Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 836 - 837: 1960s Quadrangle Courtyard 85

Chapter 836: Chapter 837: 1960s Quadrangle Courtyard 85

Before heading back to the front courtyard, Zhang Yu remarked, "Yi Zhonghai really picked a good apprentice, didn’t he?"

"At first, he said the Jia Family was having a tough time, but it turns out they’re so rich."

"They say Jia Dongxu is different from Lady Jia Zhang, a simple and honest lad."

"But in the end, he’s the ’honest’ lad who stole steel materials from the warehouse."

"You say Bang Geng is just a kid, but his lock-picking skills are slick."

Zhang Yu sighed ruefully, "You really are a good master, what a pity that you’re so indifferent to all your other apprentices."

"I remember how you pulled all sorts of strings, trying to get Jia Dongxu out, and now he can’t get out, and his job at the steel mill is gone."

"The house is the property of the steel mill, and now that Jia Dongxu is no longer part of the mill, he can’t live here either, can he?"

"You must be considering selecting someone else to take care of you in your old age," Zhang Yu said with a smile, looking towards Yi Zhonghai.

"I think you could take in Qin Huairu, let her be your daughter, and then find a man to be your live-in son-in-law."

"If the children carried the Yi name, wouldn’t that solve it?" This old guy is always scheming about his retirement plan.

Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu are pretty much ruined, but there’s still Qin Huairu, there’s still a chance to turn the tables.

Yi Zhonghai just now was also wondering what to do about his retirement plan? He wasn’t unaware that Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu weren’t the best options.

But he had no choice, there really weren’t many suitable candidates in the courtyard, Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu were indeed the best choice he had.

And now that his candidates are ruined, how could he not be angry and panicked?

Hearing Zhang Yu’s suggestion, his first reaction was that she was trying to trap him.

Zhang Yu didn’t care what Yi Zhonghai thought, her target wasn’t this old guy anyway; her advice was intended for Qin Huairu.

After all her efforts to marry into the city, it wouldn’t do to go back to the countryside with her child, face ridicule, and who would she be able to marry again with a child in tow.

Zhang Yu’s proposal knew no good intentions, but it was the only way out for her right now.

However, such a maneuver was very difficult, and Yi Zhonghai had just turned around and left, making his stance clear.

Everyone gathered in the front courtyard to discuss the matter; they had always discussed it secretly, and now Jia Dongxu was also implicated in the case, which was shocking.

"Actually, thinking about it, it’s not that surprising," a lady said after the shock, feeling that it was quite expected,

"Lady Jia Zhang was always pinching things, and if it weren’t for Yi Zhonghai’s protection, she would have been killed by someone long ago."

"Exactly, every time she was caught, she would cry up a storm, calling for Old Jia to come out, followed by Yi Zhonghai intervening."

Everyone was crystal clear about Lady Jia Zhang’s tactics, "Now that Master Yi isn’t the First Elder anymore, let’s see how Lady Jia Zhang causes a fuss."

"Her son is a criminal; he definitely will be fired by the steel mill, and how can she keep living in the courtyard? The Jia Family must be kicked out," someone who had long disliked Lady Jia Zhang said fiercely.

"Indeed, if they have been fired, why should they still live in the courtyard?" There were still quite a few agreeing voices.

So many people agreed, not only because Lady Jia Zhang’s behavior in the courtyard was disliked, but it also had to do with housing issues.

In these times, is it only the Jia Family that has housing problems? Many people have difficulty with housing, cramming seven or eight people from three generations into two rooms, with marriage for children and grandchildren being a problem.

It’s just that they have more shame than the Jia Family, would not be so calculative, or rather, they know that nobody would back them up.

But now the situation has changed. The Jia Family is courting death, walking resolutely towards the netherworld; naturally, they couldn’t miss such a great opportunity.

Qin Huairu stood foolishly in the central courtyard, hearing the chatter from the front yard; her heart was filled with bitterness.

She was not unaware of how unwelcome her family was in the quadrangle, but as a daughter-in-law, how could she persuade Lady Jia Zhang, and moreover, any benefits Lady Jia Zhang obtained, she could not share, though Jia Dongxu and his son could benefit.

If previously there was any smugness, now she truly wished she could return to the past, determined to urge Jia Dongxu to send Lady Jia Zhang to the countryside.

Without that troublesome Lady Jia Zhang, her days would be much better and her relationships within the quadrangle would not be so terrible.

Qin Huairu knew that the only way now was to try hard to stay in the quadrangle; glancing towards Yi Zhonghai’s house, she knew in her heart that this would not be an easy path.

Glancing at Sha Zhu’s house, she shook her head; it was not quite suitable since he was a eunuch, and she wanted to find someone to marry so as to stay in the city.

But she was also a woman, she couldn’t possibly marry a eunuch, could she?

Running through her thoughts quickly, she came up with a very good idea: Xu Damao.

Though marrying him might attract unflattering gossip, her life would definitely be better than with the Jia Family.

At this thought, Qin Huairu couldn’t help but breathe a sigh-of-relief and after considering it in her mind, she went to Yi Zhonghai’s door, "First Elder, may I come in to talk?"

The First Lady glared fiercely at First Elder, "You better not dare."

Yi Zhonghai helplessly said, "Dongxu’s daughter-in-law, this really isn’t something I, a mere locksmith, can get involved in."

"Besides, you have no job in the city, and eventually no house, no source of income; you’re not a city resident either. With two children, how will you live in the city?"

Yi Zhonghai had wanted to find someone for his old age, but he did not want someone with endless troubles, constantly needing him to spend money.

If Bang Geng was a good option, he of course wouldn’t mind providing for Qin Huairu and her three children, but could Bang Geng really support them in their old age?

Yi Zhonghai had already given up on this idea; if it wasn’t for counting on Jia Dongxu for support in his old age, he would have disciplined Bang Geng countless times by now.

After pondering many times, Yi Zhonghai said, "I remember your nephew has many children; what do you think about adopt one?"

Looking around the quadrangle, there really was no suitable candidate left; Yi Zhonghai, with no other choice, ultimately had to make this decision.

The First Lady hadn’t expected her old man to choose her nephew’s child, which made her jubilant.

"Good, good, I’ll talk to my nephew," the First Lady was so happy, "You can rest assured, you’ve seen my nephew."

"You’ve also met my niece-in-law, and seen the kids; they are all kind and honest children, and they will surely provide for us in our old age."

The First Lady thought for a moment, "I’ll write to them today, and, what do you think, shall we take some time off to go there together?"

For such a big decision, Yi Zhonghai needed to choose himself; otherwise, there would surely be endless grumbling and complaints.

After thinking it over, Yi Zhonghai said, "Let’s talk about it in a few days. With such a big incident happening now and Dongxu getting involved with it,"

"It wouldn’t be right for me to ask for leave." In such a tumultuous time, every move had to be made with extra care.

"You send some money to your nephew through the mail, just tell them you miss them and ask them to come over," Yi Zhonghai decided to have them come over after all.

The First Lady was of course agreeable to everything, "When the time comes, we will educate the child properly, we can’t let him be like Bang Geng."

The First Lady was also very averse to Bang Geng, or it could be said that everyone in the Jia Family disliked him.