I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

As soon as Qin Huairu entered the kitchen, she found He Daqing staring at her with wide eyes. When he saw the bowl in her hand, he twitched his lips. The bowl was about half the size of their own pot.

"You are the daughter-in-law of the Jia family."

Qin Huairu smiled awkwardly and looked at Sha Zhu for help. "Yes! Uncle He, when did you get back?" Qin Huairu didn't need to ask to guess He Daqing and Sha Zhu's appearances.

He Daqing didn't answer Qin Huairu's question directly. Like an old rogue, he sized her up from head to toe. "Not bad looking at all. No wonder my silly son is so infatuated with you! Why don't you marry into my family?"

Qin Huairu blushed. "Uncle He, you're joking."

"I'm not joking! Your old woman is destined to bring bad luck to her husbands! Now she's even killed her son, who knows when it'll be your turn! If you're not lucky enough, you'll be hanging on the wall sooner or later. Wouldn't it be better to come and live a life of luxury with my son?"

"Dad, what are you saying?" Sha Zhu couldn't help but ask when he saw his father speaking so recklessly.

"You don't know anything! Don't you like widows? This widow is pretty good, you have decent taste! While I'm home for the New Year, how about I help you get things done? With your brains, when will you ever succeed?"

"Uncle He, I have to go now." Qin Huairu really couldn't stand this guy anymore; he was like an old rogue!

"Just like that, you left so easily! You've taken advantage of my son quite a bit over the years, haven't you? This can't go unresolved! Your Jia family really is a family tradition. Back when your mother-in-law came to my house with a bowl, go and ask her how I, He Daqing, treated her!"

"Dad, why are you making things difficult for Sister Qin? She was forced into this by her mother-in-law." After saying this, Sha Zhu stood in front of his father like a protector, letting Qin Shuiru leave the kitchen.

He Daqing squinted at his foolish son, a wicked smile creeping onto his lips. "So, your Sister Qin is quite pitiful."

"Yes! She's raising three children on her own, and she has a mean mother-in-law! Life is already hard enough for her, please don't make it harder for her!"

"Oh, is that so? I didn't realize you were so compassionate. How about I help you out?"

Pfft! Rain, who was hiding outside, couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing when he heard his own father's words!

Sha Zhu angrily slammed the rolling pin down in his hand. "Dad, why are you like this as soon as you come back? How could I marry a widow?"

"If you don't want to marry her, why are you so good to her?" He Daqing looked at his son with a puzzled expression.

"I was just trying to help others!"

He Daqing fell silent, looking at Sha Zhu's self-righteous demeanor, a bad premonition creeping into his heart. "How much money have you saved over the years?"

Sha Zhu blushed and lowered his head. It was his first day back, and He Daqing didn't want things to get too tense with his son. But looking at his son's expression, he couldn't help but teach him a lesson, clenching his fists repeatedly.

The atmosphere between father and son was tense. "Dad! Let's eat first, we can talk about this after we finish eating."

"Okay, I'll listen to my daughter..."

Qin Huai rushed home in a panic. Seeing him return with an empty bowl, Jia Zhangshi was about to scold him. "Mother-in-law, something terrible has happened! Sha Zhu's father is back!"

"What did you say? That old scoundrel He Daqing is back!" Madam Jia's face paled with fright as she scrutinized Qin Huairu. "You didn't let him take advantage of you, did you?"

Qin Huairu blushed. "With Zhu Zi here, how could that be?"

Madam Jia breathed a sigh of relief, but the tension on her face didn't ease at all. "Oh no! This is terrible! Why did that plague come back at this crucial moment? With Master Yi not here, what are we going to do?"

"Is my mother-in-law that fierce?"

"He's a scoundrel, a shameless scoundrel! He never holds back." Madam Jia seemed to realize something, her face turning even paler. "No, no! Daughter-in-law, we have to go to the countryside for a couple of days, we have to leave right now!"

"Is your mother-in-law's condition that serious?"

"Listen to me, things are more serious than you think! Let's get out of here before that old scoundrel realizes what's happening!"

"What time is it, Mother-in-law?" Qin Huairu was also startled. She had never seen her mother-in-law like this since she married into the family. "How about we leave tomorrow morning?"

The meal left He Daqing extremely depressed. The more he learned, the more he felt an urge to kill. He had casually called his son "Shazhu" back then, but after ten years, he never expected that his son would actually be turned into a fool by someone else. If Yi Zhonghai hadn't already been arrested, he would definitely have gone to find that old bastard to vent his anger.

He Daqing didn't even have the thought of disciplining his son anymore. If the situation didn't prevent it, He Daqing would have started thinking about playing a trumpet! This son is useless. Listening to his daughter's complaints, even if he married Qin Huairu to his son, he would still be a bullied person for life. The problem is that this son is still dreaming and hasn't seen his own heart clearly.

He Daqing grew increasingly angry as he listened, slamming his chopsticks heavily on the table! "You guys eat first, I'm going out for some fresh air!"

Once outside, He Daqing, familiar with the place, arrived at Jia Zhangshi's door. Without thinking twice, he kicked the door hard! With a bang, Jia Zhangshi and her family, who had just lain down, were so startled that they sprang up from the bed like springs.

"Which bastard dares to kick down my door? He's got a death wish!" Madam Jia cursed as she threw on a coat. Her plump body nimbly slipped on her shoes, and she dashed to the door in one stride.

As soon as the door opened, Jia Zhangshi was so frightened that she took three steps back. "He Daqing! What do you think you're doing? I'm warning you, we're all widows in this family, if you dare to do anything reckless I'll scream!"

He Daqing reached through the door, grabbed Jia Zhangshi's clothes, and pulled her out, easily tossing her into the middle of the yard.

"Help! Someone help! This is indecent assault! Help!" Jia Zhangshi used almost all her strength, and her piercing voice rang out in the middle courtyard. In the courtyard, the lights of all the neighbors' houses turned on one after another.

Yu Shui, who was eating inside, thought to herself, "Oh no!" She hurriedly pulled her brother and ran outside. When she saw her father standing in the middle of the yard, she rushed to his side.

Sha Zhu stopped his enraged father. "Dad, what are you doing? How can you hit a woman?"

"Get lost, or I'll hit you too!" He Daqing, his eyes red, slapped Sha Zhu across the cheek. "I've wasted my time raising you, you good-for-nothing! You can't even tell right from wrong! You're siding with outsiders now! Did I forget to put a brain in you when I gave birth to you?"

Although Sha Zhu was quite strong, he had been brainwashed by Yi Zhonghai's filial piety and benevolence for a long time. He dared not resist his own father. Suddenly slapped and dizzy, he stood in the courtyard and forgot what to say.

"You coward! Bah! Don't get in my way! I really regret giving birth to you!" With Sha Zhu blocking the way, the neighbors in the yard arrived one after another. Liu Haizhong looked at the pitiful Jia Zhangshi on the ground and walked forward with a stiff upper lip.

"Your Majesty! Let's talk this out, don't be impulsive!"