Slapping Jia Zhangshi, No Way to Borrow Money

"Neighbors, come look! I've caught Ximen Qing!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake! Shut your mouth, Jia Zhangshi! If you dare to slander me again, I'll smack you!"

Lin Zhen felt like he'd stepped in dog poop after going out, like he'd stepped in shit.

Could he possibly be this unlucky?

Putting aside the fact that he wasn't interested in Qin Huairu, that leech.

Even if he had some thoughts, he hadn't shown them!

You, Jia Zhangshi, are spewing mud right in front of me, and I won't tolerate it.

Slap!

Before Jia Zhangshi could make a move, Lin Zhen landed a slap.

Jia Zhangshi's mouth instantly started bleeding.

"Oh! Help! A scoundrel is hitting me!"

Lin Zhen reached out to hit her again.

Qin Huairu quickly stepped in front to protect her.

"Lin Zhen! Calm down!"

"Calm down? Right! I should calm down, I'm going to the street office right now to report you. Jia Zhangshi, don't act like you're old and untouchable, I'll definitely report you for defamation!"

Hearing Jia Zhangshi's cry, More than half the people in the courtyard ran out, and people from other courtyards also came to watch the commotion.

At this moment, Qin Huairu wished she were dead.

Lin Zhen, however, didn't care.

The more people, the better. He could clarify things with the neighbors present.

It would save him the trouble of running around to debunk rumors.

"Alas! Neighbors, please take a look. This is a new era with new spirit, yet there are still remnants of the old feudal system, an evil mother-in-law bullying her daughter-in-law, slandering her neighbors, and causing trouble for the new society!"

Lou Xiao'e asked urgently, "Lin Zhen, what happened? You went out for less than five minutes, and now you're fighting?"

Lin Zhen snorted, "Isn't it this wicked mother-in-law? Spewing slander and slinging mud at me!"

Jia Zhangshi was stunned, covering her mouth, her face pale.

Blood flowed through her fingers.

She never dreamed Lin Zhen would actually lay hands on her.

She was used to being pampered in the courtyard.

Let alone hitting her, no one in the entire Siheyuan dared to argue back with her.

She never expected to be slapped in the mouth by a young person in her old age.

First Aunt quickly pulled Jia Zhangshi back into the courtyard.

"Let's go home, old sister-in-law. Don't let the neighbors laugh."

Lin Zhen said calmly, "First Aunt, wait a moment. We need to let the neighbors know what happened. Mud isn't just thrown around casually!"

"That's right! Master Lin, what exactly happened?"

"What happened? You always respect the old and love the young, I've never seen you this angry."

"Oh dear, could it be because you didn't donate enough money?"

Lin Zhen waved his hand gently, signaling for the neighbors to be quiet.

"There are many neighbors from other courtyards here, all from the same alley. Everyone has heard that Jia Dongxu suffered a serious work injury. Our entire courtyard was very worried and felt sorry for his family. But when we wanted to help, we had to be careful of this wicked mother-in-law biting us."

"Why?"

"Why? Ask Silly Zhu, ask Xu Damao, even Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiecheng. They all wanted to help but didn't dare to get too close. This wicked mother-in-law doesn't see her daughter-in-law's hard work, only suspects her of infidelity and that other men have ill intentions."

"Hey! Isn't that a case of good intentions leading to bad results?"

"Isn't that the truth? Qin Huairu wanted to borrow some money from me. I had to say a few polite words for the sake of appearances, right? Hey! This wicked mother-in-law overheard it while eavesdropping by the wall, and started yelling. Good heavens, I hadn't even agreed to lend her the money, and she was already slandering me like this. If I had actually lent it, I would never be able to clear my name!"

Jia Zhangshi was so angry she lowered her head and said nothing.

After all, she had no grounds to stand on.

Catching a thief requires catching them red-handed, catching an adulterer requires catching them in the act.

She had attacked based on a vague remark from Qin Huairu; she truly had no evidence.

Furthermore, Lin Zhen had never agreed to lend the money.

The neighbors who understood the situation began to discuss.

