I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 79 Pioneering

Qin Huairu gripped the bedsheet tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, her fingertips almost digging into the fabric. Her body trembled uncontrollably, like a leaf swaying precariously in the cold wind.

The fear from her dream crept into reality, causing Qin Huairu to flinch and let out a suppressed sob. Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly beneath her eyelids, as if desperately resisting some horrifying image.

The shadows of the trees outside the window were swirling and flickering across the wall in the wind, their menacing shapes reflected under her tightly closed eyelids, making her tremble even more pronounced, and even causing the bed to creak slightly.

"No, ah!"

At midnight, a scream from the back room in the front yard startled Jia Dongjin awake from his sleep.

"Huai Ru, what's wrong?!"

Seeing Qin Huairu covered in sweat, Jia Dongjin kept asking her questions.

After wiping her sweat, Qin Huairu hurriedly snuggled into Jia Dongjin's arms. She only said that she had a nightmare, but refused to tell him what it was about. When Jia Dongjin pressed her for details, she stammered that she dreamed that ghosts were chasing her and she was running away in a panic, which is why she woke up from the dream.

"It's alright, it's just a dream, it's nothing."

After Jia Dongjin comforted her for a long time, Qin Huairu finally calmed down, but she refused to sleep on her own pillow and insisted on resting her head on Jia Dongjin's arm before she could fall asleep again.

"Huai Ru, do you want to go out and play together?"

Nothing in life is ever smooth sailing. After having two nightmares about Qin Huairu, Jia Dongjin decided to take his wife out to catch fish.

"No, the road is so difficult to walk. If you take me with you, you'll get very tired."

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up, and then she remembered what the man had said: it would take an hour to cycle one way, and the road was dirt, so it was impossible to carry anyone.

"Just borrow a bicycle, it's no big deal."

Of the bicycles I've collected, I've given away a third to relatives and friends; it's not a big problem to lend them out temporarily.

"That's great! I'll do whatever you say. We can even dig up wild vegetables to take home. Both people and rabbits can eat them, so Grandma definitely won't object."

The woman's eyes sparkled with joy, the paleness of her nightmare gone.

"Comrade Jia Dongjin, the project has been approved. The materials you wrote are very solid. We will soon be getting started. Let's see if there is anything we need to fill in the gaps."

The reduction in grain quotas was a major event, and the leadership attached great importance to it. Not only was the approval swift, but they also emphasized that it should not affect production. While reporting, Li Huaide was also taken by the higher-ups to other ministries to introduce the new idea to other units, which made Li Huaide extremely happy.

Three days after the materials were completed, Li Huaide summoned Jia Dongjin and informed him of the good news that they were preparing to reclaim the wasteland.

Li Huaide now attaches great importance to Jia Dongjin. He did not expect that this junior electrician, who was good at skipping grades in the assessment, would also be good at writing. He had never seen such detailed materials before. They were written in a systematic way, yet they were easy to understand, which solved the problem of some leaders not knowing how to farm.

A crucial condition for the project's implementation is that it cannot affect production; otherwise, Jia Dongjin and his superiors risk being imprisoned in a labor camp.

Fortunately, the steel rolling mill has 5,000 employees and about 20,000 family members, so it's easy to pull up a sweet potato planting army of several thousand people.

The steel rolling mill's self-reliance project was quickly established. Led by Director Yang, all the leaders used their connections to collect sweet potato seedlings, with Logistics Director Li Huaide in charge.

Li Huaide was in charge of the implementation of the project. Jia Dongjin was a junior electrician whose neat handwriting impressed the leaders. As the project's proposer, Li Huaide assigned him the position of consultant, which was essentially a jack-of-all-trades, thus allowing him to participate in the land reclamation and planting project.

"Director Li, this project is of paramount importance; it can only succeed and cannot fail. I suggest seeking support from experienced farmers to ensure everything goes smoothly."

Do you have anyone to recommend?

Sure enough, no one who can be a leader is a fool. Li Huaide keenly sensed Jia Dongjin's thoughts and readily agreed to Jia Dongjin's proposal.

Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. Li Huaide agreed to Jia Dongjin's request without even blinking at this small benefit.

"Bang bang bang"

Just as the two finished their business, there was a knock on the office door. Jia Dongjin was already satisfied, so he quickly grabbed the letter of introduction, got up to say goodbye, and only when he left did he realize that it was Liu Lan from the cafeteria who was knocking on the door.

