Chapter 214: Yi Zhonghai is just bullying me, Qin Huairu, like this

Facing the two comrades.

Qin Huairu, lying on the hospital bed, softly replied with a "good".

Her soft, tender voice matched her frail body that couldn't rise from illness.

It gave people a different feeling.

It maximally stirred some people's desire to protect—not the protection men feel for women, but the guardianship the strong feel for the weak.

The older comrade could barely control his emotions; the younger one, if not for certain principles, might have already burst out cursing Yi Zhonghai's lack of virtue.

Combined with Qin Huairu's tear‑streaked, miserable appearance.

The effect instantly underwent a qualitative elevation.

As a woman.

Qin Huairu knew what her advantage was.

Tears.

Tears are a woman's greatest weapon.

Moreover, Qin Huairu was a decent‑looking woman; her soft, helpless sobs fully expressed her pitiful delicacy.

When something happens, don't speak first—cry first, conquer them with tears.

This is the secret technique Jia Zhangshi taught Qin Huairu.

It was copied verbatim by Qin Huairu.

"Wuu wuu wuu!"

"Comrade Qin Huairu!"

The two characters "comrade".

It gave Qin Huairu a faint sense of confidence.

She thought a sentence in her heart.

Her plan succeeded, or perhaps Yi Zhonghai understood the secret behind Qin Huairu's pillar‑bumping incident and, following her wishes, took on all the blame.

Otherwise, the two comrades facing Qin Huairu would not be addressing her amicably as "comrade"; they would be using handcuffs to talk to her.

The heart hanging in mid‑air.

Finally landed on the ground.

Although she had bumped the pillar, Qin Huairu kept feeling uneasy, fearing that Yi Zhonghai wouldn't understand her intention and would instead put a hat on her.

That would be a dog‑eat‑dog situation.

Yi Zhonghai must not fare well.

Qin Huairu must also suffer misfortune.

The way the two comrades before her addressed Qin Huairu put her at ease, and a sense of relaxation spread through her inside and out.

This life was finally saved; she no longer had to return to Qin Family Village to face villagers' gossip, and her parents need not sever ties with her.

The "wuu wuu wuu" sobs gradually turned into silent weeping.

She stared blankly at the ceiling light.

It gave outsiders the impression that Qin Huairu was dead inside.

"What's the point of me living? What face do I have to go on living? The neighbors' pointing and gossiping, the rumors flying about—I'm practically living year after year. Outsiders not understanding me I can accept. The key is my mother‑in‑law also scolds me, scolds me for not observing womanly virtues, scolds me for bringing shame to the Jia family, saying I gave Jia Dongxu a green hat. I'm just a woman—what can I do? Better to die outright; death would settle it, so my son wouldn't later curse me as a bastard. I'd rather die—how did they manage to save me?"

A act of seeking death and life.

Performed once again.

The content changed.

The audience changed.

"Comrade Qin Huairu, we understand your feelings; here we apologize—our work fell short, causing you such grievance. Rest assured, the one who bullied you, Yi Zhonghai, is already under our control; he has confessed his wrongdoing. We have come to you simply to verify the situation."

Qin Huairu seized on several key words in the speech.

Control Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai confessed his crimes, and come to you to verify the situation.

Her heart.

It became completely calm.

The plan to make Yi Zhonghai bear the thunder succeeded; the hypocrite also, as Qin Huairu wished, took on all the charges.

Now, as long as we follow the outline Qin Huairu just formulated in her mind, we can fabricate a story—like making up a tale—of Yi Zhonghai forcing Qin Huairu against her will, and it will hold.

It's not entirely nonsense.

It also needs to be mixed with some facts.

Qin Huairu, speaking excitedly, began to recount some half‑true, half‑false matters.

"That was a winter two years ago; snow was falling from the sky, Jia Dongxu wasn't home, my mother‑in‑law went to look for Jia Dongxu, I was alone in the house, it was past eight o'clock when the power went out—pitch black. I thought to find a candle, but I searched the whole house and found none.

I happened to see lights glowing at Yi Zhonghai's house, and thought that since Yi Zhonghai was Jia Dongxu's teacher, I went to the Yi family to borrow a candle. An auntie was tending to the deaf old lady in the backyard, and only Yi Zhonghai was at home. When he heard I wanted to borrow a candle, he said he had hidden the candles in the vegetable cellar.

I didn't think much of it, assuming it was the Yi family's rule, so I followed Yi Zhonghai into the cellar to get the candle—who would have guessed, Yi Zhonghai is not human; he didn't mean well—wuu wuu wuu."

Qin Huairu, unable to hold back her emotions.

She covered her mouth and wept.

Tears poured down like rain.

Although the later events weren't spoken, the two comrades also filled in a rough picture in their minds.

Yi Zhonghai saw the young, beautiful Qin Huairu, harbored lustful thoughts, and coincidentally there was a power outage, with few people around in both the Jia and Yi families.

