Chapter 520: Xu Damao: Shazhu, let

Qin Huairu's smile froze for a moment, then she immediately switched to a sobbing tone: "Miss Su, I know the rules, but I really don't have money to buy new clothes for Bang Geng! Help me just this once, okay? You're a Lin family member; as long as you speak up, the prison side will definitely give you face. Also, I can't make ends meet lately—could you lend me some money? When I have money later, I'll definitely pay you back!"

She said this while reaching out to grab Su Qing's arm, but Su Qing instinctively stepped back a step, avoiding her hand.

At that moment, Qin Jingru and He Yushui came over—He Yushui was at home watching a child, noticed that Su Qing had gone out without a guard, felt uneasy, and pulled Qin Jingru to chase after her. They happened to see Qin Huairu entangling Su Qing, hurried forward, and positioned themselves on Su Qing's left and right, faces cold.

"Qin Huairu, are you done yet?" Qin Jingru said coldly, "I warned you yesterday not to provoke the Lin family, and you still dare to cling to Su Qing!"

Qin Huairu saw the two, felt a sudden sense of weakness, yet forced herself to say, "I just wanted to ask Miss Su for a small favor, and I'm not causing any trouble…"

"No trouble?" Qin Jingru sneered, "You were lurking at the Lin family's back door, entangling the Lin family's daughter‑in‑law, that's trouble! If you dare to cause more mischief here, we'll call the guards right now and have them take you away!"

Qin Huairu was frightened by their aura, hurriedly stepped back two steps, clutching a cloth bag, glared fiercely at the three, muttering "You're all cold‑blooded animals," and fled away, tail between her legs.

Su Qing watched Qin Huairu's retreating figure, sighed softly, "She's kind of pitiful, too."

Qin Jingru patted her hand, whispered, "Silly girl, she's not pitiful, she's greedy. The softer you are to her, the more she pushes her luck. From now on, don't go out alone; either have a guard with you or bring me along, so she won't have an opening."

Su Qing nodded, "Got it, Aunt Qin, Aunt He."

The three exchanged smiles and walked side by side toward the Research Base.

In the Zhongyuan of the old Siheyuan, Xu Damao hadn't slept well all night, his mind full of how to profit from the Research Base.

He got up in the morning, tucked an empty cigarette case into his pocket, slipped out of the Siheyuan, and headed toward the junkyard near the Research Base—old man Zhang had said the junkyard was tightly guarded, but Xu Damao was still determined, wanting to see for himself, hoping to find a chance to pick up some "leak."

The junkyard was just to the side‑rear of the Research Base, and from a distance one could see a guard standing at the entrance, with a warning rope around it.

Xu Damao dared not approach, so he crouched behind a nearby tree, staring at the junkyard's entrance, pondering how he could slip in.

But after crouching for almost an hour, he saw no one come or go; instead the guard patrolled intermittently, and not even a fly could get in.

Just as he considered moving elsewhere, a guard spotted him, hurried over, and asked sternly:

"What are you doing squatting here?"

Xu Damao's heart raced; he quickly stood up, plastering a smile on his face:

"N‑nothing, I was just passing by, taking a break."

"This is near a military research zone; loitering is prohibited. Leave immediately!" the guard barked coldly, his eyes full of vigilance.

Xu Damao dared not argue, turned and left dejectedly, feeling both angry and resentful—he couldn't understand how Lin Shengli's Research Base could be defended so tightly, leaving him no chance at all.

Back at the old Siheyuan, Xu Damao happened to see Shazhu crouched at the base of a wall smoking, his face full of gloom.

He shifted his gaze, leaned in, and whispered, "Shazhu, want to vent a little? That Lin Shengli guy is surrounded by admirers day after day, children everywhere, living it up. Let's go cause a ruckus at his Siheyuan's gate and make him a bit uncomfortable!"

Shazhu looked up, gave him a glance, "Make trouble? You dare? Lin Shengli is a general, his house has guards; if we get close we'll be stopped, and we might even end up in jail!"

Though he envied Lin Shengli's good fortune, he also knew his status and didn't dare actually cause trouble.

Xu Damao snorted, "Who told you to actually cause a scene? We'll just toss some trash at his gate, shout a couple of insults, and run. He can't chase us down, can he?"

Shazhu hesitated—he did want to give Lin Shengli a bit of a headache, but he was afraid of getting caught.

After pondering for a while, he shook his head, "If you go, go ahead; I won't. If I get caught, I'll lose my job!"

Having said that, he stood up, brushed the dust off his trousers, and turned back into the house.

Xu Damao watched Shazhu's back and spat out a harsh curse, "Coward!"

Although he cursed outwardly, inside he was already discouraged—if Shazhu wouldn't go, he certainly wouldn't either, so he returned to the house dejectedly, thinking of finding another chance later.

Yan Bu Gui was doing carpentry in the courtyard, the saw humming, and he vaguely caught a few lines from Xu Damao and Shazhu's conversation.

San Da Ma came out carrying a basin of water, whispering, "Old Yan, did you hear? Xu Damao is looking for trouble with the Lin family again, really clueless. General Lin now has that status and guards; how could he provoke them?"

Yan Bu Gui stopped his work, wiped his sweat, and said evenly, "Let him be, as long as it doesn't involve our family. The Lin family's standing is evident; his little tricks are just self‑inflicted trouble. We should just mind our own business and stay out of that mess."

San Da Ma nodded, "I know, I'm just afraid he'll go crazy and drag the neighbors into it. By the way, have you called your nephew? Liu Haizhong is still waiting for news."

"I called, my nephew said to let Liu Guangfu go over tomorrow to try it out; if he can handle it he'll stay, if not there's nothing we can do."

Yan Bu Gui said as he picked up the saw again and kept working, "Liu Haizhong is more grounded now, knowing his son should earn a living with his own strength; that's better than the crooked ways of the past."

In the afternoon, Yi Zhonghai returned from Lin Shengli's house; as soon as he entered the Qian Yuan, he saw Xu Damao sneaking toward the gate, a trash bag in hand.

Yi Zhonghai felt something stir, hurried forward, and scolded, "Xu Damao, what are you holding? Where are you going?"

Xu Damao jumped in fright, the trash bag nearly falling, and he quickly hid behind his body, plastering a smile on his face:

"N‑nothing, I'm just going to take out the trash."

"Take out the trash?" Yi Zhonghai stared coldly, "Are you trying to dump trash at the Shengli house gate? I warn you, don't entertain such crooked ideas! The Lin family isn't someone you can pick on; if you dare cause trouble, I'll be the first to punish you!"

Xu Damao's thoughts were exposed, his face flushed red and white, he dared not argue, lowered his head, muttered "I didn't," and hurried out to take out the trash.

Yi Zhonghai watched his retreating figure, let out a cold snort—he knew Xu Damao's temperament too well, and had to keep an eye on him, otherwise he would eventually cause trouble.