All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

"Don't rush. That big shot is very busy during the day and doesn't get home until very late. Going there now would just mean waiting at his house. Don't panic. Think carefully about what to say later. You can't keep crying like this, understand?"

Lou Xiao'e quickly wiped away her tears and nodded hurriedly in agreement.

Lou Xiao'e then realized that she was holding He Yuzhu's hand, and quickly let go, blushing shyly.

"Silly Zhu, thank you!"

He Yuzhu snorted.

"I don't like the nickname 'Silly Pillar.' From now on, call me He Yuzhu, or just Pillar, understand?"

Lou Xiao'e chuckled, nodded, and continued.

"Brother Zhu, thank you!"

"That's more like it. Alright, tell me the whole story first!"

Lou Xiao'e nodded, sat down, and began to recount everything that had happened in her family during this period.

Lou Xiao'e recounted how she discovered Xu Damao's betrayal and how he threatened her to divorce her, how despicable and shameless Xu Damao was, and how he colluded with Liu Haizhong to ruin her family's current state. The more Lou Xiao'e spoke, the sadder and more agitated she became. Finally, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer and collapsed onto the table, sobbing uncontrollably.

Helpless, He Yuzhu picked up a cloth from the bedside and wanted to hand it to her to wipe her tears. But then, Lou Xiao'e suddenly sat up straight, stepped forward and hugged his waist. He Yuzhu stood there, stunned for a moment!

Chapter 34: Turn Evil, You Scheming Bitch!

He Yuzhu never intended for anything to happen between him and Lou Xiao'e, but since it wasn't something he initiated, what could he do?

Lou Xiao'e hugged He Yuzhu's waist, but her tears still wouldn't stop. He Yuzhu couldn't bear the atmosphere any longer.

He reached out to touch Lou Xiao'e's head, but stopped midway. Finally, with a heavy heart, he gently stroked Lou Xiao'e's short hair, stroking it as he comforted her.

"Alright, alright. You're acting like a little girl. I'll definitely find a way to help you with this, okay?"

Lou Xiao'e opened her teary eyes, raised her head, and said in a somewhat coquettish tone.

Really?

He Yuzhu wanted to laugh a little. It was the first time he had seen Lou Xiao'e like this, so he nodded and patted her head again. Lou Xiao'e obediently rested her head on his palm.

Feeling the warm touch on his palm, He Yuzhu sighed inwardly.

"What a terrible fate! What a calamity! Why did this have to happen again!"

Lou Xiao'e held his waist for a while before He Yuzhu let her go, and then the two of them quietly climbed out of the window.

The two left the compound one after the other. When Lou Xiao'e saw that there were no people around, she finally showed a happy expression and went up to hug He Yuzhu's arm.

He Yuzhu sighed and could only let her pull him along.

The details of the two meeting the big boss will not be described in detail. For Lou Xiao'e, it was a major event that led to the destruction of her family, but for the big boss, it was just a matter of making a phone call.

Besides, this matter could be big or small. The next day, Lou Xiao'e's parents came out, and the family was finally reunited.

However, He Yuzhu still frowned. It was already mid-April, and August would be the real hurdle for Lou Xiao'e's parents.

So He Yuzhu had a special talk with Lou Xiao'e's father, Lou Dongcheng. The two talked all night in the study of Lou Xiao'e's parents' house. It was a conversation between only the two men.

After a long talk, Lou Dongcheng personally escorted He Yuzhu downstairs, held He Yuzhu's hand, sighed for a long time, and then looked at Lou Xiao'e standing at the door, and couldn't help but show a gratified smile.

Lou Xiao'e thought He Yuzhu was talking to her father about their relationship, which made her even happier.

However, in reality, He Yuzhu and Lou Dongcheng only talked about how to help the Lou family save themselves, and never mentioned the relationship between him and Lou Xiao'e.

Perhaps, both sides have tacitly accepted this relationship!

Previously, he had no relationship with Lou Xiao'e and didn't care whether he cared or not. But thanks to the deaf old lady's matchmaking and He Yuzhu's strong support for her family, their relationship now far surpasses the speed of romance in this era.

