Siheyuan's Silly Pillar has been replaced by someone else

Xu Damao returned home and began unpacking. When he opened the refrigerator and saw what was inside, he immediately felt a headache coming on.

He'll be in Hong Kong for at least a month this time. Most of the food in the refrigerator needs to be disposed of.

After thinking it over, he decided that these things could only be given to Chu Yurong. There weren't many people in the courtyard who were close to Xu Damao.

In the front yard, Li Dagen's family lives with Yu Li, who runs a restaurant. The business is doing quite well, so they don't need these things.

Miao Jianye and Wu Tiezhu's families were in similar situations; both of them worked outside and rarely ate at home.

That leaves only the Hu family.

As for the others, Xu Damao would rather throw them away than give them to them.

At the Intermediate Court, Qin Huairu waited until 11 p.m. before Ma Hua returned.

“MCA, wait a minute, I have something to tell you.”

With Qin Huairu blocking his path, Ma Hua had no choice but to stop.

What's wrong?

Qin Huairu smiled and said, "It's nothing else. Isn't it because Bang Geng is getting married?"
I'm here to deliver your invitation.

Ma Hua hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the invitation.

He lives in this courtyard and doesn't have many conflicts with his neighbors, so he has to consider neighborly relations to some extent.

Furthermore, he was too lazy to argue with Qin Huairu over a small amount of money.

"Alright, give it to me. I might not be able to make it to the wedding, but you won't be shortchanged on your wedding gift."

After saying that, he wanted to leave.

Qin Huairu's purpose is not that simple. Sending invitations to the MCA is only the smallest part of her objective.

"Don't go yet. I have something else I'd like to ask you for help with."

Ma Hua asked impatiently, "What is it?"

"Well, you know our family situation. Banggeng is getting married, and I don't have the money right now. Could you lend me some?"

Qin Huai said somewhat embarrassedly. Of course, her embarrassment was feigned.

Ma Hua refused outright. Before moving into the courtyard house, He Yuzhu had told him about Qin Huairu's personality.

This is a system where money only goes in and never comes out.

Once the money is given to Qin Huairu, don't expect it back.

“My brother needed money, so I lent him all my money.”

Qin Huairu didn't believe her and looked at Ma Hua with a wronged expression: "Ma Hua, can't you help Sister Bang?"

"Ma Hua, what are you doing? Why aren't you coming home?" Meng Na heard the commotion outside and spoke up to help Ma Hua out of the predicament.

"I'm here," Ma Hua replied, then walked around Qin Huairu and headed home.

Qin Huairu knew that the purpose of borrowing money could not be achieved, so he changed his excuse.

"If you don't want to lend me money, then forget it. But could you come and help cook some dishes on Bang Geng's wedding day?"

Ma Hua refused again: "Qin Huairu, I have to work that day, I don't have time."

Besides, do you even know how much I earn in a day?

Yi Zhonghai stood up angrily: "Ma Hua, do you have any conscience at all?"

We're all neighbors, shouldn't we help each other out?
How could you be so selfish?

Ma Hua spat and said, "If you're not selfish, then you'll pay for Qin Huairu's money."

"Since you know I'm paying, I asked my master for leave to come and help Qin Huairu cook."

"You're completely unreasonable."

Asking Yi Zhonghai to pay money to the MCA would be tantamount to killing him. His reluctance to spend the money is one reason, but more importantly, he doesn't want to violate his principles.

His principle was that people in the hospital should help each other.

How can I pay someone else to help me?

If he pays for Ma Hua to cook, then on his wedding day, will he also pay for Yan Bugui to keep track of the expenses, and will he pay for Liu Haizhong to officiate...?

What meaning would that have for him?

Qin Huairu knew long ago that this idea was unrealistic. Even the head chef of Yan Jiecheng's restaurant, let alone a master chef like Ma Hua, wouldn't take on private jobs.

“MCA, if you don’t want to, then fine. Just give this invitation to Zhu Zi.”

Knowing that she shouldn't call He Yuzhu by his nickname in front of MCA, Qin Huairu changed her address beforehand.

Ma Hua once again decisively refused: "My master has long since cut ties with you. Don't bother trying."

He was too lazy to argue with Qin Huairu and went straight home.

Yi Zhonghai was trembling with anger, wishing he could go up and teach MCA a lesson.

"How can there be such an unfilial person in the world?"

Qin Huairu held He Yuzhu's invitation in her hand and reluctantly returned to the table to sit down.

Before this, she never imagined that she would suffer a series of setbacks and be unable to even send out invitations.

When Meng Na saw Ma Hua enter the room, she said, "What are you saying to them? Aren't you afraid your master will scold you if he finds out?"

MCA quickly explained, "I was just thinking that if there's one less thing to do, then there's one less thing to do."

Anyway, the amount of money given as a gift wasn't much, so it's gone.

The couple earns a lot now, so they really don't care about that little bit of money for a wedding gift.

Mengna isn't a stingy person. She wouldn't hesitate to spend a little money to bring peace and quiet to her home.

"That's true, consider it charity given to a beggar. I don't want to stay in this courtyard for another day."

I really don't know how my master has managed to live in that courtyard for decades.

Ma Hua said with admiration, "Only my master could do something like this. Anyone else would have been ripped off by them long ago."

My master has lived in this courtyard for over thirty years, and they've never taken advantage of him even once.

Having lived in this courtyard for several years, Meng Na was shocked by He Yuzhu's actions.

It's truly not easy to consistently refuse to let anyone take advantage of you for decades.

"I know your master is powerful, alright? Remember this: no matter what they say, you must not accept Qin Huairu's invitation."

Ma Hua said, "I understand. Ask Aunt Li tomorrow how much they should give as a gift, and then give them the money."

We won't participate.

Meng Na said, "Okay, I'll ask Chen Xiaofang tomorrow."

Ma Hua quickly stopped her: "Don't go and ask. The Wu family, like my master, won't contribute any money."

"You've forgotten what happened between Qin Huairu and Wu Tiezhu back then..."

Meng Na thought about it and realized she was right. She really shouldn't have brought this up with Chen Xiaofang.

"Thanks for reminding me."

Outside, Qin Huairu remained silent for a while before finally going to rest.

But she didn't give up.

The more He Yuzhu tried to avoid her, the less she could let him have his way.

She was indignant; why wasn't He Yuzhu helping him?

"Zhonghai, don't be angry. Let's go and rest."

After Yi Zhonghai agreed to pay for Bang Geng's wedding, Qin Huairu moved into Yi Zhonghai's house again.

Just like when Sha Zhu promised to pay for Bang Geng's wedding, Qin Huai moved into Sha Zhu's house to sleep.

She treated these things as a favor. She only rewarded her sycophants when they performed meritorious service.

Yi Zhonghai was equally unwilling, gritting his teeth as he said, "Huai Ru, we can't let this go. If they won't send it to Sha Zhu, we'll just send the invitation directly to the Chaoyang Hotel."

Qin Huairu actually thought the same thing, and in order to please Yi Zhonghai, she said, "I'll listen to you. We'll go to Chaoyang Hotel tomorrow."

Yi Zhonghai was satisfied and went back to his room to rest. As for Qin Huairu, who followed him to bed, he made room for her.

Let's just forget about the rest.

At his age, he's long lost interest in that. To live a few more years and recoup his past sacrifices, he needs to stay away from temptation.

He Yuzhu knew about Bang Geng's blind date that day, but he was unaware that Qin Huairu was plotting against him using her own son's marriage. (End of Chapter)