Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

Sha Zhu seemed to be under a spell, with his feet nailed to the ground by countless steel nails. He couldn't move at all. He just stared blankly as Cao Wei, Lou Xiao'e, Qin Huairu and Yu Li walked away, talking and laughing.

His eyes were as big as copper bells, and it seemed as if spurting out blazing flames from his wide-open eye sockets at any time, as if to completely burn the scene before him that made him extremely angry and jealous to death, and turn it into ashes.

His face, which originally had a bit of simplicity and honesty and was always adorned with a hearty smile, was now filled with shock, anger and unwillingness, as if the pillar supporting his soul had been forcibly snatched away by the ruthless hand of fate. His whole body was tottering, as if a gentle breeze could blow his thin body to the ground.

As a long-time bootlicker who is almost stubborn in his love life, Qin Huairu's position in his heart has long surpassed ordinary liking and has unknowingly been sublimated into an existence that is almost like faith.

Over the years, his heart and eyes have been filled with Qin Huairu.

For her, Sha Zhu is willing to go through fire and water and give everything he has without reservation.

He once experienced a cold winter when the wind was biting hard and snowing heavily outside. The whole world was covered with ice and snow, and it was so cold that it seemed as if it could freeze people into ice sculptures.

But in order to deliver a hot meal to Qin Huairu's family, he didn't even have time to button up his cotton jacket and jogged in the biting cold wind.

By the time the food was delivered, his hands and feet had already lost feeling from the cold, turning blue and numb, but his eyes were filled with joy at seeing Qin Huairu.

When Qin Huairu was crying and worrying about trivial matters in life, he would stand by her silently, like a child who had done something wrong, at a loss but clumsily comforting her, racking his brains to think of ways to make her happy.

He would tell jokes that weren't very funny and imitate some funny actions just to make her laugh.

But what he got in return was Qin Huairu's always lukewarm and indifferent attitude. His enthusiasm was extinguished time and time again, but his hope was rekindled time and time again.

But now, he saw Qin Huairu, whom he worshipped as a goddess, talking intimately with Cao Wei like a little bird.

From time to time, she would playfully pat Cao Wei's shoulder. Her cute and lively look, the slightly upturned corners of her mouth, and the sparkling light in her eyes were things that Sha Zhu had never seen in all the countless days and nights of companionship.

This scene was like an extremely sharp blade that pierced straight into his heart. It hurt so much that he could hardly breathe. He felt that the breath of life was dissipating bit by bit and he was in excruciating pain.

His hands unconsciously clenched into fists driven by anger and unwillingness. His knuckles turned white from excessive force. The blue veins on the back of his hands were like angry little snakes, bulging out. His arms were trembling slightly due to emotional excitement. It was an expression of helplessness and despair that came from being extremely angry but being tightly bound by the shackles of reality and having nowhere to vent.

"Why? Why can Cao Wei win Huai Ru's favor?"

Sha Zhu roared hysterically in his heart, his voice becoming hoarse and broken due to trembling and collapse, as if it was the whimpering of an old bellows.

His breathing became rapid and heavy, and his chest heaved violently, like an enraged bull, breathing heavily from his nostrils, ready to attack at any time and smash everything in front of him to pieces.

What is even more difficult for Sha Zhu to accept is that not only Qin Huairu, but also Lou Xiao'e and Yu Li show an extraordinary intimacy towards Cao Wei.

As the daughter-in-law of Cao Wei, it is normal and understandable for Yu Li to be intimate with her husband.

But Lou Xiao'e and Qin Huairu's attitudes made Sha Zhu's head a mess and he couldn't figure it out.

In his simple, pure and naive mind, he really couldn't understand why these three women with different personalities and each having their own merits would surround Cao Wei like stars surrounding the moon, listen to him and take care of him.

Lou Xiao'e has always been arrogant and cold, so how could she be so gentle to Cao Wei? Qin Huairu has always been cautious about feelings, but now she is so close to Cao Wei. All this makes Sha Zhu feel incredible.

Sha Zhu felt that the entire world he had carefully woven collapsed without any warning at this moment.

He once naively thought that as long as he worked hard enough and persisted enough, he would be able to open Qin Huairu's heart and win her heart one day.

He had imagined countless times in his mind that Qin Huairu would be moved by his sincerity and the two of them could spend the rest of their lives together.

But now, this cruel and cold reality is like a heavy hammer, smashing his beautiful fantasy into pieces, leaving nothing behind.

The feeling of being betrayed and abandoned completely drowned him like a surging tide, leaving him struggling on the brink of suffocation, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss of darkness, without a glimmer of light.

"No, I have to find out what's going on!"

