Chapter 76: Active Qin Jingru
The next morning, when Li Zhiguo woke up, he was the only one left on the bed.

"Brother-in-law, you're awake! I'll ask my sister to heat up breakfast for you."

Little Qin Jingru was sitting on a chair nearby, swinging her legs, holding a picture book that came from nowhere, and reading it with great interest.

"No, let's eat outside! After that, brother-in-law will take you to the courtyard."

"Yeah!"

Little Qin Jingru clapped her hands. This was her second time in the city and she was curious about everything.

"Jingru, do you know what your brother-in-law does? What is his identity?"

Li Zhiguo still needs to test this a little bit, to make sure he doesn't bring it back and get exposed.

"I don't know. A brother-in-law is a brother-in-law."

Little Qin Jingru really doesn’t understand, but her brother-in-law is just awesome.

Li Zhiguo asked again, "Does my brother-in-law have money?"

"Yes, there is so much money."

Little Qin Jingru stretched out her hand and gestured, it was a lot anyway.

"Very good! Jingru, keep it up."

He sat up from the bed and saw his wife come in. She then helped him get dressed, washed up, and went out to eat some soy milk and fried dough sticks to warm up.

Don’t think that it is easy to buy fried dough sticks now, it may not be the case in the future, because not only do you need food coupons, but the key is that it costs a lot of oil. Even if you are a leader, if you are given a fried dough stick during a meeting, you have to take it home to satisfy your children's cravings.

"Brother, you said you wanted to take Jingru back to the courtyard, but can she keep the truth secret?"

Qin Huairu just found out about this situation when she was the last one to sit at the table during dinner last night.

"Children's words are innocent! Who do you think would believe what Jingru said? She doesn't understand anything, right Jingru?"

Li Zhiguo touched little Qin Jingru next to him, who was still eating a fried dough stick and enjoying it.

"Brother-in-law, what don't you understand?"

Little Qin Jingru looked up, looking confused.

Qin Huairu tried to ask, "Jingru, does your brother-in-law have many houses?"

"There are so many houses, there are too many to live in."

Little Qin Jingru was telling the truth; children really can't hide things.

Li Zhiguo smiled and asked, "Do you believe what she said?"

"I believe it, but others don't!"

Qin Huairu also reacted and realized that there would be no impact if she took Jingru back to the hospital.

"But, brother, why are you taking her with you? It's too much trouble. Just send her to Uncle San."

Li Zhiguo shook his head and said, "Third uncle is busy, so let Jingru stay here for a few days. I will send it over when I am busy.

Guangming and our father have both gone to the city. Sooner or later, they will have to come to the hospital, otherwise it would be unreasonable.

Don't worry about it, I'll take care of the arrangements. Didn't Third Uncle bring a chicken? Let's go back to the yard and stew it for me. I'll have chicken soup for lunch."

"Okay, brother! Jingru can help me too. I'll teach her a few times, and she'll be able to heat up breakfast for you in the morning."

Seeing that she couldn't win the argument, Qin Huairu thought about the bright side. Although her sister was still young, she could take care of others.

……

"Hey, Li Zhiguo, whose child is this? You brought him back."

On Sunday, Yan Bugui wiped his fishing rod and prepared to go fishing. There was no fishing ban period.

"The child of Huairu's uncle is called Qin Jingru. I'm bringing her back to live with me for a while. Jingru, call me Third Uncle."

Li Zhiguo let his wife push the cart, and he held little Qin Jingru in his arms. This girl also had an indissoluble bond with this compound.

"Hello, third uncle!"

Little Qin Jingru is still sweet-talking. No matter whose child she is, she has always been cute.

"Hello there!"

Yan Bugui moved his lips, but it was not appropriate to ask more questions at this moment.

"Uncle, I'm going back first!"

Li Zhiguo was walking in front holding the person in his arms. At this time, Yan Bugui discovered that there was a wooden barrel hanging on the bicycle. This was the symbol of the Lao Qin family. He tiptoed to take a look and saw, wow, there was another chicken.

"Li Zhiguo, whose child is this?"

In the middle courtyard, Jia Zhang came up with the sole of a shoe in her hand.

"Huai Ru's third uncle's family..."

Li Zhiguo introduced them again. There was more than one auntie in the Central Courtyard. After everyone got to know each other, little Qin Jingru could also play in the courtyard.

Without staying long, he went to the backyard.

But the auntie started to grumble, and there were different opinions.

"I say, why did Li Zhiguo bring a girl back for no reason?"

"It looks cute, but it's just a free meal."

"What do you know? I saw another chicken in the wooden barrel. I'm afraid it brought its own food to stay in the city for a while."

