1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

Li Huaide was startled by her action. After reacting instantly, a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He turned over and pressed Qin Huairu under him: "You little devil, you are really impatient. Okay, I will try my best to see if there is anything I can do for you, but don't make trouble for me."

He felt both the pleasure of fulfilling his desire for Qin Huairu and the confidence that he could control the situation. He felt that he still held a dominant position in this transaction.

The atmosphere in the room became hot and ambiguous again, and the lights flickered amid the two people's breathing, as if they were also infected by this strong desire.

After a long time, everything calmed down.

Qin Huairu stood up tiredly and tidied her clothes silently, her eyes full of confusion and fatigue.

She knew that she had paid too much in this transaction, but she was still not sure whether she could get the return she wanted.

She began to regret what she had done and felt that she was stuck in a quagmire from which she could not extricate herself. However, when she thought of the plight of her family, she felt that all this seemed to be a helpless act.

Li Huaide lay on the bed, looking at her back, feeling secretly proud in his heart.

In his eyes, Qin Huairu was just one of his many playthings, a tool for him to satisfy his selfish desires and demonstrate his power.

He thought that as long as he struck the right balance, he could enjoy all of this without endangering his position.

When Qin Huairu left the yard, the night had completely enveloped the earth.

In the dark night sky, only a few sparse stars were twinkling faintly, as if watching her departure coldly.

She dragged her heavy steps and walked slowly towards home.

The night wind was tearing at her thin clothes wantonly, but she was unaware of it. At this moment, her heart was filled with fatigue and confusion, as if she was in an endless dark abyss, without a trace of light.

With every step she took, her mind involuntarily emerged with all the unbearable things that happened to her and Li Huaide in that yard. She hated herself, but was helpless under the pressure of life.

Finally, the familiar door of home came into view.

The dim light shining through the crack in the door should have been a symbol of warmth, but at this moment it made Qin Huairu feel sad.

She stood at the door for a long time, clutching the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands, took a deep breath, forced herself to be strong, and tried to force a seemingly normal expression on her face before she reached out and pushed open the door.

Inside the house, the dim light was swaying. Jia Zhang was sitting at the table, on which were a few empty bowls and plates placed in a mess. She had already arranged for the children to finish their meal.

Seeing Qin Huairu come in, Jia Zhang's face instantly turned gloomy.

The corners of her mouth, which were originally a little mean, turned down even deeper, forming a deep ravine. She lowered her voice but deliberately let Qin Huairu hear it, muttering: "What a shameless slut, coming back so late. Our Jia family is so unlucky to marry you. You have ruined the good reputation of our family."

Her eyes were full of contempt and resentment, as if Qin Huairu was the most despicable person in the world.

At this moment, Qin Huairu felt as if all the strength in her body had been drained away, and she was exhausted both physically and mentally to the extreme.

She raised her eyes with difficulty and glanced at Jia Zhang. Her eyes were full of helplessness and sadness, empty and lifeless, like a puppet that had lost its soul.

Her lips trembled slightly, and she said in a hoarse and weak voice: "Then a good reputation, can it be eaten or drunk? It's rare to have a good reputation, so the family won't have to go hungry, right?"

There was a hint of sob in her voice, but she tried hard not to let the tears fall. She knew that crying was useless in this family.

In fact, Jia Zhang knew that what Qin Huairu said was true, but she just couldn't accept Qin Huairu coming home so late.

If Qin Huairu could come back earlier, someone would take care of the children at home and she wouldn't have to work so hard.

Besides, if Qin Huairu came back so late at night, the neighbors would gossip about her.

The reason for all this is Qin Huairu's ignorance, so Jia Zhang's eyes were full of dissatisfaction when she looked at Qin Huairu at this moment.

Although she knew that Qin Huairu came back so late so that the family could live a better life, she felt like there was a huge stone blocking her heart and she couldn't feel at ease.

So, Jia Zhang couldn't help but retort: ​​"Humph! As if you have made such a great contribution."

Her tone became even more sarcastic, she crossed her arms over her chest, leaned back slightly, and looked domineering.

When Qin Huairu heard these cold and piercing words, she felt as if her heart was hit hard and she felt even more sad.

She struggled hard outside, gave up all her face and abandoned the dignity that a woman cherishes most, all for the sake of creating a better future for her children.

She worked in the steel mill every day, enduring heavy work. The roar of the machines made her ears buzz and the rough parts rubbed her slender fingers, but she never complained.

After get off work, she also has to plan a way to make a living, and she even has to flatter people like Li Huaide.

She forced herself to smile and endured Li Huaide's frivolity and teasing just to get a little help from him.

She had paid so much, and now Jia Zhang was enjoying the fruits of her humiliation while mocking her like this. How could she accept this?

Qin Huairu smiled bitterly and shook her head. That smile was full of bitterness and self-mockery. She said, "I don't care whether I have made any contribution or not. I only care about practical benefits. Reputation and so on are not as valuable as a good life."

As she spoke, she slowly took out the money she had exchanged from Li Huaide today from her pocket. The money was soaked with her sweat and had some wrinkles on it.

She handed it over. “Aren’t these things enough?”

Jia Zhang looked at the banknote Qin Huairu handed over and felt mixed emotions.

When she saw the stains on the banknote, she understood the hardships behind it, but she just couldn't suppress the jealousy.

She thought to herself that if it weren't for Banggeng, she would never want a daughter-in-law like Qin Huairu, no matter how good she was.

She stretched out her hand, took the money, but pretended to be indifferent and placed the money casually on the table.

Qin Huairu no longer paid attention to Jia Zhang's complicated look and walked into the house helplessly.

She closed the door gently, leaned against it and slowly slid down to the floor.

Tears welled up in my eyes but refused to fall stubbornly.

She chose her own path, and she will keep going no matter how difficult it is.

In another dim corner, Wang Jiancheng frowned, glanced at the package on the ground with disdain, and snorted, "I really don't know what's going on in Banggeng's mind. What's the point of getting these broken bottles and rotten cans?"

His voice was filled with a hint of annoyance, echoing in the silent space.

Liu Hongguang also had a sad face, his eyes full of helplessness and disappointment.

He squatted aside, fiddling with the bottles and jars with his hands, making a slight clash of sounds that sounded particularly harsh to him.

"What should we do? We were hoping to get some food back, but this kid..."

He sighed, his voice full of exhaustion and frustration.