Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

Page 202

"Hey, Sha Zhu, long time no see! What have you been up to lately, you busy man?"

After dinner, Qin Huairu strolled through the alley with Banggeng and happened to run into He Yuzhu, who was returning home looking dejected. She took the initiative to greet him.

You see, He Yuzhu used to want to be by Qin Huairu's side every day. But ever since he met Feng Ting, He Yuzhu's attention has shifted entirely to Feng Ting, which makes Qin Huairu feel somewhat resentful of being neglected.

"Nothing much, just going to work."

He Yuzhu replied indifferently that he couldn't muster any interest in Qin Huairu even now.

"Sigh, I really envy you guys. You all have stable jobs, at least you can earn some money to help support your families. Unlike me... I gave the kids some bland food tonight, and now they're complaining of being hungry again in the middle of the night..."

Qin Huairu changed the subject, after all, He Yuzhu used to love helping her the most. Whenever Banggeng said she was hungry, He Yuzhu would do everything he could to get her something to eat.

"Oh, I'll head back now."

He Yuzhu hung his head, his mood still reeling from the recent blow, and he had no time to care whether others were hungry or not.

Watching He Yuzhu slowly walk home, Qin Huairu was both anxious and angry. Over the years, she had long taken He Yuzhu's kindness to her for granted, and now that he was suddenly treating her this way, she found it hard to accept.

Qin Huairu tugged at Bang Geng's sleeve, clearly no longer in the mood for strolling, and turned to go home.

"Wait, what's with that ring on your hand?"

Exhausted, Yu Li finished washing up and brought in a basin, ready to go back to her room to sleep, when her mother suddenly called her back.

The lights in the house were originally dim, but the gold ring on her hand was so eye-catching that her mother noticed it immediately.

"This...I..."

Yu Li put down the basin somewhat awkwardly and rubbed her hands. She usually remembered to take off her ring before going back to 687's house, but she was too tired today and forgot.

"Did you buy this yourself, or did Li Xiangdong give it to you as a gift?"

Yu Li's mother asked, and her father, seeing this, also came out of the house.

"He gave it to me..."

Yu Li didn't want to lie, mainly because the large gold ring was simply beyond her financial means.

"You're both adults. Even if Li Xiangdong is rich, he wouldn't just give you a ring for no reason, would he?"

"Yes, you two aren't exactly young anymore, and you've been together for a while now. When are you going to get married?"

“You two are always together, and he's a prominent figure; so many eyes are on you. If things don't work out, your father and I will be utterly humiliated…”

The parents continued to ask questions. They were very satisfied with Li Xiangdong, but at the same time, because Li Xiangdong was indeed too outstanding, they were worried that Yu Li would eventually be abandoned.

"Mom and Dad...you...your ideas are just too outrageous..."

Chapter 278 Even Lady Jia Has Times When She's Shy

After being questioned for so long, Yu Li was truly at a loss. She understood herself and Li Xiangdong; she didn't want to use marriage as a bargaining chip in their relationship. She knew that if things progressed naturally to marriage, Li Xiangdong would definitely treat her well.

“We’re just worried about you. Li Xiangdong may only be a section chief at the steel rolling mill, but he makes most of the decisions. He has both power and money. Look at you, our family is just an ordinary family, and you only got this job because of him. The difference between us and him is too big…”

Yu Li's parents reiterated their concerns.

"Alright, then I'll tell you about his plan."

"This ring was indeed given to me by him, because he had already proposed to me."

"The steel rolling mill is currently working on a new piece of equipment, and he is putting most of his time and energy into it, so the wedding can only be postponed for now."

"But the new equipment is being completed very quickly. It will be finished in about a week. Plus, with negotiations and other things, it will take about half a month."

“He said that once this equipment issue is resolved, we will prepare for the wedding, so you don’t need to worry about these things. We have everything under control.”

Seeing this, Yu Li had no choice but to tell her parents about the plan she and Li Xiangdong had agreed on.

"New equipment? Li Xiangdong is really something. I've only ever heard of buying equipment from other places, this is the first time I've seen someone produce their own equipment and sell it to someone else."

"If you two get together, your parents won't have to worry about you for the rest of your life."

Hearing Yu Li's words, her parents were both surprised and relieved, and finally able to let go and stop asking questions.

Meanwhile, Lou Xiao'e turned off the lights and crawled back into Xu Damao's bed. Under Lou Xiao'e's groping and caressing, Xu Damao finally couldn't resist and the two became entangled together.

The next morning, Jia Zhangshi got up very early, wanting to go out for a stroll, but unexpectedly ran into Yi Zhonghai, who had just returned from buying breakfast, at the gate of the courtyard.

"You're... going out?"

"Hmm, these hemp leaves look pretty oily today. I'll buy one for Banggeng to try later."

The usually shrewish and rude Jia Zhangshi only showed a rare gentleness when she saw Yi Zhonghai.

"Don't buy any more, I already have plenty here. Take one home for the child."

"This...it's not right to keep taking your things. You just bought candy for Banggeng the other day, and today you ate your hemp leaves..."

Yi Zhonghai, that old shrew, is only so generous to Banggeng; others rarely get to eat his food. Only the two of them know the reason why.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. I… I’ve always treated the corn cob like my own grandson. Give it to the child to eat.”

