I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 82 Ten Thousand Miles

The beauty of time lies in its inevitable passing: spring flowers, autumn moon, summer days, winter snow.

The warm sunlight shone on the two of them. The river was green and flowed quietly eastward. The banks were covered with lush green grass and interspersed with colorful wildflowers, creating a beautiful landscape.

The road of love is thousands of miles long

We need to walk over

Don't hesitate, don't waver.

I'm with you

High mountains shrouded in clouds

We must bravely move forward.

Storm at sea

As long as you don't lose heart or become discouraged

We should encourage each other when we encounter difficulties.

Cherish happiness

Makes life exceptionally beautiful

On the road of love, it's just you and me.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice rang out, startling the birds on the bank and disturbing the quiet woman. The peaceful and serene riverside scenery was transformed into a dynamic and mottled spectacle.

"Dongjin, the song is really nice, but it's a pity I don't dare to sing it outside, or I'll easily get criticized by the older women."

Qin Huairu had heard it several times in the back room, but Jia Dongjin didn't dare to sing it loudly. He could only write down the lyrics so that the woman could understand them and teach her to read.

"Want to learn? I'll teach you. When we have the chance in the future, I'll take you to see mountains and seas. Actually, mountains and seas are nothing special; we can cross them easily."

Jia Dongjin casually agreed, and casually tucked a wildflower into the woman's hair. After admiring how beautiful she was, the couple grilled fish while giving her a lesson.

"Dongjin, you keep your word. As long as you take me with you, I will not lose heart or hesitate. I guarantee I will be no worse than Li Xiuzhi."

Qin Huairu certainly understood what the man meant. She had never even seen a high mountain, let alone the sea. Jia Dongjin spoke eloquently, and the woman couldn't help but be captivated.

"It's a piece of cake. I'll do better than Xu Lingjun. It's a deal."

"What? You call it 'small' when you say 'eastward expansion'?"

"Small case" means it's no big deal.

Jia Dongjin didn't even blink, easily getting away with it.

In 59, during his first fishing trip, Jia Dongjin borrowed Song Tao's bicycle and resolutely "betrayed his brother Li Guomin," leaving behind his brother and taking a woman to the riverbank.

April is the peak season for crucian carp and common carp to spawn. After the fish have finished spawning and reproducing, May is the best season to catch them.

Using the excuse of a fisherman's professional ethics, Jia Dongjin stayed at home and spent April happily with his wife.

With food becoming increasingly scarce at home, Wang Dama's daughter-in-law Guihua and his own wife were both eagerly anticipating fresh crucian carp to replenish their nutrition. That's why he came to the riverbank to begin searching for this precious protein source.

A year later, the Chaobai River was very kind to Jia Dongjin. On this day, he caught 35 jin of fish, including 9 fish weighing over one jin and countless others weighing over two liang. Even Qin Huairu caught more than a dozen crucian carp and cheered with joy.

"Let's go east, we'll come again on our next day off."

Qin Huairu truly couldn't bear to part with their time together by the river. She had never felt so relaxed and carefree, as if she had returned to her teenage years. She could only secretly apologize to Banggeng and Xiaodang.

"No problem, we'll come often in the future. With you watching the fishing nets, I can also set up wire traps and maybe catch a rabbit."

Jia Dongjin also enjoyed it, and secretly apologized to his younger brother Li Guomin.

"Yes, I dug up a lot of wild vegetables today and picked a lot of locust flowers. I'll make a cold locust flower salad for you tonight, and I'll make locust flower rice for you tomorrow."

After Qin Huairu explained, Jia Dongjin realized that women liked locust flowers.

Locust flowers have a fragrant and sweet taste. Steamed locust flowers, stir-fried locust flowers with eggs, and locust flower pancakes are the most classic and delicious ways to prepare them. In addition, they can also be served cold, cooked in porridge, or used as fillings to showcase their unique flavor.

