My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 120: Reversal

At this moment, when Madam Jia saw that Qin Huairu had done as she had wished, she felt relieved and straightened her back.

She snorted, swaggered forward, put her hands on her hips, and looked at Yi Zhonghai triumphantly, saying, "Yi Zhonghai, you heard that, didn't you? I've never mistreated Qin Huairu! She said it herself; I've always been incredibly good to her!"

At this point, Madam Jia, feigning understanding, sighed and said, "Also, my son has broken both legs and is lying in bed all day. He must feel frustrated and inevitably has a bad temper sometimes. I'll talk to him about this and help him change."

At this moment, an older woman watching from the side became displeased. Seeing Qin Huairu suddenly change her tune, swallowing back all the grievances she had previously complained about at her house, she immediately became agitated. She jumped up, pointed at Qin Huairu, and said, "Qin Huairu, you didn't say that at our house today! You clearly told me that Jia Zhangshi abused you, and Jia Dongxu deliberately made you suffer, making your life unbearable. How come you changed your story at the meeting, in front of everyone?"

Upon hearing the woman's words, the crowd erupted in chatter, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"Oh, what's going on? Didn't Qin Huairu just say that her mother-in-law was treating her very well?"

"There seems to be something fishy going on here! An older woman wouldn't lie for no reason, would she?"

"This Qin Huairu seems quite honest, so why does she say things that don't match her words?"

At this moment, Jia Zhangshi's expression changed. She hadn't expected the older woman to suddenly jump out and undermine them. She immediately stood up, pointing at the older woman and yelling, "Liu Cuilan, what are you doing here causing trouble? When did it become your place to interfere in our family affairs? Are you just jealous of our family's success and deliberately trying to sow discord?"

At this moment, Liu Cuilan, an older woman, was so angry that her face turned red. Pointing at Jia Zhangshi, she cursed without any politeness, "Jia Zhangshi, you old hag! Who in this courtyard doesn't know what kind of person you are at home? You think your family is doing well? You beat and scold Qin Huairu every other day, and everyone has seen it!"

Madam Jia was also displeased and immediately retorted, "Liu Cuilan, don't make baseless accusations! We know our own family affairs perfectly well, and it's none of your business to spout nonsense here!"

After saying that, she looked at Banggeng with feigned affection, took his hand, and said, "Banggeng, tell everyone, what's the relationship between Grandma and Mom like?"

At this moment, Banggeng remembered the candy and meat his grandma had promised him, and immediately looked up with his little face, saying loudly, "My grandma and my mom have a great relationship! My grandma has never hit my mom, and she often makes me delicious food!"

Hearing Banggeng say this, Jia Zhangshi immediately became smug. She looked at Liu Cuilan provocatively and said, "How about that? Children don't lie! Everyone heard that, right?"

Looking at Jia Zhangshi's smug face and then at Banggeng, who was lying with a straight face, the old woman was so angry that she trembled all over and couldn't speak for a long time.

She whirled around, staring intently at Qin Huairu, and said with exasperation, "Qin Huairu! Say something! Tell everyone what you said in our house today! How are you really doing at the Jia family? Is it as good as she claims?"

At that moment, someone in the crowd suddenly whispered, "Do you think... Qin Huairu was threatened by an old lady? Look at her now, she's so scared she doesn't dare to say a word."

As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately chimed in: "Yeah, yeah, that old lady was acting like she was interrogating a criminal, who wouldn't be afraid?"

Some people turned to their neighbors and whispered, "What do you think? That old lady usually seems quite amiable, it can't be that bad, can it?"

The man frowned and shook his head: "Impossible, right? Everyone in our compound knows what kind of person that old lady is. She's just outspoken and can't stand seeing others wronged. How could she threaten Qin Huairu?"

But someone immediately retorted, "You can know a person's face but not their heart! Who knows what they say in private? What if the old lady is trying to embarrass the Jia family through this?"

