I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 89 Newcomer

The nights in the courtyard may seem peaceful, but undercurrents are surging. Every brick, every door, and every lock carries the ordinary people's yearning for and struggle for a stable life.

The next day at noon, Liu Haizhong made a special trip home and took a pound of eggs to the subdistrict office. Director Wang was organizing documents in his office when he saw Liu Haizhong come in and frowned.

"Old Liu, didn't I already say what happened yesterday? The house issue needs to be discussed, so don't cause any more trouble."

Director Wang sounded somewhat impatient. She had just finished dealing with the courtyard house matter yesterday, and now Liu Haizhong was here again, which was giving her a real headache.

Liu Haizhong placed the eggs on the table, a smile plastered on his face: "Director Wang, I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to report a situation. You see, my son Guangqi and son Guangtian are getting married soon, and we really have nowhere to live. Please, be kind and give me that room."

Director Wang waved his hand, "Old Liu, it's not that I don't want to help you, but it has to be done according to the rules. Besides, there are other residents in the compound who also need housing, and I can't favor you alone."

Director Wang was very firm in his attitude and almost threw a pound of eggs out of the office. Liu Haizhong was humiliated and felt very frustrated. Looking at the people coming and going on the street, he felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.

Back in the courtyard, he saw Yang Ruihua chatting with several neighbors at the entrance, a smug smile on his face. "Old Liu, how did it go? Did Director Wang agree?"

Liu Haizhong ignored the teasing and simply walked home with his head down.

Yang Ruihua watched his retreating figure, a cold smile appearing on her lips. She knew that Liu Haizhong had definitely failed in his mission, and she felt quite smug.

Yan Fugui had already submitted her application to Director Wang. She also had an old application from ten years ago at home. She believed that the Yan family had a better chance than Liu Haizhong, since Liu Guangqi was still studying and had at least a year before graduating and getting married.

Hearing that Liu Haizhong had gone to the subdistrict office, Grandma Luo was very anxious. She decided to go to the subdistrict office as well and talk to Director Wang about her situation.

Like Liu Haizhong, Grandma Luo also took a few eggs from home, wrapped them in cloth, and went to the neighborhood office.

Seeing her enter, Director Wang sighed inwardly. "Grandma, you're here about the house too, aren't you?"

Grandma Luo nodded, placed the eggs on the table, and began to sob about her difficulties. "Director Wang, please, there are eight of us in my family, and we really have nowhere to live. Please, have mercy and give me that room."

The old lady spoke while wiping away tears.

Director Wang felt great sympathy, but there was nothing she could do. Although the Luo family was a poor household, they were the least likely to be allocated housing because of Old Luo's connections. "Grandma, I know your situation. The neighborhood committee will consider it. But this matter needs to be studied, and I can't give you an answer immediately."

Seeing that Director Wang's attitude had softened, Old Mrs. Luo was very happy and left after thanking him profusely.

Night gradually enveloped the courtyard, and the small brass lock of the Luo family lay quietly on the ground, cold and heavy, like a thunderbolt that had not yet been detonated.

This struggle over space, dignity, and survival is far from over.

Everyone else in the courtyard had heard about Liu Haizhong and Old Lady Luo going to the neighborhood office, and they all knew that the struggle over this south-facing room was becoming increasingly fierce.

It wasn't until July that the house allocation results came to light, and Old Mo's south-facing house was given to a newcomer, bringing the dispute to an abrupt end.

The main figures involved in the incident had no objection to the decision of the subdistrict office. They shook hands and made peace, as if nothing had ever happened, which amazed Jia Dongjin.

The only one who suffered a loss was Xu Damao from the backyard. He got a free 3 yuan from Jia Zhangshi, which made everyone in the courtyard laugh and cry at the same time.

Time flies, and it was soon mid-July when the new owner of the old Mo house appeared. Surprisingly, it was an old acquaintance from the courtyard house.

-------------------

In July, Beijing is like a stuffy, oppressive steamer, enveloping people in sticky heat that makes it hard to breathe. The locust tree leaves in the central courtyard droop and curl at the edges, and cicadas chirp desperately on the branches. Their calls, carrying waves of heat, crash against the courtyard wall and bounce back, making the entire courtyard even hotter.

The bamboo blinds in the courtyard were brittle from the sun, rustling loudly in the wind, but they brought no relief from the heat. Jia Dongjin sat bare-backed on a small stool, fanning himself vigorously with a palm-leaf fan, but sweat still streamed down his spine, leaving a large dark stain on his cloth trousers.

