Chapter 663

He Daqing ultimately still didn't say why he had abandoned Shazhu and Yushui to go live with Baocheng and a widow, nor did he mention that he had left money, arranged work for Shazhu, and mailed living expenses from Baocheng each month.

Things have come to this.

There's no need to explain anymore.

Moreover, it would leave a bad impression on He Yushui.

This time returning to the Capital City.

On one hand, he wanted to vent anger for Shazhu.

On the other hand, he wanted to see He Yushui, whom he constantly worried about; upon seeing He Yushui, he knew He Yushui had endured hardship and was doing well.

He reluctantly put an end to one of He Daqing's concerns.

He nodded toward He Yushui.

He turned and left.

He walked away with a faltering step toward the distance.

Next came the matter of venting anger for Shazhu; he would make the Jia Family pay a heavy price.

……

Jia Family.

As soon as Qin Huairu entered the house, Huaihua and Xiao Dang quickly turned their gazes to her and asked, "Mom, you're back so soon?"

In other words.

How did your talk with Yan Fugui go?

After Xiao Dang and Huaihua got off work, Jia Zhangshi told the two granddaughters about He Daqing's return, and then analyzed for them why He Daqing had appeared in the Siheyuan, concluding that He Daqing would likely take action against Bangeng, Xiao Dang, and Huaihua, the three children of Qin Huairu.

He Daqing's son died at the hands of the Jia Family, and He Daqing must make them taste the pain of losing a child.

This is tit for tat.

Bangeng is a man without work, and He Daqing is an old man in his twilight years; their fighting capabilities are not on the same level.

Xiao Dang and Huaihua are girls; if He Daqing uses some underhanded tactics, the two girls will inevitably run into trouble.

Jia Zhangshi's meaning: if it really can't be done, you should hide for a few days first.

However, Xiao Dang and Huaihua had just been warned by their unit's leaders; to keep a good impression, they could only grit their teeth and continue working.

Just in case.

Urging Qin Huairu to go to Yan Fugui to sound him out.

The reason given: Yan Fugui was the first to recognize He Daqing returning to the Siheyuan; before Jia Zhangshi left, Yan Fugui had already spent three or four minutes with He Daqing, during which they likely talked about something related to the Jia Family.

Qin Huairu could no longer bear the two daughters' urging, so she went to Yan Fugui to sound him out, asking what they had discussed in those three or four minutes.

When she left, it was 9:35 p. m.; the time she had just entered the door was 9:42 p. m.; from leaving to returning, it took a total of seven minutes, and adding the time going and coming back, she likely stayed at Yan Fugui's house for less than five minutes at most.

"Can't you be faster?" Qin Huairu's self-mocking voice rang in the two daughters' ears: "I didn't even get to step inside their door; I was blocked by Liu Haizhong at Yan Fugui's gate."

Huaihua felt a bit lost.

Xiao Dang felt somewhat depressed.

She didn't even get through the door.

Going to Yan Fugui's house to chat, what business is it of yours, Liu Haizhong? What qualifications do you have to stop Qin Huairu from entering?

"Then what should we do?"

"My sister is right; should we keep working?"

Qin Huairu remained silent; her thoughts were not on the two daughters but on He Yushui.

Thinking about He Daqing's return, it must be related to He Yushui.

Otherwise, why would he appear at this critical juncture?

Even in front of the whole courtyard's neighbors, she had said, "My son follows me in this matter of the widow," and Qin Huairu was thinking about what had happened in the Siheyuan today, wondering if there was any detail she had missed.

"Mom, why aren't you speaking?" Huaihua saw Qin Huairu not answering her, instead frowning in thought, and couldn't help but ask, "Should my sister and I keep working?"

"What would you eat if you didn't work?" Seeing the two girls' attitude, Qin Huairu retorted angrily, "Drink the northwest wind? If you think the northwest wind can fill you up, then not working is fine."

One sentence.

The retorted Xiao Dang and Huaihua didn't know what to say.

They felt a bit envious of Bangeng.

If it were Bangeng, Qin Huairu definitely wouldn't say that; she constantly says they are her children, flesh fallen from her body, yet she still shows some favoritism toward sons over daughters.

"Huairu, why are you competing with your two kids?" After Jia Zhangshi finished speaking to Qin Huairu, she turned to Xiao Dang and Huaihua: "You two are also like that—how old are you? Why do you still take matters into your own hands and go against your mother? Whether to work or not is your families' affair; your mother gives you advice—if it's good, you say nothing; if it's not good, you get anxious and still blame your mother."

