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

Seeing Qin Huairu crying harder and harder, even though Qin Huai'an considered himself hard-hearted, he felt as if his chest was stuffed with a wet cotton ball, making him feel suffocated.

He gently patted his sister's thin back, softening his voice:

"Don't cry, sis!"

"I'm back. The sky won't fall."

"If you need anything in the future, just say so. Your brother is here."

After offering a few words of reassurance, he turned to the doctor beside him, his tone regaining its composure:

"Doctor, treat her injury with the best medicine."

"That's the price, I'll pay."

The doctor nodded, a rare hint of relief on his face:

"Alright. With your younger brother back, Comrade Huairu's condition should improve."

"Her wound has been stitched up; the main thing is follow-up care."

"I'll get two tubes of anti-inflammatory and skin-regenerating ointment later. Apply them regularly when you get home, and try to avoid leaving scars."

Qin Huai'an nodded: "Okay, thank you for your trouble."

Just then, Qin Huairu, who had been sobbing uncontrollably, suddenly broke free from his embrace and hurriedly spoke up to stop him:

"Doctor! No, no... don't use that on me!"

She suddenly grabbed Qin Huai'an's arm, her nails turning slightly white from the force, her voice pleading:

"Huai'an! Don't waste my money! I'm married now, a scar on my forehead is nothing, besides... I might not even get it."

"I...this isn't the first time, it's really nothing."

"Don't waste money! It's not easy to make money these days. You don't know how hard it is for everyone in the city to make ends meet since you just got back.

"You just came back from the army, so you probably don't have much savings. Don't waste them on me."

"You'll have many more expenses in the future..."

Qin Huai'an could clearly sense that his sister was truly reluctant to let him spend money, and was also truly afraid of being poor. She wished she could split every penny in half to spend, and was even more harsh on herself.

His heart ached, but his tone left no room for argument:

"Sis, buying medicine to treat your injuries is where we should spend our money most right now."

"This is settled, I'll do it."

He then turned to the doctor:

"Doctor, please prepare the medicine. Don't listen to her."

The doctor, being a perceptive person, immediately nodded upon seeing this:

"Alright, you two siblings can talk for a bit, I'll go out and get ready."

After saying that, she closed the door and left, leaving only the two siblings in the small ward.

Seeing that Qin Huairu's emotions had calmed down a little, but she was still sobbing silently, Qin Huai'an then spoke in a deep voice:

"Sister, tell me the truth, was this freckle on your head caused by Jia Zhangshi?"

Qin Huairu nodded subconsciously, then shook her head violently as if startled:

"No, no! Huai'an, I really tripped and fell by accident..."

She knew her younger brother's temperament all too well.

If he finds out that he was beaten at the Jia family's house, he'll explode immediately and turn the Jia family upside down.

Given Jia Zhangshi's tantrums and the fact that people like Yi Zhonghai in the courtyard always favored the Jia family, if her younger brother really made a scene, he would definitely suffer and get himself into a lot of trouble.

Although she longed for someone to stand up for her and defend her, she was more afraid of bringing disaster upon her younger brother.

How could Qin Huai'an not see through her little scheme?

He sighed, his voice lower but more earnest:

You can't fool me.

"Ever since you were little, whenever you lied, your eyes would dart to the side."

"I'll just ask you one question: How many times has this happened?"

Qin Huairu knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously clutching the faded hem of her clothes.

"Well... not many times."

"Huai'an, promise me you'll let this go, okay?"

"Never mind that... You still haven't told your sister how you found this place?"

"Has the military... arranged a job for you? Has your household registration been settled?"

She quickly changed the subject, clearly more worried about her brother's future than her own injury.

Seeing his sister so worried about him despite her own injuries, Qin Huai'an felt even worse.

He paused for a moment, deciding to reassure her first:

Don't worry about my affairs.

"Listen: I have money, and I work in the security department of a textile factory."

"Your household registration is complete, and the house will be allocated to the backyard of your compound."

"I only found out about your accident when Director Wang showed me around today."

Hearing that her younger brother had secured a job, residency permit, and housing, a genuine smile finally appeared on Qin Huairu's pale face, a smile tinged with relief, pride, and a sense of immense weight lifted from her shoulders.

"Great, great... Huai'an is wonderful!"

"Our Huai'an has really grown up. He has a stable job and is now a city dweller..."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but raise her hand to wipe away the tears welling up in her eyes, but this time it was with a smile:

"I'm so happy for you... Just focus on your work and live a good life."

"Since we'll be in the same compound from now on, I... I can look after you a bit."

"You've just settled in, so don't cause any trouble because of my sister, understand?"

"Don't meddle in my sister's affairs..."

Just as Qin Huai'an was about to ask for more details, the door to the ward was pushed open with a "bang".

A boy of about five or six years old barged in. He had a bowl cut and was wearing a cotton-padded jacket that was neither new nor old and had slightly frayed cuffs.

Without even glancing at Qin Huai'an beside him, he walked straight to the bedside and spoke to Qin Huairu in a self-righteous, even somewhat impatient, tone:

"Mom! I'm hungry!"

"Grandma wants you to go back and cook right away! She says she's starving too!"

He paused, then, mimicking an adult's tone, embellished the story:

"Grandma also said, 'This isn't the first time, so stop pretending at the hospital. You've never been really sick before!'"

"Anyway, I won't die!"

The little boy pouted and urged, "Mom, hurry up! If you don't go back soon, Grandma said she'll come and call you herself! I won't take care of you!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

From the moment he entered until he left, his gaze did not linger on Qin Huairu's bandaged forehead for even a second, and his face showed not a trace of concern or heartache for his mother's injuries.

It was as if this trip was purely to complete the tasks of "passing on messages" and "urging meals".

Clearly, Jia Zhangshi herself was too lazy to walk those few extra steps and was hungry, so she sent her grandson to call for help.

This boy, having been influenced by Jia Zhangshi and that environment since childhood, has long lost the most basic respect and affection for his mother.

Seeing his nephew's indifferent attitude, and especially after hearing his outrageous words, Qin Huai'an felt his pent-up anger suddenly surge up.

He roared at the small figure about to open the door:

"You little brat! How dare you talk to your mother like that?"

"Get the hell over here! Kneel down and apologize to your mother!"

Startled by the sudden roar, Bang Geng turned around and finally took a good look at Qin Huai'an.

"Who...who are you? It's none of your business!"

He stiffened his neck, trying to imitate Jia Zhangshi's shrewishness, but his confidence was clearly lacking:

"My grandma said you're just a poor beggar relative! It's none of your business what happens in my family! I won't kneel!"

After saying that, he deliberately made a face and turned to leave again.

Seeing the spoiled brat's unruly behavior, Qin Huai'an's patience finally ran out, and his anger surged to the top of his head:

"You little bastard, if I don't beat that filthy scum of yours to a pulp today, I'll change my surname to yours!"