Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1191 Gu Nan's Telegram

Qin Huairu understood perfectly. He Yuzhu's meaning was crystal clear—he wanted her to go out with him for a walk and some fresh air on the weekend. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the apron strap. She wanted to shake her head and refuse: there were too many people in the courtyard, and as a widow, if she got too close to a bachelor like He Yuzhu, who knew what kind of gossips Jia Zhangshi and the other neighbors would spread about her? But then she thought, if she really refused him, he probably wouldn't bring her vegetables anymore. The vegetable basket at home was already empty, and Banggeng and Jia Cai were growing up; they couldn't eat cornbread every day.

After a moment's consideration, she forced a gentle smile, her eyes slightly upturned, and nodded: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

He Yuzhu was secretly pleased and was about to suggest going to Beihai Park or the temple fair on the weekend when Qin Huairu suddenly heard Xiao Dang coughing from the inner room. The coughing was rapid and loud, almost deliberately hurried, not like someone genuinely unwell. A thought struck her; she knew Xiao Dang was trying to tell her that Jia Zhangshi had woken up and was afraid of being seen. She quickly said to He Yuzhu, "Yuzhu, I have to go back now. The child seems a little unwell; I need to go back and check on him."

He Yuzhu paused, swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and could only nod: "Okay, hurry back and take a look. If you're really sick, don't forget to get medicine from the clinic." Watching Qin Huairu's retreating figure, her skirt sweeping across the threshold and stirring up a gust of wind, the little bit of excitement that had just begun to rise in his heart inexplicably faded, as if he had been doused with a spoonful of cold water.

As Qin Huairu approached the gate of her courtyard, she was spotted by Lu Jia, who was returning home. Lu Jia was carrying a piece of newly bought lake-blue fabric, the material smooth to the touch, presumably for making baby clothes for her unborn child. Her gaze swept over Qin Huairu, noticing her slightly flustered steps and the clenched hem of her clothes, without uttering a word, her lips pressed tightly together as if suppressing a fire.

She knew perfectly well what was going on—she'd only been out for half an hour, just picking out some fabric at the department store, and Qin Huairu had already sneaked into her house, probably here to beg for vegetables again. This woman had absolutely no shame; relying on her past relationship with He Yuzhu, she dared to barge into her home. Did she think she was dead? Lu Jia felt a surge of anger, but she didn't lash out. She simply quickened her pace back inside, her heels clicking loudly on the floor, conveying her barely suppressed rage.

Sure enough, a faint scent of soap lingered in the room, a brand Qin Huairu often used. The cheap balm mixed with a hint of cooking fumes, but to Lu Jia, it felt like a thorn in her heart, making her temples throb. She had just sat down when He Yuzhu came running out of the kitchen, a fawning smile on his face: "Lu Jia, are you tired? Buying such a big piece of fabric, is it heavy? Let me help you."

Lu Jia looked up at him, seeing his expression of trying to hide his feelings but unable to, and suddenly wanted to tease this man who had something on his mind. So she deliberately tilted her head and asked with a half-smile, "Did someone just come into our house? I smelled something different, like... another woman's perfume."

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His eyes darted around in panic, and he quickly waved his hands, "W-where is anyone coming? You must be overthinking it. Maybe it's just the wind blowing in from outside, carrying the scent of Aunt Zhang's face cream from next door." He stammered, his eyes darting away, afraid that she would see through his act.

Seeing his nervous expression, Lu Jia felt relieved—it seemed he had been right. But she really didn't want to dwell on this; the most important thing right now was to stabilize her body and give birth to the baby safely. She forced a smile and softened her tone: "Alright, I was just teasing you. I'm a little hungry after running around all afternoon, let's eat."

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief, a thin layer of sweat clinging to his shirt. He quickly replied, "Hey, dinner's been ready for ages, braised pork with potatoes, and I even poached two eggs for you. I'll bring them to you right now." As he turned to walk towards the kitchen, he secretly rejoiced that Lu Jia hadn't pressed him further, his steps becoming lighter as if he had escaped a disaster.

At the dinner table, each of them was lost in their own thoughts. He Yuzhu was pondering how to explain things to Qin Huairu over the weekend, while Lu Jia was planning to find a reason to give He Yuzhu a warning, to stop him from being so clueless. Neither of them mentioned what had just happened again. Only the moonlight from outside the window quietly crept into the room, shining through the windowpane onto the silent bowls and chopsticks, casting two shadows of people each lost in their own thoughts.

The courtyard house seemed to have been quietly paused, even the air seemed to slow down, and a rare, long-lost tranquility returned. Ever since Banggeng went to the countryside, the courtyard had lost the laughter of children chasing and playing, the cries of Qin Huairu after Banggeng got into trouble, and even the shouts of Uncle Yan Bugui as he calculated the rent collection were softer than usual, sounding listless. Although life still went on with its daily necessities, and the smoke from the stoves in each household hadn't stopped, it always felt like something was missing—like an old machine that had been running for many years missing a gear, feeling empty. Even the rustling of the wind through the branches of the old locust tree in the middle courtyard sounded more hollow than usual, carrying an indescribable loneliness.

Although Gu Nan had gone to a meeting, he had cultivated a deep and extensive network of connections over the years in the factory. Several veteran workers who had followed him from apprenticeship to the top now held key positions in the factory, and they still remembered their mentor-apprentice relationship, always keeping him informed of the latest developments. That day, guessing that there should be new progress on the matter he had entrusted to him, he found a familiar errand runner, slipped him a slip of paper with a number on it, and gave him an extra two kilograms of grain coupons as a tip.

The worker clutched the note, his heart pounding like a red-hot iron, his palms sweating profusely. He hurried through the noisy steel mill area, past the yard piled with semi-finished parts, heading straight for the kitchen. He knew this number was valuable, specially assigned by the former deputy factory manager, Gu Nan, and dared not delay for a moment, not even stopping for a drink of water as he passed the tea room. When he pushed open the wooden door to the kitchen, thick with grease, he saw Zhong Yi squatting on the floor counting the newly delivered coal. The sleeves of his blue overalls were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms, and a few specks of soot on his face made his features appear even brighter.

"Director Zhong," the worker said, standing at the door, rubbing the dust off his hands, his tone slightly ingratiating, "Busy? I need to talk to you about something."

Zhong Yi looked up, his brow furrowing slightly. This person was a complete stranger; he wasn't one of the familiar faces from the kitchen, nor was he one of the clerks from the factory office building. He looked more like a gofer. But he still dusted the coal ash off his hands and slowly stood up: "Who are you? What do you want with me?"