Chapter 331

Mom!

This is the first time, over three months after Qin Huairu remarried An Jiahe, that she called Jia Zhangshi "Mom."

Inside the siheyuan.

The neighbors, to their faces.

The way they addressed Jia Zhangshi was "Grandma Bangeng."

This "Mom" title signified that, in this contest between Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi, the young widow was ultimately defeated by the old widow.

Jia Zhangshi's threat proved effective.

Qin Huairu became afraid.

This is an obvious fact.

A secret unknown to anyone, hidden in the dark.

Qin Huairu might indeed be as Liu Jianguo suspected, having committed some fault in Yi Zhonghai's plot to kill Jia Dongxu.

Specifically, was it knowing but not reporting?

Or helping Yi Zhonghai plan the killing?

Or perhaps reminding Yi Zhonghai to kill Jia Dongxu?

For now, it remains unknown.

Jia Zhangshi will not seek the truth.

Her idea is simple: treat it as a lever, manipulate Qin Huairu, keep her firmly under control, and make her work like an ox for the Jia family.

Jia Zhangshi knows how to choose between reputation and profit.

Just as she once had Qin Huairu go to the hospital for an IUD, knowing it would give her deceased son a green hat, she still went ahead without hesitation.

She still reminded Qin Huairu as a mother-in-law and accompanied her to the hospital.

It might be an apology to the deceased son, yet it gives hope to the living: Bangeng might regain the Jia family's job at Yagangchang, using that job as a condition to find a match, marry, have children, and Xiao Dang also gains a dowry.

Compared reputation with the gains in hand.

Jia Zhangshi leans even more toward the latter.

Does the Jia family still have any reputation?

It's long gone.

The gaze, playful, fell on Qin Huairu, and the tone instantly softened.

"Huairu, Mom knows you resent the Jia family, resent Mom; Mom has no choice. The Jia family cannot exist without you; if you leave, the Jia family will scatter. These three months, Mom has realized: rather than saying you've benefited from our Jia family's glory, it's more accurate to say our Jia family has enjoyed your blessings, Qin Huairu."

A slap followed by a sweet date.

They used words to comfort Qin Huairu as much as possible.

"Dong Xu's matter is already past; it was Yi Zhonghai, that damn bastard, who harmed Dong Xu, and it has nothing to do with you, Qin Huairu, as my daughter-in-law. On this, Mom can bear witness for you."

"Mom, I apologize for my irrationality these past days; I blame my lard-covered heart, it's my fault. You're right—I remarried, but I'm still your daughter. Bangeng, Xiao Dang, Huaihua—they're all my children. As their mother, I was wrong; I shouldn't have taken out my anger on them, I'm unfit to be a mother."

One must bow one's head under the eaves.

Before the harsh reality.

Qin Huairu, feeling defeated, admitted defeat.

She had no courage.

Nor did she dare to gamble like Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Zhangshi is in her fifties.

One foot already in the coffin.

If she dies, she dies.

Qin Huairu is still young, just over thirty, with plenty of youth left to pursue happiness.

She cannot die.

Nor does she dare to die.

The two former mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, harboring ulterior motives, performed a play of filial piety before the Yegang chang baowei ke, leaving several security officers truly bewildered.

They treated the Jia family's affairs as a joke.

Knowing how tumultuous Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu had been lately, they even came to blows last night.

The daughter-in-law struck the mother-in-law.

At this very moment.

Right before their eyes.

Qin Huairu kept calling "Mom," her face full of regret, while Jia Zhangshi kept calling "daughter-in-law," her face full of concern.

The two widows both pledged loyalty and apologized, frankly admitting it was all their fault, insisting they would make amends in the days to come.

Really fucking bizarre.

Under the watchful eyes of the Security Section, the embracing Jia family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who had been crying nonstop, finally stopped their sobbing and each pulled away from the other's embrace.

They greeted each other.

They turned and left.

Jia Zhangshi walked toward the siheyuan.

Qin Huairu walked toward the battlefield latrine.

Unlike Jia Zhangshi's light, happy steps, Qin Huairu's steps were undoubtedly much heavier, and she lacked the relief she had just felt when facing Jia Zhangshi.

She looked like a walking corpse, her face full of helplessness and decline.

No one knew what had happened to Qin Huairu.

"News, big news."

"The person still hasn't entered."

"A voice full of gossip."

"It then rushed ahead and flew into the ears of everyone in the cafeteria."

"Accompanying the words."

"A hurried figure."

"Leapt in from outside."

"It turned out to be Yagangchang's most famous news disseminator, whom countless Yagangchang workers affectionately called a non-staff member of the publicity department, with the nickname Chaoji daba, Comrade Liu Lan."

"Heedless of Shazhu, who was busy cooking, he hopped over in two strides to his side, showing an eager willingness to endure hardship to tell the truth."

""Shazhu, you probably don't know, but those neighbors of your courtyard have run into trouble again.""

""How can I not believe this?""

"As the big loudspeaker,"

"Liu Lan's biggest taboo is not her affair with Deputy Factory Director Li, but rather people doubting the truth of what she says."

"Hearing Shazhu say that,"

"Liu Lan got angry."

"Liu Lan couldn't keep it to herself."

""Don't listen to elders, you'll suffer the consequences right before your eyes. When have I, Liu Lan, ever spread fake news? Just now I went to the toilet, didn't see Qin Huairu, then later heard that Qin Huairu was summoned by her mother-in-law—no, her former mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi—to the Yagangchang gate. The two of them didn't know what they said, but afterward they were both crying and carrying on, each admitting fault. Jia Zhangshi said she'd buy meat to nourish Qin Huairu's body, while Qin Huairu said to let Jia Zhangshi save the money.""

"Shazhu's brain."

"With a buzz, the pot blew up."

"It's mainly what Liu Lan said."

"Too unbelievable."

"As for the matter between Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi, surely no one present knows it better than Shazhu; the uproar is such that they might as well never have anything to do with each other again."

"First, right in front of the neighbors, Qin Huairu carried the chamber pot of filial disrespect and gave Jia Zhangshi a beating."

"Then the two made up as if nothing had happened."

"This damn thing is purely teasing the neighbors for fun."

"Anyway, Shazhu doesn't believe Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi have reconciled; even if he isn't Qin Huairu, if he stood in her shoes he'd still try to keep his distance from Jia Zhangshi as much as possible."

"Before remarrying."

"Being manipulated by Jia Zhangshi in every way, even after returning from work in the deep winter, she still had to wash clothes outside."

"This damn thing is treating the daughter-in-law like a slave."

"Finally managed to remarry."

"Escaped the fire pit."

"Then went back again."

"As long as one isn't a fool, no one would do such a brainless thing."

"Looking at Liu Lan's appearance, she doesn't seem to be lying; I guess there's some secret he doesn't know about; as long as it doesn't bother him or scheme against him, Shazhu can't be bothered with the Jia family's messy affairs."

""Thank you, Comrade Liu Lan, for bringing this important news to our cafeteria; next we still need to arrange lunch for the workers; please Comrade Liu Lan go elsewhere to spread the news of Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi's reconciliation.""

"Came and went in a hurry."

"Came like the wind."

"Left like the wind."

"This is Liu Lan of Yagangchang!"