Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

Looking at Qin Huairu sitting on the edge of the bed, Jia Zhangshi asked in confusion, "Qin Huairu, why didn't you go to meet Li Huaide today? Don't you usually go out every Sunday?"

Now, Jia Zhangshi has come to terms with reality. Let her daughter-in-law cheat on her husband, as long as it brings benefits to their family. After all, Dongxu is gone, and they're just sitting around doing nothing anyway, so they might as well try to get as many benefits as possible.

Qin Huairu pursed her lips, her eyes were red, and she lowered her head without answering Jia Zhangshi's question.

Upon seeing this, Madam Jia frowned and asked, "Qin Huairu, what's going on?"

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears. Now she was certain that Li Huaide was really going to cut ties with her completely, and she, as his mother-in-law, couldn't hide this from him at all.

When she was with Li Huaide, he would often give her meat, snacks, or candy to bring back, and he would also give her ten or twenty yuan from time to time. Now that's all gone, she has nothing left.

Qin Huairu's eyes were red, and her voice was choked with sobs: "Mom, Li Huaide has broken up with me. From now on, our family will be back to normal."

"What?"

Madam Jia's triangular eyes widened, and she shouted angrily, "He slept with my daughter-in-law, and he thinks he can just cut ties like that?"

"Qin Huairu, I'll go to the steel mill with you tomorrow. Li Huaide slept with my daughter-in-law and wants to shirk responsibility. I'll expose him to your face. At worst, we'll break up."

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears, covered her mouth and cried bitterly: "Waaah, Mom, it's no use. If you do this, not only will it be useless, but you will also be arrested for framing your superiors, and I may lose my job. Then our family will really starve to death."

"What are you afraid of? Li Huaide, that dead son of a dead family, slept with my daughter-in-law, so he should support our Jia family for life. If he dares to deny it, I'll kill myself at the steel mill!" Jia Zhangshi shouted.

"Qin Huairu, tell me, what exactly happened? Why did Li Huaide suddenly break up with you? Did you do something?"

When Jia Zhangshi heard that she was going to be arrested, her tone softened. She didn't want to go back to jail. She had offended a lot of old women before she got out. If she went back in, she was sure they would beat her half to death.

"No, Mom, I didn't do anything, but they just want to cut ties with me."

Qin Huairu's eyes showed a hint of panic, which Jia Zhangshi immediately noticed. She pointed at Qin Huairu and demanded an explanation:

"Qin Huairu, you better explain yourself clearly. What exactly did you do? Li Huaide couldn't have broken up with you for no reason. Don't try to hide it from me. If you don't tell me, I'll go to the steel mill and ask Li Huaide tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu panicked completely and hurriedly recounted her story with Wang Mazi and Tieguai Li while crying.

After hearing Qin Huairu's account, Jia Zhangshi pointed at Qin Huairu's head and launched into a tirade of abuse:

"Qin Huairu, you good-for-nothing! You've gained a little but lost a lot!"

"Those two old fogies are no longer worth getting anything out of you, why are you still paying attention to them? Now look what's happened, you've thrown away such a powerful ally for such a pittance, how could you be so stupid?"

"Old Jia, Dongxu! Come and take me away! This stupid daughter-in-law is hopeless! How am I supposed to live now?! I can't live anymore!"

As she spoke, Jia Zhangshi thought about the hard times she would have to endure again, and she sat down on the ground and started to cry. This time she was really crying; those days before were truly unbearable!

Qin Huairu's tears fell in large drops as she said with a wronged expression, "Mom, wasn't I doing all this for our family? Do you think I wanted this? During the New Year, you ate so much meat with such relish, why didn't you say anything then?"

Madam Jia sat on the ground and cried for a while. When she saw Qin Huairu crying even more sadly than she did, she finally realized the reality: she couldn't push Qin Huairu too far now. If Qin Huairu just quit and remarried someone else, she would be left with no choice but to wait to die.

She stood up, sighed, and said, "Huai Ru, don't cry now. Crying won't solve anything. Try to talk nicely to Li Huaide these days. Maybe he'll change his mind. Men are all the same. As long as you make him comfortable in bed, anything is possible. I'm an expert in this."

Qin Huairu shook her head, crying, "Waaah, it's no use. I've gone to see Li Huaide several times these past few days, but he doesn't even want to talk to me anymore. This morning I went to the courtyard where we used to meet, but the locks have been changed, and I can't even get in."

"Why."

Jia Zhangshi sighed, not knowing what to do. In the end, it was Qin Huairu's fault, but Qin Huairu did it for the sake of her family.

After Qin Huairu said that, she really didn't dare to cause trouble at the steel mill anymore. What if they arrested her? She didn't want to be stuck in jail again.

The main problem is the lack of evidence. If you accuse someone of having illicit relationships, you need to provide evidence first. She spent several months in jail before, and she didn't do it for nothing. She knows very well what will get her arrested and what won't.

Madam Jia remained silent, while Qin Huairu kept shedding tears. She was filled with regret, wishing she hadn't been so greedy for that little bit of advantage.

Just as the two were pondering what to do next, Banggeng ran back from outside. As soon as he arrived, he saw his mother crying and his grandmother sighing. He asked in confusion:

"Mom, Grandma, what's wrong?"

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears, forced a smile, and ruffled the curly hair of the stalk.

"Bang Geng, Mom and Grandma are fine. We were just talking about something. Where's Xiao Dang? Why didn't she come back with you?"

Banggeng chuckled: "Xiaodang is still playing with ants in the backyard. Mom, can you give me two more White Rabbit milk candies? One for me and one for Xiaodang."

Hearing this, Qin Huairu rubbed Banggeng's face and comforted him, "Banggeng, be good. We've finished all the White Rabbit milk candy at home. Mom will buy you some more when she gets her salary."

"Mom, you're lying! I saw more than a dozen White Rabbit candies in the cupboard the day before yesterday. I don't care, I want White Rabbit candies! Go get them for me!" Banggeng shouted relentlessly.

"Why."

Qin Huairu sighed, took out two White Rabbit milk candies from the cabinet and handed them to Banggeng. Anyway, after eating these few, she didn't know when she would be able to eat them again.

Banggeng took the White Rabbit milk candy, chuckled, and ran outside to play.