Chapter 74 Braised Pork

At this moment, an old lady from the yard arrived. She was really fast. She must have run all the way here. Fortunately, she wasn’t too far away.

"Comrade, these are all from our hospital. Please care about my brother He!"

Li Zhiguo pretended to be Lao He's younger brother in order to get first-hand information.

The police station officer nodded and explained, "At about noon, He Daqing lied that he had the jade that Jia Baoyu was holding when he was born, and lured a decent woman to a small hotel, where he raped her twice.

On the third occasion, the woman’s husband broke into the house and caught him. The hotel owner reported the case to the police station.”

"No, why is my dad like this!"

Idiot, can't you see that his father has this ability?

"Bah! This is shameless!"

Jia Zhang muttered to herself.

Li Zhiguo finally understood why He Daqing failed. It was because he was too greedy. He only spent one cent and didn't even treat him to spicy hot pot, but he just spent it all.

"Comrade, is there something wrong with that woman? He Daqing is only interested in finding a wife. Last time, he almost married into the family and went to another place with a widow."

The police station officer nodded and said, "We have almost investigated the matter. The woman's name is Wang Chunhua. She and her husband were specifically out to defraud marriages. They swindled people out of their money and then ran away.

He has cheated many good families. He recently came to the capital and spotted He Daqing over at the overpass.

It's just that He Daqing was a bit immoral this time. Although he was set up, he didn't give Wang Chunhua a penny and just killed the person without getting the marriage certificate.

This is also considered fraud. The relationships are complicated and will leave a criminal record. After the family members take the person back, they will be handed over to the street office and arranged to do compulsory labor as punishment.

By the way, He Daqing was beaten badly, and Wang Chunhua's man robbed him of more than ten yuan. Otherwise, for what he did, he would have to go to labor camp, and your compound should also carry out ideological education."

Hiss! Everyone gasped. He Daqing was so tall and big, but he was beaten. Was he physically exhausted? After all, he was not young anymore!

Sha Zhu reacted and said quickly: "Where is my dad now?"

"He's still in the interrogation room. We've already taken his statement. Your family can go take him away. He already has a criminal record. If he does it again, you'll be fined."

The people at the police station also shook their heads. He Daqing was simply too much. If he had been quicker and taken Wang Chunhua to the Civil Affairs Bureau, she wouldn't have had a criminal record. Wouldn't that have been a great advantage?

Li Zhiguo said, "Let's go and take a look. We might need to send him to the hospital."

Everyone followed him to the interrogation room and saw He Daqing slumped in a chair. There was another interrogation room next to him, and Wang Chunhua and her husband were there.

"Pah, he doesn't look that good either."

Jia Zhang muttered something.

"That man is so skinny and small, how could he beat Lao He?"

Mrs. Chen also muttered that this was harming people.

Sha Zhu pushed through the door and shouted, "Dad, how could you do this!"

"Shazhu, you're here. And, Li Zhiguo, I, I..."

He Daqing's face was bruised and swollen, with blood at the corners of his mouth. He covered his face with one hand, too embarrassed to see the master. He had failed.

Li Zhiguo shook his head and said, "Shazhu, help your dad go to the hospital."

"No, you don't need to go to the hospital, Shazhu. My tricycle is still over at Jiudaowan Hutong. You can go ride it over and take me back. I just have a superficial wound and it will heal after two days of rest."

It would be even more embarrassing for He Daqing to not have the face to go to the hospital.

"Silly Zhu, go ahead. I have a bicycle. I can take your father back."

Li Zhiguo helped the man over and said nothing else.

He Daqing covered his face and staggered out of the police station, not daring to look at the aunt in the yard.

Jia Zhang muttered, "Old He, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you don't have to look for it outside. You've been cheated."

"Hey!"

He Daqing sighed, tears in the corners of his eyes. Last time he was deceived by lotus flowers, this time it was spring flowers. It seems that he is destined to be unlucky with flowers. From now on, he will not look for a widow who brings flowers with her.

Li Zhiguo drove the man for a while at a rapid pace, and then he said angrily: "Lao He, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but why didn't you strictly follow the rules? You said you could just do it once, get the certificate, and come back later, right?
That way you won't make a mistake, and your mistake has nothing to do with me."

"Li Zhiguo, this is not your fault, it's my problem."

He Daqing sighed and said, "It's been so many years since Shazhu's mother left. Isn't this a rare opportunity for me?"

"You almost went to labor camp!"

