Siheyuan: Starting from the Old Society

Qin Huairu's eyes were also red, obviously she had just cried. Seeing Sha Zhu looking at her, Qin Huairu forced a smile and said softly: "Zhu Zi, Brother Weiguo is right, you...you don't do this..."

Seeing Qin Huairu's expression, Sha Zhu felt even more guilty. He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and said to Lin Sian, "Brother Weiguo, I... I'm fine. Sorry for making you worry."

Lin Sian nodded and said, "It's good that everything is fine. It's good that everything is fine. You are just too impulsive. You should stay calm in the future, understand?"

Silly Zhu nodded, indicating that he understood.

"Okay, let's all go!" Lin Sian said to the crowd, "Go back to bed, it's getting late."

Seeing that there was nothing exciting to watch, everyone dispersed.

Lin Sian helped Sha Zhu back to his room, and Qin Huairu followed him in.

"Zhu Zi, have a good rest. We can talk about it tomorrow if there is anything." Lin Sian comforted him.

Sha Zhu nodded and lay on the bed, but he couldn't fall asleep. His mind was full of his mother's voice and smile, as well as what happened tonight. He hated, he hated Jia Zhang, hated her greed and selfishness that killed his mother; he also hated himself, hated his incompetence and inability to protect his mother.

"Zhu Zi, what are you thinking about?" Qin Huairu asked softly while sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sha Zhu turned his head and looked at Qin Huairu. The sadness and pain in his eyes made Qin Huairu's heart tremble.

"Huai Ru, tell me... Am I a waste? I can't even protect my own mother..." Sha Zhu's voice was hoarse and low.

Qin Huairu shook her head, held Sha Zhu's hand, and said softly: "Zhu Zi, don't say that, you have done a good job..."

"No, I haven't done enough..." Sha Zhu interrupted Qin Huairu, "If I could have discovered my mother's abnormality earlier, if I could have stopped her...this wouldn't have happened..."

"Zhu Zi..." Qin Huairu didn't know how to comfort Sha Zhu, so she could only hold his hand tightly, hoping that her warmth could give him some comfort.

Sha Zhu looked at Qin Huairu, with a complicated look in his eyes. He suddenly pulled Qin Huairu down on the bed and hugged her tightly...

"Huai Ru, I...I..." Sha Zhu's breathing was rapid and his eyes were blurred.

Qin Huairu was startled by Sha Zhu's sudden action, but she did not struggle and just let Sha Zhu hold her.

"Pillar..." Qin Huairu's voice trembled, with a hint of panic and...expectation.

Sha Zhu looked at Qin Huairu who was so close to him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed because of shyness, her eyes were blurred, and her red lips were slightly parted, as if inviting him...

Sha Zhu couldn't control himself anymore and lowered his head to kiss her...

"Stop it all!"

A loud voice was like thunder that made everyone's ears buzz. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall figure standing in the shadows. Their face could not be seen, but they could see a pair of piercing eyes that seemed to see through everything.

"Who are you? How dare you, a young boy, meddle in the affairs of our compound?!" Xu Damao covered his swollen face from being hit by Sha Zhu and pointed at the newcomer and cursed.

"That's right, who is this guy? He's dressed so weirdly, could he be the helper that Sha Zhu found from somewhere?"

"I think it's probably true. Although Shazhu looks weak at ordinary times, he can actually find helpers at critical moments!"

People in the yard began to whisper and discuss the identity of the visitor.

The man ignored everyone's comments and walked straight to Sha Zhu. In the dim light, everyone could see his appearance clearly - sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, high nose bridge, and angular face full of fortitude. His coarse cloth clothes that were washed to a pale color could not hide his upright posture, and his whole body exuded an awe-inspiring and inviolable aura.

"Who are you...?" Sha Zhu stared blankly at the person who came. He didn't know the person in front of him, but he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.

The visitor did not answer Sha Zhu's question, but turned to look at Lin Sian and said calmly: "Are you okay?"

Lin Sian wiped the blood off his face, shook his head and said, "I'm fine."

"I'm glad you're okay." The man nodded, then turned around suddenly, grabbed Sha Zhu by the collar, and lifted him up like a chicken.

"What are you doing?!" Sha Zhu was frightened by this sudden action and struggled desperately, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not break free from the man's grip.

"Let go of my brother!"

Seeing this, Qin Huairu rushed forward desperately, wanting to rescue Sha Zhu from the man. However, before she could get close, she was frightened by the man's sharp eyes and stopped.

"You...what do you want to do?" Qin Huairu's voice trembled a little. She had never seen such a sharp look, as if he could see through all her inner thoughts.

