Chapter 3

Sihe Academy

Cao Cao Weiguo brought a pot of cornmeal porridge out of the kitchen.

Corn buns, pickled vegetables, and cornmeal porridge were his dinner.

"Zhu, why are you only just back?"

Sha Zhu hummed a tune as he walked into the rear courtyard, and Qin Qin Huairu snatched the lunchbox from him.

"Hey, Qin, why are you grabbing it?"

Sha Zhu said, but there wasn't a hint of anger on his face.

Qin Qin Huairu looked pitiful: "I'm in a hurry, we've run out of food at home, and the children are crying from hunger."

Seeing Qin Qin Huairu's appearance, Sha Zhu felt a pang of heartache, feeling he had made a huge mistake.

Sha Zhu hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Qin, I still have some cornmeal at home, I'll bring it over in a bit."

Qin Qin Huairu wiped the corner of her eye and said with a tearful face: "Zhu, can you lend me 10 Brother Yuan?"

"10 Brother Yuan!"

Sha Zhu said in surprise: "Qin, what do you need so much money for?"

In this era, the minimum monthly ration standard for one person was 5 Brother Yuan.

Sha Zhu was a cook in the steel mill cafeteria.

He had become an eighth-grade cook two years earlier than Cao Cao Weiguo.

His monthly salary was now thirty-seven Brother Yuan and five jiao.

Qin Qin Huairu looked miserable: "Sigh, I borrowed 10 Brother Yuan from Cao Cao Weiguo, and he came to collect the debt today."

"What!"

"Qin, your family's life is so hard, and he has the heart to collect a debt!"

"I think he's just bullying people!"

"Robbing someone while they're down!"

"Kicking someone when they're already in the well!"

Sha Zhu's anger flared up, and he glared with bull-like eyes as he headed straight for Cao Cao Weiguo's house.

"Cao Cao Weiguo! Cao Cao Weiguo! Get out here!"

Sha Zhu had a loud, booming voice, and the whole courtyard could hear him.

Cao Cao Weiguo opened the door to see Sha Zhu standing in front of the house, fuming with rage.

"Cao Cao Weiguo, you bastard!"

"You're clearly not short of money, yet you're dunning Qin for a debt; isn't this bullying!"

"A grown man, bullying a woman, aren't you ashamed!"

Cao Cao Weiguo glanced at the pitiful-looking Qin Qin Huairu, then looked at Sha Zhu with contempt.

"Debts must be repaid; it's only right and proper!"

"Is there something wrong with me asking for my own money back?"

Sha Zhu waved his hand and shouted rudely:

"Stop talking nonsense with me, do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

"Are you short of money?"

"You're just robbing someone while they're down, wanting to bully Qin!"

"Isn't it just because you think Qin is pretty!"

"Isn't it just because you think Qin has a nice figure!"

"Isn't it just because you think Qin has a big chest and a perky butt!"

"Isn't it just because you want to do that-that-that with Qin!"

"I'm telling you! No way!"

"As long as I, He He Yuzhu, am here, no one can touch a single finger of Qin!"

Cao Cao Weiguo sneered: "Sha Zhu, I'm asking Qin Qin Huairu for a debt."

"This is between her and me; what does it have to do with you?"

"What's the matter? Have you and Qin Qin Huairu become a family?"

"When did you marry Qin Qin Huairu?"

"Or did you marry into the Jia family as a son-in-law?"

Sha Zhu turned red in the face upon hearing this.

Although this was something he dreamed of,

it wasn't something you should say out loud.

A man needs to save face!

The neighbors watching the spectacle in the courtyard burst into laughter.

The bolder neighbors pointed at Sha Zhu and Qin Qin Huairu.

There are always many rumors around a widow's door.

And Sha Zhu had been helping Qin Qin Huairu for years.

This matter had long been rumored in all sorts of ways in the Sihe Academy.

Jia Jia Zhangshi rushed out of the house and cursed:

"Cao Cao Weiguo, what kind of dog farts are you spewing!"