After saying this, Yi Zhonghai pulled out two hemp leaves and gave them to Jia Zhangshi, then hurried home. Upon hearing the words "grandson," Jia Zhangshi blushed even more, looking around awkwardly, afraid of being seen.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you to buy three hemp leaves? You only brought back one. Who's going to eat that? Old Yi, I think you're really getting senile."

"As you get older, you should eat less oily food. Look at you, you've gained weight again. You'll get sick!"

A short while later, the sound of a quarrel between the couple came from Yi Zhonghai's house. Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi became even more flustered, quickly crouched down and put the hemp leaves back inside before sneaking out.

"Hey, look! Look! There's something delicious for breakfast this morning. Get up and eat!"

No sooner had Jia Zhangshi left than Qin Huairu woke up. Two oily hemp leaves on the table caught her eye, and she immediately pulled up the sleeping stalk, afraid that Jia Zhangshi would come back and snatch them from the child.

After calling Banggeng to start eating breakfast, Qin Huairu also pushed open the door to get some fresh air, just as He Yuzhu was washing up.

"Why are you up so early on the weekend, you silly Zhu?"

The more unwilling He Yuzhu was to pay attention to Qin Huairu, the more Qin Huairu wanted to get closer to him.

"I'm used to waking up at this time. I open my eyes right on time and can't fall back asleep."

He Yuzhu's attitude was somewhat better than yesterday, but he still seemed to be in a so-so mood.

"Look at this! Your sister Qin hasn't been washing your clothes for a while, and they've gotten so filthy!"

"Take it off quickly, let me give you a good wash."

When Jia Zhangshi (Wang Qianzhao) was in prison, Qin Huairu often washed clothes for He Yuzhu. Now, in order to rekindle He Yuzhu's interest in her, and since Jia Zhangshi was not at home, Qin Huairu used her old tricks again.

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate, Sister Qin...I'm taking a break now, I'll just wash up myself in a bit..."

“When did you start being so polite with your sister? I have several pieces of children’s clothes that I’m about to wash. It’s just a small favor.”

After saying that, Qin Huairu directly helped He Yuzhu take off his clothes, making He Yuzhu a little shy and at a loss. He hurriedly looked around to see if anyone had seen them.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Sister Qin..."

Chapter 279 Lou Xiao'e's Flaws Are Full of Inconsistencies

It must be said that Qin Huairu's trick worked; the previously dejected He Yuzhu immediately rediscovered the feeling he once had when he was infatuated with her. Meanwhile, while Jia Zhangshi was still out, Qin Huairu secretly stuffed He Yuzhu's clothes into the laundry basket to avoid being discovered.

"Xiao'e, I haven't seen you vomiting lately. Why don't we take advantage of the weekend to go to the hospital for a proper check-up?"

"And I've heard that having sex during pregnancy...can make you feel even more uncomfortable..."

After last night's passionate encounter, Lou Xiao'e thought it would rekindle the nearly broken relationship between her and Xu Damao, but unexpectedly, it only made Xu Damao more suspicious, and he once again suggested taking Lou Xiao'e to the hospital for a check-up.

"Look at you, you've lost your mind. It's the weekend and you're resting, but the doctors at the hospital also need to rest. Who's going to examine you?"

"Besides, we didn't give Lou Sheng any money yesterday, so they must be very unhappy. Let's go back and help out at the engagement ceremony today."

Compared to a few days ago, Lou Xiao'e is now much calmer when it comes to the topic of children, and is able to persuade Xu Damao in reverse with ease.

"That's right..."

Xu Damao nodded, his suspicions about Lou Xiao'e becoming more certain, and he even wanted to find a flaw in Lou Xiao'e as soon as possible. The relationship between the two became more subtle.

However, before he was certain whether the child actually existed, Xu Damao did not want to act rashly, lest he wrongly accuse Lou Xiao'e and hurt his own child.

"Hey, I've gained weight recently because of you. I don't know if I'll still be able to fit into this sweater. In a few months, when my belly gets bigger, I'll have to buy new clothes."

Lou Xiao'e picked out a red sweater from the wardrobe, intending to wear it to her younger brother Lou Sheng's engagement banquet, and muttered to herself as if it were nothing.

"It's okay, you look good whether you're fat or thin. The fatter you get, the more nutritious our son is."

Although Xu Damao had his doubts, he remained very gentle with Lou Xiao'e until he was sure, playing the role of a good man.

After changing their clothes, without even having breakfast, the two headed straight for the Lou family's house.

"Why do you keep yawning? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

On the way, Lou Xiao'e walked slowly, pretending to be weak, and yawned from time to time. Xu Damao had no choice but to pretend to be very concerned and ask her questions.

"Sigh, what they said is so true, pregnancy...it really takes a lot of physical and mental energy..."

Lou Xiao'e sighed, and even showed a shy expression.

"It's alright, I'll help with the cooking in a bit, you just rest."

"Yes, thank you so much, Da Mao, for both your money and your effort..."

After saying that, the two had almost arrived at the Lou family's house. As they entered, Xu Damao didn't forget to help Lou Xiao'e.

"Lou Sheng, you look quite dashing today. You're dressed like a groom for your engagement."

"Oh."