Chapter 493

Zhao Lei knew Lin Shengli didn't like this shabby house, but he still sent over the property deed.

"Master, this house is what the Jia family owes me; now they got what they deserved, I'll treat this house as my filial offering to you."

Lin Shengli didn't refuse, casually had his subordinate take care of it; he couldn't be bothered to waste more thought on the Siheyuan's mess.

The Jia family's house was gone; Qin Huairu, bringing Jia Zhangshi, had nowhere left to go.

The two were penniless; Qin Huairu's first thought was Shazhu. She found Shazhu with red eyes, her voice choked with sobs:

"Shazhu, please help us; we now have nowhere to live……"

Shazhu looked at her emaciated appearance, his heart feeling as if pricked by needles.

He had always protected Qin Huairu, treating her as his own goddess, but now he can't even protect himself—his house was mortgaged to Lin Shengli, his monthly salary barely covers living expenses, and he still has to save money to repay debts; he simply has no spare money to help them.

Of course he could still go to He Yushui, but the last time Bang Geng mortgaged the house, when the creditor came to collect the house, he went to beg He Yushui.

He Yushui said she would help him one last time, and then they would sever all ties.

How could he now have the nerve to go to He Yushui? Even if he went, she wouldn't help him again.

He really is powerless now!

He can't even take care of himself.

"Qin Jie, I… I really can't do anything." Shazhu rubbed his hands, head bowed low, voice heavy with guilt: "My house… has already been mortgaged to Shengli, I have no spare cash, I tried borrowing from friends, but they… they just won't lend me."

He indeed had asked several former coworkers for loans, but everyone knew he owed money to Lin Shengli and also knew the Jia Family had committed treason by colluding with the enemy; no one dared get involved, each making excuses to refuse.

Qin Huairu saw his embarrassed look, knew he truly couldn't help, and tears streamed down her face.

She didn't make things harder for Shazhu, silently turning and leaving.

Shazhu watched her thin back, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He wanted to catch up, but his steps felt as heavy as if filled with lead.

He hated his own inadequacy, hated owing Lin Shengli money, and watched helplessly as Qin Huairu fell into trouble, unable to do anything.

Yi Zhonghai watched all this, then sighed to Yi Dama: "Look, this is Zhuzi's fate for being clueless. Qin Huairu never truly took him seriously; she just treated him as an ATM and a backer. Now that the backer has fallen, she naturally left."

Yi Dama nodded: "Before I still felt Qin Huairu was pitiful, but now it seems that the pitiful always have something hateful about them. The whole Jia Family are victims of greed."

Later, someone told Shazhu and Yi Zhonghai that Qin Huairu, bringing Jia Zhangshi, moved to under the overpass, erecting a shabby shed to live in; by day she scavenged trash for a meal, and at night she huddled in the shed to keep warm.

Meanwhile, Xiao Dang, seeing her grandmother and mother in that miserable state, felt utterly ashamed; taking advantage of a rainy night, she casually found a bachelor over forty and moved into his home that very night, never returning to the underpass.

Shazhu secretly went to the overpass once, and from afar saw Qin Huairu wearing tattered clothes, picking up plastic bottles in the cold wind, while Jia Zhangshi huddled in the shabby shed coughing; his heart felt like being cut by a knife. But he could only watch from a distance, lacking even the courage to step forward and say hello.

He feared Qin Huairu would ask him for help, but he truly was powerless.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai merely said lightly: "It's all self-inflicted."

He had long seen through Qin Huairu's selfishness and Shazhu's cluelessness; now seeing their respective outcomes, he felt not a shred of sympathy, only that good and evil are eventually repaid.

Lin Shengli remained unmoved by this; toward the beasts in the Siheyuan, being soft-hearted is cruelty to oneself.

He turned and returned to the Research Base, refocusing his energy on carrier design; the nation's defense cause admits no distraction.

Two days later.

At Sijiucheng Airport, an international flight slowly landed.

Hanna dragged a suitcase full of technical data, her blond hair especially bright in the sunlight.

She wore a simple white dress, her gaze firm, looking around for a familiar figure.

More than half a year ago she had already wanted to come, but Lin Shengli had told her to wait.

"Over here!" Lin Shengli laughed and waved, with two guards beside him.

Since the last Hans Guo negotiations, Hanna had fallen for Lin Shengli; she gave up her position as academician of the Hans Guo National Academy of Sciences and insisted on coming to Daxia Guo to assist Lin Shengli in scientific research.

Of course she also knew Lin Shengli had a family and a wife, but she didn't care about status; she only wanted to be with Lin Shengli.

"I'm here!" Hanna flung herself into Lin Shengli's arms, voice trembling slightly: "I can finally work with you for Daxia's defense cause."

Lin Shengli patted her back, speaking softly: "Welcome home; from now on this place is your home."

Hanna pulled an encrypted USB drive from her bag and handed it to Lin Shengli:

"This contains Hans Guo's latest nuclear reactor cooling technology, as well as core data for carrier-based aircraft engines—all of which I secretly backed up."

【Ding! Host obtained cutting-edge defense technology materials, triggering the "Technology Fusion" skill, carrier power system R&D progress +20%, unlocking the passive skill "Nuclear Power Adaptation"!】

The system alert sounded, and a gleam flashed in Lin Shengli's eyes.

With these materials, the nuclear power upgrade of the carrier "Longteng" will avoid countless detours.

For safety's sake, Lin Shengli directly brought Hanna to the Research Base, arranging an independent lab and dormitory for her.

Hanna quickly integrated into the team.

Although she is open‑minded, her work is extremely rigorous, and she soon earned the team's respect.

The only minor trouble was food; she wasn't used to Daxia's wheat dishes, so Lin Shengli had Zheng Juan teach her to make her hometown dishes, and in his spare time he also took her to browse the Sijiucheng market; seeing her curiosity over candied haws and donkey rolls, Lin Shengli felt life gained a touch of everyday warmth.