“Are you sure?” Leon asked uncertainly.
“I’m sure.
You said it.” Jia Dongxu shouted while winking at Yi Zhonghai and the others.
“Yes, yes, we all heard it.” Encouraged by Yi Zhonghai, many people joined in, enjoying the spectacle.
“All right.” Leon admitted defeat.
“But I can’t just sit here and suffer a loss.
I have a condition…” “Go ahead,” Jia Dongxu said hastily.
“Have your mother perform a soul-summoning act at the old man’s door every evening during dinner time for a week.
I’ll take care of the matter.
How about that?” Leon said with a smile.
“Leon, why are you always targeting me?!” Yi Zhonghai said angrily.
He felt genuinely aggrieved.
Although Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui had both been involved, Leon seemed determined to drag him into everything.
“What you said makes sense.” Leon tilted his head and said, “How about letting her choose freely?
Each day, she can pick one of the three uncles.” “Old Yi.” Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui’s faces both darkened.
One believed he had the potential to become a cadre, while the other considered himself a scholar.
What would it mean if someone blocked their doorway and summoned souls every evening?
“I agree!” Jia Zhangshi shouted.
“Whoever goes back on their word will have their entire family wiped out,” Leon said solemnly.
“Pfft!” Qin Huairu finally could not help laughing out loud, earning a fierce glare from Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu.
But she was no longer the Jia family’s daughter-in-law, so she rolled her eyes at the two of them, making them so angry they almost could not hold back from hitting her.
“Hey, Jia Zhangshi, say it for me… Whoever goes back on their word will have their entire family wiped out,” Leon urged.
“Whoever goes back on their word will have their entire family wiped out,” Jia Zhangshi said, emphasizing each word.
If she did not need Leon’s help, she would have rushed over and rammed him to death right then.
That little beast was far too infuriating!
“Fine.
I’ll take care of Qin Huairu’s job, but I can’t be responsible for her place to live too, can I?” Leon clicked his tongue and said, “Qin Huairu was the Jia family’s daughter-in-law for several years, so you should at least give her some money to rent a place, right?” “This…” Jia Dongxu hesitated for a moment, then carefully pulled out five yuan.
“Five yuan?
You want her to rent a house with that?” Leon asked in surprise.
“Dongxu, give her fifty.
You can’t rent a place in Beijing with five yuan.” Yi Zhonghai rarely said something fair.
Jia Dongxu glanced at Qin Huairu, gritted his teeth, took out five ten-yuan bills, and handed them to her.
“We’re even now.
I never want to see you again.” Qin Huairu took the money and immediately burst into tears.
Her mother, Li Hannie, hugged her at once and began crying as well.
“Qin Huairu, I have another idea for you.
Do you want to hear it?” Leon said with a smile.
The crowd, who had been planning to leave, immediately stopped in their tracks.
Listening to Leon speak was even more entertaining than listening to crosstalk.
“You… say it,” Qin Huairu said, her face flushed.
“Finding a place isn’t easy.
You can rent Yushui’s room for now.
She only comes back on weekends anyway.
You can just pay her rent.” Leon had barely finished speaking when Sha Zhu immediately jumped out and shouted, “Yes, yes, Sister Qin, you can stay in Yushui’s room for now.
I have the key…” “This doesn’t seem appropriate,” Qin Huairu said hesitantly.
She knew Sha Zhu had feelings for her.
She had known it since she married into the courtyard.
But she truly felt nothing for Sha Zhu.
She disliked this kind of burly man and even felt a certain aversion toward him.
“Don’t be afraid.
Sha Zhu is all talk and no action,” Leon said before quickly slipping away.
“Hahaha!” Everyone burst into laughter.
Sha Zhu’s face flushed red, and he immediately shouted, “Leon, you little brat, don’t run!
I’m going to kill you!” After handing Yushui’s room key to Qin Huairu, he chased after Leon.
Jia Dongxu gave Sha Zhu’s back a sinister look.
Although he and Qin Huairu were divorced, he still felt very uncomfortable.
Do not be fooled by his seemingly close relationship with Sha Zhu.
In truth, Jia Dongxu looked down on him and would not even give him his worn-out shoes.
If he was going to throw something away, he would rather throw it to Leon and let Sha Zhu drink the foot-washing water.
Jia Dongxu thought about it for a long time but still felt something was not quite right.
… It was already quite late.
Six people from Qin Family Village had arrived: Qin Huairu’s two older brothers, her two sisters-in-law, and her parents.
Since it was so late, they certainly could not return home, so they had to find a place to stay.
Leon was sitting in the yard, skewering beef with bamboo sticks.
Not far away, there was a simple barbecue grill and some charcoal.
Although he could not cook, he was quite good at barbecue.
In any case, he had caught plenty of seasonings, vegetables, and fruits through fishing recently.
So tonight, he was going to have barbecue.
A barbecue for one.
“Leon…” A sudden soft call made Leon turn his head.
Qin Huairu and her relatives were standing at the entrance to the courtyard.
“Hey, Sister Qin, is there something you need?” Leon asked with a smile.
“Leon, it’s too late today.
Could my parents and brothers stay here for the night?
Don’t worry, they won’t make a mess of your place, and… they can sleep on the floor.” Qin Huairu’s tone was very humble.
But Qin Shan, Qin Jianshe, and the others did not dare say anything.
After all, the salary of a college graduate alone had already frightened them.
“Hm.” Leon tilted his head and looked at them, lost in thought.
Qin Huairu and the others immediately tensed up.
She had wanted her parents to stay at a guesthouse, but they did not have letters of introduction.
“All right.” Leon nodded in agreement.
“Thank you, Leon.” Qin Huairu immediately became happy.
If her parents had not been there, she might even have wanted to kiss him.
“Have you eaten?” Leon asked.
“Not… not yet.” Qin Huairu was a little embarrassed.
She saw a large bowl of meat in front of Leon, and there were also many kinds of fruit on the table in the yard that she had never seen before.
“How about… we eat something together?” Leon invited.
Qin Huairu glanced at her two older brothers, who were swallowing hard, then blushed and agreed.
They were country people after all.
Qin Huairu’s two sisters-in-law immediately stepped forward to help, while her two brothers, Qin Jianshe(1) and Qin Jianguo(2), took brooms and began sweeping the yard.
As for Qin Shan and his wife, they used a rag to wipe Leon’s furniture.
Hiss!
As soon as they entered the house, they were stunned by the luxurious decor.
The floor was covered with wooden flooring, and an eighty-watt incandescent bulb hung from the ceiling.
A matching set of golden nanmu furniture revealed the owner’s extravagance.
In particular, the two-meter-by-two-meter bed almost scared them to death.
“Little Sister, Dr.
Cole is so rich!” Qin Jianshe exclaimed in surprise.
“Yeah, goodness… this must cost over a hundred yuan,” Qin Jianguo muttered.
The women were speechless.
They had never seen a house like this before.
“Over a hundred yuan?” Qin Huairu pursed her lips.
“The labor cost alone was four hundred, and this furniture… cost over a thousand.” Hiss!
Qin Shan felt his teeth ache.
Dr.
Cole was only in his early twenties, right?
“Huairu.” Hannie called out from the courtyard, and Qin Huairu and the others immediately ran out.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Qin Huairu asked anxiously.
She was very worried that her mother had done something wrong and offended Leon.