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words word by word from between his teeth. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his soul.

His eyes, which already contained a hint of stubbornness, now showed a bit more determination to fight to the death, as if he was a soldier who was about to go to the battlefield, ready to die.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his violently heaving chest and his raging emotions, but his rapid breathing still exposed the turmoil in his heart.

Then he crouched down, like a guilty thief, and carefully followed in the direction of Cao Wei and his men.

His footsteps were extremely light, and every step he took seemed as if he was afraid of disturbing the most fragile dust in the world, and there was hardly any sound.

His eyes were like a falcon staring at its prey, closely following every move of the four people in front of him, afraid that he would lose them if he was not careful. His focused eyes seemed to be able to see through everything.

With every step he took, he looked left and right vigilantly, as if he was avoiding some deadly danger to make sure he would not be discovered.

When passing by a shop on the street, he would pretend to look around casually, his eyes sweeping across the goods in the window. He seemed nonchalant, but in fact he was using the blurry reflection of the window to observe whether anyone behind him noticed his sneaky behavior. His cautious look made people feel as if he was taking a life-and-death adventure.

Pedestrians come and go on the street, the noise of traffic is endless, the sound of bicycle bells and people's laughter are intertwined, forming a lively market scene.

But Sha Zhu seemed to be in a silent world. Everything in the outside world had nothing to do with him. All his attention was focused on the target in front of him as if attracted by a magnet.

The cheerful laughter of Cao Wei and his friends reached his ears from time to time. Each sound was like a handful of salt, precisely sprinkled on his bleeding wounds, making his jealousy burn more and more fiercely, almost devouring him.

His mind kept uncontrollably reflecting on all the things he had done for Qin Huairu, his heartfelt devotion, his unreserved love, but in return he got her closeness with someone else. This made Sha Zhu feel extremely aggrieved and angry, and the pain in his heart was like waves, hitting him one after another and making him almost drowned.

"Humph, I want to see what the hell you are doing!"

Sha Zhu secretly swore in his heart that he must uncover the truth hidden behind this, even if this truth would be like a sharper knife, hurting him more deeply and causing him more pain, he would never retreat and never give up.

At this moment, he was like a completely enraged beast, rushing towards the unknown truth regardless of everything. Even if what was waiting for him ahead was a bottomless abyss, he would not look back, as if the unknown truth was his only hope of survival.

Sha Zhu bent over all the way, following Cao Wei and his group closely like a shadow, and finally arrived at Wangfujing Street.

This street, which usually seemed bustling and full of life to him, now seemed like a farce stage specially choreographed for him, causing him great torment.

The numerous shops on the street and the constant shouting became the backdrop of this farce.

The vendor selling candied haws held up a straw target filled with candied haws and shouted loudly; in front of the department store, people came in and out, their faces filled with love for life.

But in Sha Zhu's eyes, all these became scenes of mockery towards him.

Seeing Cao Wei flirting with the three women in a place where no one was around and behaving intimately, as if all three women were in his pocket, Sha Zhu's face turned purple, like a ripe but rotten eggplant, or a pig's liver that had been beaten heavily.

The anger in his heart was like a volcano about to erupt; the hot magma was surging wildly in his chest, as if it would burst through his chest and gush out in the next second, turning everything around him into scorched earth.

His hands were tightly grasping the corner of his clothes, as if that corner was the outlet for his anger. His knuckles turned white due to the force, and his nails almost dug into his palms, leaving deep crescent marks. Bright red blood oozed out, slowly slid down his palms and dripped onto the ground, but he didn't feel any pain at all. His heart and eyes were filled with endless anger and unwillingness. The anger was like a surging tide that completely drowned him.

"What kind of magic did this kid use?!"

Sha Zhu roared in his heart at the top of his lungs, his teeth chattering. The sound seemed to break through his chest and shatter everything in the world. His body trembled slightly with anger, like an active volcano about to erupt.

The three women pulled Cao Wei into a state-owned clothing store.

The shelves in the store are neatly lined with simple yet practical clothes, each of which carries the simplicity and tenacity unique to that era.

There is also a slogan posted on the wall: "Hard work, diligence and thrift". The eye-catching large characters seem to remind everyone how difficult life is, and also tell the spiritual outlook of people of that era.

Lou Xiao'e stopped in front of a row of cloth shirts. Her fingers gently ran across each shirt, feeling the roughness and texture of the fabric with her fingertips, and finally picked up a dark blue cloth shirt.

The shirt was extremely plain in style, without any gorgeous decorations. The collar and cuffs had just simple stitches without any unnecessary decoration, but the material was thick, the texture was tight, and it felt very solid.

