Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

Yi Zhonghai's vision was so beautiful that Qin Huairu couldn't resist it. She could almost see herself in charge, buying new schoolbags for Banggeng and tying new hair ties for Xiaodang.

As for saying that Sha Zhu wasn't her type... she had two children, four widows, and was pregnant with a child born after her death...

Qin Huairu had no choice.

Putting aside his appearance, Sha Zhu's conditions were indeed good, especially those three main rooms, and Sha Zhu's skills. In this era, such skills were a money tree!

"Grandpa... this... will this work?" She was still making a final check.

"Why not? This is a perfectly legitimate plan! We're doing this openly and honestly, for the sake of the children and for our livelihood! No one can find fault with it!" Yi Zhonghai made the final decision. "It's settled then. Tomorrow after get off work, you and Zhuzi come back together, and I'll accompany you to confront Jia Zhangshi!"

"Okay...okay!" Qin Huairu nodded heavily, a long-lost, heartfelt smile appearing on her face.

"Sir, I'll listen to you!"

------------

Beside the cellar, the two reached this seemingly perfect agreement. Neither of them noticed that behind the moon gate leading from the backyard to the middle courtyard, a thin, dark figure flashed by.

Banggeng had been secretly following behind. He had seen an old man come to the backyard, so he followed and curiously eavesdropped by the moon gate. The sounds from the cellar came out intermittently, and he couldn't hear them very clearly, but he clearly heard the words "Shazhu," "salary," "installment," "for you," and "showdown."

In his little head, which had been instilled with distorted ideas by Jia Zhangshi since childhood, a terrifying "truth" instantly pieced together—Shazhu wanted to buy his mother away with just a little money each month! He also wanted to seize their family's house! And his own mother had actually agreed!

A feeling of betrayal, anger, and panic instantly gripped his heart.

He clenched his little fists, his eyes gleaming with a wolf-like light in the darkness. He didn't make a sound, but quietly and quickly ran back to the Jia family home. He wanted to tell his grandmother, to tell the only person in the family who could "protect" them!

Meanwhile, Sha Zhu was humming a little tune happily in the house. He had earned another four yuan from his odd jobs today, and with the money in his pocket, he was planning to buy some good food for Qin Huai... no, for his future mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, tomorrow, hoping to win her approval. He felt that his good days were finally about to begin.

He was completely unaware that a storm, powerful enough to extinguish all his passion, was rapidly brewing.

------------

The next afternoon, the bell rang throughout the steel rolling mill to signal the end of the workday.

Sha Zhu waited at the factory gate. When he saw Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai walking out one after the other, he quickly went to greet them, his face beaming with an undisguised憨笑 (a simple, honest smile). The three of them exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of tension and determination in the other's eyes.

Today, the truth will be revealed.

None of them expected that the card game would be overturned before they even sat down at the table.

Just as they reached the entrance of the courtyard house, a dark figure shot out like a cannonball and blocked their way.

"You treacherous Qin Huairu! You heartless, ungrateful wretch! What sins did my Jia family commit to raise such a double-dealing brat like you!"

With her hands on her hips, Jia Zhangshi stared intently at Qin Huairu with her triangular eyes that seemed to be filled with venom, as if she wanted to devour her alive.

Qin Huairu's face turned pale instantly. She never dreamed that things would be exposed ahead of time.

"Mom, what...what nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm talking nonsense?!" Madam Jia slapped her thigh, making a sharp sound. "Do you three think I'm dead? What kind of installment payment scheme are you up to behind my back! You think you can trick my daughter-in-law away with just twenty or thirty yuan a month? You think you can make my grandson call someone else 'Dad'? Let me tell you, no way!"

Her gaze shifted to Sha Zhu, filled with disdain and sarcasm: "And you, Sha Zhu! You're a toad trying to eat swan meat! You want to enter my Jia family? Fine!"

She held up a finger and poked at the air: "Hand over your salary! Give me the property deeds for your three main rooms! And write a guarantee that you'll be a member of the Jia family from birth to death, serving us like a slave for life! Otherwise, you can forget about ever touching my daughter-in-law's hair!"

These words caused an uproar throughout the courtyard. Neighbors returning from get off work crowded around, craning their necks to see what was going on.

Sha Zhu was completely dumbfounded.

He had imagined countless scenarios of a showdown in his mind, some with Jia and Zhang crying and wailing, others with her throwing a tantrum, but he never expected it to be this kind of scene where she pointed her finger at him and trampled him like a slave.

What is "pulling in a gang"? It was in the old society when a family had no man, so they would hire a homeless, jobless bachelor to work for them, a victim without any status or recognition!

He's a fool, an eighth-level chef, with a house and a job, why should he suffer such a humiliating disgrace?

He thought it was a two-way journey towards happiness, but in the end, the other party didn't treat him like a human being at all, but only as a beast of burden that could be slaughtered at will!

A surge of hot blood rushed to the top of his head, burning away what little reason he had left. He looked at Jia Zhangshi's fat, greasy face, at Qin Huairu's pale, helpless expression—Qin Huairu hadn't even offered an explanation—and then at the onlookers' mocking, pitying gazes...

All the enthusiasm and anticipation were, at this moment, drenched from head to toe in a basin of icy, dirty water, leaving them utterly chilled.

"Pah!"

Sha Zhu's face flushed red, the veins on his neck bulging. He pointed at Jia Zhangshi's nose and, for the first time in his life, roared with all his might:

"You old hag! What do you take me for? A sucker?! I was just trying to help your family out, and you, instead of helping me, are taking advantage of my kindness and trying to shit on my neck!"

"Trying to form a gang? I'll screw you over!"

"Let me tell you, Qin Huairu, I'm not marrying her! Let whoever wants to meddle in your Jia family's messy affairs have it!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and he almost roared as he uttered the words that he both regretted and found relief:

"From this day forward, if I, Sha Zhu, ever meddle in anything related to your Jia family again, I'll fucking be your adopted grandson!"

After saying that, he shoved the person in front of him and rushed back to his house without looking back, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

The entire courtyard was deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned by Sha Zhu's sudden outburst.

Madam Jia was also stunned. She had played the good cop/bad cop role her whole life, having Sha Zhu completely under her thumb. Why was this donkey acting so unruly today? And even daring to kick its heels? She felt a little panicked, realizing that she might have really messed things up this time.

Qin Huairu felt a chill run through her body. She stared blankly at Sha Zhu's tightly closed door, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. It was over. Everything was over.

Yi Zhonghai stood there, his old face as black as the bottom of a pot. He felt a tightness in his chest; he was so close, just a hair's breadth away! It was all ruined by Jia Zhangshi, that useless and incompetent teammate! Looking at Jia Zhangshi, who was still in a daze, he was so angry that his lips trembled, and he couldn't say a word. In the end, he could only stomp his foot heavily and go back to his room.

He finally understood that as long as Jia Zhangshi was around, the matchmaking between Qin Huairu and Shazhu would not work!

It won't work!