Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 710 Jia Zhangshi's release from prison: Who gave you the courage?

Not a few days.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Zhang Cuihua, you can leave now!"

Just as she was taking a nap, Jia Zhangshi was suddenly woken up by the police officers guarding her.

"Hey hey~" Hearing that she could go out, Jia Zhangshi hurriedly got up, wiped her face, and immediately followed.

"Hey sis, are you going out?"

"Big sister, when are you coming back?"

"Sister, let's get together after we go out, shall we?"

When Jia Zhangshi's detention ended, her group of "friends" in the detention cell looked at her with great reluctance.

Seeing everyone so moved to tears, Jia Zhangshi felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

Share your feelings with your girlfriends, exchange thoughts, and then wave goodbye:

"Sisters, see you after we get outside!"

"Okay! See you after we get out!"

The police officer watching from the side raised an eyebrow, also puzzled. What was it about Jia Zhangshi that made so many people so reluctant to part with her?

After waving goodbye to everyone, Jia Zhangshi left the police station jail.

"Finally, I'm out of here!" She spat fiercely on the ground, as if to expel all the bad luck from the past few days in prison.

"Damn Qin Huairu, I'm out here and she still won't come back! Does she really think this old woman died in there?"

A flame of resentment ignited in Zhang's cloudy eyes, as both old and new grudges surged into her heart.

He cursed and swore all the way, using the most vicious words to insult Qin Huairu's ancestors, which drew the attention of the neighbors who passed by, who quickly avoided him.

Return to the yard.

"Oh, Jia Zhangshi is back?"

"When did you come back?"

The women were quite surprised to see Jia Zhangshi return; she had been released so suddenly.

However, no one went up to greet Jia Zhangshi, since she hadn't bathed for over ten days and smelled terrible.

Push open the familiar, peeling wooden door.

"I'm back!"

Suddenly, a loud crying sound came from nearby: "Ahhh—"

"Don't cry, don't cry~" Xiao Dang's comforting voice rang out immediately afterward.

When Jia Zhangshi entered the bedroom, she saw two unlucky, money-losing children. Her disgust far outweighed any feelings of kinship, and she felt even worse.

"Where's Bang Geng? Where did he go? And where's your mom?"

"Brother went to school, and Mom went to work," Xiao Dang replied, not forgetting to comfort Kuihua.

Hearing the piercing cries of the locust blossoms, Jia Zhangshi felt even more annoyed: "What are you howling about!"

She glared fiercely at Kuihua, which frightened Xiaodang so much that she quickly hugged her sister tighter and lowered her head, not daring to utter a sound.

"Gurgle, gurgle~" Her stomach growled at an inopportune moment. After touching her stomach, Jia Zhangshi went to the stove on her own initiative.

The stove was deserted; there wasn't a trace of hot food, not even a leftover.

"Hmph!" With a cold snort, Jia Zhangshi started roasting a sweet potato to tide her over before having something better for dinner.

With a bit more peace of mind, although she felt extremely uncomfortable, Jia Zhangshi's energy had recovered considerably.

Once people have eaten their fill, their shrewd and calculating minds become active.

"My mother's been locked up for so long, how's things at home?"

Madam Jia began pacing around the room, carefully examining the home she had left ten days prior.

His gaze, like a searchlight, swept over the furniture, the floor, and the walls inch by inch.

After a quick look around the house, I found it to be quite clean.

Jia Zhangshi went outside to take a look and saw that the entire wall on the east side was noticeably darker and newer than the surrounding walls.

"What's going on?!" Jia Zhangshi shouted sharply and immediately went into the house to find Xiao Dang.

"Xiao Dang, what happened to the east wall of our house? How did it change? I've only been away from home for a few days!"

Startled by her sudden roar, Xiao Dang trembled, tightening her grip on Huaihua, her voice trembling with tears:

"No, no one. The house caught fire a few days ago and the wall caught fire."

Xiao Dang didn't dare to say that Bang Geng had ordered it, after all, Bang Geng had threatened her that he wouldn't give her any treats if she told him.

She even let Jia Zhangshi beat her, but now Jia Zhangshi has come back.

"Fire? Fire? You son of a bitch!" Madam Jia Zhangshi didn't believe it at all. "Are you kidding me? Who would suddenly have a fire for no reason? Are you kidding me!"

"No, no, it's true, everyone knows. The police came too, and they said it was an accidental fire."

"Everyone knows? The police were here? An accidental fire? How is that possible!"

With these words put together, how could Jia Zhangshi possibly believe it? On the contrary, she felt that Jia Zhangshi must have offended someone outside, which was why she was taking revenge on the Jia family.

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable she became: "No! This can't be left like this! Our house has been set on fire, someone's going to burn to death! Is the police station going to do anything about it? If they don't, I'll sue them!"

She slammed her hand on the dented table, her voice sharp and menacing. "Tell me, Xiao Dang! Did someone order this on purpose? Tell me!"

