"I've been waiting impatiently for a long time!"
Liu Kai Xuan said with a chuckle, "Xu Da Mao, if you have any skills, bring them out now. Don't hold back!"
"If you hold back against me, I'll look down on you!"
"I..."
Xu Da Mao had completely lost his mind by this point.
What he had just said was purely a polite remark!
He never expected that Liu Kai Xuan would insist on taking his polite remark seriously.
This put Xu Da Mao in a completely embarrassing situation.
"Da Mao, what's wrong?"
Liu Kai Xuan said with a smile, "I'm waiting to witness your peerless martial arts. Hurry up and make your move!"
This time, Xu Da Mao was completely defeated.
He didn't even have the courage to make threats anymore and simply slunk away with his tail between his legs.
After Xu Da Mao left, Liu Kai Xuan also prepared to leave.
It was at this moment that Qin Jing Ru caught up to him.
"Comrade, please don't rush off. You haven't answered the questions I asked you just now!"
Liu Kai Xuan said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, but I don't like to gossip about others!"
"If you want to find out about Sha Zhu's character, go ask someone else!"
"Hey, don't go, I..."
Qin Jing Ru was still unwilling, but Liu Kai Xuan had already walked far away without looking back.
For Qin Jing Ru, Sha Zhu's character directly determined her lifelong happiness.
Therefore, finding out Sha Zhu's background was very important to her.
Since Liu Kai Xuan was unwilling to express his opinion, she decided to ask others.
If Sha Zhu had indeed been to jail, all the neighbors in the courtyard would surely know.
Next, Qin Jing Ru asked a few other passing neighbors for information.
She soon learned the news: Sha Zhu had indeed served three years in prison.
Furthermore, the most crucial point was that Sha Zhu was currently unemployed.
He had lost his job at the Hong Xing Steel Rolling Mill three years ago.
After learning these details, Qin Jing Ru's mood began to turn anxious.
Before Liu Kai Xuan returned home, Xu Da Mao, that scoundrel, had been wildly slandering Sha Zhu for a long time in a near-crazed state.
Among these, there were three core points.
The first core point was that there was an improper relationship between Sha Zhu and Qin Huai Ru.
The second point was that Sha Zhu was an idle ex-convict with no proper job.
The third point was that Sha Zhu was mentally unsound.
Liu Kai Xuan's timely intervention, cutting Xu Da Mao off at the critical moment, caused Qin Jing Ru's impression of Xu Da Mao to plummet to an all-time low.
Qin Jing Ru had also stopped believing Xu Da Mao's words for a while.
Now, Qin Jing Ru felt that she could not trust Xu Da Mao's character, but she could trust what he said.
...
As night fell, Sha Zhu, carrying a large bowl of braised pork, arrived at the Jia family's home with a beaming smile.
Bang Geng, Xiao Dang, Xiao Huai Hua, and the others were overjoyed.
Before the plate had even landed, they had already prepared their bowls and chopsticks, ready for a feast.
Unfortunately, the bowl of braised pork Sha Zhu had prepared was not for entertaining these gluttons, but for Qin Jing Ru.
As usual, Sha Zhu shamelessly tried to curry favor with Qin Jing Ru.
"Jing Ru, this is the braised pork I specifically made for you. Why don't you try it first and see how it tastes?"
Although Qin Jing Ru was craving meat, her good impression of Sha Zhu had completely evaporated.
After glancing at the tray in Sha Zhu's hand, Qin Jing Ru continued, "Sha Zhu, we need to have a serious talk!"
"Of course we can!"
Sha Zhu replied cheerfully, "Jing Ru, you can talk about anything you want!"
"We'll be family soon, so don't be shy with me!"
Sha Zhu kept trying to get close to Qin Jing Ru, but her face was filled with cold sternness.
"Alright!"
Qin Jing Ru replied with a cold laugh, "Then tell me, do you have a job right now?"
"Of course I have a job!"
Sha Zhu said cheerfully, "Didn't Sister Qin already tell you? I'm a chef at the Hong Xing Steel Rolling Mill!"
Qin Jing Ru knew that Sha Zhu was lying to her, and her smile became even more stern.
"By the way, Sha Zhu, I heard from the neighbors in the courtyard that you were in prison for three years. I wonder if it's true or not?"
Sha Zhu immediately became enraged, "Which bastard is spreading such nonsense?"
Qin Jing Ru replied with a smile, "It was a kind neighbor named Xu Da Mao who told me!"
"It's that scoundrel Xu Da Mao again! I'm going to kill him!"
"Wait!"
Sha Zhu, furious, was about to go confront Xu Da Mao but was stopped by Qin Jing Ru.
"Sha Zhu, don't rush off. You still haven't answered my questions!"
"Do you have a job right now, and did you really go to jail for three years?"
"I..."
Sha Zhu felt as if his whole body was about to split in two.
This was not something Sha Zhu could cover up with a few words.
There were too many neighbors in the courtyard; who didn't know about Sha Zhu's imprisonment?
Even when Yi Zhong Hai had absolute power, some people dared to oppose him.
Sha Zhu was now just a garrulous gossip in the courtyard, with no prestige whatsoever.
Only he, He Yu Zhu, considered himself somebody.
According to Sha Zhu and Qin Huai Ru's plan, they intended to temporarily conceal this matter from Qin Jing Ru.
They planned to rush through the marriage by hiding the truth.
Once the deed was done, even if Qin Jing Ru found out about Sha Zhu's dark past, it would be too late.
Sha Zhu would successfully find a young and beautiful wife, and Qin Huai Ru would make a hefty profit from the opportunity.
Each party would get what they wanted. As for Qin Jing Ru being deceived, she could only blame herself for being "deserving."
Unfortunately, with Xu Da Mao's meddling, Sha Zhu's dirty secrets had all been exposed.
Now, Sha Zhu couldn't fix this gaping hole and could only shift his plea for help to Qin Huai Ru.
"Jing Ru, don't get agitated. Let's sit down and discuss this as a family!"
"I can assure you with 100% certainty that Sha Zhu is a good man..."
"Is he?"
Qin Jing Ru replied with a cold laugh, "Qin Huai Ru, you truly are a good person!"
"I gave you my complete trust, and what did I get in return? You treated me like a monkey and played games with me?"
"I just want to ask you, Qin Huai Ru: did you consider my feelings when you did this?"
"Not only did you introduce me to an ex-convict with a criminal record, but he's also your secret lover. How shameless can you be?"