Chapter 448: Sunning One's Face

"Mom!!!"

Bang Geng was being dragged by the arm and struck twice by his mother; he was currently dodging, his mouth still refusing to admit defeat.

"I didn't even leave the courtyard; I was just watching the excitement in the Bai Bai Xiyuan for a while."

"You still dare to talk back! Have you finished your homework yet?!"

Qin Huairu also saw Li Xuewu walk in, but it wasn't appropriate to beat the child in front of him.

She gave Bang Geng's arm a shove, pointed her finger at her son, and said, "With your attitude, you still want to be a policeman? You wouldn't even be qualified to shovel dung!"

"Wu Shu, save me!"

Li Xuewu watched the mother and son making a scene and said with a smile, "I don't think you should insult those who shovel dung like that."

Bang Geng also saw Wu Shu walk in and, knowing his mother wouldn't hit him anymore, ran into the inner room with a laugh, shouting, "I'm not going to shovel dung; I'm going to raise chickens!"

Seeing her grandson run in, Jia Zhangshi hurriedly shielded him in her arms to check if he was hurt.

"Heh heh, he ran off, didn't he!"

Li Xuewu smiled as he looked at the fleeing Bang Geng, then looked at Qin Huairu, who was standing at the doorway, awkwardly combing the hair by her ears.

"You need to lock the door and use a broom handle to beat him."

"Go to hell!"

Qin Huairu also knew Li Xuewu was teasing her; she couldn't help but laugh and chided, "What kind of personality do you have!"

"Look, I gave you a tip and you didn't believe me."

Li Xuewu smiled as he walked toward the backyard and said, "When I was little, this was the trick my dad used when he couldn't catch me."

"My son isn't as bad as you!"

Qin Huairu walked two steps into the courtyard, just enough to block Li Xuewu's path.

"Thank you for today."

"Heh heh, thanking me with just your mouth?"

Li Xuewu smiled as he glanced at Qin Huairu and said, "Everyone says Director Qin has a silver tongue; seeing it today, it's truly remarkable."

"Go on, you have no sense of propriety."

Qin Huairu glared at Li Xuewu; she knew this bad man never said anything good.

Hearing the doctor's instructions, she opened her shriveled mouth and responded, but her voice lacked spirit.

"Alright."

Li Xuewu smiled and pointed toward the backyard, saying, "Aren't you tired? You've been busy all day."

"You're incorrigible!"

Qin Huairu glanced at Li Xuewu's attire and asked with raised eyebrows, "Does the outfit fit well?"

"Who actually made it?"

Li Xuewu was a bit dazed today, too; it felt like he was going through an ordeal.

"Of course... it wasn't made by me."

Qin Huairu pursed her lips and said, "My craftsmanship isn't that good."

"Fine, then you should make a set too."

Li Xuewu smiled, swung his arms, and said, "It has to be even better fitting and better looking than this set."

As he spoke, he was already walking toward the backyard.

"Just got back, Section Chief Li?"

"Hey! You haven't rested yet!"

"Delivering a pot for decocting medicine..."

Qin Huairu watched the back of Li Xuewu, who had entered the backyard and was chatting with someone, and smiled with pursed lips.

At this moment, Yushui walked out of the room carrying a washbasin, on her way to dump the foot-washing water.

"Qin Jie, haven't you finished your chores yet?"

"Finished."

Qin Huairu responded, lifted her hand slightly, gestured toward the direction of the backyard, and said, "I just saw Li Xuewu and thanked him."

"Heh~"

Yushui pursed her lips and glanced toward the moon gate, saying, "There are plenty of people who want to thank him now."

"It's only right."

Qin Huairu smiled in response and returned home.

Yushui carried the basin and dumped the foot-washing water under the tree root by the steps.

At this moment, the lights in the courtyard were all on; besides the families repairing their houses, there were also those helping out.

Because tomorrow was Sunday, the people in the courtyard hadn't rested yet.

Yushui glanced at Qin Huairu's back as she dumped the water.

Pfft, 'thank you', who are you trying to fool!

She had seen polite people, but never anyone this polite.

Flirting~

She walked to the faucet, turned it on to rinse the basin, and only then returned to her room.

You have to give it to the main rooms; even with such a strong earthquake, there wasn't a single issue inside or outside.

Because this house itself was a mortise-and-tenon structure, and the pillars underneath were all movable.

