Chapter 117: then translation of title

Inside the Siheyuan.

Many things appear ordinary on the surface. Just like the relationship between Yi Zhonghai and Jia Zhangshi, which looks harmonious but is actually a mess.

Qin Huairu went out late at night to meet Yi Zhonghai, not knowing what they would discuss.

The suspicious Jia Zhangshi immediately pressed herself against the glass to spy, clearly worried about Qin Huairu, or possibly uneasy about Yi Zhonghai.

The hypocrite's late-night aid of coarse grain noodles to Qin Huairu.

It was Jia Zhangshi who exposed it publicly.

In times of scarce resources, Yi Zhonghai, under the pretense of providing coarse grain noodles, actually supplied Qin Huairu with white flour. Using the white flour that Yi Zhonghai provided to steam white flour mantou, the lazy and fond-of-eating Jia Zhangshi claimed the mantou were unclean, preferring to eat the wo wo tou that Shazhu provided rather than the white flour mantou.

Yi Zhonghai is in his early fifties.

Shazhu is around thirty years old.

According to certain customs, as Qin Huairu's mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi should be worried about Shazhu, who is only a year or two older than Qin Huairu, rather than being uneasy about Yi Zhonghai, who is about twenty years older than Qin Huairu.

But the truth is the opposite.

What should have been impossible to discover nevertheless happened inside the Siheyuan.

Perhaps Jia Zhangshi knew certain things between Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai that only she knew, such as an unclear relationship between a man and a woman, so she told Bangeng, Xiao Dang, and Huaihua that the white flour mantou Qin Huairu obtained from Yi Zhonghai were dirty.

Furthermore, Jia Zhangshi knew that Shazhu's appearance was not to Qin Huairu's liking, and understood that in Qin Huairu's heart, Shazhu was merely a willing beast of burden helping the Jia family.

Shazhu looks mature for his age; his appearance of seventeen or eighteen resembles someone in their early thirties.

Going out with Xu Daming, the reason he becomes a leaf to Xu Daming's flower and is not liked by girls is not solely because of Xu Daming's job as a film projectionist.

The main factor is Shazhu's poor looks, which leads those girls to mistake him for Xu Daming's uncle; although Shazhu would like to be Xu Daming's godfather, being called 'uncle' by the girls does not please him much.

Xu Daming has a big donkey face, but even that is far better than Shazhu's mature looks.

Why does Qin Huairu feel nothing for Shazhu? Why does Jia Zhangshi feel at ease with Shazhu? The truth is simply that Shazhu's looks are not up to par!

Although not ugly, compared to Jia Dongxu, Shazhu falls far short.

Jia Dongxu is a man with sword-browed, starry eyes and handsome features; even without his mature appearance, Shazhu cannot compare to Jia Dongxu, and he cannot even compare to Xu Daming.

This is one aspect.

The other aspect is Jia Zhangshi's indulgence of Bangeng.

As the children's grandmother, Jia Zhangshi consumes more salt than Bangeng eats rice; she knows the saying 'small theft of needles, great theft of gold,' understands that children should not steal and that stealing is a bad habit, yet she deliberately lets Bangeng steal from Shazhu's home—taking peanuts, cabbage hearts, radishes—and eventually stealing Xu Daming's old hen.

The single word 'steal' reveals its connotation.

Jia Zhangshi has told Bangeng these few sentences: she says when hungry, if Shazhu's home has something, you can go take it, except Shazhu doesn't know; saying 'we have none, others have, go take from others'—this is not stealing, but helping others gain a reputation for kindness and support; those whose things Bangeng took even come back to thank him.

Bangeng has been completely misled by Jia Zhangshi's education; to get money for firecrackers, he blocks Shazhu, saying that if Shazhu brings Teacher Ran over, Shazhu will give him two kuai.

In an era when average monthly wages were less than thirty kuai, Bangeng's opening demand was two kuai—and that's not all; at this time Bangeng is about twelve or thirteen years old.

In his previous life, Shazhu still thought Bangeng cute, a sensible child; now, after careful consideration, he breaks out in a cold sweat, and combined with these present facts, Xu Daming's assertions hit the mark.

The facts are very clear.

Bangeng might not be Jia Dongxu's child, but rather a descendant of Yi Zhonghai.

Jia Zhangshi knowing this, she deliberately corrupted Bangeng, turning him into a petty thief who steals chickens and dogs, a nuisance hated by many; she watches Qin Huairu's late-night rendezvous with Yi Zhonghai, guessing she wants to wait for them to act, then shout loudly to catch Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu in the act, publicly exposing Yi Zhonghai's late-night secret aid of coarse grain noodles to Qin Huairu, intending revenge on Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu.

