Volume 1, Chapter 25: "Call Me Husband From Now On"

"Brother Jianshe!" Chu Yan called out sweetly after finishing the cooking.

She always felt she should use a more intimate term, but she was too shy and didn't know what to do.

"Call me husband from now on!" Su Jianshe gently wrapped his arm around her waist.

The two prepared breakfast together: century egg and lean pork congee, two eggs, a few side dishes, and the mandarin duck chicken that had been simmering since yesterday.

Looking at the table full of food, their hearts were filled with contentment.

A joyful light flickered in Chu Yan's eyes.

"It smells so good. Brother Jianshe, I’ve always been curious, when did your cooking skills become so excellent?"

Looking at the blushing woman before him, Su Jianshe gently pinched the tip of her nose, his eyes filled with doting affection.

"It was only after I met you that I suddenly had an epiphany!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yan's cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson. She lowered her head shyly, not daring to look her husband in the eye, yet a wave of sweetness surged in her heart.

...

"So fragrant! What is that smell? Is someone stewing meat or chicken?"

As soon as Mrs. Jia stepped into the house, a look of pleasant surprise bloomed on her face.

"Great! I haven't eaten yet. Qin Huairu, hurry up and take a basin to that house and get some!"

At this moment, Qin Huairu was tidying up their meager breakfast.

Their household was destitute; how could they afford meat? Having a bit of pickled vegetables and watery porridge was already a rarity. If it hadn't been for the one hundred yuan from Xu Damao, Qin Huairu wouldn't have known when she could have rescued the children.

Even Jia Dongxu, lying on the bed, revealed an intoxicated expression. After all, Qin Huairu had brought quite a bit of meat home yesterday. On one hand, the residents of the courtyard didn't want to bicker with the Jia family. On the other, she had communicated with Xu Damao in private to bring back so much food.

"Go quickly! What are you standing there for?"

"Are you trying to watch me starve to death?"

"Go! See who dares not to give it to you. If they don't, I'll sit at their doorstep and refuse to leave!"

"If anything happens to my mother, Qin Huairu, I won't let you off! If you don't go, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Jia Dongxu, lying on the bed, scolded Qin Huairu as usual, failing to notice the resentment in his son's eyes as he looked at him.

Qin Huairu put down the breakfast she had just prepared, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and hurried out with a basin. Her destination was none other than Su Jianshe’s home.

Qin Huairu knew that Su Jianshe’s house was the only place that could afford meat right now.

(New book launch! I humbly ask for your generous gifts of flowers, ratings, and monthly tickets! Every bit of support, big or small, is the motivation for me to keep moving forward.)

Before Qin Huairu reached the door, the conversation inside was clearly audible.

"Brother Jianshe, you are truly amazing now. Your cooking is superb, and... I feel like you've changed so much."

Outside the door, Qin Huairu's eyes reddened upon hearing these warm words, but there was no envy in them, only resentment and jealousy.

"Su Jianshe, your life is already so fulfilling, why must you treat my family this way?"

"If it weren't for you, how would I have ended up being kicked out? It’s all your fault for making me lose face!"

"It’s all your fault! My home is in turmoil because of you!"

Driven by hatred, Qin Huairu pounded on the door, making a loud thumping sound.

Inside, Su Jianshe sighed helplessly upon hearing the noise: "It's rare to have a moment of peace during a meal."

Chu Yan, still immersed in her joy, covered her mouth and chuckled: "Go and see who it is."

The door opened. Su Jianshe looked at Qin Huairu, her intentions clear at a glance.

"Go back. I have no interest in commenting on what your family has done. Leave on your own before I lose my temper."

Su Jianshe’s expression was calm. After all, this was the first day after their wedding, and he didn't want Qin Huairu to ruin his mood.

"Jianshe, I truly have no other options. The children came back from the police station crying that they wanted meat, but our home is already empty-handed..."

"Can you spare some for us? Not much, just enough to fill this basin."

As she spoke, Qin Huairu lifted the porcelain basin in her hand, as if to prove her request wasn't excessive.

However, Su Jianshe had already decided that he would not give her a single thing.

"Get out! I'll repeat it again: I don't want to get angry, so don't test my bottom line!"

With that, Su Jianshe slammed the door shut.

Qin Huairu stood outside, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Your family is already wealthy, why can't you reach out and help us?"

"In this courtyard, which family doesn't know our plight? Which one hasn't helped?"

...

"If Silly Zhu were here, would I even look at you twice?"

...

Holding the basin, Qin Huairu hadn't even reached her own door before she heard the clamor of swearing from inside.

