Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 119 Provoking the Birds 2

Lin Zhou ignored Yi Zhonghai, who was standing there looking lost and dejected. His gaze swept across the crowd and finally landed on Sha Zhu.

"You're He Yuzhu, nicknamed 'Silly Zhu'?" Lin Zhou asked knowingly.

Sha Zhu was still lost in thought about Yi Zhonghai's shocking secret, his face full of astonishment and confusion. Only when Lin Zhou called his name did he snap out of it, instinctively straightening his back and replying in a muffled voice, "Yes, I am Sha Zhu! Why are you asking this?"

His voice lacked confidence; Lin Zhou's words had laid bare Yi Zhonghai's true nature, causing a strange sense of fear to rise within him.

Lin Zhou's lips curled into a half-smile as his gaze swept over Sha Zhu. His voice, though not loud, was like a pebble thrown into the boiling crowd once more: "I just want to ask you, do you have any biological children now?"

"boom!"

This simple sentence instantly caused an uproar in the Intermediate People's Court!

The murmurs that had just subsided suddenly rose several notches again, and countless eyes were fixed on Sha Zhu, their gossip burning even brighter than before.

"Yeah! Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu have been married for so long, how come they still don't have children?"

"Didn't Qin Huairu have three children with Jia Dongxu before? Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua. She can definitely have more children!"

"Could it be...could the problem lie with Sha Zhu?"

"My goodness! What's wrong with this courtyard house today? One after another, no one can have a baby!"

Whispers flooded in like a tide, filling Sha Zhu's ears. His head buzzed, as if he had been hit hard by a sledgehammer, and he froze on the spot. He was also influenced by the people around him and thought that there was something wrong with him.

His mouth was agape, his eyes glazed over as he stared at Lin Zhou, his lips trembling, muttering to himself, "Impossible...impossible..."

Yes, how could that be?

Qin Huairu became pregnant with Banggeng the year after she married Jia Dongxu, and later gave birth to Xiaodang and Huaihua. She was incredibly fertile and capable of bearing children.

But since she married him, so many years have passed, and there's still no sign of pregnancy.

Sha Zhu had never thought about this before, only that they were struggling financially and didn't have the time or inclination for it. But after Lin Zhou reminded him, a terrible thought instantly took root in his mind—could it be that he really couldn't have children?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Sha Zhu felt a chill run through his body, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

His greatest wish in life is to have a child of his own, to have a lineage to carry on. If he can't even do that, what's the point of living?

"Ha ha ha ha!"

A sudden, piercing laugh broke Sha Zhu's reverie.

Xu Damao squeezed through the crowd, hands on his hips, laughing so hard he was doubled over, his fat face trembling: "Shazhu! Did you hear that? Did you hear that! They're asking you if you have any children! So you're just childless?!"

His voice was sharp and sarcastic, like a knife that pierced Sha Zhu's heart.

Xu Damao had been fighting with Sha Zhu his whole life, hoping to see him make a fool of himself. Now that he had such an opportunity, how could he possibly let it go?

"Xu Damao! Shut the hell up!" Sha Zhu suddenly snapped back to his senses, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Xu Damao like an enraged bull, wishing he could rush up and tear him to pieces.

"Why should I shut up?" Xu Damao retorted, his neck stiff with fear, and instead intensified his mockery. "Did I say something wrong? You've been married to Qin Huairu for years, and there's not a single sign of pregnancy. Qin Huairu can have children, so what does that mean you can't? You're destined to be childless! You deserve to be childless!"

"I'll beat you to death!" Sha Zhu was so angry that he was trembling all over. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush forward.

"Wait a minute!" Lin Zhou suddenly shouted, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority.

Sha Zhu's movements abruptly stopped in mid-air. He was panting heavily, turning his head to look at Lin Zhou, his eyes filled with anger and resentment.

Lin Zhou shook his head speechlessly, as if looking at a stubborn fool. He spoke slowly, his voice carrying clearly throughout the entire courtyard, drawing everyone's attention back: "It's not that you can't have children, it's that your current wife is unwilling to have them for you."

Upon hearing this, the noisy courtyard instantly quieted down, and everyone was stunned.

Even Xu Damao stopped laughing and looked at Lin Zhou suspiciously.

Sha Zhu looked completely bewildered. He frowned and asked, puzzled, "What...what do you mean? What do you mean she doesn't want to have my child?"

