Living like a widow? My rough neighbor is coaxing me to have a baby every night.

Chapter 144 Treating People Differently

"Let's go in and take a look." Qin Rushan tied up the car and pushed her into the house.

The room had obviously been cleaned in advance; the walls were painted white, the floor was cement, and it was spotless, without even a cobweb.

In the center of the main room stood an eight-immortal table, two armchairs, and even a cabinet with glass doors, which was empty, waiting for the lady of the house to fill it with things.

"I had Lao Liu and the others come over a couple of days ago to clear out the clutter, and the furniture was already there."

Qin Rushan hugged her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head. "How is it? Are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied...so satisfied..." Li Xianglian's eyes were a little hot.

She had lived in the Zhao family's leaky mud-brick house for three years, never daring to imagine that she would live in such a big tile-roofed house in her lifetime.

"As long as you're satisfied." Qin Rushan kissed her cheek. "The east room is the bedroom, and the west room is for our children to live in later. Once this gate is closed, we can live our own little lives, and no one will dare to gossip against the wall anymore."

Li Xianglian's heart skipped a beat when he said "baby stays here," and her cheeks flushed.

She thought about how the two of them had slept together several times, especially in the past few days, with all the activity day and night. Maybe... maybe there really was something going on in her belly.

She felt both sweet and shy, burying her face in Qin Rushan's strong chest, her voice muffled: "How could it be... so fast..."

"How could that be?"

Qin Rushan's deep laughter resonated above her head, his voice slightly hoarse, and his large hand around her waist began to wander restlessly. "I've worked so hard, this seed must have already started to take root and sprout."

He pinched the soft flesh on her waist, turned her to face him, and his aggressive heat washed over her.

"If you're still worried, I'll plant it again for you right now! I guarantee it'll take root firmly!"

As he spoke, his large, iron-like hands reached out to pull her into his arms.

Li Xianglian was startled and quickly put both hands on his chest: "You...you! Why are you always thinking about these things!"

How can this man get horny anytime, anywhere?!

Qin Rushan didn't take her strength seriously at all. He grabbed her two fidgety little hands, lifted them above her head, and pressed them against the wall.

"If I don't work hard to cultivate this land I just started, how can the seedlings grow well and strong?"

The two were cuddling when a knock came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Knock knock knock".

Immediately afterwards, a high-pitched female voice rang out: "Oh, is this the new neighbor? The door's open, I'm coming in!"

Li Xianglian nervously gestured to Qin Rushan with her eyes to let her go.

Qin Rushan cursed inwardly who was so blind to interrupt his good time, but he had no choice but to release the woman in his arms.

After all, he had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the place. If someone caught him doing that in broad daylight, he, a man with thick skin, wouldn't care, but his wife, who was thin-skinned, would probably be so ashamed she'd want to bury her face in the ground.

Before Li Xianglian could respond, a middle-aged, plump woman wearing a floral polyester short-sleeved shirt and with permed hair peeked in.

The woman held a handful of melon seeds in her hand. As soon as she entered the door, her beady eyes scanned the yard like radar, finally settling on Qin Rushan and Li Xianglian.

"Wow, you've tidied up pretty well!"

The woman, with an air of familiarity, spat out a mouthful of sunflower seed shells, her face trembling with laughter. "I'm Aunt Hua, who lives in the next courtyard. I just heard the commotion and thought a new neighbor had arrived, so I came over to get acquainted with the place and see if there was anything I could help with."

He claimed to be helping, but his eyes kept glancing into the house, as if he wanted to estimate the value of the cabinet.

Although Li Xianglian had never seen anything like this before, she had been trained by the gossipy women in the village and could tell at a glance that this woman was no pushover.

"Hello, Auntie, come in and sit down," Li Xianglian greeted her warmly, but she didn't move and showed no intention of pouring water.

Aunt Hua didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down on the stone bench under the pomegranate tree, her eyes scanning Li Xianglian up and down.

"Oh my, what a pretty young lady!" Aunt Hua exclaimed, cracking sunflower seeds. "Judging from her accent... she doesn't sound like a local from our county. Which commune are you from?"

And that's when the discussion began.

In this day and age, household registration is an extremely important matter.

City dwellers look down on country folk with an air of arrogance.

Qin Rushan frowned slightly, about to speak, but Li Xianglian gently pressed down on the back of his hand.

Li Xianglian wore a polite smile, neither humble nor arrogant: "Auntie, you have sharp ears. We moved here from Xiahe Village in Hongxing Commune."

"Oh—Xiahe Village."

Aunt Hua drew out the "oh" for a long time, her disdain instantly becoming undisguised. "That's quite remote. What's wrong? You rent a place here? The rent for this yard isn't cheap, it must be several yuan a month, right? Are you two working as temporary workers in the factory? Let me tell you, temporary work isn't stable..."

Her expression, which seemed to say "I'm doing this for your own good," actually carried a hint of bitterness in her words.

These days, it's not easy for rural people to move to the city, and it's even rarer to be able to afford a courtyard like this. She subconsciously felt that these two were definitely putting on a show.

The gossipy women in the city are no different from those in the village; they all treat people differently based on who they are.

"Auntie, you've misunderstood," Li Xianglian said calmly. "This house isn't rented."

"Not rented?" Aunt Hua was taken aback, forgetting to spit out the sunflower seed shells stuck to her lips. "Is it a relative staying here?"

"Bought."

Qin Rushan spoke up at this moment. He lit a cigarette, leaned against the door frame, his tall figure like a wall, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

He exhaled a smoke ring, his cool gaze sweeping over Aunt Hua's astonished face: "Full payment, land and house included, it all belongs to me, Qin Rushan. From now on, the pomegranate trees in this yard, once they bear fruit, will also belong to our family; no need for outsiders to worry about them."

"Bought...bought?!"

Aunt Hua scattered the melon seeds she was holding all over the ground.

This is a detached house with its own yard! It must cost at least two or three thousand yuan!

This is a rare find, practically priceless! And someone from the countryside... actually bought it?

Looking at Qin Rushan's imposing demeanor without anger, and then at Li Xianglian's calm and composed appearance, her heart skipped a beat.

This isn't some poor relative who came to the city to work; this is clearly a hidden millionaire!

"Wow...this...this is truly remarkable for someone so young!"

Aunt Hua's expression instantly became incredibly complex, a mixture of embarrassment, ingratiation, and intense jealousy. "Hehe, well... since it's a purchase, it needs to be cleaned properly. Um, I just remembered there's water on the stove at home, I'll head back now! Let's keep in touch!"

After saying that, she grabbed the handful of uneaten sunflower seeds and slipped out of the courtyard gate as if fleeing.

Watching Aunt Hua's retreating figure, Li Xianglian couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Brother Shan, look how scared he is."

Qin Rushan stubbed out his cigarette, walked over, and pulled her back into his arms, nuzzling his chin against her neck: "You have to shock this snob once and for all. Otherwise, who knows what she'll say about you since you're from the countryside."

He looked at the little courtyard that belonged to them, his eyes filled with tenderness.

"Wife, from now on, we're settling down in this county town. Neither that old woman Zhao nor Aunt Hua next door will be able to cause us any more trouble. In a couple of days, once all the paperwork is done, I'll go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau."

"What are you going to the Industry and Commerce Bureau for?"

"Apply for a business license!"

Qin Rushan's eyes gleamed with ambition. "Xu Yuecheng will definitely bring back a lot of connections when he goes to Huaicheng. Then, we'll not only live in a big house, but we'll also do business openly and honestly, making you the real boss lady!"

(The next chapter connects to Chapter 142)