Chapter 23: Qin Jingru Has Bad Kidneys

"Qin Huairu, are you out of your mind? Why are you playing ghost in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" He Yuzhu, having been terrified, took a good while to recover before complaining irritably.

"Zhuzi, I want to ask you for a favor," Qin Huairu said as she sat up, looking serious.

"What favor? Let's hear it." He Yuzhu lit a cigarette and narrowed his eyes slightly. Bad luck, truly bad luck; this Qin Huairu was like a dog-skin plaster—once it stuck, you couldn't peel it off!

"Bang Geng is back. Don't ask how he got back; even if you ask, I won't say. I want you to help me take revenge," Qin Huairu said, her body trembling as she gritted her teeth.

He Yuzhu flicked the ash from his cigarette and sighed: "I won't ask, but I can't help you with this favor. Don't bring it up to me again; I won't do anything illegal."

"No, don't be in such a rush to refuse. You don't need to break the law. I know you've become a Deputy Director; as long as you can take revenge on them in the future, that's enough. If you agree, I'm yours, and my cousin is yours too. Whatever you say goes, how about that?" Qin Huairu smoothed back her hair.

"No matter how long it takes?" He Yuzhu stroked the stubble on his chin, feeling somewhat tempted.

It wasn't that he was lecherous, but if Qin Huairu could be obedient, she really had other uses.

"Yes! And you have to lend me this room, or rent it to me," Qin Huairu replied, gritting her teeth with ironclad determination.

"Fine, I can do it in a way that doesn't break the law. Also, I don't want your cousin. You can bring her over, and while you're at it, just tell Xu Damao to introduce Qin Jingru to me, and that'll be that. As for the house, wait until I finish tidying up that side in a few days."

"Why? My cousin is very pretty. Don't you want to enjoy the blessings of having both?" Qin Huairu was somewhat puzzled.

"Forget it. Your cousin loses hair and her kidneys aren't good. Hey, don't get angry—that's what Xu Damao said."

Qin Huairu nodded, her eyes alluring as she opened her mouth.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a shrill scream rang out from the courtyard, giving both of them a start.

The two of them snuck to the window and looked outside.

They saw Xu Damao staggering out of the latrine, reeking of alcohol, his mouth full of foul language.

Xu Damao stumbled along the way, dripping with various yellow and black filth, and returned to the Back Yard while dry-heaving.

He Yuzhu let out a long breath. I knew it! Born in New China and raised under the red flag, how could there be ghosts!

So it turned out that when He Yuzhu went to the latrine earlier, he had relieved himself on Xu Damao, who had passed out drunk inside. Heh, what a wasted scare.

The next morning, Qin Huairu snuck back to her own room while it was still dark; she didn't even tidy up, just collapsed and fell asleep.

Jia Zhangshi had been left sitting on the wheelchair by Qin Huairu for the entire night, and yellow liquid kept dripping from the wheelchair.

Jia Zhangshi's body began to shake more and more violently, and bubbles even started to foam from her mouth.

Qin Huairu didn't care and just kept sleeping.

Bang Geng leaned against the wall cautiously, covering himself with a quilt, waking up in a fright from time to time.

Xiao Dang and Huai Hua occasionally climbed up to look at Jia Zhangshi and the soundly sleeping Qin Huairu, but they could only spread their hands helplessly; they were too young and were powerless to help.

In the morning, Qin Huairu made breakfast, and after the three children finished eating, she cleaned up without feeding Jia Zhangshi.

"Mom, since you think it's dirty and won't eat, I won't make you angry. You can go hungry for a few days until you've thought it through. Whenever you're hungry, just call me."

"Ugh-ah, ugh, ugh-ptui, bitch-ugh, ptui, you... you shameless thing."

"What? You say you're not hungry? That's perfect, then you should get some sleep." Saying this, she pushed the wailing Jia Zhangshi back in front of the kang.

Truly, the heart of a woman is the most poisonous; she wouldn't give her food and even made Jia Zhangshi watch them eat.

