Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 670 The Coldness and Warmth of Human Relationships: Preparations for Happiness
a few days later.

"Hurry up and pack your things to get out of the hospital; there's just one problem after another every day."

Jia Zhangshi glared at Qin Huairu, who was disheveled and slow, as she packed her things, her vicious triangular eyes wide.

After a few days in the hospital, Madam Jia Zhang finally waited until Qin Huairu had recovered somewhat, and then she couldn't wait to have her discharged.

"Giving birth to a money-losing child has wasted several dollars of my money. You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. Hurry up and get out of here."

Jia Zhangshi crossed her arms and stared coldly at Qin Huairu. The passersby couldn't bear to watch, but they didn't dare to say anything.

Qin Huairu, who has just recovered, is already doing well to be able to get out of bed; how much faster can she recover?

But Madam Jia didn't care and kept urging, "So slow, aren't you ashamed? If you're not ashamed, I am."

Qin Huairu gave birth to a girl, and everyone in the courtyard knew about it. Some residents who had originally planned to come and see her decided to wait for her to return before visiting the Jia family.

"Oh my god, Xiao Qin, what are you doing? Go to bed and rest!"

An older woman carrying breakfast came over, and when she saw Qin Huairu getting out of bed, she was so startled that she quickly went over to help her.

"Thank you, ma'am," Qin Huairu said with a smile.

But he didn't stop working; he was busy packing his things to go back.

"Oh dear, you're a new mother, what are you doing? Go to bed and rest." An older woman quickly took the things from Qin Huairu's hands and helped her to bed.

But Qin Huairu had no intention of going to bed with him; she continued packing her things on her own.

Seeing this, the older woman realized something and turned to glare angrily at Jia Zhangshi.

"Jia Zhangshi, what do you mean by this? Xiao Qin has only been in the hospital for a few days, and you're already in such a hurry to send her back?"

Madam Jia said coldly, "You gave birth to a money-losing child, how long do you want to stay? A month? Dream on. A few days is enough. It's not like you gave birth to a boy. If you gave birth to a boy, you could stay for two months."

"How can you be so unreasonable, Jia Zhangshi? Whether it's a boy or a girl, they're all Jia's children."

Upon hearing that it was Jia Dongxu's child, Jia Zhangshi couldn't utter a single harsh word and could only change the subject.

"Hurry up and pack your things. I'm being discharged. There's no room for you here. It costs one yuan a day to stay in the hospital, which is really expensive. If you want to stay, you'll have to pay for it yourself."

"I'm waiting for you at home!"

After saying that, Jia Zhangshi left without looking back.

Qin Huairu's face darkened, her eyebrows drooped, her fingers clenched tightly, then relaxed, and she sneered inwardly.

She doesn't have any money herself; all her money is at home. How could she possibly bring money with her when she gives birth?

Qin Huairu looked around and saw that even Banggeng and Xiaodang were not there, clearly indicating that she did not want them to come and help.

For several days in a row, Jia Zhangshi gave herself a hard time, expressing her dissatisfaction with giving birth to a daughter.

"Eat first, I'll help you clean up all this. Your health is the most important thing." The older woman quickly pulled Qin Huairu down to sit and opened the lunchbox.

"Eat it while it's hot!"

After handing the lunchbox to Qin Huairu, the older woman hurriedly tidied it up for her.

Ever since she gave birth to her daughter, Jia Zhangshi knew that the older woman would help with cooking, so she stopped cooking altogether.

He comes to see her once a day, and each time he criticizes her for half an hour until he's satisfied with his verbal sparring.

Even though she gave birth, neither Bang Geng nor Xiao Dang came to see her.

During her hospital stay, an older woman took care of all the cleaning; Jia Zhangshi didn't lift a finger.

In short, Jia Zhangshi did everything she could to upset Qin Huairu, as if this was how she could express her hard work and exhaustion over the past 10 months.

Finally, Qin Huairu finished her meal, and the older woman packed up her things.

Qin Huairu carefully got out of bed and walked out of the hospital step by step.

An older woman called over a handcart, took precautions against the wind, and then took her back to her yard.

Siheyuan.

With the help of an older woman, Qin Huairu got off the cart.

"Sir, just leave the things at the doorway; I'll take them inside in a bit," the older woman said, handing over the money.

Looking at the pale-faced new mother Qin Huairu, the master felt a pang of pity: "It's just a small matter, I'll help bring her in, so as not to trouble you."

"Excuse me, master."

"polite."

An older woman immediately gave the location: "Just put it in front of a shop on the left side of the Intermediate People's Court."

"Okay." There weren't many things, so the driver carried them inside.

"Xiao Qin, let's go in, take it slow, watch out for the steps." An older woman helped Qin Huairu into the courtyard.

"Crack!"

As soon as I entered, a series of noises came from inside.

Qin Huairu couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound, and saw it was a house in the far corner of the back row of houses.

Seeing various construction wastes piled up at the entrance, with people coming and going from time to time, I was immediately curious about which company it was.

