All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

The man in front of her was even a little unfamiliar, but at this moment, she was still happy that Xu Damao had suddenly returned home. The feeling of being cherished by Xu Damao once again made her dizzy.

Xu Damao checked the time; there was still an hour before the driver arrived. He glanced at the half-closed door behind him, smiled, released Qin Jingru, turned around, and closed the door securely. Only then, amidst Qin Jingru's trepidation, did he pick her up and carry her into the inner room.

Qin Jingru buried her head in Xu Damao's chest, feeling her heart pounding. She looked up at his beardless face and, for some reason, suddenly recalled some memories. She nervously wanted to ask him something, but she was afraid of hurting his feelings, so she could only give up and let Xu Damao put her on the bed.

Xu Damao may have already seen Qin Jingru's worries, but he didn't explain anything. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and a hint of evil appeared that he couldn't hide.

He slowly loosened his tie, then slowly unbuttoned his suit jacket. When he saw Xu Damao's naked upper body, Qin Jingru, who was lying on the bed, gasped. She couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand to stop herself from making a sound.

Qin Jingru covered her mouth, but tears flowed again without her realizing it. She stared blankly at the man in front of her, her eyes filled with tears of sympathy and pity.

Xu Damao's upper body was covered with dense scars, most of which had scabbed over long ago. The red striped scars made his upper body look even more ferocious and terrifying!

Xu Damao, seemingly oblivious, slowly unbuckled his belt. When it was halfway off, Qin Jingru closed her eyes in pain. At that moment, she felt no lust, only endless pain and pity.

Xu Damao's smile remained unchanged, as sunny and magnanimous as ever. However, for some reason, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily, revealing that his heart was filled with pain and hatred.

Chapter 113: Qin Huairu Doesn't Believe

Qin Jingru could no longer control her emotions. She sobbed, got up, and hugged Xu Damao's waist, tears streaming down her face. This time, she wasn't crying for herself, but for the man in front of her.

Xu Damao's smile slowly faded, his face revealing undisguised pain and ferocity. His entire face looked terrifying and insane. He gritted his teeth, slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried his best not to recall the past. If Uncle Liu Haizhong saw this expression on his face, he would at least have a heart attack.

He gently stroked Qin Jingru's hair, his movements becoming lighter and lighter, as if only this gesture could slowly dispel the torment in his heart.

When the pain and ferocity on his face completely disappeared, his warm and generous smile reappeared. He gently bent down and picked up Qin Jingru, looking at the woman in front of him with tender eyes.

"Jingru, it's alright. What's past is past. The future and the present are what we should cherish most, aren't they?"

Qin Jingru nodded through her tears. Xu Damao's warm smile remained unchanged as he gently kissed Qin Jingru's face, eyes, and brows, finally wiping away her tears and then touching her lips.

Qin Jingru's emotions were finally stirred up by Xu Damao. She shyly tried to cover herself with the blanket, but Xu Damao chuckled and began to move his lips down.

Qin Jingru was so shocked by this scene that she froze, somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Xu Damao raised his head and chuckled.

"Jingru, to be honest, my thing isn't healed yet, but I'm no longer the Xu Damao I used to be. Don't worry, you can leave the rest to me. My mouth is more nimble than that thing now!"

Qin Jingru... has once again turned back into that clueless, silly girl.

Xu Damao's appearance caused a stir in the compound. Everyone was still talking about it. Some said that Xu Damao was definitely still the same as before, and might be using some dirty tricks behind the scenes. But many others said that Xu Damao had been transformed in the crucible and had completely reformed his former bad nature.

After Uncle Liu Haizhong's explanation in the afternoon, more people chose to believe Xu Damao, although most were still skeptical.

"He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's gift is bound to him." Every household in the compound received Xu Damao's "598 yuan" Health Treasure Deer Antler Ginseng Oral Liquid. Even Qin Huairu's family, where only the squinty-eyed old lady was home this afternoon, was also fooled by Xu Damao and received two boxes of the oral liquid.

That evening, when Qin Huairu and Banggeng returned from get off work and learned of the news, their first thought was to return the oral liquid. However, the rumors circulating in the compound and Xu Damao's legendary experiences soon made them doubtful.

