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

In the dead of night, the cold wind howled.

Sha Zhu sat alone in the cold room, the bottle of cheap Erguotou on the table was almost empty.

His face was flushed and his eyes were glazed over.

The words "broken cook" and "childless" kept echoing in my mind.

My heart aches as if it's being stabbed.

"What am I doing this for? What am I doing this for?!"

Sha Zhu smashed the bottle on the ground, shattering glass everywhere.

Just then, the curtain was gently lifted.

A familiar scent of face cream wafted into Sha Zhu's nose.

He knew who it was without even looking up.

Qin Huairu's eyes were red and swollen, and her hair was somewhat disheveled.

She carefully walked in, carrying a steaming bowl of noodle soup in her hand.

She didn't say anything, but first squatted down and picked up the broken glass from the ground.

Looking at her hunched back, Sha Zhu's anger inexplicably subsided by half.

But he still stubbornly snorted and turned his face to the side.

After cleaning up the mess, Qin Huairu placed the noodle soup on the table.

Tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.

"Zhu Zi, I apologize on your behalf."

Qin Huairu's voice choked with emotion, "If you're feeling down, just hit me a couple of times or yell at me a couple of times."

"Don't hold it in and ruin your health."

Sha Zhu was most afraid of Qin Huairu crying. When she cried, his heart felt like it was soaking in vinegar, both sour and soft.

"Sister Qin, this isn't your fault."

Sha Zhu muttered, "That kid is heartless."

"I, He Yuzhu, have a clear conscience about how I've treated your family!"

"I know, my sister knows."

Qin Huairu sat down opposite him and reached out to grasp Sha Zhu's rough, large hand.

She looked at him with teary eyes, "But you have to be considerate of the child too."

"How could Bang Geng be psychologically normal after being locked up in that kind of place for two years, spending every day with other prisoners?"

Qin Huairu began to employ her usual logic: "How much bullying did he suffer inside?"

"How much suffering did you endure?"

"It must be because of fear that they've become so prickly, like a hedgehog, in order to protect themselves."

"When he scolds you, it's not because he hates you; it's because he's suffering inside and is venting!"

"Think about it, how well-behaved he used to be. Isn't it all... all because of the world that he's forced into this state?"

As Sha Zhu listened, his brows furrowed.

The anger in his eyes gradually turned into confusion, and finally into sympathy.

Yeah, how old is the hamster?

Having spent two years in a juvenile detention center, a place that cannibalize people, how could I have survived if I wasn't ruthless?

This child is pitiful too!

"Sister Qin, is he like this because he was traumatized?" Sha Zhu asked tentatively.

"Of course!"

Qin Huairu pressed her advantage, her tears flowing even more fiercely, "He came back and saw that the family was still so poor."

"I can't even afford meat, so I feel inferior, which is why I snapped at you."

"Zhu Zi, you watched him grow up."

"Just take pity on this child who has lost his father and is suffering."

"Don't bother with him, okay?"

Sha Zhu sighed deeply, then grasped Qin Huairu's hand in return, a surge of heroic spirit rising within him.

"Sister Qin, please don't cry!"

"Am I, He Yuzhu, the kind of person who holds grudges against children?"

"Since the child is suffering, we adults should be more understanding!"

"Tomorrow, I'll try to get some good food from the cafeteria to nourish the child!"

"Let's make up for this emotional void!"

Just a moment ago, I was being called childless, and now I'm turning around and trying to nourish someone's body.

Sha Zhu's ability to self-conquer is simply astonishing.

Qin Huairu burst into laughter through her tears, and the charm she displayed in that instant made Sha Zhu's bones melt.

"Zhu Zi, I knew you had the kindest heart."

"In this compound, only you can shelter my family from the wind and rain."

After being praised by the goddess, Sha Zhu felt that his image had instantly become much more impressive.

At this moment, Qin Huairu sighed and frowned again: "But... just eating well isn't enough."

"Bang Geng is all grown up now, but he doesn't have a proper job."

"Even the clothes are half a meter too short, they look really shabby."

"In addition, I was thinking of setting up a partitioned room for him to live in in the yard."

"After all this back and forth, money is needed everywhere..."

Upon hearing the word "money," Sha Zhu looked troubled: "Sister Qin, you know my current situation."

"The position of head chef in the cafeteria was taken away, and my salary was cut by a lot. I don't have much savings left."

Qin Huairu's eyes flickered, and she said meaningfully, "Zhuzi, actually, I feel sorry for you too."

"Your younger sister, Yushui, isn't she already working?"

"I heard the salary is quite high!"

"You're her own brother. Now that your family is facing difficulties, shouldn't she help them out?"

"Rainwater?" Sha Zhu was taken aback.

After all, he had already fallen out with his sister a few years ago.

"I know you have a conflict with the rain, but blood is thicker than blood."

Qin Huairu gently persuaded her, "She lives alone now, is paid by the government, and is not married yet, so her expenses are low."

"You, as the older brother, are going through such a difficult time right now, isn't it only natural for her to contribute some money?"

"Will she really just sit idly by and do nothing?"

"Besides, we'll be family after we get married, and Banggeng will have to call her aunt."

Sha Zhu was easily fooled by Qin Huairu, and his mind immediately came to a realization.

Yup!

Rain is my own sister!

No matter how good Li Xuan was to him, they had no blood relation.

Now that her own brother is in trouble, if she doesn't take care of him, who will?

And she earns so much money every month now!

Can I afford to spend all of it?

It's a waste to just keep it!

"Sister Qin, you're right!"

Sha Zhu slapped his thigh suddenly, "This brat, she doesn't even think about showing some respect to me now that she's working."

"I'll go see her tomorrow!"

"Make her hand over a portion of her salary; we need to get through this difficult time first!"

Qin Huairu was secretly overjoyed, but on the surface she still had to pretend to be in a difficult position.

"This...isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"Won't the rain be unhappy?"

"She dares!"

Sha Zhu's eyes widened. "The eldest brother is like a father! Dad's run away, so I'm her father!"

"She dares to disobey me? She's gone too far!"

Seeing Sha Zhu's completely under her thumb, Qin Huairu's lips curled up slightly.

Silly Zhu, silly Zhu.

In this life, you're nothing more than a donkey pulling a harness for the Jia family.

Not only do you have to poop, but you also have to pull your sister to poop with you.

......

The next day at noon, at the canteen of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

Although he's no longer the head chef, Sha Zhu still has some connections in the kitchen.

When no one was looking, he secretly took half a roast chicken and a few steamed buns...

He stuffed it under his old work clothes, making a big, bulging lump.

If you get caught, that's stealing public property!

At this critical juncture of crackdown, you could end up in jail.

But for Sister Qin's smile, and for "reforming" that poor kid Bang Geng, Sha Zhu felt it was all worth it!

He slipped out of the factory gate like a thief.

I was thinking to myself that I would send all these delicious treats to Banggeng tonight.

Then, they went to the backyard to block the rainwater and demand money.

Once he has money and meat, Bang Geng will definitely call him "Uncle He", right?

......