"Get lost!" The man spat out three words coldly, then turned his gaze to Sha Zhu and said in a cold tone, "Are you He Yuzhu?"

"You...how do you know my name?" Sha Zhu was shocked by the man's aura and began to stutter.

"Hmph, not only do I know your name, I also know everything about you." The man sneered, then threw Shazhu heavily to the ground and clapped his hands as if he had touched something dirty.

"You... who are you?" Sha Zhu got up from the ground and looked at the person who came with suspicion. He felt as if he was being controlled by an invisible big hand, and the person controlling him was the mysterious stranger in front of him.

"You will soon know who I am." The man raised a meaningful smile and turned to the gate. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Sha Zhu asked subconsciously.

"Go to a place you should go." The man said this without looking back, then walked out of the courtyard.

Sha Zhu stood there in a daze, his heart full of doubts and uneasiness. He didn't know who the visitor was, nor where he was going to take him, but he felt that his fate might change because of this...

Sha Zhu was confused by this sudden change. Before he could react, he was roughly grabbed by the arm and dragged out of the courtyard.

"Ouch, ouch, it hurts! Who are you? Let me go! Let me go!" Sha Zhu struggled all the way, but the opponent was too strong. He was dragged away like a rag doll and couldn't even speak a complete sentence.

The neighbors around saw Sha Zhu in such a miserable state and instead of helping him, they pointed fingers and gloated over his misfortune.

"Ouch, Shazhu has hit a wall this time!"

"You deserve it! You usually bully others in the yard by relying on your cooking skills, and now you've got your comeuppance!"

"That's right. He usually bullies others, and now he's been punished!"

......

Listening to the ridicule from the people around him, Sha Zhu felt ashamed and annoyed, but he was now restrained and didn't even have the strength to refute. He could only curse in his heart: Just wait for me, I'll come back and deal with you!

The man turned a deaf ear to the sounds around him and dragged Shazhu around in twists and turns until they came to a secluded alley, and then he let go of his hand.

"Ouch, it hurts so much!" Sha Zhu sat down on the ground, rubbing his arm, looking up at the person who came with resentment, "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"

With the help of moonlight, Sha Zhu could see the appearance of the person who came. It turned out to be his childhood playmate - Lin Sian!

"Weiguo? Why is it you?!" Sha Zhu's eyes widened in surprise. Didn't Lin Sian move away a long time ago? Why did she suddenly come back? And brought him here?

Lin Sian looked down at Sha Zhu with a complicated look in his eyes, which contained pity, anger, and an indescribable emotion.

"Zhu Zi, how did you become like this after all these years?" Lin Sian sighed, his tone full of disappointment.

"What have I become? I was fine, wasn't I?" Sha Zhu was confused by Lin Sian's question. How did he become like this? He had always been like this!

"You're still asking me what's wrong?" Lin Sian pointed at Sha Zhu's nose and said bitterly, "Look at what you're like now. You're lazy and idle, and you spend all day hanging out with those gossipy women in the courtyard. Are you worthy of your parents' kindness in raising you?!"

"I..." Sha Zhu opened his mouth and wanted to refute, but found himself speechless.

"Zhu Zi, I came back this time just to take you away." Lin Sian said, reaching out to pull up Sha Zhu, "Come with me, leave this place of trouble, and start over!"

Sha Zhu stared at Lin Sian blankly, not knowing how to react for a moment.

"Go? Where?"

"Let's go to a place where no one knows us and start over." Lin Sian said, with a gleam in his eyes, "I haven't been out there for nothing all these years..."

Sha Zhu was confused by this sudden change. Before he could react, he was roughly grabbed by the arm and dragged out of the courtyard.

"Ouch, ouch, who are you? Be gentle! My bones are about to fall apart!" Sha Zhu staggered after him, cursing.

The visitor said nothing, as if he had not heard his complaint. He walked quickly and took him through several alleys and arrived at a secluded courtyard.

Sha Zhu looked up and saw a plaque hanging above the gate, on which were written three characters in a flamboyant style: "Ting Yu Xuan". The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, yet it also revealed an indescribable weirdness, which made Sha Zhu feel creepy.

"Where is this? Why did you bring me here?" Sha Zhu was so nervous that he couldn't help but ask.

The man finally stopped, glanced back at him, and sneered: "Why, are you scared?"

"Who, who is scared!" Sha Zhu retorted with his neck stiff, but his voice was obviously lacking in confidence.

"You're right to be afraid." The man sneered, pushed open the gate, and pushed Sha Zhu in. "Stay here and come out when you figure it out!"