"Hey, stop guessing. When has Li Zhiguo ever suffered a loss? He doesn't go to work every day, so he has to look for money everywhere to live a good life."

When Li Zhiguo arrived at the backyard, he saw that the door of Lao Xu's house was locked. This was fine, as he could go out and have fun on weekends.

"Jingru, this is my brother-in-law's ancestral home. Everyone in this courtyard is my brother-in-law's neighbor. They are all very nice people. Once you get familiar with them, you will know how to call them."

"Uh-huh!"

Little Qin Jingru nodded, curious about everything.

After unlocking the door and entering the house, little Qin Jingru took a fancy to the radio and sewing machine, which were rare things.

Qin Huairu hurriedly said, "Jingru, don't touch the sewing machine. It's precious. Be careful not to break it."

Li Zhiguo said, "This is a radio. Brother-in-law will teach you how to use it."

This thing is cheap, of great quality, and doesn't break easily.

"Brother, I'm going to stew the chicken first and let Jingru learn it. You can teach her later."

Qin Huairu didn't stop them from using the radio because it was simple and looked good.

"Okay, I'll listen to it by myself first."

Li Zhiguo leaned back on a chair in the main room, his life was so simple and unpretentious.

"Dong dong!"

Soon, Qin Huairu was slaughtering a chicken at the faucet, and little Qin Jingru was helping to pick vegetables. There was no country child who didn't know how to work.

Second Aunt came back from outside, carrying vegetables in her hands. She went to the vegetable market today.

Qin Huairu introduced them, and little Qin Jingru also called them sweetly.

"That's great!"

Looking at the boys in her family, they just know how to play around. There is no comparison.

Soon, the chicken was stewed in the pot, and the vermicelli had been soaked in the basin. A handful of wild mushrooms were put into the pot, and a small fragrance came up.

Qin Huairu collected the dirty clothes in a basin and took them to the yard to wash. Little Qin Jingru could also help, rubbing her brother-in-law's socks with her little hands.

"Li Zhiguo... Hey, Sister Qin, you are busy, who is this girl?"

Sha Zhu ran in with a book in his hand, sweating profusely.

"It's Shazhu, your brother is resting in the house. This is my third uncle's daughter..."

Qin Huairu introduced it again without getting tired of it.

"Hey, I'm not in a hurry."

Sha Zhu stood by for a while. Seeing Sister Qin and the little girl working hard at washing clothes, he thought about himself and became more determined to find the heirloom.

"Li Zhiguo..."

"It's Shazhu, why are you here today instead of riding your tricycle?"

Li Zhiguo leaned in his chair and listened to opera on the radio.

"I bought Dream of the Red Chamber. Can you help me analyze where my precious jade could be hidden?

If you can help me find it, I can lend you money."

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and invested a huge amount of money. He had saved a lot of extra money from riding a tricycle recently, but he didn't hand it in.

Every month his father left him three dollars and fifty cents for living expenses, but he didn't spend much.

"No, you're still thinking about the heirloom."

Li Zhiguo sat up and turned off the radio.

"Of course not. This is a family heirloom. I can't let my future stepmother find it. If she wants to keep it, it should be given to my future daughter-in-law."

Sha Zhu is not stupid. He knows how to get good things and hide them. In the original drama, the heirloom of the Lou family was hidden well by him.

Li Zhiguo thought for a while and said, "Since ancient times, treasures have been owned by those who are capable. Your time is not right yet. When you become a regular employee, it will probably be enough.

Please leave this book here. I will help you study it when I have time. Maybe you will find something new."

A copy of Dream of the Red Chamber for free can help kill time.

There was a huge piece of Hetian jade in the pickle jar in the tavern, which was very valuable.

He liked it and decided to put it in the main room as a decoration. It was quite precious.

"Li Zhiguo, that's a deal. You really have to help me study it carefully."

Shazhu was delighted because his family really had a family heirloom.

"No, you didn't ask your father, maybe he gave it to you?"

Li Zhiguo was quite curious about He Daqing's mood.

"I asked, and my dad was cursing at me, saying I was such an idiot!"

Sha Zhu scratched his head. If he didn’t want to give it to me, then he wouldn’t give it to me. He even cursed at me. He must want to give Baoyu to his stepmother.

"Okay, go and ride your tricycle. I'll tell you when the time comes."

After sending Sha Zhu away, he continued to lie down and listen to music. He would take a rest in the morning and take Xiao Qin Jingru to buy hairpins in the afternoon. He would not break the agreement of two cents.

"Brother-in-law..." After finishing her work, little Qin Jingru ran into the main room, only to find that her brother-in-law had fallen asleep, so she had to tiptoe out.

"Sister, my brother-in-law is asleep."

