Chapter 120 Obedient and Submissive

He used to be a cook, but now that he's fallen to this state, which restaurant would want him?

In the end, they could only make a living by scavenging for garbage.

After Yi Zhonghai got divorced, she lived with him in a cramped apartment.

Although Sha Zhu still harbored resentment towards Yi Zhonghai because of Qin Huairu's affair, the two still made do with living together in order to survive.

However, each of them harbored a deep resentment.

Yi Zhonghai stared at the pile of garbage that Sha Zhu had dragged back, not knowing what was inside. A foul odor wafted over him—a mixture of pungent, stinky, and indescribable smells that assaulted his nose.

He frowned in disgust.

"Where did you pick this up from? It smells so strong."

"none of your business."

Sha Zhu retorted directly, threw the trash in the corner, turned around, went to bed, and fell asleep immediately.

The room wasn't big to begin with; there wasn't enough room for Yi Zhonghai to sleep on just one bed.

Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to resign himself to digging out the pile of garbage.

Scattered and stained, it contained all sorts of things—rotten vegetable leaves, gnawed bones, and greasy rags. He suppressed his nausea and carried it out of the house, trip after trip. He had to do it; otherwise, he wouldn't even have a place to lie down tonight.

He lived with Sha Zhu; there was only one bed in the room.

He cobbled together a few chairs to make a makeshift bed in the corner near the door. That idiot Zhu isn't tidy anymore; every time he comes back, he carries the cafeteria trash and throws it right where he sleeps.

So if Yi Zhonghai wants to sleep, he has to tidy up first.

As I tidied up, I actually got used to it. I was incredibly efficient, throwing away what needed to be thrown away and piling up what needed to be piled up, as if I'd been doing this for decades.

He used to take care of Sha Zhu.

Now it's the other way around.

Looking at Sha Zhu's foolish appearance, he felt a surge of hatred. This fool, he had initially been the person he had chosen for his old age. What a good person he was—a cook, skilled, and simple-minded; taking care of him until he was old would not be a problem.

The results of it?

I misjudged it after all.

Suddenly, Jia Dongxu's words popped into Yi Zhonghai's mind—

"We were master and disciple after all. You're getting old; when you're old, I'll take care of you. How much money will you need then?"

Jia Dongxu specifically came to him to say these words. When Yi Zhonghai heard them, he was genuinely moved.

But now Jia Dongxu is lying in the hospital, his fate unknown.

He felt uncertain.

No, I have to go check it out.

The more he thought about it, the more restless he became. Yi Zhonghai decided to go to the hospital. No matter what, he had to check if the person was still alive.

At this time, Jia Zhangshi was also packing her things.

Her bags were crammed full of food, clothes, toiletries, and bedding. She knew the hospital well—how many times had her son been there? It was freezing cold in winter; a day there could make you sick. She couldn't possibly stay there without all this stuff.

After she finished tidying up, she let Qin Huairu hold her.

As for those two girls—she gave them a cold glance.

"Xiao Dang, keep a close eye on Huaihua. If your sister gets into trouble, watch your skin."

After saying that, he grabbed Qin Huairu and left.

Qin Huairu is nothing like she used to be.

He was so thin he looked unrecognizable, his cheekbones protruding. His hair was haphazardly pulled back, a messy tangle. The cotton-padded jacket he wore was patched upon patched, its original color long since unrecognizable.

The most noticeable thing is the injury on his face.

It was covered in bruises and swollen so badly that no one could bear to look at it.

As I walked out of the courtyard gate, I ran into Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Xiao'e was startled.

There have been daily disturbances at the Jia family's residence lately, but Qin Huairu rarely leaves the house, so no one has seen her much. No one expected the beating to escalate to this extent.

"Qin Huairu, why didn't you call the police?"

"It's none of your business what I do with my wife!"

Jia Zhangshi immediately started cursing.

In this courtyard, she was only afraid of Li Jianguo. Who else? She was afraid of? This young man in front of her, couldn't she even scold him?

