Courtyard House: I'm surrounded by celestial beauties on either side.

Upon entering, one could see Qin Huairu packing food into lunchboxes, with only a few dishes and a bowl of rice remaining on the table.

"Old Yi, dinner's ready."

Qin Huairu greeted them with a smile.

Yi Zhonghai said coldly, "Let's get a divorce."

Qin Huairu remained calm and smiling, saying, "After the divorce, who else can you marry?"

Yi Zhonghai remained silent.

Qin Huairu continued, "I know you're angry because you feel I always divide the food among your mother-in-law, the children, and Sha Zhu."

But I'm doing this for your own good.

"For my own good?"

Yi Zhonghai sneered.

"certainly."

Qin Huairu touched her belly, a hint of gloom flashing in her eyes, "Originally, I was pregnant with your child, and I could raise it to take care of you in your old age."

Unfortunately, it couldn't be saved.

Now I can only rely on Bang-geng and Sha-zhu.

Yi Zhonghai scoffed: "That ingrate Bang Geng, can you really count on him?"

"Who knows? He is my son after all, and when he grows up, he will have to acknowledge me as his mother."

As for Sha Zhu…”

Qin Huairu smiled slightly, "Isn't this just preparing for both possibilities?"

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened, and he did not refute further.

Taking the opportunity, Qin Huairu added, "Your salary is high, so supporting our family is nothing."

But if this escalates to the factory and you lose your job, then you're really finished.

Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that she was threatening him.

Seeing his silence, Qin Huairu picked up the lunchbox and said with a smile, "I'm not eating at home tonight, I'm going to check on Shazhu."

Yi Zhonghai, seething with anger, decided to go out to eat the leftovers on the table.

Meanwhile, Qin Huairu arrived at He Yuzhu's house, only to find that he was not there.

She called out a few times, and Banggeng poked his head out of the house, snatched the lunchbox, and walked back.

"Where's Shazhu?"

Qin Huairu pressed for an answer.

Bang Geng didn't even turn his head: "He was taken away by law enforcement."

Madam Jia Zhang grabbed her shoe and threw it at Qin Huairu's face: "You shameless slut, always attracting attention, and you're still restless even after getting married! My Dongxu must have been blind to marry a jinx like you!"

"You have a face that brings misfortune to your husbands. Not only did you kill my Dongxu, but you also caused Yi Zhonghai to be childless, and you caused Shazhu to be in jail every few days."

"You jinx!"

Qin Huairu covered her burning cheeks, suppressing her anger as she argued, "Mom, wasn't everything I did for you and Banggeng?"

"Now that I've lost my job, and no one in the institute is helping us out, what can I do?" Her eyes darted around. "By the way, shouldn't Yang Yuande's workstation be taken back?"

Jia Zhangshi gave her a mocking look: "You think you can get into the steel rolling mill? Fang Chengxuan is a rising star in the factory now; that old geezer Yi Zhonghai is long past his prime!"

"If it weren't for you, you bastard, back then..." Fang Chengxuan ["You still have the nerve to make a scene?"]

"Do you think nobody knows what you've done?"

Yi Zhonghai stared at Qin Huairu with a cold smile, his temper rising.

Qin Huairu covered her face, her eyes wide: "You dare hit me?"

"Yi Zhonghai, you're not a man!"

As she spoke, Qin Huairu suddenly lunged at Yi Zhonghai and reached out to grab his face.

Caught off guard, Yi Zhonghai immediately suffered several bloody scratches on his face and flew into a rage: "You dare to lay a hand on me? Qin Huairu, I've been too lenient with you!"

"Look at yourself, married yet still having illicit affairs with other men, dragging along your mother-in-law and ex-husband's three children—what man could stand that?"

"You dare to lay a hand on me?"

Recalling his recent frustrations and the lack of progress in his retirement plans, Yi Zhonghai was furious and swung his fist at Qin Huairu.

Men are much stronger, and Qin Huairu had been beaten by Jia Zhangshi before, so much so that she was bent over in pain and could not even stand up.

"If you want to live a stable life, behave yourself, or we'll get a divorce! I've been divorced before, so go ahead and make a scene. See who's going to help you when the neighborhood committee and the steel mill find out about your messy affairs?"

Yi Zhonghai made a harsh statement.

Before he could turn and go inside, Qin Huairu, her eyes red, yelled, "Yi Zhonghai, you're not human! You just wait!"

Qin Huairu rushed out the door and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

At the entrance, the people in the courtyard had already heard the two arguing. When they saw Qin Huairu run out, they all started to scatter.

"What are you looking at? Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?"