"Let your brother-in-law sleep. He has stomach problems and needs to be taken care of. If you have nothing to do, just play in the yard and don't run out of the door."

Qin Huairu took a dustpan, poured out the peanuts in the wooden barrel, and then peeled them in the kitchen so that she could make some crispy peanuts for the man to eat with his wine.

"Okay, sister!"

Little Qin Jingru ran to the central courtyard, skipping and jumping. She just saw some children there and she could play with them.

The second aunt was sharp-eyed. When she saw someone going out, she quickly put down her basket, wiped her hands, and was about to follow him out.

"What are you doing out again? You're not cooking."

The second uncle was sitting in the living room, also nodding his head while listening to the radio, with peanut shells scattered on the table.

"I'll be back in a bit, so I won't delay anything."

After the second aunt finished speaking, she ran to the middle courtyard and saw that the aunts had surrounded the little girl and were questioning her.

Jia Zhang smiled what she thought was a kind smile and said, "Little girl, do you have many chickens at home?"

"No more, I gave them all to my brother-in-law. He likes to eat chicken."

Little Qin Jingru sat on the bench. She was very brave and not at all stage-frightened.

"Oh, listen, this Li Zhiguo is a bad person. He even didn't let Qin Huairu's third uncle's family go."

Although Jia Zhang showed signs of reconciliation with Li Zhiguo, she couldn't help but slander him when he was not around.

Who knew that little Qin Jingru would say, "My family has raised a lot of chickens. When they grow up, I will send them to my brother-in-law."

"A crime!"

The three aunts couldn't help but talk about it.

The second aunt was unwilling to be left behind and interrupted, "Little girl, why did your family send a chicken to your brother-in-law?"

Little Qin Jingru thought for a moment and said, "All my relatives have given gifts, and many people in the village have given gifts, too. They all love my brother-in-law."

"This is outrageous! Li Zhiguo has plundered someone else's entire village!"

Mrs. Chen couldn't help but sigh. The lady standing next to her didn't say anything, but her expression was quite abnormal.

Suddenly, Sun Erniang asked the key question, "Little girl, how did your brother-in-law lie to your uncle... How did he tell your uncle about his family's conditions?"

Little Qin Jingru thought for a moment, shook her head and said, "I don't understand! My brother-in-law has a lot of money, so much money that he can't spend it all; he also has so many houses that he can't even live in them all."

Little Qin Jingru stretched out her hand and gestured, and everyone looked and thought it was just an empty promise.

"Oh my, isn't Li Zhiguo lying?"

"Look, you've tricked the little girl into losing her mind."

The aunties all shook their heads, saying that the villagers were ignorant and could not stop the bad boy.

Little Qin Jingru understood now and said hurriedly: "My brother-in-law is not lying, he has a lot of money, and he wants to buy me a hairpin, which costs 20 cents."

"Did he buy it?"

Jia Zhang asked quickly.

“I haven’t bought it yet, but I will buy it later.”

Little Qin Jingru pouted, her brother-in-law was the best.

"Oh my, how can you fool a child?"

The third aunt shook her head and said, "If you want to marry a wife, you should marry Qin Huairu! Others have many relatives and they are all easy to deceive. No wonder Li Zhiguo wanted to snatch Qin Huairu away in the first place."

"That's true. Otherwise, with Li Zhiguo's ability, it would not be easy to find a woman in the city. If nothing else, someone like Damao's wife would be unstoppable, but she is still not as good as Qin Huairu."

"That's right. Qin Huairu is hardworking and earns money at work. She also has so many relatives to support her. She stewed chicken for Li Zhiguo at noon today."

The second aunt kept muttering that if she were really asked to choose, Qin Huairu would be the best.

Jia Zhang was also muttering to herself, feeling very upset. Her daughter Bihua was not bad, but compared to Qin Huairu, she was far behind.

Just wait and see, with Li Zhiguo's behavior, Qin Huairu will regret it if she is late!

"Girl, your brother-in-law is not at work, did you know that?"

Aunt Jiang asked again. She just didn’t believe that Li Zhiguo was really such a good liar.

"I know. My brother-in-law has stomach problems and needs to drink more chicken soup."

Little Qin Jingru took out a preserved fruit and started eating it, "I'm going home now. Help my sister watch the pot."

The aunties watched little Qin Jingru run back to the backyard, and looked at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say.

After a long while, Jia Zhang finally said, "It's not my Dongxu's fault that he couldn't win. It's Li Zhiguo who is too immoral."

"Hey! That's Li Zhiguo's ability, others can't learn it."

The aunts sighed, dispersed, and went home to cook. Only Jia Zhang was left in the yard sewing shoe soles. She didn't cook, but just waited for food.

