Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

Qin Huairu's lips trembled as she recounted in detail how Jia Dongxu, in order to avenge Jia Zhangshi, hired people to vandalize Cheng Shuhai's restaurant, only to be caught red-handed, and how, in order to gain Cheng Shuhai's forgiveness, he had no choice but to mortgage his house.

"That good-for-nothing idiot!" Upon hearing this, Qin's mother slammed her hand on the table, gritting her teeth as she cursed, "How could I have married my daughter to such a brainless bastard! He's squandered the whole family fortune for that bedridden old hag! Is he a pig?!"

Qin Huairu lowered her head even further after being scolded, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mom, this... can't be entirely blamed on Dongxu." She argued softly, "At the time... Yi Zhonghai was there too. He encouraged Dongxu to do it and even gave him money..."

"What?!" Qin's mother's brows furrowed instantly. "Yi Zhonghai got involved too? He even gave him money?"

Her eyes darted around, and she immediately sensed that something was amiss.

"Huai Ru, listen to me carefully!"

"That Yi Zhonghai is no good! He's using your man as a pawn!"

"He wanted to get revenge on Cheng Shuhai, but was afraid of taking responsibility, so he instigated that fool Jia Dongxu to his death! He lost his house, got himself arrested, and yet he managed to absolve himself of all responsibility!"

Qin's mother's expression turned serious.

"Stay away from that old man from now on. He's all scheming and manipulative; you can't outsmart him!"

"If anything happens, just ask someone to tell Mom, and Mom will help you think of a solution!"

Qin's mother gave her instructions.

She decided to come to the city whenever she had time, because she was worried that her daughter would suffer!

Qin Huairu nodded, her heart turning ice-cold.

She only now realizes that the Jia family she married into is a huge vortex.

As she ate the dry cornbread, she suddenly felt it had no flavor at all.

After finishing their meal, the Qin family of three returned to their courtyard house.

Qin's parents had nowhere to live, so they had to squeeze into that small, dark backyard hut with Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi, who was paralyzed in bed.

Silent all night.

..............

The next morning, Qin's parents were going back home.

When she left, Qin's mother didn't stand on ceremony.

She toured the small house as if it were her own home, packing up and taking away all the remaining valuables of the Jia family, such as a few feet of cloth, an unused thermos, and even half a bag of flour.

Qin Huairu watched her mother's actions, wanting to stop her, but unable to say anything.

She knew that her mother was afraid she would suffer losses in the Jia family in the future, and wanted to recoup some of her losses first.

Madam Jia lay on the bed, her mouth twisted in a grimace, watching helplessly as Qin's mother moved her belongings out. She trembled with anger, but couldn't utter a single word.

Qin Huairu personally escorted her parents to the entrance of the alley and watched them leave, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

When she returned to the courtyard and entered the backyard, she heard Jia Zhangshi's indistinct yet extremely venomous curses coming from inside the house.

"Thieves...thieves...may...die a terrible death..."

"Old Jia... open your eyes... look... how badly we, a widow and her orphan, have been bullied..."

The familiar wailing, though altered by the stroke, still retained its shrewish edge.

Hearing the commotion, the neighbors in the courtyard all peeked into the backyard.

"Did you hear that? Madam Jia has started cursing again."

"Who are you cursing? Didn't Qin Huairu's parents just pass away?"

"Who else could it be? It must be her in-laws! I saw it just now, when Qin Huairu's mother left, her package was bulging, she obviously took a lot of things."

"Wow! So it wasn't that Madam Jia was being generous; she just insisted on taking it! This is going to be interesting!"

Xu Damao was so happy he slapped his thigh. The more chaos the Jia family was in, the more comfortable he felt.

As soon as Cheng Shuhai led his younger sister Cheng Ling'er out of the house, they heard Jia Zhangshi cursing and the neighbors gossiping.

A smile played at the corners of his lips.

Qin Huairu's mother is truly a remarkable person; she's quick to take advantage of anyone who passes by.

When Jia Zhangshi encountered such an opponent, it could be said that they were evenly matched.

He couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters. He ruffled his sister's hair and said gently, "Ling'er, let's go to a restaurant. I'll cook you something delicious."

"Yay!" Cheng Ling'er cheered, grabbed her brother's hand, and skipped and hopped towards the front yard.

Passing through the moon gate, the laughter of the brother and sister contrasted sharply with the curses of Jia Zhangshi in the backyard, making the courtyard seem even more bizarre.

.........

When Cheng Shuhai brought Ling'er to the small restaurant in Nanluoguxiang.

There were already two people standing at the entrance of the restaurant.

It was his cousin Cheng Shujun and his cousin Cheng Shufei.

"Big brother, you've arrived!"

"Big brother, Ling'er!"

Upon seeing Cheng Shuhai, the brother and sister immediately greeted him warmly.

"Why are you here so early?"

Cheng Shuhai asked, somewhat surprised.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came early." Cheng Shujun scratched his head and smiled a little embarrassedly, "I was afraid of being late and causing trouble."

Cheng Shufei nodded vigorously beside her.

They had just arrived in the city and were full of curiosity and enthusiasm for everything, afraid that they would do poorly and embarrass their elder brother.

Cheng Shuhai was very satisfied with their simple and earnest attitude.

He took out his keys, opened the shop door, and said, "Come in, it's cold outside."

The four entered the restaurant, and Cheng Shujun and Cheng Shufei, without being told, picked up brooms and rags and began cleaning.

Cheng Shuhai then went into the kitchen to prepare today's ingredients.

Just then, the restaurant door was pushed open again.

A woman with a slender figure, dressed in a fashionable cheongsam, walked in.

"Boss Cheng, you're open so early?"

The person who arrived was Chen Xueru.

Cheng Shuhai peeked out from the kitchen and was somewhat surprised to see her. "Comrade Chen? What brings you here today?"

My silk shop

"My business has been pretty busy lately, so I came over to patronize your shop as soon as I had some free time," Chen Xueru said with a smile, her eyes scanning the shop.

"I heard you recently launched a new dish called boiled fish, and it's said to be absolutely amazing. It's become famous throughout Nanluoguxiang. I came here specifically to try it today."

As Chen Xueru spoke, she found a seat and placed her bag on the table.

"Okay, then please wait a moment."

Cheng Shuhai nodded and turned back to the kitchen.

Chen Xueru's gaze fell on Cheng Shujun and Cheng Shufei, who were busy at work, and she asked curiously, "Boss Cheng, your business is getting bigger and bigger. You've even hired two helpers?"

While processing the live fish, Cheng Shuhai replied, "They weren't hired; they're my cousins ​​who came from our hometown to help."

"Oh? They're family." Chen Xueru nodded knowingly.