Chapter 628: Shazhu was poisoned to death by you Jia family people, right?

Jia Zhangshi was also up to no good.

She schemed to use the incident of Yi Zhonghai making Shazhu break a basin to force Yi Zhonghai to leave.

A permanent solution to the Jia family's troubles.

Even a desperate dog will jump over a wall.

What more for a person.

Back then, Yi Zhonghai was at least a notable figure in the Siheyuan, and Jia Zhangshi couldn't be sure that a Yi Zhonghai with no retreat wouldn't stir up trouble.

Who let the Jia family become so big and prosperous.

Thus they wanted to drive Yi Zhonghai away.

To solve the problem at its root.

Yi Zhonghai saw through Jia Zhangshi's plans clear as day.

He glanced at Jia Zhangshi, then turned his gaze to Qin Huairu, sizing her up with a piercing, all-seeing look.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai looking at her like that,

Qin Huairu's heart.

It rose to her throat.

Under Yi Zhonghai's gaze, Qin Huairu suddenly felt as cold as being in the depths of winter, as if all her disguises had been seen through, leaving no secret whatsoever.

She forced a smile onto her face.

"Elder Uncle, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Huairu, Elder Uncle means no harm."

Yi Zhonghai changed the subject to ask about Shazhu's cause of death; he wouldn't foolishly discuss with Jia Zhangshi who made Shazhu break a basin, and even if it were Bangeng's turn to break a basin, he wouldn't let Yi Zhonghai do it.

What's more, Shazhu has a biological son.

Even if Hexiao doesn't come, Shazhu has his own nephew to help break the basin; there's no need for Jia Zhangshi and Yi Zhonghai to worry about it.

"Tell me, how did Zhuzi just die? He was a perfectly fine person, how did he suddenly disappear? I remember Zhuzi's health was always good."

Qin Huairu remained silent.

Jia Zhangshi, however, spoke up.

She sensed the ill intent in Yi Zhonghai's words.

She retorted with a sharp remark.

"Yi Zhonghai, what do you mean? I feel your meaning is a bit off—Shazhu's health is fine, so he shouldn't have met with misfortune."

"Bangeng's grandma, you've misunderstood me."

Seeing Jia Zhangshi looking somewhat anxious,

Yi Zhonghai then knew Shazhu's death was not simple.

Otherwise, Jia Zhangshi wouldn't be so anxious, as if someone had stepped on her tail.

"I don't mean that; I just think it's wrong for Shazhu, who was perfectly fine, to just be gone."

"People who eat grains inevitably suffer minor or major illnesses; some seem healthy all year but once they fall ill it's a major disease, and they say 'gone just like that'—Shazhu is such a case; otherwise there wouldn't be the saying 'illness comes like a collapsing mountain.' Yi Zhonghai, this old woman warns you: don't try to pin a chamber pot of feces on our Jia family; we Jia family aren't afraid."

"Bangeng's grandma, I hear what you're saying—clearly you're scared."

"Who's scared?" Jia Zhangshi, stubborn as a dead duck, turned to Qin Huairu and said, "Huairu, are we Jia family afraid? With integrity we fear no crooked shadow; we Jia family have done our duty—who dares speak ill of us?"

"Huairu, your mother-in-law isn't making herself clear; tell me, how did Zhuzi just disappear? Elder Uncle wants to know how Zhuzi is no longer here."

Helpless, Qin Huairu could only repeat what she'd just said: Yi Zhonghai going to the hospital when ill, Shazhu returning home ill, the Jia family giving him medicine, and so on, spelling it out clearly.

"Not long after seeing you off—less than half an hour—Shazhu said he felt dizzy and wanted to nap, so he went back to his room to sleep, sleeping until past nine at night. We called him for dinner, but he didn't come out. I felt something was off, went in and found Shazhu, told him if he felt unwell we should go to the hospital, but he said it was fine and asked me to get him some cold medicine. I fetched a few pills, poured hot water, attended to him as he took the medicine, and Shazhu fell into a drowsy sleep."

Qin Huairu's intention was to make everything clear, showing that Shazhu's illness had nothing to do with the Jia family, not even a cent's worth.

Although Shazhu was driven out by the Jia family and died miserably beneath the overpass,

but Yi Zhonghai didn't know about this.

This is Qin Huairu's plan.

She tried to embellish herself as much as possible, pushing everything onto Shazhu.

"Why not go to the hospital?"

"The reason Shazhu didn't go to the hospital is that he thought his health was fine and saw no need; he said that if you were hospitalized and he went again, it would give you a bad reputation, and you know his temperament—stubborn as a mule, and we can't argue with him."

Yi Zhonghai blinked his eyes.

