The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 491: Climb on the social ladder!
"Auntie Du!" As Huaihua stepped into the east courtyard, a sweet smile bloomed on her face and she was the first to greet Dujuan.

Du Juan looked up when she heard the voice, and what came into her sight was a young face with a beautiful smile.

The Jia family is indeed not very popular among the neighbors.

But the two girls in their family are extremely good-looking and stand out among their neighbors.

The beauty of these two sisters had already spread throughout Nanluoguxiang and even Jiaodaokou area, attracting countless young men to admire them and keep them in mind.

Especially since Xiaodang has reached the marriageable age, in the past two years, matchmakers have almost broken down the door of the Jia family, all wanting to find a good marriage for her.

Now, Huaihua has grown up and is still a technical secondary school student. I guess there will be more people proposing marriage to her.

Although they live in the same yard, Dujuan and Sophora japonica do not have many opportunities to meet each other.

After meeting again after a long time, Dujuan couldn't help but look at Huaihua carefully and found that the girl had really grown into a graceful and elegant lady with a well-proportioned figure, and looked like a grown-up lady.

Du Juan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Hey, Huaihua, why are you back today? Don't you have classes at school?"

Huaihua lowered her head and touched the thick braid hanging in front of her chest, and replied with a smile: "Aunt Du, today is Sunday!"

Du Juan slapped his forehead and laughed, "Hey, look at my memory. I've been so busy lately that I've lost track!"

Huaihua covered her mouth and chuckled: "Aunt Du, you are so happy that you forgot, right? Hehehe..."

Du Juan was also happy: "That's right! By the way, you're back just in time, why don't you stay and have dinner with us? It will be more fun with more people!"

When Huaihua heard this, she realized that this was exactly what she had been expecting, and she quickly responded happily: "Hey! Thank you so much, Aunt Du!" With a gleam of anticipation in her eyes, she asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Dujuan smiled and gently touched Huaihua's forehead with her finger, "Child, why are you being so polite to Aunt Du? It's really too formal." Her tone was full of joy, "We are here a lot today, so don't be busy. Your mother is in the room, go in and find her!" After that, Dujuan turned around and walked out the door happily.

Huaihua responded crisply: "Okay!"

Afterwards, she did not rush into the house, but looked around the yard first.

This courtyard was purchased and renovated by Ge Shuping. It is both simple and elegant.

Appropriate modern renovations were added, which made Huaihua feel happy when she saw it.

In the past, Huaihua was very envious ever since she knew that the Ge family bought the entire east courtyard and renovated it.

Huaihua wondered if she would ever have the chance to live in such a spacious and bright house in her lifetime.

The moment Huaihua stepped into the north room, she saw her mother Qin Huairu bending over and making a fire in front of the stove.

Uncle He, on the other hand, was standing next to the chopping board, skillfully preparing a fresh fish, ready to show off his skills.

The two chatted and laughed while they were busy.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu smiled and said to Huaihua who had just entered the room: "Huaihua, you are finally back, just in time! Uncle He is going to show you his unique skills today, you are in for a treat!"

Huaihua smiled and nodded, responding: "Mom, Uncle He, you are busy!"

When Qin Huairu heard Huaihua's voice, a happy smile instantly blossomed on her face, and she muttered to herself in her heart: "My silly girl, you are finally back. I was really worried about you!"

After saying that, Qin Huairu quickly dusted herself off, walked up quickly, grabbed Huaihua's hand, looked at her daughter carefully, and asked with concern: "My daughter, let me take a good look at you. Have you lost weight in school these few days?"

Huaihua couldn't help but shook her head and said with a smile: "Mom, I've only been away from home for a few days, how could you tell?"

Sha Zhu, who was standing nearby, interrupted with a smile on his face: "Huaihua, your mother's eyes are really sharp! Back then, every time I brought back a box of lunch from the factory, she could tell at a glance which one had meat and which one was vegetarian. Don't you think this is amazing?"

Qin Huairu was embarrassed when Sha Zhu mentioned those things in the past. She blushed and scolded him: "Zhu Zi, why are you talking nonsense in front of the children?"

Sha Zhu smiled and waved his hands quickly: "Okay, okay, I won't say anything. By the way, Huaihua, He Qiu is back too. As soon as he came back, he kept asking why you haven't come back yet! He's at home now, go find him and play!"