Never mind a 6.8 magnitude, even a 7.8 wouldn't be a problem!

Of course, the house was fine, but the people might not be.

She put down the basin, tidied up the stove, picked up the books on the chest, and went to lie on the bed.

But she couldn't get into the book even after reading for a long while; she thought about Qin Huairu, then thought about Yu Li.

"Sigh! What are you even aiming for~"

"Stop pouring water, I've already washed."

Li Xuewu stopped Yu Li and said, "I washed when I changed clothes at the guesthouse."

He took off his coat, let Yu Li take it to hang up, and placed the manuscript in his hand on the desk.

Yu Li had long noticed that the clothes Li Xuewu was wearing today weren't the ones from last night, but she just pretended not to see and continued tidying up as usual.

These clothes were clearly new; how could she ask, and by what right?

"Nothing happened in the courtyard today, right?"

Li Xuewu turned and went to the side of the kang, took the pajamas Yu Li handed him, and began to undress.

"The leaders of the steel rolling mill came."

Yu Li said while pulling the curtains, "As long as they were workers of the steel rolling mill, they visited every household to offer condolences."

"Is that so!"

Li Xuewu didn't pay much attention; his own family's situation was clear, so they wouldn't come to his house.

"They even came here."

"Here?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and asked, "Who led the team? Didn't they say this was my house?"

"It was... it was the Third Master who led the team."

Yu Li was still not used to calling Yan Fugui that, but it wasn't appropriate to use his full name right now, and Li Xuewu wasn't an outsider, so she just went with the flow.

She pulled the curtains shut, turned back, and said, "They were introduced, but it seemed like the leading official wanted to come himself."

"Got it."

Li Xuewu nodded and didn't say anything more; let them come if they want.

"Nothing else happened."

Yu Li went to the bathroom to fetch foot-washing water, while Li Xuewu walked to the desk and picked up the phone to make a call.

"Hello."

"Yeah, this is Li Xuewu."

"Will there be another earthquake tomorrow? Heh heh~"

"Still having them all the time?!"

Li Xuewu smiled, sat on the desk with the phone, and said, "I'll come find you tomorrow, in the morning."

"Tomorrow? I'm working tomorrow!"

"I wouldn't come find you if you weren't working!"

Li Xuewu adjusted the desk lamp that had become crooked and said into the phone, "I'm going to see someone; it's not convenient to go through the official procedures."

"Yeah, got it."

"That's it then."

Li Xuewu said a few words, hung up the phone, and waved at Yu Li, who was carrying the basin, signaling her to put it in the inner room.

"I just finished wiping the inner room."

Although Yu Li complained, she still carried the basin into the inner room.

Li Xuewu reached out and pulled the inner room door shut, rolled up his sleeves, and walked toward the kang.

"Ah!"

What rushes in on a starry night isn't necessarily sleepiness.

"Yushui is still at home..."

What hits your face in the early morning isn't necessarily sunlight.

"No, you..."

What stabs you from behind isn't necessarily a knife.

"I..."

What you carry on your shoulders isn't necessarily responsibility.

"Hiss~"

A heart-wrenching cry is sometimes even less of a grievance.

"Drinking chicken soup tomorrow night..."

The tree-lined gravel path you yearn for has been covered in white frost this night.

"I have to go back..."

"Morning!"

"Morning to you!"

"Heh heh."

When Li Xuewu stood in front of the washbasin with his toothbrush cup, greetings could be heard from time to time in the courtyard.

Today, the Sihe Academy no longer had the panic of yesterday, and the people today no longer had the emotions of yesterday.

Just as Li Xuewu thought yesterday, everyone would slowly forget this earthquake, and would also forget the people during the earthquake.

Because he saw things clearly, Li Xuewu's heart had no ripples.

Yu Li, however, had a look of indignation.

"They deserve to be crushed to death!"

"Hey~"

Li Xuewu looked at Yu Li and shook his head, signaling her not to say any more.

The reason Yu Li was so angry right now was because of the Second Aunt across the way.

Perhaps she saw Yu Li coming out of Li Xuewu's place and was pursing her lips, asking how much mutton the leaders had sent yesterday.

Where had Yu Li seen any mutton? The Li family hadn't seen any either.

Why else would people say they have no conscience? She forgot who saved her old man.

Seeing Li Xuewu not letting her speak, Yu Li didn't say anything, but her puffed-up mouth didn't return to normal.

