Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

In the evening, the red sunset gradually sank to the west, and its last rays of light were like a golden veil, gently falling on the ancient and solemn courtyard.

This courtyard carries the traces of time and countless stories. At this moment, it is gently wrapped in the warm afterglow, as if it were covered with a gorgeous golden coat, making it look particularly charming and poetic.

However, at this seemingly peaceful, harmonious and beautiful moment, an unknown storm is quietly brewing in this courtyard.

Sha Zhu stood quietly in the spacious cafeteria of the steel rolling mill. His eyes were a little dull and his heart seemed to be shrouded in a fog, filled with endless doubts.

As the workday was about to end, colleagues around him began to pack up and prepare to leave, but Sha Zhu suddenly came to his senses from his thoughts. He frowned, thinking in confusion about a question that puzzled him - how on earth did Qin Huairu get to work in the kitchen?

This question was like a naughty little insect, crawling around in his heart, making him restless and unable to sit still.

Sha Zhu knew very well that in order to find out the truth of the matter, he had to find the answer from Liu Lan.

Because it was Liu Lan who personally brought Qin Huairu to work in the kitchen.

Thinking of this, Sha Zhu no longer hesitated. He took big strides and walked quickly to Liu Lan's side.

His face was instantly filled with a flattering smile, a smile so bright that one could almost ignore the gleam in his eyes that was eager for an answer.

He bent down slightly, lowered his voice, and said softly in an almost flattering tone: "Sister Liu Lan, please be kind and tell me, how did Qin Huairu come to work in our kitchen?"

Liu Lan raised her head and glanced at Sha Zhu. Her eyes revealed a hint of impatience and disdain. Then she said unhappily, "Humph! I don't know! Don't bother me!"

After saying that, he turned around and continued to work on his hands, no longer paying attention to Sha Zhu who had an embarrassed look on his face.

In fact, Liu Lan was indeed a little unhappy.

This idiot Zhu didn't listen to his advice at all and kept harassing Qin Huairu.

She thought Shazhu's behavior was really annoying.

Sha Zhu stood there stubbornly, showing no intention of giving up.

He approached Liu Lan again, begging bitterly: "Oh, my dear sister, please be kind! Tell me, how did Qin Huairu get this job? I swear, from now on I will never bother you again. Not only that, as long as I have free time, I will help you with the work!"

Liu Lan looked at Sha Zhu in front of her, who was extremely anxious and eager to know the answer, and her heart couldn't help but ripple.

Actually, she had good intentions at first.

After all, she knew clearly that Qin Huairu was able to get this job thanks to Cao Wei's help, and the relationship between the two of them was very important.

If Sha Zhu keeps asking questions like this, it will all be in vain in the end. It will be a sheer waste of time and energy.

However, when she thought back to the benefits that Sha Zhu had just promised her, she began to waver deep down.

After careful consideration, Liu Lan felt that there seemed to be no disadvantage in telling Sha Zhu about this matter.

So, she frowned slightly and looked around cautiously. After making sure that there was no one around, she deliberately lowered her voice and said, "Silly Zhu, since you want to know so much, I'll tell you. But you must remember what you promised me, don't harass Qin Huairu again! To tell you the truth, her job was arranged by Director Cao Wei of our factory. It is said that the relationship between the two of them is very close, so I tell you, you'd better give up this idea as soon as possible and stop doing those useless things!"

When Sha Zhu heard this, his heart suddenly sank. He never thought that Qin Huairu's job was arranged by Cao Wei.

This instantly caused a strong surge of jealousy and resentment in his heart.

But he still didn't give up and continued to ask: "Then what is their relationship?"

Sha Zhu kept pondering in his mind, when he was in the courtyard, he had never seen Cao Wei and Qin Huairu in contact with each other?

How come these two people are so close that Cao Wei is looking for a job for Qin Huairu?

You have to know that it is not easy to find a job at this time, let alone a formal job.

Cao Wei would definitely not waste his efforts in helping Qin Huairu find a job. Moreover, Cao Wei was not a good guy and he would definitely use threats and bribes to help Qin Huairu.

Thinking of this, Sha Zhu's heart sank.

Liu Lan rolled her eyes at Sha Zhu and said unhappily, "Do you even need to ask? Anyone with a discerning eye can see that their relationship is complicated. Stop asking for trouble and just do your job."

Sha Zhu stood there blankly, his face changing from gloomy to bright, his mind full of thoughts, no one knew what he was thinking about.

