Chapter 23: You Are So Stupid

"Qin Huairu, you are so foolish," Lin Shaowen said with a grin. "Even if Mrs. Jia and Jia Dongxu are beasts, they wouldn't just abandon Banggen, would they? He is the pride and hope of the Jia family..."

"You damnable wretch, shut your mouth!" Mrs. Jia's expression changed instantly.

"Hey, sister-in-law, give her a slap. How about I offer you all a suggestion?" Lin Shaowen said with a smirk to the group of village women.

*Slap!*

Qin Huairu’s family members didn't hesitate; they reached out and slapped Mrs. Jia right across the face.

"Jia Dongxu, don't glare at me. I'm doing this for your own good," Lin Shaowen said with feigned sincerity.

"Get lost!" Jia Dongxu roared, his eyes bloodshot.

"Behave yourself." Qin Jianshe delivered a slap, and the look in Jia Dongxu's eyes cleared up quite a bit.

"The current policy is that a child's household registration follows the mother's. Do you understand, Qin Huairu?" Lin Shaowen said leisurely. "If you divorce Jia Dongxu, Banggen cannot attend Red Star Elementary School. He will have to go back to the countryside with you."

"My precious grandson..." Mrs. Jia began to wail immediately.

Jia Dongxu’s eyes widened. Having been fooled by Yi Zhonghai yesterday, he hadn't even considered this aspect.

"So, if you two beasts still want Banggen, you had better make proper arrangements for Qin Huairu. Otherwise... I suspect you will never see Banggen again in this lifetime." Lin Shaowen’s voice was calm, yet it made both Mrs. Jia and Jia Dongxu shiver.

Qin Huairu cast a glance at Lin Shaowen with her beautiful eyes before lowering her head again. Deep down, she knew this little rascal was helping her, and it was well worth the way she had served him last time.

"Master, please, you have to think of something for me," Jia Dongxu begged.

"Perhaps... you should remarry Qin Huairu," Yi Zhonghai said with a bitter face.

What other options did he have? Finding a job for Qin Huairu? Don't make him laugh. Qin Huairu was registered in the countryside and was practically illiterate. Even people born and raised in the city were struggling to find work, let alone someone from the village. Look at Yan Jiefang; he was nearly twenty and had a high school diploma, yet he was still drifting around without a steady job.

"I will not remarry," Qin Huairu said firmly. Despite having only shared one night of passion with Lin Shaowen, she understood something: compared to Lin Shaowen, Jia Dongxu was hardly a man at all, either in bed or out of it.

Qin Shan and Qin Jianshe were at a loss. They had come to support Qin Huairu, but they genuinely didn't want her to return to the countryside. Life in the city was supposed to be better, right? Yet, even someone like Lin Shaowen had to worry about others being jealous when he ate a bit of meat—how much worse would it be in the village?

"Mrs. Jia, how about you perform a soul-summoning ritual for me, and I'll give you a suggestion in return..." Lin Shaowen teased.

"You little beast, get out of here!" Mrs. Jia shrieked.

She truly hated Lin Shaowen. If not for him, her family wouldn't be in such chaos.

"If you don't agree, then forget it," Lin Shaowen shrugged and turned to head home.

"Wait..." Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai spoke at the same time.

"Green-hatted cuckold, I have no interest in your performance," Lin Shaowen sneered.

"Wait, 'green-hatted cuckold'? Is he talking about Jia Dongxu?"
"Surely he doesn't mean the First Uncle?"
"Didn't Lin Shaowen say last time that Mrs. Jia and the First Uncle..."

Hearing the whispers of the neighbors, the faces of Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai turned dark. But this wasn't the time to dwell on that; life was long, and they would eventually find a way to finish Lin Shaowen off.

"Do you really have a way?" Jia Dongxu asked, suppressing his anger.

"You can choose not to believe me," Lin Shaowen said dismissively.

