware of He Yushui and Lou Xiao'e's ulterior motives, but he simply didn't voice them.

Lou Xiao'e was not happy to hear that she had to wipe Jia Zhangshi's mouth. She immediately slipped away, saying, "Uncle, I have to go back and cook. Xu Damao will definitely get angry if he doesn't get to eat when he gets home."

He Yushui couldn't possibly serve Jia Zhangshi, and she ran off with Lou Xiao'e, leaving behind the words, "I haven't eaten yet, leave this to her daughter-in-law."

In the end, Qin Huairu could only silently bear it all and led Jia Zhangshi back to change clothes and wash their faces.

The effects of the bad luck charm were still ongoing. With Qin Huairu supporting her, Jia Zhangshi had only taken a few steps when her waist bent over and suddenly there was a "crack" as if she had pulled a muscle in her back. She couldn't move for a moment and cried out again, "Qin Huairu, my back is pulled! I can't move! Ouch, ouch!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu hurriedly called out to Shazhu, "Shazhu, my mother-in-law has hurt her back, come and lend a hand."

Helpless, He Yuzhu could only quickly step forward to lend a hand. He didn't know if Jia Zhangshi hadn't checked the almanac before going out today, but as soon as he walked behind Jia Zhangshi, she kicked him in the face with her butt.

That fart was not only loud, but it also stank horribly!

He Yuzhu was stunned when Jia Zhangshi farted at him. After regaining his senses, he even asked the onlookers with some uncertainty, "Was that a fart?"

Yi Zhonghai knew that He Yuzhu was on the verge of a breakdown, but he couldn't bear to lose his friend, so he could only offer He Yuzhu some moral support, saying, "Silly Zhu, you're the strongest person in our courtyard, we can only rely on you."

"Shazhu, hurry up and carry Aunt Jia back."

"Yes, she looks really pitiful."

The neighbors, always eager for a good show, chimed in with their opinions.

Jia Zhangshi froze on the spot, yelling, "It was just a fart! Sha Zhu, help me back quickly, I want to lie down."

Although Qin Huairu was supporting Jia Zhangshi, she was quite a distance away, and Jia Zhangshi's face reeked of a foul stench that was intoxicating.

After being sexually assaulted by Yi Zhonghai, He Yuzhu went to Jia Zhangshi and carried her on his back. He endured the stench emanating from Jia Zhangshi, thinking he could get her back as quickly as possible. However, in his haste, he tripped and fell, which led to his tragic end.

With Jia Zhangshi's weight plus Qin Huairu's, the two of them pinned He Yuzhu down. For a moment, He Yuzhu saw his great-grandfather beckoning to him.

The neighbors who were watching twitched at the corner of their mouths and quickly moved away.

What heinous crime has Jia Zhangshi committed to deserve such misfortune today?

Yi Zhonghai quickly stepped forward to pull Jia Zhangshi out and rescue He Yuzhu.

After He Yuzhu got up again, he breathed in the air and felt how wonderful it was to be alive.

Jia Zhangshi, however, felt that she was the one suffering. She began to blame He Yuzhu entirely, cursing, "Silly Zhu, are you a jinx? Why do you always make me suffer?"

When Qin Huairu heard Jia Zhangshi call Sha Zhu a jinx, she wondered, "What about me? Jia Zhangshi likes to call Qin Huairu a jinx, does that mean there's a pair of jinxes?"

He Yuzhu felt wronged too! A good outcome turned out to be a stumbling block, and to make matters worse, Jia Zhangshi was like a mountain pressing down on him from behind. If it weren't for Yi Zhonghai's timely help, He Yuzhu would probably have been finished in no time.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi's bad luck, Liu Haizhong, who was in the crowd, thought that she might have gotten into trouble with something unclean, so he said, "Jia Zhangshi, have you been going out and wandering around lately and gotten into something?"

It wouldn't be scary if you didn't tell her, but as soon as you did, Jia Zhangshi's face changed drastically. These days, she's been going to a wild temple early in the morning and returning late at night to pray for blessings.

Could it be that I attracted something evil on the way back?

When it comes to feudal superstition, Jia Zhangshi dares to claim second place in the entire courtyard! No one dares to claim first!

Liu Haizhong could easily tell from Jia Zhangshi's expression that she had been acting suspiciously lately and was probably up to no good.

Yi Zhonghai ignored these things and said to Liu Haizhong, "Old Liu, you can't talk nonsense. Feudal superstition is unacceptable."

Liu Haizhong certainly didn't dare to say anything reckless, as that would lead to criticism and public humiliation. He laughed it off and said, "I was just saying it casually, just kidding."

Madam Jia took it to heart. If it weren't for her physical limitations, she would have already taken a basket and offerings to a wild temple to burn incense and kneel in worship.

In order to win over Jia Zhangshi, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to step forward and say to He Yuzhu, "Let's do it together, you and me."

With Yi Zhonghai joining the team, He Yuzhu felt much more relaxed.

After all this trouble and delay, the effect of the bad luck charm has worn off.

Without the bad luck charm, Jia Zhangshi was safely returned by Yi Zhonghai and He Yuzhu.