She tidied the clothes Li Xuewu was going to wear and said, "You still have enough shirts, so I'll just make you short-sleeved shirts."

"Fine, you decide."

Li Xuewu really hadn't lacked clothes to wear since he returned.

He wiped his face, walked out, and took the shirt Yu Li handed him to put on.

"I need to get a line connected to this phone later, leading to the storefront."

Li Xuewu said while putting on his clothes, "You can't answer the phone during the day, so it's like a decoration."

"This was originally for your exclusive use."

Yu Li straightened Li Xuewu's collar and said, "We don't use it anyway, who would we call?"

"Heh heh, even if you don't call, you still have to answer."

Li Xuewu let Yu Li fuss over him, turning when told to turn, reaching out when told to reach out.

"Then get an extra line and put it in the servant's quarters."

Yu Li was busy with her hands, but her mouth wasn't slow.

"Do you have work today? Are you coming back at noon?"

Yu Li hadn't expected Li Xuewu to be going out on a Sunday; she wasn't asking about his itinerary, but whether she needed to arrange lunch.

"Yes, I have to see someone today."

Li Xuewu turned around and said, "I won't be back for lunch, and I'm eating at my teacher's house in the evening."

"Got it."

Yu Li responded and got Li Xuewu's coat.

Because Li Xuewu didn't say he needed to take a bag, the documents on the table were tidied up and put into the drawer.

Breakfast was eaten in the servant's quarters as usual, but Li Xuewu looked around and didn't see Shen Guodong.

"Where's Guodong?"

"He went to deliver food to the old lady."

Lao Biaozhi hesitated for a moment and said, "He tripped yesterday, and he doesn't look too good today; Guodong came to pick up breakfast."

"Guodong didn't come back to sleep last night?"

Li Xuewu realized the severity of the situation, looked at Chen Xiaoyan'er who had stood up, and asked, "What's the old lady's condition?"

"It's just..."

Chen Xiaoyan'er hesitated and said, "She bumped her leg; Guodong took her to see a doctor, and it's nothing serious, but her spirits aren't very good."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Li Xuewu glared at Lao Biaozhi, then tapped the table and said, "Go see the old lady after eating."

"Got it."

Lao Biaozhi responded, avoided Li Xuewu's gaze, and continued eating.

Li Xuewu stood up, left the room, and went to his home in the front courtyard.

When he entered, the family was eating, and seeing Li Xuewu walk in suddenly, they thought there was another earthquake.

Li Xuewu told them about the situation with Shen's old lady and thought about taking his father along.

"You go eat first."

Li Shun frowned and said to Li Xuewu, then finished the rice in his bowl in a few bites.

Li Xuewu listened, looked at his daughter, and turned back to the servant's quarters to eat.

When he came out after finishing his meal, he saw his father had already come out with the medicine box on his back.

"I'll go to the hospital later; you bring the medicine box back."

"Okay."

Li Xuewu took his father's medicine box, put it on his shoulder, and left the house with Wen San'er, Lao Biaozhi, and Er Hai'er.

Today, the driving was left to the Thirteen Guardians; the others knew Li Xuewu's intentions and went about their own business.

The workers in the courtyard had Sunday off, but the people in the servant's quarters and the recycling station didn't.

Xilin and Diliya followed Yu Li to the storefront as usual.

Chen Xiaoyan'er said something to Yu Li and chased after Li Xuewu and the others to Shen Guodong's house.

People in the courtyard were busy today; the men went out early to arrange house repairs, while the women were busy carrying vegetable baskets to grab morning vegetables.

The children were running around wildly, taking advantage of this rare leisure time on Sunday.

Qin Huairu pushed a bicycle out of the warehouse in the Bai Bai Xiyuan and got Xiao Dang onto the bike.

The mother and daughter were going to the factory hospital for an IV drip today; Li Shun hadn't charged for the stitching and bandaging yesterday.

But the anti-inflammatory medication for the IV drip at the hospital had to be paid for, and although there were hospitals nearby, they couldn't be reimbursed.

So Qin Huairu could only take her daughter to the steel rolling mill hospital for the IV drip.

Just as she left the Bai Bai Xiyuan gate, she saw Yan Jiecheng walking in from the alley carrying a bag.

"Qin Jie, going out?"

"Yes, taking the child for an injection."

Qin Huairu looked at Yan Jiecheng, who could speak like a human, and asked with a smile, "Just got back?"