Lin Zhou scoffed, his gaze sweeping over Qin Huairu, whose face had turned deathly pale. His voice carried a hint of coldness: "What do you mean? She had already undergone sterilization surgery when she gave birth to Huaihua."

And think about it carefully, what did Qin Huairu marry you for? She has three children, and the entire family depends on you for everything. If she had children with you, would you still be so devoted to her and the Jia family?

He paused, looking at Sha Zhu's increasingly shocked expression, and continued, "She just wants you to help her family get involved! She wants you to be like your father, working yourself to the bone your whole life, only to end up transferring everything your family owns to the Jia family! She wants everything you've worked so hard to earn to go to the Jia family!"

"boom!"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding for the third time in the courtyard!

Everyone was stunned, and the way they looked at Qin Huairu instantly changed.

Forming a clique!

In Beijing during the 1980s, this phrase had a very negative connotation. It meant that a man who selflessly supported others' families would end up with nothing in return.

Sha Zhu's father fell in love with a widow, who also had a child, and eventually ran away with her to Baoding.

Sha Zhu has hated his father since he was a child, but now Lin Zhou says that Qin Huairu wants him to follow in his father's footsteps? No, even worse than his father! At least his father ran away when he had children, but he is willing to be drained of his lifeblood by the Jia family before his line ends!

Sha Zhu's head was buzzing, as if countless bees were buzzing inside. He subconsciously turned his head to look at Qin Huairu, only to see that her face was as pale as paper, her lips were trembling, and her eyes were darting away, not daring to meet his gaze at all.

At that moment, Sha Zhu's heart sank to the bottom.

Yes, how could he not have thought of that?

After Qin Huairu married me, she said she was good to me, but she always controlled all the money in the house.

He handed over every penny of the wages he had earned over the years at the steel rolling mill to her.

Bang Geng needs to work and buy clothes, so he always asks for help from himself. But what about himself? He wants a child, but Qin Huairu always makes excuses to postpone it, saying she's not feeling well or that she's short on money and will wait a few years.

Looking back now, those excuses seem so pale and weak!

"Qin Huairu..." Sha Zhu's voice was terribly hoarse. He looked at Qin Huairu, his eyes filled with disappointment and pain. "Is what he said... true?"

Qin Huairu trembled, tears welling up instantly. She shook her head, choking back sobs, and said, "Shazhu, don't listen to his nonsense! He's trying to sow discord between us! I didn't... I really didn't..."

"No?" Lin Zhou sneered, pressing on. "Then tell me, why haven't you been willing to have a child for him all these years? Is it because you don't want to, or can't? Isn't it because you're afraid that if you have a child, Sha Zhu's heart won't be entirely with your Jia family anymore, and you're afraid your child won't benefit from it, right?"

"I didn't!" Qin Huairu screamed in rebuttal, but her voice clearly lacked conviction.

The crowd erupted in discussion again, even more intense than before.

"So that's it! No wonder Qin Huairu hasn't had any children! So that's what she was planning!"

"Qin Huairu is so heartless! She's treating Sha Zhu like a sucker!"

"That idiot Zhu is so stupid! He got sold out and he's still helping them count the money!"

"That's right! All the money he earned went to the Jia family, and he doesn't even have a child of his own. What's the point of his life?"

Seeing that things were going wrong, Madam Jia Zhang immediately jumped out, pointing at Lin Zhou and yelling, "You wild outsider! What nonsense are you spouting here! Our Huai Ru is not that kind of person! You're just here to sow discord!"

"Whether I'm sowing discord or not, you all know the answer in your hearts." Lin Zhou glanced at her indifferently, the coldness in his eyes causing Jia Zhangshi to instinctively shut her mouth.

Xu Damao stood to the side, watching with great interest, unable to hide the smile on his lips. He couldn't wait for Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu to break up, and he couldn't wait for the whole courtyard to be in chaos.

Yi Zhonghai stood in the corner, his face still grim, but when he heard that Qin Huairu had undergone sterilization surgery, a complex light flashed in his eyes.

Lin Zhou looked at the chaotic scene before him and sneered inwardly.

With Yi Zhonghai's secret revealed, Sha Zhu developed a grudge against Qin Huairu, and the waters of this courtyard house were now completely murky.

But this is not enough.