Yi Zhonghai was shocked that the entire hospital had heard their argument. His face turned extremely ugly. He slammed the door shut and went back to his room.

Outside the courtyard, the onlookers sighed with amusement.

"Tsk tsk, who would have thought? He always acts like such a nice guy, but he actually beats his wife?"

Some people mocked, "What kind of 'good guy' is he? He's just putting on an act."

"Exactly! How much money has our compound donated to his family since Jia Dongxu died?"

Everyone started talking at once, discussing the matter animatedly.

"If you ask me, this is karma."

"Qin Huairu earns 27.5 yuan a month. Can't that support a family of five? She has to hook up with this person and that person."

"Do you think everyone is as easily fooled as Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu, and Xu Damao? And you're trying to drag Fang Chengxuan into this?"

"Don't you even look at what Fang Chengxuan's wife looks like!"

"I heard Sha Zhu got sent to a labor camp again. Why doesn't he learn his lesson? He lost his job, he lost his wife, and he still has to mess with Fang Chengxuan. He's the factory manager now!"

"Who in our compound has that ability?"

As everyone sighed, the backyard gradually quieted down.

In the unlit room, the deaf old woman listened to the discussions about He Yuzhu and sighed deeply, "Silly Zhu, silly Zhu, how could you be so foolish?"

On the other side, Qin Huairu ran out of the courtyard and stood on the street, looking lost and helpless.

Looking back, no one was chasing after him.

She wanted to find Sha Zhu, but Sha Zhu had been arrested; she wanted to find the neighborhood committee, but even though Director Wang sympathized with her, he couldn't help her condemn Yi Zhonghai.

"I……"

She stood there, suddenly wondering how she had ended up in this predicament.

Before, she didn't have to spend a penny of her monthly salary of 27.5 yuan. She had meals provided by Sha Zhu, and she could borrow money from Sha Zhu when she was short of cash. She also received financial assistance from Yi Zhonghai.

But now...

She wandered aimlessly and unknowingly arrived at the entrance of the Rong family compound on Xuanfang Road.

"Hey, aren't you Qin Huairu from the courtyard house?"

Shu Qianxue got out of the car carrying a small bag. When she saw Qin Huairu, a hint of interest flashed in her eyes.

"Looking for Fang Chengxuan?"

She took a few steps closer and smiled, "Would you like me to take you to the Rong family?"

Qin Huairu recognized her as Xu Damao's wife and instinctively stepped back.

Shu Qianxue grabbed her arm, saying, "Don't be afraid, Rong Xinrui is my best friend! You look like you've been bullied? Come on, let's get Fang Chengxuan to back you up!"

Qin Huairu struggled but couldn't break free, and reluctantly followed him into the courtyard.

As soon as she entered, Shu Qianxue shouted, "Fang Chengxuan, Qin Huairu has been beaten up and she's come to you for help! You're old neighbors, you can't just ignore this!"

People who were still awake in the courtyard started peeking out.

Qin Huairu lowered her head, revealing half of her swollen face.

Shu Qianxue pulled her towards the Rong family's residence, and the onlookers followed.

"Fang Chengxuan! Rong Xinrui! Are you there?"

"Our old neighbor is coming over; we can't forget the old one now that there's a new one!"

Shu Qianxue's tone was ambiguous, as if Fang Chengxuan and Qin Huairu had some shady relationship, which made the people around them even more gossipy.

"New brides laugh, old brides cry? Tsk tsk, could Fang Chengxuan have had a lover before marrying Rong Xinrui?"

Someone muttered to themselves.

Fang Chengxuan doesn't seem like that kind of person!

You can't see into someone's heart!

The residents watching the commotion in the courtyard chattered amongst themselves, their eyes gleaming with gossip.

Just as everyone was waiting for the Rong family to open the door, a sudden scene made the onlookers gasp and retreat.

"hiss--"

As soon as the Rong family's gate opened, a basin of cold water was poured over them, soaking Shu Qianxue and Qin Huairu to the bone.

Upon closer inspection, everyone saw Ying holding a dripping empty basin, glaring at the two of them with eyes blazing with fury.

"What is that?!"

"Can't you speak human language?"

"What new love, old love? Trying to pin this on my Chengxuan? Bah! You fickle bastard, you don't even know whose bastard you're carrying, and you still have the nerve to stir up trouble?"

The more Ying insulted him, the more agitated he became.

These days, she has long regarded Fang Chengxuan as her own child.

After her husband passed away, her adopted son was unwilling to fulfill his filial duties. Only Fang Chengxuan and the Rong family were willing to take care of her, so she naturally had to protect this younger generation.

"You dare splash me?" Shu Qianxue stomped her foot and screamed.