Lou Xiao'e is a woman who dares to love and hate, and when she takes the initiative, even He Yuzhu is a little hesitant.

Although their relationship progressed rapidly, He Yuzhu tried his best not to make it public, mainly because he was worried that if he really slept with Lou Xiao'e, it might ruin her life.

While He Yuzhu was busy with Lou Xiao'e's family, another astonishing piece of news came from the steel mill.

Liu Haizhong was dismissed and brought back to his original state, returning to the workshop. However, this time, he didn't have the chance to be a level seven fitter again. Instead, he was assigned to the cleaning job to continue shining. Who told him to look down on people when he was in power?

The person who replaced Liu Haizhong was someone no one expected: the rising star Xu Damao. He successfully replaced Liu Haizhong in the eyes of Deputy Factory Director Li and officially entered the core of the steel plant!

He Yuzhu didn't think much of the news when he received it. He knew that Xu Damao, that cunning old fox, would eventually rise to power given the opportunity.

His relationship with Lou Xiao'e progressed very quickly, so quickly that they soon crossed that line. In fact, it was Lou Xiao'e who took the initiative.

Lou Xiao'e wasn't exactly an innocent girl; she knew she had to make the most of He Yuzhu, this eligible bachelor.

He Yuzhu never expected that things would break through that barrier so quickly, and that he would end up making the mistake that all men make.

It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but it was all the alcohol's fault. That night, during the long, sleepless night, Lou Xiao'e walked into his room with two bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor)!

Alright, since it's already happened, this is the only way. Although Lou Xiao'e wasn't the best choice for He Yuzhu's wife, since it has already happened, he should take responsibility as a man.

However, plans can never keep up with changes, and He Yuzhu underestimated the bottom line of some people.

Where there is joy, there is also sorrow. In this compound, besides the Second Uncle Liu Haizhong who has been keeping his head down and silent lately, there is another person who is also keeping his head down and secretly grieving.

This person was naturally Qin Huairu, a woman who had been driven to complete darkness by life and reality.

Qin Huairu has been having one bad thing after another lately, starting with her cousin Qin Jingru.

Originally, I planned to wait until the impact of Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e's divorce had subsided before letting Qin Jingru and Xu Damao get married.

However, she never expected that after Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e divorced, he would quickly climb up the social ladder by getting close to Deputy Factory Director Li and become the famous "diamond Xu Laowu" of the steel plant.

At this moment, she also panicked a little. She knew what kind of person Xu Damao was. Even when he was just a small projectionist, he was always flirting with women.

Now that he's become a powerful figure, he's bound to unleash his true nature. Besides, he's still single. With these qualities, why would he marry a simple-minded country girl?

However, Qin Huairu was no simple character. Naturally, she couldn't let Xu Damao take advantage of her sister for nothing, so she quickly called Qin Jingru back to the city from the countryside.

Unfortunately, Xu Damao and Qin Huairu thought the same thing: with his current status, why should he marry a country girl like her?

So Qin Jingru has been in the city for two days, and Xu Damao has been making excuses to not see her. Today, he simply didn't come back to stay, leaving Qin Jingru waiting for nothing.

Besides her cousin's matter, the second thing that almost drove Qin Huairu to the brink of collapse was He Yuzhu suddenly getting together with Lou Xiao'e.

Although Qin Huairu had been rejected by He Yuzhu many times, she still did not give up, after all, He Yuzhu had not been looking for her.

Since no one was looking for her, she had a chance. But this opportunity came one night when she went to the public restroom and, on her way back, she faintly heard laughter coming from He Yuzhu's room. And then...!

That night, Qin Huairu squatted alone at the door, biting her sleeve, and cried for two hours.

What makes Lou Xiao'e so capable of monopolizing He Yuzhu?

The shameless woman, having just gotten divorced, hooked up with Sha Zhu. Qin Huairu has been driven almost crazy by this affair these past few days. She just can't understand how she ended up losing to Lou Xiao'e.

Besides this devastating event, another problem concerning her family's survival has emerged.

That means her family didn't have money to buy food. This was something that should never have happened under any circumstances, but it did.