Xiao Dang and Huaihua.

They finally experienced what He Yushui felt when helping Shazhu support the widow.

Helpless and powerless.

Qin Huairu was somewhat absent-minded, she had no mood to listen to Jia Zhangshi and Xiao Dang's back-and-forth criticism; now Qin Huairu's mind was still racking her brains over what she had missed, why He Daqing had returned, and how He Daqing would retaliate against the Jia Family upon his return.

Barefoot, one fears no shoes.

What does He Daqing fear?

Had we known this would happen, we should have treated Shazhu well from the start; even if Shazhu were paralyzed, we shouldn't have driven him out of the house to his miserable death.

The damned Shazhu, even dead he's not at peace.

Looking at the current situation, things are somewhat unfavorable to Qin Huairu; she always has a bad feeling.

Bangeng, please don't get into trouble.

Qin Huairu raised her head, noticed Bangeng was absent, and quickly asked, only to learn that while she was thinking, Bangeng had gone out.

What exactly he went to do.

No one knows.

But looking at the direction Bangeng left, it seemed he was heading toward the front yard, to Yan Fugui's house.

……

A few minutes later.

Bangeng returned from outside with a grim face.

He didn't speak either.

The limp corpse lay on the recliner.

Seeing Bangeng's expression, Xiao Dang and Huaihua both exploded.

Bangeng's behavior, seen by Xiao Dang and Huaihua, clearly meant he was deliberately giving them a cold shoulder.

Jia Zhangshi gave them a look, not daring to speak; Qin Huairu gave them a look, too, gritting her teeth to hold on—what right do you, Bangeng, have to make us angry to death?

If it weren't for your inaction, Bangeng, would Shazhu have died?

His anger flared up.

We hadn't said a word, yet you, Bangeng, were the first to get angry.

Who gave you the face?

"Pa!" Huaihua slapped the table, then said to Bangeng: "Brother, say something—what's going on? What did Yan Fugui say?"

"What say?" Bangeng's voice was louder than Huaihua's, his arrogance greater than Xiao Dang's: "Are you saying people behind our backs claim our family lacks manners?"

"What's wrong with you? What did you hear? Go on, tell us—let us guess?"

Qin Huairu, already worried about He Daqing's return, seeing this scene, felt her head swell like a bucket, and let out a disdainful snort.

"Look at you—you've even made Mom angry."

"Can't be bothered to deal with you."

"If you don't want to deal with us, we don't want to deal with you—if there's something, say it to our faces; hem‑hawing and silence, who knows what's wrong with you?"

A flicker of annoyance rose on Bangeng's face.

It wasn't aimed at Huaihua or Xiao Dang, but at the neighbors of the siheyuan.

Just now I went to find Yan Fugui; having just reached the outside of his house, before I could step inside, I heard some unfavorable remarks about our Jia family.

They kept saying the Jia family's wealth today is all thanks to Shazhu's efforts—including Bangeng's job—and that if Qin Huairu weren't hanging onto Shazhu, the Jia family would have nothing.

Those words made Bangeng furious.

Years ago, Bangeng had deliberately tried to erase Shazhu's traces, never expecting that after Shazhu's death, the Jia family's estate still bore the two characters "Shazhu."

……

He Daqing, who had met He Yushui, returned to his lodging.

He found a stool, sat on it, and spaced out.

He had come to vent for Shazhu, wanting to take revenge on the Jia family, but he had no concrete plan yet on how to retaliate or make them suffer.

Even a clever woman can't cook without rice.

Knowing he's old, even the thought of fighting Bangeng leaves him willing but unable.

Lost in thought, he suddenly heard someone knocking at the door; without thinking further, he went straight to the door and opened it.

Qin Huairu.

At the sight of Qin Huairu, He Daqing knew what she wanted.

She had come to test his stance, possibly to discuss a retirement‑care deal—Qin Huairu would support He Daqing in his old age, getting him to abandon his revenge plan against the Jia family.

Shazhu was driven out by the Jia family and died miserably; needless to say, this old man who contributed nothing to the Jia family is even less worth mentioning.

Earlier, while talking with He Yushui, he had already learned the fact of Shazhu's grim death.

His heart turned cold.

He felt Shazhu's life had been utterly worthless.

He was also puzzled.

The Jia family does this without fear of retribution.

Seeing Qin Huairu, he felt especially unlucky; without a second thought, he slammed the door shut with a bang.