"Dongxu," Yi Zhonghai whispered a few words to him. He couldn't quite see through Lin Shaowen, but perhaps... he really did have a solution.

Jia Dongxu struggled for a moment before shouting to Mrs. Jia, "Mom, how about... you do it again."

"Hahaha!" Lin Shaowen burst into laughter. Everyone else was laughing so hard they were doubled over. Qin Huairu looked at Lin Shaowen with a reproachful glare. This little rascal wasn't very old, so how was he so good at tormenting people?

"Dongxu, have you lost your mind?" Mrs. Jia looked at him in disbelief.

"Mom, you don't want Banggen to be sent to the countryside, do you?" Jia Dongxu pleaded.

Mrs. Jia was backed into a corner. The thing she was most proud of in her life was having a son and a grandson; despite their poor living conditions, it was better than being childless. Everyone stared at her, waiting for the show.

After a long pause, Mrs. Jia sat on the ground and began slapping her thighs. "Oh, Old Jia, you must come up and take a look! Our family is being bullied to death by that little beast, Lin Shaowen. Hurry up and come take him away..."

"Yes, yes, that's the spirit! But could you change the lyrics? For instance, have Old Jia take the First Uncle away instead," Lin Shaowen laughed.

"Lin Shaowen!" Yi Zhonghai’s face turned livid.

"Change the lyrics?" Mrs. Jia stopped wailing, sat on the ground, and reached out her hand to Lin Shaowen. "You have to pay more."

"No problem." Lin Shaowen readily pulled out a one-yuan note.

"Old Jia, hurry up and come! Take Yi Zhonghai down with you. You worked together back in the day, and look at how much you helped him. Now, look at him—he doesn't care about us at all, and we're being bullied like this..." Mrs. Jia truly had professional-grade skills; once she got paid, she immediately switched to the new script.

"Hahaha!"

The residents of the courtyard used to think Mrs. Jia’s soul-summoning was truly ominous, but after Lin Shaowen’s interference, they found it hilarious. Yi Zhonghai, however, was trembling with rage; if the First Aunt hadn't been there to support him, he might have fainted.

"Enough!" Jia Dongxu finally couldn't take it anymore and roared, then turned to Lin Shaowen. "Lin Shaowen, my mother has done as you asked. Tell us what to do now."

"It's very simple," Lin Shaowen said nonchalantly. "Compensate Qin Huairu with a sum of money so she can rent a place to settle down, then find her a job. Isn't that it?"

"I thought it was some brilliant idea. You're just a toad yawning—what a big boast!" Yi Zhonghai jumped out to scold him. "Do you think jobs in the capital are easy to find? Look at the Third Uncle's son; he's still drifting along."

"Hey, First Uncle, keep to the topic, don't drag my family into this," Yan Bugui said, clearly displeased.

"If you can't get it done, it's because you're incompetent; it doesn't mean I can't," Lin Shaowen said. Just as he was about to take out a cigarette, Yan Bugui appeared beside him like a ghost. Lin Shaowen didn't mind, tossed him a cigarette, and lit one for himself.

Qin Huairu’s heart was pounding. She knew men liked to boast, so when Lin Shaowen said he would find her a job while they were in bed, she hadn't taken it seriously. She never expected it might actually be true.

"You... you are going to help Qin Huairu find a job?" Jia Dongxu’s eyes darted back and forth between them, as if trying to find a clue.

*Slap!*

Lin Shaowen gave him a sharp slap. "Are you dreaming, you son of a bitch? When did I say I was going to help her find a job?"

"Lin Shaowen, you said you would help us resolve this matter!" Mrs. Jia jumped up, waving her arms.

"Did I?" Lin Shaowen fell into deep thought.

"You did! You said it!" Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu, and Jia Dongxu immediately stood up and shouted in unison.

Seeing this, Qin Huairu gave Lin Shaowen a reproachful, yet knowing look. Intellectuals really were devious; he was clearly going to find her a job, yet he was playing everyone else like a fiddle.