"Yes, a car came to pick people up from the mountain today, and I came down with them."

As he spoke, he looked at the gauze wrapped around Xiao Dang's forehead and asked, "Did she get bumped in the earthquake?"

"You bet!"

Qin Huairu said helplessly and with heartache, "I told her not to run around, but she wouldn't listen, and she got hit by the cabinet."

"That's quite serious."

Yan Jiecheng looked at Xiao Dang, who was hanging her head after being scolded by her mother, smiled, and walked toward his home, saying as he walked, "Alright, I won't delay you two."

Seeing Yan Jiecheng's happy expression, Qin Huairu had the intention to remind him, but it became unintentional.

She pushed the bike, accelerated, got on, and rode out.

Yu Li, standing at the recycling shop window, naturally saw Yan Jiecheng enter, but she pretended not to see him.

Yan Jiecheng was in such a hurry to pass Qin Huairu and walk home because he wanted to avoid Yu Li.

Yu Li didn't look at him, but she was looking at Qin Huairu.

There was no need to guess where the silk scarf on her neck came from.

Why else would people say you can't compare gifts; those who have one envy those who have the other.

Qin Huairu hadn't even seen Yu Li's leather shoes yet.

Seeing them go far away, Yu Li picked up a rag and continued wiping the ornaments in the room.

These items were all recycled, some repaired by the old man's skillful hands, and some repaired by Wen San'er.

Wen San'er mostly repaired household appliances; anything with electricity was fine.

And the old man was good at repairing furniture and tools; some recycled items could be repaired and used again.

Everything in the recycling shop, except for the specially approved items by Director Ma, was recycled, modified, or repaired; there wasn't a single new item.

However, the repairmen at the recycling station were skillful, and the workers were also skillful.

Although these appliances and tools were old, they were wiped so clean there wasn't a speck of dust on them.

In later generations, this would be called refurbished secondhand goods; although it wasn't that exaggerated, there were still people willing to buy clean old goods.

Why wouldn't they be willing? New ones required coupons, not to mention they were expensive; these weren't much cheaper, but they were practical.

Most families lived a tight life; where would they have spare money to buy new items?

But some who knew the ropes and were lucky could always buy something they liked here.

Buy an old radio, cover it with a white cloth, who would know it was old? Put it there, turn it on, and it sounded great!

Other shops were busy on Sundays, and this one was too, but they were all idlers; with nothing to do at home, they all wanted to come here to treasure hunt.

The shelves were already full, and the old man had installed shelves on the walls.

Now, the walls around the storefront were covered with recycled goods.

Some of these items were collected by Wen San'er and his men, some were repaired from scrap, but most were items confiscated from the theft gang last time.

There were too many items; just organizing them took enough time, not to mention cleaning, repairing, and pricing; it was a lot of work.

Why else would Li Xuewu not let Wen San'er go out? Just cleaning these items was enough to keep him busy.

Furthermore, the old man was getting on in years, and the two Second Masters couldn't handle so many items even if they helped.

So Li Xuewu thought about finding a young apprentice for the two of them.

Do some carpentry for a while, repair old furniture, make new furniture, and when finished, tidy up the old goods.

Qin Laoer Master had a sharp eye; he would pick out the valuable items and categorize them.

Either Wen San'er would repair them, or the old man would, or if they couldn't be repaired, they would be separated.

Today, there was no carpentry work, so the two of them were sorting these items in the courtyard with Seeing Gelin.

Seeing Gelin had an honest personality; he did whatever he was told, and only Pazile, who was waiting for paperwork, couldn't stay idle.

He couldn't do such delicate work, so he was simply directed by the old man to clean up the junk in the courtyard.

Load the truck first, and once loaded, wait for Biaozhi to come back and deliver it.

As long as you wanted to work in this courtyard, there was plenty of work.

"Dad?"

Yan Jiecheng walked into the hanging flower gate and saw his father sitting on a chair, sunning himself in the morning sun.

"Hmm, you still know how to come back?"

Yan Fugui was very calm now, completely lacking his previous stubborn look of squinting his eyes whenever he got angry.

Now, the blood vessels in his brain didn't allow him to get angry, so seeing his eldest son return, he asked the most lethal question very calmly.

"Dad, this is my home, why wouldn't I come back?"

Yan Jiecheng looked at his home; it was quiet, so he asked, "Dad, where are Mom and the others?"