Deliberately.

Having given Qin Huairu the cold shoulder, He Daqing's formerly gloomy mood suddenly brightened, and a smile appeared on his face.

Outside, Qin Huairu's mood wasn't good either; as she knocked, she had rehearsed her lines in her mind, wondering how her expression should match.

Just as the word "dad" was still turning in her mouth, the door shut, leaving Qin Huairu alone and dazed in the hallway.

The script was wrong.

He Daqing shut the door directly.

"You're really trying to drive me, Qin Huairu, to death."

The hypocritical Qin Huairu never looks to herself for blame; when something happens, it's always others' fault, the responsibility likewise theirs—she stared at the door panel, a bit dazed.

And indeed, the result was just that.

She hadn't uttered a word.

They simply gave her the cold shoulder, keeping Qin Huairu outside.

Qin Huairu's anxiety grew; the Jia family's affairs admitted no mistake—after great effort they had secured a vast fortune, which could not be ruined like this.

Unwilling to give up, Qin Huairu knocked a second time on Xu Daming's door.

"Bang bang bang."

Inside, He Daqing gave a cold chuckle, opened the door casually and immediately shut it again—no gap of even a second—slamming it shut.

He was using this method to deliberately disgust Qin Huairu.

Fortunately Qin Huairu dodged quickly; otherwise the door panel would have smacked her face, truly giving her a bloody mess—yet Qin Huairu couldn't do anything to He Daqing.

Coffin filling, who dares to provoke?

Qin Huairu, who had been turned away at the door once again, also knew the matter was not easy to handle; she couldn't help sighing, her plan had failed, yet she persisted and knocked on He Daqing's door for the third time.

This time.

She changed her approach.

While knocking, she also said some words.

"Dad, I'm Huairu. I know Shazhu is dead. You, an old man sending off a young man, feel deeply depressed, but no matter how great the depression, you must vent it out. You've returned to the Capital City, staying in a hotel; word will get out, letting outsiders see how they view me, Qin Huairu. Dad, open the door, I want to talk with you, talk about me providing for your elderly care."

He Daqing opened the door; Qin Huairu, who had failed several times in a row, had learned her lesson and immediately reached out to press the door panel, even placing her own foot in the door crack.

Afraid of being turned away again.

"Dad, I want to talk with you about providing for your elderly care, to provide for your elderly care."

Qin Huairu blinked her dark, shiny eyes, looking at He Daqing as sincerely as possible.

Shazhu ended up exactly like that, falling into the widow's calculations.

What a pity.

The person before him is He Daqing, not Shazhu.

"Providing for elderly care?"

He Daqing's body filled the doorframe, mainly because he feared Qin Huairu would shamelessly rush in, tear his clothes, and shout loudly.

All threats must be nipped in the bud.

As for this widow Qin Huairu, he had to be careful.

This is a truth his son summed up with his life.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's about providing for elderly care." Qin Huairu worried He Daqing would drive her away, so she quickly added, "Shazhu is dead; you are his father, I am his wife, so you are my father-in-law. A daughter-in-law providing for her father-in-law's elderly care and seeing him off is perfectly normal."

"No need."

He Daqing decisively rejected the Jia Family's proposal to provide for his elderly care.

This is literally "seeking the tiger's skin" – i. e., making a dangerous bargain.

"Dad, those outsiders' words are all lies; they can't stand to see our family prosper. Ask around—what kind of person am I, Qin Huairu? Has anyone ever said a bad word about me? No!"

Just moments ago she had been cursing He Daqing and Shazhu in her heart, but now Qin Huairu started to play the affection card, appealing to emotions about providing for elderly care.

"Regarding my situation with Shazhu, it's normal for you to hold a grudge; who let me fail to bear a son or daughter for the Jia Family? I told Shazhu earlier that I'm too old to give you what you need. Since unfiliality has three forms, lacking heirs is the greatest—how could the He Family have no incense to continue?"

He Daqing had already formed the intention to kill Qin Huairu.

And the He Family's incense.

If you, this widow, don't use contraception, then Shazhu would not have his own children, and He Daqing would not have his own grandchildren.

What the white widow can do, the Qin widow will also do.

Which widow doesn't use contraception?

Widows who bear children for a man are few.

"I once told Shazhu that if it really doesn't work, we two could divorce, letting him marry another woman who could bear him children as his wife, but Shazhu absolutely refused, insisting on me, saying he would marry no one but me, Qin Huairu."