Chapter 658: Qin Huairu Encountered Ran Qiuye

After a chamber pot was placed on Yi Zhonghai's head.

Bangeng stopped fussing and fell into a drowsy sleep.

Jia Zhangshi also hurriedly slipped away.

She arranged a match for Bangeng, causing him to be fired by his unit, which really frightened Jia Zhangshi; in a hazy moment, she saw her great-grandmother waving at her.

Anyway, Yi Zhonghai still had some remaining usefulness.

It's no good.

I need to get some sleep.

Jia Zhangshi left.

Qin Huairu, however, gazed worriedly at Bangeng as he fell asleep to his snoring; not knowing why, she always felt something was off, as if someone were targeting their Jia family.

One person sat on the stool, thought for a long time, but ultimately couldn't figure out the reason.

Could only decide to wait and see how things went the next day.

The next day.

Qin Huairu rose early, and on her way to work she unexpectedly ran into someone who greatly surprised her.

Ran Qiuye.

She looked at Ran Qiuye's face, full of scholarly air, and suddenly recalled an old incident from years past.

Strictly speaking.

Qin Huairu and Ran Qiuye were also love rivals for a time.

They vied for Shazhu.

Seeing Shazhu develop feelings for Ran Qiuye, and learning that if they left Shazhu the Jia family would fall into chaos, Qin Huairu decisively sought out Ran Qiuye, told her she couldn't leave Shazhu, and morally pressured her to say goodbye to Shazhu.

Returning to the Siheyuan, facing Shazhu who eagerly awaited news with a happy heart, Qin Huairu did not tell the truth but instead spoke some self‑embellishing words.

Eventually, as Ran Qiuye drifted away from Shazhu, Shazhu never saw Ran Qiuye again.

Qin Huairu also never expected to see her former love rival again.

For a moment she was somewhat taken aback.

She stood there, dazed.

Or it was Ran Qiuye who recognized Qin Huairu and greeted her.

"Are you Bangeng's mother?"

"Teacher Ran? Really is you." Qin Huairu put on an expression of disbelief, "If you didn't say hello, I wouldn't dare recognize you; you look so young, like a little girl."

"Nonsense, I'm almost fifty; still a little girl? Are you going to work?"

"Going to work."

Qin Huairu answered, then suddenly thought of something, and her expression turned strange.

Ran Qiuye's background once caused quite a stir, and in the end she met the same fate as Lou Xiaoe, going away.

What surprised Qin Huairu was not Ran Qiuye's return.

But rather she wondered why Ran Qiuye would appear at this time.

Shazhu died first.

Ran Qiuye came back afterward.

Worried that Ran Qiuye had also rushed back from outside specifically to stand up for Shazhu.

Lou Xiaoe, thanks to Shazhu's favor, went away; Ran Qiuye, too, thanks to Shazhu's favor, went away.

This was equivalent to a great kindness of saving a life.

Ran Qiuye is a cultured person; cultured people believe that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring.

Qin Huairu felt a little excited inside.

Having done many wicked deeds, she felt guilty.

"Teacher Ran, I dare ask a question that might anger you; I recall you went away, so how did you come back? When did you return?"

"I've only been back a short time, about a week."

Qin Huairu's heart.

If not for her throat blocking it.

Maybe it would have flown out from fright.

She had only been back seven days; this was because she had come back to settle accounts with the Jia family over Shazhu's matter.

"When are you leaving?"

"It depends on the situation; if things go smoothly I won't leave, if not I will." Ran Qiuye, lacking Qin Huairu's scheming, then turned to ask Shazhu, "How is Master He doing now? That matter really was thanks to Master He's help; otherwise our family would also..."

Probably she didn't want to mention those painful past events.

She waved her hand.

"Let's not talk about it; it's all in the past. Is Master He still working as the head chef at Yagangchang? I'll set a time—next Saturday evening I'll treat you both to a meal, as thanks for Master He's earlier help."

Actually Ran Qiuye wanted to ask whether Shazhu and Qin Huairu had gotten together.

After thinking.

She felt asking would be pointless.

Back when Shazhu and Qin Huairu were involved, she, as Bangeng's homeroom teacher, had some understanding of it.

"Shazhu is gone."

"Is that the one who's gone?"

"Um, Shazhu has been gone for several days, Teacher Ran; if you have time come to my place to play, I'm going to work now, I don't have time to delay."

Qin Huairu found an excuse and hurried toward Yagangchang.

An anxious look.

It felt as if a flood and a ferocious beast were behind him.