"Went to the hospital."

"Hospital?"

Yan Jiecheng looked at his father suspiciously; wasn't his father right here? Going to the hospital...

"Dad! Shuqin she...!"

"Shut up!"

Yan Fugui frowned and scolded, saying, "Your wife went to deliver food."

"Then Mom...?"

"Your mom is taking care of him."

Yan Fugui frowned and said, "The earthquake knocked the bed over, and the second one broke his leg."

"Oh, no... huh?!"

Yan Jiecheng listened to his father's tone, which didn't seem to be talking about his own younger brother, so he didn't react for a moment.

When he heard that the second one's leg had been broken, he couldn't help but shout.

Yan Fugui frowned and waved his hand, saying, "Don't shout!"

Yan Jiecheng said in surprise, "Dad, the second one's leg is broken, and you still have the leisure to sun yourself here?"

"Then where should I sun myself? In Hongxing Village?"

Yan Fugui still had a calm face, squinting his eyes and letting the sun shine on his face.

"No, Dad!"

Yan Jiecheng looked at his father's appearance and asked, "Then how is Jiefang?"

"He's fine, it's been set."

At this moment, Yan Fugui frowned and said, "Just like me, recuperating."

"How could this happen?"

Yan Jiecheng sat on the steps speechlessly, and the bag in his hand landed on the ground.

"We were all hiding in the Bai Bai Xiyuan, but he ran back to sleep; if he doesn't get crushed, who does? Hmph!"

Yan Fugui looked at his eldest son and said, "Anxious, what's the use of being anxious? Can I lie in the hospital for him?"

"Dad, how is your health?"

Yan Jiecheng understood the situation now; his brother's leg was broken, and here sat someone with a brain hemorrhage.

"Won't die."

Yan Fugui squinted his eyes and asked, "How much money is left? Take it out; if you don't come back, I'll have to call someone to go get money from you."

"Where would I..."

Yan Jiecheng found that his father's attitude had become much colder upon his return; talking to him seemed... the affection had faded.

How could it not fade? If it didn't fade a bit, he would have exploded from anger on the spot.

He just wanted to say he had no money, but looking at his father's eyes, he couldn't say it.

"If you want your brother to be lame for life, then pretend you don't have any."

Yan Fugui said coldly, as if talking about someone else's business, "There isn't a cent left at home; if you want to pretend, then pretend thoroughly, and I'll believe it to the end, to avoid complaints later; if your brother is lame, no one can blame anyone."

Yan Jiecheng looked at his father; he was so strange. Is this his father?

How to pretend?

With a salary of over thirty, he took more than two hundred from home, and he would just watch his brother become lame?

Now he's lying in bed with no strength; if he can get down to the ground later, even if he's lame, he'll want to kill him.

"I'll take it."

Yan Jiecheng lowered his head and said in a low voice, "I'll go deliver the money."

"Go~"

Yan Fugui leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, his voice as lazy as the morning sun.

"Remember, if you don't come home often in the future, don't believe what others say when you come back, and don't ask your wife; just live your life well and pretend you don't know anything."

"Dad, what do you mean by that?"

Yan Jiecheng had no heart to deliver money to his brother now; this is a green hat.

He knew what kind of character his wife had, and he also knew what kind of background Comrade Ge Shuqin had.

But she clearly promised him she would live a good life, how could she be like that?

"Literal meaning, cough!"

Yan Fugui coughed and said, "Go, go do what you need to do."

Yan Jiecheng looked at his father and said, "You used to talk about Yu Li, now that we've split, you talk about Yu Li's good points."

Gritting his teeth as he spoke, he walked up to his father and said, "Now you talk about Comrade Ge Shuqin, how should I believe you?"

"Believe it or not."

Yan Fugui closed his eyes, completely ignoring his eldest son who was staring at him.

"You have eyes too, see for yourself what Yu Li is doing, then go home and look at the back window."

Yan Jiecheng gritted his teeth, staring at his father's face, unable to move his feet.

"Sigh~~~"

Yan Fugui sighed and said, "It's all fate; you're right not to go look; where doesn't the yellow earth bury people? Life must go on."

Yan Jiecheng took a deep breath, his face changing again and again, twisted his body, and walked out of the hanging flower gate, not even taking the bag he brought back.

"Heh heh."

Yan Fugui didn't need to open his eyes to know what expression his son had.