When Huaihua heard that He Qiu had also returned, she was immediately delighted and said excitedly: "Really, Uncle He? Then I'll go find him now!" After that, she turned around and couldn't wait to find He Qiu.

Qin Huairu saw that this was not going to work. If it were in the past, she would not only not object to Huaihua and He Qiu's relationship, she would even be happy to help them take the next step.

After all, the He family is no longer what it used to be, and such family conditions are unmatched by ordinary people.

However, this person is afraid of comparison.

If compared with the situation of the old Ge family, the He family is far inferior.

Qin Huairu has always been smart. Now that there are clearly better options in front of her, she naturally knows how to make the choice.

Although Huaihua and He Qiu are currently just good friends and have not yet developed into a romantic relationship.

But Qin Huairu was afraid that the Ge family would think too much and affect her next plan.

Therefore, from this moment on, she had to keep Huaihua and He Qiu at a proper distance.

Qin Huairu had a lot of thoughts in her mind, but she never showed them. She interrupted hurriedly, "Huaihua, I suddenly remembered something important. You have to go home with me first!"

Huaihua and Shazhu beside her looked at her in confusion. Huaihua asked puzzledly, "Mom, what's the matter? Why do we have to go home and talk about it? Can't we talk about it here?"

Qin Huairu sighed inwardly: "I am a silly girl, how can I yell here?"

Then, she rolled her eyes at Huaihua and said sternly, "I asked you to come home with me, so you just followed me obediently. Why are you nagging so much?"

After hearing this, Huaihua pouted and looked at Shazhu with a face full of grievance, complaining: "Uncle He, look at my mother, her face changes faster than the weather in June!"

Seeing this, Sha Zhu didn't think much about it. He smiled and advised: "Huaihua, maybe your mother is really in a hurry. You should go back with her quickly and don't make her angry!"

Qin Huairu then realized that she had lost her composure a little, "Zhu Zi, you go ahead and do your work, I'll be back soon!"

"Okay! There are so many people here! Sister Qin, you go and do your work first!" Sha Zhu waved his hand and lowered his head to continue fiddling with the fish.

…………

Huaihua followed Qin Huairu into the house unwillingly. At this time, Jia Zhang was sitting at the eight-immortal table, busy sewing shoe soles, stitch by stitch, quite focused.

Hearing the door open, she looked up, frowning slightly, and said with a bit of dissatisfaction and doubt in her tone: "I say, why did you two come back at this time? Could it be that the old Ge family kept us alive for nothing and didn't even care about our meals?"

Qin Huairu shook her head lightly, her expression calm, and explained: "Mom, don't make blind guesses. Huaihua and I came back because we have some private matters to discuss. You know, it's really inconvenient to talk in a place with so many people and so many gossips."

Jia Zhang shook her head and went back to her work.

Qin Huairu held Huaihua's hand tightly and walked hurriedly into the inner room.

Then, she began to search through all the drawers and cabinets in the house, and finally found a bunch of bottles and jars from every corner and filled the table.

Huaihua looked at the dazzling array of rouge, lipstick and cosmetics in front of her with a confused look on her face, and asked puzzledly: "Mom, what are you going to do?"

Qin Huairu carefully looked at Huaihua's cheek, with a gentle light in her eyes: "What else can it mean? Mom wants to dress Huaihua up beautifully and make you the most beautiful girl tonight."

When Huaihua heard this, she was stunned and said in surprise: "Mom, haven't you always forbidden us to touch your cosmetics? What happened today? Are you feeling unwell or did you eat something wrong?" As she spoke, she stretched out her little hand and gently touched Qin Huairu's forehead.

Qin Huairu frankly opened Huaihua's mischievous little hand and said, "How do you talk to your mother, kid?"

Huaihua looked unhappy and muttered in a low voice: "Just tell me what you want me to do! I always feel that something is wrong here! Otherwise, I don't want to put on makeup and dress up!"

Qin Huairu sighed helplessly and gently advised: "Child, can your mother harm you? Listen to me..."

After hearing Qin Huairu's plan, Huaihua's eyes widened instantly, her face full of astonishment, "Ah? Mom, you want me to date Brother Huzi? How is that possible!"

