Chapter 325: Yushui's Love Interest?

A cup of baijiu holds five qian.

Shazhu had already drunk three cups in a row.

He promised to drink three more cups.

Three liang of baijiu entered his stomach.

This amount happened to be right at the threshold of not getting drunk.

It also counts as making up for this occasion.

However, Liu Jianguo didn't see it that way; he invited Shazhu to drink, ostensibly to get Shazhu drunk, in order to pump Shazhu for information about the Jia family, the deaf old lady, and others.

After moving into the siheyuan for about two months.

Liu Jianguo came to realize a reality.

Those who remain unharmed in this siheyuan are experts at manipulating people and ghosts; if they aren't sharp-witted, they end up being sold out and still helping count the money for the buyer.

The deaf old lady died in the case.

Who is the real murderer?

Who is Yi Zhonghai again helping to take the blame?

Why take the blame?

Liu Jianguo had formed a rough suspicion: it wasn't Qin Huairu, but rather the shameless, shrewish Jia Zhangshi; tonight's big fight between the Jia family's former mother-in-law and former daughter-in-law felt like it was deliberately staged for them, and mixed in with this was the mystery of Jia Dongxu's death by scheming, whether Qin Huairu was the mastermind, etc.

Openly questioning these people.

They surely wouldn't speak; even if they did, it would be useless, false, empty talk about the case—no progress at all. Rather than pulling down one's pants to fart for no reason, it would be better to use some tactics, to find a way to get the neighbors to spill the truth to him.

The reason for inviting Shazhu to drink.

It comes from calculations along these lines.

He had drunk six cups of baijiu.

He wouldn't drink any more.

How could this be acceptable?

He had to drink.

"Brother Zhu, could it be that you look down on me, Liu Jianguo? I've only been here a little over two months; although we haven't interacted much, I've also heard some things about you. You get along well with Xu Daming in the rear courtyard, and you're on good terms with Teacher Yan at the front. The three of you drinking together usually start with at least two bottles, but here at my place, after finishing a bottle of baijiu there's still four liang left. If word gets out, people will think I, Liu Jianguo, can't afford to buy liquor."

For the truth.

He started playing tricks.

He began to goad Shazhu.

"Don't use sobriety as an excuse—I've heard you shout about quitting drinking at least four times, and I've seen you drunk with Xu Daming and Teacher Yan." Liu Jianguo pointed at the wine bottle, "Just one bottle, half a jin each, what do you think?"

The empty cup before Shazhu.

It was soon refilled with baijiu.

He grew more convinced of his own speculation.

In the world.

There's no justification for forcing someone to drink.

Liu Jianguo clearly wanted him to drink more.

He didn't think about the case.

He mistakenly thought this drink had something to do with He Yushui.

He idly wondered whether Liu Jianguo was trying to take advantage of Shazhu's drunkenness to get him to speak up and agree to the marriage between He Yushui and Liu Jianguo.

Everyone in the courtyard knew that Shazhu wholeheartedly wanted his niece to become a phoenix, hoping that He Yushui would one day enter university and bring glory to the He family's gate.

But for some reason.

It might also be due to He Yushui's limited talent.

After graduating high school, she didn't get into university but went to a technical college, which she is still attending; her major is roughly similar to Liu Jianguo's current profession.

Yushui's classmate Yu Haitang, who is also Shazhu's little aunt, had worked at the steel mill for over a year, earned the nickname 'belle of the steel mill', with countless young admirers trailing behind her, and a few days ago she was on a blind date.

They are the same age, but Yushui is a few months older than her.

He drew from Yu Haitang.

He Yushui has also reached the age for blind dates and marriage.

The last time Yushui came home for a meal, she told Shazhu that a classmate her age had married a year ago and was now bringing her child to school.

All kinds of reasons combined together.

They arrived at an answer.

He Yushui and Liu Jianguo were talking about a potential match.

Shazhu's heart.

A chilling, cold pain.

That was his painstakingly raised little sister, who was just silently taken in by this brat named Liu Jianguo right in front of him.

Damn it.

He played tricks and ended up on my, Shazhu's, head.

He actually wanted to get me drunk, then when I was drunk, steal my household register to register.

If it were someone else.

Shazhu would have already swung his fists and reasoned with him.

How could it be that the person sitting opposite Shazhu is Liu Jianguo; just thinking about his job, he's not a war god but a frost-beaten eggplant.

Shazhu spat out a few clenched-teeth words from between his teeth in a hateful tone.

"What is your relationship with Yushui?"

"Are you dating?"

"When did you start dating?"

A triple-strike style of questioning.

It left Liu Jianguo momentarily dazed.

What the heck?

It's about me and He Yushui!

Just thinking that the person before him was He Yushui's older brother, a feeling of fear overcame Liu Jianguo, and his heart instinctively jolted.

Strange.

He's clearly just an ordinary person.

Why would I feel guilty, like I'd been caught doing something bad by my parents?

Not only was his mouth dry and tongue parched, his scalp also went numb, and his whole body felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Brother, this matter!"

Shazhu, who still harbored a last glimmer of hope in his heart, upon hearing that brotherly address, felt as if a basin of ice-cold, bone-chilling water had been poured over his head, drenching his body and chilling his heart.

Brother Zhuzi could still explain.

This title of "brother".

How to understand it.

You can't say that Liu Jianguo and Shazhu hit it off, wanting Shazhu to be his brother.

Even so.

He's only a sworn brother, not worthy of the term "brother" which specifically describes familial affection.

"When did it start?"

Faced with Shazhu's questioning, Liu Jianguo initially wanted to hold out, after all, the matter of him dating He Yushui is known only to the two of them.

Even Liu Jianguo's parents were kept in the dark by them.

How did Shazhu find out?

Could it be that Yushui told Shazhu?

That shouldn't be the case.

Keeping the secret was something He Yushui proposed; you can't expect him to keep the agreement while He Yushui herself goes back on her word.

"How long has it been?"

Liu Jianguo first scratched his head, then rubbed his nose bridge.

This action.

Really damn familiar.

No wonder he's the man who's spent a lifetime with He Yushui.

The prelude to wanting to lie out of guilt is practically identical.

The ancients truly do not deceive me.

If they're not family, she really wouldn't set foot in their home.

"I'm telling you, when Yushui feels guilty and lies, she also first scratches her head, then grabs her nose bridge. Stop messing around, just confess honestly—when did this happen? How long has it been? Have you met both sets of parents? Jianguo, I'm not an unreasonable person. A man should marry when he comes of age, a woman should marry when she comes of age; that's the old standard passed down by our elders. I can't selfishly stop Yushui from marrying. As long as she thinks it's good and can be happy after marriage, as her brother I have no objections—I'll take care of whatever needs to be prepared."

He took a breath.

Shazhu turned his tone into a warning.

"Let me lay it out plainly: the Jia family across the way—you've been living in the siheyuan for two months, you know a bit about the situation, you're aware of Qin Huairu's difficulties, and you've also seen the wickedness of Jia Zhangshi. My mother passed away early, my father went to Baocheng to live out his days, so it's just me and Yushui living together, which you could say is a life of mutual dependence."