I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 70 Willing

Life is actually very short. Why not love someone and climb a mountain?

Jia Dongjin still remembered this famous saying from his previous life. At this moment, he finally made up his mind and chose to marry Qin Huairu.

She's a good woman. Her declaration of love at night showed her courage. She shouldn't be struggling in this quagmire; she deserves a better life.

Since he couldn't just stand by and watch, Jia Dongjin decided to get involved himself.

Everyone was stunned. Even Yi Zhonghai, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, raised his head in astonishment.

It was early March, and even the hills near Beijing were bathed in a gentle warmth. Peach blossoms bloomed in succession along both sides of the road, their pink and white petals enveloping passersby. The wheat seedlings in the fields had already sprouted new leaves, their green waves undulating with the terrain. The soft rustling of the wheat shoots growing mingled with the laughter of children, falling in the spring breeze—all sounds of heart-stirring joy.

"I do, I really do!"

Qin Huairu burst into tears, abandoning all pretense of being a gentle and virtuous wife, and threw herself into Jia Dongjin's arms.

In this day and age, unless forced by circumstances, it takes immense courage for a young man to propose to a widow, especially his own sister-in-law.

With the warmth of spring, Qin Huairu was fortunate that Jia Dongjin was not bound by worldly constraints and bravely took this step.

The woman hugged Jia Dongjin tightly, repeatedly agreeing, her whole body trembling without her realizing it.

In this scene, apart from Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady Gao Cuilan hiding in the backyard, everyone in the courtyard applauded.

He Yushui was so shocked she couldn't speak. When she finally understood what was happening, she hugged the stick and cried and laughed at the same time.

While Madam Jia was still hesitating, Aunt Wang from the backyard whispered in her ear, "Dongjin is the right thing to do. Huairu is young and beautiful. If she doesn't get married, something will happen to her sooner or later, and the Jia family won't be able to withstand any more storms."

Suddenly, a male voice came from inside.

"Aunt Zhang, if you agree, I can prepare the wedding banquet for free, without charging you a penny for labor, and I'll even give you two yuan as a wedding gift."

When Jia Zhangshi turned her head, she saw that it was He Yuzhu who was speaking. She reached out her hand to ask for the lucky money.

"Give me the money, and I'll agree!"

Driven by his emotions, He Yuzhu took out two yuan and handed it to Jia Zhangshi without saying a word. He stared at Jia Dongjin and threatened him inexplicably: "Dongjin, you are a man of Beijing, you have to keep your word. If you treat Sister Qin badly in the future, I, He Yuzhu, will be the first to object."

Jia Dongjin hugged Qin Huairu and laughed, "Zhuzi, from now on you have to call her sister-in-law, or Jia family daughter-in-law. How dare you call her Sister Qin?"

Tears streamed down He Yushui's face. She stepped forward and shoved He Yuzhu hard, crying, "Silly brother, call her sister-in-law! Call her that now!"

When Jia Dongjin and Zhang Qin broke up, the young girl only vaguely felt something was wrong, but she never expected that her premonition would become a reality. He actually defied the world and asked to marry his widowed sister-in-law.

But Jia Dongjin proposed to her in public, behaving with integrity, leaving no one able to say anything but offer their support and blessings.

This was the man she had secretly set her sights on. Her girlish feelings had vanished like a bubble, leaving He Yushui feeling both proud and incredibly sad.

In the hope of finding a glimmer of hope, she once advised her brother to propose to Qin Huairu. If He Yuzhu were as open-minded as Jia Dongjin, and publicly expressed his determination to propose and promise to treat Banggeng and Xiaodang well, Qin Huairu might not necessarily refuse.

The two families are old neighbors who know each other very well, and they can see each other's grandchildren anytime, anywhere. There is a 90% chance that Jia Zhangshi will agree.

He Yushui matured quickly. She had seen He Yuzhu's gaze towards Qin Huairu many times and knew what the silly brother was thinking. He was just unwilling to admit it because of the worldly saying that a widow is a widow.

He Yushui's brilliant plan was ruined because He Yuzhu hesitated, thus losing the chance to make Sister Qin a daughter-in-law of the He family.

Even if she broke into the room at night to express her love, she couldn't stop him. The die was cast, and He Yushui could only call her sister-in-law. But this was Jia's sister-in-law, the wife of her beloved, not He's sister-in-law.

