I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 60 Reconciliation

"Banggeng likes to grow vegetables, so I'm playing with him." Jia Dongjin didn't even look up, continuing to swing his hoe and dig the ground. He was in charge of digging holes, while Banggeng was in charge of picking up the pebbles in the soil.

Since the fight between the cafeteria and the security department, the relationship between the He family and the Jia family has obviously improved, and the two families have started talking to each other again.

The Jia and He families have always had a good relationship, and with Jia Dongjin and He Yushui mediating between them, it's practically the same as before.

The two worked diligently, but He Yuzhu, standing nearby, was unimpressed. "You can't grow vegetables in Beijing. You're just bored out of your mind. You might as well grow flowers. Look at Old Man Yan, how beautiful the flowers he grows every year are. I heard he even sells them outside to make money. He dares to charge people 50 cents for a pot of clivia."

"You silly brother, Aunt Yang just said that she doesn't plan to plant flowers this year, she wants to plant squash instead."

"What's so interesting about pumpkins? I love Old Yan's jade hairpins, the flowers are blooming so beautifully."

Seeing He Yuzhu arguing, He Yushui covered her mouth and laughed, "The squash may not look pretty, but it can fill your stomach. The jade hairpin may look pretty, but can you eat or drink it? When it comes to scheming, we have to look at the Yan family."

"Brother Dongjin, what are you planning to plant? Is it for fun or to eat?"

Looking at He Yushui's bright, beautiful eyes, Jia Dongjin couldn't resist teasing her. He said in a serious tone, "I also want to grow squash and use the stalks as pillows."

Squash doesn't take up much space, but it needs open space or a trellis for the vines to climb.

Unlike He Yushui, who stomped her feet in anger, He Yuzhu immediately became agitated upon hearing this. "Dongjin, don't blame me for not reminding you, there are too many people and not enough space in the courtyard. The children need a place to play, not a gourd trellis. It's pointless to build it; others will definitely help you dismantle it, the kind of dismantling without expecting a thank you."

"I'm not setting up a trellis in the yard; I'm preparing to let the squash climb onto the roof."

Jia Dongjin was prepared; he pointed to the roof of his house.

"Aren't you afraid of crushing the house?"

"You can't even afford to eat, and you're worried about the house collapsing?"

He Yushui understood immediately. Forget about being coquettish, she grabbed her silly brother and ran home.

"Rainwater? No way! We're the cooks in this family. You can ask me to use a cleaver to cook or chop people, but don't ask me to use a cleaver to grow squash. I can't bear the shame."

Hearing the quarreling of the He siblings and seeing the warm interaction between the uncle and nephew before her, wicked thoughts in Qin Huairu's mind spread wildly like weeds.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her finger. Looking down, she saw that a needle had pricked her finger. Qin Huairu put her finger in her mouth and sucked on it. The taste of blood contorted her face, and her eyes showed a kind of madness.

"Sister, what are you doing? What's wrong with you?" Qin Jingru, who was doing needlework nearby, suddenly felt a chill.

"Jingru, it's okay. I was just thinking about how to make these socks." Qin Huairu's expression returned to normal, and she lowered her head to continue sewing.

"Why is it so big? Is it for Brother Dongjin?"

"Yes, Dongjin is getting married soon. I'll make him a new pair of clothes, and from now on, Dongjin's wife will make them for him."

Qin Huairu wiped the needle on her head, then finished sewing the socks with one stitch.

"Sis, you looked really scary just now."

Qin Jingru said in a low voice, for some reason, she felt something was off.

Ever since Liu Hong came to propose marriage, Qin Huairu's behavior has been very strange, making her feel unfamiliar and frightened.

"I just pricked myself with a needle and bled."

Qin Huairu spoke calmly, looking at her still clueless younger sister. A hint of apology flashed in her eyes, but it quickly dissipated, replaced by a growing determination that filled her beautiful face.

A cold rain fell on the river as night entered the capital; at dawn, I saw off my guest, Da Mao Gu.

If any of my fellow poultry farmers ask about me, tell them I'll send them a bag of potatoes during the off-season.

"Second Aunt, Brother Da Mao, I need to go back! If I don't go back soon, we won't have enough food. After the autumn harvest, I'll bring potatoes to my sister again."

Despite her patched clothes, Qin Jingru was still quite charming. Carrying a small bundle on her back, she waved goodbye to her second aunt and Xu Damao.

"Qin family girl, I happen to be going to the countryside in a couple of days. Can we meet up with a truck from the steel mill that's going the same way, and I'll take you back to Qin family village?"

"No, that won't do. Brother Dongjin gave me money for the journey and also sent a message through someone. My dad is waiting at the crossroads. He'll worry if he doesn't see me."

"Then I'll ride my bicycle to take you to the bus station. Don't be shy, Brother Mao."

Xu Damao was a natural liar, and for some reason, every time he saw Qin Jingru, he always wanted to spend more time with her and exchange a few witty remarks. Unfortunately, because Jia Dongjin often interfered, Qin Jingru ignored Xu Damao.