He then lured Qin Huairu into the cellar and did something against her will.

Yi Zhonghai is a Level 8 Technician at the Yagangchang, while Qin Huairu is merely a weak woman who married into the city.

The two are not on the same level as competitors.

Was easily taken down.

As for why Yi Zhonghai would act against Qin Huairu.

In the comrades' eyes, this reason is an obvious fact.

Yi Zhonghai is childless; the elder aunt cannot bear him children; Qin Huairu gave the Jia family a son and a daughter, and she is a woman from the countryside.

It belongs to the type that lacks experience and can be easily intimidated.

It is certain that Yi Zhonghai envied the Jia family's having both a son and a daughter, and set his sights on Qin Huairu.

There is a motive.

There are facts.

The only puzzling point.

It is why Qin Huairu, after the fact, did not tell the truth to Jia Dongxu or Jia Zhangshi, but instead endured Yi Zhonghai's bullying for a year and a half.

The reason can be vaguely guessed.

"Comrade Qin Huairu, asking you this might bring up painful memories, but we are doing it to determine Yi Zhonghai's guilt; we very much want to know how he threatened you."

"Wuwuwu!"

According to Jia Zhangshi's account.

Qin Huairu cried a little again.

Crying is a means.

It is also a delaying tactic.

In the end, it's nonsense mixed with truth.

She needs time to concoct and polish her fabricated story in her mind, making it sound as flawless as possible.

Otherwise, the flaw will show itself.

It will backfire.

"Upon entering the vegetable cellar, Yi Zhonghai did that thing to me; from start to finish I was dazed. I never expected Dong Xu's master to do such a thing. When I finally reacted, Yi Zhonghai covered my mouth and warned me in a whisper, saying that if I dared to speak of this, he would expel Dong Xu from the steel mill."

"The Jia family relies solely on Dong Xu to hold things together; if the steel mill expels him, the Jia family would cease to be the Jia family. As a daughter-in-law of the Jia family, I cannot stand by and watch the Jia family fall into ruin."

"Yi Zhonghai also told me that if I spoke of this, he would say I was after his money and had seduced him voluntarily, which would ruin my reputation, make me unable to hold my head up at home, cause the Jia family to reject me, and have my parents criticized for life. As a virtuous woman who knows nothing, I agreed to his demands; thereafter, whenever he had an idea, he would summon me to the vegetable cellar to discuss matters."

"To avoid detection, Yi Zhonghai devised a code: 'Has the donkey been fed?' meaning he had something to discuss with me. If I couldn't leave, I'd say the donkey hasn't been fed; if I could leave, I'd answer that the donkey has been fed."

Has the donkey been fed!

The donkey hasn't been fed!

The donkey has been fed!

What the hell kind of code is this.

"Do you know about Jia Dongxu's situation?"

"I know, of course I know—I am Dong Xu's wife, Dong Xu is my husband; how could I not know about his affairs? Dong Xu's death was no accident."

Qin Huairu is blocking.

Betting that Yi Zhonghai, knowing he cannot survive, would choose to confess everything.

Including Jia Dongxu's death.

This is also evidence that Qin Huairu would rather endure Yi Zhonghai's bullying than report him.

With Jia Dongxu's example before her, Qin Huairu naturally could not let herself follow in his footsteps; she wants the two comrades before her to understand this.

Speak.

Represents a certain idea.

"You mean Jia Dongxu was killed by Yi Zhonghai?"

"Dong Xu discovered the truth of my being bullied by Yi Zhonghai, went to settle scores with Yi Zhonghai, then an incident occurred at the steel mill, Dong Xu died. Afterwards, Yi Zhonghai used Dong Xu's death to threaten me, demanding I be honest, otherwise sending me to the underworld to compensate Dong Xu. I have children: Bangeng is about ten, Xiao Dang is nine, and Huaihua is still in my womb; I dare not gamble, nor dare to act."

……

Yagangchang

Ershitang

Liu Lan's voice once again flew into Shazhu and the others' ears ahead of her body.

As a well-known loudmouth at the steel mill.

Can be called well-informed.

Stories like who in Workshop One beat his wife, who in Workshop Two was beaten by his wife's natal family, who in Workshop Three got hit by a female comrade's partner during a matchmaking meeting, who in Workshop Four was scolded by his mother-in-law, and so on—all these things Liu Lan told, and Shazhu and the others learned.

Liu Lan's usefulness is not limited to these.

The greatest merit.

Even if you privately tell Liu Lan something and admonish her not to tell a third person, within thirty minutes she will surely tell it to outsiders.

She is the type who cannot keep things to herself.

Shazhu especially wonders why Liu Lan can keep her secret with Deputy Factory Director Li.

Could it be because it concerns her own interests?

Just like everyone else.

He turned his gaze toward the door.

Getting ready to hear the good news that Liu Lan's loudspeaker would bring back.

Just for fun.

Relieved boredom.

A figure flashed.

Liu Lan stepped lightly and flashed in from outside into the room.