"Sha Zhu, Qin Qin Huairu, you two shameless things!"

"The Jia family's face is going to be lost because of you two!"

"If you dare to do anything shameful!"

"See if I don't tear you apart!"

Sha Zhu's deepest desires were exposed.

The neighbors' mockery and Jia Jia Zhangshi's cursing made him even more embarrassed and angry.

"Cao Cao Weiguo, you're asking for a beating!"

Embarrassed and angry, Sha Zhu clenched his fists and struck at Cao Cao Weiguo.

"Bang!"

"Ah!"

Cao Cao Weiguo raised his leg and kicked, fast and fierce like a gust of wind.

This kick sent Sha Zhu flying, and he fell to the ground, screaming.

Like a turtle flipped on its back.

"Cao Cao Weiguo, why are you hitting people again!"

The First Master pushed through the neighbors and hurriedly helped Sha Zhu up.

He glared at Cao Cao Weiguo, ready to hold him accountable:

"Can't neighbors talk things over properly!"

"How can you hit someone!"

"This is too outrageous!"

In the courtyard, the First Master was closest to Sha Zhu; this was something all the neighbors knew.

The reason was that the First Master had no children and had his eye on Sha Zhu to support him in his old age.

Cao Cao Weiguo was calm and composed: "Ask Sha Zhu."

"Who struck first? See who is being outrageous!"

The First Master naturally saw that Sha Zhu had struck first.

With so many neighbors present, he was embarrassed to argue.

But he still had to preach.

He couldn't let Cao Cao Weiguo ruin the atmosphere of the courtyard.

And he certainly couldn't let his authority be damaged.

"No matter what, neighbors should be united and friendly!"

"Everyone should love and care for each other, like one family."

"If there's an issue, you can discuss it; you can't just hit and hurt people!"

"As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor; how can you just start hitting people!"

"We won't have any barbaric, bandit-like behavior in our courtyard!"

"If you have something to say, just say it!"

"We managing masters will make the decision for you!"

Sha Zhu stood up angrily and shouted:

"First Master, this Cao Cao Weiguo is bullying people, his character is corrupt!"

The First Master stared seriously at Cao Cao Weiguo:

"Cao Cao Weiguo, tell us your side!"

Cao Cao Weiguo sneered with contempt: "Fine, I'll tell you. Half a year ago, Bang Geng had a fever and was hospitalized."

"Qin Qin Huairu borrowed 10 Brother Yuan from me, and today I asked Qin Qin Huairu for the debt."

"I'm asking for my own money back; how is that bullying?"

"10 Brother Yuan!"

"That's so much!"

"That's half a month's salary for me!"

"Cao Cao Weiguo is really generous to the widow Qin!"

The neighbors present immediately began to discuss in surprise.

In this era, 10 Brother Yuan was a huge sum of money.

Sha Zhu said angrily: "Qin's family are orphans and widows, they can't even afford a meal, and they can't even get enough porridge."

"Asking for a debt at this time is bullying! How is it any different from robbing someone while they're down!"

Cao Cao Weiguo kept a straight face: "No matter how Qin Qin Huairu is living?"

"Debts must be repaid; it's only right and proper!"

"I was just mentioning it to Qin Qin Huairu; I wasn't going to press her too hard."

"But since you're making such an unreasonable scene, don't blame me for not being polite."

After saying this, Cao Cao Weiguo looked at Qin Qin Huairu and said with a cold face:

"Qin Qin Huairu, you must pay me back today."

"Otherwise, I'll go to the Neighborhood Office and the police station to file a lawsuit."

"Ah!"

Qin Qin Huairu was immediately anxious and at a loss.

Jia Jia Zhangshi jumped up and howled:

"Cao Cao Weiguo, you Huang Huang Shiren!"

"You're trying to force our family to death!"

"Our family is living so hard!"

"You don't help us, and on top of that, you're chasing us for a debt."

"You heartless beast!"