He used to advise his son to pay attention to his wife directly, but his son wouldn't listen; now he understood that his son was just playing dumb while knowing the truth.

And the one who had been confused all along was himself.

Thinking about his son's step-by-step progress, was he not responsible?

If he hadn't thought about splitting his son's house, would it have come to this?

His wife stayed at home every month, earning a salary, and his son drove for him; there wasn't a single good thing he didn't have, earning another salary.

The big tile-roofed house was about to be built, and he had ruined a perfectly good, prosperous life.

Who is stupid?

Heh heh, this eldest son isn't stupid; he is the stupid one~.

Does Yan Fugui regret it?

Heh heh, only he himself, sitting there sunning his face, knows.

"That won't do!"

Sha Zhu dodged his sister's hand, looked diagonally across, and said, "You still think Qin Huairu is the Qin Huairu from before!"

"What's wrong with her!"

Yushui looked at her brother and said, "Isn't she just a guesthouse director!"

"Sister, you have a misunderstanding about deputy section-level cadres!"

Sha Zhu looked at his sister and said, "A monthly salary of over sixty, are you kidding! How much does your brother make!"

"Relationships between men and women can't be calculated by salary!"

He Yu Shui looked at her brother and said, "She earns more, but her family has many people; you earn less, but you're just one person."

"You're mocking your brother!"

Sha Zhu smiled and pointed at his sister, saying, "I know, my sister is worried about my affairs, but you have to give me some time, right?"

"You've had almost ten years!"

He Yu Shui looked at her brother and said, "Just try it!"

"You think that's something you can just try!"

Sha Zhu dodged his sister in circles and said softly, "That's a firecracker; you can't try it, it lights up as soon as you touch it."

Seeing his sister stop chasing, he stood still, and Sha Zhu waved his hand and said, "Alright, don't worry about it!".

"Then try Yu Li."

"Hey! Why are you coming up with one thing after another!"

Sha Zhu frowned and gestured, saying, "She won't do; with her, can I still stay in this courtyard!"

"Then what kind do you want?"

He Yu Shui glanced at Qin Jingru, who was pasting matchboxes at the Jia family's door, and said, "Still thinking about that old six?"

"I'm thinking about her? I... stop adding to the chaos!"

Sha Zhu pushed his sister and was about to go out, saying impatiently, "I have a pile of things to do here!"

"Then try Xilin?"

"Xi..."

Sha Zhu heard his sister's words, and the hand pushing his sister stopped abruptly.

"This Xilin... would that work?"

Yushui stared at her brother, tilting her head from left to right.

No need to say anything now; no need to say, her brother had long been eyeing her.

Li Xuewu brought back two girls, both were Pazile's sisters.

Anyone brought into this courtyard must have nothing to do with Li Xuewu.

So these two were targets her brother could choose from.

Especially on the night of the dinner, Xilin's "Aobao Meeting" made this silly brother remember this Xilin.

Humming the tune of Aobao Meeting in his mouth whenever he had nothing to do, if he wasn't interested in her, what was he?

Yushui wasn't stupid, nor did she want to pluck flowers for Li Xuewu.

She just knew Qin Huairu and Yu Li were impossible, so she used these two to pressure her brother.

"Heh heh."

Sha Zhu looked at his sister's gaze and smiled embarrassedly.

"That... that thing, I haven't washed my clothes yet."

"Is that so~~~?"

Yushui looked at her brother and asked, "Didn't those two sisters from the grassland wash them?"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Sha Zhu glanced outside the door, turned back to his sister, and said, "They feel bad about living in our house, and with Li Xuewu here, they're embarrassed to give money, so they can only thank me this way."

"Ah, thank you~"

Yushui looked at her brother and asked, "So which one have you taken a fancy to?"

"I... heh heh~"

Sha Zhu stared, pointed at his sister, and said, "I won't tell you!"

"Heh heh."

Yushui pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "Don't choose Xilin."

"Why?"

Sha Zhu was shocked by his sister, stared, and said, "Why can't I choose Xilin?"

Yushui looked at her brother and said, "Haven't you suffered enough from beautiful women? Just going after the good-looking ones, how many times have you fallen?"

"Where did I... how many times, wasn't it just once~"

Sha Zhu took a breath and said, "Tell me, why can't I choose Xilin?"

"No reason, just don't suggest you choose her!"