Qin Huairu is preparing to make steamed locust flowers (locust flower wheat rice). The cooking process is not complicated. Simply mix the washed and drained locust flowers with flour or corn flour, steam for 8 to 15 minutes (the steaming time should not be too long, just until they change color), shake them to cool after steaming to prevent them from sticking together, and then dip them in minced garlic sauce to eat. This method can retain the maximum amount of nutrients and has a soft and glutinous texture.

"Don't wait until tomorrow, I'll make sauerkraut fish tonight, and you'll make locust flower rice. If you can't finish it, take some to Yushui. You're a perfectly good girl, don't let Sha Zhu spoil you."

After packing up their belongings, the two returned to the courtyard house amidst laughter and conversation.

Besides the fish, Jia Dongjin had an unexpected bonus: Qin Huairu only stayed quiet for a short while in the wild before revealing her lively nature. She kept asking questions and talked even more than Jia Dongjin.

The woman would pick wildflowers one moment and dig for wild vegetables the next, never stopping, as if she had transformed into another person.

As a bachelor in his previous life, Jia Dongjin had no experience in marriage. He only felt that Qin Huairu was very clingy. Even though the honeymoon period was over, she still wanted to be with him 24 hours a day. She could only sleep soundly every night with her head on his arm, which puzzled him.

Thinking about how Qin Huairu sometimes woke up from nightmares at night, Jia Dongjin realized that it was due to a lack of security. Apart from enjoying sweet moments, Qin Huairu only felt safe and secure when she was with her husband.

If Qin Huairu in the original drama was like a taut string, now she is like a relaxed string.

When people are free from pressure, many problems will be exposed in an instant. For example, Liu Hong's despicable behavior and the covetousness of certain people have left psychological trauma on women.

There is no medicine to cure a heart ailment; the only way to heal Qin Huairu's inner wounds is through the little things in daily life.

He cherished his own woman, and for this reason, Jia Dongjin even sang the love songs he loved in his past life.

All the hard work paid off. Qin Huairu became more cheerful and talkative. Jia Dongjin could hardly believe it. The quiet and virtuous Qin Huairu was acting like a teenage girl by the river, so lively that he couldn't stand it.

He decided that from then on, he would often bring women to the river to catch fish.

Jia Dongjin is not short of money now. 59 and 58 are completely different. Daring to sell fish outside was almost like courting death. He did not sell a single fish, nor did he dare to.

Aside from keeping enough for the Jia family's needs, the rest was given away, including to their adoptive parents, Director Wang and Li Lan from the neighborhood office, and group leader Wang Dali, who each received several kilograms of fish.

After the quota was reduced, fish became a hard currency, and selling fish was practically foolish.

For a better future, Jia Dongjin was unwilling to remain a lowly electrician and began to gradually build a network of interpersonal relationships.

Qin Huairu and Jia Dongjin were deeply in love, and she unconditionally supported the man's actions, but Jia Zhangshi felt sorry for him.

The temperature in May was not high, so the fish were not so easy to die. In order to appease Jia Zhangshi's complaints, Qin Huairu asked Jia Dongjin to buy a large water vat and put it in the kitchen of the back room, specifically to raise fish that could not be eaten. Only then did Jia Zhangshi give up.

Banggeng came to see the fish and play every day, and even wanted to bring others to come along, but he was severely reprimanded by Jia Dongjin and finally gave up on that idea.

The child's innocent remark did indeed cause trouble. Now the whole courtyard knows that the Jia family has fish, and quite a lot of them. Fortunately, Madam Jia Zhang is very vigilant and has prevented any major losses.

"Osmanthus, I can't let you suffer, so eat and drink in peace."

Aunt Wang's daughter-in-law, Guihua, shoulders a heavy responsibility: feeding Xiaodang. Crucian carp soup is an essential part of the meal.

Madam Jia Zhang had a kind face. She was responsible for the diplomatic work of forming alliances, and it was essential to win over allies. To this end, she even sent Bang Geng out to share dried fish with Yan Jiedi in the front yard, as suggested by Jia Dongjin.