"Hey, Xiao Qin, Xiao Qin is back."

When the old lady from the back room saw Qin Huairu, she immediately came out to greet her warmly.

"Xiao Qin, welcome back. You must have had a hard time giving birth."

The neighbor's warm greetings filled Qin Huairu with a sense of warmth.

"Thank you."

Seeing that Qin Huairu had difficulty moving, the old woman immediately offered her help: "Here, give me the child, I'll help you."

"It's troublesome."

The old woman carefully took the flower and then carefully held it in her arms.

"Little Qin is back." The other neighbors in the back house came out upon hearing the sound and greeted her warmly, helping to support Qin Huairu.

Seeing this, the older woman couldn't help but smile from the bottom of her heart. The courtyard was quite warm and kind; there wasn't so much scheming and backstabbing.

Qin Huairu didn't come back on the weekend, so the courtyard only had a group of women and children; it wasn't very lively.

But everyone's concern was palpable; after all, they are all women, and only they know how dangerous childbirth is.

Finally, escorted by everyone, they returned to the Jia family home.

Jia Zhangshi glared with her vicious, triangular eyes at Qin Huairu, who was surrounded by the crowd, and said sarcastically:
"It's just having a daughter, why make such a big fuss? When I had Dongxu, the fuss wasn't nearly as big as yours."

Jia Zhangshi's words immediately made the atmosphere awkward.

"Mom!" Xiao Dang rushed over upon hearing the voice and happily came to Qin Huairu: "Mom, I missed you so much."

Hearing Xiao Dang's soft, sweet voice, Qin Huairu felt a warmth in her heart and patted her head: "Mommy missed you too."

Xiao Dang smiled with narrowed eyes, then cautiously glanced at Jia Zhangshi.

Ever since Qin Huairu was hospitalized, Jia Zhangshi has treated her very badly, often scolding her. Her brother doesn't protect her at all, and this family is in a terrible state.

"Jia Zhangshi, what do you mean by that? Are you asking for a beating?" Wang Meihua, the shrew from the backyard, shouted.

Terrified, Madam Jia dared not utter a word, and with a cold snort, slunk away.

"Come on, Xiao Qin, let's not worry about her. Go to bed and lie down. You must be tired from walking all this way."

The others helped Qin Huairu to bed, closed the windows, poured hot water, and covered her with a blanket.
The group chatted quietly with Qin Huairu, occasionally telling jokes to cheer each other up.

Qin Huairu thought of the reverse-facing room and immediately asked curiously, "By the way, everyone, what's the deal with the reverse-facing room?"

"The back room is the new house that the Cui family rented in the front yard. It's currently being renovated and is Cui Yuanhe's new house. Both sets of parents are sitting together."

"Yes, he said his master helped him find a match. I heard his girlfriend is still studying and they're just waiting to get married after graduation."

"Yes, I've seen that girl before. She's pretty. I heard her family also works at a steel mill."

"His master arranged the match, and his girlfriend is virtuous. This kid is lucky!" Everyone chimed in, sharing all the details about Liu An, their mouths full of envy.

Despite hearing so much information, Qin Huairu only cared about the new house.

She had just married Jia Dongxu, and her family only had one room.

Now that Jia Dongxu is dead, there's still only one room.

We were a family of five before the Lunar New Year, and we are still a family of five now.

When Bang Geng grows up, I wonder if he'll be able to apply for a house. I should have made a request to get a house when Jia Dongxu died.

For a moment, Qin Huairu was filled with many thoughts.

Seeing Qin Huairu's absent-minded appearance, everyone assumed she was tired.

"Well, we're cooking at home right now, so I won't disturb you. You should get some rest, Xiao Qin."

"Yes, you've just gotten back, so rest first. If you need anything, just call us and we'll be right there."

After exchanging a few words, everyone left, leaving only Qin Huairu and the other two at home.

Seeing that her mother looked tired, Xiao Dang sensibly didn't disturb her.

A room with a reversed seating arrangement.

Aunt Cui brought over a glass of cold water.

"Hey everyone, you've had a hard day, have some water."

"Thank you for your help, sister," Han said gratefully, then called over a group of workers to come and get some water.

Cui Yuan knew nothing about house renovations, so he went directly to Li Kailang for help.

Li Kailang naturally recommended his old acquaintance, Engineer Han.

Because of the food shortage, Han Gong and others haven't earned much money in the past two years and are struggling to make ends meet.

Upon hearing Li Kailang introduce the work, Engineer Han hurriedly called people to come and do the work.

In just a few days, the waste from this collapsed house was almost completely cleared away. If this had happened two years ago, it would have taken a week.

Unlike before when the contract included labor, materials, and meals, this time meals are not included. Now, food is more precious than money, and no one will waste it.

Regarding the room's layout, Li Kailang considered that Cui Yuan might buy the room next door in the future, so he directly borrowed Zhang Fen's layout.

The house is about 20 square meters. The Cui family of three all live in the same courtyard. The back room doesn't have a kitchen, leaving some space.