Yushui looked at her brother and said, "Find an honest person to live a good life, my dear brother!"

"Diliya... Diliya..."

Sha Zhu frowned and thought for a while, then asked, "Would that work?"

"It's not about you saying it works, it's about them saying it works."

Yushui looked at her brother seriously and said, "Don't always think about getting a wife just by following your own heart."

As she spoke, she whispered, "Diliya is Pazile's own sister."

"Then Xilin..."

"Do you know if they are true cousins?"

He Yu Shui looked at her brother and said, "Xilin rarely talks to Pazile, but communicates a lot with that silly big guy, and isn't that close to Diliya either."

"Really?"

"Can't you look carefully?"

"Why would I look at them!"

Sha Zhu had a point now.

Yushui sighed helplessly and said, "Pazile is clearly going to be arranged into the branch bureau by Li Xuewu."

"So what?"

Sha Zhu said indifferently, "I'm not counting on a brother-in-law, am I?!"

"But you can't not think about the future~"

Yushui looked at her brother and said, "What about your children? Are they all going to be cooks?"

"Isn't being a cook pretty good!"

Sha Zhu said dismissively, "If ten or eight of them are all cooks, then they really won't starve to death."

Yushui looked at her brother, really not knowing how to wake up this brother who was pretending to sleep.

He was like this when Jing Yongjie was around; even if he cared about that patrolman's status, he pretended not to take it seriously.

But every time he saw Jing Yongjie, he had a look of insufficient confidence.

Sha Zhu also saw his sister's gaze, dodged, and said, "My relationship with Li Xuewu is pretty good."

"How good is it?"

He Yu Shui glanced at her brother and said, "Begging others is like swallowing a three-foot sword..."

"Got it~"

Sha Zhu nodded helplessly and said, "I'll see, okay."

Turning his head to see his sister staring at him, he defended himself, "You have to give me some time to get in touch, right? I can't just go over and get married right now!"

"I'm not forcing you."

He Yu Shui wiped her eyes, stopped looking at her brother, and said as she walked out, "How you choose is up to you, it's not me getting a wife!"

"Hey!"

Sha Zhu wanted to say more, but saw his sister had already opened the door and gone out.

"Hey! I said..."

Sha Zhu licked his lips, turned in circles in the room, scratched his head, and didn't know what to do.

As soon as Yushui left the room, she saw Qin Jingru looking this way, and when she saw her come out, she turned her head away again.

Because the weather had warmed up, it was good to come out and sun yourself when the sun was strong.

So at this moment, Jia Zhangshi was watching Xiao Huaihua with Qin Jingru, sitting at the door pasting matchboxes.

Don't look at how much Qin Huairu earns now, there are many mouths to feed in the family; if you want to live a good life, you have to increase income and reduce expenditure.

Of course, this was all said by Jia Zhangshi to Qin Jingru; fearing Qin Jingru would be lonely, she specifically applied for matchboxes from the neighborhood office to bring home to paste.

One was to earn some pocket money, and the second was to let Qin Jingru earn some meal money.

Even if they were sisters, there was no reason for someone this old to stay at her sister's house to be supported, let alone a married sister.

So at this moment, Qin Jingru also knew what was going on; she couldn't go home, and if she wanted to stay in the city, she could only live like this for the time being.

This business of pasting matchboxes wasn't easy to do, but it was simple and easy to learn.

One thousand boxes, fifty cents; at Qin Jingru's speed, eight or nine yuan a month wasn't a problem.

It was enough for her food and expenses.

Now Qin Huairu didn't pay much attention to her when she was at home, and hadn't mentioned arranging anything for her; perhaps she was still angry with her.

Yushui knew a little about her situation, so even though they lived upstairs and downstairs, they never spoke.

Qin Jingru looked at He Yu Shui, who looked like a white swan, passing in front of her with her peripheral vision, and muttered something under her breath.

Jia Zhangshi said a few words to Yushui, but it was just idle chatter, and she didn't notice Yushui leaving the courtyard.

Here, she was busy teaching Huaihua to fold paper strips, and there, she had to put clips on the matchboxes.

"Grandma, why can brother not work?"

"Who said that?"

Jia Zhangshi said with a stern face, "Didn't you see your brother taking a net and a bucket to catch small fish and shrimp?"

"I want to go too~"

"You're still too small, you can't go to the water's edge."