Upon hearing that the two boxes of stuff were worth over a thousand yuan and could alleviate various chronic ailments, the squinty-eyed old woman immediately refused to let Bang Geng take them. Over the years, her health had been deteriorating day by day. Who wouldn't want to live a few more years? With such expensive tonics available, how could the squinty-eyed old woman bear to part with them?

So, Qin Huairu's family quietly accepted the two boxes of oral liquid. No one in the family made a sound, and they waited to see what would happen.

Xu Damao seemed to have truly come to act as a benevolent benefactor this time, and to admit his past mistakes and express remorse.

After seven o'clock, he and Qin Jingru, still smiling, formally invited everyone to lunch at Jingchuan Restaurant the next day. This time, everyone's attitude was much better, no longer the shock and indifference they had shown this afternoon. Many families invited him to sit down, but Xu Damao politely declined, showing no trace of his former arrogance.

Even when he arrived at Qin Huairu's home, Xu Damao sincerely bowed and apologized to Qin Huairu. He did not mention that Qin Huairu had completely framed him, but instead earnestly expressed his deep apologies to her family for the harm he had caused her back then.

He then took out his wallet, pulled out nearly five thousand yuan, and handed it to Qin Huairu under everyone's gaze, saying that this was all he had brought today and he hoped the money could express his apology.

Five thousand yuan! Those ten-yuan notes were so enticing that everyone's eyes lit up. Even Bang Geng's eyes were wide open, as if he wanted to leave and take the money on behalf of his mother. Five thousand yuan was a huge sum of money in 1983.

But who is Qin Huairu?

Although she hadn't been a big brother, no, hadn't been a scheming bitch for many years, she still looked at the apologetic man in front of her with a cold face. She felt as if this scene was unreal. In her mind, Xu Damao was someone she could recognize even if he were ashes. That sinister, cunning, lecherous smile was still the source of her nightmares at night.

No matter how Qin Huairu observed him, the man before her seemed perfectly natural; his smile radiated sunshine and warmth, and even his apologies were filled with sincerity. Why did she feel a sense of resonance with him?

Qin Huairu took a deep breath and said coldly to Xu Damao.

"Xu Damao, although I don't know if you've truly changed or are still just pretending, I won't take this money. Take it back. You've already been punished for what happened between us, and we're even. Take back the oral liquid you brought this afternoon too; we can't accept it!"

After saying that, Qin Huairu took out the two boxes of oral liquid and handed them to Xu Damao, under the angry glare of the squinting old woman.

Xu Damao was both amused and exasperated. He was holding a thick stack of ten-yuan notes in his hand, and now he was looking at the oral liquid that Qin Huairu had brought over. He felt somewhat embarrassed and helpless.

Today, Second Uncle was in particularly good spirits. He had been watching this scene for a while and couldn't stand it any longer. He stood up and scolded Qin Huairu.

"Qin Huairu, are you ever going to stop? Da Mao was so sincere, and you not only don't appreciate it, but you also slap him in the face. You can refuse the money, but you must accept this gift. It's a token of his goodwill. Even if you don't need it, you should think about your mother. This oral liquid costs 598 yuan a box. Do you think ordinary people can afford it?"

Even the most stoic couldn't hold back any longer and chimed in with their advice.

"Mom, please accept it. Grandma's health is getting worse and worse, and besides... besides, that happened so long ago!"

Qin Huairu turned around and glared fiercely at Banggeng. She had seen more men than Banggeng had eaten popsicles. Although Xu Damao was sincere today, something was definitely amiss. Qin Huairu knew men's little thoughts better than anyone else. Old habits die hard, and Qin Huairu didn't dare to gamble on this. The best way was to stay away, so that no one owed anyone anything and everyone could live their own lives well.

Moreover, the matter of framing Xu Damao back then has always been a thorn in Qin Huairu's side. She originally wanted to kill Xu Damao back then, but unexpectedly, Xu Damao directly asked Qin Jingru to be a witness, saying that he had long been unable to have sex and how could he have raped her. In the end, he was only sentenced to eight years.

Can eight years really change a wicked old scoundrel to the core?

