Courtyard House: Jia Zhangshi! How dare you hit my sister?

Upon hearing Qin Huairu's words, Qin Huai'an's anger, which he had just suppressed, surged up again, rushing straight to his head.

He guessed that his sister was living a miserable life in the Jia family, but he never expected that she would be forced to such an outrageous degree!

Even going to a restaurant for a meal has become a "sin" that requires trepidation and may result in a beating afterwards!

Good, very good, you fat, damned Jia Zhangshi! I hope you can hold on a little longer later!

"..."

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing some of his surging anger, and stared into Qin Huairu's eyes:

"Sister, listen carefully."

"If that old hag Jia Zhangshi dares to lay a finger on you when we get back today, I'll break her hand!"

"Don't worry, with me here, even if the Heavenly King himself came, he wouldn't be able to touch you again in that dilapidated courtyard!"

"Now, listen to me, go inside and eat!"

After saying that, he didn't give Qin Huairu any chance to hesitate. He practically dragged her across the threshold of the restaurant.

Qin Huairu was led inside by her brother's undeniable strength. Looking at his broad and straight back, her nose tingled, and her long-parched heart seemed to be unexpectedly soaked by a warm current.

This feeling of being firmly protected behind her, of having someone back her up... was so unfamiliar that it made her heart tremble, yet so reassuring that it almost brought her to tears.

She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this sense of "peace of mind".

She lived in constant fear and dependence on others every day, but now, her younger brother, who once needed her protection, has returned, and things seem... really different.

The interior of the hotel appeared more spacious than the exterior. The whitewashed walls were fairly clean, and several red slogans with the words "Hard work and self-reliance" and "Frugality and thrift, oppose waste" were pasted on the walls, with neat and eye-catching handwriting.

There were seven or eight square tables and long benches painted green against the wall, but there were only two or three tables with guests at the moment, making it seem a bit empty.

At the very back are the counter and a small window for picking up food. Above the window hangs a small blackboard with the day's dishes and prices written in chalk:

Stir-fried green vegetables (8 points)

Tofu soup (15 cents)

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes (3 mao, requires half a jin of grain coupons)

Braised pork belly (5 mao, requires 2 liang of meat coupon) [Sold out today]

Noodles with soybean paste (2 mao, requires 3 liang of grain coupons)

The handwriting is somewhat messy, but still fairly clear.

Qin Huai'an glanced at it and quickly made a plan in his mind.

My sister has been malnourished for a long time and has a weak stomach. It's definitely not right for her to eat greasy braised pork right away, especially since it's already sold out.

He pulled Qin Huairu to sit down at a table in the corner, then walked to the small window.

"Comrade, I'd like a tofu soup, a stir-fried vegetable dish, a tomato and egg stir-fry, and two bowls of noodles with soybean paste."

He spoke to the waitress inside who was wearing a white apron and knitting.

The waiter didn't even look up, scribbled a few lines on the order form beside him, and then finally raised an eyebrow: "Do you have a ticket?"

"Yes." Qin Huai'an took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, which contained some loose change and various kinds of tickets.

This is what I received today when I went to the factory to report for duty, along with the resettlement allowance.

"Stir-fried greens cost eight cents, tofu soup cost fifteen cents, scrambled eggs with tomatoes cost three cents plus half a pound of grain coupons, and two bowls of noodles with soybean paste cost four cents plus six ounces of grain coupons. The total is ninety-three cents, plus one pound and one ounce of grain coupons."

The waiter spoke very quickly, but he was efficient at calculating the bill.

Qin Huai'an counted out the corresponding amount of money and handed it over. The waiter counted it correctly, tore off a small receipt for him:

"Okay, I'm calling you. Come and get it yourself."

"OK."

Qin Huai'an took the receipt, already mentally prepared for the "service attitude" of this state-run restaurant.

He turned and went back to his seat.

As soon as I sat down, Qin Huairu next to me nervously rubbed her hands together, her voice low:

"Huai'an... It's my fault for being so incompetent. You had to spend money to treat me to a meal on your first day back... I'm so sorry..."

She habitually lowered her head again, her face burning.

"Sis! Why are you saying such nonsensical things?"

Qin Huai'an deliberately put on a relaxed tone:

"When I was a child, I cried from hunger. Who saved their own food to raise me?"

"When have we, siblings, ever divided things between 'yours' and 'mine'?"

After saying that, he seemed to suddenly remember something, reached into his pocket and rummaged around for a while, then quickly pulled out a large black ten and stuffed it into Qin Huairu's hand.

"Sister, take this ten yuan, keep it on you for emergencies."

"I see you don't have a single penny on you today, that won't do!"

"If you ever need money in the future, just tell me."

The plight of Qin Huairu in the hospital, unable to afford her medication and even afraid to think about food, was like a thorn in Qin Huaian's heart.

