I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 65 Chaos

"It's truly a great book!"

Jia Dongjin had only read it online in his previous life. Now, reading the paper version, he felt differently than in his previous life. He no longer read it with a lewd curiosity, but with a proper attitude and a learning attitude. With the evaluations of the book by certain people in his mind, his gains were different from those in his previous life. He saw the hidden meaning in the book.

While reading "Jin Ping Mei" that evening, Jia Dongjin suddenly recalled his past life and remembered someone's evaluation of the female protagonist.

The "Jin" in the title "Jin Ping Mei" refers to Pan Jinlian, a metaphor for money; the "Ping" refers to Li Ping'er, and "Ping" means wine bottle, a metaphor for the smell of alcohol; the last "Mei" refers to Pang Chunmei, and "Mei" means plum blossom, a metaphor for arrogance.

Don't underestimate the word "plum blossom" (梅). In Chinese culture, "plum blossom" is a positive word, fully expressing the courage and pride of these women as they strive to climb higher.

The most regrettable character in the second half is Pang Chunmei, the female protagonist. As Pan Jinlian's maid, Pang Chunmei inherited all of Pan Jinlian's skills. She rose through the ranks to become a noblewoman, but in the end, she was consumed by endless desires.

Through her eyes, the author, Xiaoxiaosheng, witnessed the rise and fall of the Ximen mansion, and ultimately sent Pang Chunmei to her death.

All three female protagonists suffer setbacks and are consumed by desire and the inhuman world of Qinghe in the Northern Song Dynasty.

"Jin Ping Mei" tells a story that took place in Qinghe during the Northern Song Dynasty. Many scholars say that its literary achievement is extremely high and its realistic significance far surpasses that of "Dream of the Red Chamber". However, due to the erotic descriptions in the book, the world has not truly come to know this book.

Qinghe is the adult world, and the adult world is Qinghe; everyone lives in Qinghe County.

The true brilliance of "Jin Ping Mei" lies in the author's use of a scalpel to completely tear away the veil of tenderness, revealing the realities of adult relationships and desires to the world in a way that is too painful for people to confront.

The worst thing you can do when reading a book is to stand on a moral high ground and blindly criticize. Instead, readers should get down to the level of the protagonist, think carefully, and observe how she struggles to survive in the mire.

Pan Jinlian was born into a tailor's family and was sold from time to time like a commodity, thus losing her humanity at a young age.

Later, when Pan Jinlian grew up, her master wanted to take her in, but the mistress was a formidable woman who wanted to beat Pan Jinlian to death. Helpless, the master could only sell her to Wu Dalang, a short and insignificant man, at a loss.

One can imagine the utter despair that Pan Jinlian, young, beautiful, literate, and talented, must have felt.

Pan Jinlian, struggling in the mire, will inevitably turn to Ximen Qing, her only lifeline, whether it's Dongmen Qing or Beimen Qing, it's only a matter of time.

Demanding morality and integrity from someone who is treated as a commodity or plaything is shameless and unreasonable. Learn about the idiom "put yourself in someone else's shoes".

In the words of Comrade Guo Mougang, "Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering. If you have experienced my suffering, you may not be as kind as I am!"

"Jin Ping Mei" tells the story of a wealthy family, in which only one concubine is able to die peacefully. She takes her savings and remarries into an honest family, thus escaping the desires and schemes of the Ximen household.

Similarly, in "Dream of the Red Chamber," which tells the story of a large family, a few members of the family also have a good ending, such as Miaoyu and Xiren. The author still left a way out for the women, but not many.

One detail in the book is particularly touching: Pan Jinlian painstakingly made a pair of shoes, on which she meticulously embroidered two flowers with gold thread. She wore them to show off to Ximen Qing, hoping to win his favor.

This was all the effort she could make, but it was no match for another concubine, Li Ping'er. The money Li Ping'er casually tipped the servants exceeded Pan Jinlian's monthly allowance for a year.

In the Ximen mansion, where women were numerous, if Pan Jinlian didn't use her cunning, she would face a fate worse than that of a maid.

Li Ping'er was the only woman to win Ximen Qing's love, which is why Pan Jinlian attacked Li Ping'er, and this was the fuse for the decline of the Ximen family.

The plot of Wu Song killing his sister-in-law is portrayed as extremely chivalrous in "Water Margin," but is extremely cold in "Jin Ping Mei."

At the beginning of the book, Pan Jinlian is sold, and she is sold again before her death, never escaping her fate as a commodity.

When she was finally sold, Wang Po even lied to Pan Jinlian, saying that Wu Song was going to marry her as his wife.

Pan Jinlian clung to a sliver of hope, even dressing up meticulously, only to find herself instead of a wedding bed, and instead of her brother-in-law disemboweling her.