。 -> This line is just a period? Actually line 【33】 is a single full stop? It's just "。". We need to output translation. Probably it's an empty line with just a period. We'll translate as "."? But we must keep the content. The line is "。". So translation: "." (a period). We'll output 【33】. (just a period). Ensure no extra spaces? We'll output "【33】." (space after bracket?). The format: 【N】 translation. So "【33】.".

。 -> same: ".".

。 -> ".".

Having figured out these intricacies, Shazhu broke out in a cold sweat. The truth is so terrifying, so unbearable.

Looking around, he felt the neighbors' faces turn ugly, become unfamiliar, and even unrecognizable.

Huh!

He exhaled, trying to calm himself, when Shazhu suddenly saw a corpse lying in the Jia family house; Jia Dongxu showed not the slightest concern about his wife Qin Huairu giving birth, and upon reflection, Shazhu was again frightened by his own thoughts, a terrifying fact appearing in his mind that he himself could hardly believe.

In his previous life.

Jia Dongxu died in the year Huaihua was born, apparently around 1960; many say Jia Dongxu died because he was hungry, his mind fuzzy, and he accidentally misoperated the machine, leading to his death.

According to conspiracy theory analysis.

Jia Dongxu's death has many unsolved mysteries; whether Yi Zhonghai was specifically involved remains unknown. What happened in his previous life may not repeat in this life. If it does, Yi Zhonghai would be terrifying—even his disciples could bring themselves to harm him, or perhaps from the moment he took in Jia Dongxu, Yi Zhonghai's heart already harbored killing intent; the so-called care for the elderly is merely a pretense to cover up his true intentions.

Most people in the Siheyuan are workers at the steel mill; some work in the same workshop as Jia Dongxu, doing the same tasks, yet their living conditions are worse than Jia Dongxu's family's. If Jia Dongxu died from misoperating a machine due to hunger, why do those with poorer conditions than his live fine, with no incidents?

Before starting the machine, one always checks the equipment; as a worker with over ten years on the job, Jia Dongxu would certainly not be unaware of such basic reasoning.

In sum, Jia Dongxu's death is full of unsolved mysteries.

Shazhu clearly recalls that in the steel mill, from 1959 to 1962, within four years there was only one fatal accident, and that accident was Jia Dongxu's death.

The more he pondered, the greater the mystery seemed.

Overall, he felt Jia Dongxu's death was full of unpredictable riddles.

Yi Zhonghai, this hypocrite, what role exactly does he play in this matter?

Is he the assassin! Or the planner!

It is well worth Shazhu's deep thought.

He vaguely recalls that after Jia Dongxu's accident, Yi Zhonghai approached Shazhu, explicitly asking him to support Qin Huairu's family; his reason was that the Jia family had two widows: the elder widow Jia Zhangshi, the younger widow Qin Huairu, the two children Bangeng and Xiao Dang, and there was still one in the womb; it's hard for widows and orphans, so neighbors should help as much as possible.

Even if Shazhu gave the excuse that a widow's door invites gossip, Yi Zhonghai still insisted Shazhu provide support, and took the opportunity to lecture him, saying Shazhu's motives were impure, and that as long as one is upright, one need not fear rumors.

The hypocrite, with a monthly wage of ninety-nine kuai, does not help, yet makes the unmarried bachelor Shazhu, earning thirty-seven point five kuai monthly, provide assistance.

His heart deserves punishment.

Precisely these rumors cause Shazhu to acquire an unclear relationship with a widow; when he goes to a matchmaker to discuss marriage, upon hearing his name, the matchmaker retreats ten li.

In 1965, Shazhu told Yi Zhonghai that Qin Huairu could earn twenty-seven point five kuai a month with added subsidies, Huaihua was also four or five years old, he no longer wanted to provide support, and wished to marry a wife.

Yi Zhonghai then felt as if the sky had collapsed and the earth split, earnestly giving Shazhu ideological work, saying that doing good deeds cannot be abandoned halfway.

Think about it.

The consequences are terribly frightening.

The consequences are extremely frightening.

Now go through each.

If Bangeng truly is Yi Zhonghai's son, it also explains why Yi Zhonghai aided Qin Huairu late at night, why he had Shazhu provide support, and why Jia Zhangshi's complaint about the dirty white flour mantou from Yi Zhonghai makes sense.