Under the guise of Jia Dongjin catching fish, sharing dried fish is acceptable, but other matters must be kept strictly confidential. Jia Zhangshi has often educated Banggeng, instilling a sense of secrecy in his little head.

Watching Guihua drink crucian carp soup, Jia Zhangshi pushed Wang Dama's grandson aside, saying, "Your mother eats meat and drinks soup for your little sister, so you can't be greedy."

Seeing that Shuanzhu was about to cry, Jia Zhangshi casually stuffed a piece of candy into his hand. With candy, things would be easier, and the room instantly became quiet.

"Zhang Meizi, you've really changed. Having a good son makes all the difference. Life is so comfortable now, and everyone looks kind and gentle. I can't even find an opponent to argue with," said Aunt Wang, half-jokingly.

"People have always said I have a kind heart, and today, without me even noticing, you've seen through it again."

Madam Jia touched her face; she was similar to Jia Dongjin, accepting everything without batting an eye.

Aunt Wang and Guihua looked at each other, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law both pursing their lips, secretly admiring the shamelessness of the man.

The appearance of Jia Dongjin helped the Jia family climb out of the mire. Not only did they gradually pay off their debts, but his fishing skills also enabled the Jia family to rise rapidly during difficult times, becoming one of the top families in the courtyard house.

At this time, fish was not only a source of meat but also a form of hard currency. Many people in the courtyard were envious, and countless people came to ask to borrow fishing nets, but Jia Dongjin refused them all.

Erdan's father, Liu Daneng, gritted his teeth and spent 5 yuan to buy a small fishing net. He could occasionally catch some small fish in Shichahai, but it wasn't enough for Erdan to eat alone. Erdan's mother was so angry that she scolded her husband for being useless and wasting his name, Daneng.

Yan Fugui was more shrewd than Erdan's father. He picked up a few broken winnowing baskets, repaired them, and whenever he had free time, he would take his children to the river to catch fish and shrimp, which improved Yan's family's diet to some extent.

After the news spread that the Jia family had fish, neighbors from the surrounding area came to buy fish from them. Jia Zhangshi knew many people, so she dared not sell them for money. Instead, she exchanged grain for fish, which not only alleviated the food shortage but also enhanced the Jia family's status and reputation.

Even worse, Jia Dongjin used the excuse that the fish tank was dangerous and, under the pretext of worrying about the children's safety, locked the door of the back room.

"Second Uncle, we locked the door not because there was a thief, but because we were afraid the child would be in danger. If the child fell into the vat, we wouldn't be able to afford to pay for it, let alone break the vat, we could even break the house."

This was the first time the gate of courtyard house number 95 had been locked. Liu Haizhong said a few words, but seeing that Jia Dongjin was reasonable and measured, and that Liu Haizhong could not stand alone, he did not insist any further.

Quietly, taking advantage of a power vacuum in the courtyard, Jia Dongjin secured the right to lock the doors for himself and for the people in the courtyard.

The effect is very obvious. Now people greet Jia Zhangshi with much more enthusiasm and sincerity than before.

To Wang Dama's surprise, even Yang Ruihua from the front yard changed his attitude.

"Dongjin's mother, Jiecheng's mother was so warm to you, has she changed her personality?"

"Hmph! She puts on airs all day long, doesn't she get tired of it? The Yan family's younger members have a bad attitude. Lately, Jie Di hasn't been eating the dried fish with corn cobs, and she hasn't come to our house to see the rabbits. I know what's going on."

"That matter can't be blamed on you; it's their fault for being dishonest first."

That evening, when Jia Zhangshi mentioned what Wang Dama had said, Qin Huairu also brought up Yan Fugui, saying, "Teacher Yan has lost a lot of weight now, and he smiles at everyone he meets. He no longer has the airs of the Third Uncle."

"Yan Fugui is really having a hard time right now. If we can help him in the future, we'll do our best to lend a hand."

Jia Dongjin shook his head; his opinion differed from that of his mother and daughter-in-law.