Finally, all you need to do is build two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom, and then take care of all the other miscellaneous things like installing the drainage pipes and running water pipes into the rooms.

The initial interior design for the house is complete.

This renovation cost Cui Yuan at least 200 yuan.

Cui Yuan felt that he didn't have enough money when he needed it: "Luckily, I don't need to buy a house. Doing this would be such a waste of money."

"Fortunately, I've earned quite a bit of money in the past two years, and I can still earn extra income now, otherwise I wouldn't be able to make ends meet."

Liu Zhiqiang wanted to provide further financial assistance, but Cui Yuan refused.

The woman's family provided furniture and other household items, so how could they possibly let the other party spend more money? Cui Yuan also has his pride.

Even after that, Cui Yuan also planned to renovate and improve the old house after the renovation was completed.

After drinking some water, Han and the others continued working.

This job is not only plentiful, but also has a long duration, lasting a full one or two months, giving them ample time to complete it thoroughly.

Seeing that Han Gong and the others were working, Aunt Cui did not choose to stand by and watch. After all, she had seen Li Kailang doing renovations before and knew that he was a serious worker.

"Crackling~"

Qin Huairu was resting in bed, listening to the construction noise of the old house outside the window, and compared it with her own cramped living space, she couldn't help but feel dazed.

They both live in the same courtyard, but Cui Yuan is about to start a new life, while he himself can hardly even maintain his basic dignity.

"Sleep, sleep, all you do is sleep. You won't get to sleep for many more days, so hurry up and sleep now. In a few days, it'll be time to get to work. Don't even think about slacking off, you hear me!"

As soon as Jia Zhangshi and the others left, she went home and made sarcastic remarks to Qin Huairu.

Xiao Dang nestled beside Qin Huairu, and upon hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, she glared at her angrily.

Madam Jia glared at her and snapped, "What are you looking at? You good-for-nothing! If you keep looking, I'll send you to an orphanage. You're just wasting your time. Do you want to go hungry?"

Upon being shouted at like that, Xiao Dang was instantly terrified.

With her mother away for the past few days and no one to support her, the feeling of hunger was so unbearable that she immediately shrank back under the covers, her eyes filled with tears.

Qin Huairu gently stroked Xiao Dang's head, whispered a few words of comfort, hugged the child tightly, and silently shed tears.

Jia Zhangshi's sharp tongue, cramped living conditions, her daughter's grievances, and her extravagant desire for postpartum rest... everything pierced her heart like thorns.

Qin Huairu couldn't help but close her eyes tightly, her fingers clenching and unclenching, revealing the humiliation and helplessness in her heart.

Having been married into the Jia family for many years, she was still living in a dilapidated house, while Cui Yuan was already preparing for a new house.

Even if Jia Dongxu were still alive, once the house is built, it still wouldn't be as impressive as theirs.

For a moment, Qin Huairu regretted more than once why she had married Jia Dongxu.

"What a disgrace! One money-losing thing isn't enough, why have two? I should have just had one. What's the use of having so many?"

After cursing Qin Huairu a couple of times, Jia Zhangshi felt incredibly relieved.

I've finally vented a lot of the anger I've been suppressing for the past 10 months, but that's not enough; I need to yell a few more times.

After work.

The first thing Cui Yuan did upon returning to the courtyard was to check on the rear building.

"Engineer Han, how is it going?"

"Boss, most of the extra walls have been demolished. We'll clean the house tomorrow, and we can start renovations the day after."

"We'll mark the lines in the house according to the blueprints. Come over the day after tomorrow at noon to see if it's feasible. If it is, we'll start the renovation."

As Han Gong explained, he led Cui Yuan on a tour of the site.

A small pile of construction waste was placed in the corner by the door. The waste was relatively intact and could be used if needed during the renovation process.

There's a huge pile of trash left, but they'll move it away soon so it won't get in the way.

Cui Yuan nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, I'll come over the day after tomorrow at noon. Thank you for your help."

"What's the trouble or not? I'll do it for money."

Without saying much, Cui Yuan left to find Li Kailang.

I mentioned the plans for the day after tomorrow, saying, "Could you please take a look at them for me then? It's my first time decorating, so I don't have much experience."

"Okay, I'll come and take a look then." Li Kailang nodded in agreement.

Although it follows Zhang Fen's decoration layout, there is only one room, so there are some differences. It's safest to go and see it in person when the time comes.

Once the matter was settled, Cui Yuan went home to tell Aunt Cui, and then rode his bicycle straight to Liu An's house.

She'll be the mistress of this house from now on, so she has to come and check on things here.

After finishing his business, Cui Yuan went home for dinner. Even after dinner, he didn't rest; he took out the machine he had picked up from the repair shop and started repairing it.

With his expenses so high, Cui Yuan had to hurry up and earn money.

After marriage, the expenses for daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea will be even greater.

Under the setting sun, the courtyard house presents two distinct worlds.

On one side, Qin Huairu forced a smile while coldly watching.

On one side, Cui Yuan was looking forward to the future amidst the tinkling sounds.

(End of this chapter)