Lying in bed, Qin Huairu quickly went to clean the excrement off Jia Zhangshi's face!

After dropping off Jia Zhangshi, Yi Zhonghai quickly went to wash his hands; he didn't want to go back smelling bad.

He Yuzhu washed his hands with Yi Zhonghai by the pond in the courtyard. He also sniffed his clothes, which smelled terrible, probably from when he was carrying Jia Zhangshi earlier.

When the others realized there was no more excitement to be had, they dispersed.

While washing his hands, He Yuzhu asked, "Uncle, why is Jia Zhangshi so unlucky?"

Yi Zhonghai, of course, could not admit that it was feudal superstition. He smiled and explained, "It's probably because the more anxious we are, the more likely we are to make mistakes. You were in a hurry when you were carrying Jia Zhangshi, which is why you tripped and fell."

He Yuzhu found this explanation plausible, but he could tolerate it once or twice, but he couldn't have such bad luck every time for a long period of time.

The father and son were washing their hands and chatting when Uncle Yan Bugui arrived. He asked, "Uncle, Shazhu, did Jia Zhangshi eat shit?"

This question made He Yuzhu and Yi Zhonghai feel disgusted instantly.

Seeing that the two were silent, the third uncle pressed on, "Is it true?"

Yi Zhonghai said unhappily, "Old Yan, you are a people's teacher, how can you speak so rudely?"

The third uncle said dismissively, "I heard about this as soon as I got back. It's really something. What was Jia Zhangshi thinking? Even if she's poor, she wouldn't starve to the point of eating shit, would she?"

He Yuzhu corrected the old man, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Aunt Jia accidentally fell on that pile of poop when she fell. It's not that she wanted to eat it."

The third uncle ignored that and focused on the important point, saying, "Jia Zhangshi really ate shit! This is huge news! Our courtyard will be famous from now on."

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything. As soon as he did, Yi Zhonghai scolded Yan Bugui with a stern face: "Old Yan, you're happy that something like this happened in our courtyard! Don't you have any sense of collective honor? Instead of comforting us, you're making sarcastic remarks. I think you've really disgraced the glorious profession of teacher."

The third uncle smiled and did not refute. That's just how Yi Zhonghai is; he always tries to pressure you with some kind of logic.

He Yuzhu couldn't stand the smell on him, so he said, "You two keep chatting, I'm going back to change my clothes, this smell is really strong."

Yi Zhonghai nodded.

Yan Bugui was even happier. The stench on He Yuzhu meant that Jia Zhangshi was carried back by He Yuzhu. He really admired Sha Zhu, who would treat the widow's mother-in-law like his own mother in order to please her.

He Yuzhu returned to the house and immediately found a new set of clothes to change out of.

Just as He Yuzhu finished changing his clothes, Qin Huairu knocked on the door, "Silly Zhu, are you home?"

Upon hearing Qin Huairu's voice outside, He Yuzhu immediately went to open the door excitedly. He opened the door with a smile and said, "Sister Qin, what's the matter?"

Qin Huairu, carrying the basin, said gratefully, "If it weren't for you today, I wouldn't know what to do. To thank you, I'll wash your clothes for you."

When He Yuzhu heard that Qin Huairu was going to wash his clothes, although he seemed a little embarrassed on the surface, he still honestly handed the clothes to Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu put the clothes in the basin and said to He Yuzhu, "My mother-in-law is injured and in bed, and my three children haven't eaten yet. Shazhu, could you help me cook something?"

Good grief, I thought Qin Huairu had a change of heart, but it turns out she was waiting for He Yuzhu here.

This pit is a bit deep.

Upon hearing that the three children hadn't eaten yet, He Yuzhu's compassion overflowed, and he immediately patted his chest and assured them, "Don't worry, I'll go to Uncle Yi's house right now to borrow some grain for your family to cook."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu immediately beamed with joy and said with a flirtatious look in her eyes, "Then I'll go wash your clothes."

He Yuzhu stared at Qin Huairu's departing figure, still immersed in her sweet voice and alluring expression, unable to extricate himself from it.

He Yushui, who was eavesdropping from the window of the next room, gradually realized that Qin Huairu's seemingly kind act of coming over to do laundry was actually another way of taking advantage of her silly brother.

Washing clothes in exchange for a meal—it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it!

He Yushui sat on the bed thinking about these things. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She said, "No wonder Wang Lin said that I had been kept in the dark by the beasts in the compound. Only after thinking about these details carefully did I realize that something was wrong."

He Yuzhu went to Yi Zhonghai's house with a smile to borrow food. He couldn't bear to see the three children go hungry, and he believed that Yi Zhonghai would not refuse to lend him food for this reason.

At home, Yi Zhonghai saw He Yuzhu come to his door again to borrow grain. Sitting in his chair, he couldn't help but twitch his lips, thinking to himself that He Yuzhu was just taking advantage of him.

Chapter 92 Tang Tang Brings Wine to Test the Waters

I always feel like I'm being taken advantage of when I ask for grain!

But refusing to lend grain seems a bit unreasonable.

Helpless, Yi Zhonghai could only give He Yuzhu ten catties of flour and two cabbages.

With this amount of grain, Qin Huairu's family could have enough for one meal.