Li Zhiguo had no intention of trapping anyone, but since Lao He could be fooled, he was still very useful.

“I almost failed, but it’s okay, it only cost me ten cents, and I made money.

The dozen or so dollars that were robbed were also returned to me, which is better than the last time with Lotus.

Li Zhiguo, your method is really effective. I will ask you for advice next time."

He Daqing grinned and said, "I got to eat meat today."

"Well, keep your mouth shut and don't mention that it was my idea, or you'll implicate me."

Li Zhiguo was also a little scared. He almost got himself into trouble. Who knew that Lao He was so unreliable.

"Don't worry, you've helped me so much, I won't cheat you."

He Daqing was still thinking about it, but he didn't do it well. "Li Zhiguo, you said Chunhua might have divorced her man. Will you come with me?"

"Oh my god, you better save your energy, you can't have a woman like that.

Can you guarantee that she won't run away with the money? Then you won't be able to stay in the hospital anymore. Besides, she has a criminal record, so she will definitely go to jail this time."

Li Zhiguo shook his head. It was stupid to want to bring someone in after being set up by a honey trap.

"Yeah, I'll look for it later."

He Daqing stroked his half-bald head, thinking that the dime was well spent. In a blink of an eye, they arrived at the courtyard.

"Hey, Lao He, what happened to you?"

Yan Bugui was waiting at the door with dark circles under his eyes. He had gone to scalp again last night.

"Old Yan, I'm fine!"

He Daqing got off his bicycle, limped quickly to the central courtyard, then entered the house, fell on the bed, covered himself with a quilt, and hid there for two days.

"Li Zhiguo, what happened to Lao He?"

Yan Bugui pushed the frame of his glasses. He really wasn't quite sure because Damao's wife didn't explain it clearly.

"Ah! Wait until the three aunts come back, then ask them. I can't say more."

Li Zhiguo shook his head and pushed his bicycle away. It was time for his wife to be back, so he went home for dinner.

But when I arrived at the Intermediate Court, I ran into Jia Dongxu and Xu Damao. These two guys were actually chatting about gossip.

Sure, is Xu Damao learning from him again? He knows how to maintain a good relationship with people in public.

"Li Zhiguo, what happened to Uncle He?"

Jia Dongxu was still thinking about having He Daqing be his stepfather. By then, apart from anything else, he could ask Sha Zhu to deliver lunch boxes and order more dishes in the cafeteria at noon.

"You must know this!"

Xu Damao looked suspicious and always felt that this was a trick played by a villain.

"Nothing! It's just that Lao He found a young widow over there on the overpass..."

Li Zhiguo simply promoted Lao He's ideas so that the two brothers could learn from them.

After listening to this, Xu Damao and Jia Dongxu were stunned.

"No, Uncle He really only spent ten cents?"

Xu Damao was sure that this was the trick you, Li Zhiguo, came up with.

Jia Dongxu muttered, "I can't do this. No matter if the woman is a liar or not, this dime is too casual. My family even bought a sewing machine when we got married."

"Okay! I'm going home to eat. You guys figure it out on your own. When Shazhu comes back later, we'll talk."

Li Zhiguo left, his work completed, and he left without a trace, hiding his achievements and fame. If you think carefully, He Daqing really made a profit, as the method he taught was correct.

"Huai Ru, is the meal ready? I'm hungry."

"Brother, it's almost done, the food is ready to be put into the pot."

Qin Huairu answered at the kitchen door and hurried back because she had to be alone in the pot.

"Then I'll go inside first."

Li Zhiguo brought the car to the living room. It was still unsafe to leave it outside. What if someone like Xu Damao or Jia Dongxu did something bad?
A car is nothing, but he can't afford to lose face.

The table is already filled with dishes, wine and peanuts. Please go first.

After a while, Qin Huairu came over with the food. She didn't want to eat white flour tonight, so she made steamed rice.

"Brother, there is braised pork, it goes well with rice."

Qin Huairu put some food into the person's bowl.

"Well, eat more. I'll go find some fruit tomorrow. You can't lack nutrition while you're pregnant."

Li Zhiguo lived a happy life, but after dinner, Second Aunt and the others did not come back.

The second uncle was so hungry in the backyard that he had to go to the middle yard to look for someone, but he never came back. Wasn’t he done gossiping?

When he had taken the last sip of wine, Yan Bugui came to him.
"Li Zhiguo, the Intermediate Court is still making trouble. Director Wang from the subdistrict office just came and gave He Daqing a good scolding. He was fined to clean the alley for a month."

