Siheyuan: Starting from the Old Society

Sha Zhu lowered his head and replied sullenly, "I know, uncle."

Yi Zhonghai looked at Xu Damao again, his tone a little stern: "Da Mao, you should also say less! Don't you know what kind of person Sha Zhu is? He is just dumb and soft-hearted, don't always make fun of him!"

Xu Damao curled his lips and replied reluctantly: "I know, uncle."

Seeing that both of them had behaved themselves, Yi Zhonghai nodded and turned back to the backyard.

Xu Damao glared at Sha Zhu fiercely, then turned around and went back to the central courtyard.

Sha Zhu stood there, looking at Xu Damao's back with a complicated look in his eyes. He was not a fool, so he could tell that Yi Zhonghai was favoring him. However, he did not feel very happy in his heart, but became more annoyed.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Ever since Qin Huairu helped him out, his heart had been in a mess, like a tangled knot that he couldn't sort out.

Sha Zhu scratched his hair in annoyance and decided to go to the backyard to find Qin Huairu to ask for clarification.

As soon as he walked to the backyard door, he heard a suppressed cry coming from the house. He was very familiar with that voice, it was Qin Huairu's.

Sha Zhu was shocked and didn't care about anything else. He pushed the door open and walked in.

Qin Huairu was seen sitting on the edge of the bed with her head down, her shoulders twitching constantly, and she was obviously crying very sadly.

"Huai Ru, what's wrong with you? Who bullied you?" Sha Zhu asked anxiously, his tone full of worry.

Qin Huairu heard Sha Zhu's voice, raised her head suddenly, looked at him with tearful eyes, and then...

She suddenly threw herself into Sha Zhu's arms and hugged him tightly.

"Shazhu, I...I..." Qin Huairu choked but couldn't speak.

Sha Zhu was at a loss for what to do because of Qin Huairu's sudden action. He stood there stiffly, not knowing what to do.

"Silly, I...I'm pregnant..."

Qin Huairu's voice was like a bomb, exploding in Sha Zhu's ears.

Sha Zhu stared blankly at the things in his hand, cheap cigarettes, colorful fruit candies, these things were totally inconsistent with Qin Huairu's usual thrifty character. He suddenly realized that Qin Huairu deliberately went against Xu Damao in order to protect him.

A warm feeling surged in his heart, and Sha Zhu's nose was sore, and he almost cried. How could he deserve Qin Huairu to stand up for him like this?

"Huai Ru, you..." Sha Zhu opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

Qin Huairu avoided his gaze, lowered her head, and rubbed the corner of her clothes nervously with her hands, "I'll go in first, you...you should go back and rest early too."

After saying that, she ran back to the backyard as if escaping.

Sha Zhu looked at her flustered back, feeling mixed emotions. He had a feeling that Qin Huairu's attitude towards him seemed different from before.

In the next few days, Sha Zhu always found various excuses to go to Qin Huairu's house, helping her chop wood, fetch water, and do repairs. Qin Huairu said she didn't need it, but seeing how clumsy he was, she couldn't help but come forward to help.

As the two of them interacted, an inexplicable ambiguity gradually grew in their relationship.

That day, Sha Zhu came to Qin Huairu's house again, saying that he wanted to help her fix the table.

The table in Qin Huairu's house was already worn out, with some parts missing and only supported by a few bricks. Sha Zhu had long wanted to help her get a new one, but was afraid that Qin Huairu would not accept it.

"Huai Ru, your table is too broken. Let me get you a new one." Sha Zhu asked tentatively while knocking on it.

"No, just use this one. I don't have the money to buy a new one anyway." Qin Huairu answered casually while doing needlework.

"It's okay, I have money, I'll buy it for you!" Sha Zhu said, patting his chest.

"Where did you get the money? You give all your salary to your sister every month. Do you keep any money for yourself?" Qin Huairu raised her head and looked at him suspiciously.

"I...I saved it!" Sha Zhu felt guilty when he saw her looking at him, and avoided her eyes.

"Shazhu, tell me honestly, have you helped the Jia family behind my back again?" Qin Huairu put down the needle and thread in her hand and her tone became serious.

Sha Zhu panicked immediately, "No, I didn't! I really didn't help the Jia family this time!"

"Where did you get the money?" Qin Huairu pressed on.

Sha Zhu was forced into a corner and had to stammer out the truth, "I...I sold my treasure."

"Baby? What baby?" Qin Huairu was even more confused.

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth, took out a small red cloth bag from his arms, opened it, and saw a crystal clear jade pendant inside.

“This… this is…” Qin Huairu recognized it at a glance. This jade pendant was Sha Zhu’s heirloom. He had always treasured it so much that he usually kept it close to his body. How could he bear to sell it?

"Silly Zhu, you..." Qin Huairu felt mixed emotions and she didn't know what to say.

Sha Zhu stuffed the jade pendant into her hand, "Huai Ru, stop talking, I know what you are thinking. Although this jade pendant is my heirloom, no matter how precious it is, it is not as important as you! I would rather sell it and let you live a good life!"