Interpretation: If Bangeng really is Yi Zhonghai's son, it also explains why Yi Zhonghai helped Qin Huairu late at night, and also explains why Yi Zhonghai let Shazhu help Qin Huairu; Jia Zhangshi disliked the white steamed buns Yi Zhonghai gave as help being dirty, he also figured it out.

Make sure to keep all clauses.

Yi Zhonghai feared his own son would go hungry.

In his contemplation.

Shazhu turned his gaze to Yi Zhonghai standing outside the house with a nervous expression, and narrowed his eyes.

Bare feet.

The hypocrite, because of Qin Huairu giving birth, was so anxious he didn't even wear shoes—was it out of the neighbors' concern, or worry for his own son?

At this time, Jia Dongxu's indifference was natural; it wasn't his child, so why care? No wonder Qin Huairu gave birth to Bangeng, and it happened in Yi Zhonghai's home.

Shazhu wore a look of regret, his thoughts actually turned to the eldest madam!

As Yi Zhonghai's daughter-in-law, the eldest madam saw everything; later, perhaps because Yi Zhonghai went too far, or perhaps because he was caught delivering grain to Qin Huairu at midnight and exposed, the eldest madam who smoothed things over for Yi Zhonghai returned home, couldn't help saying something, and then died of a sudden heart attack.

The specific details are unknown to everyone.

He just died.

Whether there is any sordidness hidden in it, no one knows.

Shazhu very much hoped the eldest madam died of illness, truly from a sudden heart attack, not at the hands of Yi Zhonghai. Because an opponent who would even poison his own wife, with no scruples, would surely be a major threat to Shazhu; being eyed by such a hypocrite is truly not a good thing.

This matter seems feasible to manipulate.

It's a good thing.

The hypocrite had painstakingly rehabilitated himself over a year, and was on the verge of success; if at this moment a denunciation letter were slipped into the street office, claiming that Jia Dongxu's wife Qin Huairu was carrying the son of his master Yi Zhonghai, what the exact outcome would be is truly something to look forward to—by then the hypocrite would end up with nothing, like trying to fetch water with a bamboo basket.

Scandalous gossip always has a market, especially when it involves Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu, who differ in generation; even if false, it would let Yi Zhonghai not get away lightly, and moreover, current signs suggest that something between Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu is very likely true.

That is, the question of Bangeng's biological father has an eighty percent chance of not being Jia Dongxu, but his master Yi Zhonghai.

Who will serve as the vanguard to eliminate Yi Zhonghai?

In other words.

Who can become the knife in Shazhu's hand to cut down Yi Zhonghai.

Shazhu furrowed his brows; he could not do this matter, with Yushui present he must be careful. In his previous life he did something sorry to Yushui, listened to Yi Zhonghai's nonsense, recklessly helped Qin Huairu, ruined his own reputation all over the street, and even brought suffering upon Yushui.

Because Bangeng stole Yushui's belongings, He Yushui was hungry and went around the Siheyuan asking for food, went to Yi Zhonghai's home, but Yi Zhonghai refused and pretended not to know. He went to Deaf Granny's home; the deaf old lady eating noodles hid them, pretended to be deaf with He Yushui, and kept saying Yushui wasn't hungry.

Shazhu learned of this matter while butting heads with Xu Daming, from Xu Daming's mouth.

The mistakes of his past life must serve as a warning in this life, no matter what he says.

Xu Daming also cannot do this; given Shazhu's relationship with Xu Daming, if the hypocrite's deed is exposed, it is very likely they will think of Shazhu.

After thinking it over.

Shazhu felt one person was very suitable.

Who?

Jia Zhangshi, huh.

Jia Dongxu's birth mother, Jia Zhangshi!

Last year, because of the drug incident, Jia Zhangshi was arrested and jailed for a year, caught in May; now ten months have passed, in two more months Jia Zhangshi will return to the Siheyuan, the ten months of peace will be shattered by Jia Zhangshi's troublemaking; upon her return she will seize the chance to spread rumors, surely enough to make Yi Zhonghai drink his fill.

All along, Jia Zhangshi has longed to hold a grandson, to continue the Jia family line; for this she even specially came up with the name Bangeng. If Jia Zhangshi learns that her long‑awaited grandson is actually Yi Zhonghai's descendant, her expression will surely be delightful.

A faint, sly smile appeared on Shazhu's face.