Qin Huairu smiled slightly and asked, "Why is it impossible? Do you still look down on Ge Xiaohu?"

"This, isn't it!" When mentioning Ge Xiaohu, Huaihua's cheeks instantly turned red. She lowered her head shyly and said in a mosquito-like voice: "It's mainly because there is such a big age gap between us. It doesn't seem appropriate, right?"

Qin Huairu saw this and immediately had a clue in her mind. She secretly rejoiced, "Oh, my silly girl, what's wrong with a man being older than a woman? Older people are more considerate..." Then, she listed a lot of benefits brought by the age difference to Huaihua. "Besides, look at what conditions Ge Xiaohu's family is like? Let's not talk about his family for now, let's talk about Ge Xiaohu himself. He doesn't look bad, does he? He looks like his mother.

He is very capable, and he might be promoted to a high position like Liu in the future! In our place, who doesn’t envy young talents like Ge Xiaohu? "

"It's hard to find a partner like this even with a lantern. You know the situation in our family. Do you want to be like mom and marry a useless man and suffer for the rest of your life?"

These words touched Huaihua's heart.

Huaihua never saw her father when she was a child, and her mother later got into trouble.

Afterwards, she had to depend on her unreliable grandmother, and her childhood was almost spent in hardship and struggle.

That tragic childhood experience, like a sharp knife, left an indelible scar on Huaihua's young heart.

These psychological traumas, as she grew up, made her desire more than anyone else to live a stable and happy life.

In this respect, she has striking similarities with Qin Huairu, both of whom have a strong yearning for a better life.

The deep friendship between Huaihua and He Qiu is largely due to He Qiu's personality which is quite similar to Sha Zhu's.

He Qiu always stands up for Huaihua when she needs him and supports her;
Whenever I see something delicious, I always think of Sophora japonica and save a bite for her.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

This kind of friendship makes Huaihua feel the rare warmth and care in her difficult life.

Seeing that the opportunity is right in front of her, and if she seizes it, it will completely change her life's destiny, what would Huaihua think?
However, Huaihua began to wonder in her heart: "But, will Brother Huzi really like me?" Although her mentality had changed, a trace of insecurity still quietly crept into her heart.

Qin Huairu was overjoyed when she saw this. She grabbed Huaihua's hand and gently stroked her cheek, her eyes full of smiles: "My silly girl, you have to have confidence in yourself. Look around here, which girl can compare to your looks?"

She patted Huaihua's shoulder and said in a firm tone: "Just listen to mom's arrangements. I promise to make that foolish boy Ge Xiaohu completely obsessed with you, hahahaha..."

Huaihua was still an innocent young girl after all. When Qin Huairu said this so bluntly, her face flushed instantly. She lowered her head shyly and whispered angrily, "Oh, Mom, what are you talking about!"

Qin Huairu looked at Huaihua's expression and became more and more cheerful. She teased, "Look, my daughter is shy! What's there to be embarrassed about?

It is only natural that men should get married when they are old enough and women should get married when they are old enough.

Back then, when I was your age, I had already married your father!"

Huaihua covered her cheeks with her hands and cried out shyly, "Oh my! Please don't say anything. I...Isn't it okay for me to do what you want?"

Qin Huairu's eyes flashed with a sly look of pride. She lowered her voice, leaned close to Huaihua's ear, and said carefully: "Listen carefully, let's do this first... and then do that..."

Huaihua nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and the light in her eyes gradually became brighter and full of expectation.

After the mother and daughter finished discussing it, they felt that it was getting late, so Qin Huairu started to dress up Huaihua.

Looking at herself in the mirror who was becoming more and more charming and attractive, Huaihua's heart was gradually filled with confidence.

"Look! My daughter is getting prettier and prettier! It's really a good thing for Ge Xiaohu to have her like this!" Qin Huairu praised while cheering Huaihua on.

"Huaihua, there is one more thing that Mom needs to explain to you. From now on, you have to keep some distance from He Qiu and don't get too close to him!"

Huaihua was stunned when she heard this, and asked with a puzzled look on her face: "Mom, why is this? Did He Qiu offend you in any way?"

Qin Huairu quickly waved her hands to deny it: "No, Mom is doing this for your own good!"

Huaihua still didn't understand her mother's intention. She asked in confusion: "Mom, He Qiu is my best friend, why do you want me to stay away from him?"