**Ying Zheng straightened his back: "That's what I'm doing! If you dare spew filth again, next time I won't just throw foot-washing water, I'll throw urine!"

"Ah!" Shu Qianxue screamed in rage, "How dare you splash me with your foot bath water?!"

She suddenly turned and roared into the room, "Rong Xinrui! You just let a cook bully me like this?"

Inside the house, Fang Chengxuan and Rong Xinrui, who had already heard the commotion, watched coldly from the sidelines.

Rong Xinrui sneered, "Aunt Chen, next time you encounter someone spreading rumors and causing trouble, just throw excrement at them and teach them a lesson!"

Shu Qianxue trembled with anger, then suddenly gave a sinister smile: "You're all in such a hurry to get rid of me, could it be that Fang Chengxuan really is having an affair with the widow, and you're feeling guilty?"

Fang Chengxuan's gaze swept over Qin Huairu, who was feigning grievance, and finally landed on Shu Qianxue's face. He said indifferently, "Whether I feel guilty or not is none of your business."

But what about the one in your belly? Doesn't it feel guilty knowing its own mother is badmouthing other people everywhere?

Shu Qianxue's eyes flickered, but she forced a smile and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Of course I'm carrying Xu Damao's child! You're the one who's being indecent, and you're trying to shift the blame?"

She thought to herself: As long as I insist that the child is Xu Damao's, what can Fang Chengxuan do to me?

The neighbors in the courtyard whispered among themselves, their eyes lingering on the silent Qin Huairu: "If this widow really has nothing to hide, why isn't she saying anything?"

Fang Chengxuan suddenly beckoned to Qiu Gaojie, who was peeking out, and whispered, "Go to the compound on Pingxifu Road and find Cao Guohao. Ask him if he cares about Shu Qianxue's promiscuous relationships."

Upon hearing the name "Cao Guohao," Shu Qianxue's expression changed drastically, and she turned to leave.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Fang Chengxuan sneered. "Weren't you going to stand up for someone?"

Shu Qianxue froze on the spot, forcing a smile: "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! I only did it because I felt sorry for her... How could a talented young man like you possibly be interested in her?" She then glared fiercely at Qin Huairu: "It's all your fault for pretending!"

Qin Huairu's eyes darted around, and she lowered her voice: "Cao Guohao from the Pingxifu Road compound..."

"Threatening me?" Shu Qianxue's eyes flashed, and she raised her hand to slap him across the face!

Snapped!

Qin Huairu covered her face and collapsed to the ground, hearing Shu Qianxue shriek, "**! You almost fooled me! You think you're worthy of currying favor with Fang Chengxuan?"

Shu Qianxue cursed loudly, grabbed her exquisite handbag and threw it at Qin Huairu, and even kicked her a few times.

"You..." Qin Huairu curled up, wanting to resist but not daring to, and could only cry out in grievance, "I really didn't say those things."

Fang Chengxuan watched the farce unfold with cold indifference, protecting Rong Xinrui as he did so.

Qin Huairu felt as if her heart was being stabbed when she saw how he cared for Rong Xinrui.

She's had many men, but she's never been cherished like this.

"Shu Qianxue pinched me so hard, it hurts. I never said Fang Chengxuan was my lover." Qin Huairu became more and more aggrieved as she spoke. "I came to him because my husband hit me, and I wanted to ask him to help discipline him."

Fang Chengxuan sneered: "Shu Qianxue, Xinrui really misjudged you by considering you her best friend."

You really can't stand to see her doing well?

Rong Xinrui couldn't hold back any longer: "If you really had something on her, you would have reported it long ago. Why would you need to spread rumors here? I'm ashamed to have a best friend like you!" With that, she stepped forward and slapped Shu Qianxue twice.

"Rong Xinrui, how dare you hit me?" Shu Qianxue screamed, covering her face.

Fang Chengxuan shielded his wife behind him: "So what if I hit you? Your father doesn't want you anymore, who do you think you are?"

Rong Xinrui peeked out from behind her husband: "That's right! I'd beat him even if my father were here! What else can you do besides resorting to these underhanded tricks?"

Suddenly, a woman rushed out from the crowd, grabbed Shu Qianxue by the hair, and slapped her across the face: "**! ** My fiancé!" Several women rushed forward and dragged Shu Qianxue away.

Fang Chengxuan recognized that this was Cao Guohao's daughter and nodded to himself.

Once the farce subsided, he looked coldly at Qin Huairu: "You'd better not try to use your little tricks on me."

Fang Chengxuan's expression was icy: "What respectable family's daughter or wife would come looking for a married man in the middle of the night?"

"Who do you think you are, to think you're worthy of my backing?"