Chapter 54: Silly Zhu Loses Heart, Qin Jingru Comes Calling

The turmoil in the household of the Third Master, Yan Bugui, did not last long within the courtyard.

Fear is far more effective at silencing people than sympathy.

When everyone realized that Yan Bugui’s downfall was a direct result of Chen Mo’s thunderous tactics, a strange and eerie calm descended upon the courtyard.

No one dared to discuss the matter openly anymore, yet a heavy stone pressed against everyone’s chest.

People began to walk on tiptoe, lowering their voices by an octave, terrified that a single careless move might incur the wrath of this newly emerged underworld judge.

Silly Zhu watched all of this unfold.

He sat on his own doorstep, taking one gloomy sip of liquor after another.

The fiery burn of the Erguotou liquor traveled straight from his throat down to his stomach, yet it failed to dispel even a fraction of the coldness and confusion in his heart.

He had witnessed Yan Bugui’s fate. A cunning old fox who was usually obsessed with petty calculations had, merely because of a moment of crooked intent, fallen within a single day from a respected schoolteacher into a criminal under investigation by the disciplinary committee, a laughingstock abandoned by everyone.

And all of this happened simply because Chen Mo had made a phone call.

Silly Zhu thought of Qin Huairou once again. That woman whom he had adored for half his life and worshipped like a goddess had crawled under Xu Damao’s bed for fifty yuan.

Then he thought of himself. Acting like a complete fool, danced around in the palms of others, sucked dry of his blood for all these years, only to rush over to someone’s doorstep to pick a fight, only to be taken down instantly by a single needle.

The more he thought about it, the more profound his desolation became.

As it turned out, the fists he had always taken such pride in were completely worthless in this world.

As it turned out, the "brotherly loyalty" he had upheld for half his life was nothing more than a giant joke in the eyes of others.

What on earth was he?

The God of War of the Courtyard?

Bah!

He was a thorough and absolute fool! A giant fool!

Silly Zhu took a ferocious gulp of liquor, the alcohol spilling down the corners of his mouth and soaking the front of his shirt, but he did not care.

His heart was already dead.

Toward this courtyard, toward Qin Huairou, and toward life itself, he could no longer muster even a shred of enthusiasm.

Just at that moment, a timid voice sounded behind him.

"Brother Zhu..."

Silly Zhu turned his head and saw Qin Jingru standing cautiously behind him, holding a steaming bowl of noodles.

This young woman had been called over from the countryside by Qin Huairou a couple of days ago under the pretext of setting her up on a blind date with him.

Qin Jingru was reasonably attractive, with two thick braids and a fair complexion, though her brows and eyes carried an inherent rustic quality and a poorly concealed cleverness.

Silly Zhu felt nothing for her.

Right now, he felt nothing for any woman.

"What do you want?" His voice was cold and harsh, reeking heavily of alcohol.

"My... my sister saw that you hadn't eaten and asked me to cook you a bowl of noodles." Qin Jingru was startled by his fierce demeanor, but she still mustered the courage to hand the bowl over. "You've drunk so much alcohol; it's bad for your stomach. Eat something warm, and you'll feel a bit better."

Silly Zhu did not take it; he simply stared at her coldly.

That gaze made Qin Jingru's hair stand on end.

Last night, Qin Huairou had already coached her thoroughly.

"Jingru, your Brother Zhu is just a man with a cold exterior and a warm heart. He's unhappy right now, so you should be a bit more understanding. Be proactive, show him more concern, cook for him, and wash his clothes. Men, you know, they all fall for this routine. Once you win him over, you'll be a city dweller from then on, eating government-rationed grain. What a wonderful thing!"

Qin Huairou had even specifically taught her a few tricks: "When you go over, just say I sent you so he knows I still have him on my mind."

