Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

Upon hearing the words "Public Security Bureau," and seeing Director Wang's murderous gaze and bruised face, Jia Zhangshi finally felt afraid, but she remained defiant.

"You...you dare! I didn't do it on purpose! You're the one who wants to kick me out...you're going to send me to the countryside!"

"Not on purpose?"

Director Wang was so angry that he trembled all over, and he kept laughing coldly, his laughter carrying a chilling edge.

"You assaulted a street-level official in broad daylight! The evidence is irrefutable! You still want to go back to the countryside? Dream on! Just wait, Jia Zhangshi, based on what you just did, it's enough to charge you with assaulting a public official and disrupting public order! Forget about the countryside. Get ready to pack your bags and go to a labor camp in the Northwest for some serious reform!"

"The Great Northwest... labor camps?"

As if struck by lightning, Jia Zhangshi's face turned deathly pale, and her entire body began to tremble.

Even if she was ignorant, she knew what "reform through labor" meant—it was a place worse than death!

She originally just wanted to throw a tantrum to keep her life in the city and her pension, so how did she end up going to that godforsaken place?

Overwhelmed by immense fear, her legs went weak, and she would have collapsed if she hadn't been supported. Her voice was filled with genuine sobs and despair.

"No...no! Director Wang! I was wrong! I was really wrong! This old woman is confused! Please, have mercy on me this time! I can't go to the labor camp! I'll die there! Huai Ru! Huai Ru! Please plead for me! I'm your mother-in-law!"

She struggled to look at Qin Huairu, her eyes filled with pleading and fear.

At this moment, Qin Huairu was already stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Looking at the injuries on Director Wang's face and hearing the verdict of "labor reform in the Great Northwest," her heart pounded.

She never expected things to escalate to this point, and she certainly never imagined that Jia Zhangshi would dare to hit Director Wang. This was simply courting death!

Faced with Jia Zhangshi's pleading, Qin Huairu subconsciously took a half step back, lowered her head, and pursed her lips.

Instead of feeling any sympathy, she felt a strong sense of lingering fear and relief.

fortunately!

Fortunately, I stood firm on my position just now!

If we were to give in to Jia Zhangshi and let her go, given her knack for causing trouble, she would drag us and the children into the abyss sooner or later!

This approach, though a bit harsh, is a perfect solution that solves the problem once and for all!

Director Wang was furious and ignored Jia Zhangshi's cries, urging her on sternly.

"What are you waiting for? Take her away!"

The two street officials and two strong young residents in the courtyard dared not hesitate any longer. They grabbed Jia Zhangshi, who had already turned into a limp puddle, and dragged her out of the courtyard, ignoring her cries and pleas.

The pig-like screams and pleas for mercy from Jia Zhangshi gradually faded away, eventually disappearing at the entrance of the courtyard.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden violent conflict and Jia Zhangshi's tragic end.

Director Wang, his face ashen, straightened his disheveled clothes and hair, barely maintaining his last shred of authority, and coldly addressed Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and the others.

"You've all seen what happened! Jia Zhangshi has only herself to blame! From now on, Comrade Qin Huairu will be fully responsible for the Jia family's affairs! The compensation and housing will be handled according to policy! Anyone who has objections should take this as an example!"

She glanced at Qin Huairu again, her tone softening slightly, but still tinged with anger.

"Comrade Huai Ru, you've been wronged. From now on, focus on taking care of your child. If you encounter any difficulties, come to the neighborhood committee!"

After saying that, Director Wang didn't want to stay in this place where she had lost face for a second longer. She quickly left the courtyard with her sullen-looking staff member and the Women's Federation comrades.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and the others looked at each other, none of them daring to say another word.

Who would have thought that before Jia Dongxu's seventh day memorial service was over, Jia Zhangshi would get herself into trouble with the police and be sent to a labor camp?

The weather in this courtyard house can change in an instant.

Qin Huairu stood there, watching the direction in which Jia Zhangshi was dragged away. She then secretly glanced at Li Zhenhua, who stood by the moon gate, looking calm and collected as if watching a play. She was filled with mixed emotions.

A terrible disaster was resolved in a way she never imagined.

However, the deathly silence in the courtyard grew even heavier, as if the air itself had frozen.

The Intermediate Court, which had previously been filled with shouting, fighting, and attempts to mediate, was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The neighbors stood frozen in place, their faces displaying various expressions, yet all sharing a sense of unbelievable shock.

The bright red finger marks on Director Wang's face, her cracked lip, her ashen complexion and barely suppressed anger as she left—all these images are branded onto everyone's retinas.

