Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

Page 188

Xu Damao gave Lou Xiao'e an arrogant look, which frightened Lou Xiao'e so much that she didn't know what to say. She swallowed half a bowl of leftover porridge from last night and hurriedly rushed to her parents' home.

"Hey, sis, why did you come all this way so early? What's the rush? You're all sweaty."

As soon as Lou Xiao'e entered the door, she bumped into her younger brother, Lou Sheng, who was about to leave. Lou Sheng looked very happy, probably thinking that Lou Xiao'e had come to give him money.

"Where...where are you going so early in the morning?"

Lou Xiao'e, leaning against the wall, asked breathlessly, her face covered in sweat.

"Xiaoyue and I made plans to go look at rings today. Sister, you still need to hurry up with the money. Xiaoyue doesn't like wearing silver. Her mother says that for such a joyous occasion as a wedding, she should wear gold."

"Xiaoyue also said that she's only waiting for me to make money because she has feelings for me; otherwise, she would have already turned her back on me and married someone else. If you don't want your brother to be a bachelor forever, you'd better put your mind to it!"

Seeing his sister struggling to breathe, Lou Sheng not only didn't invite her into the house to rest, but also urged her impatiently.

"You'll have to figure out the money yourself. Xu Damao has already found out that I stole money. You also have to return the money I gave you yesterday, or my life is over."

Lou Xiao'e, who was initially embarrassed, was completely disappointed by Lou Sheng's attitude and simply told him the truth.

"What? I already told Xiaoyue that we were going to look at rings today, get engaged this week, and pick a good day to get married next month. How am I supposed to explain this to Xiaoyue?"

Lou Sheng was completely stunned upon hearing this news and loudly rebuked Lou Xiao'e.

"What's all the noise about so early in the morning? Standing at the door making a scene, are you afraid people won't come and laugh at you? Come inside, all of you!"

At this moment, Lou's mother, who had heard the noise, came out and pulled both children back into the house.

"You, Lou Sheng, am I really your biological sister? You keep talking about Xiao Yue, have you ever thought about what will happen to your sister?"

Lou Xiao'e questioned him, her voice trembling with tears.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't you hear what I just said? What are you arguing about! You're supposed to be the older sister, and you're so old, yet you don't know how to give in to your younger brother. All you do is argue!"

Lou's mother pinched Lou Xiao'e's arm hard. This was how she always disciplined her children. Lou Xiao'e, who was already on the verge of tears, burst into tears from the pain.

Chapter 250 Lou Xiao'e Returns to Her Parents' Home to Ask for Money

"Mom, you really need to teach my sister a lesson! What kind of older sister is she? She doesn't respect me at all!"

Lou Sheng said with a hint of pride that the most common scene in the Lou family was parents helping their son bully their daughter, and Lou Xiao'e was already used to it.

"Alright, alright, don't rush me. Tell Mom what happened!"

Lou's mother patted her son's back twice and asked.

"Xiaoyue's family is in a real hurry for money, right? Yesterday you told me to go ask my sister for some, but she just gave me a few bills like she was giving alms to a beggar, and promised to get more from Xu Damao."

"And guess what she came back for first thing this morning? She wanted money back! She's not giving me the dowry she promised, and she even wants back the pittance she got yesterday!"

"Anyway, I'm the only one among my classmates and friends who's still single. If Xiaoyue doesn't come with me, I'll never get married in my life. Forget about having grandchildren and carrying on the family line!"

Lou Sheng knew how to manipulate his parents' psychology. He simply threw his hand down and sat in a chair, looking as if he had already given up on his family and love.

"Lou Xiao'e, I just don't understand what you're doing all this rambling on every day. Let me ask you, isn't Lou Sheng your biological brother?"

"Of course! When did I say he wasn't my biological brother?"

"Since he's your own brother, shouldn't you, as his older sister, contribute some money when he gets married?"

"I'm not a big boss or a big leader, where am I supposed to get so much money for his wedding? Besides, what family is like Xiaoyue's, demanding exorbitant amounts of money all the time just to marry off an ordinary girl?"

"This...it is true...Xiaoyue's family is asking for too much money...but your brother likes her, what can we do? Just try our best to satisfy them and let them and your brother live a good life, isn't that enough?"

Ultimately, Lou's mother's heart still completely leans towards her son's side.

"Fine, then I'll tell you the truth. I don't have a single penny on me. The money I gave to Lou Sheng yesterday and the money I promised to give him were all stolen from Xu Damao's cabinet. Xu Damao has already found out. If I can't return the money, Xu Damao will divorce me."

Lou Xiao'e said, feeling utterly disheartened.

"What? You've been married to Xu Damao for so many years, and he's already nitpicking over such a small amount of money? He's hiding money from you behind your back and he thinks he's right? If that's the case, then let's get a divorce!"

"Put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, is this really just a little money? Xu Damao is a stingy person by nature. Taking so much money at once is no different from taking his life. Anyway, think it over carefully. I've been married to him for so many years and haven't had a child. Now I've taken his money. What if he kicks me out? I'll end up like Lou Sheng, staying at home and being supported by you every day!"

"But...I heard that this couple's money isn't considered joint property?"

"What marital property? I haven't worked for years, and now I've taken money without their permission. That's theft. It's good enough that they haven't called the supervisory team to arrest me. Judging from Xu Damao's attitude, if we don't get this money back, Lou Sheng and I will both be implicated. We still want to get married, but we'll be going to jail!"

As soon as Lou Xiao'e said this, Lou's mother panicked and turned to go back into the house to find the money.

·· ·····Requesting flowers·· ·

Just then, Lou Xiao'e suddenly felt unbearable abdominal pain, covered her mouth, and rushed to the pool.

