After Qin Tianfu and Li Cuihua arrived, Qin Jingru made an extra effort to show off in front of her family. She sat by the wash basin and vigorously scrubbed the clothes of the entire Zhou family—apart from what the four of them were wearing, all their other belongings were right there in the tub.
A whole basinful of clothes left Qin Huairu with no room to do her own laundry, and she missed her window of opportunity to get her lunch boxes right away. Seeing their cousin working so hard, the two Qin sisters also joined in the laundry crew.
The neighborhood matrons in the courtyard were quite pleased at the sight. Although the Qin girls were from the countryside, from Qin Huairu to Qin Jingru, and even the two younger ones, there was no faulting their diligence. A proper wife ought to be like that; she couldn't just eat and sleep all day, but needed to keep the household running in an orderly fashion. With both of the Zhou parents gone, Qin Jingru, as the eldest daughter-in-law, had to take care of the whole family.
Qin Qianru's inner thought: What if I wash my way into catching a wealthy golden bachelor!
Qin Yunru: Since her older sisters were both doing laundry, she couldn't just sit around idle either.
Zhou Junfeng: ...Really, there's no need for all that...
Just at that moment, Comrade He Yuzhu made a dazzling entrance!
After finishing his shift at the rolling mill, Shazhu came back and failed to see his dear Sister Qin. Just as he was about to head over to the Jia family, he passed by the wash basin and caught sight of a figure that instantly rooted him to the spot.
How could this girl look "exactly like" Sister Qin in her youth, and perhaps even prettier?
Qin Qianru sensed He Yuzhu's gaze, wiped the sweat from her brow, and raised her head to look at him.
(He Yuzhu: A lotus rising from the water, naturally beautiful without any artificial adornment. Oh no, Cupid's arrow has just struck me.)
Qin Qianru's inner thought: This uncle must be around forty, and his son is probably about my age. He's holding two lunch boxes in his hand, and even though the lids aren't open yet, she could already smell the aroma of meat—his family's financial situation should be pretty decent.
Qin Jingru frowned. Watching Shazhu's lecherous expression, her eyes practically popping out of her head, she snapped, "Shazhu, what are you staring at my cousin for? Keep looking and do you want those eyes of yours plucked out?"
"Jingru, is this your cousin? That means she's Sister Qin's cousin too."
"Go find your Sister Qin and stop blocking the way here, you're getting in the way of my laundry," Qin Jingru said with displeasure.
"Hello, little sister, my name is He Yuzhu. I'm also a resident of this courtyard; the middle courtyard's main wing belongs to my He family, and we have two rooms. I'm a head chef at the rolling mill, in charge of cooking special dishes, making 37.5 a month. I also have a younger sister at home, but she's already married..." Ignoring her completely, He Yuzhu blabbered on and spilled all his family background.
Qin Jingru: "Shazhu, why are you talking so much nonsense? Can't you see we're doing laundry, or do you want to wash them for us?"
Qin Qianru glanced at He Yuzhu. So this was the foolish cook Sister Jingru had mentioned, the one who always gave Sister Huairu food from his lunch boxes. He looked a bit old for his age—he was in his early thirties but looked nearly forty. Compared to Zhou Junfeng, Shazhu's prospects were rather ordinary. She'd better wait and see.
Qin Qianru exchanged a brief greeting with Shazhu and called him "Brother Zhuzi," which completely infatuated him.
When Qin Huairu came out and saw Shazhu lingering around Qin Qianru and obsequiously helping her wash clothes, her internal radar went off wildly: "Shazhu, get over here, Sister Qin needs you for something."
He Yuzhu's inner thought: Sister Qianru called him Brother Zhuzi, while Sister Qin called him Shazhu. Comparing the two, the scales tipped entirely in Qin Qianru's favor.
"Shazhu," Qin Huairu called out again impatiently.
"Sister Qin, just tell me what it is. I'm helping Sister Qianru wash her clothes right now," He Yuzhu replied with dissatisfaction.
