Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Chapter 620 Negotiating Conditions

Qin Huairu hid under the old locust tree outside the courtyard wall. The dense branches and leaves, like an open green umbrella, completely concealed her figure. She stood on tiptoe, her heels almost digging into the mud, peering through a crack in the wall with one eye—the scene inside made her gasp. Her blood seemed to rush to her head, and her face flushed crimson, half with shame and anger. Her stomach churned violently, a wave of nausea washing over her, and she bit her lip hard, managing not to vomit.

She squatted outside for about fifteen minutes, her palms sweating profusely and sticky with bits of locust leaves. Judging that everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, she took a deep breath and abruptly pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate. "Squeak—" A long, drawn-out sound pierced the silence of the courtyard like a sharp thorn. She deliberately raised her voice, her tone shrill like glass scraping against rough stone, carrying a fierce, almost defiant tone: "Uncle Yi? Auntie? What are you doing here? Is there some gold hidden in this deserted courtyard? Or is there a perfectly good toilet? Why are you hiding here, sneaking around like this?"

In the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai was frantically fastening his belt. His usually steady hands were trembling violently, his movements as chaotic as a clumsy boy caught red-handed. Startled by the sudden shout, his hand trembled, and the worn-out gray cloth belt fell to the ground with a "thud," revealing the old, patched undershirt underneath. His face instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of any color. His lips trembled, and he stammered, "Qin... Qin Huairu? How... how did you get here? Who sent you? This isn't a place for you!"

Jia Dongxu's aunt was even more flustered and at a loss. Like a startled rabbit, she suddenly hid behind Yi Zhonghai, her head buried low, almost touching her chest. Her hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white, and even her ears were red as if they were about to bleed. Her newly made blue cotton jacket was wrinkled, her hair was disheveled, and a few strands of hair clung to her sweaty forehead. She wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and never come out again.

Qin Huairu stood with her hands on her hips at the courtyard gate, blocking the only way out like a gatekeeper. A mocking sneer played on her lips, and her eyes swept over the two of them like icy knives. Every word she spoke was as clear as a stone hitting the ground: "I thought it was some shady business, but it turns out you two are just hanging out here together. I never would have guessed that the kind, seemingly respectable Uncle Yi, who always acts like a good guy in the courtyard, and my honest, quiet aunt who's too shy to speak loudly to anyone, are having an affair! If Dongxu finds out, with his explosive temper, he'll probably explode and make a scene that the whole courtyard knows. And Aunt Tan, you're always ordering her around to serve the deaf old lady, bringing her tea and water, while you're out here having fun. If she finds out, I don't know what she'll do. She might even tear your roof off!"

With each word she spoke, Yi Zhonghai's face paled further. In the end, his lips were so tightly pressed together that deep teeth marks appeared, yet he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal. His aunt trembled violently, like a leaf falling in the autumn wind, tears welling in her eyes, large teardrops falling "plop plop" onto her clothes. She didn't even have the courage to look up at anyone, only able to bite her lip tightly, suppressing the sobs escaping her throat. The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze, leaving only Qin Huairu's voice echoing in the empty space, pounding on their eardrums, shattering their last shred of dignity.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at Qin Huairu's hesitant manner, his wrinkles tightening at the corners of his eyes. Recalling how her gaze had swept across his room like a searchlight when she first entered, carrying an inexplicable air of inquiry, his heart skipped a beat, as if he had a block of ice in his heart—this girl must have stumbled upon his affair with Jia Dongxu's aunt.

He composed himself, slapped his hand on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), forced a calm smile, but his tone carried an barely suppressed probing: "Alright, you little rascal, you've always been so clever. Just say what you want, stop beating around the bush. What exactly do you want?"

Qin Huairu knew perfectly well that Uncle Yi was pretending not to understand. But since things were already so open, she didn't bother to hide it anymore. A meaningful smile played on her lips as her eyes swept over Yi Zhonghai's face: "Uncle Yi, you're a well-known smart man in the factory. You've seen more of the world than I have. How could you not know what I want?"

She thought to herself: Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu's aunt's thoughts are like a turtle eyeing a green bean—they've hit it off, do they think everyone in the courtyard is blind? If this gets out to the factory or spreads throughout the courtyard, let's see who loses face first!

Yi Zhonghai's brows furrowed instantly, the lines at the corners of his eyes tightening into knots. He finally understood; this girl had something on him and was trying to extort him. He cut to the chase, his tone impatient: "Tell me, how much? As long as you keep this a secret and don't tell a word, name your price." In his view, Qin Huairu was simply trying to make some money. After all, the Jia family was struggling financially, with three children to feed, and she was a shrewd woman; she wouldn't be fooled by his little tricks.

Unexpectedly, Qin Huairu shook her head, her smile more sincere than the sunflowers in the yard: "Uncle Yi, you're being too polite. Haven't you helped our family a lot over the years? Dongxu's temper is as fiery as a firecracker; he's caused a lot of trouble at the factory. If it weren't for you keeping an eye on him, he would have been fired eight hundred times over. How could I ask you for money for such a trivial matter? That would be too inhumane."

Hearing her say that, Yi Zhonghai felt a little relieved, secretly thinking, "It seems this girl knows her limits." He nodded, reached for the blue cloth coat draped over the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), intending to quickly send this troublesome person away: "It's good that you understand. This matter concerns the reputation of both families, so it's really not advisable to make a fuss. I'll get up now; I still need to go to the factory to run errands for Dongxu's advanced worker evaluation. If I'm late, it'll be too late."

He was secretly calculating: as long as Qin Huairu didn't say anything out of line, he would give her a few more work points at the factory, or an extra half foot of cloth coupons when distributing benefits. These small favors would surely be enough to keep her completely under his thumb.

Just then, Qin Huairu took a step forward and gently stopped him. Her smile remained, but the fine lines around her eyes held a hint of unyielding stubbornness: "Uncle Yi, I know you're a man of principle and very reliable. I really don't want your money, but as you know, Dongxu's health is constantly failing him; he can't do any heavy or strenuous work. I'm only a first-class fitter now, and my monthly salary is so meager, barely enough to feed my three children. Things are really tough for my family. So, I'll have to ask for your help in the future, for the sake of our neighborhood."