Like a lit firecracker, Jia Zhangshi unleashed all her pent-up anger on Lou Xiao'e.

"You shameless bitch! What business is it of yours to interfere in our family affairs? If you care so much about my daughter-in-law, why don't you come and replace her? My son just happens to need a maid to clean up his messes, and you're already eager to come?"

It can sound as awful as it gets.

The onlookers pointed and whispered among themselves.

Lou Xiao'e was furious. She wasn't one to hold her temper, and she retorted immediately—

"You shameless old man! You've beaten him up like this, are you even human? What era are we living in? Do you still think your family are rich landlords?"

She said she was going to see Qin Huairu, thinking she was helping her.

"Qin Huairu, don't be afraid. These old hags need to be taught a lesson. He's been beaten like this, go tell the neighborhood committee!"

Qin Huairu's reaction was unexpected.

"Lou Xiao'e, stop talking. Why are you meddling so much in our family affairs?"

His tone was angry.

What she was thinking about was how Jia Zhangshi would deal with her when she got home today. Those methods… just thinking about them made her shudder.

Instead, he began to blame Lou Xiao'e for meddling in other people's business.

Lou Xiao'e almost choked on her breath.

Fine. Consider it meddling in other people's business.

"Whether you live or die is none of my business." She made it clear: "No matter how badly you get beaten up, don't you dare complain to me. I absolutely won't care."

After saying that, she turned and left, fuming.

Jia Zhangshi cursed even more vehemently from behind—

"Aren't your family just Li Jianguo's lackeys? I find them disgusting!"

After yelling at her, he forcefully pulled Qin Huairu, saying, "What are you standing there for? Let's go!"

Qin Huairu stumbled as she was pulled, only managing to regain her balance by grabbing the doorframe. She turned her head and glanced in the direction Lou Xiao'e had left.

Suddenly I feel like crying.

It seems she...did something wrong.

Li Jianguo stood at the door and saw everything.

Qin Huairu is a very selfish woman. She said those words without thinking, but once she figures them out, she'll definitely cling to Lou Xiao'e. In this courtyard, Lou Xiao'e is the only normal person—she hasn't done anything immoral, nor is she a saint; she usually just stays quietly in a corner.

Li Jianguo admires this kind of person.

"If you get into trouble later, lend a hand."

He muttered something to himself, then turned around and went back to sleep.

On the other side, Yi Zhonghai followed Jia Zhangshi and her daughter-in-law out of the courtyard.

As soon as he moved, Sha Zhu moved too.

Li Jianguo saw it all.

"Well, everyone's rushing to the hospital. Here comes the show."

He couldn't be bothered. These people couldn't cause any trouble; he'd just watch the show. Tomorrow was his day off, perfect for sleeping in.

Two policemen were standing at the entrance of the hospital.

"My son—"

Jia Zhangshi cried and tried to rush over.

The two policemen jumped to their feet, guns raised. They knew what kind of woman this was before.

"stop!"

"Take one more step and fire!"

The gun barrel was dark and menacing. Jia Zhangshi was so frightened that she jerked her foot back. She swayed and fell straight to the ground.

When she fell, she instinctively grabbed Qin Huairu.

The two of them fell flat on their faces. The things they were carrying scattered all over the ground with a clatter.

"You useless slut! You can't even hold something properly! Marrying you is the worst thing that ever happened to me! Aren't you going to help me up? Are you blind? You're like a dead pig that doesn't care about boiling water..."

Jia Zhangshi got up and slapped Qin Huairu repeatedly.

Qin Huairu hid and didn't cry.

got used to.

The two policemen couldn't stand it anymore.

"You assaulted someone in front of us? You want to spend a few days in jail?"

Jia Zhangshi immediately stopped.

"How could that be? It's only natural for me to discipline my daughter-in-law. She didn't say anything herself."

His words were sarcastic and implied that he thought they were meddling in other people's business.

The two policemen couldn't be bothered. Domestic matters are the hardest to handle. They glanced at Qin Huairu; the woman had her head down, silent and timid. Oh well.