The Courtyard House: Xu Damao's Aunt is the Queen of Women

Sha Zhu was in despair, and tears involuntarily streamed down his face.

He never dreamed that He Daqing would be so ruthless, refusing to give him the house or the money.

I'm the son!! The son you raise to be your support in old age!

You treat me like this, and you still expect me to take care of you in your old age?

You old beast! You cold-blooded, heartless old beast, from this day forward, I, He Yuzhu, will no longer acknowledge you as my father.

He Yushui, that ingrate, wants to publish a notice in the newspaper to sever ties with me, so I'll publish one too to sever ties with you, He Daqing.

Sha Zhu gasped for breath, gritting his teeth as he said, "He Yushui, you must repay me for everything you owe me over the years!"

"Two hundred a year, I've raised you for thirteen years, that's a total of two thousand six."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked by Sha Zhu's shamelessness.

Two hundred a year? How can you even say that?!

Lin Zhengqin, a sixth-level fitter from the steel mill who lived in the front yard, couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward, saying, "Shazhu, put your hand on your heart and tell me, how much do you pay Yushui every month?"

"I...this..."

Sha Zhu stammered and hesitated, unable to utter a single coherent sentence after a long time.

Lin Zhengqin sighed and scolded him with exasperation, "As the saying goes, you become like the people you follow. If you follow a witch, you learn to dance like a shaman. All these years, you've been manipulated like a monkey by that deaf old woman Yi Zhonghai, and fooled around like crazy by that woman Qin Huairu who cries and tries to gain sympathy at the drop of a hat. Your brain has long been muddled!"

"Look at you now! You only care about Qin Huairu's family. You can't see your own sister starving to the bone, while you think Jia Zhangshi is well-fed and healthy. You send your wages and food coupons to the Jia family in large quantities, but your own sister can't even afford a pair of cotton shoes. What kind of affection is this? This is called being clueless!"

"You've been sold out and you're still helping them count the money! They treated you like a sucker, but you're benefactors! You're completely blinded by greed!"

Lin Zhengqin's words expressed the sentiments of everyone in the hospital.

In fact, everyone could see clearly what Yi Zhonghai, the deaf old woman, was planning, but no one dared to say it.

Not everyone in courtyard number 95 is a beast!

Admittedly, most people in the compound are selfish, timid, and afraid of trouble.

But if you think about it from another perspective, in this era of scarcity and hardship, which ordinary person isn't selfish?

This is selfishness forced out by life, or you could call it self-preservation. It's not the same as the vicious scheming of the retirement group!

Now that Yi Zhonghai, the deaf old lady, is in jail, the people in the courtyard will naturally no longer tolerate the Jia family or fear Sha Zhu, and will speak frankly.

Lin Zhengqin's words struck Sha Zhu like a thunderbolt, leaving him utterly stunned and speechless for a long time.

Qin Huairu's face changed drastically, her heart pounded, and she was so anxious that her hair almost stood on end.

Damn Lin Zhengqin, what did I, Qin Huairu, ever do to you? Why are you trying to harm me like this?

She forced herself to remain calm, but the tears she had just wiped away streamed down her face again. Sobbing, she said, "Master Lin, your words are so hurtful! I'm a widow with three children, and I have to take care of my mother-in-law. I've always been kind to everyone and never offended anyone. How dare you ruin my reputation for no reason…"

"Your reputation? You have no reputation whatsoever. You've been having affairs at the factory, do you think we don't know?"

Lin Zhengqin looked at Qin Huairu with disgust and said in a deep voice, "Don't try to fool me. Your tricks can only fool Sha Zhu. Everyone knows what kind of person you are!"

"that is!"

Old Zhang from the backyard also spoke up, his tone full of disdain.

"Jia Zhangshi is lazy and good-for-nothing all day long. All she does is gossip and try to take advantage of others. Who in the yard hasn't coveted her things? Last time, half a basket of dried radishes that we were drying disappeared. Who else could it be but her? You think we have no evidence and are just too lazy to bother with her!"

Zhu Ma, from the Intermediate Court, stepped forward and said with a fierce look in her eyes, "And your son, he's been corrupted by you and your mother-in-law."

"Last time, my grandson's candy was snatched by a thief who pushed him, causing him to fall and break his head. And you, instead of apologizing, said something like, 'The child is just a child and doesn't understand.' So, only your child is precious, and other people's children deserve to be bullied?"

"What's even more infuriating is Jia Zhangshi!"

One resident coughed and said angrily, "That old hag sits in the yard all day making veiled accusations. If anyone dares to say a bad word about your family, she'll block their door and curse them for three days and three nights! Relying on Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu's backing, she acts like a tyrant in the yard. Does she really think this courtyard belongs to your Jia family?"

