Chapter 634

As the strongest white-eyed wolf of the Jia family, Bangeng truly brought the eight words 'cold-blooded and ruthless, devoid of humanity' to their extreme. Just now, Qin Huairu and Xu Daming's conversation stimulated Bangeng, causing him to involuntarily recall some things—some bad things about how he should act and how the Jia family should act.

In his mind, fragments of that night surfaced; he vaguely remembered pulling Shazhu out of the siheyuan at that moment, and a figure seemed to flash by at the street corner.

At the time, he paid no attention, his thoughts and energy entirely focused on Shazhu.

Now, thinking about it.

It might have been a person.

A strong sense of danger.

Immediately, he sought out Bangeng.

Qin Huairu outwardly claimed that 'Shazhu ended his own life to avoid burdening the Jia family, and the Jia family feels great pain over Shazhu's death.'

But truth cannot be faked, and falsehood cannot become truth.

If that person hears the wind and steps forward to say he witnessed Bangeng and the two little white-eyed wolves harshly driving Shazhu away that night, he would become the eyewitness proving the Jia family caused Shazhu's miserable death.

With a witness present.

The Jia family would have to pay the price for driving Shazhu to death.

Someone would have to pay with their life, and someone else would have to go to prison.

This result terrified Bangeng silly; thinking of how the Jia family now has plenty of houses for him to squander, he didn't want the fact of death to fall on his own head.

A matter Bangeng cannot afford to ignore formed in his mind; he pondered the Jia family's future situation and his own possible peril of death and disappearance.

Unfounded resentment toward Jia Zhangshi arose.

A thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes.

All were Jia Zhangshi's fault; her some remarks influenced Bangeng.

Countless times in Bangeng and others' ears, she spoke all kinds of bad things about Shazhu.

She said Shazhu, after becoming paralyzed, had no financial interest with the Jia family, said Shazhu had no right to enjoy the Jia family's care for him, said Shazhu's original motive in helping the Jia family was that he fancied Qin Huairu and wanted to sleep with her.

She bluntly said everything Shazhu did was entirely exchanged for Qin Huairu's actual contributions.

She said Shazhu's relationship with Qin Huairu and the Jia family was purely that kind of interest exchange, said Shazhu helped them only out of lust for Qin Huairu's body, said Shazhu greatly enjoyed the glory of aiding widows, stemming from this self-interest, which is why he aided the widow.

The implication inside and outside her words was that Shazhu was not as glorious as outsiders said; he could not bear to see even a bit of the Jia family's orphan and widow struggling, and he helped them out of great compassion.

It was Qin Huairu's appearance that successfully attracted Shazhu.

Try swapping in an ugly widow—Shazhu would definitely flee as far as possible.

In the steel mill, the street, and the surrounding large courtyards, there are widows more miserable than Qin Huairu; why didn't Shazhu help those widows but insist on aiding Qin Huairu?

The root is simply that Qin Huairu looks good, and the root is simply that Shazhu took a fancy to Qin Huairu's appearance.

Bangeng heard these words and believed Shazhu should not stay in their Jia family; the industries Shazhu built for the Jia family were all exchanged for Qin Huairu's contributions.

Unconsciously, he began to despise Shazhu, laying the groundwork for later driving Shazhu away.

If not for Jia Zhangshi's remarks, Bangeng would not have driven Shazhu away; at worst, they would have kept Shazhu alive like feeding a dog.

The thief saint did not look for causes within himself; he put the blame on Jia Zhangshi's head, and seeing Jia Zhangshi still educating himself in the guise of a grandmother, his resentment welled up in his heart.

"Is saying these things useful now? Isn't this all your merit? If you hadn't told us Shazhu's various faults, would we need to handle Shazhu's aftermath?"

Jia Zhangshi's face stiffened.

Bangeng was pushing all responsibility onto her head; last night, there had already been an incident where Bangeng made Jia Zhangshi bear the thunder.

This hat.

Jia Zhangshi does not wear it.

"Bangeng, are you resenting Grandma?"

"Shouldn't you resent her? If not for your telling us those things, would we have become this stiff? I tell you plainly, you also shouldn't put on the Jia family ancestral airs in front of us; the Jia family's current achievements rely not on you, but on my mother Qin Huairu; you, all day long, drag down our Jia family."

Xiao Dang and Huaihua.

Since childhood, they have not been liked by Jia Zhangshi.

They have suffered Jia Zhangshi's mockery.