While she was indeed the reason for Wu Dalang's death, Xiaoxiaosheng's pen was like a knife, vividly depicting the bloodshed and tragedy of the inhuman world in ancient times.

As a member of the Jia family, Jia Dongjin dared not look down on Qin Huairu's intrusion, much less morally condemn her. He knew that the woman was in a quagmire, struggling to survive.

In other words, this is a new society. If we were in the Qing Dynasty, a helpless and beautiful woman would be a piece of fat meat, and her fate would be predictable.

His rejection of Qin Huairu wasn't out of dislike; he was dating Zhang Qin, and Jia Dongjin had his own bottom line.

Murphy's Law continued to apply, and while the Jia family was in chaos, the He family also encountered a major crisis.

He Yuzhu's rank isn't high; he's still a level 10 chef, but his skills are impeccable. He often helps the leaders prepare special meals for them.

While the leaders indulged in lavish feasts, the chefs in charge of their private kitchens also managed to pocket some of the profits.

In He Yuzhu's words, leaders are allowed to feast on meat and fish, but the working class is not allowed to benefit.

He also wanted a share, and He Yuzhu never hesitated to "share" some leftovers to take home.

He Yuzhu was skilled and principled; he wasn't taking leftovers, but rather sharing them with Liu Lan and the other kitchen helpers.

After the stir-fried dishes were ready, he set aside some of them and put them in his lunchbox; they were truly delicious dishes.

The cooks did not receive overtime pay for preparing special meals, and the leaders tacitly allowed the cooks to take leftovers home. On one occasion, Director Yang enjoyed a meal so much that he suggested allowing the cooks to take the leftovers home to avoid wasting food.

Emboldened by this statement, He Yuzhu remained fearless and never backed down when faced with security checks at the gate.

"He Yuzhu, the security department received a report from the public that you stole meat and vegetables from the cafeteria. I advise you to honestly accept the inspection."

Security officer Liu Hong happened to be present. Without any hesitation, he pulled out his pistol and loaded it.

He first used a pistol to subdue He Yuzhu, then took the lunchbox. When he opened it, he found it was full of vegetables, including meat.

"This is leftovers?! What are we eating then?"

The workers watching the commotion erupted in anger, their emotions running high.

The security department didn't dare to make a decision until Director Yang received the report and led his men to the scene.

"Comrades and fellow workers, please rest assured that we will definitely investigate the facts and deal with this matter seriously."

Seeing that the situation was not good, Director Yang hurriedly ordered the security department to take He Yuzhu into the security department. Only after entering the detention room did Director Yang start yelling at He Yuzhu, giving him a thorough dressing-down.

"He Yuzhu, I did mention leftovers, but are these really leftovers?"

This matter is too sensitive, and the leaders of the steel rolling mill are all scratching their heads. Handling it too lightly or too harshly is not appropriate and could easily backfire.

After much discussion, these people decided to transfer He Yuzhu to a different job, send him to clean toilets for two months, and fine him 50 yuan, which was equivalent to two months' salary. This finally calmed the anger of the crowd.

Looking at Yi Zhonghai, who seemed completely unconcerned and even extended a warm greeting to He Yuzhu, Jia Dongjin couldn't help but admire him. He was now certain that it was Yi Zhonghai who had reported him, but it was difficult to determine whether it was a rumor.

Reporting him is understandable, but reporting He Yuzhu is somewhat incomprehensible. Jia Dongjin can only simply assume that it is out of a need for suppression.

Yi Zhonghai had become accustomed to using 2 jin of cornmeal as a way to be a good person. He wouldn't allow the two potential elderly people to live too well, otherwise the cost of bestowing favors would be too high, making it unaffordable for the elderly.

But Jia Dongjin could only sigh helplessly. He couldn't communicate with He Yuzhu, and given He Yuzhu's personality, he would definitely turn against Jia Dongjin on the spot.

At this time, the temperature in Beijing in February is like a capricious child, completely unpredictable.

Sometimes, when warm and humid air currents suddenly strengthen, temperatures can rise sharply, with highs exceeding 10°C, making people mistakenly believe that spring has arrived.

The old locust tree in the courtyard of the siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) is beginning to sprout buds on its branches, as if it wants to break free from the shackles of winter; the forsythia in the corner of the wall is also secretly sprouting tender yellow flower buds, attracting passers-by to stop and admire.

But after a few days, the cold air will return, and the temperature will plummet, even dropping below -10°C.

The He and Jia families in the courtyard house were beset by one misfortune after another!

While He Yuzhu was covered in dust and dirt, Jia Dongjin also ran into a major incident at the street office.

Zhang Qin is here!