1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

Qin Huairu dragged her legs, which seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and slowly walked into the house.

Her eyes were empty and lifeless, like a puppet that had lost its soul. Every step she took was extremely difficult, as if the whole world was collapsing under her feet.

At this moment, her mind was in chaos, as if she was wrapped in thick fog, and she couldn't think about what to do next.

Banggeng was arrested by the police, and she was ruthlessly deprived of even the chance to see her son. Her heart seemed to be cut by a sharp and cold dagger, leaving only a bloody and empty wound.

Inside the house, Jia Zhang was sitting on the creaking old wooden stool, holding the little locust flower in her arms.

Her face was full of fatigue and impatience. Her rough hands patted Xiao Huaihua's back irregularly. She hummed a tune that had already gone out of tune, trying to calm the crying Xiao Huaihua.

However, the humming voice was full of irritation and helplessness, and it was obvious that her own patience was about to run out.

Suddenly, she raised her head inadvertently and saw Qin Huairu's face as pale as paper.

Qin Huairu sat dazed on a stool not far away, as if all the vitality and energy had been drained out of her, as if a slight breeze could easily blow her down.

Jia Zhang's heart suddenly tightened, and an ominous premonition instantly surged into her heart like a surging tide.

She stood up suddenly, the chair behind her making a harsh friction sound, and then she raised her voice with obvious anxiety and panic, and asked loudly: "How is it, have you found the stick?"

Qin Huairu slowly raised her head and looked at Jia Zhang with empty and desperate eyes.

In an instant, an uncontrollable sadness surged into her heart like a flood. Tears instantly blurred her eyes and kept sliding down her cheeks.

Her lips trembled slightly as she uttered a few words with difficulty: "Mom, Banggeng was caught stealing property and was taken to the police station."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Jia Zhang's face suddenly changed, as if she was hit by a bolt from the blue.

The painful memory buried deep in my heart quietly emerged like a ghost.

At the beginning, after she pushed Chen Lanxiang down on impulse, her heart was filled with fear and anxiety, and she only wanted to escape from the city and escape the impending punishment.

However, the law is strict and there is no loophole. She was eventually ruthlessly arrested and taken back to the police station.

The small, dark detention center was filled with a disgusting musty smell. Surrounded by cold walls, the suffocating and oppressive atmosphere was always there.

Every day in there, she spent in endless regret and torment.

The cold handcuffs, the harsh interrogation, and the fear of an unknown fate, every moment was like a sharp blade, deeply engraved in the depths of her soul. Thinking about it now, it is still vivid and unforgettable.

Jia Zhang was no longer concerned about the crying little Huaihua who had been woken up. She hurriedly stuffed the child into Qin Huairu's arms and tightly grasped Qin Huairu's shoulders with both hands. Her fingers turned slightly white due to the force. She shook her vigorously and asked in a trembling voice: "What's going on? Tell me! Our family has enough food and drink now, why did he go stealing things?"

Qin Huairu suppressed her inner grief, took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and then told Jia Zhangshi all the news she had learned from the police.

After hearing this, Jia Zhang was shocked as if struck by lightning and stood there in a daze.

After a moment, she suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard with a "slap".

The crisp sound echoed in the silent house, as if it was an expression of her endless self-blame deep in her heart.

Tears streamed down her face, and she looked sad as she muttered to herself, "It's all my fault. It's all my fault that I didn't take good care of Bang Geng. If I had kept a closer eye on him, he wouldn't have run out and caused trouble. It's all my fault for being so confused..."

Qin Huairu saw this and hurried forward to stop them. She held Jia Zhang's hand tightly and said with a choked voice, "Mom, how can I blame you? It's normal for Banggeng to go out and play with his friends. If you want to blame someone, blame those kids. If they hadn't instigated Banggeng from behind, he wouldn't have been so confused as to sneak into that house and steal things."

However, Qin Huairu never expected that her words of comfort would be like a fuse, instantly igniting the anger in Jia Zhang's heart.

Jia Zhang's squinting eyes suddenly widened, with anger and resentment flashing in them. She glared at Qin Huairu viciously and said with gritted teeth, "It's all your fault! If you hadn't ruined our family's reputation outside, why would the children in the yard be unwilling to play with Banggeng? That's why he has come to this point step by step. All of this, in the final analysis, is all your fault!"

Qin Huairu was caught off guard by this sudden accusation. She stared at Jia Zhang blankly, feeling aggrieved and helpless: "Mom, how can you blame me for this? When Bang Geng went to the Li family to steal things, it was you who indulged him blindly that made him become so lawless."

"Pa!" Jia Zhang was so angry that she raised her hand again and slapped Qin Huairu hard.

She used up all her strength to slap Qin Huairu, causing her face to instantly become red and swollen. The five clear fingerprints were particularly glaring on her fair face.

Although Jia Zhang knew that Banggeng's daily lawlessness was indeed due to her doting, she would never allow Qin Huairu to blame her in person.

In her twisted heart, her love for Bang Geng is the purest and most selfless, while Qin Huairu is just a cheap woman who can only give birth to money-losing goods and seduce men.

"You shameless bastard, you still dare to blame me? I'm really kind to Bang Geng, what about you? Besides giving birth to a few money-losing babies, you can only flirt with other girls outside, what else can you do?"

Qin Huairu listened to Jia Zhang's unbearable insults, and the sadness in her heart flooded like a flood.

She looked at the hysterical woman in front of her and felt a deep sense of self-mockery.

For the sake of this family, so that the whole family can barely survive, she has already given up everything she has.

She disregarded her dignity and became Li Huaide's lover, enduring the scorn and contempt of the world, but in return she received only abuse and accusations from her mother-in-law.

At this moment, she felt like a joke.

Her heart was filled with despair, as if she was in an endless dark abyss, without seeing a glimmer of hope.

At this time, Xiao Huaihua was crying in her arms, and the sharp cry seemed to be a protest against this cruel reality.

Xiaodang curled up in the corner, his small body trembling like a frightened little animal.

Her eyes were filled with fear and anxiety, and she covered her ears tightly, trying to escape from this terrible thing.

She didn't dare make a sound and could only try her best to reduce her presence, because she knew that only in this way would her grandmother not notice her and she could barely protect herself in the storm.

And Jia Zhang's cursing continued, and those vicious words were like sharp swords, ruthlessly piercing Qin Huairu's heart.

Qin Huairu only felt a buzzing sound in her ears, as if countless flies were circling around her.

Her eyes gradually became dull, and she could no longer hear Jia Zhang's subsequent insults.