In the evening, the noise in the cafeteria gradually died down and people left work one after another.

Sha Zhu was happily looking for Qin Huairu everywhere in the cafeteria, holding food specially prepared for Qin Huairu's two children.

He imagined the joy on the children's faces when they saw the food, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose slightly.

However, Sha Zhu searched every corner of the cafeteria but could not find any trace of Qin Huairu.

Obviously, she had left work long ago.

An indescribable sense of loss suddenly surged in Sha Zhu's heart, as the food he had prepared had nowhere to be delivered.

He stared blankly at the food in his hand, feeling melancholy.

When he thought of Qin Huairu's departure, the figure of Cao Wei involuntarily appeared in Sha Zhu's mind.

In his opinion, it must be Cao Wei who forced Qin Huairu to become indifferent to him.

This thought grew wildly in his mind like a weed, and the flames of anger burned more and more fiercely.

Sha Zhu, who was completely blinded by anger, could not listen to any rational voice at this moment.

He had only one thought in his mind, which was to find Cao Wei to ask him clearly and find an answer to his resentment and doubts.

Sha Zhu decided to wait on the road that Cao Wei had to take when he got off work. He stood there, his body trembling slightly, his fists clenched, his eyes full of anger and determination.

Various scenes of questioning Cao Wei kept appearing in his mind, and he imagined how Cao Wei would answer his questions.

Time passed by minute by minute, and every second was a torment for Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu's mood is like a volcano that is about to erupt and may erupt at any time.

Finally, Cao Wei's figure appeared in sight.

Sha Zhu's eyes lit up instantly. He rushed forward without hesitation and blocked Cao Wei's way with great momentum.

"Cao Wei, why did you help Qin Huairu find a job? What did you do to Qin Huairu? Did you threaten her?"

Sha Zhu's eyes widened with anger, and his questioning words were fired at Cao Wei like cannonballs. His voice trembled with anger, and his expression was twisted, as if he wanted to eat Cao Wei alive.

Sha Zhu firmly believed in his judgment and thought that Qin Huairu's change must have been caused by Cao Wei.

Sha Zhu's eyes were filled with anger and questioning as he waited for Cao Wei's answer.

Cao Wei looked at the angry Sha Zhu in front of him, and a strong sense of disdain surged in his heart.

He was already annoyed with Sha Zhu's pestering, and now Sha Zhu even dared to question him.

In Cao Wei's view, Sha Zhu's behavior was simply unreasonable.

"What does this have to do with you? It should have nothing to do with you who I find a job for, right? Besides, what is your relationship with Qin Huairu? What qualifications do you have to ask these questions?" Cao Wei said with a cold smile.

Sha Zhu was choked by Cao Wei's words.

Yes, what is the relationship between me and Qin Huairu?

But when he thought of the cold way Qin Huairu treated him, Sha Zhu became furious.

"This has something to do with me. Sister Qin and I are neighbors."

Cao Wei said coldly: "Silly Zhu, listen to me, Qin Huairu's affairs have nothing to do with you. You'd better not harass her again. If I find out again, I will not forgive you."

After saying that, Cao Wei raised his fist and started beating Sha Zhu without saying anything else.

Cao Wei's fists rained down on Sha Zhu's body, each punch carrying great power.

Sha Zhu had no time to react and could only passively take the beating.

He tried to resist, but in the face of Cao Wei's powerful force, his resistance seemed so powerless.

In just a few hits, Sha Zhu was beaten black and blue, with blood coming out of the corners of his mouth.

Sha Zhu's face was full of pain and anger, but he was unable to resist Cao Wei's attack.

With wounds all over his body, Sha Zhu returned to the courtyard with difficulty.

He looked extremely miserable, and the scars on his face were horrifying.

His clothes were torn and his hair was messy.

With every step he took, he could feel waves of pain in his body.

Yi Zhonghai was shocked when he saw Sha Zhu's appearance, and asked quickly: "Sha Zhu, what's wrong with you?"

Sha Zhu's face turned red, and his heart was filled with shame and regret.

He hesitated, too embarrassed to tell the truth.

He knew that it was irrational for him to cause trouble for Cao Wei, and he was beaten so badly that he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Yi Zhonghai looked at Sha Zhu's appearance and became even more confused.

He asked a few more questions, but Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and refused to reveal a single word.