She held the shirt in front of her body and looked at herself in the mirror. Her gentle face was reflected in the mirror. Although it was not tailored in a gorgeous way, the shirt exuded a unique gentle temperament on her, as if it brought out the elegance and composure in her bones, making her look more dignified and generous.

Cao Wei smiled and said, "Xiao'e, this shirt suits you very well. It looks down-to-earth, just like you. It makes people feel at ease."

Lou Xiao'e raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a faint smile, her eyes full of joy and shyness after being praised. That smile was like a flower blooming in spring, instantly lighting up her face.

Qin Huairu was selecting floral cloth on the side. In that era of material scarcity but full of enthusiasm for life, floral cloth was a precious treasure that women used to embellish their lives.

Her eyes moved across the pieces of floral cloth, her eyes filled with desire for beauty and love for life, and finally she picked up a piece of cloth printed with small floral patterns.

The broken flowers are small and delicate, with bright colors but not ostentatious. Each broken flower seems to be telling the beauty of life and is full of the breath of life.

With a twinkle in her eyes, she said excitedly to everyone: "If I use this cloth to make a dress, and cut some cloth to make new clothes for the children, they will be very happy. It has been a long time since they have bought new clothes. Now during the New Year, the children can also wear beautiful clothes and have a happy New Year."

Cao Wei nodded in agreement: "Huai Ru, you are so thoughtful. The children will definitely look good in them. As a mother, you always take your children to heart. You are a good and competent mother."

Yu Li found a military green work suit on the shelf. This kind of work suit was very popular at the time. It represented fashion and sophistication, and also symbolized the independence and tenacity of women of that era.

After she put it on, she gently patted the wrinkles on her body, trying to make the work clothes look neater, fastened the buttons at the collar, and carefully tidied her hair in front of the mirror, tucked the loose hair behind her ears, making herself look more energetic.

She turned to Cao Wei and asked, "Wei Zi, how do I look in this workwear? Does it look too tough?"

Cao Wei smiled and pinched her face, saying lovingly: "My wife looks energetic in anything she wears. This workwear makes you look even more heroic, like a female warrior."

Sha Zhu hid in the corner, like a lurking beast, staring at them intently.

Watching them talking and laughing, being so intimate with each other, the fire of jealousy in my heart burned fiercely, burning more and more fiercely, as if it was going to set the whole store on fire.

He watched how Cao Wei treated every woman with great care. His gentle eyes, thoughtful words, and every subtle movement were like a knife, piercing Sha Zhu's heart.

He clenched his fists, his nails dug deeply into his palms, leaving streaks of blood. The blood slowly flowed down between his fingers and dripped onto the ground, forming a small pool of dark red blood. But he was unaware of it. His heart was filled with jealousy and anger, and his reason had long been thrown out of the window. There was only one thought in his mind: Why is this happening?

After buying women's clothing, they went to the men's clothing area.

Yu Li carefully selected from a pile of Zhongshan suits. Her fingers gently stroked each Zhongshan suit, feeling the texture of the fabric and the fine workmanship. Each piece of clothing was like a precious work of art in her hands.

Finally, she picked up a navy blue one. Although the fabric was not of the highest quality and did not have that soft and smooth touch, but felt a bit rough, the workmanship was still fine, and every stitch was delicate and neat, showing the craftsman's dedication.

She took the clothes and walked to Cao Wei, looking him up and down, her eyes full of expectation: "Wei Zi, try this Zhongshan suit. The material looks strong and the style is right. It will definitely fit you well. You will definitely look very energetic when you wear it."

Lou Xiao'e also said, "This color looks steady. It will definitely look good on you. It will make you look more energetic, like a responsible man."

Qin Huairu picked out a thick cotton jacket. In that era when supplies were not abundant, such a warm and durable jacket was a rare treasure.

Its surface is rough khaki, which feels a bit prickly, and the inside is filled with thick cotton. There is a furry edge on the collar and cuffs, which looks very warm.

She smiled and said, "If you wear this in winter, you won't be afraid of the cold. Try it. If it fits you well, you can rely on it when you go out in winter. You won't have to worry about being frozen anymore."

Cao Wei walked into the fitting room and came out soon wearing a Zhongshan suit.

Although the clothes are rather plain, without too many decorations and gorgeous designs, and without those delicate buttons and complicated patterns, but when worn on him, it makes him look tall and straight, with extraordinary temperament, and the whole person looks more mature and stable.

The three women nodded in praise, their faces filled with happy smiles. Their smiles contained admiration for Cao Wei, as well as family-like warmth and sweetness, as if they really were a big, close-knit family.

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