Yan Bugui pushed the frame of his glasses and waited for the people to come out before he asked in a low voice, "Did you come up with the idea for Lao He?"

"This is none of my business! It's Lao He who is stupid. He didn't know to hurry up and get the certificate. As long as he goes to the Civil Affairs Bureau, he will be married and won't make any mistakes."

Li Zhiguo shook his head. As long as he didn't admit it himself, it had nothing to do with him.

"Oh, it has to be you!"

Yan Bugui understood that Lao He was too greedy and didn't know what it meant to put the money in pocket.

If he wasn't already the father of four children, he would have wanted to spend a dime.

"Let's go to the middle courtyard and take a walk."

Li Zhiguo followed him and left. His wife took care of the house, so he didn't need to worry about it.

When I arrived at the middle court, I didn't see Old He. "This He Daqing is so wicked. How can he do things like this? He wants to marry me without spending a penny. Fortunately, I didn't agree to let him go to the movies."

Jia Zhang started bragging again.

"It's quite immoral. The atmosphere in the courtyard has changed. Everyone wants to marry a wife without spending money..."

"Stop talking, Li Zhiguo is here."

The aunties quickly shut up. The bad atmosphere in the courtyard was probably caused by the bad boy.

"Hey, everyone is chatting!"

Li Zhiguo just came to digest his food, and there was no reason for him to continue teasing Lao He with the trick he gave.

At the He family, He Daqing was covering his face with the quilt, still feeling a little embarrassed.

"Dad, you're not as good as Li Zhiguo. He spent five dollars to marry a wife, but you only spent one cent, and that's for the hotel fee."

Sha Zhu sighed, his family's reputation was ruined, otherwise it would not be difficult to find a wife with the reputation of the Sanlun family!
Cai Quanwu also said: "Brother, don't be so stingy next time. It will have a bad influence if it gets out."

He Daqing couldn't help it, he lifted the quilt and yelled: "What do you two know, if I really spend money, then I will lose money.

You should also remember this lesson, never spend a lot of money before getting the marriage certificate."

"Dad, I can't talk to you anymore. I'm going out for a walk."

Sha Zhu left in anger, thinking that his father was just like Li Zhiguo and didn't know how to care for others.

Cai Quanwu continued, "Brother, your method is not reliable. You need to be sincere when marrying a wife."

"I'm sincere. We haven't even had time to get the certificate yet."

He Daqing's old face turned red, and he became greedy.

"Brother, go cook, I haven't eaten lunch yet."

"Hey!"

Cai Quanwu had no choice but to go cook, thinking that when he looks for a wife in the future, he will have to ask Brother Li for help.

His brother's method was so shameful that he even dragged Jia Baoyu into the picture. What a bullshit heirloom.

……

Amidst the noise, it was Saturday.

In the morning, Li Zhiguo took his wife to the hospital for a pregnancy check-up and got another day's salary.

"Huai Ru, I'll take you to our compound. Our father is taking a day off today, so he'll go there too.

I'll go to the station to pick up Uncle San, and then I can bring him over to make furniture."

His family's three-story courtyard is finally ready for human habitation; it would gather dust easily if it were left empty.

As for the wood, he has already purchased a batch from Sanlitun. All of them are cypress, which is strong and durable, not easy to be infested with insects, and not easy to deform. It is just right for living in his own home.

"Well! Then let's eat out at noon. I'll pay for it. We'll save a lot."

Qin Huairu touched her purse. She only spent a few dollars a month on meals at the factory and occasional groceries, so she could have more than twenty dollars left. There was no way to cook in the compound for the time being.

"Okay! If you spend the money, I'll make it up to you later."

Li Zhiguo happily sent his wife to the third courtyard, where he saw his father-in-law squatting at the door.

"Dad, you're here early. I'll ask Huairu to get you a key later!"

"It's not early, just come for a while."

Qin Changchun stood up and turned to look at the gate. It was indeed a wealthy family.

"Dad, I'll open the door."

Qin Huairu took out the key and walked forward to open the door. She hadn't been here for a long time and was missing her home with three courtyards.

"You guys pack first, I'll go to the station to pick up Uncle San."

Li Zhiguo followed him and when he arrived at the place, before he found anyone, he heard shouting.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law!"

Little Qin Jingru waved at the station entrance and actually followed.

"Oh, why are you here too?"

Li Zhiguo parked the car, walked up and picked up little Qin Jingru. This girl was quite attractive.