Qin Huairu: This old lecher doesn't even wash his own clothes and underwear, yet here he is washing other people's laundry.
Qin Huairu was too furious to even be hungry, and she turned right back toward the Jia family home.
Widow Zhang: Where are the lunch boxes?
Qin Huairu: I'm not hungry, I'm full of anger.
Widow Zhang and the three Banggeng siblings: We're hungry.
Zhou Junfeng watched the scene unfold, then looked at He Yuzhu, who was bustling around Qin Qianru like a busybody. He hadn't even made a move yet, and the officially predestined boat had already capsized?
Surely not?
Qin Huairu: Trying to shake me off won't be that easy...
***
Over at the Yi Family:
"Old Yi, why don't we adopt one back? There are so many orphans nowadays, and neither of us is that old yet. I have plenty of time on my hands at home, and a child you raise yourself is just like your own," First Aunt Yi said.
"Juying, your health isn't good, how exhausting would raising a child be? If you take in an older one, they won't feel attached to you. Even if they're too young to remember things, it's hard to say whether they'll be filial when they grow up. By the time they're grown, the two of us will be too old to move around—would we even get to enjoy a few days of blessing? People right here in the courtyard are folks whose roots we know inside and out," Yi Zhonghai sighed.
"But He Daqing is still alive! What if he comes back one day—will Shazhu still take care of us? We aren't his real parents, nor do we have that master-apprentice bond like Dongxu had."
"Besides, Shazhu has never once mentioned providing for our old age. He's already thirty and doesn't even have a partner; he can't even take care of himself, let alone us," First Aunt Yi said.
"Dongxu is gone, but Huairu is still here. We've been so good to the Jia family, even lending them the side room. Huairu will treat us just like you treat the Old Lady."
"Unreliable as Shazhu may be, he's kind-hearted. After Dongxu passed away, I asked him to help out the Jia family, and without a second word, he's been helping for all these years."
"The Old Lady asked me to find him a match. Juying, go find some local matchmakers and look for someone who resembles Huairu—make sure she's pretty, filial, and respects her elders."
Deep down, Yi Zhonghai hoped Shazhu and Qin Huairu would end up together, but he also knew Shazhu wouldn't be willing. If he were in Shazhu's shoes, he wouldn't want a widow with three children either.
Since that was the case, he would find someone he could control, so he wouldn't have to worry about his old age—a double guarantee.
***
"Tianfu, the reason Qianru came to the city this time is also because your second brother hopes her prospective husband can help her find someone in the city. But isn't Comrade He Yuzhu a bit too old? Qianru is even a few months younger than Jingru."
"And besides, hearing Jingru talk about how Dongxu is gone and all the Jia family's lunch boxes come from He Yuzhu... with him and Huairu getting so close, could there be something wrong between them?"
When Qin Jingru had vented earlier, she hadn't spelled it out directly, but unlike Qin Tianfu, Li Cuihua was a woman with a very strong sixth sense.
"How can you talk such nonsense? The man is just doing a good deed, and look what it turns into in your mouth. Do you have any shame slandering your own niece like that? If the two of them really had something going on, Huairu isn't forbidden from remarrying—how many times have my older brother and sister-in-law tried to persuade her?" Qin Tianfu scolded.
Li Cuihua thought about it and decided it made sense. Huairu was a widow with three children, and He Yuzhu was more than a match for her. If the two of them really had that intention, could anything stop them from getting together? If Qin Huairu truly wanted to remarry, Widow Zhang couldn't stop her either.
Qin Huairu: More than a match? How on earth is Shazhu good enough for her?
"Don't go spreading blind rumors about this. A husband like that is rare. Comrade He Yuzhu is a city local and a head chef besides—whether he'd even take a fancy to Qianru is another question, so stop believing every shadow you see in the wind."
"Even if the two of them are genuinely willing to date, they'd still need my second brother and sister-in-law's approval. What are you even worrying about here? What business of yours is it whether he's old or not?" Qin Tianfu retorted speechlessly.
Li Cuihua: Fine, blame her for meddling, she wouldn't get involved anymore!