Chapter 677: Huaihua's Plan

Looking at the familiar things around.

Huaihua's suspicion wavered again; she took Qin Huairu's remark—touching her head and calling it a winter melon that couldn't yet be cut—as a dream.

A big gasp came from the mouth.

He/she slightly turned his/her head.

The person instantly turned into wood.

The door stood wide open.

That was the root of her speechlessness.

No wonder that, when she slept until the middle of the night last night, the longer she slept the colder she felt; with the door left unlatched, she turned over, got out of bed, and walked toward the door.

Getting ready to close the door.

But just as she reached the door, she suddenly felt as if faced with the world's most unsolvable problem, froze in place, her eyes fixed on the protruding bolt.

Her scalp tightened.

Her body broke out in gooseflesh.

She knows her own preferences; Huaihua herself knows what she does before sleep, and she invariably bolts the door from inside.

Therefore the door should not be wide open.

The scene before her.

How should she explain this?

Faced with this unsolvable problem, Huaihua did not think of Qin Huairu sleepwalking; deep down she instinctively believed it was Shazhu's ghost returning.

The recent events in the Jia family.

Every one of them corroborates these events.

They have all begun seeking protective amulets—what else could be impossible?

Her body began to tremble.

She felt afraid.

She also felt some resentment: the culprit who killed you, Shazhu, is Yi Zhonghai, Qin Huairu, and Jia Zhangshi; you ignore the real culprits and go after us little lackeys—what good does that do?

Scheming against you, Shazhu, is not something we few can decide; besides, when we were young, we also called you many silly dads.

Truly heartless.

Not the slightest gratitude for the Jia family's kindness.

Now she no longer dwells on these thoughts; instead she feels her own life is in jeopardy and wonders how to preserve it.

She does not want to die.

That is the reason.

She feels she should move out and not remain in the siheyuan.

After marriage, she refused at all costs to move out of the siheyuan, because Huaihua believed staying there would let her maximize her gains—profiting from the Jia family and from Shazhu.

On what grounds should the property that Qin Huairu schemed to obtain from Shazhu be left entirely to Bangeng?

She felt very uneasy.

When they were young, Huaihua and Xiao Dang were not liked by Jia Zhangshi, who constantly called them money‑losing goods; at mealtimes, Bangeng ate first, then after he finished, Jia Zhangshi ate, and only then could Xiao Dang and Huaihua eat.

This grievance.

Huaihua remembers it, and Xiao Dang remembers it too.

They grew up.

The estate that Shazhu earned for the Jia family, Jia Zhangshi repeatedly declared in front of Xiao Dang and Huaihua that a married‑out daughter is like spilled water, and that the estate would eventually go entirely to Bangeng, telling Xiao Dang and Huaihua not to harbor any designs on the family property.

The white‑eyed wolf genes ingrained in their bones were aroused.

Jia Zhangshi refuses to give, yet they still insist on having it.

After marriage, she persuaded Shazhu to live with her natal family in the old house that had formerly belonged to Yi Zhonghai.

Even so.

Huaihua also felt she was not as ruthless as Xiao Dang, who directly found a son‑in‑law who moved into her family.

"Ah!"

Huaihua let out a sigh.

She sized up the house before her, closed the door, took off her nightclothes, and put on her outer garment.

Regarding moving out.

Huaihua was thinking about how to speak to Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu.

The widows of the Jia family are not to be trifled with.

Jia Zhangshi is Jia Zhangshi's stubbornness, Qin Huairu is Qin Huairu's greed.

Thinking about how to speak to Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu once said to Huaihua:

"Huaihua, with all my heart I want to find you a good family; in the matter of marriage you must heed my words as your mother Qin Huairu. I am a widow, I have raised you three children from childhood and also served your grandmother; my hardships are known only to me. Marrying the wrong person is miserable; a woman's marriage is like a second rebirth, so you must find a good family. If you do not obey your mother's words and insist on suffering for love, I can only treat you as if you were not my daughter."

Qin Huairu's words contained a hint of threat.

A widow carrying a child.

The hardships I have endured are known only to me; when faced with the marriage issue, if Huaihua does not heed Qin Huairu's words, she does something that breaks Qin Huairu's heart.

Others do not know.

Huaihua knows.

Because she is Qin Huairu's daughter, back when Qin Huairu and Shazhu lived together, fearing that if they had a child Shazhu would mistreat Huaihua and her, she ruthlessly made Shazhu unable to have children.

Jia Zhangshi once said to Qin Huairu, "If Shazhu is made unable to have children, our Jia family's interests will be maximized." That was precisely why Qin Huairu, despite hesitation, made Shazhu unable to have children.

……

Xiao Dang saw Huaihua standing alone at the doorway, dazed.

He just wanted to call out to Huaihua.

He felt it necessary to recount last night's events to Huaihua and the others, but he hadn't expected Huaihua to be planning to move out, so he didn't bother with Xiao Dang.

Finding Xiao Dang uninteresting, he shifted his focus to Bangeng.

He waved at Bangeng.

Bangeng, eyes heavy with sleep, yawned, stretched, and nodded at Xiao Dang, meaning, "If you have something to say, just say it; I won't come over."

Seeing that Bangeng refused to come over.

Left with no choice, Xiao Dang walked up to Bangeng, about to tell him about Qin Huairu's sleepwalking the previous night, when he saw Qin Huairu step out from behind.

The words he wanted to say.

And then they were gone.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Qin Huairu; seeing her face wasn't as bad as yesterday, but rather she radiated a healthy glow.

Suddenly he couldn't figure it out.

He wondered if he had been seeing things last night.

In a situation unfavorable to him.

How could he ensure his own interests?

This is the dilemma Xiao Dang faces.

Actually, it's just a question of whether to speak or not.

In front of Qin Huairu, how should he say it?

He couldn't say it.

"Mom, where are you going?"

Qin Huairu flashed the tool bag she was holding.

"What else can I do? Of course I'm going to work! If I don't go to the steel mill, what will you kids eat? You can't just drink northwest wind."

Xiao Dang was dumbfounded.

Bangeng was also astonished.

Qin Huairu's words!

It's a bit strange.

The day Shazhu regained his senses, Qin Huairu had already completed the internal retirement procedures.

A retired person, yet insists on going to work.

They must have misheard.

Or Qin Huairu misspoke.

Or perhaps the internal retirement is fake.

Otherwise, how could one explain Qin Huairu's behavior?

"Mom, you fainted last night; don't go to work, rest properly for a while, wait until you're better to go back to work—it's not too late. Our Jia family doesn't need the little you earn, so don't go; stay at home."