Seeing Bangeng retort against Jia Zhangshi, they hurriedly followed his lead and began to complain as well.

"Grandma, my brother's words are reasonable; Shazhu's death really does resent you; if not for your words, our Jia family would not be so passive."

"Shazhu helped our Jia family out of respect for my mother Qin Huairu; it has nothing to do with you; you, in the future, should put on less of an ancestral attitude, for because of this ancestral attitude, my mother still has to go discuss things with He Yushui; if they settle it, our Jia family still has a chance to turn things around; if the talks yield no result, He Yushui will strictly investigate this matter—you guess what fate our Jia family will meet?"

"Why are you all coming at me?"

"Who let this matter be caused by you?" Bangeng replied: "Your meaning, we all understand—nothing more than having Shazhu wear mourning clothes, for our Jia family, I accept that, but I hope you from now on will try to avoid courting death, and not drag down the whole family."

"I am your grandmother."

"We also haven't said you aren't our grandmother; I'm not chatting with you anymore—I still have to go to the bureau."

Bangeng, Xiao Dang, and Huaihua left the siheyuan one after another to attend to their own affairs, leaving Jia Zhangshi behind, staring blankly at their departing backs.

He let out a sigh.

Leaning on his cane.

He turned and entered the Jia family's old house.

Thanks to Qin Huairu's shrewdness, she firmly controlled Shazhu, and through him, turned most of the siheyuan's rooms into the Jia family's.

With extra rooms, naturally there was no need to crowd the whole family into one small room as before.

The Jia family's old house.

Was singled out by Jia Zhangshi alone, made into a memorial room of past hardships, its furnishings unchanged.

When Jia Zhangshi entered, it was not to gaze at objects and think of people; she mainly came for the memorial photo of Jia Dongxu hanging on the wall; whenever the Jia family encounters something, or Qin Huairu and someone else does something unspeakable, Jia Zhangshi appears alone in the room, facing Jia Dongxu's memorial photo, and says a few heartfelt words.

Actually, it's just shifting blame onto others and gilding her own face.

"Dongxu, Mom doing this—is it wrong? Mom also considered the Jia family; Mom heard that as long as Shazhu agrees, he can reclaim the house he gave the Jia family; the Jia family painstakingly obtained these substantive benefits—why should we return to that wretched state? Mom truly didn't expect things to blow up this big; Bangeng and them have started resenting me as this grandmother; Dongxu, you say, what should Mom do? Dongxu, rest assured—even if I sacrifice myself to let Qin Huairu bear the thunder, Mom will also protect you and Bangeng's three children..."

……

After leaving the siheyuan.

Xu Daming then came to the newsstand.

There is an external phone here; making a one-minute call costs some amount of money.

He came specifically to the siheyuan today to, in front of outsiders, make a big deal out of those past events involving Qin Huairu and Shazhu, aiming to stimulate Qin Huairu as much as possible, to bring up some buried past events; the Jia family wants to cover up their previous disgrace and embarrassment—dream on! Xu Daming will not let the Jia family whitewash themselves like that.

This matter.

He Yushui also knows.

Some things.

Can be resolved swiftly.

For example, the fact that Shazhu was driven out of the Jia family home and died miserably, and the scientific data from Shazhu's autopsy, can prove that he was abused by the Jia family.

That's all.

According to the evidence investigated by Liu Jianguo, it turns out no one saw the Jia family abandoning Shazhu.

The Jia family's claim to outsiders that "Shazhu sacrificed himself to avoid dragging down the Jia family" actually finds believers when argued from an emotional standpoint, with people earnestly saying Shazhu is a responsible man.

Shazhu's tragic death will not involve the Jia family's lives; even if the Jia family members are pushed to the brink, they would only serve a short time, as long as someone is pushed out to take the blame, the matter can easily be blown over.

This is one reason.

He Yushui does not want to see such a result happen; she guesses that once things blow up, only Jia Zhangshi will step forward to take the blame, while the remaining bastards will continue to live carefree lives.

Without Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu's life will be more comfortable, and the lives of Bangeng and others will also become more exciting.

This inadvertently helps the Jia family.

He Yushui will not make such a low-level mistake.

Another reason: according to relevant laws and regulations, the houses Shazhu bought with his money, including the two ancestral houses of the old He family, are now legally registered under the Jia family's name.

Two years ago, when Shazhu transferred the property, he had no illness at all, and his mind was very clear, with no factors of being schemed against or deceived.

