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

"Comrade Qin Huairu, did you hear me clearly?" Chen Guangliang asked.

"I...I heard you clearly." Qin Huairu's voice was trembling.

Director Wang handed over a document and a pen from the side: "This is the 'Family Guardianship Responsibility Agreement.' Take a look, and sign it if there are no problems."

Qin Huairu took the paper with trembling hands. She recognized every single word on it, but when put together, it felt incredibly jarring to her.

"I promise to discipline my son, Jia Geng, strictly..."

"I guarantee that I will prevent any of their theft, assault, or other misconduct from occurring..."

"I promise……"

Each and every one of them seemed to be accusing her of dereliction of duty as a mother.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back.

She knew that crying now would be useless.

She picked up a pen and carefully wrote her name at the end of the paper.

—Qin Huairu.

After signing and pressing her fingerprint, she felt as if all the strength had been drained from her body.

Chen Guangliang took back the document and added one last word of advice: "Comrade Qin Huairu, the child is still young and can be saved. As the mother, you bear the primary responsibility. I hope you will take good care of yourself."

Then he and Director Wang turned and left.

Yi Zhonghai went out, sighed, and walked over to pat Qin Huairu on the shoulder: "Huairu, things have come to this, don't be too sad. From now on... just keep an eye on Bang Geng."

Qin Huairu nodded blankly.

Holding the copy of the liability waiver, she walked back into the house, looking utterly dejected.

Banggeng was sitting at the table doing his homework. When he saw her come in, he just glanced up at her and then quickly lowered his head without saying a word.

Looking at her son's thin back, Qin Huairu felt a mix of emotions.

She walked over, placed the responsibility statement on the table, and said in a hoarse voice, "Banggeng, the police are here. If you make another mistake, you'll really have to go to juvenile detention."

Banggeng tightened his grip on the pencil, but still didn't say anything.

Seeing his unyielding attitude, Qin Huairu felt a surge of anger well up inside her.

"Jia Geng! Are you even listening to me?! Do you want me to end up like your grandmother, kicked out of this house before you're satisfied?!" she practically yelled.

Banggeng suddenly raised his head, staring at her with bloodshot eyes.

"So what!" he screamed. "Dad's dead, Grandma's gone! They all bully me! Nobody protects me, what's the point of this family!"

After saying that, he overturned all the books on the table, rushed into the inner room, and slammed the door shut with all his might.

Qin Huairu stood there, stunned. Hearing the suppressed sobs coming from the inner room, she could no longer hold on. She slumped into a chair, covered her face, and wept silently.

How did this family end up like this?

When exactly did it start to change?

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

After Jia Zhangshi was sent back to her hometown, Qin Huairu thought that life would be quieter and her burdens would be lighter.

But reality soon gave her a resounding slap in the face.

She discovered that after her mother-in-law left, the family's expenses not only did not decrease, but actually increased.

First, there's the medicine for *Clematis chinensis*.

The doctor said I need to take the medication long-term to maintain its effectiveness and can't stop. That medication isn't cheap; it costs five or six yuan a month just for the medicine.

Secondly, it was to send money to Jia Zhangshi.

Before being taken away, Jia Zhangshi grabbed Qin Huairu's hand, crying, making a scene, and threatening her. In the end, she forced Qin Huairu to make a promise to Director Wang that she must send her five yuan a month for living expenses.

"Qin Huairu, let me tell you, if you dare to shortchange me even a penny, I'll cause trouble at your steel mill! I'll cause trouble in your hometown! I'll make sure you never hold your head up high again!"

The threat from Jia Zhangshi still echoed in my ears.

Qin Huairu dared not refuse.

This job was earned by Jia Dongxu with his life. If Jia Zhangshi really goes to the factory and causes a scene about "an unfilial daughter-in-law forcing her mother-in-law to death," then she will most likely lose her job.

Five yuan felt like a mountain pressing down on me.

These two items alone cost more than ten yuan a month.

Qin Huairu's monthly salary is only 32.5 yuan. After deducting this 10 yuan, she is left with less than 20 yuan.

This twenty yuan is far from enough to support her and her three children, to provide food, clothing, and to handle all sorts of social obligations.

What gave her even more trouble was that there was no one to take care of her child.

Although Jia Zhangshi was lazy and gluttonous in the past, at least she could stay at home and look after Xiao Dang and Huaihua.

Now that she's gone and Qin Huairu is at work, the two younger children have become a big problem.

She had to get up before dawn every day, make breakfast, and then, like going into battle, carry Huaihua in one arm and Xiaodang in the other, to the factory's daycare.

The nursery in the factory has one nanny looking after more than a dozen children, which is simply not enough to take care of them all.

Little Dang wasn't used to it when she first arrived and cried for her mother every day.

Huaihua is still young and often wets her pants. The nursery staff are too busy to help, so they just leave her wet, which has caused her to develop rashes several times.

Qin Huairu was working in the workshop, but her mind was constantly on her two daughters, making it impossible for her to concentrate.

I kept making mistakes while working, and I almost hurt my hands with the machine several times.

Workshop foreman Guo Da Piezi had a bad temper. Seeing that she was distracted, he pointed his finger at her and cursed her several times.

"Qin Huairu! If you don't want to work here, get out! Don't just sit here doing nothing! Lots of people are waiting to take your place!"

Qin Huairu could only lower her head, apologize repeatedly, and swallow her tears.

She tried to contact Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai has been extremely busy lately.

After being demoted, he always wanted to be reinstated. In order to be able to retake the exam, he took on five level 6 apprentices and spent every day in the workshop, having no time to care about his family affairs.

"Huai Ru, it's not that I don't want to help you. Look at me, I really can't spare the time." Yi Zhonghai looked troubled. "You should think of another way." His current task is to train these five level 6 workers to level 7 workers. Once he has trained five level 7 workers, his worker level will be restored to level 7, and the penalty of not being able to take the grading exam will be lifted.

This is the most important thing.

Qin Huairu was utterly desperate.

That evening, she dragged her tired body home. Her two daughters had been crying all day at the daycare and their voices were hoarse. Banggeng locked herself in her room and didn't eat a bite of dinner.

The house was cold and messy, with nothing to do with the stove or pots.

Looking at the lifeless house, and then touching the few crumpled bills in her pocket, Qin Huairu was overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

She suddenly realized that her old home, which was noisy and made her feel stifled, was actually better than her current home, even though she had her mother-in-law there.

At least the child is being watched.

Now, she is like a drowning person surrounded by icy seawater. She struggles desperately, but can't find even a straw to grab onto.

Foolish Pillar?

She thought of Sha Zhu.

But she immediately dismissed the idea.

Sha Zhu was good to her, but what could he do? His monthly salary was only a little over twenty yuan, and he barely made ends meet.

Do you really want him to go bankrupt for his family?

What will happen to him after he loses everything? How will his family survive?

Qin Huairu sat on a small stool, looking at the dark night sky outside the window. For the first time, she felt utterly lost and desperate about her life.