Chapter 531

Under nightfall, the Zhong Yuan of the Siheyuan.

A voice rose from the neighbors, unanimously agreeing with Qin Huairu's remarks.

They thought the Jia family's house was bought with Qin Huairu's earnings, not due to Jia Zhangshi's merit, and consequently Bangeng was also gossiped about by the neighbors.

Mainly because Bangeng disappointed the neighbors too much.

His grandmother and mother fought right in front of him, and Bangeng, who was both grandson and son, surprisingly put on an aloof attitude as if uninvolved.

He had seen cold-blooded people.

Never before had he seen such a cold-blooded beast as Bangeng.

He was simply a white-eyed wolf.

From a moral standpoint, while agreeing with Qin Huairu, they also mocked and ridiculed Bangeng and Jia Zhangshi.

"Bangeng, Jia Zhangshi is your grandmother, Qin Huairu is your mother; they're fighting, and even if you don't want to pull them apart, you could at least shout for the neighbors to come break it up—yet you're too lazy to even yell. These are two blood relatives of yours, and you just watch them fight from start to finish? Your grandmother beating your mother, your mother beating your grandmother—don't you feel any pity?"

"The Jia family has only one room and can't find a wife; maybe Bangeng is actually thinking this way: if Jia Zhangshi dies, Qin Huairu dies, Huaihua runs away, he alone could seize the house and then marry a wife."

That's how it sounded.

It actually makes some sense.

"Jia Family lady, it's not us saying this—it's the old neighbors; everyone knows everyone. Since the day Qin Huairu moved into the siheyuan, you've been constantly stirring up gossip, to the point that even getting rid of lazy bums hasn't gotten rid of you. You're an old woman with no income, so don't claim this house is yours—it's the house Qin Huairu earned money to buy. Regardless of whether Qin Huairu is good or bad, at the very least she bought you a room, yet you've turned yourself into nothing but a dung‑making machine."

"Qin Huairu has never despised you, yet you now despise Qin Huairu. Over these years, if it weren't for Qin Huairu feeding you, could you have grown so white and plump? During those years of scarcity, Qin Huairu never lacked your food and drink. How have you become like this, and still want to drive Qin Huairu out? Given Bangeng's just‑shown cold‑blooded behavior, you can rest assured letting Bangeng support you in your old age."

"Think things over more, don't act on a hot head…"

The neighbors' accusations.

Ironically, this was exactly what Jia Zhangshi least wanted to see.

Laoqianpo was completely dumbfounded.

She had no idea how to respond to the neighbors' accusations, full of grievance, the words on her lips but she didn't know how to express them; the old lady spoke frankly, "You don't believe me, you believe that lying scoundrel Qin Huairu."

"I'm telling the truth."

"We're not three‑year‑olds."

"Say a little less."

Yan Fugui waved his hand to cut off the neighbors' heated discussion, his gaze falling first on Jia Zhangshi and then on Qin Huairu; the proposal to split the household came from the two of them.

Advocate harmony, not division.

"Grandma Bangeng, Mother Bangeng, you've lived together under one roof for so many years—life inevitably has its bumps; ask the neighbors, whose family doesn't quarrel?"

"Shazhu's family never argues."

There really was someone at the scene who'd bring up a dead‑man's pole.

They held up the siheyuan's model family as an example.

From their wedding day onward, Shazhu and his wife Lil have never blushed; throughout, they've maintained the posture of Shazhu handling external affairs and Lil managing internal ones.

Many in the siheyuan envied them.

Especially Qin Huairu envied them the most.

Their eyes were practically spitting fire.

"Don't feel sorry for Shazhu," Yan Fugui said in a joking tone, lightly turning the page; after the crowd's emotions had eased a bit, he brought up the topic again: "Grandma Bangeng, Mother Bangeng, after Dong Xu left, you've lived together for over ten years. Is there anything that can't be discussed openly, forcing you to nitpick and demand a split? In these times, splitting the household isn't a good thing—if word gets out, you'll surely be stabbed in the back."

Seeing Jia Zhangshi's face loosen a little.

Yan Fugui struck while the iron was hot.

"Grandma Bangeng, you're about my age; Bangeng has no job and hasn't married. Leaving that aside, suppose you meet a suitable woman in the future who refuses to live with you—who will support you in your old age? Who will look after your three daily meals? Qin Huairu is fine, truly; over these years she's toiled for your Jia family like an ox and a horse, and we ought to be grateful. It's not me, Yan Fugui, talking easy while sitting comfortably—your old‑age care still has to rely on Mother Bangeng. With your physique, after sitting for over twenty years, a sudden bout of work will surely leave you falling apart; not splitting the household is for your own good."

In fact.