Attacked the neighborhood chief!

In the minds of ordinary people like them, this was simply a huge shock!

Moreover, Director Wang's final sentence, "the Great Northwest Labor Reform Farm," was like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's head in the dead of winter, chilling them to the bone.

That place wasn't the countryside for farming; it was a place where life was truly a matter of life and death.

It seems that once Jia Zhangshi leaves, she will never return.

Yi Zhonghai was the first to recover from this huge shock, but what he felt was not relief, but a deeper chill and a sense of powerlessness.

He watched helplessly as the last and most uncontrollable obstacle in his retirement plan was removed in such a dramatic and tragic way, yet he felt no joy whatsoever.

Jia Zhangshi was foolish, greedy, and mean, but her existence was, to some extent, one of the links that allowed him to control the Jia family and maintain the fragile connection between Qin Huairu.

Now, this bond has been violently severed, and it was Qin Huairu who personally facilitated it, thanks to Li Zhenhua's casual remark!

His gaze involuntarily drifted to the young man in the backyard by the moon gate, who was wearing an overcoat and had a nonchalant expression.

Li Zhenhua didn't even glance at Jia Zhangshi being dragged away; a faint, mocking smile played on his lips, as if the farce had just unfolded as a mere anecdote for his own amusement.

It's him! It must be him!

Yi Zhonghai felt as if his heart was being clenched by an icy hand.

From Jia Dongxu's accident to Qin Huairu's sudden hardening, and then to that seemingly unintentional "reminder" just now, it seems that the shadow of this young man is lurking behind all of this.

He not only saw through her scheme, but also used an almost cruel efficiency to completely eliminate Jia Zhangshi, the biggest unstable factor, and incidentally made Director Wang of the neighborhood owe Qin Huairu "justice," further consolidating Qin Huairu's position in the Jia family.

"Such ruthless methods...such deep scheming..."

Yi Zhonghai broke out in a cold sweat.

He realized that he had underestimated this young man.

Li Zhenhua is not only powerful and has a good fighting background, but what is even more terrifying is his precise grasp and exploitation of people's hearts and human nature.

All the prestige and scheming he had accumulated over the decades seemed so laughable and utterly vulnerable in the face of the opponent's overwhelming power and intellect.

Retirement? Relying on Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu?

After this incident, will Qin Huairu still be as obedient to him, this "old man," as before?

Yi Zhonghai felt a chill in his heart. He felt that his dream of a comfortable retirement had been completely shattered with Jia Zhangshi's arrest.

An unprecedented sense of panic and despair overwhelmed him, making him almost unable to stand. Fortunately, an elderly woman next to him caught him in time. The couple looked at each other and saw deep fear and confusion in each other's eyes.

Her large belly, protruding from her bangs, rose and fell slightly, the fat jiggling.

He was first shocked by Jia Zhangshi's audacity and stupidity, and then an uncontrollable sense of schadenfreude welled up in his heart.

Live it!

This old hag usually acts like a tyrant in the yard; she's finally met her match!

It's still Director Wang who's a tough nut to crack!

He subconsciously touched his chubby face, secretly glad that although he also wanted to be an official, he would never be as brainless as Jia Zhangshi.

At the same time, his awe of Li Zhenhua deepened.

This kid can trigger such a chain reaction with just one sentence. I'll have to be even more careful in serving him in the courtyard from now on; I might even be able to take advantage of his influence...

Her small eyes, visible through her bangs, darted around as she began to plot.

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and his mind was racing with calculations.

Madam Jia is completely finished now; from now on, Qin Huairu will be in charge of the Jia family.

Qin Huairu, a woman raising three children alone, received a pension and a house, but she must be struggling to make ends meet.

Could he... No, no, he immediately rejected this nascent thought and thought of Li Zhenhua.

Judging from the situation today, Qin Huairu has Li Zhenhua standing behind her!

It seems that all the grain and benefits would have to pass through Li Zhenhua's hands before reaching the Jia family.

Her own schemes were no match for Li Zhenhua.

I need to be more polite to Qin Huairu in the future, and not try to take advantage of her like I used to.

Yan Bugui made up his mind to readjust his strategy toward the Jia family.

Sha Zhu, on the other hand, had a completely different mindset.

He felt incredibly pleased as he watched Jia Zhangshi being dragged away!

That old hag always made things difficult for Sister Qin; she deserved to die!

Immediately afterwards, an overwhelming sense of ecstasy overwhelmed him.

The obstacle is gone! The biggest obstacle is gone!

