Two weeks passed just like that, and another picturesque, sunny afternoon arrived. The house was finally renovated, much faster than Zhou Junfeng had imagined.
The floors were exceptionally level and smooth, the furniture and appliances were all brand new, the wardrobe doors were carved with intricate patterns, and the walls were freshly whitewashed. The entire place looked spacious and bright.
"Engineer Zhou, are you satisfied with this? Pots, pans, and basins have all been prepared for you. I've hooked up the running water for you here, and the toilet is all set up, too. From now on, you and your wife won't even have to leave the house to wash up," Master Zhao asked.
"I'm satisfied, extremely satisfied. Master Zhao, you're free tomorrow noon, right? I'd like to treat you and your crew to a meal at the canteen's private dining room."
Zhou Junfeng was genuinely pleased; when the second younger brother got married in the future, he would have it renovated just like this.
Ever since moving into the new home, Zhou Junfeng finally felt liberated. No more crowding at the public restrooms, no more waiting in line just to wash up, and eating, drinking, doing business, and sleeping could all be handled right inside the house. Perfection.
"Brother Jun, the house is all renovated. I'd like to invite my family from back home to come and see our new place."
Life in the city had been wonderful for Qin Jingru in every possible way, except that she hadn't heard any flattery or adulation for quite a while.
"That's only right. Now that the house is finished, we should definitely invite your parents over to stay for a few days."
Early the next morning, Qin Jingru rode a bicycle all by herself back to Qin Family Village.
Right at the entrance of the village, she ran into her younger brother, Qin Jianjun. Qin Jianjun didn't recognize her at first; he only thought this young woman looked somewhat like his older sister.
Qin Jianjun's younger brother, Qin Jianguo, looked closer and more familiar—this was none other than Sister Jingru!
"Older brother, look, it's Sister Jingru! Sister Jingru is back!"
Qin Jianjun and Qin Jianguo immediately rushed over. "Sister Jingru, it really is you! I was just wondering why you looked so much like her. Sister Jingru, you've changed so much! And these clothes are gorgeous—are these what fairies wear?"
Qin Jingru was already well-prepared for her younger brothers' flattery. She pulled a few White Rabbit creamy candies out of her pocket. "Jianguo, Jianjun, you two have been working hard."
"Thank you, Sister! Sister Jingru is the best!"
"Well, duh! Of course Sister Jingru is the best. Can a fairy possibly not be good?!" Qin Jianguo shot Qin Jianjun a side-eye.
Delighted, Qin Jingru handed a few more White Rabbit creamy candies to her younger cousin.
Qin Jianjun: *What a bootlicker.*
Along the entire way, Qin Jingru basked in the envious gazes of everyone around her, holding her head high like a proud white swan.
Knowing that her daughter was coming back, Li Cuihua was already waiting at the courtyard gate. Suddenly, a young woman in gorgeous clothes entered her field of vision, and Li Cuihua couldn't help covering her mouth in disbelief that this could possibly be her country bumpkin of a daughter.
"Mom, I'm back."
Qin Jingru stood right in front of Li Cuihua and waved her right hand back and forth before her eyes. Tears streaming down her face, Li Cuihua said, "As long as you're back safely, that's what matters. Seeing you doing so well puts my mind completely at ease."
During the period when Qin Jingru went back with Zhou Junfeng, the couple hadn't been without worry—how could a young man with such wonderful conditions be willing to marry Jingru? How was that any different from a pie falling straight out of the sky? Now that she was back and they could see for themselves, Jingru truly had been blessed with great fortune.
"Mom, it wasn't until I moved into the city that I realized how difficult things are for my older cousin's family. It's unbelievable—a family of five crammed into a single room. I used to envy my cousin, but their whole family relies entirely on my older cousin's 27.5 yuan salary to get by, and she constantly gets chewed out by that old hag of a mother-in-law."
"But my older cousin isn't any good either. Brother Jun was allocated a house, yet my older cousin still tried to snatch it away from us. She totally deserves the miserable life her family has."
Li Cuihua was utterly shocked by Qin Jingru. Huairu tried to snatch her son-in-law's house? What on earth was going on?