Watching Qin Huairu perform her bitter drama,

"You also know that Shazhu wakes up early; the next morning around nine, I saw he still hadn't gotten up, so I went to his room and found he couldn't move. I quickly called Bangeng to take Shazhu to the hospital; the doctor said Shazhu was paralyzed on one side and that even if he stayed in the hospital it couldn't be cured. Shazhu refused to stay in the hospital, insisting on returning to the Siheyuan; we couldn't override him, so we sent him back, and he ate, drank, relieved himself, and slept all in bed."

Qin Huairu's tone.

Suddenly turned grief-stricken and indignant.

Now it's time to portray the suffering of the Jia family widow.

Furthermore, we must highlight Shazhu's glorious act of ending himself to avoid burdening the Jia family.

"Seeing that he had to relieve his bowels and bladder in bed, Shazhu felt like a cripple, losing his temper all day, yelling either at me, Qin Huairu, or at my mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi; even Bangeng and the others got scolded by him. Eventually he begged us to give him a quick death, saying he wanted to stay strong all his life and not lie helplessly in bed, for fear that Daming Xu would look down on him."

"Following my old woman's opinion, we should do as Shazhu wishes, but Huairu disagrees, saying the Jia family's present glory is all thanks to Shazhu's efforts, saying human hearts are made of flesh, so we can't let the neighbors stab our Jia family's backs, claiming we Jia family are ungrateful beasts; telling Shazhu, saying that when he first helped the Jia family, we Jia family will now support him in his old age."

"Shazhu agreed on the surface, but who could have guessed he had made up his mind? That night past eleven, he alone climbed out the gate, out of the Siheyuan, and reached beneath the overpass; by the time we found out, Shazhu was already gone."

Qin Huairu burst into loud tears.

An appearance of tears pouring down like rain.

"I know why Shazhu did this—he didn't want to burden the Jia family, nor me, Qin Huairu. Elder Uncle, Shazhu once told me that in front of me he would always appear capable, not wanting me to see him reduced to a wretched state like a dog. Shazhu, truly foolish, can I Qin Huairu resent him? Can I Qin Huairu look down on him? Unable to see a way out, he took this extreme path. Elder Uncle, what should we Jia family do? Now many are spreading the rumor that the Jia family are inhumane, having abandoned Shazhu to die, causing his demise. Elder Uncle, we Jia family also care about face."

"Shazhu took the medicine you, Qin Huairu, gave him, then became paralyzed on one side, and later crawled out to die. Qin Huairu, tell me what medicine you gave Shazhu that could cause such paralysis."

Yi Zhonghai said a single line.

Instantly broke through the Jia family widow's defense.

Everyone present.

In an instant, they were dumbstruck.

They weren't stupid; they understood the implication in Yi Zhonghai's words.

Taking the medicine, he became half-paralyzed.

This is saying that the Jia family members drugged Shazhu to harm him.

Once it is carried out.

That is a major matter that could cost lives.

Jia Zhangshi was the first to jump out, pointing at Yi Zhonghai and saying: "Yi Zhonghai, what do you mean? Explain yourself. What does it mean that Shazhu took Qin Huairu's medicine and became half-paralyzed? If you don't make it clear, I, the old woman, won't let this rest with you. You yourself have no heirs; seeing Shazhu die, you have no one to support you in old age, and you're maliciously putting a hat on our Jia family."

Qin Huairu said nothing.

Jia Zhangshi spoke up.

She naturally didn't need to speak up.

Otherwise it would show Qin Huairu panicking.

"Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, Bangeng, Xiao Dang, Huaihua — have you all heard of Water Margin?" Yi Zhonghai's facial expression was like a plucked fox, grown up, and he said, "Water Margin."

"Yi Zhonghai, why are you bringing up Water Margin out of the blue?"

In Water Margin there is a character named Wu Dalang, who has a wife named Pan Jinlian. Wu Dalang spends all day selling steamed buns, Pan Jinlian stays at home, and there is a wealthy man named Ximen Qing. He sees Pan Jinlian at Wang Po's tea stall. I won't say what happens next, you all know: in order to stay with Ximen Qing, Pan Jinlian holds a bowl of medicine, shouts 'Dalang, come take your medicine,' and poisons Wu Dalang. Wu Song returns, kills Pan Jinlian, kills Ximen Qing, and kills Wang Po.

The Jia family five beasts' faces.

They all changed uniformly.

As things stand.

They only then realized that, in the affair of Shazhu's death and disappearance, there was actually something they didn't know that left them even more helpless.

Poison killing.

