Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

As soon as he finished speaking, he slung the projector over his shoulder, grabbed Qin Jingru, and headed towards the steel mill's propaganda department. He couldn't just carry the machine around the streets, could he? It would be too much of a nuisance.

But as soon as they took a step, a glance out of the corner of their eye revealed that Qin Huairu's three children were squatting nearby, staring intently at them.

"Auntie, we want to go to Wangfujing too!"

Bang Geng had heard everything, and his heart started racing when he heard "Wangfujing." He hadn't even dared to dream about that place.

He tugged at Qin Jingru's sleeve and shook it, while Xiao Dang and Xiao Huaihua looked up at him with eager eyes.

"Get out of here! What are you doing, getting involved in this mess? Go home!"

Xu Damao frowned, yelled, and grabbed Qin Jingru, pulling her out. He didn't want to bring these three burdens with him, let alone like them at all.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly put his arm around Qin Jingru's shoulder and said in a low voice:

"Jingru, I have to remind you, stay away from your sister's three kids in the future. They're dishonest and always steal other people's things."

Qin Jingru was taken aback: "Huh? Really...really?"

"How could it be fake?" Xu Damao leaned closer, his tone certain. "If you don't believe me, go back and ask your sister. The day before yesterday, Banggeng stole one of my chickens, and I didn't even mention it, let alone make her pay a single penny."

"Why...?"

"Why?" Xu Damao laughed loudly, patting his pocket. "Silly girl, we're well-off! What's a chicken? It's nothing!"

The two walked and talked, their figures quickly disappearing into the twilight.

The three children stood there, staring blankly at the receding figure, speechless for a moment.

"Brother... Xu Damao told Auntie about us stealing his chicken."

Banggeng didn't respond to Xiaodang's words, but kept his gaze fixed on Xu Damao's back until the figure completely disappeared into the dark night before taking his two younger sisters' hands and walking home.

On the way, Xiao Dang and Huaihua chattered excitedly about the exciting scenes in the movie, while Banggeng remained silent, kicking pebbles with his head down, his shoulders tense.

Upon entering, Qin Huairu noticed that there were only three children, with Qin Jingru notably absent, and casually asked, "Where's your aunt?"

Banggeng didn't even lift his eyelids, climbed straight onto the bed, pulled the blanket over his head, and fell asleep immediately.

"What happened to the child? Did he get beaten up? Or did he get into a fight with someone?"

Grandma Zhang noticed that her grandson's expression was off, and immediately turned to Xiao Dang and Huaihua to ask him questions.

The two children were too young to know how to hide anything; when asked, they spilled the beans.

"Xu Damao said that my brother stole chickens from my aunt's house, and my brother got angry when he heard that."

"What? How can Xu Damao be so loose-lipped?"

"Gossiping like this in front of children is like deliberately poking at their vulnerabilities!"

Madam Jia was so angry that she slapped her thigh, but Qin Huairu just listened without saying a word, and her face showed neither anger nor frustration.

Zhang became more and more animated as she spoke, while Qin Huairu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she gave a low shout to the two children at the door:

"Why aren't you in bed? What are you standing there for?"

Xiao Dang and Huaihua were so frightened that they didn't dare to stay any longer and turned around to crawl into the quilt.

Zhang was stunned by her daughter-in-law's shout and immediately shut her mouth. She then realized that Qin Huairu was truly angry, and if she really provoked her, this family might fall apart. She shrank back and dared not utter another word.

……

At this moment, Qin Jingru and Xu Damao had just returned from shopping at Wangfujing, carrying large and small bags, their hands full of purchases.

Qin Jingru certainly had a great day.

Xu Damao really went all out, buying a huge pile of clothes, shoes, and socks, so much so that she could barely hold them in her arms.

Qin Jingru felt comforted, her eyes crinkling with smiles as she chatted and laughed with Xu Damao, her steps becoming noticeably lighter.

As soon as Qin Jingru stepped into the garden, she turned to walk towards her cousin's house, but Xu Damao grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going?"

"Go home and sleep." She wondered, what else could she be doing at this hour?

Xu Damao got angry as soon as he heard that: "Are you stupid? If you take this food back, the three kids will devour it in no time, and your mother-in-law will be waiting for a second round!"

Qin Jingru thought about it and realized it was true. Her cousin had three boys, and her mother-in-law had a sweet tooth. Her melon seeds and candies would only last until dawn.

"Then...where would be a good place to put it?" She was a little stumped.

Xu Damao casually put his arm around her shoulder and lowered his voice, "Silly girl, of course you're coming back to the house with me! Forgot? I live in the backyard."

"Hey, let go! We've only met a few times!" Qin Jingru's face flushed instantly. After all, she was a shy country girl, and she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.

"Hey! You country folk are so old-fashioned. What era are we living in? Dating in the city isn't like that anymore!"

As Xu Damao spoke, he half-pulled and half-coaxed her toward the back of the yard.

As I was walking, I suddenly bumped into someone.

"Who is it? Don't you have eyes?" Xu Damao's temper flared up. Being interrupted at this crucial moment, especially in front of Qin Jingru, where did he put his face?

"Your father."

He Yuzhu's voice was flat and indifferent, like a stone thrown into water.

Xu Damao looked up and saw He Yuzhu. He immediately jumped up and pointed his finger at him, yelling, "Idiot Zhu, watch your mouth, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways, too lazy to bother with him. His body was as thin as a bamboo pole; He could knock down three people with a single finger.

