Siheyuan: Starting from the Old Society

"Can you steal my money just for Bang Geng? Bang Geng is my grandson, I don't feel bad for him, so why should she feel bad?"

Sha Zhu was so angry at Jia Zhang's words that he was speechless. He looked at the desperate Qin Huairu and the numb and indifferent neighbors around him, and suddenly felt extremely angry.

"That's enough!" Sha Zhu roared, pushing Jia Zhang away, "I'll take care of your family's affairs!"

Sha Zhu stared blankly at the cigarette and candy in his hand, and an inexplicable feeling came over him. He wanted to say something, but Qin Huairu had already turned around and went back to the backyard, leaving him with only a thin but determined back.

Seeing that there was nothing exciting to watch, the people around also dispersed. Xu Damao looked gloomy and glared at Sha Zhu fiercely, as if to say, "You are lucky!" Then, he turned around and went back to his room.

Sha Zhu stood there, feeling the remaining warmth in his hands, and replaying the scene of Qin Huairu defending him in his mind. He was not a fool, so he could naturally feel how good Qin Huairu was to him, but... he knew in his heart that Qin Huairu was Jia Dongxu's wife, and he couldn't and shouldn't have any improper thoughts.

"What are you standing there for? It's past dinner time!"

A slightly hoarse female voice interrupted Sha Zhu's thoughts. He looked up and saw that it was the deaf old lady who lived in the backyard.

"Hey, old lady, I'll be right there!" Sha Zhu responded quickly, put the cigarettes and fruit candies in his pocket, and turned into the kitchen.

The deaf old lady looked at Sha Zhu's back, and a gleam of light flashed in her cloudy eyes. Sha Zhu looked simple and honest, but his heart was like a mirror. It was just that his temper was too stubborn, and I don't know who benefited from it...

......

Since Xu Damao came back, there has been no peace in the courtyard. He relied on his position as a buyer for the steel mill to show off his power all day long, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. People in the courtyard dared not speak out.

Because of Qin Huairu's matter, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao completely fell out. Whenever they met, they would fight and they wished they could eat each other alive.

That day, Sha Zhu came back from get off work in the cafeteria. As he walked to the gate of the courtyard, he heard a commotion coming from the yard.

"Qin Huairu, you shameless person, how dare you steal my eggs!"

It was Jia Zhang's sarcastic voice.

Sha Zhu's heart skipped a beat and he quickly quickened his pace and ran towards the yard.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Jia Zhang pointing at Qin Huairu's nose and cursing at her, while Qin Huairu lowered her head, saying nothing, letting Jia Zhang's saliva spray on her face.

"What's going on?" Sha Zhu walked forward and asked with a frown.

When Jia Zhang saw Sha Zhu, she immediately found a backer. She pointed at Qin Huairu and cried, "Sha Zhu, you have to take charge of this for me! Qin Huairu stole my eggs!"

"Steal your eggs?" Sha Zhu was stunned and turned to look at Qin Huairu, "Huairu, what's going on?"

Qin Huairu bit her lip and said nothing.

Seeing this, Jia Zhang became even more arrogant: "What? You've been caught red-handed, so you have nothing to say, right? I'm telling you, if you don't give me an explanation today, I'll go to the street office and sue you!"

Sha Zhu looked at Qin Huairu's aggrieved look and felt distressed. He knew Qin Huairu too well. Although she came from a poor family, she was kind and would never do anything sneaky.

"Jia Zhang, stop slandering me!" Sha Zhu said angrily, "You said Huairu stole your eggs. What evidence do you have?"

"I..." Jia Zhang was frightened by Sha Zhu's momentum and was speechless for a moment.

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't have evidence!" Sha Zhu snorted coldly, "I think you are just looking for trouble!"

"Shazhu, you..." Jia Zhang was so angry that her face turned pale, and the finger that was pointing at Shazhu kept shaking.

"What do you mean by 'I'? Did I say anything wrong?" Sha Zhu stared back at her without showing any weakness. "Don't you look at yourself? You are lazy and gluttonous all day long. You only know how to bully Huai Ru. How can you be so embarrassed?"

"You...you damn thing, how dare you talk to me like that!" Jia Zhang was furious and pounced on Sha Zhu, trying to scratch him.

Sha Zhu was prepared, dodged sideways, then grabbed Jia Zhang's wrist and pushed hard...

Sha Zhu stared blankly at the things in his hands: cheap cigarettes, a few pieces of fruit candy, the wrapping paper was rough, and there was a smell of inferior flavoring. He was not a fool, so he naturally understood that Qin Huairu did it on purpose, using this method to maintain his dignity and also give Xu Damao a soft nail.

"Huai Ru, you..." Sha Zhu opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. This woman was always like this, using her weak shoulders to shield him from the wind and rain of life.

Seeing his stunned look, Qin Huairu couldn't help but burst out laughing, with a bit of cunning in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows: "Why, Shazhu, are you worried about the money? Don't worry, it didn't cost much, I put the rest in my pocket."

As she spoke, she deliberately patted her pocket, making a "rustling" sound, as if there was really a lot of money in it.

