Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

Old Jia said, "I'm getting old, and now I have two loving children, you and Qin Huairu, and soon my grandson will be coming too. Don't worry about your mother; we'll never be apart in this life!"

"Dongxu, listen to your father. Nothing is more important than family ties... What's money? What's status...?"

"What's truly valuable is family ties, it's this family. It's not too late to understand now!"

"From now on, I won't be going back to work at the steel rolling mill. You're all grown up now, so go take my place tomorrow and work with Xu Damao and the others. Do a good job."

"Huai Ru, can't we talk at home? Why did you have to call me out?"

Outside the courtyard house, at the intersection along the North River, under two sycamore trees.

Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu stood in the shadows of the trees, neither of them moving.

Qin Huairu lowered her head and bit her lip, her voice sounding like it was being squeezed out of her throat: "I'm pregnant."

thump—

These words struck Jia Dongxu like a hammer blow to an empty bucket, leaving his brain numb.

Logically speaking, it should be a happy event when one's wife is pregnant.

But he couldn't laugh.

Because he knew—that child wasn't his.

"What do you want to do?"

Jia Dongxu's throat tightened. "My dad can tolerate my mom, so don't worry, I won't abandon you either!"

"But I can't tolerate you!" Qin Huairu suddenly looked up, tears streaming down her face. "You're disgusting! Shameless! Despicable! Worse than an animal! You're a useless person, you'll never be a real man!"

Jia Dongxu's face turned a deep purplish-red, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears and said coldly, "I called you out today to give you two choices—"

"First, let's get a divorce tomorrow! You're hardly a man anyway, so you won't lose out!"

"No way!" Jia Dongxu roared, "You're not allowed to divorce me! If you break up with me, my life will be ruined, and the Jia family will be finished too!"

"I'll do anything you want, just please don't leave me..."

"Fine." Qin Huairu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice turning cold. "It's fine if we don't divorce, but you have to promise me three things."

"Speak!" Jia Dongxu eagerly declared, "Don't just say three conditions, I'll accept thirty!"

"First!" she said, staring straight at him. "From today onwards, you are not allowed to touch a single hair on my head! I would rather die than do that kind of dirty thing with a cripple like you!"

"Okay!" Jia Dongxu actually breathed a sigh of relief. "I agree!"

These words put his mind at ease.

"Secondly!" Qin Huairu's tone hardened further, "Once the baby is born, you have to raise him as your own son! If you dare to treat him badly, I'll immediately turn against you, and I'll raise him myself!"

"Alright, alright!" Jia Dongxu nodded repeatedly. "I've already seen a doctor; I can't have my own children in this lifetime. But any child you give birth to will be my, Jia Dongxu's! I will protect him for life!"

"My child, Jia Dongxu's child!" he repeated, as if to encourage himself.

"Third!" she stared into his eyes, "Never ask who the father of the child is—not even a question!"

"I won't ask!"

Early the next morning.

Liu Dong had just opened his eyes when it was still dark.

"Brother Liu Dong—hehehe—"

He Yuzhu was already waiting at his door.

"So early?" Liu Dong asked, his toothbrush dangling from his mouth, "What's up?"

The two walked to the pool in the middle courtyard, and He Yuzhu lowered his voice: "Brother, my dad came back last night."

"You're back?" Liu Dong was taken aback.

"Well, he said he can't stay in the yard anymore and has to hide for a while. So he asked me to fill in for him at the steel rolling mill, and promised to give me 80,000 yuan a month!"

Liu Dong smiled: In the end, they still ran away.

"Okay!" he said. "I'll take you to see Director Yang later."

After washing up and locking the door, he pushed out a tricycle.

"I'll give you a ride today, take my car!"

"Okay, okay, thank you, brother!"

Xu Damao also jumped over: "Brother Liu Dong, can I hitch a ride too?"

"Come on up!"

Liu Dong rode his tricycle, carrying the two people out of the yard.

Just after crossing the Yinding Bridge at Shichahai, I spotted Jia Dongxu squatting by the roadside smoking.

"Hey—" Xu Damao grinned and shouted, "You bastard Xu! You're up pretty early!"

"Don't you sleep in with your wife?"

Jia Dongxu suddenly looked up, his eyes shooting out like knives: "Xu Damao! You son of a bitch, what did you just call me?!"

"What did I call you?" Xu Damao feigned ignorance. "Jia Dongxu! Did you change your name?"

"you……"

Jia Dongxu was stunned. Had he misheard that sentence?

"Bye-bye!"

The car sped past, and Xu Damao turned around and yelled again, "Bastard Xu! See you later—" He then burst out laughing.

This time, Jia Dongxu listened carefully.

"Xu Damao!! Don't you fucking run away! I'll kill you! I'll slaughter you, you bastard!!"

He jumped up to give chase, but the tricycle had already disappeared.

So that "bastard Asahi" comment was really directed at him...

Four months later.

huh-huh-

The cold wind stung our faces; winter had truly arrived.

The sun hung in the sky, like a cold, white sheet of paper, offering no warmth whatsoever.

Everyone in the alley was wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats, their hands tucked into their sleeves, walking around timidly.

Good morning, Teacher Yan!

Qin Huairu, her slightly protruding belly, greeted Yan Bugui with a smile as he came out, "Not going to class today?"

Yan Bugui, wearing a bulging sheepskin coat and clutching a wooden triangle ruler in his hand, snorted, "It's holiday time, almost Chinese New Year, surely the school will show some leniency?"

"Hey!" Liu Guangqi chimed in, "Teacher Yan, with the year-end approaching, parents must be giving a lot of gifts, right? How much lucky money did you receive this year?"

Yan Bugui blushed: "Nonsense! That's not true!"

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Liu Guangqi sneered. "Two years ago, my younger brother was in your class, and you forced my family to pay thirteen catties of millet! No less, no less!"

Yan Bugui was so angry that his beard trembled, but he couldn't do anything about Liu Guangqi.

"Come on!" He waved him away. "Guangqi, don't come to my class again!"

Just then, Liu Dong pushed a brand-new bicycle into the yard. When Liu Dong returned with the new bicycle, all the neighbors were stunned; their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Who doesn't know that his family owns two vehicles? One is an eight-inch motorcycle, and the other is a tricycle. They creak when you pedal them, but that doesn't stop them from being used.

Now they've got a brand new one?

Is this really true?

"Didn't your family already have a car? Why did you buy another one?" Yan Bugui asked, staring at the car, his heart filled with bitterness.

Liu Dong parked the car, propped up the gleaming black Phoenix brand, and grinned: "Not bad, right? Look at me, isn't it cool?"

"Awesome!" Yan Bugui gave a thumbs up. "That was awesome!"

Liu Dong nodded: "Xue Ru is pregnant. Commuting to and from work is too tiring. I happen to have a ticket, so I'll just buy it."