Siheyuan: Sap is the last word

He Yudong looked at her without saying anything. He didn't know what to say, nor how to face this woman. Once, she was his wife and the most important person in his life. But now, there was an insurmountable gap between them.

"I... I heard that you were back, so I came to see you." Qin Huairu's voice became even lower. She didn't dare to look directly into He Yudong's eyes.

He Yudong still didn't say anything. He just silently moved aside and let Qin Huairu enter the house.

Qin Huairu walked into the house, put the basket on the table, and then stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Please sit down." He Yudong finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, as if he had not spoken for a long time.

Qin Huairu nodded and sat down gently on the chair.

The room fell silent, and neither of them spoke. He Yudong looked at Qin Huairu, feeling mixed emotions. He once loved this woman deeply, but now, he only felt resentment and disappointment towards her.

"Yudong, I know you hate me." Qin Huairu broke the silence, her voice tinged with tears, "But I... I can't help it."

He Yudong sneered: "No way? You can send me to jail for Banggen? You can ruin my whole life for your own child?"

Qin Huairu's tears flowed down: "Yudong, I know I was wrong, I'm sorry. But Banggeng is my child, I can't just ignore him."

"So you treat me as a sacrifice?" He Yudong raised his voice, "Have you ever thought that I am also a human being and I have my own life?"

"Yudong, I know I have let you down, and I am willing to spend the rest of my life making it up to you." Qin Huairu said crying.

"Make up for it? How do you make up for it?" He Yudong's tone was full of sarcasm. "Can you let me go back to work in the factory? Can you let me regain everything I lost?"

Qin Huairu shook her head. She knew she couldn't make up for He Yudong's loss.

"Yudong, I know that nothing I say can win back your heart, but I..."

"That's enough!" He Yudong interrupted Qin Huairu, "Go away, I don't want to see you again."

Qin Huairu's tears flowed even harder. She stood up, picked up the basket, and walked out of the room silently.

He Yudong looked at Qin Huairu's departing back, and felt empty in his heart. He knew that he would never be able to forgive this woman in his lifetime.

When Sha Zhu returned home, he saw He Yudong sitting alone in the room with a gloomy face.

"Yudong, what's wrong? Has Qin Huairu been here?" asked Sha Zhu.

He Yudong nodded and said nothing.

"What did she say to you?" Sha Zhu asked again.

"Nothing." He Yudong didn't want to mention Qin Huairu anymore. He felt very tired, both physically and mentally.

"Yudong, I know you feel bad, but..."

"Brother, I'm fine, don't worry about me." He Yudong interrupted Sha Zhu, "I want to be alone for a while."

Sha Zhu sighed, knowing that He Yudong needed time to digest all this. He patted He Yudong on the shoulder and walked out of the room.

He Yudong sat alone in the room, with a lot of thoughts in his mind. He didn't know what to do, nor did he know where his future would lie. He felt like a traveler lost in the desert, unable to find the direction or see hope.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside the door. He got up and walked to the door, opened it, and saw that the yard was full of people, all talking.

"What's going on?" He Yudong asked a neighbor next to him.

"I heard that Jia Zhang is ill and her condition is quite serious," the neighbor replied.

He Yudong was stunned for a moment. Jia Zhang was ill? This was beyond his expectation. He hesitated for a moment, but decided to go and see.

He walked to the door of Jia's house and saw that the door was closed and bursts of crying came from inside. He pushed the door open and walked in, and saw Qin Huairu hugging Jia Zhang and crying heartbreakingly.

Jia Zhang was lying on the bed, her face pale and her breathing weak. Seeing He Yudong coming in, she opened her eyes with difficulty and said in a weak voice: "Yudong... I... I'm sorry..."

He Yudong looked at Jia Zhang with mixed feelings. He used to hate this old woman, hated her for being sarcastic and unreasonable. But now, seeing her dying, he actually felt a little sympathy in his heart.

"Yudong...I...I know I was...wrong..." Jia Zhang said intermittently, "I...shouldn't...treat you like that..."

He Yudong looked at Jia Zhang and said nothing. He didn't know what to say, nor did he know whether he should forgive her.

"Yudong...I...please...forgive me..." Jia Zhang's voice became weaker and weaker, "I...don't want to...leave...with...regrets..."

He Yudong looked at Jia Zhang and struggled in his heart. He thought of his past experiences and the pain he had suffered. He really didn't know whether he should forgive this old woman.

Suddenly, Jia Zhang's eyes widened and her breathing stopped. Qin Huairu hugged Jia Zhang's body and cried even more sadly.

He Yudong looked at this scene with mixed feelings. He didn't know what to do or where to go.

At this moment, he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned around and saw Sha Zhu standing behind him, looking at him with concern.

"Yudong," Shazhu said, "I am deeply sorry for the loss."

He Yudong nodded and said nothing.

"Let's go," Sha Zhu pulled He Yudong's hand, "Let's go out."

He Yudong followed Sha Zhu out of Jia's house. When the people in the yard saw them coming out, they all gathered around them.