Using Jia Zhangshi to deal with Yi Zhonghai, letting Yi Zhonghai suffer another loss of reputation and status. At that time Yi Zhonghai's mood would surely be utterly despondent, as he was about to regain the seat of Head Steward of the Siheyuan. In the process of striding toward that seat, having cleared obstacles and paid much effort, just as he turned to look at the Siheyuan neighbors and sat down with his buttocks raised, he would discover the seat beneath him turned into a tiger bench bristling with spikes—what a feeling that would be!

Only at the last moment was the bubble pierced, countless efforts turned to waste; this is the greatest punishment for Yi Zhonghai, and Shazhu would be delighted to see such a situation arise. With Jia Zhangshi taking the lead to attract Yi Zhonghai's attention, it saves Yi Zhonghai from scheming against them.

Suddenly.

Shazhu felt he was like a villain wicked to the bone, somewhat like a movie's mastermind.

Huh!

He let out another breath, striving to calm his mind a little.

It is only 53 years now; there are still several years until Jia Dongxu's mysterious death in 60 years. Shazhu has plenty of time and energy to investigate the hidden secrets; sensing a gaze paying attention to him, he turned his head in that direction, and his eyes suddenly narrowed.

The hypocrite turned out to be the owner of that gaze.

His thoughts stirred.

The hypocrite stared at him for no apparent reason—what could it be about?

Seeing Shazhu look at him without speaking, barefoot Yi Zhonghai simply walked over to him; upon arrival, the kindly man's face showed boundless relief.

"Zhuzi, Head Steward is very relieved."

The relief Yi Zhonghai spoke of amounted to nothing more than Shazhu not holding a grudge—'riding his bicycle to fetch the midwife and then carrying her to the Siheyuan'.

To speak frankly.

It's truly not that Shazhu is magnanimous.

Bangeng is a very important member of the Siheyuan; not a single mishap can be allowed, which is why Shazhu helps. Since a life is at stake, even if Shazhu is on bad terms with Qin Huairu and resents Jia Dongxu, he will not indulge his petty temper when Qin Huairu's life and that of her child hang in the balance.

Bad is bad.

Yet his badness has its own benchmark.

That's all.

"There's none." Shazhu grew modest; he would not foolishly accept the hypocrite's tall hat and put it on his head, saying, "I'm in a hurry, and you, Head Steward, aren't that urgent—you're so anxious you didn't even wear shoes. For Jia Dongxu to have a master like you is the blessing he cultivated in his past life."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for everyone in the Zhong Yuan to hear.

After Shazhu's reminder, some people finally turned their gaze to Yi Zhonghai's feet and saw that he was indeed barefoot; their eyes lit up at once.

Some things simply cannot stand scrutiny—for example, the rights and wrongs between Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai; lately nobody knows what's going on, and some bad rumors have been spread.

Check for any Chinese characters inadvertently left: I need to ensure no Chinese characters appear. I used terms like "wo wo tou" which is okay (English). "Zhuzi" is okay. "Head Steward" okay. "Zhong Yuan" okay. "Yushui" okay. "He Yushui" okay. "Deaf Granny" okay. "Teacher Ran" okay. "Xu Daming" okay. "Siheyuan" okay. "Yi Zhonghai" okay. "Jia Zhangshi" okay. "Qin Huairu" okay. "Shazhu" okay. "Jia Dongxu" okay. "Huaihua" okay. "Bangeng" okay. "Xiao Dang" okay. "Teacher Ran" okay. "steel mill" okay. "street office" used? I used "street office" in line 89. That's English.

Related to Yi Zhonghai, Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu as a couple are also parties involved.

It is rumored that Yi Zhonghai, in the autumn of the previous year, went to Qin Family Village to provide support and took up residence in Qin Huairu's home; Qin Huairu, who wholeheartedly wanted to marry into the city and become a city dweller, felt that this was her opportunity and thus constantly displayed her charm in front of Yi Zhonghai.

After over a month of contact, both sides had come to understand each other; it was unclear whether Qin Huairu had schemed against Yi Zhonghai or Yi Zhonghai had seen through Qin Huairu's thoughts, but he staged a "going with the flow" big show for Qin Huairu, and in the still of night they enacted the "raw rice turning into cooked rice" farce.

Afterward.

Yi Zhonghai said he would give Qin Huairu an explanation when he returned, namely marrying Qin Huairu as his wife. Qin Huairu worried that Yi Zhonghai would just pat his butt and leave, so she took a "break the pot and stop caring" attitude, forcing Yi Zhonghai to give her an explanation. In the end, with no other option, Yi Zhonghai wrote Qin Huairu a written guarantee pledging to marry Qin Huairu.

