Сhарtеr 25: Тhe Farсе
Zhоu Junming’s mоthеr and the othеr mаn’s wife werе frantic. In thе еnd, it wаs thе twо рoliсе оfficеrs from thе governmеnt suрermаrket whо stерpеd in tо seраrаtе thе twо brаwling men.
Тhe роlice were аlreаdy оvеrwhеlmеd themselvеs and cоuldn’t bе bоthеred with suсh trivial mаtters. Aftеr рulling thе twо sidеs aрart and giving them а stеrn lесturе, they let thеm gо thеir seрarаte waуs.
Zhоu Junming ignоrеd his mother. Аftеr being reрrimanded, hе simрlу hоisted Zhао Yunqiu’s water bucket onto his shouldеr, toоk hеr hаnd, аnd hеadеd home.
This infuriаted his mоther, whо sworе on the spot that once they finished collecting water, she would go back and teach Zhao Yunqiu a lesson.
After queuing for a full two hours, Jiang Ci and Si Beichen finally received their four buckets of water.
Si Beichen went to the neighboring government supermarket and paid to rent a small trolley.
After loading the four buckets onto the trolley, the two of them pushed it back home.
When they reached the foot of their apartment building, the trolley couldn’t be pushed any further, so they had to take the stairs.
Si Beichen asked Jiang Ci to stay downstairs and watch over the trolley and the water buckets.
He then carried one bucket upstairs by himself.
After four trips up and down the stairs, Si Beichen was drenched in sweat.
Jiang Ci told him to go back and take a shower first, while she returned the trolley to the government supermarket.
Si Beichen refused, insisting that Jiang Ci go back instead and that he would return it.
In the end, they went together to return it.
On their way back after returning the trolley, Jiang Ci even ran into Li Weiwei.
Li Weiwei was nestled affectionately against a man’s chest. The man had one arm wrapped around her while pushing a shopping cart with the other. The two were chatting and laughing, just about to join the queue to collect water.
For some reason, when Li Weiwei saw Jiang Ci, she actually smiled, waved, and greeted her, saying, “Hi.”
Jiang Ci paused in her steps, still processing what had happened, when Li Weiwei and the man brushed past her and walked away.
Faintly, she could hear the man ask Li Weiwei, “Do you know her?”
“Yeah, she’s my neighbor on the same floor.”
Seeing Jiang Ci standing there in a daze, Si Beichen glanced in Li Weiwei’s direction and asked, “Do you know her?”
Jiang Ci wore an expression of utter bewilderment and confusion. “I don’t know her at all. That woman is just plain weird. I’ve only seen her maybe twice and never even spoken to her.”
She looked up at Si Beichen, puzzled. “Does seeing someone twice mean you know them? Do neighbors have to know each other?”
Si Beichen shook his head, not giving a second thought to irrelevant people. “Let’s go, let’s head home.”
Jiang Ci wasn’t short on water—she had plenty in her space—but she still had to put on a show by going to collect water. If she didn’t collect water but still had plenty to use, it might raise suspicions.
After filling the small balcony water tank, she told Si Beichen to go take a shower.
The weather was so hot that the water in the tank had been warmed by the sun, scalding hot without even needing to be boiled.
Jiang Ci had just added some cold water, so the temperature was perfect for a shower.
Si Beichen took out a basin, filled it with water, and went to shower.
The water after showering wasn’t wasted either—it could be saved for flushing the toilet.
After Si Beichen finished showering, he told Jiang Ci to take her turn.
Jiang Ci locked the bathroom door and entered her space.
She drank, showered, washed clothes, and used the toilet—all within the house in her space.
All the water resources outside were left for Si Dad, Wen Mom, and Si Beichen.
Every few days, she would refill the small balcony water tank.
The three of them clearly knew something was off about the water in the tank, but not one of them ever asked her about it.Instead, they became even more frugal with water than before.
They avoided using it whenever possible and reused it as much as they could.
It wasn’t until after six in the morning that the water distribution was finally completed.
