Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The second day was a rest day, and the courtyard was more lively than usual. The women were washing and rinsing themselves by the pool, while the children were chasing and playing in the yard.

Around noon, Qin Huairu carried a winnowing basket containing a few wilted bok choy, pretending to pick vegetables by the pond, but her eyes kept glancing towards the west courtyard. She felt uneasy; an older woman had secretly approached her that morning, asking her to approach Wang Huanbo and sound him out. She instinctively resisted; Wang Huanbo's all-seeing eyes made her uneasy. But thinking of Yi Zhonghai's instructions and her family's increasingly difficult circumstances, she steeled herself and went.

Finally, seeing Wang Huanbo come out to fetch water with a tea mug, Qin Huairu took a deep breath, her face instantly displaying an expression of pity, timidity, and admiration, and quickly went to greet him.

"Section Chief Wang, are you fetching water?" Qin Huairu's voice was soft and weak, with just the right amount of nervousness.

Wang Huanbo glanced at her, a cold smile playing on his lips. "So she's here already?" He nodded, his tone flat. "Sister Qin, is there something you need?"

Hearing "Sister Qin," Qin Huairu felt a little relieved; it seemed that this Section Chief Wang was quite polite. She quickly said, "No...it's nothing serious. It's just...I heard you're a very learned person, and I...I don't know a word, so I'd like to ask you about it." As she spoke, she took out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket, on which the character "轧" (yà) was written crookedly in pencil.

"This character... Dongxu works at the factory, I often hear him say it, but I don't recognize it..." Qin Huairu lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, looking like a diligent, studious, and shy young woman.

If it were the simple-minded Zhu from the original drama, seeing Qin Huairu like this, he would have been heartbroken and agreed to anything. But Wang Huanbo only glanced at the word and immediately understood—were they trying to fool him like the simple-minded Zhu?

He said casually, "This character is pronounced 'ya,' the 'ya' in 'rolling steel.' It's rare to see Sister Qin so eager to learn."

His tone was polite, but carried a sense of distance, lacking the eagerness and ingratiation of Sha Zhu.

Qin Huairu's heart sank, realizing this tactic wasn't working. She quickly changed the subject: "Also... thank you for having Zhuzi bring back the food yesterday. Bang Geng loved it. Zhuzi's a bit slow and doesn't know how to talk, so I thanked you on his behalf."

"Brother Zhu is honest and kind, and his cooking is excellent. You're welcome." Wang Huanbo filled the water container and prepared to head back.

Seeing that he was about to leave, Qin Huairu became a little anxious and blurted out, "Section Chief Wang, you...you live alone in such a big compound, isn't it inconvenient for you to eat and do laundry? How about...how about I help you with your laundry from now on? Anyway, I'm just sitting here doing nothing..."

These words were rather blunt. Wang Huanbo stopped and turned to look at Qin Huairu. His gaze was calm, but Qin Huairu felt as if she had been stripped naked and had nowhere to hide.

"I appreciate Sister Qin's kindness," Wang Huanbo said, his voice turning colder. "I'm perfectly capable; I can handle these small things myself. Besides, it might not be good if Comrade Jia Dongxu found out. You should focus more on taking care of your child and husband."

After saying that, Wang Huanbo stopped looking at her and went straight back to the west courtyard, slamming the door shut.

Qin Huairu stood frozen, her face alternating between pale and flushed. Wang Huanbo's last words pierced her heart like a needle. She felt deeply humiliated, yet unable to refute them. Looking at the tightly closed wooden door, a surge of resentment and fear welled up within her. This Wang Huanbo was unyielding, and seemed... to look down on her.

She returned to the Jia family compound in the middle courtyard, dejected. Madam Jia Zhang immediately approached her and asked, "How did it go? What did he say?"

Qin Huairu shook her head and recounted what had happened, omitting the part where she suggested doing the laundry.

Madam Jia glared with her triangular eyes and cursed, "You shameless bastard! Just because you have money doesn't mean you can be so great! I think he's heartless and cold-blooded! Huai Ru, don't be afraid, Mom will help you get revenge if we get the chance!"

After learning from an older woman that Qin Huairu had been rejected, Yi Zhonghai frowned even more deeply. Wang Huanbo's immunity to Qin Huairu's seductive tactics was expected, but it only heightened his anxiety. This demonstrated Wang Huanbo's unwavering resolve, clear goals, and resistance to being swayed by petty favors or female allure.