The person hasn't steadied yet.

: "..."

: "..."

Master He

Thus: Mahua Fatty

our Yagangchang

Because they are far from Yi Zhonghai and far from the Jia family.

Yi Zhonghai and Jia Family

Because they are far from Yi Zhonghai and the Jia Family.

Inside Yagangchang, nobody dares to call Shazhu to his face; they all respectfully call him Master He.

Yagangchang Shazhu Master He

Even if someone calls Shazhu, it's a complimentary term, meaning Shazhu is honest and does things properly.

Being called Shazhu in relation to Qin Huairu being unclear in the previous life are two different meanings; in the previous life, people calling Shazhu was definitely a derogatory term, meaning Shazhu is a clueless person who can't distinguish right from wrong.

Because they are far from Yi Zhonghai and far from the Jia family.

Liu Lan, don't speak yet, let me guess: Is it that Guo Da Piezi of the seventh workshop had his face scratched by Liu Yakun? Then back home he was scolded by his wife?

seventh workshop

Guo Da Piezi wife

Thus translate: "\"Liu Lan, hold on, let me guess: Is it that Guo Da Piezi from the seventh workshop had his face scratched by Liu Yakun, and then back home he was scolded by his wife? \""

"Thus: Mahua, who did you hear this from?"

"You, you...?"

"It's not this matter; it's Jia Dongxu's matter."

Everyone habitually turned their gaze toward Shazhu.

The Jia family's poor relationship with Shazhu is one matter.

Qin Huairu's reputation as a charming widow is another matter.

Inside Yagangchang, many men voluntarily helped Qin Huairu pay for meal tickets, causing an uproar throughout the factory, with everyone saying Qin Huairu is not someone to be trifled with.

We need Yagangchang, Qin Huairu.

Once.

No one knows whether it was because the men saw Qin Huairu's true nature or because they were short on money, but at noon no one gave Qin Huairu a meal ticket, causing Qin Huairu to set her mind on Shazhu, putting on a calm face, asking Shazhu to help her pay for a meal ticket once, and then after returning home in the evening, she would repay the ticket to Shazhu.

Shazhu didn't agree.

Later, it was still Yi Zhonghai who helped by providing the meal ticket.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"Isn't it about Jia Dongxu?"

"What does Jia Dongxu's matter have to do with me?" Shazhu's attitude is to stay out of it: "He's a worker in the workshop, dead, while I'm the head of the second cafeteria, alive and well."

Second Cafeteria workshop

Having said that.

He turned his gaze toward Liu Lan.

"Liu Lan, don't speak so hastily; if you have something to say, just say it."

"You think I don't want to say it? I just want to whet your appetite, to let you know that what I, Liu Lan, say isn't all trivial small talk."

"Alright, alright, you're impressive, go ahead and speak."

"Just now, two comrades carrying weapons came to our Yagangchang, they went straight to Factory Director Yang; guess what they came for."

Factory Director Yang

"Jia Dongxu, you just said that."

"They came because of Jia Dongxu's death; it turns out Jia Dongxu's death wasn't an accident, but was plotted by someone to kill him."

Shazhu's mind

With a buzz, his mind exploded like a pot.

Jia Dongxu was killed by someone's plot.

In the previous life.

It seems this didn't happen.

Could it be that I've been reborn and a butterfly effect has occurred?

Otherwise, why did the deaf old lady who died of old age in the previous life get killed in this life, while in the previous life Xiao Dang was Yi Zhonghai's daughter, but in this life Huaihua is Yi Zhonghai's daughter?

Deaf old lady Xiao Dang Huaihua Yi Zhonghai

"Liu Lan, don't talk nonsense; this is a big deal, otherwise some people will be in trouble."

"Master He, I'm not just spouting nonsense; this is true. Just now, when I came out of Deputy Factory Director Li's office, passing by Factory Director Yang's room, the door was open, the voice was loud, I'm not deaf, I heard it clearly: those comrades came to our Yagangchang to investigate Jia Dongxu's killing, saying the murderer has already confessed to the whole plot of designing Jia Dongxu's death."

Deputy Factory Director Li Factory Director Yang Yagangchang Jia Dongxu Master He

"Has the murderer been caught?"

"Thus: Mahua, you're making a fuss over nothing; the murderer being caught is normal, but the truly abnormal thing is that the murderer who killed Jia Dongxu is not an outsider, but Yi Zhonghai."

The coworkers hadn't even digested the fact that Jia Dongxu was killed, when in a blink they were scared by Liu Lan's follow-up reply.

Who?

Yi Zhonghai!

How is that possible?

In the coworkers' hearts, anyone could be the murderer, except it's impossible for it to be Yi Zhonghai.

The Level 8 Technician of Yagangchang.

Level 8 Technician

The Head Steward of the Siheyuan.

Siheyuan Head Steward

Jia Dongxu's master.

How could someone of Yi Zhonghai's status possibly do something like killing Jia Dongxu?