"Brr, I'm freezing to death!"
Jia Zhangshi shivered uncontrollably, scrambling from the kang to huddle by the stove for warmth.
Just then, Liu Kai Xuan arrived with a bucket of water.
He had only splashed half of the previous bucket of dirty water onto the kang, saving the rest.
"Liu Kai Xuan, stop right there!"
Jia Zhangshi was trembling from the cold, relying on the stove to survive!
Seeing Liu Kai Xuan approaching with a bucket, threatening to extinguish the stove, Jia Zhangshi's face turned green with fright.
"Don't make a fuss!"
Liu Kai Xuan smiled faintly, "You can enjoy this kind of treatment every day from now on!"
"Liu Kai Xuan, are you trying to cause a death? I..."
"Splash..."
Before Jia Zhangshi could finish her sentence, Liu Kai Xuan had poured the remaining half bucket of water directly into the stove.
The stove was doused, and water spread all over the room.
The cold wind howled outside, making the house as frigid as a cellar.
Jia Zhangshi was drenched in cold water, a truly unpleasant experience.
"Kai Xuan, stop!"
At this moment, Yan Bugui rushed in from outside upon hearing the commotion.
Under Yan Bugui's mediation, the conflict between the two parties temporarily "came to an end."
In reality, Liu Kai Xuan stopped mainly because the bucket was empty.
Before leaving, Liu Kai Xuan did not forget to issue a stern warning: "Qin Huai Ru, Jia Zhangshi, listen carefully!"
"This is just the beginning. I'll be back tomorrow morning!"
"I expect you to return the money honestly then, or you'll face consequences!"
"If you refuse to repay, don't blame me for bullying your Jia family!"
After Liu Kai Xuan left, Jia Zhangshi resumed her dramatic lamentations.
"Old Yan, you saw it clearly, didn't you? Liu Kai Xuan, that little beast, has no humanity!"
"He's preying on us, the helpless widow and orphans of the Jia family. Third Master, you must bring us justice!"
Jia Zhangshi's cries were completely ignored by Yan Bugui.
Yan Bugui replied with righteous indignation, "Liu Kai Xuan is holding a promissory note written and signed by Qin Huai Ru to demand the debt!"
"You Jia family are in the wrong here, and I truly cannot help you!"
Jia Zhangshi tried to say something more, but Yan Bugui had already slipped away.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry and change the bedding on the kang!"
After Yan Bugui departed, Jia Zhangshi began to berate Qin Huai Ru.
In the past, Qin Huai Ru would have hung her head and endured silently.
But this time, Qin Huai Ru refused to take it anymore!
"Jia Zhangshi, tell me the truth, did you take the three yuan from under my pillow?"
"Qin Huai Ru, what nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever take your money!"
"You ungrateful wretch, you're getting more and more out of line. If you don't want to live here anymore, then get out!"
"Fine!" Qin Huai Ru agreed, "Then I'll go stay in the factory dormitory for a few days. You can stay home and take care of the three children yourself!"
With that, Qin Huai Ru stood up to leave.
Jia Zhangshi exploded on the spot: "Qin Huai Ru, what exactly do you want? Are you trying to rebel?"
"I'm warning you, I'm not dead yet, and I still call the shots in this house!"
Qin Huai Ru retorted with a cold laugh, "Anyway, this life is unbearable!"
"Even if I change the bedding today, Liu Kai Xuan will be back tomorrow morning and will pour dirty water on it again!"
"In this freezing weather, you think it's easy for me to wash the sheets and quilts, right?"
Jia Zhangshi roared fiercely, "I don't care about all that. Change the bedding quickly. My body is injured and it's inconvenient for me!"
Qin Huai Ru simply feigned deafness and pretended not to hear Jia Zhangshi's nonsense.
Given Qin Huai Ru's vampiric nature, how could she honestly return the money to Liu Kai Xuan?
Qin Huai Ru was simply under too much pressure.
First, there was the physical pressure!
The last time Liu Kai Xuan came to collect his debt, he had poured a bucket of swill onto the Jia family's kang.
It had taken Qin Huai Ru a full day to wash the sheets and bedding, leaving her with backaches and pains.
Not only was it exhausting, but it was also incredibly uncomfortable.
Her hands had been in cold water all day in this frigid weather, her fingers had gone completely numb, and bending them was difficult.
Today, Liu Kai Xuan had come to splash dirty water again. It wasn't a major issue, but it was enough to make someone feel utterly disgusted.
The dirty and filthy kang would have to be tidied by Qin Huai Ru for another half day, and she would have to get up early to wash the bedding tomorrow.
The physical pressure was only part of it; the psychological pressure was also immense.
With Liu Kai Xuan constantly showing up with the promissory note to demand his debt, Qin Huai Ru's reputation had been utterly ruined.
In the past, whenever she encountered trouble, Qin Huai Ru only needed to play the victim and cry a few times, and someone would immediately step forward to help her.
But this time, when Liu Kai Xuan came to stir up trouble, not even a single neighbor came to watch.
Not only was Qin Huai Ru branded a deadbeat, but even her three children were ostracized in the courtyard.
Bang Geng was even daily called a "little scabby dog!"
Jia Zhangshi was now an invalid, barely clinging to life in bed.
She couldn't hear what people outside were saying about the Jia family.
But Qin Huai Ru heard those heart-wrenching words every day.
In this world, a person's life is defined by their reputation.
Even if Qin Huai Ru had completely lost her own face, she had to fight for some dignity for her three children.
So Qin Huai Ru, gritting her teeth, squeezed a significant amount from Sha Zhu.
She had planned to use this money to repay the debt, but then Jia Zhangshi had taken it away.
Now, not only was Liu Kai Xuan pressuring Qin Huai Ru, but Jia Zhangshi was also pushing her to a dead end.
Qin Huai Ru, Bang Geng, Xiao Dang, and Xiao Huai Hua were all wearing dry clothes.
Only Jia Zhangshi had been splashed with water!
Therefore, even though the stove in the house was extinguished, Qin Huai Ru and the others could hold on for a while, but Zhang Cuihua could no longer bear it.
The two sides remained in a standoff for over an hour, and finally, before Zhang Cuihua froze completely, she obediently returned the three yuan to Qin Huai Ru.
...
Early the next morning, as Liu Kai Xuan was busy cooking in the kitchen, Liu Yu Qian suddenly arrived.
"Liu Yu Qian, why are you here?"
Seeing Liu Yu Qian, Liu Kai Xuan couldn't help but frown.
Liu Yu Qian replied in a sweet voice, "Brother Kai Xuan, after I got off work yesterday, I specifically went to the market and bought two cups. One for each of us!"
Liu Yu Qian had bought two cups that looked exactly alike. She handed one to Liu Kai Xuan.