Ran Qiuye watched Qin Huiru's retreating figure and suddenly felt that Shazhu had made the

Shazhu!

Back when Qin Huairu faced Ran Qiuye, she called him Zhuzi.

He's gone.

Zhuzi became Shazhu.

This shows that Qin Huairu never really had Shazhu in her heart; her involvement with him was purely out of consideration for the Jia family's interests.

Ran Qiuye regretted it.

If she hadn't listened to Qin Huairu and instead chosen to be with Shazhu, Shazhu likely wouldn't have met an early death.

Before meeting Qin Huairu.

Ran Qiuye had actually met He Yushui before, and they even had a cup of coffee together.

He Yushui didn't talk about Shazhu and Qin Huairu; instead, he asked Ran Qiuye why she wasn't together with Shazhu.

He Yushui knew about Shazhu's pursuit of Ran Qiuye, and Shazhu had asked him what he thought.

Bangeng also knew this, and Deng Yong used it to trick Shazhu, saying that if Shazhu gave him two dollars, Bangeng would help Shazhu call Ran Qiuye to come home.

Unfortunately, Ran Qiuye overheard it.

Qin Huairu.

Bangeng.

Shazhu.

Ran Qiuye, muttering three names under her breath, recalled the topics she had discussed with He Yushui when they met yesterday.

……

"Teacher Ran, why is there no follow-up to what happened between you and my brother Shazhu? Is it really as my brother Shazhu said, that Teacher Yan spoke ill of him behind his back?"

This has been a question weighing on Shazhu's mind for a long time.

It's essentially a heart condition for Shazhu.

It's also a puzzle that troubles He Yushui.

How did it just end with no follow-up?

Shazhu thinks it's because Yan Fugui took his local specialties and refused to help, while He Yushui believes it's the Jia family widow meddling behind the scenes.

"It was Qin Huairu. On the day Master He invited me to eat, he went to deliver food to the elderly lady in the back courtyard, and Qin Huairu suddenly ran in from outside, greeted me, and said she was specially helping Master He tidy up the room, which made me feel quite embarrassed."

"What do you think?"

"Qin Huairu is a widow, and your brother is a single man. A widow going to a single man's house to tidy up for him already says something, and Qin Huairu even took Master He's underpants and complained as she left."

"She complained about my brother Shazhu?"

"She complained that Master He is a lazy good-for-nothing, saying that she, Qin Huairu, always does the cleaning, and that Master He shows no sympathy for her, making Qin Huairu work during the day and then mend his clothes and do housework after work. She gave me the feeling of being the lady of the house, and I suddenly felt like an outsider."

"I knew it was that woman causing trouble. Too bad my brother Shazhu always thought it was because he's ugly and didn't catch your eye, Teacher Ran."

"The next day, Qin Huairu found me and asked if I was dating Master He. I said no, I was just visiting Bangeng for a home visit. Coincidentally, the Jia family was empty, Master He saw me, and invited me to stay at his place for a while."

"Qin Huairu surely told you about her difficulties."

"That's right. Qin Huairu first told me how difficult the Jia family's situation was, but I didn't believe her at all—five people in the household, each earning over five dollars a month, how could they be struggling? Yet Qin Huairu told me that Master He is a good person, the only one in the siheyuan who saw the Jia family's hardship, and he helped them selflessly."

"This woman is poisonous; my brother Shazhu fell under her spell and can't break free. I've tried to set him up with several potential partners, but Qin Huairu messed them all up. She definitely told you that my brother Shazhu really likes the Jia family's kids, right?"

"That's correct. Qin Huairu said Master He especially loves their kids—how Bangeng is sensible, how he dotes on his sister, how he's filial to his elders, and that Xiao Guo and Huahua are like little fairies. She said outsiders who don't know the details all think Master He is the father of Bangeng, Xiao Guo, and Huahua, and that when the kids get hungry they go to his house for food, and Master He never locks his door."

"Based on my understanding of Qin Huairu, a widow would have another trick up her sleeve. I guess she's saying she can't live without my brother Shazhu, telling you, Teacher Ran, how good you are in every way, and that you could find someone better if you left Shazhu."

"Qin Huairu really did say those things to me, praising my youth, beauty, knowledge, and that I'm a single, unmarried young woman whom many male comrades like. She said she's a widow with three kids and an elderly person, in the worst possible condition, and only Master He doesn't despise her and takes care of her."

……

"Daming, what's wrong with you?"

Qin Jingru saw Xu Daming sitting foolishly on the stool.

He didn't move a muscle.

He was even more stiff than a wooden statue.

She quickly asked him a question.