Then Qin Jingru started chattering away, recounting all the big and small events in the courtyard—from First Uncle to Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Shazhu... on and on she went, disparaging everyone else's families while singing the praises of Zhou Junfeng.
By this time, the courtyard gate was no longer just surrounded by Li Cuihua; a crowd had formed, some people eager to congratulate Qin Jingru on finding a wealthy city man, while others brought their own daughters along to beg for matchmaking introductions.
"You probably won't believe me even if I tell you. Have you ever seen two thousand yuan? The family fortune on my husband's side is well over two thousand! My husband's salary is 106 yuan a month, and my salary is 37.5 yuan. Forget about Qin Family Village—there aren't even a handful of families in the entire Sijiu City living better than mine."
"My husband was worried I'd be bored at home, so he arranged a job for me at the Sub-district Office. You know what the Sub-district Office is, right? I'm an official right there at the Sub-district Office, handling neighborly disputes. Whenever anyone in the neighborhood has any trouble, they all come looking for me to help mediate."
Qin Jingru took a sip of water and prepared for a brand-new round of her speech.
"Jingru, what exactly is mediating neighborhood disputes?"
A certain auntie asked.
"You wouldn't understand something like that. Just to give you an example, if you and your son and daughter-in-law have a conflict, I'm the person who steps in to settle it. Whoever I say is in the wrong is in the wrong! I've only been on the job for half a month, and I've already mediated dozens of disputes. There's not a single person who doesn't adore me." Qin Jingru crossed her legs and said smugly.
"Jingru, since you're quite an official now, my Gouwa has been clever since he was a little boy—can you help arrange a job for him?"
"Auntie, just listen to yourself! How can you even say something like that? I'm a fine comrade serving the people—are you asking me to pull strings through the back door? How could I ever do a thing like that!"
"Didn't you get your own job through your husband's back door?! If you could do it, why can't my Gouwa? Gouwa has been clever since he was a child!"
"If he's so clever, he can go find a job himself. Don't come looking for me."
Qin Jingru retorted sharply.
The auntie: ……
"Do you have any idea how many rooms we have? My older cousin's family of five shares a single room, but our family of five has six rooms—a full six rooms! My husband had the new house renovated across two levels, and we even have running water inside the house. The latrine is installed right indoors, so in the winter we don't have to freeze our hands or our bottoms anymore!"
"The two of us in our household bring in 150 yuan a month, and we have more meat to eat every day than we can finish. My husband's younger brother and younger sister are so sensible—whenever they get anything delicious, they always think of me as their sister-in-law, and whenever there's any disagreement between me and his family, they always take my side."
"Since your family's life is so good, why don't you help out your older cousin's family?"
Qin Huairu's mother, Aunt Qin, asked.
"You rescue people from immediate peril, not from perpetual poverty. Helping is a favor, but not helping is entirely within my rights! I'm already a married woman now, and whatever my husband says goes—I can't create a rift between my own husband and myself just to prop up my older cousin. Besides, who says I haven't helped my older cousin? Last time my older cousin came to our house asking for meat, my husband gave her two whole pieces! Back when my father-in-law was still alive, every single time we had meat, my older cousin would come begging for it. When was there ever a time we didn't give her any?"
"In this day and age, whose life is easy? Most people only see meat a few times a year, yet every single time, my older cousin comes over to ask for it. It's only because we're family that nobody made a fuss; if it were anyone else, they would have been beaten right out the door."
"Aunt, you really ought to talk some sense into your own daughter. Giving her a piece or two of meat out of regard for our family ties is one thing, but having the nerve to ask for a house as well? I almost didn't have the face to look my husband in the eye."
Mother Qin thought: *How utterly humiliating! How are the elders of this branch supposed to hold our heads up in public ever again?*
Uncle Qin pulled a long, dark face and dragged Mother Qin away right then and there. Li Cuihua nudged her daughter with her elbow, signaling that enough was enough; if she kept going, neither family would have any dignity left.
Qin Jingru let out a huff. She hadn't even shared the truly nasty details yet. If the Jia Family dared to provoke her again, she would go right back to the village and air all their dirty laundry in public. They actually had the nerve to ask for her house—what on earth did their household have to do with the Jia Family? Bunch of shameless nobodies.