"Qin Huairu is just a cheap woman. When I'm not around, she flirts with those men every day. If it weren't for the lack of labor in the house, I would have divorced her long ago!"

Although paralyzed in bed, Jia Dongxu’s words were cold and undisguised.

"In my opinion, we should get her an IUD as soon as possible. Once the child is born, I'll take her to get it done. If she doesn't comply, she'll see what happens!"

At this moment, the usually vicious Mrs. Jia changed her tone and continued to curse.

"That cheap woman, I told her to go beg for food, why hasn't she returned yet? Dawdling like that, is she trying to starve me to death?"

Xiao Dang hid by the table, looking in terror at her grandmother and the father on the bed.

"You're back. Where's the meat?"

Just then, seeing Qin Huairu return, a glimmer of joy flashed across Mrs. Jia's face, but upon seeing the empty basin, her expression darkened again.

"You useless woman! I told you to go beg for food, and you couldn't even get that back. What use are you?"

Mrs. Jia pointed at Qin Huairu’s nose and cursed, seemingly forgetting that she was only able to leave the police station because Qin Huairu had signed the guarantee and obtained a letter of leniency from Xu Damao.

Qin Huairu bit her lip and defended herself:

"Mom, this really isn't my fault. It’s all that Su Jianshe! Their house has no shortage of food or drink, yet they refuse to share a little with us. Everyone in the courtyard helps us, except for them—they look right through us!"

In Qin Huairu's words, Su Jianshe’s refusal to help the Jia family was an unforgivable sin. Yet, she never reflected on her own family's actions during this time!

Su Jianshe not only refused to help them; even if he had kicked them while they were down, it would have been justifiable, bordering on self-defense.

"Su Jianshe!!!"

Sniffing the aroma of meat lingering in the air, Mrs. Jia’s eyes were full of greed.

"The smell of meat is everywhere. If only I could have a taste. This heartless Su Jianshe, he knows our family is poor, yet he refuses to help!"

Having said that, Mrs. Jia turned to Qin Huairu and said sharply:

"Watch me closely and see how I get that meat. If you still can't learn, then use your own body to trade for it!"

"You're not exactly virtuous anyway!"

Hearing this, Qin Huairu felt as if her heart were being stabbed by a knife. Tears welled up in her eyes, nearly falling. She hadn't expected her mother-in-law, with whom she lived day and night, to curse her like a fallen woman, and in front of her husband and children at that.

However, Mrs. Jia didn't notice Qin Huairu's reaction and only said to Bang Geng:

"Grandson, let's go. Grandma will take you to eat meat. I don't believe Su Jianshe can keep me from eating meat!"

As she spoke, she made to drag Bang Geng toward Su Jianshe’s house.

Halfway there, Mrs. Jia seemed to remember something and hurried back home. She rummaged through a corner and pulled out a long piece of black cloth. Bang Geng looked at his grandmother in confusion and asked:

"Grandma, weren't you taking me to get meat? What is this? Does holding this make Su Jianshe give us meat?"

Mrs. Jia didn't answer, instead revealing a mysterious expression:

"Don't rush, my dear grandson, you'll know in a moment."

Jia Dongxu, lying on the bed, watched the long cloth his mother brought out. His eyes flickered, as if he found it familiar.

"This long black cloth... I seem to have seen it before. Strange, why can't I remember?"

"Qin Huairu, you lazy woman, what are you standing there for? Get to work! Don't think I won't divorce you!"

"Brother Jianshe, where shall we go after we finish touring the outer city?"

"How about we go fishing? I remember people often fish nearby. Third Uncle Yan Bugui really loves it, and he even caught a big fish!"

Su Jianshe suddenly remembered how Third Uncle Yan Bugui had caught a palm-sized silver carp by the river and bragged about it for a long time. There was even a funny story that he had walked past his own door three times without going inside.

"Alright, let's go fishing after we're done walking."

Just then, a familiar voice rang in Su Jianshe's mind:

"Ding! Does the host wish to check in?"

Hearing this, Su Jianshe felt expectant, curious about what reward he might get this time.

"Check in!"

As the words left his lips, a strange light enveloped him. In an instant, Su Jianshe felt as if he had broken through some boundary, perceiving a piece of land that belonged to him within the space ahead.

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining a portable space!"

At the same time, the check-in system quickly uploaded various functions and contents of the portable space into Su Jianshe's brain. He quickly accepted the fact that he possessed a portable space and understood its utility.

"This is like the storage rings in novels, though it's a pity the space isn't big."