Jia Zhangshi also did not want to split the household.

As the Jia family lady, she knew whom she had to rely on.

But it's just those recent matters.

That gave Jia Zhangshi a headache.

Qin Huairu resented Jia Zhangshi for using words to drive Huaihua away, leaving Huaihua neither seen alive nor found dead, and she constantly quarrels with Jia Zhangshi.

She gives Jia Zhangshi all kinds of dirty looks.

Today, over the steamed bun matter, she argued with Jia Zhangshi.

Their back‑and‑forth eventually dragged onto the topic of splitting the household.

When the neighbors came to watch the commotion, Jia Zhangshi already had the idea of settling things peacefully, except that Qin Huairu disagreed.

Jia Zhangshi, who cares about face, had no choice but to grit her teeth and bring up the split with Qin Huairu, hoping Qin Huairu would yield first so she could back down gracefully.

She did not oppose Yan Fugui's remarks.

After Yan Fugui finished speaking, she gave a slight nod.

"Mother Bangeng, Grandma Bangeng's meaning is that we won't split the household—what do you think? One family doesn't speak two ways; when Bangeng returns, if the Jia family makes a fuss about splitting, how will outsiders view the Jia family? Your future old‑age care will have to rely on Bangeng!"

Qin Huairu's hateful gaze.

Shot at Jia Zhangshi.

Feeling the hatred in Qin Huairu's eyes.

Jia Zhangshi's body trembled all over.

She regretted it, worried that if Qin Huairu really split from her, Bangeng having no job and Qin Huairu ignoring her after the split, how would Jia Zhangshi manage her three daily meals?

"Drink northwest wind?"

A few days ago, when Jia Zhangshi went to the street office to find work for Bangeng, she felt how hard job hunting is—even a street‑sweeping gig draws dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants.

The toilet‑cleaning job that Director Wang had left for Bangeng had already been snatched up, and when Jia Zhangshi went to the bathroom she saw that person.

A young fellow, about Bangeng's age, is said to earn over twenty yuan a month.

"Huairu."

Jia Zhangshi wanted to say a few kind words.

But just then she shouted out Qin Huairu's name.

And was cut off by Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu's attitude was very clear.

"San Daye, we must split the family; the matter of Huaihua is my mother-in-law's doing. Now there's no sign of her alive or dead—she's flesh cut from my body. My mother-in-law doesn't worry, but I do. Since she doesn't care about her life or death, I will take charge."

"Qin Huairu, you are unfilial." Jia Zhangshi wailed, "You beast, you white-eyed wolf, you don't care about my old wife's life or death."

"Am I the white-eyed wolf? I work during the day, exhausted to death; after work I come back and still have to inquire about Huaihua's whereabouts. I bought three white-flour steamed buns, thinking I wouldn't cook tonight, just take a bite to fill my stomach a bit. But my mother-in-law, together with my son, ate them all clean—leaving me not even one would be fine. There's white flour in the house, not to mention coarse grain; cooking is too much trouble, I'm tired, I want to live alone."

Qin Huairu's gaze.

It shifted onto Bangeng.

Before going to Dongbei to fetch Bangeng back, she thought her old-age support would rely on Bangeng; after Bangeng returned, the changes in the Jia Family and Bangeng's cold-bloodedness chilled Qin Huairu's heart; the scheming woman felt Bangeng was not a good reliance for her old-age support.

Shazhu said Bangeng is a white-eyed wolf.

Qin Huairu also snapped back at Shazhu a few times.

Basically what Shazhu said makes sense: Bangeng is a white-eyed wolf; earlier he deliberately didn't pull them apart, deliberately let them fight, just so they'd both lose and vacate the Jia Family's house.

Without Bangeng.

There are also two daughters.

Xiao Dang is in the northwest; Qin Huairu will write to Xiao Dang in a few days; as for Huaihua, she will search everywhere to find her.

"Hey!"

A sigh rose.

Qin Huairu felt she had made a bad move.

When she first married into the An family, she had actually already separated from the Jia Family, but due to An Jiahe's mysterious disappearance, Qin Huairu then encountered some things.

She then got mixed up with Jia Zhangshi in a confused way.

If she hadn't teamed up with Jia Zhangshi back then, Jia Zhangshi probably wouldn't have used her tone to drive Huaihua away.

Regret strengthened her determination to split the Jia Family.

"San Daye, thank you for the trouble; neighbors, thank you for the trouble."

"Qin Huairu, think it over again."

"No need to think further; I've decided this way. Just now you weren't here, my mother-in-law urged Bangeng to drive me out of the Jia Family—let's split! Continuing like this is pointless."

"Qin Huairu, you shameless slut, without the Jia Family, could you marry into the city? Now you've grown wings, wanting to live well on your own—my old woman tells you, no way."