"We haven't gotten a marriage certificate yet, so it doesn't count. Dongjin is younger than me, so why should he be married?" He Yuzhu didn't understand his sister's bitterness at all. He stiffened his neck and said with a face full of indignation.

"Zhu Zi, I'm going to get our marriage certificate tomorrow. I was just teasing you before, but I am indeed half a year older than you."

After Jia Dongjin finished speaking, he suddenly thought of the woman in his arms. He was reluctant to let go of her and could only lower his head to ask for her opinion.

"I'll do whatever you say."

Once the initial excitement wore off, Qin Huairu was so embarrassed that she didn't even dare to lift her head. She tried to struggle slightly, but seeing that the man was holding her tightly, she simply stopped struggling and wished she could shrink into his arms.

The moon gate at the back of the courtyard house.

Xu Damao watched with envy. He leaned close to his father's ear and exclaimed in amazement, "Dongjin is really bold! And Qin Huairu even agreed. Does that mean he has a wife?!"

Xu Fugui smirked, clapped his hands, and said softly, "That's right. Not only does he have a wife, but he also has a son and a daughter. Besides Sha Zhu, the courtyard will have another 'Fool Jia.' He's turned down a beautiful young woman. I've lived almost my whole life and never seen such a fool. I don't know what Old Yi is thinking. Is it because of Sha Zhu? Why is he helping Liu Hong? He should be asking Director Yang for help. He's not getting any benefit from it, and he's made an enemy of 'Fool Jia.' What's the point of keeping an old man in the courtyard now? Just wait for 'Fool Jia' to teach him a lesson."

"Don't talk about them like that. The two of them are very affectionate and loyal. I think it's great. I'll tell the ladies about it when I have the chance. They'll definitely love to hear it. Huai Ru is so lucky. In the blink of an eye, another woman's life is over."

Xu Fugui's wife is a woman, so of course she took a woman's perspective. She was the most enthusiastic clapping just now, clapping her two chubby hands until they were red.

Beside the hanging flower gate in the central courtyard of the Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house).

Yan Jiecheng had never seen anything like it before. He was stunned and speechless, unable to even applaud. He just clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "What a pity for Zhang Qin! He doesn't want a fairy right here, but instead marries a widow. Is Jia Dongjin crazy?!"

Yan Fugui kicked his eldest son and muttered, "What do you know? This is the best match. This is how to live a good life. Jia Zhangshi is good at planning, and it worked. A virgin isn't worth that much. Qin Huairu is a good one. She's no less beautiful than Zhang Qin. After marriage, Qin Huairu will definitely treat him well, no matter what. Jia Dongjin won't lose out."

"But Jia Dongjin needs to raise Bang Geng and Xiao Dang."

Yan Jiecheng still felt that Jia Dongjin had been taken advantage of, but he didn't expect to offend the old man. As soon as he finished speaking, he was kicked by his father again.

"Bullshit! They're all blood relatives; raising Banggeng Xiaodang is his duty. If anything happens to you in the future, does that mean the government will ignore your child?"

As soon as Yan Fugui said this, Yang Ruihua punched both the father and son, saying, "Pah! How can you say such things?"

Yan Jiefang was watching with great enthusiasm and was clapping when he suddenly felt a chill down his back. He turned around and saw his older brother, Yan Jiecheng, staring at him coldly with unfriendly eyes.

From then on, Yan Jiefang found that his older brother treated him much better, occasionally giving him cigarettes and no longer being as harsh as before.

Liu Haizhong also clapped. As the only elder in charge of the courtyard, he spoke up in front of everyone, "Sister-in-law, since the two young people have taken a liking to each other, when are you going to get married?"

"The sooner we consummate our marriage and have children, the sooner we'll have a baby. We ordinary folks don't care much about such things. The wedding room is already ready. We just need to prepare a little, and we'll consummate our marriage tomorrow after we get our marriage certificate."

"That felt great!"

Liu Bangchui gave a thumbs up, saying that rumors and gossip were not a good thing for the courtyard house, and that they should be dealt with decisively.

After things calmed down, Jia Zhangshi began to arrange the marriage.

The wedding room furniture is already prepared. Apart from new bedding and other items, many things are readily available.

Back at the Jia family home, Madam Jia Zhang inquired about the wedding banquet. "Since Sha Zhu agreed to forgo his wages after Dong Jin Huai Ru's journey, it would be such a waste. Should we hold a wedding banquet?"