Also because Yi Zhonghai had done something wrong to the eldest aunt, the eldest aunt also held a written guarantee. Yi Zhonghai, helpless, could only turn his attention to Jia Dongxu, who lived in the same Dayuan as him, first taking Jia Dongxu as his apprentice, then using his status as Jia Dongxu's master to introduce Qin Huairu to Jia Dongxu.

Out of a sense of indebtedness, and also to shut some people up, Yi Zhonghai gave Jia Family a sewing machine on the day Qin Huairu went to the city for a matchmaking meeting. After a while, again using the pretext of Jia Dongxu's regularization and Qin Huairu's pregnancy, he gave Jia Family a radio.

Jia Zhangshi's reason for opposing Jia Dongxu's marriage to Qin Huairu was that she discovered the secret between Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai, worried that the child would not be the Jia family's heir, so she used an excuse to push someone, artificially causing Qin Huairu to have a miscarriage.

The rumor basically says that Jia Dongxu is a far-and-wide known cuckold, while Qin Huairu is actually Yi Zhonghai's wife.

Why is the hypocrite doing this?

Of the three unfilial acts, having no heir is the greatest.

Yi Zhonghai did not want the Yi family's line to die out after a hundred years, so he used a substitute and adopted a case of mistaken identity.

Originally the people of Siheyuan scoffed at these rumors, not believing that a master could have an affair with his apprentice's wife. But now it seems the rumor is not without cause. The wife is giving birth, while her husband Jia Dongxu doesn't ask, doesn't inquire, doesn't speak, and still acts as if it's none of his business, hanging high. On the contrary, the other party involved in the incident rumor, namely Yi Zhonghai, is anxious, not even wearing shoes, and moreover Qin Huairu gave birth at Yi Zhonghai's home; the child clearly bears the Yi surname, not the Jia surname, so it's no wonder Jia Dongxu acts this way.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Yi Zhonghai's face changed, he self-justified his panic: "It's not that I have no idea; Qin Huairu came to the eldest uncle's house with her belly protruding, didn't say a few words before shouting her stomach hurt; you, eldest aunt, said Qin Huairu was about to give birth, told me to quickly call people; the eldest uncle thought, human life is paramount, so he ignored those."

He finished speaking.

The hypocrite strained to straighten his body, showing a willingness to bear a vicious reputation for the apprentice's wife.

"Jia Dongxu, what's wrong with you? Huairu has such a big belly, you have something you can't make clear, you insist on letting Huairu come over late at night, just because it's not far, just living in the same courtyard; if something happens, you, Jia Dongxu, will regret it for life."

Jia Dongxu, lying dead inside the house, upon hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, simply turned his body, pointing his buttocks toward Yi Zhonghai in the courtyard, and even covered his ears with a pillow.

Yi Zhonghai paused.

His face looked a bit grim.

He probably also didn't expect Jia Dongxu to treat her like that; he wanted to get angry but held back due to some concerns, finally turning his head aside, staring blankly at the Yi household, his absorbed look carrying a hint of eeriness.

"Shazhu, you kid are capable; I didn't expect this, but you actually thought of it."

Shazhu glared at Xu Daming.

"What are you glaring at me for?" Xu Daming said with a trembling tone, muttering quietly to Shazhu: "Damn it, originally Jia Zhangshi had me go to intercept, but thanks to Qin Huairu not taking a liking to me, otherwise I'd definitely have something extra on my head."

Shazhu looked at Xu Daming, recalling how in his previous life Long Laotaitai ruined Xu Daming's marriage, and thought: "You think you're not a cuckold hero?"

Damn Long Laotaitai is also not a thing; as the saying goes: "Better to tear down ten temples than to destroy a family bond."

As for her, she's fine, specially doing this despicable act of ruining people's marriages just to eat better.

Lou Xiaoe.

Shazhu suddenly thought of Lou Xiaoe; the naive fool doesn't know what he's doing, whether he's had contact with the turtle-grandson Xu Daming, whether he should intercept, after all he can't still be relatives with Xu Daming.

Xu Daming gave a glance to signal the barefoot Yi Zhonghai, and then pursed his lips toward the corpse-like Jia Dongxu lying inside the house, saying: "Don't you think they have a problem?"

"What problem?"

"For example, if Qin Huairu were your wife and she gave birth, as her husband and the father of the child in her belly, wouldn't you be anxious? Look at Jia Dongxu, then look at Yi Zhonghai."