How can an adult survive if they don't even have a penny for emergencies?

He absolutely could not allow his sister to continue in this state.

"No, no! Absolutely not!"

Qin Huairu recoiled as if burned, jerking her hand back, pushing the banknotes away, and shaking her head even more violently.

"Huai'an, you can't accept this money, Sister Qian! You've just settled in, and you need money for everything!"

"No matter what... I can't take your money!"

"We'll talk about it...we'll talk about it..."

Seeing her hesitate, Qin Huai'an pressed, "What are you saying?"

Qin Huairu bit her lower lip, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible:

Even if... you give it to me, the money will never end up in my hands.

"I can never keep a single penny on me."

"Even something as simple as buying a needle or a thread trimmer requires a lot of haggling with her, and I have to provide a detailed list..."

That expression was hard to tell—whether it was numbness from being used to it or despair from having no more expectations—it was so calm that it made Qin Huai'an's heart ache.

"Sister! Why don't you hide it yourself? Find a place she can't find!" Qin Huai'an said anxiously.

"Hide?" Qin Huairu's lips curled into a smile that was more like a grimace.

"Huai'an, you don't understand."

"She...she checks on her every day."

"She searched my clothes pockets, the hidden pockets sewn inside, even... even the inside of my clothes..."

"If she finds out I've hidden money, she'll... she'll strip me naked, and then..."

She couldn't continue; her body trembled slightly.

Clearly, Jia Zhangshi's methods went beyond mere harshness; they were downright insulting and malicious.

Qin Huai'an felt a chill run down his spine, and a surge of blood rushed to the top of his head!

Is this even something a human being would do?

They practically treated Qin Huairu like a slave without any dignity!

He forcefully suppressed the anger that was about to burst from his chest and asked through gritted teeth:

"Sis! Where's Jia Dongxu?"

"He just watched his mother treat you like this?"

"He just doesn't care?"

Qin Huairu's shoulders slumped, her voice lowered, filled with endless exhaustion and resignation:

"Dongxu...he listens to his mother. Whatever his mother says, he does..."

"So, Jia Dongxu has always sided with his mother and thinks she's right, right?" Qin Huai'an pressed, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Mmm..." Qin Huairu nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Sometimes, he even sides with his mother when he talks about me... He thinks his mother is always right..."

Although Qin Huai'an had long suspected that Jia Dongxu was a complete mama's boy and a good-for-nothing, hearing his sister confirm it with his own ears still made him unable to suppress his anger.

You can listen to your mother, but shouldn't your mother have a basic sense of right and wrong?

What kind of character is Jia Zhangshi?

What good can she possibly teach?

Excellent! Jia Zhangshi! Jia Dongxu!

You and your son are truly admirable!

When we get back today, we'll settle all the old and new scores together!

"..."

Just then, a waiter's monotone voice came from the small window:

"Number 11! The food is ready! Help yourself!"

Qin Huai'an took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his surging anger, and got up to fetch the food.

He placed two steaming bowls of fragrant fried noodles with soybean paste, a bowl of milky white tofu soup, a plate of oily stir-fried vegetables, and a plate of tempting golden-red scrambled eggs with tomatoes on the table.

The aroma of food instantly filled the air. Qin Huai'an pushed a bowl of noodles in front of Qin Huairu, and then piled most of a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a lot of green vegetables into her bowl, making it high up.

"Sis, eat first. Don't think about anything else, eat more. Look how thin you've become."

His voice softened, carrying an undeniable concern.

However, Qin Huairu did not touch her chopsticks for a long time.

She stared blankly at the unreal, lavish meal before her, her throat bobbing as she swallowed the saliva that instinctively welled up inside her.

I'm very hungry, extremely hungry.

But her hands felt like they weighed a ton, and she couldn't lift them.

She was afraid...

I'm afraid of all this before me—the warmth, the aroma, my brother's concerned face…

They were all just fragile dreams she had countless times in the dead of night.

I'm afraid that if I reach out, all of this will vanish like bubbles.

The years I've lived in the city after getting married... have been a thousand times harder than when I was a child in the countryside, struggling to make ends meet with my younger brother.

Because when I was in the countryside, I was physically tired, but I still had some longing and warmth in my heart.

In the Jia family, however, he was physically and mentally exhausted, his dignity was crushed bit by bit, and he lived like a shadow, like a tool.

She had long since become numb, thinking that this was how her life would be, slowly sinking into the mire of despair.

Who would have thought... that the younger brother I'd always been thinking about would suddenly come back like this.

He stood in front of her like a mountain, patted his chest, and told her, "I'll hold up the sky if it falls."

Her nose suddenly stung, and her vision blurred instantly.

Hot tears welled up in her eyes again.