"I miss my brother-in-law."

Qin Jingru was still thinking about the hairpin she had seen in the department store last time.

"Well! Uncle San, you must have waited for a long time."

Li Zhiguo greeted Qin Changqing and saw that the other person was not only carrying furniture-making tools, but also a wooden barrel filled with good things. He felt embarrassed.

"Uncle, just come for a moment."

Qin Changchun followed his elder brother and called him son-in-law, otherwise he felt it was disrespectful to call him by his name directly.

"Let's go. My dad and Huairu are waiting in the compound."

Li Zhiguo carried little Qin Jingru onto the big pole and put her down, then took his uncle with him, and they soon arrived at the compound.

This place is not far from the silk shop, and he can still find time to go there in the afternoon.

"Wow, brother-in-law, is this your new home?"

Little Qin Jingru was dazzled as soon as she entered the courtyard. The courtyard was so beautiful and spacious.

"It's my brother-in-law's yard, not a new home!"

Li Zhiguo didn't know how to explain it, so he parked the car and picked the person up.

Uncle Qin Changqing touched the wall and said, "What a beautiful courtyard."

"Huai Ru, Third Uncle is here."

Li Zhiguo shouted, and then he saw his wife coming out of the main room, cleaning.

My father-in-law came out from the side room, also holding a broom in his hand, and he was not idle either.

"Uncle Three!"

Qin Huairu called out, and then said, "Jingru, why did you follow me?"

"Sister, I'm here to see my brother-in-law."

Little Qin Jingru hugged her brother-in-law's neck and refused to let go.

"It's your brother-in-law who spoils you."

Qin Huairu muttered to herself, but she was happy in her heart. The man was good to her family, wasn't that beautiful?

"Uncle San, this is my family's courtyard. Take a look around and I'll make some furniture for you to use first."

As the hostess, Qin Huairu looked proud and proud when she introduced them.

"I'll take a look too."

Little Qin Jingru went down to the fields and ran around the yard.

Li Zhiguo gave his third uncle a brief introduction to the rooms that needed furniture. It didn't have to be all furnished. Just enough for living in and two or three guest rooms would be enough. Too much furniture would be eye-catching.

Buying the wood yourself and having your uncle make furniture for you can save a lot of money, but the process will be longer.

“This hospital is great!”

After the visit, Qin Changqing felt that he had gained some insights. If it weren't for his eldest brother, his son-in-law, he would never have been able to enter such a compound in his entire life.

"Uncle San, is it convenient for you to be alone? Do you want me to find you a helper?"

Li Zhiguo felt a little embarrassed.

"No need, I'm the only one working on it."

Qin Changchun is able to endure hardships.

"Okay, I'll ask Guangming to come over at noon when he's free. You can also stay in my small courtyard for the time being.

It's noon now, let's eat first and then be busy in the afternoon."

Li Zhiguo immediately took people to Quanjude in Dazhalan to eat roast duck. The taste was excellent and not expensive.

"Brother-in-law, the roast duck is so delicious!"

Little Qin Jingru's mouth was full of oil and her face was all greasy from eating.

Li Zhiguo smiled and took out a handkerchief to wipe the man's mouth. "Eat slowly. If it's not enough, pack it up and continue eating in the afternoon."

"Thank you, brother-in-law!"

Little Qin Jingru forgot about the hairpin for a moment.

After the meal, Qin Huairu went to pay the bill with a distressed look on her face, only to find out that she had already paid.

"Brother, didn't you say I'd treat you?"

"It's all the same! You stay in the yard this afternoon. I'm going to go to the street. We'll eat in the yard tonight. Today is Saturday, and we'll stay there too."

Li Zhiguo stuffed another twenty yuan into his pocket and said, "Give Third Uncle ten yuan later. Let him eat out at noon and let Guangming cook dinner. Give him ten yuan as well. His cooking skills are pretty good now."

"You don't need to take the money. My dad has the family assets."

Qin Huairu felt distressed again. She had spent a lot of money on wood and had to eat out frequently.

"We don't need this much. We will pay Uncle San's wages when the time comes. We can't let him work for nothing and delay the farm work in the village."

Li Zhiguo was about to go out when he heard this, but little Qin Jingru followed him out.

"Brother-in-law, can you buy me a hairpin?"

"Oh, you still remember it! Okay, I'll take you to buy it tomorrow. My brother-in-law has something else to do today."

He touched little Qin Jingru's head, smiled and went out.

(End of this chapter)