Xiao Dang just shook her head desperately, tears streaming down her face.

"Useless! Just like your useless mother! You can't be relied on at all!" Jia Zhangshi cursed angrily when she couldn't get any answers from her.

We'll interrogate her properly when Qin Huairu comes back; she'll definitely know the inside story! This family has definitely been ruined by Qin Huairu!
After her anger subsided slightly, Jia Zhangshi suddenly realized that if the wall caught fire, then the money she had hidden at the base of the wall must be gone.
"Oh no!" Madam Jia's expression changed instantly, and she rushed to the corner of the wall in three quick steps.

Seeing that the hiding place for the money in the corner of the wall showed no signs of being disturbed, I immediately felt relieved.

"Thank goodness, I'm alright."

Having not seen it for a long time, Jia Zhangshi couldn't tell whether it had been disturbed.

"Something's not right!" Jia Zhangshi suddenly noticed that the corner was spotless; where did all the dust go?

Qin Huairu, that lazy woman, doesn't even want to do housework, so why would she think about cleaning?

Jia Zhangshi looked around the entire house, and not just this place, but every corner of the house, big and small, had been cleaned.

Even those hidden corners that rats usually avoid have been cleaned up?!
"Oh no! My money!"

"Did Qin Huairu rummage through my house while I was away?" Jia Zhangshi immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Immediately, Jia Zhangshi went to find her hidden money.

But you'll notice Xiao Dang staring straight at her: "Xiao Dang, get out! Get out!"

Jia Zhangshi hurried Xiao Dang out the door, and then slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

"It's all over! My money!!" Jia Zhangshi screamed in despair, then quickly covered her mouth, afraid that someone would hear her.

Using both hands and feet, he immediately went to check where he had hidden his money.

Above the door frame of the outer room, a half-rotten wooden beam was deliberately protruded, with a small section hollowed out.

Jia Zhangshi moved a stool over, ignoring the pain in her old arms and legs, and desperately groped around on it.

My finger touched a small, hard, rough oil paper package!

"It's still here!"

Jia Zhangshi quickly grabbed it, patted off the dust, and then carefully unfolded it layer by layer—revealing several rolls of bills of various sizes, including the "Big Black Ten," tightly bound with rubber bands.

"Phew~" Madam Jia let out a heavy sigh, her body slowly slumping into the stool, her back feeling icy cold. "Thank God, thank God, thank goodness, everyone's still here."

Madam Jia couldn't help but feel a little relieved, and the smugness of surviving the ordeal immediately turned into contempt for Qin Huairu.

"Hmph, Qin Huairu, you think you can find my money by sweeping the house? You think I'm a pushover?"

"With your meager skills, you think you can outsmart me? Useless! Fool! You're wasting your time!"

"Hahaha~" Madam Jia laughed loudly, mocking Qin Huairu's incompetence.

"Trying to steal my money? Keep dreaming! Nobody's going to take a single penny from me!"

Jia Zhangshi carefully hid the money back where it was, concealing the traces, and a truly satisfied smile appeared on her face, the first one she had shown since her release from prison.

"If we can't even find this, there's no way we can find the rest!"

Madam Jia Zhang went to check the remaining hiding places with great pride, and as expected, they were all intact and had not been discovered.

After confirming that all her money was intact, Jia Zhangshi felt completely relieved. She took her bath tickets and clothes and went to the bathhouse to take a bath.

We need to treat ourselves to a good meal to welcome him back.

The steel rolling mill is closing time.

At this very moment, Jia Zhangshi was lying on the bed, legs crossed, waiting for Qin Huairu to return.

As soon as she gets back, I'll immediately interrogate her about how the fire started. I need to teach my mother-in-law a lesson! I'll let this woman know who's really in charge in this family!

Before long, the neighbors returned one after another, and Qin Huairu's footsteps grew louder as they approached.

"mom!"

"Little Dang, were you good today?"

"Hmm~" Xiao Dang nodded, then pointed to the kang (a heated brick bed).

"what happened?"

Qin Huairu walked towards the bedroom and saw Jia Zhangshi.

"Mom, why are you back?"

Madam Jia slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "What? This is my home, why can't I come back! Qin Huairu, are you trying to kick me out?!"

"You heartless bastard! I came out today, how dare you not come to pick me up?"

Jia Zhangshi immediately launched an attack, her voice sharp and shrill, intending to start with the "great filial impiety" of not picking her up from prison.

Qin Huairu's face grew darker and darker as she listened. She had just come home from work exhausted and still had to endure Jia Zhangshi's nagging.

The most important thing isn't that. Could it be that after spending a few days in jail, Jia Zhangshi has lost her sense of who the master of this house is?
In an instant, Qin Huairu's eyes sharpened like knives, piercing straight at Jia Zhangshi:

"Mom!" The tone was cold and harsh.

The curse that Jia Zhangshi was about to utter was instantly choked up.

"What's wrong? You've had it easy in jail, and now that you're out, you've forgotten who you are? Don't you know where you stand now?"