Over the years, Qin Huairu has lived a comfortable and fulfilling life with her salary of 27.5 yuan and the financial support from He Yuzhu. In addition to saving a little money for herself each month, she also gives her cross-eyed mother-in-law three yuan every month.

Logically speaking, over the years, that cross-eyed old woman should have accumulated a lot of savings, since food, clothing, housing, and transportation are all her expenses.

For the first two years, her cross-eyed mother-in-law was afraid that she would have an affair with someone, and also afraid that she would marry out of the family and not take care of her children. So, in order to put her mother-in-law at ease, she put her savings of nearly a hundred yuan into her mother-in-law's hands.

With He Yuzhu cutting off her family's financial support this year, their quality of life has visibly declined. But they can't let their children suffer, especially their only son, Jia Geng.

Therefore, Qin Huairu's family still had white flour steamed buns for almost every meal. Although Qin Huairu always ate cornbread, she still tried her best to meet her son's nutritional needs. In addition, all three children were in school, and the tuition and fees were a serious expense.

In the past, Sha Zhu basically covered these expenses. Now, they rely entirely on Qin Huairu's meager salary. With that meager salary, they can barely make ends meet, but it's impossible to live on white flour buns every day and have no worries about food and clothing.

So, for the past few months, Qin Huairu had been using her savings. This month, her savings were completely gone, and the family didn't even have cornmeal left. Only then did she prepare to talk to her mother-in-law about it and ask her to take out her savings to help with household expenses.

But as soon as Qin Huairu opened her mouth, her mother-in-law stammered out a sentence.

"I have no money!"

"No money"

"How could you not have money? Over the years, I've given you three yuan a month for your retirement, plus the hundred yuan I've saved with you. You're saying you don't have money?"

Chapter 35: Tears have dried, heart is dead

"How could you not have money? How could you not have money?"

Qin Huairu shook her mother-in-law, asking her questions over and over again. Her eyes were full of despair and sorrow. Over the years, she had given everything for this family, and what had she received in return?

The squinting old woman lowered her head, first trying to explain, then falling silent, and finally, her anger exploded as Qin Huairu shook her. She shoved Qin Huairu away, put one hand on her hip, and slammed the cloth shoe she was sewing on the table with the other, pointing at Qin Huairu and yelling.

"Do you want me to die before you're satisfied with all the years I've done for this family? Even if I haven't done anything great, I've certainly put in a lot of hard work. You know I need to take painkillers several times a month, otherwise my whole body aches. I've spent all that money on medicine. Do whatever you want, I don't have a single penny left!"

Looking at her fat, big-eared mother-in-law, Qin Huairu felt utterly hopeless. She had tolerated her mother-in-law for so many years and had worried herself sick over this family.

To ensure her child had enough to eat, she shamelessly flattered and seduced those sleazy men at the steel mill, all for a few steamed buns.

To put her mother-in-law at ease, she gave her savings and returned three yuan to her savings every month, just to make her believe that she was wholeheartedly devoted to the family.

To prevent this child from suffering in the future, she willingly remained unmarried for so many years, keeping a mentally challenged man by her side. In the end, what did she get?

I got nothing, and my long-term meal ticket was stolen. I gave everything, but what did I get in return?

At this moment, Qin Huairu's heart was completely broken.

Qin Jingru, that silly girl, had just strolled back with Xiao Dang and Xiao Kuihua. She casually picked up the water on the table and drank it. With her silly personality, she obviously didn't notice that something was wrong in the room.

Qin Jingru, oblivious to the situation, teased Xiao Kuihua while asking questions.

"Sis, have you cooked yet? I'm so hungry!"

Little Kuihua, standing to the side, echoed her sentiment.

"Mom, I'm so hungry too!"

Qin Huairu's eyes were lifeless and her gaze was vacant. Her heart was dead, her tears had dried, but life had to go on.

She turned her back to everyone, wiped away the tears on her face, picked up an empty cloth bag from the counter, and walked outside.

Qin Jingru was still a little puzzled and quickly asked.

"Sis, where are you going?"

Qin Huairu didn't turn her head and coldly replied.

"Let's go borrow grain!"

Qin Jingru paused for a moment, then turned her head away somewhat awkwardly, continuing to tease the clueless little Kuihua.