Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Chapter 626 Qin Huairu's Scheme

"You rest, I'll come see you again tomorrow," He Yuzhu said in a low voice to the deaf old woman on the kang (a heated brick bed). He gently closed the wooden door, the hinges creaking softly, as if afraid of disturbing the peace inside. He turned and walked out into the yard. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm yellow glow on the old woman's peaceful face, and also falling on the two plump white sugar buns beside the kang—he had gone out of his way to buy them from the breakfast shop, and they were still warm, exuding a sweet warmth that spread throughout the slightly old house.

He Yuzhu stepped out of the backyard, looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun was just past noon, its rays warming him. He felt incredibly comfortable and couldn't help but hum a little tune—life these days is truly getting better and better.

Take the steel rolling mill for example. He's now the deputy director of the canteen, in charge of most of the kitchen work, and several chefs under him have to listen to his orders. A few days ago, Deputy Factory Director Li patted him on the shoulder and said that once the old director retires, the position of canteen director will definitely belong to him, He Yuzhu. Hearing this made him happier than if he had eaten honey, and from then on, he could speak with even more confidence at the factory.

Looking at the courtyard house, Qin Jingru, now pregnant, wasn't experiencing severe morning sickness, but she still needed careful attention. Every morning, he would prepare her favorite dishes in different ways—millet porridge, steamed egg custard—without fail. Just thinking about becoming a father in a few months, holding a big, healthy baby boy in his arms, made his steps lighter—this life was simply unparalleled!

Back in the central courtyard, He Yuzhu was about to go straight to his own house when he bumped into Qin Huairu coming out of her house as soon as he turned the corner of the screen wall. She seemed to have been waiting there for a while, her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked up to him.

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on his face faded slightly. To be honest, he was now a little apprehensive about seeing Qin Huairu—ever since Qin Jingru moved in, this Sister Qin had been finding excuses to come over every few days, always asking for soy sauce or vinegar, her words always carrying a hint that she wanted him to help her out, which annoyed him quite a bit. But after all, they were neighbors living in the same courtyard, and they would see each other all the time, so he still forced a smile: "Sister Qin, did you just come out? Is there something you need?"

Qin Huairu smiled warmly, grabbed his arm, and spoke with the familiarity of family: "Zhuzi, I'm so glad you're back." She paused, glancing towards He Yuzhu's house, her words carrying a deliberate air of closeness, "I heard Jingru has been suffering a lot from morning sickness lately? Sigh, pregnancy is so tough for women. You see, besides me, her cousin, Jingru doesn't have any other relatives in this courtyard. We're neighbors, so we should help each other out. If she has any problems, just tell me. I've been through this, I know a lot."

She knew exactly what was going on—He Yuzhu was now doting on Qin Jingru, and it would be difficult for her to get him to help her whenever he needed her as before. But Qin Jingru's pregnancy was the perfect excuse. As long as she could use the pretext of taking care of the pregnant woman to get in touch with the He family, she wouldn't have to worry about getting him to lend a hand. She could always find a way to get him to agree.

He Yuzhu understood perfectly well what she was saying, but she didn't want to directly offend her, so she could only nod vaguely, "Thank you for your concern, Sister Qin. Jingru is alright, just a little lazy. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now; she's waiting for me to make her some pear soup." With that, she tried to pull her hand away and walk home.

He Yuzhu looked at Qin Huairu's deliberately warm face, his tone carrying undisguised aloofness, as if wrapped in a layer of ice: "Jingru is in good health now. I follow the recipes for her three meals a day and take good care of her daily life. You don't need to worry about her."

Qin Huairu's smile froze instantly, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes became more pronounced. She still forced herself to take half a step forward, lowering her voice slightly, revealing what she thought was an intimate familiarity: "Zhuzi, you're being too polite. I've given birth to a baby myself, and I know the hardships of pregnancy—avoiding cold and raw foods in the first three months, replenishing qi and blood in the second trimester, knowing which activities are safe and which are not. My experience is invaluable. If I lend a hand, Jingru will suffer less, won't she?"

He Yuzhu simply nodded indifferently, his eyelids half-closed, and didn't reply. He knew perfectly well what was going on—Qin Huairu's intentions were nothing more than using the pretense of taking care of Qin Jingru to get closer to him, and perhaps even trying to use her old tricks to freeload food stamps and other things every few days. Hadn't he been schemed against by her openly and secretly countless times over the years? Now that he had his own little family, and Qin Jingru was pregnant, he wouldn't be so foolish as to be led by the nose like before.

Unexpectedly, Qin Huairu became even bolder after he didn't explicitly refuse. She quickly glanced around, and seeing no one in the courtyard, she moved closer, her voice sticky and suggestive, carrying a hint of something unsettling: "Zhuzi, I know Jingru is pregnant and has difficulty moving around… You're a grown man, you must be feeling really anxious… If you're really feeling unwell, you can come to me. We're neighbors, we're family, I can help you…"

"What did you say!" He Yuzhu frowned sharply, his brows furrowing into a knot. He glared at her fiercely, his anger flaring up instantly. Just as he was about to snap back at her shameless words, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Qin Jingru slowly walking out, supporting Aunt Tan's arm. The two of them were carrying a net bag filled with apples and oranges they had just bought.

From afar, Aunt Tan saw He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu standing together talking. Qin Huairu's posture—leaning forward and nudging her head towards He Yuzhu—sounded very suspicious. Anger instantly flared within her—Jingru was pregnant; what kind of trouble was Qin Huairu trying to cause? Did she really think the young couple was easy to bully?

Qin Jingru also noticed, and was about to greet her with a smile when Aunt Tan beat her to it, deliberately putting on a stern face and shouting at He Yuzhu, "Zhuzi! What are you standing there for? Can't you see Jingru is tired? She said on the way here that her stomach felt a little heavy, why don't you come over and help her!"

He Yuzhu seemed to have received a pardon, and responded with a relieved "Yes," then turned and walked towards Qin Jingru, his steps hurried as if something was chasing him. When he got closer, he carefully put his hand on Qin Jingru's waist and whispered, "Why didn't you say so earlier? Come on, let's go for a walk, get some fresh air, it'll make you feel better."

Seeing He Yuzhu about to leave, Qin Huairu was unwilling to give up. She quickly forced an even warmer smile and called out to Qin Jingru, "Jingru, I was just talking to Zhuzi. You're pregnant now and it's precious, so you have to take good care of yourself. You absolutely can't touch anything cold or spicy, and you have to walk slowly. Be extra careful on high steps so you don't bump into anything and hurt the baby."