Courtyard House: Starting by inheriting the tradition and suppressing the barbarians.

The sky is bright.

The hangover headache felt like a saw was tearing at my brain.

Xu Damao opened his eyes groggily, feeling his throat parched.

He subconsciously reached out to the side, intending to ask Qin Jingru to pour water, but found nothing.

"Qin Jingru! Where have you gone? Where's the water?!"

Xu Damao sat up cursing and rubbing his throbbing temples.

My memories of last night are fragmented, like a lump of paste.

He only remembered drinking a lot of alcohol and seemingly shouting something in the yard...

Suddenly, a jolt went through me!

Xu Damao suddenly remembered that he seemed to have shouted something like "I have a son" and "gold bars" last night!

He broke out in a cold sweat instantly, and all his drunkenness vanished.

He hurriedly got up to check.

Confirm that the location where he hid the gold bars had not been touched.

"call..."

Xu Damao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he must be dreaming.

Or perhaps that stupid woman, Qin Jingru, simply didn't understand.

At that moment, the curtain to the inner room was lifted.

Qin Jingru walked in carrying a washbasin, her face expressionless.

But his eyes were a little dark, as if he hadn't slept all night.

"Awake? Go wash your face."

Qin Jingru put the basin down, her voice unusually calm.

Xu Damao didn't notice anything amiss; on the contrary, he felt a little guilty because of his outburst last night.

But then, as was his habit, he put on a show of bravado: "Why are you so late? Did you want me to die of thirst?"

"So clumsy!"

He washed his face while glancing sideways at Qin Jingru.

Seeing that she was still meek and submissive, Xu Damao was completely relieved.

"I doubt you can escape my grasp," Xu Damao thought with a sneer.

After washing up, Xu Damao put on his coat.

Before leaving, he said to Qin Jingru in a condescending tone, "I have something to do at the factory today, I'll be back late tonight."

"Please tidy up the house. It's all wet, it's so annoying!"

"Understood, Da Mao," Qin Jingru replied, her head bowed.

Xu Damao hummed a little tune and pushed the cart away.

......

"Clang!"

The sound of the courtyard gate closing could be heard.

Qin Jingru's previously compliant body tensed up instantly.

She walked quickly to the window and watched as Xu Damao's figure completely disappeared at the entrance of the alley.

The madness that had been suppressed in his eyes all night finally erupted.

"Clean the house? I'll clean it up properly for you right away!"

Qin Jingru rushed to the door and locked it with a "click".

While Xu Damao was fast asleep last night, she had already moved the iron box into her own bundle.

We've been holding back until now just to avoid alerting them.

She dragged the bundle she had packed earlier out from under the bed.

That heavy iron box is inside.

That was Xu Damao's fate, and also her future wealth and glory!

Qin Jingru took out the gold bars and money from the iron box.

Then, using the cloth belts that had been sewn beforehand, they wrapped them tightly around their waists, one by one.

Although it felt uncomfortable, the tactile sensation of money made her feel incredibly secure.

Then, by putting on a large floral cotton-padded jacket, the person only looked slightly bulky, and there was no clue as to why.

Look around.

This was the home she had lived in for several years, a place filled with Xu Damao's beatings and scoldings, and rife with humiliating memories.

"Xu Damao, you think you can leave the money to that bastard? Dream on!"

"This is the compensation you owe me for my lost youth!"

"This is your compensation for making me a hen that can't lay eggs my whole life!"

Qin Jingru spat angrily on the ground, picked up her bundle, and pushed open the door without looking back.

It was peak time for people going to work and buying groceries in the compound, and it was quite chaotic.

Qin Jingru lowered her head, blended into the crowd, and hurriedly walked out of the gate of Hongxing Courtyard.

No one noticed this usually timid rural woman.

With a huge sum of money in his pocket, he walked resolutely toward the long-distance bus station.

That is the path to freedom and abundance.

......

Noon, Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

Xu Damao sat in his office, his right eyelid twitching incessantly.

Although he saw that everything was fine at home in the morning, he still felt uneasy.

The feeling of palpitation I had last night still lingers.

He vaguely remembered that last night, when Qin Jingru was taking care of him, her eyes seemed a little strange.

"No, I have to go back and check."

Xu Damao became increasingly panicked as he thought about it.

That was all his wealth, a gift for his son in Hong Kong, and he absolutely could not afford to make any mistakes!

He didn't even have time for lunch; he grabbed his bicycle and raced home.

Xu Damao sped into the courtyard house.

"Qin Jingru! Open the door!"

Xu Damao shouted as soon as he entered the backyard.

No one answered.

The door was locked—Qin Jingru had deliberately locked it before she left, to make it look like she was going out to buy groceries.

Xu Damao frantically pulled out his keys and opened the door.

The room was quiet; the fire in the stove had gone out, and a chill permeated the air.

On the table, the water from washing my face this morning hadn't been poured out yet; it was still murky.

This is unlike Qin Jingru's usual style; she's usually very diligent and should have cleaned it up long ago.

Xu Damao's heart leaped into his throat.

He didn't even bother to take off his shoes before rushing straight to where he had hidden the gold bars.

He was dumbfounded when he saw that the blue bricks on top had not been put back in.

"Empty...empty?"

Xu Damao reached in with trembling hands and touched a handful of dust.

The iron box containing five gold bars and three thousand dollars has disappeared!

"boom!"

Xu Damao felt as if his skull had been ripped open, and all the blood in his body had turned cold.

He suddenly turned around and started rummaging through the wardrobe.

Qin Jingru's clothes are gone.

Her little cloth bag, which she used to save money for, is gone too.

Even the new pair of leather shoes I just bought a few days ago are gone!

"Qin Jingru!"

Xu Damao let out a heart-wrenching scream!

He got it!

I understand everything!

He let it slip last night, and Qin Jingru overheard him!

This seemingly honest and unassuming country woman actually managed to rip him off!

"My gold bars! My money! That was for my son!"

Xu Damao collapsed to the ground, frantically pounding the floor with his hands, tears and snot streaming down his face.

He wanted to chase after her, but the world is so big, Qin Jingru must have already taken a car and gone far away!

He wanted to call the police, but that was dirty money!

It's stolen money!

He'll be shot first if you call the police!

This kind of bitter, unbearable pain made Xu Damao feel as if he had been stabbed in the chest.

"puff!"

Overwhelmed by anger, Xu Damao coughed up a mouthful of blood on the spot.

"Retribution...is this retribution...?"

Xu Damao's vision went black, and he fainted.

That evening, the neighbors found Xu Damao's door wide open. When they went inside, they found Xu Damao lying in a pool of blood, unconscious.

Sha Zhu is dead.

My wife ran away.

The money is gone.

The son cannot be acknowledged.

Xu Damao has become a complete joke.

......