Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

Seeing that Qin Huairu was trying to get up, Jia Dongming pressed her back onto the bed and said to her, "Huairu, you've been working hard all night, so get some rest."

It's not too cold now, I'm going to the bathroom for a cold shower, I'll be right back.

When Jia Dongming returned to his room after taking a shower, Qin Huairu had already tidied up the room and was sitting in a chair waiting for him.

Seeing Qin Huairu sitting in the chair, Jia Dongming asked with some surprise, "Huairu, why aren't you asleep so late? Aren't you afraid of not being able to get up for work in the morning like the other day?"

Upon hearing the question, Qin Huairu recalled everything that had happened that night and reminded Jia Dongming with a worried expression: "Brother Dongming, if our relationship is discovered, it will at most be a moral issue."

But Lou Xiao'e is, after all, Xu Damao's wife. If the people in the compound find out about your affair with her, the consequences could be dire.

Although getting involved with Lou Xiao'e is often the choice for many people in the story of the courtyard house, when Jia Dongming first met Xu Damao, he only felt sorry for Lou Xiao'e marrying Xu Damao and did not have any other thoughts.

However, things didn't go as planned. Lou Xiao'e went to the hospital for a check-up because of his suggestion, and found out that it was Xu Damao who was infertile.

In order to get revenge on Xu Damao, Lou Xiao'e specially brought back a bottle of tonic wine from her parents' home and asked Xu Damao to invite Jia Dongming to her home for dinner.

Ultimately, under the influence of Lou Xiao'e's advances and the effects of alcohol, Jia Dongming lost control and made a mistake that men often make.

Faced with Qin Huairu's reminder and sensing her concern, Jia Dongming first sat down on another chair, then reached out and pulled Qin Huairu to sit on his lap before whispering, "Huairu, what happened between Lou Xiao'e and me was actually an accident."

"Let me tell you something: Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e have been married for years but haven't had any children. The problem isn't with Lou Xiao'e; it's that Xu Damao can't have children."

"Huh? Xu Damao can't have children? Isn't childbirth a woman's responsibility? How could it be Xu Damao's problem?"

Qin Huairu's face was full of doubt when she heard Jia Dongming say this, and she asked him in disbelief.

Jia Dongming smiled and explained, "Huai Ru, having a child is like farming in the countryside. If the seeds aren't good, no matter how fertile the soil is, the crops won't grow."

Lou Xiao'e went to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said she could get pregnant, and that she was particularly prone to conceiving.

The doctor told her the problem lay with Xu Damao and suggested that Xu Damao also get checked.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu immediately guessed why Lou Xiao'e was connected to Jia Dongming. She asked in surprise, "Brother Dongming! So, Lou Xiao'e is looking for you... because she wants to?"

Seeing Qin Huairu's shocked expression, Jia Dongming nodded: "Lou Xiao'e always thought she couldn't have children, so she tolerated Xu Damao's family in every way. Even though she knew Xu Damao had someone else outside, she pretended not to know."

"Ever since she confirmed at the hospital that she could give birth, she has wanted to take revenge on Xu Damao."

So he asked Xu Damao to treat me to drinks, and what happened next... you can probably guess without me telling you.

Qin Huairu then understood why Jia Dongming had gotten involved with Lou Xiao'e so soon after his return.

Thinking of Xu Damao's inability to have children, she thought of another person and quickly asked, "Brother Dongming! Uncle Yi also doesn't have children. If the problem isn't necessarily with the woman, could Uncle Yi be in the same situation as Xu Damao?"

When Jia Dongming heard her mention Yi Zhonghai, he thought of this man as someone who appeared upright but was actually selfish and controlling, a complete hypocrite.

He smiled and asked Qin Huairu, "Huairu, what kind of person do you think Yi Zhonghai is?"

Qin Huairu thought about her interactions with Yi Zhonghai after marrying into the family and replied, "Brother Dongming, at first glance, Uncle Yi seems like a kind-hearted old man, but after spending time with him, you'll find that he's just pretending."

In reality, he is extremely selfish.

Although this description is not comprehensive, it does point out some aspects.

Jia Dongming continued, "Huai Ru, you're right, but it's not complete."

Yi Zhonghai puts on a respectable facade, but in reality, he's a treacherous and cunning man.

"After I moved into this courtyard, I had someone check the residents inside."

