Chapter 155: Jia Zhangshi Returns

Not long after Yan Jie Cheng's wedding celebrations ended, Jia Zhangshi returned home.

She didn't send anyone to pick her up, because she knew Qin Huairu's belly was big and inconvenient, and her son still had to go to work.

So she carried her cotton coat and walked all the way back.

Passing through the Wide Bright Gate into the great courtyard, she almost thought she had come to the wrong place.

Just inside the gate, in front of the photo wall bearing the inscription "Flowers Bloom, Wealth and Honor", there was a row of lush green vegetable racks.

Beneath the vegetable racks were several pots of flowers and herbs, giving off a pleasant fragrance.

Jia Zhangshi stepped back and looked at the gate again.

"No. 95 South Gong and Drum Lane — that's right, didn't I remember wrong?"

"No, this gate is indeed the gate of my own courtyard."

Jia Zhangshi entered the courtyard gate again, filled with doubt.

Then she passed through the Moon Gate and arrived in front of the Pendant Flower Gate.

Just then Yu Li came out the door, saw Jia Zhangshi, didn't recognize the old woman, and politely asked.

"Auntie, who are you looking for?"

Jia Zhangshi looked and saw a pretty girl she didn't know.

She again doubted she had come to the wrong place and asked uncertainly.

"May I ask, does Jia Dongxu live here?"

She was addressed with "please", which was rare for Jia Zhangshi.

Upon hearing Jia Dongxu's name, Yu Li knew they hadn't come to the wrong place and was about to answer.

From the main courtyard came Qin Huairu's voice.

"Mom, is that you? Come in quickly, I'm Huairu."

Hearing Qin Huairu's voice, Jia Zhangshi immediately knew she was right, her courage rose at once, ignored Yu Li, and stepped inside.

Upon entering the main courtyard, she was astonished by the lush greenery everywhere.

Everything was vegetables, all edible, even the tomatoes were bright red, making her throat swallow.

"Mom."

Qin Huairu shouted, startling Jia Zhangshi awake; otherwise her claws might have plucked a tomato.

Qin Huairu let out another anxious cry.

"Mom, that's Sha Zhu's family's, don't touch it."

Liu Shumin is not someone to be provoked.

Upon hearing it was Sha Zhu's, Jia Zhangshi, who had been pulling her hand back, reached out again and snatched a tomato.

Liu Shumin heard Qin Huairu's call and happened to come out to watch the commotion.

She had heard that Qin Huairu had a formidable mother-in-law.

She hadn't expected to see, as soon as she came out, a disheveled old woman picking vegetables from her family's plot.

"Qin Huairu, is she your mother?"

Qin Huairu said embarrassedly.

"Sorry, Shumin sister, my mother just returned and doesn't yet know the rules of our great courtyard."

Jia Zhangshi watched Liu Shumin walk out from Sha Zhu's family and felt a bad premonition.

"Who are you? What are you doing in our courtyard?"

Qin Huairu hurriedly explained.

"Mom, this is Sha Zhu's wife."

Liu Shumin looked at Qin Huairu.

"Qin Huairu, I've told you before not to call our family's Zhuzi Sha Zhu, or I'll get angry."

Jia Zhangshi's fear turned into reality, and she felt a bit agitated.

"What, he got married?"

"Who agreed to this, Yi Zhonghai?"

That was a bit outspoken.

Liu Shumin narrowed her eyes; although she knew someone in the great courtyard was scheming against Sha Zhu, she hadn't expected Jia Zhangshi to make no effort to conceal it.

She snorted.

"Qin Huairu's mother-in-law, what right do you have? Does my husband need your consent to marry?"

Yi Da Ma also came out just then; since Jia Zhangshi had just mentioned Yi Zhonghai, she didn't want Liu Shumin to misunderstand.

Having observed these days, she saw that Liu Shumin was very shrewd and hard to deal with; if truly provoked, their family might not fare well.

Especially since Old Yi's reputation had just begun to recover, they couldn't let it spread that he was scheming against Sha Zhu.

"Jia Zhangshi, Zhuzi is the head of the household; marriage is naturally his decision, don't talk nonsense."

"Just having come out, it's better to stay peaceful."

"Huairu, still not taking your mother-in-law back?"

"Shumin, she plucked one of your tomatoes; I'll compensate you with an eggplant."

In just a few words she nipped the danger in the bud.

Seeing Yi Da Ma's appearance, Jia Zhangshi also realized that many things might have happened during her absence.

Even Yi Zhonghai had become cautious.

Qin Huairu also feared her mother-in-law would say something inappropriate, so she hurriedly greeted Jia Zhangshi.

"Mom, let's go home first; I'll give you a welcome bath to wash off the dust."

Jia Zhangshi took the opportunity and followed Qin Huairu back.

Liu Shumin saw that the vicious old woman had left and no longer held on.

Yi Da Ma, there's no need for that. If a neighbor is craving and eats one of my tomatoes, I can still let them have it. But taking without asking is not right, because that's theft.

I heard Jia Zhangshi was imprisoned for theft! As soon as she returned, her true colors showed—our courtyard had better watch out.

Such a fine situation must not be ruined in the hands of someone like this.

After saying that, she turned and went back.

Since you've stepped forward, you should also take responsibility for this.

Yi Da Ma watched the two people return home, sighed, and wondered whom she had offended.

This just threw a problem at her.

Yi Zhonghai is the eldest uncle, she is Yi Da Ma, and she just pleaded for Jia Zhangshi.

They've also given you this favor.

Now it's up to you how you perform.

If they perform poorly, the couple will be accomplices in ruining this good situation.

She's making them oppose the Jia family.

She means well.

I hope Jia Zhangshi will be smarter and understand the current situation in the courtyard.

She also turned and went home.

As for the Jia family, Qin Huairu told Jia Zhangshi everything that had happened during the time she was taken away.

With each matter mentioned, Jia Zhangshi furrowed her brow; by the time it came to the old lady from the military courtyard moving into Yang Qing's home, Jia Zhangshi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Her house is gone, the Jia family's blood bag is gone, and her backing has all but collapsed.

Years of her scheming can be said to have been destroyed in an instant.

And all of this happened within this short half-year.

"How did Yi Zhonghai fall?"

Qin Huairu heard Jia Zhangshi's question, her expression shifted several times, and she wanted to speak but held back.

Jia Zhangshi spoke in an unfriendly tone.

"Speak up, what's there to hide?"

Qin Huairu said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Mom, this matter still has something to do with you."

"Related to me? What relation? I'm already inside."

"This has to start from (the story of Yi Zhonghai and you that cannot be left unsaid)."

Jia Zhangshi was startled.

"No way, I just fooled around with Yi Zhonghai a few times and people found out?"

"I have no choice either; to learn it, I have to sleep with the master. Dong Xu can't, so only she, as the mother, can."

She was badly frightened.

But as Qin Huairu spoke, she realized most of it was false, fabricated, except that she had indeed slept with Yi Zhonghai.

"Who is trying to harm her?"

While Qin Huairu was speaking, she also observed Jia Zhangshi's facial expressions.

Jia Zhangshi's evasive gaze gave her away; she never expected her mother-in-law to have actually slept with Yi Zhonghai.

"Yi Zhonghai is indeed an old lecher, no wonder he dared to scheme against her."

"So this is his true nature."

"He was never anything good to begin with."

"Trap, we must pit this old thing to death."