Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

Looking at these children who have grown up a lot, Sha Zhu squatted down and stroked their heads one by one, his eyes full of love.

Little Sophora japonica came up to him curiously, blinked her big eyes and asked, "Uncle Silly, what are your plans for the future?"

Looking at Xiao Huaihua's innocent eyes, Sha Zhu stood up, took a deep breath and said, "I want to start over and make my life better. I will make those who framed me pay the price and let you live a happy life."

Qin Huairu was busy in the kitchen. Several children surrounded her and occasionally helped her pass a bowl or a spoon, but Sha Zhu was left aside.

Standing at the kitchen door, he looked at Qin Huairu's busy back with complicated eyes.

Once upon a time, they fought side by side and managed the family together, but now they seem to be from two different worlds.

All of this will take time to repair.

At dinner time, the children came back one after another and sat around the dining table. Qin Huairu served them steaming dishes.

At the dinner table, the children chattered about interesting things in school. Sha Zhu occasionally interjected a few words, but most of the time, he just listened quietly, enjoying this long-awaited reunion.

However, deep cracks are hidden beneath this seemingly harmonious atmosphere.

There was always a hint of wariness and alienation in Qin Huairu's eyes, and Sha Zhu knew that he needed to make more efforts to win back her trust.

The dishes on the table were delicious, but the atmosphere was as depressing as a dark cloud.

The children seemed to sense this unusual oppression; they stopped laughing and ate their meals carefully.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps broke the silence.

Chen Fei was seen walking through the courtyard wearing a brand new, neat suit, with a proud look on his face.

His appearance was like dropping a bombshell, causing even greater waves in the already tense atmosphere.

"Hey, isn't this Sha Zhu? I heard that you're back." Fade Chen stopped, glanced at Sha Zhu, and a disdainful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Sha Zhu clenched his fists, trying hard to suppress the anger in his heart.

I thought that my current situation was indeed not comparable to Chen Fei's.

But he was unwilling to be looked down upon by the other party.

"Yes, I'm back." Sha Zhu responded indifferently, trying his best to make his voice sound calm.

Chen Fei seemed not satisfied with this response and continued to provoke: "I heard that you suffered a lot in there? That's right, people like you deserve to be in there."

Sha Zhu's face instantly turned livid, knowing that arguing with Fade Chen now would only make him more embarrassed.

At this moment, Qin Huairu suddenly stood up and looked at Chen Fei coldly: "Enough! Shazhu is our family member. What he has been through is beyond your imagination. What qualifications do you have to make irresponsible remarks here?"

Chen Fei was startled by Qin Huairu's sudden outburst. He didn't expect that the usually docile Qin Huairu would defend Sha Zhu so much.

After glaring at Sha Zhu, he left angrily.

Sha Zhu sat alone on a stone bench in the yard, staring into the distance with empty eyes.

Qin Huairu walked up to him with a bowl of hot soup and gently placed it on the stone table.

Looking at Sha Zhu's lonely back, I couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness in my heart.

"Drink some soup to warm your body." Qin Huairu said softly.

Sha Zhu didn't turn around, but just responded faintly.

"Do you know? Chen Fei is now the deputy factory director." Qin Huairu sighed, sat next to him, and spoke slowly.

Sha Zhu's body trembled slightly, but he didn't say anything, just clenched his fists silently.

"He performed very well in the factory and came up with many innovative ideas, such as the 'Clean Plate Campaign', which received unanimous praise from leaders and colleagues," Qin Huairu continued.

A bitter smile appeared on Sha Zhu's lips, and the shame and regret in his heart surged like a tide.

His former glory has now become his biggest pain.

At this moment, the gate of the courtyard was suddenly pushed open and a burst of noise was heard.

Chen Fei walked in with a few of his men in a domineering manner.

"Hey, isn't this Shazhu? Why are you sitting here alone? Are you lonely?" Fade Chen walked up to Shazhu and said jokingly.

Sha Zhu stood up and stared at Chen Fei with cold eyes.

This cannot go on.

He wants to prove to everyone that he, Shazhu, is not a loser!

"Don't be too proud. One day, I will show you who is the real winner!" Sha Zhu's voice was firm and powerful.

Fade Chen was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Haha, what a joke! You're a person who has been to prison, and you still want to compete with me? Dream on!"

The lights in the courtyard swayed in the breeze, casting mottled light and shadows.

Sha Zhu sat alone on the stone bench, his heart in turmoil. Chen Fei's provocations were like sharp knives, piercing his self-esteem again and again.

Just as he was lost in thought, the sound of soft footsteps broke the silence of the night.

Looking up, I saw Qin Jingru walking slowly towards me holding a child.

The child had delicate features, but looked very different from Xu Damao.

Qin Jingru's eyes revealed some complicated emotions, as if she was hiding something.

"This is my son, Qin Jingsheng." Qin Jingru said in a low voice.

Sha Zhu was stunned and looked at the child, feeling a little confused.

"Why...is this child's surname Qin?" Sha Zhu couldn't help but ask.

Qin Jingru was silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "I don't want the child to be influenced by his father, so I decided to let him take my surname."

Sha Zhu was silent, and could feel the helplessness and pain in Qin Jingru's heart.

Thinking of my past glory and current desolation, a strong determination surged in my heart.

Just then, the figure of the third uncle appeared at the gate of the courtyard.

He was wearing a faded Mao suit and had a smug smile on his face.

"Haha, Shazhu, I heard you were back?" There was a hint of sarcasm in the third uncle's voice.

Sha Zhu frowned, as he was already accustomed to the hypocrisy of the Third Uncle.

He stood up and looked at the third uncle coldly.

"Yeah, I'm back."

The third uncle seemed not satisfied with this and continued to show off: "I work at a university now, and I am a person of status."

Sha Zhu sneered, thinking that the so-called "university work" of the third uncle was nothing more than managing sewage.

But he didn't expose it, just watched the performance of the third uncle quietly.

Late at night, the lights in the courtyard had long been turned off, only Sha Zhu's room was still dimly lit.

Sitting at the table, pen tightly in hand, brows furrowed, as if hesitating about something.

The letter paper was spread out on the table, blank, as if waiting for his thoughts.

From time to time, he glanced out the window, which was Qin Jingru's residence. The dim light silhouetted the figures of mother and son.

"Is Qin Jingru's child really surnamed Qin?" Sha Zhu muttered to himself, the doubts in his heart growing like weeds.

Thinking of Qin Jingru's complicated eyes and her avoidance of the identity of the child's father, the doubts in his heart grew deeper.

I took a deep breath, finally made up my mind, and started writing on the letter paper.

Every word was like a heavy stone weighing on his heart.

He wrote down his doubts about Xu Damao, his concern for Qin Jingru, and also wrote down the confusion and uneasiness in his heart.

After finishing the letter, Sha Zhu folded it carefully and put it in an envelope.

I stood up, walked to the window, looked at the dim light, and had a lot of thoughts in my mind.

At this moment, Qin Huairu's figure suddenly appeared in his sight.

As if he noticed something was wrong with Sha Zhu, he came over and asked softly, "Sha Zhu, what are you writing?"

Sha Zhu turned around and looked at her, with a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

But in the end, he told her about the letter.

After hearing this, Qin Huairu frowned and said unhappily, "What are you doing? Why do you have to meddle in Qin Jingru's affairs?"

"I'm not meddling in other people's business. I just feel like something is wrong. If the child is really Xu Damao's, then isn't Qin Jingru lying? We can't let her bear all the pain alone."

Qin Huairu looked at him and thought to herself that given Sha Zhu's personality, once he made a decision, it would be difficult for him to change it.