With Jia Zhangshi gone, Qin Jie will be in charge of the Jia family. Wouldn't it be much easier for me to help Qin Jie and get close to her in the future?

He could almost see himself and Qin Huairu forming a happy family and living a wonderful future together.

As for Jia Zhangshi's fate?

He didn't take it to heart at all; she was just an old hag, she only had herself to blame.

His mind was now filled with thoughts of how to seize this opportunity to impress the beauty and win her heart. He had even started planning what delicious dishes to cook for Sister Qin and the children that evening to calm their nerves.

Xu Damao, hiding behind the crowd, watched with a mixture of fear and secret delight.

He was most pleased to see the Jia family suffer misfortune, especially seeing Sha Zhu's "future mother-in-law" end up like this; he felt as refreshed as drinking iced plum juice on a sweltering summer day.

But he was even more afraid of Li Zhenhua.

Li Zhenhua's detached yet all-encompassing demeanor just now sent chills down his spine.

This kid is too wicked!

From now on, you must keep a low profile in front of him and never let him find any fault with you.

Xu Damao made up his mind to keep a low profile, and a very low profile, for the time being.

In this eerie stillness and complex undercurrents, Qin Huairu slowly straightened up.

Her face was still wet with tears, but her eyes no longer held the previous weakness and confusion. Instead, they held a calm that came from the brink of disaster, and a hint of coldness that was barely perceptible.

She glanced at Banggeng, who was trembling with fear and clinging tightly to her clothes, and then looked at Xiaodang and Huaihua, who were both bewildered in her arms. A kind of ruthlessness called "mother" grew in her heart.

The old era has ended; the era that belongs to Qin Huairu must begin.

Director Wang's work efficiency is exceptionally high.

On the one hand, she was eager to save face and establish her authority; on the other hand, Jia Zhangshi's behavior was indeed egregious, the evidence was conclusive, and the process was extremely fast.

The next day, cadres from the street office and the factory union came to the courtyard again and, in front of several elders in charge and some neighbors, formally announced:

Jia Zhangshi has been transferred to the public security authorities for assaulting street officials and disrupting public order, and is awaiting further processing.

The 500 yuan pension for Comrade Jia Dongxu was supervised by the street and factory trade unions and was distributed in a lump sum to his legal spouse, Comrade Qin Huairu, to be used for the support of their minor children, Jia Geng, Jia Dang, and Jia Huaihua.

The leasehold rights of the Jia family's existing housing have been officially transferred to Qin Huairu's name.

The neighborhood committee and factory union will regularly monitor the Jia family's living conditions to ensure that the pension is used reasonably and that the children grow up healthily.

The procedures were completed cleanly and efficiently.

When the thick stack of ten-yuan notes was handed to Qin Huairu, her hand trembled slightly.

This is not joy, but a heavy pressure.

This is the capital she earned by trading her husband's life and the thrilling gamble of last night to secure her livelihood.

She carefully counted the money, and then, in front of everyone, took out a small, locked wooden box that she had prepared beforehand, solemnly put the money inside, locked it, and held the key tightly in her hand.

Yi Zhonghai and the others watched all this with mixed feelings.

Yi Zhonghai wanted to step forward and say a few polite words like "Don't hesitate to ask if you have any difficulties in the future," but Qin Huairu just glanced at him indifferently. Her calm and unwavering gaze made Yi Zhonghai swallow his words back.

He knew that some things were no longer the same.

Qin Huairu, carrying the money box, led the child back into the house and closed the door.

She leaned against the door and let out a long sigh of relief. Having escaped Jia Zhangshi's oppression and gained control of the economy, she truly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

But looking at the empty house, thinking about the long and difficult days ahead, and the young director hiding behind the scenes with unpredictable thoughts, a shadow fell over her heart.

Relaxation is fleeting; confusion and pressure are the norm.

But she knew she had no way out and had to harden her heart and keep going.

For the sake of the children, and for your own sake.

She touched the small key in her pocket; the cold touch brought her back to her senses.

She would have to walk the rest of the road alone, and she had to be careful with every step.

The courtyard house may seem to have returned to calm, but the undercurrents beneath the surface are even more turbulent.

Jia Dongxu's funeral was held in an extremely strange atmosphere.

The mourning hall was still set up at the entrance of the Jia family's house in the middle courtyard, with white lanterns and black curtains. Dongxu's portrait, with a somewhat restrained smile, was placed in the center.

However, what should have been a somber and solemn occasion was always tinged with an indescribable sense of oppression and tension.