Shazhu chuckled.

Some things.

It's not just Shazhu and Xu Daming who see clearly; many of the neighbors of Siheyuan also see clearly.

Given tonight's abnormal behavior of Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai, and the fact that Qin Huairu gave birth at Yi Zhonghai's house, even if it were false, people would treat it as true.

Siheyuan and even Yagangchang now have something entertaining to watch.

A thunderclap out of the blue.

Blast you, you bastard.

Some people began to whisper, although no one knows what they're talking about, Shazhu still managed to guess a bit of the truth.

There's an eighty percent chance they're hotly discussing the rumor involving Yi Zhonghai, Qin Huairu, and Jia Dongxu.

Inside the Yi household.

Several women wore solemn expressions, including the extremely experienced midwife; everyone realized a very serious problem.

For such a long time.

Qin Huairu still hasn't given birth.

Normally, this situation can only be explained by difficult labor!

Giving birth is essentially a trip before the King of Hell; a slight misstep and you'll be kept by him for a meal, ending in both mother and child dying.

"Qin Huairu, exert yourself."

Qin Huairu lying in bed, drenched in sweat, panting, it's not that she isn't exerting herself, but Qin Huairu truly has no strength left.

Many coincidences have come together.

Originally Qin Huairu was fine and had strength, but because of Jia Dongxu's indifference, she was forced to lumber with her huge belly, step by step, to the Yi Zhonghai household to seek help from the couple.

That short stretch drained all of Qin Huairu's strength and vitality, thereby causing this difficult labor situation. If we were to assign blame, it would also be Jia Dongxu's fault.

Suppose Jia Dongxu showed a little concern for Qin Huairu and didn't let her walk that stretch; Qin Huairu wouldn't be in this predicament.

It's not about assigning blame, but about finding a solution.

"Exert yourself."

The midwife let out a hoarse shout, her voice tinged with threat; no one understands the danger at this moment better than she does—if she cannot deliver the baby, it could very well result in two corpses: Qin Huairu dead, and the child in her womb also dead.

Human life is of utmost importance!

We must rally our spirits.

Ah!

Qin Huairu gritted her teeth, summoning her last strength. She didn't want to just die like that, couldn't afford to hold a grudge, and had no thought of resentment, gathering all her bodily strength in one place.

Her luck was off by a little.

At the crucial moment, she had no strength left, and Bangeng returned to where he started.

The atmosphere grew even more tense.

Delaying by one second.

Danger increased by one second.

The chance of one corpse, two lives also increased a bit.

Those without opinions, the elders, focused their gazes on the midwife; as for delivering babies, the midwife was the top choice, so they just helped out as assistants.

At this moment, the midwife was also at a loss; having delivered babies for years, she had encountered difficult labors before, but a woman like Qin Huairu who couldn't muster any strength at all was the first she had seen.

She is a person.

Not an ox or horse.

If it were an ox or horse, one could find someone to rope its head or torso and drag it out by force.

The problem is that the person in difficult labor before us is Qin Huairu.

Such a brute-force method simply cannot be used on Qin Huairu.

Outside the house.

Same as inside the house.

Also filled with endless tension.

The midwife's shout just now made the neighbors, who had been whispering that Bangeng's father was Yi Zhonghai, shift their attention to Qin Huairu giving birth.

They haven't eaten pork.

But they have seen pigs run.

They all know that giving birth is a hurdle.

Having set aside their prejudices and begun to care for Qin Huairu, even Shazhu and Xu Damao felt this way; among everyone, the only one truly heartless and indifferent to Qin Huairu and her child's fate was probably Jia Dongxu inside the Jia household.

"I sit on the city tower, watching..."

Some people's gazes.

Fell upon Jia Dongxu inside the Jia household, who suddenly began happily singing opera.

His wife is having a difficult labor.

He still has the mind to sing the 'Empty City Stratagem'.

Upon hearing the rumor about Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu, many could only sigh silently in their hearts.

Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family matters.

As for the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai's affair, they'd rather just watch the show.

The house door suddenly opened.

The experienced midwife, her face stern, stepped out of the house, looked at the neighbors who had gathered around her at once, and asked, "Who is Qin Huairu's husband?"

Qin Huairu's difficult labor involves the issue of saving the mother or the child; the midwife can't decide on this matter, nor does she dare to, so it's up to Qin Huairu's husband to decide.

"You probably don't know Qin Huairu's husband—he's lying inside." Xu Damao, again up to no good, pointed at the Jia household and said, "Did you just hear the singing? That was Qin Huairu's husband, Jia Dongxu, singing."