Jia Zhangshi threatened Qin Huairu.

After the split.

Surely each will eat their own.

In other words.

Jia Zhangshi not only has to cook, but also wash dishes, do housework, and take in work such as laundry.

Jia Zhangshi, used to Qin Huairu's care, does not want to do these things.

"Wanting to split is fine; leave our Jia Family, return the Jia Family work to us, and you must also support my old woman in her old age and see her to the end."

"The house is mine; what right do I have to leave? If anyone leaves, it's you. I'm magnanimous; I'll show my style: after splitting, I allow you and Bangeng to keep living here, but you may not enter my inner rooms."

"On what basis? On what basis do you get to live in the inner rooms?"

"Then I'll show my style: I'll live in the outer rooms, you won't see me enter your inner rooms. As for work, what does it have to do with the Jia Family? Initially Jia Dongxu was a fitter; now I'm cleaning toilets at the Yagangchang—how could it be the same? Regarding old-age support, Jia Dongxu's pension is in your hands, Jia Zhangshi; I don't want it—just consider it your pension." Qin Huairu turned to the neighbors and made a ceremonial bow, "Please, neighbors, bear witness for me."

"Bangeng's mother, the neighbors can bear witness for you, but your family split still needs to be reported to the Jiēdào."

"I'll go to the Jiēdào tomorrow, thank you, San Daye."

"What thanks? I don't know whether San Daye did this right or wrong; neighbors, let's disperse."

The crowd dispersed one after another.

Not long after returning home.

The Jia Family again echoed with the sound of Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu arguing.

A ruined family is worth ten thousand strings of cash.

The not-so-wealthy Jia Family members began arguing over some bedding and such.

"This pillow was embroidered by my old woman; what right do you, Qin Huairu, have to take it? And these beddings were all bought with Jia Family money by my old woman; you, Qin Huairu, must not monopolize them. You just said we should split; since we split, we must settle everything at once—your things, we Jia Family don't want; our things, you Qin Huairu had better not think of taking."

"The clothes on your body were bought by me, Qin Huairu; take them off, and even your shorts were made from my autumn pants—give them back to me."

"Qin Huairu, must you be so absolute?"

"Are you being absolute? Or am I, Qin Huairu, being absolute?"

"Bangeng, she's bullying Grandma; help me hit her."

"……"

The neighbors all lost their patience for watching the show.

Instead they hid in their own homes, thinking about the Jia Family's split.

Not to mention anything else.

Just this reputation alone was completely ruined.

Chen Shimei's hat wasn't taken off, and he put on another hat that drove away his own younger sister; tonight he caused a cold-blooded bystander's scheme to let Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu destroy each other so he could monopolize the Jia Family house; moreover, the fact that his birth mother Qin Huairu and his paternal grandmother Jia Zhangshi split—given all these facts, Bangeng truly became a piece of stinking dog shit.

Shazhu just wanted to know whether Bangeng, wearing a series of shameful hats and a disgraceful reputation, could marry a wife.

In the previous life.

Bangeng's wife is called Tang Yanling, a sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative.

This lifetime.

How can the three-no staff Bangeng make Tang Yanling look askance?

"Just his fucking nonsense."

Shazhu, who had muttered a complaint, grabbed the large tea pot beside him, took a sip of tea, then began to fuss with the camera in his hand—there was no battery, no film.

That's quite a problem.

However, this doesn't stump Shazhu; after working as the canteen chief at the steel plant for so many years and also arranging private banquets for so many years, he still has these connections.

The next morning.

Shazhu got up very early.

After breakfast, he shooed away the five kids who wanted to be a third wheel, pushed his bicycle, with Yu Li following behind, and headed out of the siheyuan.

Jia Zhangshi from diagonally across, who had argued with Qin Huairu all night, still had the energy to eavesdrop on the siheyuan neighbors through the wall, and through the glass saw Shazhu and Yu Li walking away with the camera.

She started cursing nonstop: "You'll die sooner or later," "You've got only a few days left," "You conscienceless bastard," and similar insults flew from Jia Zhangshi's mouth.

She kept on cursing.

She suddenly felt it was a given.

In Jia Zhangshi's eyes, Shazhu's situation was then deadly serious.

In Jia Zhangshi's own words, it was the kind of outcome where one could get shot at any moment.

Thinking that if Shazhu and his wife were shot, would his siheyuan house become vacant? Shazhu's five children, the eldest and Wei Guo, are only fifteen this year.

Not even fully grown.

Then, with a little maneuvering, Shazhu's house, savings, and belongings would all become the Jia family's; once the Jia family had them, Bangeng could marry, whether or not they split from Qin Huairu would make no difference.