I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

These words shocked Qin Huairu. She instantly remembered the gold yuan and legal tender in her mother-in-law's treasured iron box and finally understood why her mother-in-law had never exchanged that money for the current currency.

The deaf old woman continued, "Huai Ru, as long as you take the initiative to speak out about this, it's the same as completely severing ties with the Jia family. Then, Section Chief Liu at the steel mill won't bother you anymore. After all, the traitor's wife and son have nothing to do with the steel mill. As the whistleblower, you'll not only be protected but also praised. This is putting righteousness before family; it won't affect you and Bang Geng at all, and the higher-ups might even reward you. Once your affair with Zhu Zi is settled, with Zhou Weiguo's support, at worst, Bang Geng can change his surname to He. What impact will that have on you?"

Qin Huairu then realized that she had fallen into the deaf old woman's trap from the very beginning.

But now she had no way out. After regaining her composure, she couldn't help but ask, "Grandma, if you really wanted to control Zhou Weiguo, why didn't you just find a way to make me and Zhou Weiguo...?"

"You know, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. You've got a really big heart!"

The deaf old woman chuckled and pointed at Qin Huairu. "With your meager wits, you think you can control Zhou Weiguo? Even if it were Zhu Zi, I'd have to scheme against him. I'd first get you two into a fait accompli, and if Zhou Weiguo disagreed, I'd just call the police—that's an open strategy. But if you try to scheme against Zhou Weiguo, aren't you afraid he'll pull out a gun and shoot you? Don't forget, he has a gun!"

Qin Huairu was startled and quickly nodded, "Grandma, I'll do whatever you say. I'll definitely take good care of you and Auntie with Zhuzi from now on."

The deaf old woman nodded in satisfaction, took out a packet of medicine and placed it on the table: "Pour all this medicine into the teapot. I'll bring Zhuzi into the room later, remember to pour him a cup of tea. There's no one in the backyard today. Old Liu's wife took the children back to her parents' home to try and get help from that good-for-nothing Liu Haizhong. No one from the Xu family has been here these past few days either, so keep a low profile. Oh, and we'll take care of the medal tomorrow morning."

After saying that, she opened the door and went out. She had intended to wait in the middle courtyard, but after glancing at the gate of the east wing, she gritted her teeth and walked towards the alleyway leading back from the steel rolling mill.

Qin Huairu poured all the medicine into the teapot with trembling hands, then slumped into a chair, her mind a jumbled mess, muttering to herself, "Dongxu, don't blame me, I'm doing this for Banggeng's future..."

Just then, the sound of Banggeng crying came from outside the door.

Qin Huairu hurriedly ran back to the Jia family and found that Banggeng was hungry and smelled the aroma of dumplings coming from next door. He was clamoring to eat dumplings.

She tried to soothe him for a long time, but Banggeng still cried and fussed.

Having no other choice, Qin Huairu took a bowl and prepared to go next door to borrow two dumplings from an old lady to satisfy Banggeng's craving.

Just as I reached the door, I bumped into an older woman carrying a small bowl containing a few dumplings.

"Huai Ru, that's all the meat I could buy today. I'll just make some dumplings for your uncle. There's not much left. These are the first ones I cooked; you can give them to Bang Geng to enjoy." The old woman said with a complicated expression.

Qin Huairu looked at the large bowl of noodles in her hand, then at the small bowl of rice handed to her by an older woman, and sighed helplessly.

When Banggeng saw the dumplings, he grabbed the bowl and wolfed them down, muttering, "There aren't enough, Mom. This isn't enough. Make me some more. I'm starving!"

Qin Huairu glanced outside, nodded, and said, "Alright, go keep watch at the gate for me. Tell me as soon as your silly Uncle Zhu gets back. Remember, no matter who asks, just say you were playing, nothing else, understand?"

Banggeng's eyes lit up: "Mom, did Shazhu bring us lunchboxes today?"

Qin Huairu felt a pang of guilt thinking of Jia Dongxu at the police station. After a long pause, she said, "As long as you behave, you'll have a lunchbox every day from now on. There's still cabbage and eggs at home, and I'll make dumplings for your dad too. If I don't have time, you can deliver them to the police station for me, understand?"

Upon hearing that there were lunchboxes and dumplings, Banggeng immediately perked up, stuffed the last dumpling into his mouth, and smiled as he agreed, "Don't worry, Mom! I'll go keep an eye on things right now!" With that, he dashed out of the yard.

Just as they arrived at the door, they saw Yan Fugui and Liu Haizhong walking towards them with worried expressions.

Yan Fugui said to Liu Haizhong with a grim expression, "Old Liu, go and tell that old lady that Lao Yi is in big trouble this time."

Liu Haizhong frowned, glanced at Banggeng beside him, and casually asked, "Banggeng, have you seen your auntie?"

Banggeng's mind was filled with dumplings and lunchboxes. Without thinking, he said, "I just saw an old lady carrying a bowl to the backyard. She didn't even give me a few more dumplings than I should have. She's so stingy!"

Liu Haizhong was about to reprimand Bang Geng when Yan Fugui stopped him: "Old Liu, don't cause trouble. We're in real trouble this time. Even though we've been released, this matter will be reported to the street office and our workplaces. And what about my 100 yuan? How come the fine was so much?"

Liu Haizhong nodded helplessly and walked towards the backyard.

As soon as he entered the backyard, he saw an older woman looking out with a strange expression. Seeing Liu Haizhong, she asked anxiously, "Old Liu, why...why are you out here? What's wrong with my husband, Lao Yi?"

Liu Haizhong pulled the older woman into the back room and asked as soon as they entered, "Where's the deaf old lady?"

"I don't know, I couldn't find it either."

The middle-aged woman looked helpless. "Forget about the old lady for now, tell me quickly, what's going on with my husband, Lao Yi? How did you get out?"

Liu Haizhong remained silent for a moment, organized his thoughts, glanced at the door, closed it, and suddenly felt his mouth go dry as he thought about what the police officer had said.

He picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a glass of water, drank it all in one gulp, and then poured another glass for the older woman: "Hey, ma'am, have some water to calm your nerves, I'll tell you slowly."

The woman's heart sank. Although she had already had a bad feeling after running around with the deaf old woman, she still couldn't help but panic when she saw Liu Haizhong's appearance.

She shakily took the water glass, took a sip, and hurriedly urged, "Old Liu, tell me quickly, what happened after you went in? What's wrong with Old Yi now?"

Liu Haizhong sighed and recounted his experiences during the interrogation, including being interrogated all night and not being allowed to sleep, as well as the police officer's comment that Lao Yi might be sentenced to several years in prison.

Upon hearing this, the older woman could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

Looking at the middle-aged woman crying so sadly, Liu Haizhong felt a surge of heat throughout his body. He reached out and patted her shoulder: "Cuilan, don't cry. Let's think about it again and come up with a solution."

Perhaps she was crying uncontrollably, or perhaps she was touched by Liu Haizhong's comforting words, but the woman suddenly hugged his waist and choked out, "Old Liu, what are we going to do with my husband, Lao Yi...?"

Feeling the warmth in his arms, Liu Haizhong's physical reaction intensified. He unconsciously reached out and stroked the woman's head, awkwardly comforting her, "Alright, Cuilan, don't cry. We'll definitely rescue Lao Yi. The old lady will surely have another way, so please stop crying..."