If you were to ask who the worst person in the courtyard is, the first would be the deaf old lady in the backyard, and the second would be Yi Zhonghai.

"I found out that Yi Zhonghai used to frequent the Eight Great Hutongs when he was young, which is why he contracted a disease and is now unable to have children."

He shifted the blame to the older woman, both to cover up his own embarrassment and to project an image of himself as a kind and compassionate person.

"Furthermore, I discovered something even more frightening: Sha Zhu's father, He Daqing, did not leave Beijing voluntarily; he was tricked away by Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady."

"What? Brother Dongming, you're saying Uncle He was tricked and driven away by them? Why would they do that?"

Qin Huairu was taken aback and quickly pressed for answers.

Recalling the past in the courtyard, Jia Dongming replied, "Why? Of course, it's so that Sha Zhu can take care of them in their old age."

Upon hearing the word "retirement," Qin Huairu recalled how Yi Zhonghai had taken Jia Dongxu as his apprentice and asked in confusion, "Brother Dongming, wasn't Yi Zhonghai taking Dongxu as his apprentice precisely so that our family would support him in his old age? Mom has already agreed to let Dongxu take care of him, so why is he still scheming against He Daqing?"

Jia Dongming reached out and gently scratched Qin Huairu's nose, laughing, "It's all because of our mother."

"You know what kind of temper our mother has, and Dongxu always listens to her."

Yi Zhonghai was afraid that our mother would change her mind later and not let Dongxu support him in his old age, so he wanted to bring Shazhu along as a backup option.

As for the deaf old woman, she was greedy and had bound feet. Plus, Sha Zhu looked like her son, so she conspired with Yi Zhonghai to frame He Daqing.

"To say that He Daqing abandoned his child and ran to Baocheng for the sake of a widow is not as accurate as saying that he fell into Yi Zhonghai's trap and had no choice but to leave, abandoning Sha Zhu and his sister."

Qin Huairu knew that Yi Zhonghai was not simple, but she never expected that he would be so ruthless in order to support his family in their old age, and he forcibly broke up the He family.

Thinking about her interactions with Yi Zhonghai over the years, she felt a chill run down her spine and said with lingering fear, "I never imagined that Yi Zhonghai was this kind of person."

"Thank goodness you're back, Dongming. Otherwise, our Jia family would probably be completely scheming against by him."

Despite being secretly manipulated by Yi Zhonghai for a long time, the Jia family was the last one in the courtyard to survive.

After listening to Qin Huairu's response and seeing the panicked look on her face, Jia Dongming continued, "Huairu! If it's just about forcing He Daqing away, that's not the worst-case scenario."

"The key point is that, in order to make Sha Zhu resent He Daqing completely and be able to take care of him wholeheartedly in his old age, Yi Zhonghai actually embezzled the two hundred yuan of living expenses that He Daqing entrusted to him to pass on to Sha Zhu and his sister before he left, as well as the steel mill job certificate that He Daqing left for Sha Zhu, and the letters and living expenses that He Daqing sent to He Yushui over the years."

"What? Uncle, are you saying that Yi Zhonghai embezzled the living expenses He Daqing left for Sha Zhu and his sister? Is that true?"

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's last words, Qin Huairu abruptly stood up from his lap and asked incredulously.

Jia Dongming was not surprised by Qin Huairu's reaction. He reached out and put his arm around her waist again, making her sit back on his lap. He said slowly, "Huairu! It's one thing for Yi Zhonghai to force He Daqing away in order to support his family in their old age, but now he's even swallowing up the living expenses of the Sha Zhu siblings. He's trying to sever the kinship between He Daqing and the Sha Zhu siblings from the root."

Do you think a normal person could do something so immoral?

Upon learning that Yi Zhonghai had committed such a vicious act for his retirement plans, Qin Huairu couldn't help but recall all the scheming Jia Zhangshi had done against Yi Zhonghai over the years.

Thinking of Jia Zhangshi's plan to seize Yi Zhonghai's property, Qin Huairu trembled slightly and asked Jia Dongming with concern, "Brother Dongming! In order for Banggeng to inherit Yi Zhonghai's property in the future, Mom has been planning to have Banggeng recognize him as his godfather."

"If Yi Zhonghai finds out Mom's plans, will he come after our family?"