Qin Huairu's eyes were moist. She stroked the jade pendant with trembling hands, her heart filled with emotion and sorrow...

At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the house, and Jia Zhang's sharp voice penetrated the courtyard wall and came in.

"Qin Huairu, you are a jinx, a money-loser, why don't you get out of here right now!"

Qin Huairu was shocked. Sha Zhu's words rang in her ears like thunder. She stared blankly at Sha Zhu, a man who usually looked carefree, but whose eyes were full of sincerity and love. This made her feel a little overwhelmed, and caused ripples in her heart, which had been calm for many years.

"Silly Zhu, you..." Qin Huairu was about to speak, but was interrupted by the sarcastic voice of Jia Zhang outside the house.

"Qin Huairu, you are a jinx! You are a money-loser! Are you hiding in the house to steal other men? Get out of here right now!" Jia Zhang's voice was as harsh and unpleasant as the cry of a crow.

When Sha Zhu heard this, he immediately flew into a rage. He stuffed the jade pendant in Qin Huairu's hand and said, "Huairu, wait and see how I deal with this old hag!"

After that, he rushed out angrily, pushed away Jia Zhang who was blocking the door, pointed at her nose and cursed: "Old woman, watch your mouth! Who stole the man? Which eye did you see? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will tear your mouth apart!"

Jia Zhang was startled by Sha Zhu's sudden momentum, but soon she returned to her shrewish nature, with her hands on her hips, pointing at Sha Zhu's nose and cursing: "Hey, Sha Zhu, you are a conscienceless ungrateful bastard! Don't you look at yourself? You are a cook, and you want to be a hero and save the beauty? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? Do you think you are worthy of our Huai Ru?"

Sha Zhu hated it most when people said he was not good enough for Qin Huairu. His face turned red and he roared, "Whether I am good enough for Huairu or not is none of your business! You old hag, you only know how to suck the blood and sweat of your daughter-in-law like a vampire, and you still have the nerve to say that to me? Don't you even look at your precious son, who is lazy and idle? If it weren't for Huairu, he would have starved to death long ago!"

"You! You..." Jia Zhang was left speechless by what Sha Zhu said. She was so angry that she was shaking all over, and her fingers that were pointing at Sha Zhu were trembling.

"Shazhu, stop talking!" Qin Huairu walked out of the house, pulled the corner of Shazhu's clothes, and signaled him to stop talking.

When Sha Zhu saw Qin Huairu coming out, his tone softened a little. He looked at Qin Huairu and said softly, "Huairu, don't be afraid. I'm here. I won't let anyone bully you!"

Qin Huairu felt warm in her heart. She raised her head and looked at Sha Zhu's determined eyes. An inexplicable feeling came over her. Maybe Sha Zhu was really a man she could rely on.

Seeing that Sha Zhu ignored her and instead showed concern for Qin Huairu, Jia Zhang became even more upset. She pointed at Qin Huairu's nose and cursed, "Qin Huairu, you shameless thing! Have you forgotten that you are a widow after having a wild man? I tell you, as long as I am alive, don't even think about remarrying!"

Qin Huairu turned pale. She was most afraid of others talking about her remarriage. Jia Zhang's words were like a sharp sword, piercing her heart. She bit her lip, holding back tears, and said nothing.

Seeing that Qin Huairu was wronged, Sha Zhu felt distressed. He protected Qin Huairu behind him and shouted at Jia Zhang: "Old hag, that's enough! It's her freedom to remarry or not. It's not your turn to say anything! If you dare to talk nonsense again, be careful of me..."

Before he finished speaking, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him:

"How about you be careful? Huh?"

"Qin Huairu, you are a jinx and a money-loser. Get out of here right now!" Jia Zhang was like a mad bitch. Her voice was so sharp and piercing that it hurt people's eardrums.

Qin Huairu's face turned pale, and the jade pendant in her hand almost slipped. Seeing this, Sha Zhu snatched the jade pendant and stuffed it back into his pocket, cursing in a low voice: "What is this crazy old woman doing?"

"What else could it be? You must be hungry again and come to ask you for money!" Before Sha Zhu could say anything, the sarcastic voice of the third uncle came from outside the house, "Sha Zhu, you are too soft-hearted. This Jia family is a bottomless pit that you can never fill!"

Sha Zhu hates being called stupid, especially in front of Qin Huairu. He stiffened his neck and was about to retort when he heard Jia Zhang's curse getting closer, "Qin Huairu, you jinx, you killed men, and you want to kill our Bang Geng too? Hurry up and take out the money, or I'll never let you go today!"

"Ms. Jia Zhang, don't go too far!" As Sha Zhu heard her words getting more and more outrageous, he immediately flew into a rage. He opened the door and rushed out, "Just you dare to scold Huai Ru again!"

Jia Zhang had expected Sha Zhu to help Qin Huairu, so when she saw him coming out, she immediately sat down on the ground and started throwing a tantrum, "Oh, someone hit me, Sha Zhu hit me! You bullied us, an orphan and a widow! Old Jia, you died miserably, your wife was bullied to such an extent..."