The midwife's face.

Was filled with disbelief and shock.

What the heck.

His wife is giving birth at home, suffering a difficult labor, yet as her husband Jia Dongxu lies about as if nothing's wrong, even leisurely singing opera.

Is this really the husband of the laboring woman Qin Huairu?

He's basically a beast.

The midwife, well‑versed and experienced, thought she had seen all kinds of right and wrong, but a husband as cold‑blooded as Jia Dongxu was truly the first she had ever encountered.

Not a person.

Just now, while speaking with the elders inside the house, the midwife finally understood why Qin Huairu was having a difficult labor.

The biggest factor is lack of strength: she hadn't eaten dinner, and even lunch was just a little thin porridge; her stomach had no food, she was pregnant, had walked this distance with her belly out, and the last bit of strength was completely spent—no wonder!

I've seen cruel and vicious husbands, but never such a venomous scoundrel as Jia Dongxu, who blatantly doesn't care about Qin Huairu.

That said.

Even if you don't care about Qin Huairu, you still need to care about the child in her belly.

If neither mother nor child matters to you, why marry a wife at all?

That's also strange.

The Jia family's daughter‑in‑law Qin Huairu didn't give birth at her in‑laws' house but ran to the Yi household.

This siheyuan.

The relationships are really chaotic.

"Older sister, I am the Head Steward of our grand courtyard, I'm Yi Zhonghai, Jia Dongxu is my disciple—how is Qin Huairu doing?"

Liu Haizhong was unhappy.

How did you, Yi Zhonghai, become the Head Steward?

The Head Steward of this siheyuan is me, Liu Haizhong.

"Old Yi, how could you appoint yourself Head Steward? You, this Head Steward, last year's matter, was removed by the neighbors."

Shazhu let out a cold snort in his heart.

Liu Haizhong, no wonder he's no match for Yi Zhonghai.

In the steel plant he's stepped on by Yi Zhonghai; in the Siheyuan he's pressed down by Yi Zhonghai.

This brain.

Still wants to be an official.

Doesn't even think about it.

Now is the time for you two to scheme against each other?

Qin Huairu is already in difficult labor, facing the prospect of one corpse two lives, yet you still fight internally, causing conflict over the empty fame of Head Steward.

Look at Yan Fugui, seeing the situation not easy to handle, Old Kou from start to finish remained an outsider, while Liu Haizhong rushed forward to jump in.

Keep the big one?

Keep the small one?

Can you, Liu Haizhong, really make the decision?

If we keep the big one, Bangeng will be gone; in the future Jia Zhangshi will return and surely settle accounts with you Liu Haizhong; Yi Zhonghai will also be displeased and bear a grudge against you Liu Haizhong—who let you destroy the son they painstakingly had.

If we keep the small one, Qin Huairu will die; the Jia family will have an explanation, but what about those people from Qin Family Village? Qin Huairu's parents will bring their family to come and cause trouble.

The best solution is to kick this matter aside like a ball, let whoever wants it take it, rather than competing with Yi Zhonghai over who is Head Steward and who isn't.

The brain really got kicked by a donkey.

"Old Liu, then what do you say we do about this?"

"Let's hold a Dayuan meeting to discuss it."

The midwife's brain.

Buzzing nonstop.

This Siheyuan hides dragons and crouching tigers; in front is an unreliable husband indifferent to his wife and son's life or death; behind is a Head Steward who, seeing the difficult labor, still wants to hold a Dayuan meeting; together with Qin Huairu and her mother's lives, in your eyes it's not even worth dog dung.

"What meeting? Haven't heard the midwife say Qin Huairu is in difficult labor; if during the meeting Qin Huairu and her child both die, is the responsibility yours, Liu Haizhong, or the neighbors'?"

Liu Haizhong was at a loss for words.

His face flushed red.

He stamped his foot.

He hid to the side.

The father suffered a setback, yet the happiest were Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, the two unfilial sons; if not for worrying about the crowd present, the two brothers might have whooped and hollered a few times, venting their depression from being beaten.

"Older sister, just tell us what we need to do."

"That's how it is...." The midwife briefly explained why Qin Huairu's labor was difficult, looking at Yi Zhonghai: "You are the Head Steward, and Jia Dongxu is your disciple; his wife's difficult labor—see whether he opts to save the big or the small, time is pressing, hurry up and decide."

"Old Liu, you are now the Head Steward." Yi Zhonghai took the opportunity to size up Liu Haizhong: "You handle it, see how this should be done."