"You three, you are not allowed to feed your grandmother anything. Your grandmother is in poor health, I will feed her myself, understand? Otherwise, I'll beat you to death when I get back!" Qin Huairu finished tidying up, prepared to go home to pick up Qin Jingru, and glared at the three children as she scolded them.

Huai Hua frowned and said: "Mom, but Grandma smells too bad."

"Don't you dare dislike your grandmother! Be obedient. Here is a coin for you. If I'm back late, go to the First Elder's house to mooch a meal, or buy something to eat yourselves, understand?"

"Understood, Mom."

"Good, Mom is leaving."

With that, Qin Huairu walked out the door.

He Yuzhu washed his face haphazardly, pushed his Twenty-Eight Bar, and arrived at the canteen.

"Sob."

As soon as he entered the kitchen, He Yuzhu saw Liu Lan sitting in the corner, hugging her arms and crying non-stop, and he immediately understood what had happened.

Liu Lan was sharp-tongued and gossipy, but she wasn't a bad person. Her family was extremely poor, so she had submitted to Deputy Director Li, but she had never been with anyone else.

He Yuzhu walked over, patted Liu Lan on the shoulder, and comforted her: "Liu Lan, don't be sad, be strong. If you have any difficulties in the future, just speak up; everyone will help you."

"That's right, Sister Liu, stop crying. Your crying makes me feel terrible too." Ma Hua brought a cup of water and squatted down.

Pangzi, however, curled his lip in disdain, hugged his arms without saying a word, and turned to look at He Yuzhu with a fawning smile.

"Thank you, thank you everyone, thank you Deputy Director He. I'm fine, I feel better after crying it out." Liu Lan sobbed for a while, wiped her tears, looked up, and smiled.

It was just a very forced smile, and how could the others not see it? But who else could interject in such matters?

"Liu Lan, be strong. If you lean on a mountain, it will collapse; if you lean on a tree, it will run away. Only by relying on yourself can you live freely!" He Yuzhu looked at Liu Lan, thinking of the previous...

"Thank you, I'm fine, it's just that when I think of my family..." As she spoke, Liu Lan almost cried again.

He Yuzhu quickly comforted her: "Don't worry, I'll find a way in the future to ensure no one goes hungry. Believe me!"

"Alright, Ma Hua, come here."

"Today, I will teach you two how to stir-fry Sichuan Cuisine. Authentic Sichuan Cuisine, it is divided into..."

As he spoke, He Yuzhu began to teach them continuously.

Actually, cooking is difficult if you say it's difficult; heat control, knife skills, and seasonings are all indispensable. That feeling of being able to do it with ease is formed after a long time of continuous cooking.

It is also simple if you say it's simple; having a good master to let you practice, demonstrate for you, and guide you step by step, other than basic knife skills, you can improve quickly.

All morning, He Yuzhu kept having the two of them stir-fry the same dish, only constantly changing the quantity of ingredients each time. After stir-frying, they would set it aside, and at noon, they poured it all together and served it to the main kitchen, where it received unanimous praise.

After lunch, the two were sent by He Yuzhu to the main kitchen to chop vegetables in preparation for the night shift meal.

At first, Pangzi kept leaning in to see what they were doing, but after watching for a long time and seeing that they were just chopping vegetables, he sneered.

Serves them right, they must have angered Shazhu and been demoted here.

After a tiring day, He Yuzhu took the leftover meat, mixed it with a large rooster from his own space, divided it into two, and secretly gave it to Ma Hua and Liu Lan. The two were overjoyed and extremely grateful.

As soon as he returned to the Siheyuan, He Yuzhu saw Qin Huairu standing at the entrance. Unfortunately, he hadn't brought a lunchbox, and she was no longer the Qin Huairu who waited for a lunchbox every day.

With a sigh, He Yuzhu raised his head; Qin Huairu smiled and gave him a look, and the two of them immediately understood each other's meaning.

Qin Jingru has arrived!