In Yi Zhonghai's words, Pan Jinlian clearly refers to Qin Huairu, Ximen Qing presumably refers to the Jia family's Bangeng — since the Jia family five beasts have only him as a man — Wang Po refers to Jia Zhangshi, and the bowl of medicine that Pan Jinlian used to poison Wu Dalang has become the few pills that Qin Huairu gave Shazhu.

Good fellow.

The affair of driving Shazhu out, causing his miserable death, is not yet settled, and Yi Zhonghai again floated the claim that the Jia family poisoned Shazhu; if this reaches He Yushui's ears, can the Jia family five beasts still have a way to survive?

Truly, they will be infamous for ten thousand years.

The Water Margin story has been passed down for hundreds of years, and people have cursed Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing for hundreds of years.

The Jia family five beasts all felt a bit overwhelmed.

They hesitated on the spot for a moment.

Bangeng spoke up.

As the sole adult male among the Jia family five beasts, both emotionally and logically, it should be him who steps forward.

"Yi Zhonghai, what exactly do you want to do? Why are you putting a chamber pot on our Jia family's heads? Is it really as my grandmother said, that seeing Shazhu dead, you feel no one will support you in your old age, and with a 'broken pot, broken mindset,' you want to drive our Jia family to death?"

"What do you mean by me, Yi Zhonghai, driving you to death? Are you just looking for death? Shazhu was fine, he took a few pills from Qin Huairu, the next day he became half-paralyzed, then he crawled out and froze to death, and you treat me, Yi Zhonghai, like a three-year-old? Or do you think I'm easy to fool, that whatever you Jia family say goes?"

"What kind of society is this now? Do you really think it's ancient times? You're spouting nonsense, do you really think anyone would believe it? My old woman tells you, Yi Zhonghai, don't even think about putting a hat on our Jia family; Shazhu's death has nothing to do with our Jia family. As for the rumor that we poisoned Shazhu, you can say it to whomever you like, but our Jia family isn't afraid."

"Precisely because it's a law‑based society, you don't dare to kill Shazhu outright; instead you poisoned him to half‑paralysis, then used words to provoke him, leaving him with no choice but to crawl out and seek his own death, after which you beautify his act with an expression that shows your Jia family reluctance to lose Shazhu — I don't know if what I'm saying is right."

"Right about what? How is it right? Clearly it was Shazhu who carried you to the hospital and got sick, yet you now put a chamber pot on our Jia family's heads, thinking this would clear your Yi Zhonghai's head of suspicion?"

"It's not about clearing my Yi Zhonghai's head of suspicion; rather, this matter is full of mysteries — Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi, only I, Yi Zhonghai, know what your situation was back then. This is having eaten one meal with no next; if it weren't for you two widows kneeling before me, saying your family can't do without Shazhu, would I really have schemed against Shazhu with you?"

"Yi Zhonghai, isn't this just about old‑age support? Why all the fuss? Shazhu died, your old‑age supporter is gone, but we Jia family members are still here; at worst we Jia family will support you in your old age."

Yi Zhonghai looked at Jia Zhangshi, who appeared to be thinking only of good things.

He gave a grin.

Ants dragging glutinous rice cakes, always thinking of the good places.

Given the Jia family's nature, Shazhu was driven out of their home by them, miserably dying under the overpass, and Yi Zhonghai also couldn't get any benefit from being under the Jia family's control.

If the Jia family repeats their old trick and gives Yi Zhonghai medicine, he could only become a second Shazhu.

He slightly shook his head.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai disagree with the Jia family providing his old‑age support, Jia Zhangshi couldn't quite understand; from beginning to end, she thought Yi Zhonghai's poison‑killing remarks were merely a pretext to seize and threaten the Jia family, so they would provide his old‑age support and funeral.

How did I end up agreeing?

But Yi Zhonghai disagreed.

Qin Huairu, however, guessed why Yi Zhonghai shook his head: she didn't believe the Jia family could provide Yi Zhonghai with old‑age support.

Thinking about it, that makes sense.

Shazhu, who had great kindness toward the Jia family, was driven out by them and died miserably; Yi Zhonghai, who had no gratitude toward the Jia family and even harbored hatred, how could he feel at ease letting the Jia family provide his old‑age support and funeral?

That's only human nature.

If it were Qin Huairu, she would think the same.

Yi Zhonghai's starting point might not be old‑age support but money.

Qin Huairu just wanted to know how much money would let Yi Zhonghai completely put this matter behind him.

Some things.

Not spoken.

One can still pretend not to know.

Once spoken.

Truly a social death on the spot.

Shazhu's death, after all, was the Jia family driving him out of their home; even if they said Shazhu wouldn't drag them down and he crawled out to end himself, if anyone saw Bangeng and them abandoning Shazhu, that would be a major problem.