Jia Zhangshi pointed at the small table, signaling Huaihua to hurry up with the work in her hands.

"Your brother is doing that for the chickens in the backyard, so they'll lay eggs; when they lay eggs, I'll boil them for you to eat."

"Eggs are delicious!"

Huaihua looked at her grandma and said, "It's just a little bit few."

"It's not few."

Jia Zhangshi looked at the sun, calculated the time, and while thinking about her grandson, said, "Eating once a week, which family is that awesome!"

As she spoke, she looked at Qin Jingru and said, "If you know how to hatch chicks, we'll save up some eggs and raise some later."

"I did this at home, and I'm doing it here; then should I just do it at home?"

Perhaps she was annoyed by pasting matchboxes, so she spoke to Jia Zhangshi with anger.

"Who asked you to come?"

Jia Zhangshi didn't indulge her and snorted, "Now the streets are full of students running around; do you think you can find work?"

Qin Jingru lowered her head and didn't speak, but her hands were working hard.

Jia Zhangshi snatched the deformed matchbox from Qin Jingru's hand and repaired it herself.

She knew Qin Jingru didn't like to hear her words, but she had to say them even if she didn't like it.

She couldn't drive this relative away; if she drove her away, her daughter-in-law's face wouldn't look good.

But she couldn't just support her like this; pasting matchboxes wasn't a long-term solution either.

Besides, looking at her current appearance, she didn't like pasting this stuff either, and she wouldn't do it for long even if forced.

"Don't blame Aunt for speaking harshly."

Jia Zhangshi looked at Qin Jingru, who was lowering her head and not speaking, and said, "Life has to go on; you were born wrong, can you go back and be born again?"

"Envying others is not as good as striving yourself; since you don't want to get married like this, then live out a style of your own."

"How can I live~"

Qin Jingru was prone to tears and had a good mind, but she had no ability.

"I've lived half my life, and I don't know how to live either."

Jia Zhangshi's mouth was a bit broken, but for a relative who had fallen into her family, she couldn't scold or curse, so she had to think of a way.

Qin Jingru wiped her tears with her sleeve and stubbornly took the matchbox paper to continue pasting.

"Think about the trick I told you."

Jia Zhangshi's eyes weren't very good either, and she was fiddling with the paper strips on her hand with reading glasses, saying, "One chicken lays one egg a day; big ones are seven cents, small ones are six cents."

As she spoke, she looked up at Qin Jingru and calculated, saying, "You raise ten chickens, how much money is that a month?"

"I..."

Qin Jingru looked at Jia Zhangshi; this was making things difficult for her, she only finished two years of primary school, let her calculate this.

"At least eighteen yuan."

Jia Zhangshi gestured with her fingers and said, "Eighteen yuan, what's not enough for you?"

"You only calculate this!"

Qin Jingru pinched the matchbox and said, "Is that chicken an iron chicken? Doesn't it eat grain? Can it lay eggs every day all year round!"

"Half a year is enough for you to eat!"

Jia Zhangshi glanced at her and said, "Still wanting a whole year, you're not afraid of bursting!"

As she spoke, she pointed at Huaihua, telling her not to mess with the paste, and continued to say to Qin Jingru, "Whose chicken eats grain all the time?"

Qin Jingru held her neck and said, "The team's chickens eat grain!"

"That's your village!"

Jia Zhangshi gestured toward the backyard with her eyes and said, "Why don't Bang Geng's chickens eat grain?"

"He... that..."

"Exactly~"

Jia Zhangshi looked at Qin Jingru and said, "When they don't lay eggs, feed them rice bran, then pick vegetable leaves to feed them; when they lay eggs, it's warm, so catch fish and shrimp, and hit water grass to feed them."

"But... I..."

Qin Jingru also knew Jia Zhangshi was right, but this didn't match her idea of entering the city!

She came to the city to work, how did she become a chicken raiser!

If she could raise chickens, wouldn't it be better to raise them at home, why waste time here.

"Let me tell you, the difference between raising them in the village and raising them here."

Jia Zhangshi pointed at Qin Jingru and said, "At home, can you have time to specifically raise chickens? Don't you have to work?"

Qin Jingru thought about it, and it really was; she was a big girl, how could she not work in the fields to earn work points.

"How do you send the eggs laid by chickens raised at home to the supply and marketing cooperative? Don't your family members share them?"

Asking for monthly votes. ===== CHAPTER 449 =====