Even if He Yushui raises various arguments and tries to reclaim these houses through legal means, it is utterly a fool's dream.

The proper way won't work.

So we must switch to a workable path.

Take a side approach.

Give the Jia family a wicked move.

A dull knife cutting flesh is the most painful.

As long as we knock the Jia family down to the mundane world, making them taste the hardships they once inflicted, this is more satisfying than taking their lives, as it carries greater revenge.

Therefore, He Yushui treats the matter of Shazhu being driven out by the Jia family and dying miserably as if she hadn't heard it; when she hears Xu Daming is going to the siheyuan to argue with Qin Huairu, she neither says agreement nor disagreement.

Let Xu Daming go out to scout the situation.

Also good.

Because of certain matters, Xu Daming has He Yushui's phone number; after leaving the siheyuan, he called He Yushui.

"Hello, is this Yushui? I am Xu Daming."

On the other end of the phone.

Came He Yushui's acknowledged voice.

"Yushui, listen, I just met with Qin Huairu earlier; based on what I heard, you'd better prepare yourself mentally: this morning around eight o'clock, Yi Zhonghai returned from the hospital to the siheyuan, he walked back himself, at that time the Jia family beasts were all present, what exactly they discussed, no one heard, but I guess it should be about retirement matters, Yi Zhonghai was negotiating with the Jia family."

"I know this matter."

"I said in front of the neighbors, about Qin Huairu and your brother Shazhu's matters, said Qin Huairu deliberately sabotaged your brother's matchmaking, didn't expect Qin Huairu to admit it, and even said love is selfish, saying she just favors Shazhu. I also said the matter of widows getting IUDs, Qin Huairu admitted it too, and even used Hexiao's matter to retaliate against me."

He Yushui on the other end of the phone.

Softly comforting Xu Daming.

Xu Daming kept nodding.

"Mm-hmm, yes yes yes, I also think this way, you are Shazhu's sister, Shazhu's funeral arrangements, you decide, I'll listen to you, let the Jia family make Shazhu wear mourning clothes, good, let's meet and talk, just now when I saw Qin Huairu, I saw she was quite anxious, guess she wants to see you, good good good, this is also good, your brother helped the Jia family all his life, now he ended up like this, the Jia family should make him wear mourning clothes, if possible, I really want Jia Zhangshi to also make Shazhu wear mourning clothes, okay, let's not talk anymore."

"Goodbye, Brother Daming."

He Yushui hung up the phone, then immediately fell into deep thought alone.

Speaking of which, it's also ironic.

After Shazhu's death.

The person who ran around for Shazhu, yet is Shazhu's lifelong rival Xu Daming.

Xu Daming has a saying that's very right: even Dorgon couldn't handle a child-carrying widow, but you, Shazhu, can handle a child-carrying widow, and damn it, you're even handling a widow with three kids and a mother-in-law.

Really taking yourself for a scallion?

No wonder you ended up like this.

You deserved it.

Xu Daming and He Yushui have said how many times about Shazhu, yet Shazhu never listened once.

Perhaps truly as Xu Daming said, this is Shazhu's fate.

He Yushui picked up the phone, pressed a few numbers.

On the other end of the phone, He Daqing's voice sounded.

He Yushui, using a tone devoid of any emotion, instructed He Daqing a few sentences.

Now is not the time for He Daqing to step out; let He Daqing not appear in the Capital City, worried that He Daqing cannot hold back, and might act prematurely against the Jia family.

This would ruin He Yushui's revenge plan against the Jia family.

……

Siheyuan.

Inside the low house.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong looked at each other, both somewhat startled; they never expected to meet under such circumstances.

They had met many times before in the siheyuan, but never with such a complex mix of emotions.

Yi Zhonghai didn't know what to say.

Liu Haizhong also didn't know what to say.

When Shazhu was alive, Yi Zhonghai used the six words "unfilial father, unfilial son" to lecture Liu Haizhong, bluntly saying that although Liu Haizhong had three sons, in terms of support in old age, he was far worse off than the childless Yi Zhonghai, and Shazhu alone was worth several of Liu Haizhong's sons.

Once upon a time.

All the bragging he had done came back to haunt Yi Zhonghai completely.

Numerous schemes.

Yet he had never dared to scheme against heaven.

Shazhu actually died ahead of Yi Zhonghai.

This truly left Yi Zhonghai at a loss as to what to do.

How could you, Shazhu, die before me, Yi Zhonghai? After you're gone, who will support me in my old age and see me through my final rites?