Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

Kuihua isn't home, and maybe even the city of Beijing isn't here anymore. No matter how capable Qin Huai is, he can't find her to confront Xiao Zhang.

He quickly explained, "Xiao Zhang..."

"What happened today must have been a huge blow to Kuihua. She's sleeping in her room right now, she definitely won't come out to see you..."

"Don't worry, give me one night. I'll definitely talk to her properly today, and I'll bring her to your house first thing tomorrow morning to apologize..."

Xiao Zhang was clearly prepared, completely ignoring Qin Huairu's bluff, and coldly snorted, asking in return, "Qin Huairu..."

"If I remember correctly, I gave you two hundred yuan as a betrothal gift yesterday because I was fooled by your words..."

"It's already this late, and you're still trying to fool me..."

"If I'm not mistaken, Kuihua shouldn't be home right now, right?"

"How did you know?" Jia Zhangshi asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. Only after she finished speaking did she cover her mouth, realizing she had said the wrong thing.

Qin Huairu really wanted to curse Jia Zhangshi: "You're more trouble than you're worth..."

But before he could finish speaking, Xiao Zhang interrupted, "Qin Huairu..."

"You don't know yet, do you..."

"After I was released by the police, I met Kuihua once at the entrance of the police station."

"She made it perfectly clear to me that she would never marry me, and she's even decided to leave Beijing..."

"Perhaps Kuihua is no longer in Beijing..."

"It was only after seeing Kuihua that I learned: your son Banggeng was arrested for smuggling and needs to pay a fine of three thousand yuan..."

"He had no money, so he tried to use the 'guihua' (a type of flower) to get 800 yuan from me as a bride price, so he could pay the fine for Banggeng..."

"Now that Kuihua is gone, she definitely can't marry me anymore..."

"Since the marriage is off, then return the two hundred yuan dowry I gave you yesterday."

"If you don't change it, I'll go to the police right now... Once the police arrest you, you won't even have a chance to pay Bang Geng a fine and get him out..."

“I believe there are many helpful neighbors in the courtyard. I think many people will rush to help me find the police for a two-yuan fee. I'll give you two minutes to think about it.”

"If I don't get two hundred yuan in two minutes, I'll go to the police station..."

Qin Huairu knew that the other party was not exaggerating or deliberately scaring her.

If I were to be arrested by the police for 200 yuan, even if I managed to scrape together 3,000 yuan, I wouldn't have the chance to pay Bang Geng's fine. In the end, I would just have to watch Bang Geng be sentenced and go to jail.

For the sake of Bang Geng's future, and for that glimmer of hope, Qin Huairu, no matter how reluctant she was, could only take out twenty ten-yuan bills and hand them to the other party.

Xiao Zhang was a straightforward person. After receiving the money, he didn't say a word and turned to leave the courtyard.

It wasn't until then that the neighbors in the courtyard learned that Qin Huairu, in order to save Banggeng, had scraped together three thousand yuan to pay the fine, and was actually planning to sell Kuihua to a cripple for a dowry of eight hundred yuan.

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief. No one expected Qin Huairu to be so ruthless in her efforts to save Banggeng, even sacrificing her own daughter's happiness for the rest of her life.

People were already wary of the Jia family and didn't have a good impression of Qin Huairu.

After this incident, everyone became even more wary of the Jia family and Qin Huairu.

He repeatedly told his family that they should never have any dealings with the Jia family unless absolutely necessary.

If Qin Huairu would even betray her own daughter for the sake of a gangster, let alone her neighbor who has no blood relation to her.

If you deal with Qin Huairu too much in the future, you might be sold out by her one day without even knowing it. Qin Huairu is unaware of the neighbors' current impressions of her and the gossip surrounding the Jia family.

Of course.

Even if I knew, it wouldn't matter.

Because Qin Huai's mind is entirely focused on raising money for Bang Geng's fine at this moment.

As soon as Xiao Zhang left the courtyard with two hundred yuan, Qin Huairu went straight to Yi Zhonghai's house, or more accurately, her house.

After all, Yi Zhonghai and she are still legally married.

Upon entering, I saw Yi Zhonghai sitting in a chair with a serious expression.
Qin Huairu didn't bother to consider why Yi Zhonghai had that expression, and directly asked, "Old Yi..."

"Has everything been settled regarding mortgaging the house to borrow money?"

"Now all that's missing is your 1,600 yuan."

"If there are no problems, give me the money now and go pay the fine to Bang Geng..."

When Yi Zhonghai, a shrewd and calculating man, heard Qin Huairu ask him for money as soon as she entered the door, without mentioning that Kuihua had run away from home that day and hadn't registered her marriage with anyone, even he had to admire Qin Huairu's composure.

Despite his admiration, Yi Zhonghai showed no intention of responding.

This morning he did leave the courtyard house, but instead of borrowing money from his former coworkers, he went to the Civil Affairs Bureau and watched Kuihua and Qin Huairu from afar, praying that they would fail to get their marriage certificate there.

Perhaps it was because his prayers worked, but for the first time God was on his side.

Not only did the accident happen when Kuihua went to get her marriage certificate today, but both she and her daughter were also taken away by the police.

Yi Zhonghai was completely relieved and returned to the courtyard house only after he saw Kuihua buy a train ticket and enter the train station.

In Yi Zhonghai's view, with Kuihua gone, Qin Huairu's plan to raise funds for the fine by marrying off his daughter was ruined.

Without the promised dowry of 800 yuan, Qin Huairu couldn't scrape together 1,500 yuan.

Yesterday, I told her that as long as Qin Huairu raised 1,500 yuan, I would give him the remaining 1,600 yuan, and then the secret that I no longer owned any property would be revealed.

If Qin Huairu can't raise 1,500 yuan, he has a reason to refuse to take out the remaining 1,600 yuan, and his secret about selling the house can remain a secret forever.

Facing Qin Huairu, who was putting on a brave face, Yi Zhonghai, who had been somewhat flustered last night, appeared unusually calm today.

Meeting Qin Huairu's expectant gaze, he asked seriously, "Huairu..."

"Have you raised the promised 1,500 yuan?"

"Once I've raised the money, I'll give you the 1,600 yuan I borrowed today by mortgaging the house..."

“But if you haven’t raised the full amount, giving you 1,600 yuan won’t help. You might as well return the 1,600 yuan to them tomorrow.”

"This is no small amount of money; what if it gets lost..."

"The house we live in now might be gone..."

Faced with Yi Zhonghai's question, Qin Huairu tried to remain calm, but she still felt a little flustered.

In order to get the 1,600 yuan from Yi Zhonghai, she decided to lie and answered confidently, "I've already raised the 1,500 yuan..."

"Give me 1,600 yuan, and I can go pay the fine for Bang Geng right now..." (End of Chapter)