Yi Zhonghai shook his head helplessly. Looking at the wounds on Sha Zhu's body, he knew that Sha Zhu must have encountered some trouble.

But since Sha Zhu was unwilling to say anything, he didn't dare to force him to answer.

Yi Zhonghai could only let Sha Zhu treat his wound and have a good rest first.

Sha Zhu returned to his room silently, his heart full of regret and unwillingness.

He hated Cao Wei's unreasonableness and his own impulsiveness, but Sha Zhu also confirmed that Qin Huairu must have been threatened by Cao Wei, otherwise she would not have treated him like that.

Thinking of how gentle Qin Huairu had been towards him before, Sha Zhu couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Sha Zhu sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his bruised face in the mirror, feeling extremely regretful.

But now that things have come to this, he doesn't know how to save the situation. He can only worry in secret and think about what to do next.

After returning to Lou Xiao'e's home.

Qin Huairu couldn't help feeling annoyed when she thought of Sha Zhu's behavior in the cafeteria.

She decided to talk to Cao Wei, hoping to get some comfort and support from him.

Qin Huairu came to Cao Wei and said softly, "Cao Wei, Sha Zhu has been harassing me in the kitchen today. It's really annoying."

Cao Wei looked at Qin Huairu's distressed expression and felt a surge of pity in his heart.

Cao Wei smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've already dealt with him. If he dares to harass you again, tell me immediately, I will never let him off easily."

Qin Huairu felt warm in her heart after hearing what Cao Wei said.

She knew that with Cao Wei around, she no longer had to worry about Sha Zhu's harassment.

At the same time, the news that Qin Huairu was employed in the kitchen of the steel rolling mill spread in the courtyard.

Everyone in the hospital was very shocked, and they were all curious about how Qin Huairu found this job in the kitchen.

Various speculations and discussions arose in the yard. Some said that Qin Huairu must have used a backdoor, while others said that she might have some special relationship.

Jia Zhang and Jia Dongxu learned that Qin Huairu actually found a job in a steel rolling mill after divorcing Jia Dongxu.

The mother and son's reactions were extremely strong, and the resentment in their hearts was like a surging tide that was difficult to contain.

Jia Zhang's wrinkled face turned red with anger at this moment, and her turbid eyes were burning with rage.

"Humph! This Qin Huairu, even after getting divorced, was able to find a job at the steel mill? How could a country girl like her have such a talent? She must have done something shameful!"

Jia Zhang spoke with gritted teeth while slamming the table beside her. The dull sound seemed to be an outlet for her inner anger.

Jia Dongxu also had a gloomy look on his face. He frowned tightly, and his eyes were full of suspicion and resentment.

"Mom, you're right. Qin Huairu is just a girl from the countryside. How could she find a regular job in a steel mill so easily? Maybe she did something to let me down behind our backs, and that's why she got this job."

There was a strong resentment in Jia Dongxu's words. He felt that Qin Huairu's success was an insult to him.

The mother and son complained to each other, imagining Qin Huairu as a morally corrupt and unscrupulous person.

They simply labeled her with all kinds of dishonorable accusations based on their own subjective assumptions.

The more Jia Zhang thought about it, the angrier she became. She stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the room anxiously.

"No, I have to go find Qin Huairu and ask her clearly. I can't let her do this and ruin our family's reputation."

As Jia Zhang said this, she was about to rush out.

Jia Dongxu quickly stopped her.

"Mom, don't be impulsive. You should go and ask around first. If she really did something to let us down, it won't be too late for us to settle the score with her later."

Although Jia Dongxu was also full of dissatisfaction, he was still relatively rational. He knew that he couldn't act rashly and that Lou Xiao'e was no use.

Sha Zhu felt a little conflicted when he heard everyone's discussions.

He knew that he couldn't tell anyone the truth about Qin Huairu's work because he felt it would be bad for Qin Huairu's reputation.

If Qin Huairu knew about this, she would definitely resent me.

Sha Zhu sat quietly in his room, listening to the discussions in the yard, with a thousand thoughts in his mind.

He thought of his feelings for Qin Huairu and Cao Wei's warning to him, and his heart was filled with contradictions and helplessness.

Sha Zhu didn't know what to do.

On the one hand, he didn't want Qin Huairu to get hurt, but on the other hand, he couldn't control his feelings for Qin Huairu.

Sha Zhu fell into deep distress and didn't know how to get out of this predicament.

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