Qin Jingru remembered her older cousin's words by heart. She had come here specifically to become a city resident; although Silly Zhu looked fierce, he was, after all, the head chef of the rolling mill, earning a high salary and possessing real capability. As long as she could marry him, enduring a little grievance was worth it.

Yet right now, Silly Zhu's gaze made her somewhat afraid.

"Just put it there." Silly Zhu finally spoke, his voice entirely devoid of warmth.

"Oh, okay." Qin Jingru hastily placed the bowl of noodles on the nearby stone steps, then squatted down to start tidying up the mess of empty liquor bottles scattered around Silly Zhu's feet.

As she cleaned, she used the corner of her eye to secretly size up Silly Zhu.

Silly Zhu ignored her, continuing to drink on his own.

Qin Jingru gathered all the bottles into a dustpan, then noticed that the door to Silly Zhu's room was wide open, the interior as chaotic as a pigsty.

She bit her lip, recalling Qin Huairou's advice to "be proactive."

Thus, she stood up and said softly, "Brother Zhu, your room is too messy. I... I'll help you clean it up, shall I?"

Silly Zhu still said nothing, acting as if he hadn't heard.

Qin Jingru took this as silent permission. She walked into the room and, looking at the dirty clothes strewn across the floor, the unwashed bowls and chopsticks, and a pungent, sour odor, she almost vomited.

Still, she endured it.

She rolled up her sleeves and dove headfirst into the work.

Sweeping the floor, wiping the table, piling the dirty clothes together, and soaking the bowls and chopsticks in a basin of water.

She intentionally made a lot of noise, wanting to make Silly Zhu outside notice her diligence and virtue.

Silly Zhu indeed heard it.

The pace of his drinking slowed down.

He turned his head to look at the figure bustling about inside his room, a complex expression in his eyes.

To say he felt not the slightest ripple in his heart would be a lie.

He was a grown man who had taken care of himself all these years. When had a woman ever taken the initiative to clean his room like this?

Qin Huairou knew how to say nice things, but when had she ever lifted a finger? She only ever took things from him and bled him dry.

This Qin Jingru, though she looked a bit simple-minded, was reasonably quick and competent with her hands and feet.

For a split second, Silly Zhu's heart softened.

Perhaps... finding a woman like this to live with wouldn't be so bad after all?

At the very least, she was willing to work, unlike Qin Huairou, who was nothing more than a parasite that only sucked blood.

Just as this thought surfaced in his mind,

A sarcastic, sneering voice drifted over from the courtyard entrance.

"Well, well, well! Who could this be if not the second young lady of the Qin family?"

Xu Damao rode his flying-pigeon bicycle into the courtyard with a leisurely wobble. He spotted Qin Jingru busy inside Silly Zhu's room at a single glance, along with Silly Zhu sitting outside his doorway.

His instinct as a troublemaker instantly flared up.

He stopped his bike and intentionally raised his voice, shouting, "Silly Zhu! You've really outdone yourself! Just broke things off with Qin Huairou, and you're already hooking up with her younger sister? Are you two Qin sisters running a relay race? Do you have to bleed this foolish ox dry before you're satisfied?"

Xu Damao's words were sharp and venomous, cutting like a knife.

The neighbors in the courtyard, who had already been pricking up their ears to listen in on the commotion, all poked their heads out at once.

Qin Jingru's face flushed bright red in an instant. She stopped what she was doing and stood awkwardly in the room, at a total loss for what to do.

As for Silly Zhu's face, it instantly turned the color of a pig's liver.

Because of the incident with Qin Huairou, he already harbored a deep, bone-deep hatred for Xu Damao. And now, Xu Damao was humiliating him with this matter in front of the entire courtyard!

"Xu Damao! You grandson! You're asking for a death wish!"

Silly Zhu smashed the liquor bottle in his hand onto the ground with a loud crash, shattering it into pieces. He sprang up from the ground like an enraged bull and charged straight toward Xu Damao!

A fresh storm was on the verge of erupting in the courtyard.