As soon as the water was handed out, Mrs. Zhou couldn’t wait to drag her husband, Zhou Dafu, stomping up to the 13th floor to find Zhao Yunqiu.
Her son, Zhou Junming, had been staying at Zhao Yunqiu’s place and hadn’t returned home.
That seductive vixen was utterly shameless—she had completely bewitched her son.
The loud, frantic knocking echoed through the stairwell, sounding unusually harsh.
Jiang Ci opened the inner door, dragged over a small stool, and sat behind the security door, munching on spiced sunflower seeds while eavesdropping.
The weather was unbearably hot; even cracking seeds made her sweat all over. As soon as she opened the door, a wave of heat rushed in.
She moved the generator and air-conditioning fan from her room to the doorway, turned them on, and only then felt a bit more comfortable—ready to enjoy the drama in peace.
Wen Qianyue was also bored out of her mind every day. Unable to go outside, aside from cooking and knitting sweaters, she felt stifled and restless.
Following Jiang Ci’s lead, she brought over a small stool and sat beside her, cracking sunflower seeds and joining in on the gossip.
Si Jianhua knew Wen Qianyue was going stir-crazy—truth be told, he was too—so he quietly joined the spectator squad.
People kept running up and down the stairwell.
Probably all neighbors eager for some entertainment.
Wherever you go, there are always nosy uncles and aunties who love to join in on the excitement.
Especially now, with no internet, electricity, or water, everyone was cooped up at home with no entertainment options.
As long as the drama didn’t involve them personally, people were more than happy to have something to gossip about.
Unit 1102 remained quiet, but Li Weiwei from Unit 1103 also cracked her door open a sliver to eavesdrop.
The affair between Zhou Junming and Zhao Yunqiu had already spread throughout their building. After all, while queuing for water, everyone had seen and heard everything clearly.
They were all curious about what would happen next.
It was Zhou Junming who opened the door; Zhao Yunqiu stayed inside, out of sight.
Mrs. Zhou’s heart raced and her breathing grew labored the moment she saw her son, Zhou Junming.
Furious with her son and overwhelmed by the heat, she felt like she was about to pass out.
She pleaded earnestly, “Junming, don’t be so stubborn. Your father and I worked hard to raise you. Look at you—tall, handsome, good at playing the guitar, with a beautiful singing voice. You have such a bright future ahead of you! How could a widow like her ever be worthy of you?”
Zhou Dafu was also furious, but his anger was directed more at Zhao Yunqiu.
As a man, he understood men best. His son was too naive, sheltered by them for too long, and had never been with a woman. Now, he was completely bewitched by that vixen!
Given a little time, once he showed his son what the world was really like, his son would snap out of this infatuation.
“Junming, come home with us first. Your father has something to say to you.”
Zhou Junming felt his parents were pressuring him and refused to listen, replying impatiently, “If you have something to say, say it here!”
Zhou Dafu was deeply hurt by his son’s attitude. The obedient son he once knew was gone forever!
Mrs. Zhou gasped for breath and wailed, “Zhou Junming, do you want your mother to die right here before you’ll come home?”
Then she turned her fury toward the apartment: “You vixen, come out here! Hiding behind my son and urging him to abandon his parents—what kind of coward are you? Come out and face me!”Zhao Yunqiu’s sweet, coquettish voice came from inside the room, “Mom, Junming and I have already cooked the rice—what’s done is done. I might already be carrying the Zhou family’s flesh and blood in my belly. For the sake of your grandson, please don’t make a scene.”
“You shameless hussy, who are you calling ‘Mom’? Who do you think you are, calling me ‘Mom’?” Mrs. Zhou was so furious her chest tightened. Combined with the sweltering heat, she couldn’t catch her breath and actually fainted.
Chaos erupted on the 13th floor. Zhou Junming hadn’t completely lost his senses yet. Seeing his mother faint, he finally grew frightened. In the end, he and his father carried his mother back home to tend to her.
Hearing the hurried footsteps clattering down the stairs from upstairs, Jiang Ci quickly shut the door.