Qin Huairu was being berated by everyone, her face turning pale and then red, tears streaming down her face like a faucet.

Her lips trembled as she tried to explain, but she was so choked up that she couldn't utter a single complete sentence.

The gazes of her neighbors were like knives piercing her, filled with contempt, disgust, and mockery, making her wish she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Jia Zhangshi originally wanted to cause a scene, but after being glared at by the stern eyes of the crowd, she shrank back and realized that if she dared to scold anyone as recklessly as before, she would be beaten!

Yi Zhonghai went to jail, and no one was protecting her... The more Jia Zhangshi thought about it, the angrier she became. Her chest felt tight, and she felt lonely, helpless, and lost.

Sha Zhu came to his senses and his heart wavered. He suspected that Qin Huairu was plotting against him!

But when he turned to look at Qin Huairu, his heart felt as if it had been gripped by an invisible hand, and it clenched violently, instantly shattering any budding doubts into dust.

Qin Huairu's eyes were as red as cherries soaked in water, with tears hanging on her eyelashes, trembling, about to fall, but she stubbornly held them back, revealing a sense of grievance and bitterness that she could neither swallow nor express.

Her gaze was timid, carrying a hint of bewilderment at being let down, and a touch of vulnerability and helplessness, like a kitten drenched in rain.

A scene he would never forget flashed through his mind: the afternoon when she had just married into the courtyard house.

It was spring of 1951. The heavy clusters of locust blossoms hung from the walls, and when the wind blew, their sweet fragrance, mixed with the smell of dust, filled the entire alley.

She wore two shiny braids with pink and white cloth strips tied to the ends, and a faded blue floral blouse with neatly sewn trouser hems.

She followed behind Jia Dongxu, her head bowed timidly. When she entered the central courtyard, she looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile.

That smile, like the first thunderclap of spring, cleaved through the chaos of his life.

Her beauty wasn't the flamboyant charm of a city girl; it was a rustic, sweet charm, with a gentle curve at the corners of her mouth and a hint of moisture in her eyes, like a locust flower glistening with dew, so pure it made his heart tremble.

He was squatting on the doorstep, eating a cornbread bun. The coarse flour in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor, and his mind was filled with that smile. He was stunned. The cornbread bun fell to the ground and got dusty, but he still stupidly picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth.

In the countless days and nights that followed, he always thought of that afternoon.

I also remembered her washing clothes by the pool, with Jia Dongxu's work clothes and the child's little clothes soaking in the basin. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her fair arm, her fingertips dipped in the cool water, turning a faint red.

Sunlight fell on the top of her head, her stray hairs damp with sweat and clinging to her smooth forehead. She rubbed the clothes gently, and the foam overflowed from the edge of the wooden basin, sticking to her trouser legs like scattered stars.

Occasionally, when she looks up and sees him gazing out the window, she blushes and lowers her head, but a faint smile remains on her lips, and she even softens the pressure when scrubbing her clothes.

That sweet smile was the brightest light in his chaotic years.

He also remembered the first time she called him "Zhu Zi," her voice soft and slightly nasal, like a kitten rubbing against someone's hand.

She also recalled how he had misunderstood her a few days ago, and how she had braved the cold wind late at night to stumble out and look for him.

Scheming? How could that be!

She was the woman who cried and poured out her heart to him, the woman who could only express her love through the clumsy method of managing money in order to keep him.

She's the woman who, despite being wronged and doubted, still said "I don't blame you" after he apologized.

He saw all her suffering, her hardships, her forbearance, and her deep affection, and it pained him deeply.

Those tears, those questions, those carefully crafted attempts to please—weren't they all expressions of heartfelt sincerity?

What do Lin Zhengqin and those despicable scoundrels in the courtyard know?

They only saw her taking his lunchbox, but they didn't see her washing his clothes and doing housework. They only heard her crying and pleading, but they couldn't hear the deep affection hidden in her heart. They only knew to accuse her of putting on an act, but they didn't know how much courage she had given for this love that others couldn't imagine.

They said she was calculating, but they didn't know that her calculations were nothing more than wanting to hold onto her only support and wanting to be with the person she loved.

And he was the one who was willing to give her support and spend his life with her.

Looking into Qin Huairu's reddened eyes, Sha Zhu's initial wavering had vanished, replaced by a surge of heartache and unwavering resolve.

He swore to God that even if the whole world misunderstood her and criticized her, he would accept it.

Even if she had some selfish motives in managing the money back then, so what?

That's because I love him too much and I'm too afraid of losing him.

His salary, his food stamps, his man, his life—he would give her anything she wanted.

He was doomed to be this woman who loved him to the core.

I am willing to die without regret!

"Shut up! Anyone who dares to spread rumors and slander Sister Qin, I'll fight them to the death!!!"