"Huai Ru, Director Li from the logistics department gave me two days off. The steel mill wants to plant sweet potatoes and asked me to invite two good farmers over."

This was Jia Dongjin's first time entering the cafeteria kitchen. The cafeteria staff knew that his wife was Qin Huairu, and they all warmly invited him in.

After finding his wife, he whispered the good news, telling her that he had recommended his cousin Jia and his father-in-law.

"Going east is great news. Since the leaders have given you leave, you can go to Jiajia Village and Qinjia Village. Uncle Jia and my dad are both fine. They've been farming all their lives. They can grow sweet potatoes even with their eyes closed. You can't make any mistakes."

Hearing that she would receive temporary worker benefits during her time helping out, earning 18 yuan a month, and that the steel mill would provide food and lodging, saving the family from grain shortages, Qin Huairu was overjoyed. She quickly brought the man a glass of water. Although she wished Jia Dongjin would leave immediately, she was also reluctant to let him work too hard, and her expression was conflicted.

"Huai Ru, this must be kept a secret. Don't tell anyone, not even Mom. I'll go to the bus station after I finish eating, just in case anything goes wrong."

The beginning is always the hardest. With the self-reliance project underway, planting sweet potatoes is a piece of cake. It would be hard for the project to fail. The benefits in the future will definitely be significant. Jia Dongjin was overjoyed and even ate an extra steamed bun with mixed flour for lunch.

"Zhu Zi's stir-fried shredded potatoes with hot and sour sauce are delicious, satisfying and refreshing!"

As Jia Dongjin praised He Yuzhu, Qin Huairu suddenly stood up and invited Liu Lan to have dinner together.

"Liu Lan, where have you been? Why did it take you so long? I've got your food ready, hurry up and eat."

Qin Huairu handed Liu Lan her lunchbox and then noticed that Liu Lan's hair was disheveled and her pretty face was flushed, clearly something was wrong. She froze on the spot.

Seeing that Jia Dongjin was actually there, Liu Lan's face turned even redder, almost as red as a monkey's bottom.

"Huai Ru, I'm going to take care of my business now that I've finished eating."

All three were quick-witted, and none of them made a fuss. Jia Dongjin was especially aware of the situation. To avoid embarrassment, he quickly finished the remaining shredded potatoes, ate half a steamed bun, and went out the door.

"Dongjin, wait a moment."

Seeing that Jia Dongjin was in a hurry to leave, Qin Huairu immediately shifted her attention. She knew that the man was going to hitch a ride to the steel mill, so she hurriedly chased after him, gave him a water bottle filled with water, handed over the money and notes she had on her, and once again instructed him on the specific route to Qin Family Village and how to get there.

As they parted, Qin Huairu reached out and patted the man's body, brushing away imaginary dust from his clothes. She said softly, "Take care on the road. Come back soon. I'll take good care of the children and wait for you at home."

Seeing that no one was around, Jia Dongjin chuckled and said, "Can we wait somewhere else?"

"Where should we wait?"

Qin Huairu was baffled. Just now, Jia Dongjin said that he would be returning to Beijing the night after tomorrow, and there were a lot of things to do at home. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to wait at the steel mill.

"Wait in bed instead."

"Oh!"

The two were in the sweet bliss of their newlywed life, and there were many things they could do but couldn't say. Qin Huairu had never experienced anything like this before, and her pretty face turned bright red with embarrassment, almost making Jia Dongjin unable to resist taking a bite out of his wife's red apple.

After teasing his wife, Jia Dongjin ran off to the motorcade, leaving Qin Huairu stamping her feet in frustration.

Liu Lan was sitting on a stool eating when she saw the couple's affectionate interaction. She felt a pang of sadness, unsure whether what she had just done was right or wrong.

The canteen's special cooking service has been discontinued. Now there's no more braised cabbage with pork cracklings, and egg drop soup has been canceled. The best dish now is stir-fried shredded potatoes.

As Liu Lan ate her stir-fried shredded potatoes, tears streamed down her face and into her lunchbox. The deed was done. Thinking of her hungry child at home and her drunken husband who only knew how to beat women, and comparing him to the man in the office who was both charismatic and capable, Liu Lan wiped away her tears. Her face was no longer filled with fear; instead, it was filled with a woman's unwavering determination.