Liu Haizhong, embarrassed, said to Yi Zhonghai: "Old Yi, Jia Dongxu is your disciple; a day as teacher, a lifetime as father; this is your family matter, you decide, after all I'm an outsider."

"Jia Dongxu."

"I stand on the city tower watching...."

Jia Dongxu's singing voice grew louder.

It's clearly deliberate.

Shazhu and Xu Daming exchanged a wary glance, then rushed into the Jia family—an excellent opportunity to deal with Jia Dongxu, not to be wasted.

After the two entered, one slapped Jia Dongxu's left cheek, the other slapped his right cheek.

Two slaps landed.

A string of curses rang out.

"Damn bastard, your wife is giving birth, having a difficult labor, and you're just singing opera like nothing's wrong—what the hell, if I don't beat you, I'm sorry to the elders."

One grabbed Jia Dongxu's right arm, another seized his left arm, dragging him like a dead pig from the Jia family to in front of Yi Zhonghai.

He was thrown to the ground, and in unison they lifted their feet and kicked his butt hard twice.

"Dongxu, you heard the midwife's words—Huairu is in difficult labor, keep the big or keep the small; as Huairu's husband, you need to make a decision."

Jia Dongxu gave a cold glance at the anxious Yi Zhonghai.

He let out a cold snort from his mouth.

He didn't say a word.

"Dongxu."

"I say, kid, what's going on? You know your wife only drank a bowl of millet porridge a day—if she weren't starving, how could she have a difficult labor? And you let her go to the Head Steward's house in the Dayuan to give birth; I've delivered many women, but I've never seen your family's situation—listen, you'd better give me a definite answer, keep the big or keep the small; if you keep delaying, it'll be one corpse, two lives."

Jia Dongxu continued to oppose with silence; Bie Sun had made up his mind, refusing to give you a definite answer even if the heavens split—he doesn't believe that by staying silent, these people in the courtyard would dare to make decisions for him.

His gaze fell on Yi Zhonghai.

The master and disciple strangely exchanged glances.

Yi Zhonghai's heart.

Jumped a few times.

He actually saw hatred toward himself in Jia Dongxu's gaze.

"He is the Head Steward, you are Jia Dongxu's master; a disciple is half a son, you are equivalent to Jia Dongxu's father—make up your mind, time is pressing."

The pressure fell on Yi Zhonghai.

Looking at the midwife earnestly hoping for himself and the neighbors.

Yi Zhonghai steeled himself.

"Let's keep the small one."

Qin Huairu inside the house.

Her heart instantly felt half cold.

Her difficult labor was indeed a difficult labor.

She didn't faint.

She heard some words, and also came to know some things.

Jia Dongxu's actions made Qin Huairu's heart completely cold.

Singing opera, not giving ideas, being indifferent, etc., it's obvious they want Qin Huairu dead.

Yi Zhonghai's words.

They were also heard by Qin Huairu.

In the choice between saving the adult and saving the child, the hypocrite actually chose the latter—that is, Yi Zhonghai hopes Qin Huairu can exchange her death for the child's survival.

Tears streamed out of her eye sockets.

In her grief.

She heard from Shazhu and Xu Daming.

Her heart inexplicably warmed.

When she felt utterly helpless, it was the two rivals of the Jia family who were staunchly supporting her, Qin Huairu.

In fact.

Qin Huairu misunderstood the motives of Shazhu and Xu Daming; in their hearts, they were not helping Qin Huairu but, as rivals, said "no" to Yi Zhonghai, whom they looked down upon. This was because Yi Zhonghai had spoken of saving the child; had he spoken of saving the adult, Shazhu and Xu Daming would also have objected.

"Elder Uncle, that's not right—if we save the child, then Qin Huairu deserves to be abandoned, right?"

"Shazhu is right—being human means being fair; you can't just decide Qin Huairu's life or death with a flip of your lips. This is a living human life, not a processed part in your hand that you can handle however you like."

Yi Zhonghai secretly groaned.

He had wanted to say "save the adult".

When the words reached his lips, they strangely turned into "save the child".

The rumors between Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu.

Under Yi Zhonghai's topic of saving the child.

It became reality.

The neighbors' gazes instantly turned unfriendly, and Jia Dongxu's gaze grew ever more filled with hatred, as if Yi Zhonghai and he were mortal enemies with a blood-deep feud, a pair of fierce—

? s gaze, he wished to devour Yi Zhonghai alive.