Just as he was about to leave, Xu Damao pointed smugly to the side and said, "Silly Zhu, do you recognize who this is?"

It was getting dark, and He Yuzhu hadn't looked closely before, but now that he looked closely, oh, it's Qin Jingru? The two of them are together? They're quite a good match.

"I'm not blind, isn't this Qin Jingru, the widow of Qin?"

"Don't you dare call my sister 'widow'!" Qin Jingru's face darkened immediately. Her sister was the apple of her eye, and she wouldn't tolerate the slightest disrespect.

"Ha! Silly Zhu, are you holding a grudge because Huai Ru didn't introduce you to Jing Ru?" Xu Damao grinned. "Someone like her is only treasured by you. Me? I wouldn't even look at her!"

"What?" Qin Jingru, with her sharp ears, heard clearly and stomped her foot in anger. "I don't even look down on you!"

"Then I must thank my lucky stars! Your disdain for me has really done me a huge favor!"

"I'll take my leave now. I wish you both a speedy birth of your child. I'll be going now."

He Yuzhu smiled slightly, then turned and left.

He had absolutely no interest in Qin Jingru. He knew exactly what kind of woman she would become.

Let Xu Damao worry about it himself.

Xu Damao and Qin Jingru stood there, staring at his departing figure, exchanging bewildered glances.

"This...something's not right."

Normally, if someone steals your blind date, shouldn't you be furious? Why isn't he angry at all?

"Pah! I can't be bothered with him!" Xu Damao flung his hand and dragged Qin Jingru into the backyard.

Around 10 o'clock, Qin Jingru returned to her cousin's house wearing new clothes.

Seeing that Qin Huairu was still sitting at the table, not asleep, she asked softly, "Sister, why aren't you resting yet?"

"What time is it? You're not back yet, how can I sleep peacefully?"

Qin Huai glanced at the clock on the wall, her tone calm and indifferent, but when she saw Qin Jingru's brand-new clothes, her eyes widened immediately and she blurted out.

When Qin Jingru heard her cousin mention clothes, she immediately perked up, spun around on the spot, and swayed her body with a grin.

"But he picked it out for me! I don't have many coins in my pocket, how could I buy it myself?"

"Sis, look at me! Don't I look like a city girl in this outfit?"

Qin Huai stared at her shiny new clothes, then noticed that her hands were empty and her old clothes were nowhere to be seen. He frowned and asked directly:

"Where are your old clothes? Where did you put them?"

"I threw it away a long time ago! It's so outdated, what's the point of keeping it?"

She had memorized these words long ago, and even the pauses were perfectly timed; Xu Damao had taught her to say them this way.

Actually, it wasn't thrown away. It was just kept in Xu Damao's room, stored away at the bottom of a trunk.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu felt a tightness in her chest. Looking at Qin Jingru, she didn't know whether to sigh or shake her head. She had only been hanging out with Xu Damao for a few days, and her smooth talk had made her heart wander.

"Jingru, are you really planning to marry him?"

"What else can I do if I don't marry him?"

Qin Jingru plopped down on the edge of the bed, pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket, and slowly peeled them with a snap.

"You don't actually want me to marry the cook, do you?"

"What's wrong with being in charge of cooking? You have a secure job and you won't go hungry."

Qin Huai let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping.

"Sis, forget it! Xu Damao just told me everything about you and Shazhu."

Before she finished speaking, Zhang, the mother-in-law who was pretending to be asleep on the bed in the inner room, suddenly opened her eyes, turned to the side, and listened intently to the sounds coming from the main room.

The house was as thin as paper. There wasn't even a proper door, let alone a door panel. There was just an old cloth curtain hanging at the entrance, which swayed in the wind.

She heard every word spoken outside more clearly than she could chew her own rice.

She had suspected something was going on between her daughter-in-law and He Yuzhu, but she couldn't find any evidence against them. She had never even caught them holding hands.

If we really run into them, we'll turn the world upside down and make sure they're disgraced and can't hold their heads up high!

"Jingru, what nonsense are you spouting? Don't believe Xu Damao's lies!"

Qin Huairu, with her sharp ears, heard the rustling sound of someone turning over in the inner room and immediately glared at Qin Jingru.

"He's not a mind reader; he's the one who said it, and I'm just repeating what he said."

Qin Jingru mumbled something while chewing on a melon seed, then leaned closer, lowered her voice, and asked mysteriously:

"Sister, haven't you ever thought about finding another man to settle down with?"

"I have no such thought."

Qin Huairu gently shook her head. Even if her heart was stirred, she wouldn't let it show. Walls have ears, and she knew everything.

"In my opinion, Sha Zhu is quite a good match for you. You're about the same age, and I've heard he's honest with you..."

Just as she finished speaking, Qin Jingru suddenly looked up and saw her mother-in-law, Zhang, standing barefoot by the curtain, her face flushed red, her finger pointing directly at Qin Jingru's nose, and her voice cracking as she roared:

"You little slut, spewing filth! Pack your bags and get out of here tomorrow, don't you dare stay here!"

Qin Jingru didn't even blink, dusted off the corner of her clothes, and replied lazily:

"Fine, I'll leave! Who wants to linger here? You can beg me on your knees from now on, but I won't even set foot in your house!"