I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

Qin Huairu's outburst made Jia Zhangshi feel a deep sense of crisis. Without Yi Zhonghai, Jia Zhangshi didn't know what her daughter-in-law was like at the factory. Now, hearing what Qin Huairu said, she was furious. She immediately threw down her chopsticks, picked up her son's portrait, and rushed to the middle of the yard.

"Everyone, come quick! We can't survive this..."

Qin Huairu looked at her mother-in-law in the middle of the courtyard, sitting alone at the dining table with tears streaming down her face, holding chopsticks in one hand and her forehead in the other, sobbing silently.

"Dongxu! Open your eyes and look! Your wife is running away... How are we, a widow and her children, going to survive?"

Jia Zhangshi's voice was extremely penetrating. She glanced at the room every now and then, and when she saw that Qin Huairu had not come out, she called out even louder.

The commotion at the courthouse startled Yang Laowu. Looking at the still-unfinished food, he sighed, drained his glass of wine, and devoured two more pieces of meat. "Hey, I'm supposed to be a liaison officer, I should go check it out! What's all this commotion in the middle of the night?"

Lin Feng also put down his chopsticks. Apart from lotus root and frog, he had mastered the cooking methods for almost all the other ingredients in his space. All that was left was to practice more!

Hearing the noise, Liang Nadi, who was in the kitchen, sighed and called to her four children, "You all stay in the kitchen and eat your meal quietly, okay?"

The four children, like little piglets, shoveled at the food in their bowls, each one eating with their mouths full of oil. Even the thinnest Xiu'er had gained a lot of weight these days!

"Mmm!" The child nodded as he ate, completely oblivious to the commotion with such delicious food in front of him! Is there anything seriously wrong with that?

Liu Haizhong, already in a bad mood, became even more irritable upon hearing this sound. Looking at the scrambled eggs that he usually enjoyed, he found them particularly hard to swallow today! Like the other neighbors in the courtyard, they had long since lost their appetite due to the whirlwind of aroma, hastily ate a couple of bites, and then ran to the central courtyard.

When she saw that people had arrived, Jia Zhangshi cried even harder. Lin Feng ran up to her and saw that she was all bark and no bite; she didn't shed a single tear!

"You all be the judge, my daughter-in-law has abandoned me and the children. Is there any kind of daughter-in-law like this in the world? How are we, a widow and her children, going to survive?"

Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. Yang Laowu was extremely troubled when he heard about this matter. Although he had not been here for long, his status as an 8th-grade worker was a given, and no one working in the steel rolling mill workshop dared to disrespect him.

He coughed lightly twice, and the courtyard instantly fell silent. Liu Haizhong pouted unhappily and nudged the Third Uncle, who was still indulging in a blissful revelry next to Yang Laowu, with his elbow.

"Alright, be mindful of the impact!"

Yan Bugui's face flushed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. These people smelled incredibly good—a mixture of meat and wine—it was simply irresistible.

"Alright, stop howling! Come on, ladies, call Qin Huairu out here and see what's going on!"

With Sha Zhu not at home, several workers diligently brought out a table, and soon the three old men sat behind it, while the Jia family's mother and daughter-in-law stood in the middle.

"Tell me, what grievance did you suffer?" Yang Laowu also lived in a large courtyard in the north, but this was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and he found it quite interesting!

Upon hearing the question, Jia Zhangshi stood up without hesitation. "My daughter-in-law wants to remarry, and she's still occupying our workstations. Her child is so young; she's trying to drive us to our deaths! What should I do? Dongxu..."

As everyone looked at the portrait in Jia Zhangshi's arms, they felt a chill run down their spines. Even though it was the hottest time of summer, the hairs on their bodies stood on end!

Yang Laowu and the other two old men didn't say anything either, patiently waiting for Jia Zhangshi's voice to subside before calling Qin Huairu over.

"Although the government encourages widows to remarry, and you're young, it's only right that you remarry, we can't ignore these practical issues. As your neighbor, I'd like to ask you, are you really planning to remarry? Have you thought about how to handle these problems after you remarry?"

"Mr. Yang! I never thought about remarrying. My husband is gone. I just want to raise my child and live out the rest of my life in peace..."

Qin Huairu's words left everyone bewildered. Yang Laowu looked at Jia Zhangshi with confusion. "Although Qin Huairu is somewhat lacking as a worker, she hasn't done anything wrong as your daughter-in-law. We've all seen that. Now that your daughter-in-law has made her stance clear, what are you up to today?"

"She's lying! She clearly said she wanted to remarry! And she doesn't want to give her job back to my family!" Madam Jia Zhang insisted, refusing to let go. Today, it's either the east wind prevailing over the west wind, or the west wind prevailing over the east wind. If this woman gains the upper hand, how can her life be good in the future?

"Qin Huairu, this is wrong of you. Your workstation belongs to the Jia family. Now that you're married, you have to return it to them. Otherwise, how will this whole family survive?"

Before Yang Laowu could even speak, Liu Haizhong hurriedly took over the conversation. Seeing this, Yang Laowu simply shut his mouth and listened to how this guy would handle it.

"I didn't! This is what happened today." After saying that, Qin Huairu recounted what had happened.

"Dear neighbors, uncles, elders, you all know what kind of person I, Qin Huairu, am. I'm just a woman, not an iron woman. These two are always causing trouble during mealtimes! My monthly salary is only 27.5 yuan, and we eat meat every day. How am I supposed to live? Waaah!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze towards Jia Zhangshi instantly changed. They all knew all too well what kind of person this old woman was.

"What are you looking at? My grandson is growing, shouldn't she, as a mother, try to help? Isn't this her right?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's eyes lit up. He tapped the table, and the murmurs in the courtyard instantly subsided. "So, in the end, this conflict was caused by you three. You all need to reflect on your actions; this behavior has already affected the unity of the courtyard!"

Yang Laowu, Lin Feng, and Nan Yi were all stunned by what he heard. What kind of logic was this? Yang Laowu, who was unfamiliar with the place, did not rush to argue. He looked at Lin Feng and Nan Yi. Nan Yi was even more straightforward: "I am just a cook and I am responsible for cooking. Other things have nothing to do with me!"

Immediately, everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Feng. Lin Feng felt like he'd been screwed over. Everyone was eating together when there was a problem, so why was everyone staring at him now? You're the level eight worker! Why are you making a young guy like me stand up for you? What kind of logic is that?

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Lin Feng gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "Liu Haizhong, tell me, how is eating our own food affecting unity?"

Liu Haizhong glanced at all the neighbors. "Isn't it obvious? Their conflict today stemmed from you all eating well, didn't it?"

"Yeah, we're all from the same compound, why do you guys get to eat so well every day? It's making my kid cry all the time!"

The third uncle burst into laughter at the sight. "That's right, Lin Feng! You can't just think of yourselves, you're all family here, from the same courtyard. You should share any benefits with us, shouldn't you?"