"Yudong, are you okay?"

"Yudong, I am deeply sorry for the loss."

People came to comfort He Yudong. Looking at these familiar faces, He Yudong suddenly felt a warm current in his heart. He knew that he was not alone in this world.

"Yudong," Shazhu suddenly said, "I...I want to tell you something."

He Yudong looked at Sha Zhu, waiting for him to continue.

"I...I like you." Sha Zhu said with a red face, "I have always...liked you."

The knock on the door was very light, as if he was afraid of disturbing the people in the room. He Yudong put down the book in his hand, walked to the door, hesitated for a moment before opening it.

Standing outside the door was Qin Huairu, who looked much more haggard, with red eyes, as if she had been crying. Seeing He Yudong, she forced a smile: "Yudong, you...you're back."

He Yudong was stunned for a moment, then stepped aside to let her in. Qin Huairu walked into the room and stood there uncomfortably, her hands tightly clasped together.

The room was very simple, with only a bed, a table, and a few chairs. He Yudong poured a glass of water for Qin Huairu and handed it to her: "Sit down."

Qin Huairu took the cup of water, said thank you softly, and then sat down on the chair.

"Are...are you doing well?" Qin Huairu's voice was very low, like the humming of a mosquito.

He Yudong laughed at himself and said, "Do I look like I'm living a good life?"

Qin Huairu lowered her head and said nothing.

The room fell into silence and the atmosphere was a little awkward.

After a long while, Qin Huairu raised her head and looked at He Yudong, seeming to want to say something but stopping herself.

"If you have anything to say, just tell me." He Yudong said.

Qin Huairu bit her lip, as if she had made up her mind: "Yudong, I want to ask you to help me."

He Yudong raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue.

"I... I really have no other choice." Qin Huairu's voice choked, "Bang Geng... he is sick and needs a lot of money for surgery."

He Yudong's heart sank suddenly, he knew that the stick was Qin Huairu's lifeblood.

"How much does it cost?" he asked.

"The doctor said it would cost at least one thousand yuan," Qin Huairu said.

One thousand yuan! At that time, this was not a small amount of money. He Yudong was penniless now, let alone one thousand yuan, he couldn't even take out a hundred yuan.

"I..." He Yudong opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

Qin Huairu saw He Yudong's embarrassment and tears started to flow again: "Yudong, I know your current situation is also very difficult, but...but I really have no other choice, please, help me."

Seeing Qin Huairu crying, He Yudong's heart softened. He knew that Qin Huairu would not come to him unless she had no other choice.

"Huai Ru, don't cry, I will find a way." He Yudong said.

Hearing He Yudong say this, Qin Huairu seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and asked quickly: "Really? Are you really willing to help me?"

He Yudong nodded: "Well, I will try my best."

Although he said so, He Yudong had no idea in his heart. He had nothing now, where could he get a thousand yuan?

Qin Huairu burst into laughter and looked at He Yudong gratefully: "Thank you, Yudong, thank you so much."

"What are you thanking me for? We used to..." He Yudong stopped talking here. He knew that some things were no longer suitable to be said.

Qin Huairu also understood what He Yudong meant. Her face slightly blushed and she lowered her head.

"I'll go back first. Banggeng is still waiting for me in the hospital." Qin Huairu stood up and said.

"Let me take you there." He Yudong said.

"No need, I can go back by myself." Qin Huairu said.

He Yudong did not insist any longer and watched Qin Huairu walk out of the room.

After Qin Huairu left, He Yudong sat alone in the room, frowning. How could he get one thousand yuan?

He cast his eyes towards Sha Zhu's room. He knew that Sha Zhu still had some savings. But how could he ask Sha Zhu to lend him money?

Sha Zhu has been good enough to him, how could he trouble him again?

He Yudong hesitated for a long time, and finally decided to find Sha Zhu.

He walked to the door of Shazhu's room and knocked gently.

"Who is it?" Sha Zhu's voice came from inside.

"Brother, it's me." He Yudong said.

"Yudong, come in."

He Yudong pushed the door open and walked in.

Sha Zhu was sitting at the table eating. When he saw He Yudong come in, he quickly invited him to eat with him.

He Yudong shook his head: "Brother, I'm not hungry, I have something to tell you."

Sha Zhu put down his chopsticks and looked at He Yudong: "What's the matter? Why are you so serious?"

He Yudong took a deep breath and said, "Brother, I want to borrow some money from you."

Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Borrow money? How much do you want to borrow?"

"One thousand yuan." He Yudong said.

"One thousand yuan!" Sha Zhu exclaimed in surprise, "What do you want so much money for?"

He Yudong told Sha Zhu about Qin Huairu's affairs.

After listening to this, Sha Zhu was silent for a moment, then said, "Yudong, you are so confused! How could you agree to her? Do you know what a thousand yuan means? In your current situation, what can you use to pay it back?"

He Yudong lowered his head and said nothing.

"Yudong, I know you are soft-hearted, but you can't be like this. If you continue like this, you will drag yourself down sooner or later." Sha Zhu advised earnestly.