"Hey, what's going on with Qin Huairu?" someone scratched their head, looking confused. "Is it really true, like Jia Zhangshi said, that their relationship with their mother-in-law is quite good? Then why was she crying at that old lady's house before?"

"Good my foot!" a man nearby scoffed. "Whose family is so close that they're always fighting and yelling at each other? I bet there's something fishy going on here!"

Someone else chimed in sarcastically, "That's hard to say. Maybe Qin Huairu just has a taste for that kind of thing? Otherwise, why would she have married that good-for-nothing Jia Dongxu?"

Upon hearing this, a low murmur of laughter erupted from the crowd, mixed with a few echoes and sighs.

Everyone started talking at once, and their words became increasingly harsh. Their gazes shifted from Qin Huairu, who was trembling with fear, to Jia Zhangshi, who looked smug, and to an old woman whose face was ashen with anger. The entire courtyard was in complete chaos.

At this moment, Sha Zhu suddenly stood up from the crowd, pointing at those who were talking nonsense and yelling, "Stop spouting nonsense here! Everyone in our neighborhood knows what kind of person this old lady is. She's known for her kind heart! Sister Qin is probably afraid of Jia Zhangshi settling scores later, that's why she doesn't dare to tell the truth!"

Upon hearing Sha Zhu's words, Zhang Lei couldn't help but nod inwardly: Hey, how come Sha Zhu suddenly got a brain today? He actually guessed the point right away.

Old man Yi Zhonghai also agreed with Sha Zhu's point. He immediately looked at Qin Huairu, his tone turning cold and stern: "Qin Huairu, is it as Zhu Zi said? Did Jia Zhangshi threaten you? If you have any concerns, just say them. With us here today, no one dares to lay a finger on you!"

Liu Haizhong, the second uncle standing nearby, also stepped forward, patting his chest and saying, "That's right, Qin Huairu! If you're afraid that Jia Zhangshi will cause you trouble later, we three uncles will stand up for you! If she dares to touch you, we'll report her to the neighborhood committee!"

Uncle Yan Fugui chimed in, adjusting his glasses, "That's right, Comrade Qin Huairu. If she dares to continue threatening you, we'll jointly send her back to the countryside for labor reform!"

At this moment, Qin Huairu's heart wavered after hearing the words of the three stewards. Should she tell the truth? With their backing, perhaps she could really break free from Jia Zhangshi's control.

But just then, Jia Zhangshi suddenly made a "wiping" motion on the neck of the stick. Although it was just a light touch, it felt like a knife stabbing into Qin Huairu's heart. She trembled with fright and quickly lowered her head, not daring to look again.

At that moment, Banggeng suddenly ran up to Qin Huairu, hugged her leg, and pretended to cry very sadly, shouting loudly, "Mom, let's go home! I don't want to be without you, our family can't be without you!"

Hearing Banggeng's words, Qin Huairu's heart softened instantly. She knew the child had been corrupted, but he was still her own flesh and blood. She knelt down, hugged Banggeng tightly, tears streaming down her face, and choked out, "Mom knows... Mom knows..."

Then, she took a deep breath, stood up, bowed deeply to the three stewards, and said in a trembling but firm voice, "Stewards, I'm so sorry... I lied before. My mother-in-law didn't mistreat me; she's always been very good to me. I just couldn't take care of my husband alone after he broke both his legs, and I said those things in a moment of confusion..."

Everyone was stunned by this sudden reversal. The tense scene just moments before instantly fell silent, and all eyes were on Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi, unsure of what to say.

When Zhang Lei heard Qin Huairu say that, he was overjoyed.

He knew in his heart that from this moment on, Qin Huairu had completely lost any chance of turning the tables. From now on, he only needed to wait until Qin Huairu couldn't take it anymore in the Jia family and couldn't hold on any longer. Then he would step in, and Qin Huairu would be completely at his mercy.