Yi Zhonghai, at this moment, felt as if his entire being was about to split apart.
Following Wang Dong's logic, even if Qin Huairu were executed, Yi Zhonghai would still be left to deal with her mess.
Taking care of Xiao Dang and Xiao Huai Hua would be a heavy burden for Yi Zhonghai, but he could grit his teeth and accept it.
However, Yi Zhonghai absolutely could not accept the responsibility of raising Bang Geng, that unfilial son.
After all, Bang Geng had always harbored intentions of killing Yi Zhonghai to avenge Jia Dongxu.
Under these circumstances, Yi Zhonghai forcing himself to raise Bang Geng would be like nurturing a tiger that would eventually devour him.
"Comrade Wang Jun, I apply to divorce Qin Huairu immediately, alright?"
"No!"
Wang Jun flatly refused. "Qin Huairu is already in prison now!"
"The two little girls must be taken care of by you now!"
"This might be a bit of a burden for you!"
"But I must remind you: such pressures are only temporary!"
"As long as we all work together, we will definitely overcome this difficulty!"
"But I..."
"Alright, Old Yi, worry a little less and have more confidence!"
Before Yi Zhonghai could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Wang Jun again. "I'm doing this for your own good!"
"You are all alone now, with no one to rely on!"
"You can still move around and don't need anyone to take care of you right now!"
"But have you considered what will happen in ten, twenty years when you can no longer move?"
"Wouldn't it be nice to have two girls to look after you then?"
Previously, Wang Dong had spoken a lot of seemingly irrelevant nonsense, but none of it had really hit the mark!
But now, Wang Dong's words finally struck home!
The most anxious thing in Yi Zhonghai's heart was the fear of having no one to care for him in his old age and see him off at his death.
Although Yi Zhonghai's relationship with Sha Zhu had been restored, it was important to remember that Sha Zhu was now with Qin Jingru.
Once Sha Zhu and Qin Jingru got married, they would be a family.
Even though Sha Zhu had personally promised to take care of Yi Zhonghai in his old age, whether that promise would be kept depended on Qin Jingru's wishes.
If Qin Jingru did not want to look after the old Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu would not divorce her over it.
From this perspective, it did make sense for Yi Zhonghai to raise the two young girls from the Jia family.
"Alright, Old Yi, let's make this arrangement for now!"
Wang Jun patted his chest and promised. "You take care of the two little girls, and I'll apply for relief funds for you as soon as possible!"
"During this period before the relief funds are approved, I'll try my best to mobilize the neighbors to donate some money to you!"
"No matter what, we will help you get through this difficult time!"
Yi Zhonghai made some concessions at this point.
"Since this is an arrangement made by Director Wang himself, I won't say anything more!"
"However, I will only agree to raise Xiao Dang and Xiao Huai Hua!"
"I absolutely will not take care of that little beast, Bang Geng!"
"When Bang Geng is released from prison in the future, the neighborhood committee can send him directly to a welfare home, and he should not bother me anymore!"
"Understood!"
Wang Jun replied solemnly. "Old Yi, you can rest assured, absolutely 100%!"
"We also know that you are an elderly person with mobility issues, and it's difficult enough for you to take care of yourself!"
"We will find another way to handle Bang Geng's issue, and it will not disturb your normal life, alright?"
"Okay, then let's consider this matter settled for now!"
Truth be told, Wang Jun was already at his wit's end dealing with the Jia family's affairs.
Bang Geng was currently detained in the juvenile detention center, so there was no immediate need to worry about him.
First, they needed to settle the two girls properly, and then plan their next steps.
Otherwise, Wang Jun genuinely worried that Yi Zhonghai would throw in the towel and refuse to take care of Xiao Dang and Xiao Huai Hua as well.
Now, although their goals differed, they had at least reached a consensus.
For Wang Jun, this was already quite an achievement.
...
Half a month later, the court convened to hear the case.
Perhaps Qin Huairu herself never imagined how serious the crime she had committed was.
The court's first-instance verdict found Qin Huairu guilty of intentional homicide and sentenced her to death.
However, considering Qin Huairu's special circumstances, the court commuted her sentence to life imprisonment!
The special circumstance was: Qin Huairu was pregnant!
That's right, Qin Huairu was indeed pregnant.
If it weren't for this, Qin Huairu would have been sentenced to death and executed immediately, without a doubt.
"What, Qin Huairu is pregnant?" Yi Zhonghai, as Qin Huairu's "husband," attended the court hearing.
Upon hearing the news of Qin Huairu's pregnancy, Yi Zhonghai felt his blood pressure instantly soar.
This undeniable cuckoldry was an overwhelming burden.
It had been over a year since Yi Zhonghai had touched Qin Huairu.
Qin Huairu's pregnancy now meant that the child in her womb had absolutely nothing to do with Yi Zhonghai.
But because Qin Huairu was Yi Zhonghai's "wife," everyone assumed the child was Yi Zhonghai's.
Yi Zhonghai was now filled with a surge of "joy" at becoming a father.
Furthermore, the other two defendants involved in the case were also heavily sentenced.
Wu Datou was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, and Hei Laoshu was sentenced to eight years imprisonment!
...
Qin Huairu expressed her dissatisfaction with the verdict and filed an appeal.
However, she had no new evidence to absolve herself of responsibility.
Even an appeal would be nothing more than a dying struggle, utterly meaningless.
With Qin Huairu's imprisonment, the atmosphere in the Siheyuan began to stir.
One evening, Liu Kai Xuan returned home from work and found Zhao Feiyan chatting with a group of people in the middle courtyard. He joined them to listen in on the gossip.
"I'm truly impressed. Qin Huairu would resort to any means to save her own life!"
"To think of using pregnancy as a tactic to avoid the death penalty, I'm amazed!"
"Who said so? Who do you think is the father of Qin Huairu's child?"
"Could it really be Yi Zhonghai's?"
"What nonsense are you talking? How could it be Yi Zhonghai's?"
"Bang Geng almost poisoned Yi Zhonghai, and Yi Zhonghai broke Bang Geng's leg. Then Qin Huairu found some wild man to get revenge on Yi Zhonghai!"
"So many legendary events happened all at once. The father of this child is probably that Wu Datou!"