Jia Zhangshi was so intimidated by Qin Huairu's sudden aura that she choked on her words, "What position do I hold? I am your mother-in-law." The words stuck in her throat and she couldn't utter them.

She had a bad feeling!

"Mom! Do you think that once you're out, life will go back to the way it was before, that you can do whatever you want without thinking things through?"

"I," Jia Zhangshi wanted to refute, but looking into Qin Huairu's cold eyes, a chill rose from the soles of her feet.

That look in his eyes is more frightening than any prison guard's.

Suddenly, Qin Huairu chuckled: "Fine, if you want to make trouble, then make trouble. I'll just take the three kids with me and give you room to live out your days alone!"

In an instant, Jia Zhangshi remembered everything.

This household isn't run by her; it's Qin Huairu's absolute authority.

"No!" Without saying a word, Madam Jia knelt down with a thud and grabbed Qin Huairu's hand.

"Daughter-in-law, Mom was wrong. I shouldn't have treated you like that. Please forgive me!"

Seeing Jia Zhangshi's humble and apologetic manner, Qin Huairu couldn't help but nod in approval. This was the kind of person Jia Zhangshi should be.

They've gone too far! Do they really think that just because they spent a few days in jail they're some kind of big shot?

Qin Huairu remained unmoved, even waving her hand to break free: "Wrong? What's wrong with me?"

"Mom was wrong in everything, it was all my fault, Mom apologizes, I'm sorry!" Jia Zhangshi cried and begged.

Qin Huairu watched expressionlessly, and when Jia Zhangshi's wailing subsided slightly, she imitated Guo Da Piezi's commanding tone:
"It's good you're back. You haven't forgotten what we agreed on last month, have you? To paste matchboxes."

Qin Huairu pointed to the pile of matchbox raw materials in the corner, a total of 1000.

He had just finished assigning tasks to Jia Zhangshi when the next day he started causing trouble for the Bai family and got himself arrested. He really thought that once he was in jail, he wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore.

Or do you think she'd help paste the matchboxes back together? Dream on!
"You still have 1000 to finish before you go to jail, and another 2 are waiting this month. They have to be submitted by the end of the month. If you're short even one, you'll be sleeping on the streets!"

"What!? "Twenty thousand or so?" Jia Zhangshi was struck dumb, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets, her mouth was agape enough to fit an egg, and all the color drained from her face.

"No, no! Huai Ru, look at me, I just got out. This old body of mine, I didn't eat or sleep well in there, could I... could I take a break? Less food, or... forget it?"

Jia Zhangshi forced a smile that looked more like a grimace as she tried to bargain.

"No!" Qin Huairu said firmly, "When you were causing trouble, did you ever think about how tired you were? It's too late! You have to do this job whether you like it or not."

"You don't want to? Fine! Go sleep on the streets! Or I'll take the three kids and leave the Jia family. You choose one?"

Immediately, Jia Zhangshi was completely deflated.

Jia Zhangshi suddenly found a loophole: "Wait, isn't it supposed to be 1? How did it become 2?"

"Hmm!" Qin Huairu glared down at Jia Zhangshi, frightening her into silence.

"Enough with the nonsense, do you not want the job?"

"No, no, I'll do it, I'll do it right away," Jia Zhangshi said meekly, her voice barely audible.

Seeing this, Qin Huairu nodded in satisfaction. So this guy's trying to bully her?

"I'm hungry, hurry up and cook! Did you think I'd have to wait on you since you got back?!"

"No it's not"

"Hurry up and cook! Go now!" Qin Huairu suddenly roared, her voice so loud it shook the heavens, startling everyone in the courtyard.

"My God, what's going on with the Jia family?"

"What's wrong with Madam Jia? She's come back and immediately provoked Qin Huairu. Is she tired of living?"

Forget about cooking, everyone rushed off to see what was going on.

Startled, Jia Zhangshi scrambled to the stove to cook, leaving the others no chance to join in the commotion.

Dinner was ready in no time.

Madam Jia watched Qin Huairu eat, afraid that she would be dissatisfied, but fortunately she did not cause any trouble.

On the contrary, while Jia Zhangshi was picking at the little food in her bowl, her eyes kept drifting uncontrollably to the pile of matchboxes in the corner.

After 1000, there are still 2 to be done. When will this ever end?
Qin Huairu finished eating quickly, then slammed her bowl and chopsticks down with a soft "thud".

The sound startled Jia Zhangshi, making her shudder again.

"Have you finished eating? If you have, get to work right away! Don't waste any time! If you're short even one matchbox, you'll have to sleep on the street all day. And don't forget you still have to pay 2 yuan for food this month!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi didn't even bother to eat and immediately started washing the dishes.

After washing, he picked up the paste brush and began to skillfully apply it.

Qin Huairu watched Jia Zhangshi calmly as she did so, but inwardly she was constantly sneering.

"That's it? You think you can fight me? How dare you!"

(End of this chapter)