Hearing Qin Huairu's worries, Jia Dongming recalled what Jia Zhangshi had told him, and a disdainful expression appeared on his face. He said to Qin Huairu, "Huairu! Do you really think Yi Zhonghai doesn't know about Mom's scheme? In Yi Zhonghai's heart, as long as Banggeng can take care of them in their old age and see them off in death, it doesn't matter if he leaves the property to Banggeng. After all, you can't take money with you when you die."

"Besides, don't forget who I am."

In the face of absolute power, all scheming is futile.

"If I wanted to get rid of Yi Zhonghai, I have dozens of ways to make him spend the rest of his life in prison."

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's answer, Qin Huairu sensed a strong confidence in his tone, and an unprecedented sense of security welled up in her heart.

Thinking of Yi Zhonghai's scheming against Sha Zhu and his sister, she couldn't help but ask, "Brother Dongming! Should we remind Sha Zhu about Yi Zhonghai's scheme against him? After all, Sha Zhu has helped our family a lot over the years."

Upon hearing the name "Sha Zhu," Jia Dongming immediately grasped Sha Zhu's true intentions in delivering lunchboxes to the Jia family. He slapped Qin Huairu hard on the buttocks and replied irritably, "If Sha Zhu is truly kind, why does he only deliver lunchboxes to our family when there are so many poor people in the compound? Do you really think I don't know that Sha Zhu delivers lunchboxes to us because he cares about you?"

When Qin Huairu heard Jia Dongming point out Sha Zhu's feelings for her, a blush quickly spread across her spring-like cheeks. She whispered in defense, "Brother Dongming! I didn't want to accept Sha Zhu's lunchbox either, but all the money at home is in Mom's hands. I wanted the children to eat better, so I accepted Sha Zhu's lunchbox."

Listening to Qin Huairu's explanation and seeing her guilty look, Jia Dongming said, "Huairu! If Shazhu bought the lunchboxes he gave us from the steel mill himself, then I would respect him."

"The problem is that the lunch boxes he delivers are made from the savings saved by deducting food rations from the workers' food.

This behavior, to put it nicely, is using public resources to do favors; to put it bluntly, it's sucking the blood of the workers.

Do you think this kind of person can be considered a good person?

"In addition, ever since Dongxu passed away, Yi Zhonghai has been taking advantage of Shazhu's feelings for you and has been encouraging him to send us lunch boxes."

He did this for two reasons: first, he didn't want to spend his own money to help our family, only wanting to take other people's things to pretend to be a good person; second, he was afraid that after Sha Zhu got married, his wife wouldn't be willing to support him in his old age, so he wanted to ruin Sha Zhu's reputation and then match you two up with him so that you could support him in his old age together.

"So, while Mom was scheming against Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai was also scheming against our family."

As long as his mother doesn't infringe on Yi Zhonghai's interests, even if he knows her plans, he won't take them too seriously.

After all, in his mind, he was the boss of this compound, and he had plenty of ways to get rid of his mother.

"But Yi Zhonghai, despite his meticulous planning, did not expect that our Jia family would have more than one child, Dongxu."

My appearance completely disrupted his retirement plans, which is why he turned his attention to Sha Zhu.

Mom realized this, which is why she suggested that Banggeng recognize Yi Zhonghai as his godfather.

Qin Huairu was not stupid; in fact, she was quite shrewd. Therefore, she was fully aware of Yi Zhonghai's scheme.

Considering that she had an elderly person and three young children to support, she cooperated with Yi Zhonghai in scheming against Sha Zhu. She even deliberately sabotaged Sha Zhu's blind dates several times by pretending to help him with laundry.

As Jia Dongming spoke, his hand, which had been resting on Qin Huairu's leg, unconsciously moved upwards.

Leaning against Jia Dongming's chest, Qin Huairu couldn't help but let out a soft moan as he skillfully teased her. Waves of tingling and itchy sensations quickly spread throughout her body, like ants crawling or electric shocks, making her breathing gradually quicken.

Jia Dongming gazed at Qin Huairu in his arms. A hazy light appeared in her eyes, and his hand, which had been moving over her upper body, slowly slid down.

With her cheeks flushed, Qin Huairu suddenly recalled everything that had happened before. Her small hand involuntarily pressed down on Jia Dongming's hand that was reaching downwards. Her cheeks were as red as the sunset, her eyes were as watery as water, and her voice was soft as she pleaded in a low voice, "Brother Dongming... I really can't take it anymore, please let me go?"