Qin Huairu saw that Huaihua still didn't seem to understand, and she couldn't help but get angry. She gently patted Huaihua's forehead and said angrily: "How come you don't understand, kid? You are still so close to He Qiu, what will the Ge family think? What will Ge Xiaohu think if he knows?"

Huaihua frowned, looking puzzled: "When I was close to He Qiu before, I never heard anyone say anything. Ge Xiaohu also knows about our relationship!"

Qin Huairu raised her voice and said earnestly: "That was all in the past, when you were all young and ignorant.

Now that you are all grown up, you have to be careful about certain things and learn to avoid suspicion.

No man would like to see his woman have close contact with other men, even if they are just good friends. You have to understand this principle!"

Huaihua lowered her head silently, without saying a word, and her mind involuntarily emerged with all the care and concern that He Qiu had shown her.

These memories came flooding back like a tide, causing her to suddenly distance herself from He Qiu. She felt mixed emotions and was indescribably uncomfortable.

"Why don't you say something! Do you understand what I say?" Qin Huairu saw that Huaihua kept her head down and remained silent, so she thought that she didn't understand what she meant, and couldn't help but urge her anxiously.

Huaihua was a little depressed and said to Qin Huairu, "Mom, don't say anything. I understand. It's getting late. Let's go first."

Afterwards, the mother and daughter each changed into clean clothes and went out.

Jia Zhang looked at Huaihua, who was dressed brightly and had obviously matured a lot, and was stunned: "Where are you going? Are you two going on a blind date dressed like this?"

Huaihua heard this and quickly explained: "You're overthinking it. It's not like that."

It was such a coincidence that the mother and daughter just stepped out of the house and happened to run into He Qiu who was also preparing to go out.

"Hey! Huaihua, you're finally back. Why didn't you come to see me first?" As soon as He Qiu saw Huaihua, a smile immediately broke out on his face and he greeted her enthusiastically.

"Aunt Qin! Are you going out too?"

"Brother Qiu!" Huaihua responded softly, but a trace of guilt welled up in her heart. Facing He Qiu, she suddenly felt a little uneasy, "Well, I... I just got home too!"

Qin Huairu smiled and nodded to He Qiu, "Xiao Qiu, are you going out too?"

He Qiu just opened his mouth and wanted to answer: "Ah! Yes, I..." But before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Qin Huairu, "Then you should hurry up and do your work. We won't disturb you. We'll leave first!"

He Qiu was stunned for a moment, then reacted and quickly responded, "Okay, okay, Aunt Qin!"

Qin Huairu suddenly pulled Huaihua, who was still lowering his head, and the two of them quickened their pace and left in a hurry.

He Qiu was left standing there, stroking his head in bewilderment, his face full of confusion and puzzlement. "What on earth is going on? Why do I always feel something is wrong, weird?" He muttered to himself.

Qin Huairu and Huaihua entered the east wing, and she winked at Huaihua.

When the time came, Huaihua seemed a little hesitant and slowed down his pace unconsciously.

Qin Huairu was afraid of attracting other people's attention, so she lowered her voice and urged, "Go quickly!"

Huaihua mustered up her courage, her heart full of anxiety, she slowly reached out her hand and gently pushed open the door of the east wing.

Qin Huairu smiled with satisfaction, then went to the north room in a good mood.

…………

In Ge Xiaohu's dream, he held Lao Ma's hand tightly and shouted, "Lao Ma, don't go!"

"Ouch! It hurts!" A sudden cry pulled Ge Xiaohu back to reality from his deep dream.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and everything in front of him gradually became clear.

It turned out that he had fallen into a nightmare again, and his hand had unconsciously tightly grasped the slender wrist of a young girl.

Ge Xiaohu's heart was suddenly filled with panic and regret. He quickly let go of her hand, fearing that his recklessness would bring harm to the girl.

The light in the room was dim, and Ge Xiaohu could not see the girl's face for a moment. He could only vaguely smell the faint fragrance emanating from her.

He asked awkwardly, "Who are you?"

The girl gently rubbed her wrist which was pinched and hurt, and her voice was filled with a hint of forbearance and tenderness: "Brother Huzi, it's me, Huaihua."

(End of this chapter)