Chapter Five: What Is Happening?

“Zhuzi, you explain—what’s going on today?”

He Yuzhu hurried forward at the voice, carefully helping the deaf old lady settle into her seat before speaking slowly, his tone gentle yet resolute: “Madam, here’s the situation. You know I have a soft heart and have often helped the Qin family before. But this time, I really don’t want to help anymore.”

“Why not?” The old lady asked with curiosity, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips. In truth, she had long been dissatisfied with Qin Huairu’s behavior.

He Yuzhu sighed and continued, “Look, it’s not easy for me to find a partner. Every time I start dating, it ends badly. My reputation’s nearly ruined. I figured, for the sake of the rest of my life, I have to salvage my name. If I keep associating with the Qin family, I’m afraid I’ll end up a lifelong bachelor.”

Upon hearing this, the old lady’s eyes brightened, and a pleased smile curved her mouth: “So that’s it, Zhuzi. You’ve thought it through carefully. You can’t let helping others hinder your own lifelong happiness. If I had a daughter, I wouldn’t want her to marry a man who’s always hovering around a widow, right?”

“Exactly, exactly, madam, you speak wisely,” the neighbors around chimed in one after another. The courtyard buzzed with murmurs, the atmosphere turning subtly charged.

Just then, a system voice whispered in He Yuzhu’s ear: “Ding—Congratulations, host. You have successfully thwarted the Jia family’s wish. Reward: ten jin of fresh eggs, five jin of pure milk, and seven jin of premium pork.”

He Yuzhu smiled inwardly but kept a calm expression. He cast a faint, resolute yet helpless glance at Qin Huairu’s family.

Qin Huairu’s face fluctuated between pale and flushed. She hadn’t expected her schemes to end like this and felt an unnameable fury rising, but forced herself to stay composed: “He Yuzhu, rest assured, our Jia family won’t bother you anymore. We wouldn’t want to interfere with your bright future.”

At this, Xu Damao immediately jumped out to assert his presence: “Hey, everyone, you’re changing your minds too quickly, huh? He Yuzhu is just selfish, only caring about himself and ignoring others. Qin Huairu, don’t be afraid, you still have me. I make far more money showing films than he does cooking. I have a jin of pork at home; I’ll bring it to you later.”

Jia Zhangshi’s eyes lit up instantly at this, smiling broadly as she flattered Xu Damao: “Oh Damao, I was blind before; turns out you’re the kindest soul in our courtyard.”

Xu Damao’s heart swelled with pride, feeling like the hero of the courtyard, his steps almost buoyant.

Meanwhile, He Yuzhu observed coldly from the side, silently amused: this guy was blinded by his own foolishness, giving away his own pork just to curry favor. Truly foolish.

But no matter—none of this concerned He Yuzhu. Let them be.

One day, He Yuzhu’s younger sister, He Yushui, was busy tending to her appearance.

Having just washed her hair, still damp, she picked up a heated chopstick, intending to curl her hair in a fashionable style.

As she busied herself, a sudden sharp knock startled her, causing her hand to tremble and the chopstick to clatter to the floor.

“Who is it? Such bad manners!” He Yushui muttered, displeased.

“It’s me, Yushui. I have some personal matters to discuss with you,” came Qin Huairu’s voice outside the door, warm and friendly.

At the sound of Qin’s voice, He Yushui’s face instantly brightened. She quickly rose from her chair and hurried to the door, saying as she walked, “Ah, Sister Qin, you’re here! Please, come in.”

Qin Huairu’s eyes immediately caught the chopstick carelessly lying on the floor.

She frowned slightly, then crouched to pick it up, her tone mildly reproachful: “Child, why would you just toss a chopstick on the floor? It’s so careless.”

He Yushui stuck out her tongue, a bit embarrassed: “Sister Qin, I was just playing with curling my hair. Your knock startled me, and the chopstick flew out.” She mimed the chopstick flying, making Qin Huairu chuckle.

“See how nervous you are, as if I’m some fierce monster,” Qin teased with a smile.

“No, no, Sister Qin, you misunderstand. I just wasn’t prepared,” He Yushui quickly waved her hands in explanation.

Qin Huairu shifted tone: “How about this? Let me help you curl your hair. We can chat while I work.”

She then moved to the stove in the room, warming the chopstick with fire to use for curling He Yushui’s hair.

Watching Qin Huairu’s busy figure, a ripple of emotion stirred in He Yushui’s heart.

She thought to herself: what was her foolish brother thinking? Such a good woman—how could he not cherish her?

To say the least, He Yushui’s personality was somewhat peculiar, not fond of mingling with the courtyard neighbors.

But Qin Huairu was an exception. In He Yushui’s eyes, Qin was not only hardworking and capable but also gentle and considerate—a good mother and a good woman.

It was a pity fate had been cruel, forcing her into widowhood at such a young age.

This only deepened He Yushui’s sympathy for Qin Huairu.

In the past, her foolish brother often carried food boxes in a net bag to deliver meals to Qin’s family.

Sometimes, she herself couldn’t even get a taste of the delicious food.

Yet she never complained, knowing the hardships Qin’s family endured.

The root of all this, in fact, traced back to the siblings’ childhood.

Their mother died early, and their father ran off with a widow.

Throughout He Yushui’s upbringing, her brother He Yuzhu played the role of father, while Qin Huairu had, to some extent, filled the role of mother.

Thus, in He Yushui’s heart, Qin was like a second mother, seen through a special lens.

At that moment, Qin Huairu, chopstick in hand, began curling He Yushui’s hair with practiced skill.

In no time, a beautiful curl adorned He Yushui’s head.

Looking in the mirror, she marveled, “Sister Qin, your hands are so skillful. The curls you make look much better than what I can do myself.”

Qin Huairu smiled faintly at the praise: “Our Yushui is beautiful; of course, I have to take care when curling her hair.”

Yet the smile did not last long—it gradually faded from Qin’s lips, replaced by a subtle sorrow.

She sighed and said, “Yushui, actually, I came to see you because I need your help with something.”

After hesitating for a long moment, Qin Huairu decided to be straightforward, no longer beating around the bush.