……

"dinner time!"

"Brother-in-law, it's time to eat."

Little Qin Jingru was holding the bowl and chopsticks, and Qin Huairu behind her was holding a large basin, and soon the food was placed on the table.

There was a large pot of local chicken stewed with vermicelli, the aroma was overflowing, five pieces of white noodles were placed in a small winnowing basket, and there was a bowl of chicken soup kept cold separately.

"Jingru, this vermicelli tastes better with some soy sauce."

Li Zhiguo picked up some vermicelli for someone else with his chopsticks, and ordered a piece of chicken for himself. It tasted delicious and he picked up the food strategically.

Well, it’s a big pot, you can’t finish it even if you make as much as you want.

I don’t know if it’s because the chicken is so delicious or because there is not enough oil, but I always feel that this stewed chicken is so appetizing that I want to eat it again after I’ve eaten it.

"Brother-in-law, do you have a lot of money?"

Little Qin Jingru suddenly asked about this again.

"Of course, there is no problem in supporting you two sisters. But, you are a child, don't always talk about money. It's not good to be materialistic."

Li Zhiguo also picked up some vermicelli, which tasted like chicken soup and was very fragrant.

The three of them ate to their heart's content, but they didn't finish it. After he finished drinking the chicken soup, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

"I'm going to take a walk in the yard to digest the food first. After you guys finish cleaning up, we can go out for a walk together."

"Brother, go ahead!"

Qin Huairu cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks. There were still so many dishes left, so she decided not to go out to eat in the evening.

……

"Li Zhiguo!"

As soon as he arrived at the central courtyard, he was stopped by Jia Zhang.

"What do you want to talk to me about? You haven't eaten yet!"

He walked over and saw that the door of the He family next door was ajar. He Daqing estimated that it would take a few more days for him to recover before he could come out to see people.

"Li Zhiguo, you can't lie to a child. Your money was earned by Qin Huairu and her brother."

Wow, Jia Zhang actually still has morals. The sun is rising from the west.

"Ms. Jia Zhang, didn't you also tell Chen Bihua that your family is well off? You always brag about it."

Li Zhiguo smiled and said, face is the key to a person's life, who doesn't want to have face?

"How can it be the same? My Dongxu is making money! His salary will be increased soon. In the future, he will be a senior fitter like the old man."

Jia Zhang was still full of hope for the future. She wanted to raise a son to provide for her in her old age and then enjoy a happy life.

"That's right. My brother Dongxu will be successful sooner or later. But my Huairu is not bad either. She will get a raise in due time. Our life will only get better and better."

Li Zhiguo is also optimistic about the future. Besides, Chen Xueru is still making money.

"Ugh!"

Jia Zhang sighed, this didn't make sense, so she decided to go back and eat.

When I lifted the door curtain, I found that they had all eaten.

"Dongxu, why didn't you call me?"

"Mom, I was just eating. I saw you chatting with Li Zhiguo, so I didn't call you. I left a bowl of white flour for you. We just had steamed bread."

Jia Dongxu pointed to the winnowing basket, which contained three steamed breads and one bowl of flour.

"You still have some conscience."

Jia Zhang grabbed the flour and took a bite, then picked up the chopsticks to pick up some food.

At this moment, Jia Dongxu and Chen Bihua looked at each other, picked up the steamed bread and ate it slowly. They were both full.

"Bihua, please fry more cabbage next time. This is not enough."

Jia Zhang moved her chopsticks horizontally and several pieces of vegetables went into her mouth. She finished the flour in a few mouthfuls and grabbed the steamed bread. The taste was immediately different and choking.

"Okay, Mom, do more next time."

Chen Bihua ate the steamed bread in small bites and it took her a while to finish it.

After Jia Zhang had eaten her fill, she went out for a walk again.

Jia Dongxu then said, "Wife, my idea is good. Let's feed them first, so we don't have to worry about mom snatching the food away."

"Well! Don't make so much next time. Two servings of flour and one steamed bread are only six ounces of grain. I'm full."

Chen Bihua never ate alone at home before, but her mother-in-law was lazy and gluttonous, and even Dongxu couldn't stand it.

"Then let's eat white flour next time instead of steamed bread, which is choking."

Jia Dongxu was happy. This idea was thought up by someone.

……

In the afternoon, Li Zhiguo took Qin Jingru and his wife to the department store and bought her the hairpin she had been dreaming about for two cents.

He also took the opportunity to look at the current razors, which were the old-fashioned ones, so the previous idea could be put into practice.

On Monday morning, after being woken up by Xiao Qin Jingru, he took her to his third uncle's place after breakfast.

(End of this chapter)