"Sis... are you alright?"

Lou Sheng leaned over and asked, with Lou's mother following closely behind.

"It's nothing... I just feel a little nauseous..."

"Wait, you wouldn't be... pregnant, would you?"

Standing to the side, Lou's mother looked Lou Xiao'e up and down twice, and said with some surprise.

"Huh? Didn't everyone say I can't have children?"

Lou Xiao'e got up, wiped her mouth, and looked somewhat incredulous.

...... . 0

"Those are just gossipy old women saying things because you haven't had children after so many years of marriage. We haven't gone to the hospital for a checkup, so maybe she really is pregnant."

"Your reaction is exactly the same as when I gave birth to Lou Sheng. This time it's probably another son!"

Lou's mother, beaming with joy, helped Lou Xiao'e to sit down in the inner room. Lou Xiao'e had been burdened by the label of being unable to have children for so many years, and at this moment she was more than willing to believe her mother's words.

"You! Go and fetch Xu Damao here right now. Tell him your sister is pregnant with his son. I want to see if this Xu Damao really wants a son or money!"

Lou's mother gave Lou Sheng instructions.

"Mom... I've already made plans with Xiaoyue... If she can't wait for me, she'll get angry again..."

"Agreed upon my ass! I think your brain's been kicked by a donkey. Can't you tell which end's weight is more important? Don't you want to get married?"

Upon hearing Lou's mother's words, Lou Sheng immediately perked up. He even ran to the neighbor's house to borrow a bicycle, and rode off towards Xu Damao's house.

Chapter 251 Big-Character Posters on the Wall

The reason why Lou's mother was so happy was not because Lou Xiao'e was finally pregnant, but because the child in Lou Xiao'e's belly could be used as a bargaining chip to blackmail Xu Damao into willingly helping Lou Sheng get married.

Lou Xiao'e was so happy that she couldn't think about anything else. At this moment, she had forgotten about the money and was only thinking about how she could live a normal life after having a child.

"Xu Damao, come with me!"

Lou Sheng barged into Xu Damao's house and said in a very rude tone.

"Lou Sheng, are you asking for a beating? Hurry up and return the money to me, and we'll talk. Otherwise, you and your sister will be spending your days in the '610 Office' jail!"

Xu Damao glanced at Lou Sheng. Ever since they got married, he had looked down on his brother-in-law, who did nothing all day.

"Xu Damao, I've discovered that all you care about is money, isn't it? You'd abandon your wife and kids for that little bit of cash?"

"Anyway, I have no money but my life. Or I can ride my bike and take you to the supervisory team right now, and you can sue me and my sister, so that Xu Damao's son can experience what it's like to be in jail from the moment he's born."

Lou Sheng said with a disdainful look, in his mind, the child in his sister Lou Xiao'e's belly was the bargaining chip for whether he could get married smoothly.

"Child? What child?"

Xu Damao sat up in bed with a surprised look and asked.

"If you ask me, Xu Damao, you're only smart when it comes to money. What kind of child could my sister Lou Xiao'e be carrying?"

Lou Sheng crossed his legs, looking disdainful.

"What? Lou Xiao'e is pregnant? How come I didn't know?"

"Don't even mention you, she herself only just found out. My mom said, if you still want a son, hurry up and pick up my sister; if you don't, then forget it..."

After saying that, Lou Sheng swaggered out the door, and Xu Damao, after a few seconds of reaction, hurriedly chased after him.

Xu Damao had always dreamed of having a son before he got married, and now that Lou Xiao'e was pregnant, it was a huge deal for him.

At the same time, Zhang Feng sneaked to the factory gate, carrying several large sheets of paper covered with writing.

Mid-morning is the time when there are the fewest people around. Zhang Feng looked around and saw that there were no people around, so he immediately took action. He quickly brushed glue onto the wall with one hand and stuck a large piece of paper onto the wall with the other.

“Engineer Li Xiangdong is committing all sorts of evil deeds in the factory. His brother-in-law, Yu Bin, has taken advantage of his position to rise in rank and is seducing a teenage girl, He Yushui!” These few words were written by Zhang Feng after he spent the whole night thinking about them. He even deliberately highlighted Li Xiangdong’s name in red, firmly believing that such a big-character poster would definitely bring down Li Xiangdong.

After posting the message, Zhang Feng didn't dare linger and quickly ran to hide in a nearby alley, wanting to see everyone's reaction firsthand.

Soon it was lunch break time. The steel rolling mill gates were open, and security personnel, as instructed by Li Xiangdong, stood at the gate to check each worker's work permit before letting them through.

"Hey, look! Who did this?!"

"Really? I see Yu Bin working in the workshop every day, but I've never seen him with any girls, have I?"

"Wait, He Yushui? Isn't this He Yuzhu's sister?"

"This person's handwriting is so bad, it gives me the creeps..."

"I heard that Li Xiangdong brought He Yuzhu's sister to live in the factory dormitory. Could it really be to make things easier for Yu Binxing?"

Just as Zhang Feng had predicted, the workers who came out of the factory were all drawn to his five big-character posters, stopping to look and discuss them...

Just then, He Yuzhu emerged from the factory, looking travel-worn. He was invited to cook lunch for Feng Ting's family to show off his abilities. As he walked to the factory gate, he wondered why so many people were gathered there. Normally, he would have joined the crowd. But today was different; Feng Ting was more important to her.

"You finished early today. Are you still very busy lately?"

He Yushui was waiting downstairs at the dormitory building as promised, ready to go to the cafeteria with Yu Bin. When she saw Yu Bin walking over, she happily went up to him and asked.