"Wasn't she supposed to be watching the severely injured Jia Dongxu at the hospital? Why is she back?"

"Tsk! Do I even need to say? She's obviously here to monitor Qin Huairu."

"Alas, Qin Huairu is quite pitiful, pregnant and working hard for the family, only to be abused by her mother-in-law."

"Who's not saying that? Fortunately, we're not in the same courtyard as her."

"Shut up! What business is it of yours? My family's affairs are not for you to gossip about, get lost!"

Jia Zhangshi didn't dare to argue with Lin Zhen, but she dared to yell at the neighbors.

Lin Zhen waved to He Yuzhu, "Silly Zhu, you tell me, has Jia Zhangshi scolded you these past two days?"

Silly Zhu smiled, "Alright, alright, calm down. You know what kind of temper Grandma Jia has, that's enough, don't get angry."

"You truly are a meddler, calling you a barren bachelor isn't wrong."

First Elder Yi Zhonghai quickly waved his hands upon seeing this.

"Neighbors, please go back, there's nothing major, just a misunderstanding!"

"Wait, we can't just let this go. I didn't yell on the street for nothing. Apologize to me, or we'll go to the street office and handle this officially!"

Jia Zhangshi was truly scared.

Lin Zhen's slap earlier had thoroughly sobered her up.

Not everyone could be bullied, not everyone could be cursed at face-to-face.

"I... I... I have a headache, it's from you hitting me. You want me to apologize? You hit an elder, you should be apologizing to me!"

The Deaf Old Lady, who was watching the commotion, laughed.

"Hmph! Jia Zhangshi, you've lived for decades for nothing. Lin Zhen is giving you a way out, and you won't take it. Just wait to go to jail!"

"I... I..."

"Apologize! You can call Silly Zhu a love cheat, but you can't curse at me!"

Lin Zhen shouted, startling Jia Zhangshi.

Silly Zhu heard this and lowered his head, walking away.

"Why does everything get dragged back to me? I'm so bored, why am I even getting involved in this mess!"

Yi Zhonghai advised, "Old sister-in-law, a mistake is a mistake. Saying sorry to a junior doesn't diminish your status."

Seeing Lin Zhen's unyielding attitude, Jia Zhangshi forced herself to say sorry.

This farce finally came to an end.

Yi Zhonghai said, "Lin Zhen, don't take it to heart with your Grandma Jia. She's just been upset these past two days and is a bit confused."

Lin Zhen smiled, "Hah! As soon as Grandma Jia apologized, this misunderstanding is cleared up. I'm not a petty person."

When it came to polite pleasantries, Lin Zhen was never stingy.

But when it came to borrowing money, that was out of the question.

Qin Huairu returned home, disheartened and with red eyes.

Holding Bang Geng with her left hand and Xiao Dang with her right, she sat in the room, head bowed and weeping.

Jia Zhangshi was seething with anger.

She angrily said, "What are you crying about? How dare you cry? I heard what you said, I'm truly ashamed for you!"

Qin Huairu cried, "Do you think I want to say it? If I didn't need money to support our future, I wouldn't want to borrow money!"

"Hmph! Only you know what you're thinking!"

"Yes! I envy Lou Xiao'e, what woman doesn't? But I haven't done anything to betray Dongxu. The money the factory subsidizes is just enough for hospitalization. I'm about to give birth, and after that, Dongxu won't be able to work. You tell me, what will our family of six eat then?"

Jia Zhangshi was speechless. She couldn't consider these things.

She was only focused on preventing her daughter-in-law from running off with someone else and hadn't thought about the future at all.

Qin Huairu continued, "Although Silly Zhu has money, he doesn't have as much as Lin Zhen. He also has a sister who's a burden. Xu Damao is very shrewd; he wouldn't lend us money. First Elder's attitude has changed since Dongxu's accident these past two days. The only people in the courtyard who have money and might help us are Lin Zhen's family."

Jia Zhangshi was dismissive, "Forget it! He's not that kind-hearted."

"He might not be, but Lou Xiao'e is. I planned to take it step by step, slowly moving the couple to lend us money. But you, you ruined it all at once, and now there's no hope."