Qin Huairu didn't believe it!

Chapter 114: Men Should Love Themselves

Qin Huairu didn't believe it was nothing, but Banggeng and the squinty-eyed old woman believed Xu Damao's sincerity.

Seeing Qin Huairu glaring at her precious grandson, the squinty-eyed old woman could no longer hold back and stepped forward to yell at Qin Huairu.

"Qin Huairu, do you really think you still have some bad reputation to show off? Da Mao didn't even pursue what happened back then, and now he's apologizing so sincerely. You still want to cause trouble? You think I'm in your way? You think I'm not going to die?"

Qin Huairu's resolve crumbled instantly after being told off by her mother-in-law. She felt a bit dizzy and her stomach ached. She was exhausted from supporting this family.

Seeing this, Banggeng quickly stepped forward to support Qin Huairu, feeling sorry for his mother, and then spoke gently.

"Mom, let bygones be bygones. Xu Damao just said that the present and the future are the most important. Our family's conditions are not bad now, but we still can't afford such expensive nutritional supplements. Grandma's health has always been poor, so please bear with her!"

Qin Huairu stopped talking, slowly clutched her stomach, and sat back down. The old woman with the slanted eyes happily took the oral liquid and carried it back into the house.

Seeing this, Xu Damao had no choice but to put the money away and invited Qin Huairu's family to a banquet at the Jingchuan Hotel the next day.

Bang Geng nodded in agreement. Seeing that there was nothing more to talk about, Xu Damao smiled, apologized, and left.

He led Qin Jingru by the hand, followed by his secretary, and under the watchful eyes of more than a hundred people in the compound, he left the compound, got into the luxury car, and drove away amidst the waving goodbye of his second uncle and the envious gazes of the crowd.

Banggeng watched Xu Damao's luxury car drive away with a complicated expression, unsure whether he regretted losing the five thousand yuan or missed an opportunity to curry favor.

Over the years, Bang Geng has run a repair shop and come into contact with all sorts of people. His thinking has gradually become less rigid than it was in his youth. Especially now that he's married, he argues with his wife every day about daily necessities, which makes him constantly think about making a fortune.

He runs a repair shop and sells some used bicycle parts on the side. He used to buy used bicycles from legitimate channels, but in the past two years, his mindset has been gradually corrupted by the various superficial money-oriented ideas in society.

They also started secretly buying up used cars of dubious origin. If they were lucky, they could make over a hundred yuan from a single car. Once they started this kind of business, there was no going back.

That's how people are. No matter how conservative someone was in the past, once they are influenced by their surroundings, very few can truly stick to their original intentions.

Most people would bow down to money. Five thousand yuan is enough for him to work for a year. How could he not be tempted?

Unfortunately, in order not to remind his mother of painful memories, Bang Geng didn't dare to accept the money.

Xu Damao's departure did not cause his popularity to decline; on the contrary, his fame grew, especially after his apology trip to Qin Huairu's family, which became a hot topic of discussion.

The rumors even became more and more outrageous. Some rumors even said that Xu Damao carried a money box and placed one million yuan in front of Qin Huairu, saying that she could take it as she pleased. These unreliable rumors spread like wildfire in several nearby streets overnight.

He Yuzhu had not gotten involved in Xu Damao's affairs, although he had vaguely heard about Xu Damao's legendary experiences from his second uncle Liu Haizhong that afternoon, and He Yuzhu still felt uneasy.

Can he be blamed? It feels so familiar to some pyramid scheme company from later generations.

However, He Yuzhu didn't dare to make a judgment before he had a clear understanding of the situation. As for Xu Damao's statement that he would treat everyone to dinner at Jingchuan Restaurant tomorrow, He Yuzhu was more concerned about that.

In the afternoon, he even made a smug call to the restaurant to inquire about Ma Hua. He learned that someone had indeed wanted to book ten tables for a banquet the day before yesterday, and that the other party had added five more tables this afternoon. The other party was also very willing to pay, and the dishes they ordered were not cheap. In the end, it was calculated at 999 yuan per table, which is almost the highest standard banquet booking in Jingchuan.

