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

"She wants everything, and she doesn't want to let go of anything. She wants Sha Zhu's money, Sha Zhu's lunchbox, and Sha Zhu's labor, but she doesn't want Sha Zhu as a person."

"She wanted a good reputation, she wanted everyone in the hospital to say she was a good widow with a tragic fate, but she didn't want a truly good life, because a good life requires hard work, and her way of working hard was never by herself."

"After her husband Jia Dongxu died in a work accident, she earned 27.5 yuan a month. The factory would also provide subsidies for her three children. Life wasn't exactly wealthy, but it wasn't bad either. But Qin Huairu wasn't satisfied."

"This woman was never a decent person before she got married. She first had an affair with her cousin, got pregnant, and then deceived Yi Zhonghai. Then she shamelessly tricked the Jia family into marriage."

"That old fox Yi Zhonghai was unwilling to make any sacrifices, so he signaled her to go find Sha Zhu."

"While looking for Sha Zhu, she was also flirting with other men. That's called casting a wide net and targeting key catches. She wasn't looking for a partner; she was looking for resources."

"Qin Huairu is indeed very good-looking. She can move around in front of men with ease just by using her face and figure."

"But she never felt there was anything wrong with what she was doing. She thought it was unavoidable, that she was forced into it by life. But how did the other widowed female workers in the factory, like her, manage?"

"They raised their children by relying on their own two hands and physical strength, earning every penny they could. They are not shameful and do not engage in any shady dealings."

"Qin Huairu isn't incapable of relying on herself, she just doesn't want to. Relying on herself is so tiring. She works herself to the bone for only twenty-odd yuan a month. Relying on a man is so much easier. Just smile, cry, or give him a flirtatious look, and the money and the goods will come. He'll take care of everything for her."

"This kind of woman is lazy, greedy, and unwilling to give. She only wants to take, not give."

As Ye Zhen said this, a look of both admiration and disdain appeared on his face.

He had to admit that Qin Huairu was a woman with some skills.

"Now that we've discussed the character of these two people, let's talk about why Sha Zhu is so obsessed with Qin Huairu?"

"Many people can't understand this question: Qin Huairu is so wicked, and Sha Zhu is so pitiful, why does he still cling to her? Is he a masochist?"

"No, Sha Zhu's obsession with Qin Huairu has nothing to do with love; it's the result of a complex mix of distorted psychology."

"Shazhu is extremely insecure deep down."

"He's uneducated, just a cook. His mother died early, his father ran away, leaving only him and his sister. He has no future. He's been working in the factory for so many years and is still just a cook. He has nothing, so he desperately needs a way to prove that he's useful and valuable."

"Yi Zhonghai understood his true nature, which is why he was able to easily collude with Qin Huairu to make a fool of him."

"But in Sha Zhu's eyes, if I can help Qin Huairu live a good life, then I am a useful person, I am a valuable person, and I am no longer the Sha Zhu that no one likes."

"Moreover, Sha Zhu is a womanizer. If Qin Huairu seduces him even a little, he will do everything he can to be good to her, bringing her lunch, helping her with chores, standing up for her, and giving her money. Every time Qin Huairu accepts his help, he feels affirmed. Every time Qin Huairu smiles at him, he feels that his efforts have been rewarded."

"It's not that he can't live without Qin Huairu, it's that he can't live without the feeling of being needed. This feeling is like a drug; once you're hooked, you can't quit."

"How much has Sha Zhu invested in Qin Huairu? Ten years."

"Ten years of lunch boxes, ten years of labor, ten years of money—the total amount is staggering."

"If a normal person had invested so much, they would have cut their losses long ago if they found out the other party wasn't worth it at all. But Sha Zhu is different. He's the kind of person who has already invested so much, and letting go now would be a complete waste. He can't bear to give up those sunk costs, he can't bear to give up the ten years of effort he's put in."

"So he told himself to persevere a little longer, to be a little nicer to her, and maybe she would accept him. But that 'maybe' would never come. Because the more he invested, the more Qin Huairu took it for granted."

"The more Qin Huairu takes it for granted, the less willing he is to let go; it's a vicious cycle."

"Silly Zhu can even be self-pitying."

"Everything he did was great, noble, and remarkable in his own eyes. He helped Qin Huairu not because he was being manipulated, but because he was righteous. He was tricked by Qin Huairu not because he was stupid, but because he was magnanimous. He was imprisoned by Qin Huairu not because he deserved it, but because he was unlucky."

"He portrayed himself as a tragic hero, a good person who gave silently without expecting anything in return, and was ultimately let down."

"This image made him feel self-satisfied, and made him feel that he was more noble than those men who were doing well."

"But in reality? He was just a fool who was played like a dog. His sacrifices were not selfless, but self-satisfying. His generosity was not tolerance, but self-deception. His tragedy was not fate, but something he brought upon himself step by step."

"What is Sha Zhu most afraid of? It's not that Qin Huairu deceived him, it's not that Qin Huairu didn't want to be with him, it's that... nobody wanted him."

"In his entire life, no one has ever truly been sincere to him. He only has Qin Huairu left as a straw to grasp at. Although this straw is a rotten straw, it is still a straw."

He dared not think about it. If even Qin Huairu didn't want him, what would he have left? A bachelor, an orphan, someone no one cared about—what was the point of living?

"This fear of loneliness overwhelmed his desire to maintain his self-esteem and his yearning for a normal life. He would rather wallow in Qin Huairu's quagmire than stand cleanly alone, because although standing in the quagmire was dirty, at least someone was with him, while standing alone was clean, but too cold."

After Ye Zhen finished speaking, he let out a long breath, as if he had exhaled all his feelings in that breath.

Naza showed an "aha!" expression, finally understanding the relationship between Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu.

I've learned so much, I've really learned a lot!

"Hearing you say that, the whole thing between Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu boils down to one thing: one was willing to hit, and the other was willing to be hit."

"Qin Huairu is greedy, selfish, and promiscuous. She treats men as tools, but she is wicked openly and without any attempt to hide it. Everyone in the hospital can see through her intentions."

"Shazhu is stupid, wicked, cunning, and evil. He has a foul mouth and is arrogant, but he is so stupid that it's impossible to sympathize with him."

"When these two people are together, it's an absurd drama that lasts for more than ten years. One is scheming, and the other is being schemed against; one is manipulating, and the other is being manipulated; one is acting, and the other is taking it seriously."

"In the end, they both went to prison, which was actually the most fitting ending to this absurd drama, because people like them wouldn't be able to live a good life in a normal society."

"Qin Huairu doesn't rely on her own hands and always thinks about taking shortcuts and taking advantage. She will fall sooner or later. Sha Zhu doesn't listen to advice, doesn't wake up, and doesn't change. He's going down the wrong path and will be finished sooner or later."

"So their decision to turn the soil in the cotton field is not society's fault, but their own choice."

Ye Juan did not entirely agree with Nazha's summary.

Because she knew very well that if Liu Hao hadn't moved into the courtyard house, Qin Huairu would probably have lived a comfortable life...