Sha Zhu was amused by her money-grubbing appearance, and the depression in his heart was relieved a little. He laughed and scolded unhappily: "You spendthrift woman, you only know how to make fun of me!"

Qin Huairu did not refute, but just looked at him with a smile. Her big watery eyes seemed to contain all kinds of charm, which made Sha Zhu's heart flutter.

"Okay, put the things away quickly and don't let anyone see them." Qin Huairu said, turning around and going back to the backyard.

As Sha Zhu looked at her swaying back, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: This Qin Huairu seems... to be getting more and more beautiful.

......

Xu Damao returned home, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He came back this time to humiliate Sha Zhu and vent his anger, but he didn't expect Qin Huairu to mess things up.

"Damn Qin Huairu, she really takes herself seriously!" Xu Damao thought hatefully and kicked over the stool.

"What's wrong? Who offended you?" Lou Xiao'e came out from the inner room holding a plate of peanuts. Seeing his look, she couldn't help but ask.

Xu Damao angrily recounted the incident, and at the end, he angrily cursed: "I don't know what kind of shit luck this idiot Zhu has, to have Qin Huairu protecting him like this!"

After hearing this, Lou Xiao'e covered her mouth and smiled: "Oh, I think this silly Zhu is lucky in love."

"Romance luck?" Xu Damao was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Lou Xiao'e put the peanuts on the table, sat down opposite him, and said slowly: "Didn't you see the way Qin Huairu looked at Sha Zhu today? It was just like that... just like that seductive look."

"Seductive?" Xu Damao recalled the way Qin Huairu looked at Sha Zhu today. There was indeed something wrong, but he couldn't tell what exactly was wrong.

"Don't disbelieve me." Seeing his slow look, Lou Xiao'e couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I'm telling you, once a woman has feelings for a man, she can't hide her feelings. I think Qin Huairu is probably attracted to Sha Zhu!"

"Impossible?" Xu Damao still found it a little hard to believe. In his eyes, although Qin Huairu was good-looking, she was a widow with three children after all. How could Sha Zhu fall in love with her?

"Why not?" Lou Xiao'e smiled meaningfully. "Men are sometimes just cheap. The more they can't get, the more they want. Although Qin Huairu is a widow, she is young and pretty. Sha Zhu, that young man, might be tempted by her!"

Xu Damao suddenly felt a sense of crisis when listening to Lou Xiao'e's words. He knew Sha Zhu too well. Although this guy looked silly, he was stubborn in his heart. Once he made up his mind, no one could change it.

If Qin Huairu really fell in love with Sha Zhu, then wouldn't he...

The more Xu Damao thought about it, the more panicked he became. He would never allow this to happen!

"No, I have to think of a way..." There was a hint of viciousness in Xu Damao's eyes. He would never let Sha Zhu have an easy time!

Sha Zhu stared blankly at Qin Huairu's back, still holding the cheapest pack of cigarettes and a few pieces of fruit candy in his hand. An indescribable feeling came over him, like drinking a bowl of cold sour plum soup in the summer, sour and refreshing with a hint of sweetness.

"Silly Zhu, are you still looking? Qin Huairu is just pitying you, but you really take it seriously?" Xu Damao's sarcastic voice came from the side, his tone full of sarcasm, "So, it feels good to be used as a gun, right?"

Sha Zhu came back to his senses, glanced at Xu Damao, and said in a muffled voice: "Why should you care? You can control everything, but who can you care about Qin Huairu's feelings for?"

"Hey, Shazhu, I haven't seen you for a few days. Are you in a bad mood?" Xu Damao was choked and his face suddenly looked a little embarrassed. He took a step forward, leaned close to Shazhu's ear, and said in a low voice, "I tell you, the widow Qin Huairu is not a good person. You should stay out of it with her, or you will get into trouble!"

Sha Zhu pushed Xu Damao away and said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? How can Qin Huairu not be a good person? If you dare to talk nonsense again, believe it or not, I will beat you up?"

Xu Damao staggered after being pushed by Sha Zhu and almost fell to the ground. He stood firm, pointed at Sha Zhu's nose and cursed: "Sha Zhu, you bastard! You dare to push me? Just wait, this matter is not over yet!"

"It's never over, who's afraid of who?" Sha Zhu stiffened his neck and retorted without showing any weakness.

The two men were on the verge of a fight when Yi Zhonghai, an old man, came out from the backyard. Seeing this, his face darkened and he shouted, "What are you two doing? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

When Sha Zhu and Xu Damao saw the old man, they immediately wilted like deflated balls.

"Uncle, it's Shazhu..." Xu Damao wanted to complain, but was stopped by Yi Zhonghai with a look.

"Alright, stop talking!" Yi Zhonghai waved his hand impatiently, "You are so grown up, but you are still acting like a child. Aren't you ashamed?"

He turned to look at Sha Zhu and said earnestly, "Sha Zhu, I know you feel bad, but you can't fight with Damao! After all, he is a buyer for the factory. If you really hit him, the factory will investigate and it will not be good for you."