He Yuzhu asked Ma Hua to speak to the waiters and managers and tell them not to expose him tomorrow, as he didn't want his affairs to cause a stir in the compound.

Ma Hua nodded in agreement, and the two then hung up the phone.

He Yuzhu couldn't understand Xu Damao's generosity at all. He really couldn't understand it. Today, he was giving away deer antler and ginseng oral liquid, and treating people to dinner. And the standards were so high. Why was he doing this?

Of course, he was welcome to choose to eat in Jingchuan because he could make money, but He Yuzhu always felt something was off. Xu Damao's cunning and scheming nature was deeply ingrained in people's minds, and it felt strange that he suddenly became a sunny and warm-hearted man.

The world I know is completely different from the original story. The people are still the same, but everyone's personality has changed, as if influenced by me or something.

Not to mention Qin Huairu, He Yuzhu still felt a little uneasy when he saw Xu Damao again. He felt like he couldn't quite process what had happened.

Has this old schemer evolved too?

He Yuzhu dared not think about it anymore; this world was too terrifying.

His own affairs are still a bit messy, so he shouldn't worry about other people's business. It's almost Chinese New Year, and Lou Xiao'e is preparing to go back to Gangcheng for the holiday. She's been asking him to spend a whole day with her these past two days, and He Yuzhu is still figuring out how to handle it.

Now he's learned his lesson. After his date with Lou Xiao'e, he immediately takes a shower at the hotel before coming back, so that he won't smell of Lou Xiao'e anymore.

The only regret is that one day in August, while I was taking a shower, Lou Xiao'e suddenly came in with a towel. Oh, what a terrible thing!

Everything is preordained, O Amitabha!

He Yuzhu has recently been craving vegetarian food because he feels like his mouth is full of donkey testicles. In the past six months, he has developed seven different flavors of donkey testicles: dry-fried, stewed, etc. His favorite is still the dry-fried version, which is chewy.

Sigh, over the years, He Yuzhu has come to sum up one sentence: Men must respect themselves and act within their capabilities!

That evening, He Yuzhu greeted Ran Qiuye and asked her not to make a fuss about the Jingchuan Hotel incident.

When Ran Qiuye returned home, she heard about Xu Damao's situation. However, she was more concerned about Qin Jingru. She was happy for Qin Jingru that Xu Damao had reformed.

As for the Jingchuan Hotel, Ran Qiuye didn't care. The hotel had been open for so long, and she had only been there once. It had nothing to do with her life, and besides, it was no longer her family's property. So she naturally nodded in agreement. Although she didn't care much about money, she understood He Yuzhu's meaning: don't flaunt your wealth.

As for the old man, all he knew was that He Yuzhu had run a restaurant, but he never asked what the restaurant was called. Now that he had that pug named Xiao Huang, the old man rarely came over to eat anymore. He had someone deliver the food to him. Occasionally, he would take the pug for a stroll around Yanjing. The old man and the dog enjoyed their own peace and quiet.

The older people get, the more they tend to reminisce about the past and the more they fear loneliness. However, others don't understand this kind of loneliness. Now that he has that pug to keep him company, it saves He Yuzhu a lot of trouble. Otherwise, he would have no reason to go out.

Chapter 115: A Prodigal Son's Return is More Precious Than Gold

Xu Damao's appearance broke the long-standing tranquility of the compound and stirred up the hearts of many people.

The next day, after 10 a.m., two buses slowly pulled up at the gate of the compound. Xu Damao had specially sent people to pick up everyone, and everyone was once again shocked by Xu Damao's actions.

As expected, true talent never needs any further explanation; the scene before them was enough to convince everyone in the compound of Xu Damao's abilities.

The bus arrived at the entrance of Jingchuan Hotel in a grand procession. It couldn't pick up everyone in one trip, so after everyone got off, the bus went back to pick up more people.

Service staff who had been waiting for some time led everyone into the Jingchuan Hotel.

Today, Jingchuan Restaurant is no longer the small-scale establishment it was three years ago. Due to its fame, it has received strong support from the local government. The row of warehouses at the back of the building was rented to Jingchuan Restaurant, which spent two to three hundred thousand yuan to upgrade and renovate it again. Almost all the buildings at the back were rebuilt.