"There is no need!" Han Yichen bristled angrily. "There is no need for you to move out; if someone has a problem with you, then they should be moving." He spoke the rest of his sentence quite loudly to make sure that the woman inside her room would hear him too. Though there was no response, the sound of crying increased.

Han Ruochen sighed. She did not say anything, but in her mind, the idea of moving out slowly started to form. Since her mother and Han Ziyan were bent on scheming against them, she might as well think of moving out and staying somewhere else. At least that way, she would be free of those two and their schemes.

She went back to her room, where she cleaned herself up and only then did she feel a bit relieved. Though the smell of blood was still clinging to her, it was not too thick. After dumping her clothes in the washing machine, she walked down the stairs, drying her hair with a towel. She was thinking about making some shrimp fried rice when her gaze fell on her brother, who was preparing dinner. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"You are actually cooking?" No one could blame Han Ruochen for showing surprise. Her brother had stopped cooking since he broke up with his girlfriend. No one knew who his girlfriend was, but the effect of their breakup was quite strong; this was something that they all knew. So strong that her brother stopped cooking altogether.

Han Yong, who was using a pair of scissors to quickly cut off the shrimp’s legs and heads, raised his head and looked at his sister. He smiled at her and said, "You were right. I was really not behaving like an elder brother; just because I failed in a relationship does not mean that the world is coming to an end. I should not ignore you or our brothers and sisters just because I failed in getting the woman I loved."

Turning to look at the shrimps in front of him, he cleaned the internal organs as well as the shrimp veins and cut off the back of the shrimps before starting on the onions and ginger. "I should have done a better job; if I had paid more attention to our family, then Mom would not have been able to use up all our savings, and you and the rest wouldn’t have been bullied either. In the end, it was my fault."

"I was the one who failed to act as your big brother."

Han Ruochen looked at Han Yong. She did not say anything and simply sighed before saying to him, "Well, as long as you know." Han Ruochen did not hope that her brother would suddenly start acting like a better older brother, but she did hope that he would pull his act straight and start working hard because ruining his life because of Xu Yuanshu was just not worth it.

If only she had enough money, then she wouldn’t have to act like a worrywart all the time.

Suddenly, the courtyard door was opened, and a familiar figure stepped inside the house. "Sister Ruochen, are you in there?"

Han Ruochen frowned when she heard Zhai Heng’s voice, but she still came out of the house together with the rest of the family. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw a young woman standing next to Zhai Heng, along with Zhai Muchen. Behind them came an old man. Han Ruochen easily found out the identity of the old man; it was Old Master Zhai of the main branch, who came with the Zhai siblings.

Beside her, Han Yong was stunned when he saw the young woman. He wiped his hands on the apron on his body and did not know what to do with his hands or feet. He was at a loss. "Ruochen, this..."

Zhai Heng stepped forward and grinned at Han Ruochen before saying to her, "Xiao Ruochen, this is my grandfather. My dad couldn’t get a day off from the military, so he came to thank you for saving me."

Han Ruochen awkwardly smiled. "It was nothing. There was no need for Old Master Zhai to come here, it is too hot outside...please come in."

She quickly pulled her brother to one side and allowed the Zhai family to enter the house with a welcoming gesture.

Han Yong also snapped out of his daze. "I will buy some tea and bring some snacks."

Just as he was about to head out, Zhai Muchen stopped him. "Brother, there is no need for you to purchase tea just for us. We don’t drink tea anyway. Come in and talk with us."

Han Yong was pulled inside by Zhai Muchen, and he could not fight him; in the end, he could only let Zhai Muchen drag him inside helplessly.

The house was small to begin with, and with the Zhai family entering the house, it became even more cramped.

Han Yichen was also stumped when he saw Old Master Zhai from the main branch. He was used to getting along with Elder Zhai, but even then, he was quite wary and careful around him, as he was aware of the fact that the two of them were from two different families. Now that he had run into Old Master Zhai from the main branch, he was simply stupefied. Not knowing whether to sit or stand.

Old Madam Han was no different. She looked at the old man in front of her and did not know where to begin.

In the end, Old Master Zhai was the one who broke the awkward atmosphere. "Alright, why are you all standing there like that? Come and sit down." He patted the heated brick bed and then said to Han Ruochen, "I apologise that it took so long. I was thinking of coming here with my daughter-in-law and my son, but the two of them cannot free themselves up for the moment. So, I came here instead."

"There—there is no need to apologise," Han Yichen waved his hand and said nervously, "We understand that Chief Zhai and Madam Zhai are busy. You are too kind, Old Master Zhai."