Xiao Banggeng, shirtless, squatted by the doorstep, munching on a cucumber he had just pulled from the well. Juice dripped down his chin and neck, mingling with his sweat.

Just as people were feeling drowsy from the heat, a dark cloud suddenly rolled in from the northwest horizon, as if it had been dyed with ink, and instantly covered the sun completely.

The wind carried an earthy smell, swirling up dust and scraps of paper, slamming against the courtyard gate and making the bamboo curtain clatter loudly.

Immediately afterwards, a bolt of lightning cleaved through the clouds, followed by a deafening clap of thunder, and raindrops fell like beads from a broken string, pattering down relentlessly.

At first, the raindrops fell on the scorching ground, sending up a puff of white steam. The heat and moisture surged upwards, making people feel even more uncomfortable, as if they were inside a freshly wrung-out wet towel.

But soon the rain intensified, turning into curtains of rain that stretched from the sky to the ground. The water in the courtyard flowed into the front yard through the cracks in the bricks, and soon small puddles formed in the center of the yard.

The children didn't care about any of that. They splashed around barefoot in the water, while Banggeng and Yan Jiedi held fans on their heads. Yan Jiekuang and Erdan also chased each other in the rain. Their laughter mingled with the sound of the rain, drowning out all the heat.

The heavy rain lasted for a full hour, and it stopped at 3 p.m.

People in the courtyard sat on the covered walkways, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, smelling the earthy scent in the air. Some even went outside to enjoy the rare coolness after the rain.

It happened to be a day off, and the weather forecast predicted heavy rain, so Jia Dongjin didn't go fishing and thus escaped disaster.

"Dongjin, the rain just stopped, it shouldn't rain again. Let's take Xiaodang and go out for some fresh air, and also call GG to fix the radio." Having spent a lot of time with Jia Dongjin, Qin Huairu also knew about GG.

Unfortunately, GG worked quite well, and the money earned was used to buy expensive steamed buns. The Jia family ate them with great joy, and Jia Dongjin praised them highly.

"China Mobile, I think it's feasible."

Watching Jia Dongjin quickly pack up the stroller and put the spare umbrella in the GG sign, Qin Huairu held Xiaodang with a satisfied look on her face. Having a man at home is different, especially a man she likes and who is considerate.

After their marriage, the couple often went out for walks. Later, He Yushui reminded them that someone had secretly said that the two were behaving like petit bourgeois people. Qin Huairu really liked to walk with Jia Dongjin. She made Jia Dongjin make two GG cards, turning their walks into going out to find work, leaving Jia Dongjin speechless.

To take care of Xiao Dang, Jia Dongjin asked Lao Cai to make a stroller. Qin Huairu found two thin wooden boards and asked him to inlay them on the sides of the stroller. The boards had the advertisement for GG Radio Repair written on them.

When she had nothing to do, Jia Zhangshi would push her cart out to wherever there were crowds, taking care of the children and playing with her boyfriend at the same time, which brought Jia Dongjin a lot of business.

The couple, with their child, had just walked about two miles out of the courtyard when they saw a cart parked on the side of the road ahead, and three people arguing next to it.

Upon approaching the cart, Jia Dongjin and Qin Huairu were both stunned.

"I told her to wait if it rained, but this lady insisted on setting off. Look how soaked she is now. It's not easy being a 'wake-up' (a term used to describe someone who is humiliated and has to endure hardship)." Because of the heavy rain, after the rain stopped, the 'wake-up' said that continuing on was fine, but he had one small request.

Wobo's words made sense, and the two employers, anxious and impatient, could only nod in agreement, "Okay, what do you suggest?"

"You need to pay more!"

He held up two fingers and said smugly, "It'll cost at least 2 cents more."

"Two cents! Why don't you just rob someone?"

The total shipping cost was only 3 cents, but the ferrule cost an extra 2 cents. The female employer was so angry that she almost fell backward, but luckily the male employer caught her.

The destination was neither too far nor too near, and giving up halfway was out of the question. The heavy rain had just stopped, and it was impossible to hire a hustler at this time. The female employer had no choice but to reluctantly agree and instruct the man to bring the money.

"What bad luck! I thought the rain wouldn't come, but I still got soaked."

The rain was so heavy that even an umbrella couldn't keep out the rain. The female employer was soaked to the bone, and her husband was even worse off. Since he was already drenched, he simply gave up on using the umbrella.

The female employer hurriedly took out a small handkerchief from her bag and tenderly wiped her husband's face, then wrung the handkerchief dry.

When the female employer looked up and saw Jia Dongjin and his wife, she froze on the spot, just like the stunned couple.

When will we meet again after this breakup? I am so ashamed right now!