"It seems we need to find a breakthrough with Sha Zhu." Yi Zhonghai narrowed his eyes. "We need to make Sha Zhu rely on me more, to make him believe that only I, Yi Zhonghai, truly care about him!"

In the afternoon, Yi Zhonghai specially brought half a bottle of bulk liquor and a bag of peanuts and strolled over to Shazhu House.

Sha Zhu was washing clothes in a broken basin inside the house, making a mess of water. Seeing Yi Zhonghai, he mumbled, "Uncle."

"Zhu Zi, washing clothes? Come on, take a break and have a couple of drinks with your elder." Yi Zhonghai put the wine and peanuts on the table, sat down by himself, and put on the airs of an elder.

Sha Zhu wiped his hands, sat down, and didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"What's wrong, Zhuzi? You look so down." Yi Zhonghai poured him a drink and asked with concern.

After hesitating for a long time, Sha Zhu finally said in a muffled voice, "Uncle, I...I went to see Huanbo yesterday...that is, Section Chief Wang."

Yi Zhonghai's heart tightened, but he remained outwardly calm: "Oh? What did you talk about?"

"We didn't talk much, just thanked him for the meal. Then... I asked him if he knew anything about my father's past." Sha Zhu looked up at Yi Zhonghai, "He said... he heard that before my father passed away, he left some money and a letter, which he asked someone in the hospital to deliver."

Yi Zhonghai's hand holding the wine glass trembled almost imperceptibly, his heart suddenly racing, but his face instantly filled with anger and heartache at being wrongly accused: "What? Zhu Zi! What... what do you mean by that? You suspect that I, Yi Zhonghai, embezzled your father's money?!"

He slammed his hand on the table, his voice trembling with disappointment: "Zhu Zi! How have I, Yi Zhonghai, treated you? Your father just walked away, and who took care of you and your siblings? Who ran around helping you get a job at the steel mill? And now you're doubting me just because of a few words from an outsider? I... I'm truly heartbroken!"

Yi Zhonghai's performance was sincere and heartfelt, perfectly portraying the image of a "betrayed elder".

Sha Zhu was already in a state of confusion, and Yi Zhonghai's shout made him panic even more. He hurriedly waved his hands, "No! Uncle, I didn't doubt you! I just... I just asked casually... Huanbo also said it was just something he heard, and it shouldn't be taken seriously..."

"Heard? What does he know if he just got back?" Yi Zhonghai said, heartbroken. "Zhu Zi, think about it! How heartless was your father when he left? He only had eyes for that widow Bai! If he cared about you, would he have left you without a penny or written a single letter? Wang Huanbo grew up in America. Does he understand the ways of the world here? Maybe... maybe he's trying to sow discord because you're close to me now!"

Yi Zhonghai cleverly shifted the blame to Wang Huanbo.

Sha Zhu was stunned. Yi Zhonghai's words seemed to make sense. After all, Wang Huanbo had just returned, and his status was so high. Why would he tell him these things? Could it really be...?

Seeing the hesitation on Sha Zhu's face, Yi Zhonghai knew the time was right. His tone softened, carrying a hint of vicissitude: "Zhu Zi, your great-uncle watched you grow up and treated you like his own son. In this courtyard, you can't see into people's hearts. Some people seem respectable on the surface, but nobody knows what they're thinking behind the scenes. You're too honest; you're easily manipulated. Stay away from that Wang Huanbo in the future; he's not one of us."

Sha Zhu drank silently, no longer speaking, but the scales in his heart began to tip in Yi Zhonghai's favor again. Although the seed of doubt had been planted, the "favors" Yi Zhonghai had cultivated over the years and the persuasive power of his words remained strong.

Seeing Sha Zhu's expression, Yi Zhonghai felt a slight sense of relief, but his sense of crisis intensified. Wang Huanbo's mere words had managed to shake Sha Zhu's resolve—this was terrifying! He had to find a solution as soon as possible!

Wang Huanbo, in the west courtyard, vaguely heard the commotion in the central courtyard through the open window, a cold smile playing on his lips. Yi Zhonghai, getting impatient already? The real show is yet to come. He didn't expect to make Sha Zhu realize the truth in one go, but once the seed was planted, it would sprout sooner or later. Now, he was more interested in the book "Detailed Explanation of Elementary Special Metallurgical Processes" in his system space, which seemed to offer some interesting "improvements" to the steel mill's existing steelmaking technology.