"Jingru, hurry up, I need to rush back to the yard after dropping you off to pick up my sister-in-law from work. Second Aunt, if you have enough cornmeal, I can trade it for dried fish, but please waive the refined grains. My mother says she can't afford refined grains, so she can only trade for cornmeal."

Jia Dongjin pushed his bicycle, urging it on repeatedly, and took the opportunity to tell his second aunt about the Jia family's difficult food situation.

"Do you have any old radios? I have a friend who does."

"No problem, just say the word, Auntie, and we'll have anything you need. It would be best to trade grain and eggs. Eating too much cornmeal makes it hard to poop. Let's talk in detail after get off work."

When business came knocking, Jia Dongjin's eyes lit up. He had assembled several old radios using scrap parts. Assembling old radios was a unique business, unlike assembling bicycles. The profits were so high that he couldn't resist. On average, he could earn ten yuan in gross profit per radio, enough for his family's expenses for a week.

Time flew by and it was already March. To avoid the Jia family running out of food and to prevent any disaster from befalling them, Qin Jingru waved goodbye to her neighbors and returned to Qin Family Village to earn a living.

Director Wang of the subdistrict office, as expected of a demobilized military officer, quickly finalized the policy for planting melons and vegetables.

"To reiterate, we encourage everyone to make full use of every available space to plant melons and vegetables, but it is not allowed to obstruct traffic. Also, please remember that fertilizer should be fermented before applying it to melons and vegetables, otherwise it can easily cause root rot."

"Director Wang, isn't it just that you're afraid of the smell of feces and urine?"

Suddenly, a strange remark came from the crowd.

"That makes sense. What Comrade Liu Daneng said is exactly what I wanted to say. The importance of Beijing goes without saying. I encourage everyone to respond to the call, rely on our own efforts, and work hard! As long as we unite closely, help and support each other, the difficulties will eventually pass, and the light will eventually come."

"A leader is a leader, their level is even higher than the ninth heaven," Liu Haizhong said excitedly, his face flushed. He glared at Erdan's father, Liu Daneng, who had been making sarcastic remarks. After Director Wang finished speaking, Liu Haizhong immediately stood up and gestured, "As the only person in charge, on behalf of the No. 95 Tongluoguxiang Courtyard, I thank Director Wang for bringing us this excellent policy. Let's all give him a round of applause."

After a flurry of chatter, Director Wang smiled and waved to the people in the courtyard, saying, "Everyone, hurry up, the farming season waits for no one. I still have to go to the next courtyard to give a presentation."

Every household started digging up the empty spaces around their homes, and various unpleasant incidents and arguments occurred due to the limited space.

As the only person in charge of the courtyard house, Liu Haizhong was extremely busy, putting out fires everywhere and taking the opportunity to suppress his two potential competitors, Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui.

Yi Zhonghai was just putting on an act; he didn't care about the melons and vegetables at all. Yan Fugui from the front yard, however, wouldn't back down and had a big argument with Liu Haizhong.

In terms of fighting, Yan Fugui would admit defeat; even three Yan Fuguis wouldn't be a match for Liu Haizhong. But when it comes to eloquence, Liu Haizhong is just a blockhead, getting roasted by Yan Fugui to the point of ecstasy, his face turning red and white repeatedly.

After several attempts, seeing the teasing looks from everyone in the courtyard, Liu Haizhong finally couldn't take it anymore, let out a cold snort, and fled in panic.

"Teacher Yan, you're really skilled, I'm impressed." Erdan's dad and Yan Fugui have a good relationship, so he played the straight man again.

After his victory, Yan Fugui patted his patched old clothes with an air of composure, as if he were wearing a high-ranking official's robe. He then took small, measured steps and bowed to the onlookers, earning a round of applause.

After digging the ground and loosening the soil, everyone was dumbfounded. None of them had any seeds, and there was nowhere to buy seeds nearby.

Aunt Er searched the house for a long time before finally finding a paper package under the bed containing some rapeseed seeds. Yan Fugui's house also contained some leek seeds.

As everyone was distributing the seedlings, Yan Jiedi ran over, holding eight lush green squash seedlings in her hands, with a large clump of black soil still clinging to their roots. "These were given to me by Brother Dongjin. Sister Jingru nurtured them on the kang (heated brick bed)."

The planting season is the lifeblood of farmers; the earlier the planting, the earlier the harvest. Yan Fugui's family actually had squash seeds, but they hadn't sprouted yet, probably because they had been stored for too long.

Holding the seedlings, Yan Fugui suddenly felt an unusual heaviness in his hands. He tried to control his trembling, took off his glasses, and looked down to check if the seedlings were damaged.

After finding the roots intact, he put his glasses back on and said with a happy expression, "Jie Di, bring out that pot of jasmine from home and take it to your brother Dong Jin. Tell him it's an early wedding gift from the Yan family."

"Sister Huairu also said that squash is different from vegetables and needs green manure. She told you to get some green leaves, put them in the big pit where you plant squash, and then pile squash mounds on top. This will help the squash grow well. She was worried that the seedlings might die, so she took a few extra seedlings. You can use the extra ones to replant."

Hearing Yan Jiedi's childish words, everyone in the surrounding courtyard looked surprised, and Erdan's father was even more confused, "The Jia family and the Yan family have made up?"