With a thought, Su Jianshe felt as if he had stepped into another world.

"About the size of a soccer field, that's enough. There's nothing that needs urgent confidential storage right now anyway."

"It's perfect for storing money so it doesn't get stolen."

Feeling the size of the space, Su Jianshe couldn't help but sigh.

"To actually get a portable space, this is great. After I'm done walking with Xiao Yan, I must find a chance to try it out!"

Just as Su Jianshe was thinking about how to utilize the space, the closed door was knocked on again. This time, the sound was even louder. Su Jianshe felt as if the person knocking was trying to shatter his door.

"Su Jianshe, I know you're at home. Why don't you hurry up and come out?"

Su Jianshe opened the door and saw Mrs. Jia standing before him. He couldn't help but frown. It wasn't out of annoyance, but sheer disgust at the sight of her. He didn't understand how such a person could exist in this courtyard. If he had known earlier that she would end up living comfortably in prison, he would never have granted leniency. Moreover, even with the letter of leniency, Yi Zhonghai wouldn't have had to go to much trouble; after all, the matter couldn't be easily glossed over with just a piece of paper.

"Mrs. Jia, why aren't you staying put at home? Why come here and knock on my door? Do you want to relive your dreams of being a thief?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Jia was so angry she nearly stomped her feet.

"Su Jianshe, what do you mean by that? If you hadn't set a mousetrap in your house, how would our hands have ended up like this?"

"I'm warning you, if you don't give me meat today, I'll make sure you regret it!"

Looking at the Mrs. Jia who had lost a layer of fat, yet dared to threaten him, the corners of Su Jianshe’s mouth lifted slightly. He looked at the "Bang Geng" beside her. A deep, meaningful smile appeared—getting Bang Geng to show up was also part of his plan.

"Fine, I’d like to see what kind of surprise an old piece of trash like you can give me!"

When it came to animals, Su Jianshe always took aggressive measures. After all, the beasts in this courtyard were not kind-hearted people.

"Su Jianshe, since you won't listen to reason, don't blame me for being rude!"

As soon as Mrs. Jia finished speaking, she instantly pulled out a black cloth hanging from a pole. Su Jianshe, whose eyesight had been enhanced, quickly noticed the writing on the black cloth.

"Late husband, Jia Zhaoyang!"

A mourning banner?

Su Jianshe looked at Mrs. Jia’s actions in surprise.

"If I remember correctly, this should have been put away with the funeral back then, right?"

"Why would Mrs. Jia keep this?"

Not to mention Su Jianshe’s surprise, even the idle bystanders in the courtyard were stunned. They looked at the object in Mrs. Jia’s hand in disbelief. However, Mrs. Jia didn't care about any of that. She clutched the mourning banner tightly, instantly transforming into a shrew, letting out loud, mournful cries, and began to throw a tantrum.

"Old Jia, hurry and come look! Look at what our family has become—anyone dares to bully us!"

"You old fool, hurry and take these people away! This murderous Su Jianshe won't even give us a piece of meat to eat!"

"Bang Geng, come over and call out with Grandma! Make your grandfather drive all these people away!"

Bang Geng, standing to the side, felt ashamed. His grandfather had been dead for many years, yet here his grandmother was, dragging him out to "manifest." Hearing the mocking laughter of the people around him, Bang Geng trembled with rage.

"Su Jianshe, you murderer! My hand ended up like this because of you!"

"It’s all your fault! I suffered so much at the police station! If you don't give me meat today, I’ll lie at your doorstep and cry every single day!"

Saying this, Mrs. Jia began to wail again.

"Old Jia, open your eyes and look! What kind of people are these? They won't even help our family!"

"I can't go on living like this!!!"

Her wailing was as hoarse as a jackal's, and she crouched on the ground, dry-heaving. There were hardly any tears, let alone spit. Many outsiders, unaware of the situation, were attracted by the commotion and gathered in the courtyard to watch the spectacle. They had long heard of Mrs. Jia’s reputation, and now they were whispering among themselves.

"That Mrs. Jia can really cry!"

"Indeed, at her age, all she knows is how to throw a tantrum."

Su Jianshe, however, watched the "drama" with interest, as if watching a necromancer summon her late husband. Honestly, this kind of ghost-faking behavior was something he had only seen on stage before; this was the first time he had truly experienced Mrs. Jia’s "charms" in reality.

"Fine, keep calling!"

"Let's see if your late husband can rescue you. Perhaps he hasn't found a suitable companion on the other side and is just waiting for you to go down and keep him company."