Accompanied by Qin Jingru's calls, the daydreaming Xu Daming finally reacted, lifted his head, and stared at Qin Jingru without saying a word.

An anxious expression.

It startled Qin Jingru.

"Daming, don't scare me."

Qin Jingru placed her hand on Xu Daming's forehead.

She mistakenly thought he was sick.

Otherwise, he couldn't look so exhausted.

"I'm not sick."

"You look like this—how could you not be sick?" Qin Jingru looked at Xu Daming and said, "Should we go to the hospital? I can go out and call a car right now; it's very convenient. You're the pillar of our family—if something happens to you, what would we do?"

"I'm not sick," Xu Daming said, frowning. "I just feel uneasy inside."

"That's the same thing—if you feel uneasy inside, isn't that being sick?"

Xu Daming suddenly became irritable.

He realized he and Qin Jingru seemed to have nothing in common to talk about.

He said east.

Qin Jingru said, "West."

The two of them don't even use the same chamber pot.

They're not on the same wavelength.

"I feel uneasy inside, not sick—do you understand? Something's wrong."

"What are you shouting about? I'm also worried about you. What's going on? Tell me, and maybe I can help you figure it out."

"You Fengxia is back."

Qin Jingru paused.

She was startled.

The thing in her hand also fell to the ground, making a crisp cracking sound.

The question of who You Fengxia is, Qin Jingru knows the answer, and she also knows exactly what's going on between You Fengxia and Xu Daming.

After Lou Xiaoe returned, Xu Daming was reported for illegally collecting money, lost his right to show films, and was made to sell tickets at the gate.

Xu Daming was unhappy.

Mainly because there was no profit.

Later he decisively quit.

Relying on his eloquence, and whenever he went into business, he could make money doing anything.

The little stall selling roasted melon seeds at the street corner earned more than the workers in the unit.

Xu Daming seized the moment, becoming the first person in the siheyuan to wear a suit and tie, and he even showed off his suit brand to Shazhu.

They said his suit cost a year's salary for Shazhu.

After a while.

Xu Daming started using a brick phone, becoming the first person in the siheyuan to have a mobile phone. Liu Haizhong, who was also doing well in business, just used a pager, called him, and he had to find a public phone to call back.

It's just because Xu Daming got rich.

Later, Qin Jingru and Xu Daming had another argument over their children.

They divorced.

Qin Jingru moved into He Yushui's small house.

After over a year, Qin Jingru heard that Xu Daming went into business with someone, was swindled out of all his property, and the woman who cheated him out of his wealth was You Fengxia.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She said to Xu Daming, "Take a good look— which woman is really You Fengxia? Don't get it wrong."

"Even if she turned to ashes, I'd still recognize her."

Xu Daming said through gritted teeth.

That's also strange.

As time passed, Xu Daming's hatred for You Fengxia didn't fade; if anything, it grew stronger.

Regarding Xu Daming's hatred.

Qin Jingru expressed understanding.

Arrogant and conceited, he looked down on the neighbors in the courtyard, thinking they were trash, but in the end, Xu Daming apologized to each neighbor present, even kneeling to do so.

Xu Daming lost his most important face.

He threw it away.

And he threw it to those he once looked down upon.

"Does she dare to come back?"

"Why wouldn't she dare to come back?" Xu Daming glanced at Qin Jingru and asked, "Do you know who's backing her?"

"It couldn't be Lou Xiaoe, could it?"

Qin Jingru was just speaking angrily.

Someone who could make Xu Daming feel so humiliated must be formidable; she still has people behind her, and in Qin Jingru's eyes, that important figure is Lou Xiaoe.

She unconsciously mentioned Lou Xiaoe's name.

But she didn't expect to have guessed correctly by accident.

"Yes, it's Lou Xiaoe."

"Ah?"

Qin Jingru gasped, her face showing disbelief.

She was stunned by the three words "Lou Xiaoe".

"It couldn't be Lou Xiaoe, could it?"

Qin Jingru was just speaking angrily.

Someone who could make Xu Daming feel so humiliated must be formidable; she still has people behind her, and in Qin Jingru's eyes, that important figure is Lou Xiaoe.

She unconsciously mentioned Lou Xiaoe's name.

But she didn't expect to have guessed correctly by accident.

"Yes, it's Lou Xiaoe."

"Ah?"

Qin Jingru gasped, her face showing disbelief.

She was stunned by the three words "Lou Xiaoe".

The fact that Lou Xiaoe stands behind You Fengxia indicates that the person who initially made a move against Xu Daming was Lou Xiaoe, ah!