I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 48 Something's Happening

"Da Mao, life in the countryside is getting harder and harder. I've heard people saying that the canteens are starting to add water to their porridge and even grind tree bark into powder and add it to the flour. We need to be more careful when we go to the countryside. When people are starving, they're capable of anything. When we buy grain in the countryside, we shouldn't buy too much at once, and we need to hide the grain well so that no one will come after us."

Xu Fugui was a veteran projectionist. He was well-connected and had a lot of experience, far more knowledgeable than the average person. He keenly sensed the problem and felt that a food crisis might be looming.

"Dad, we live in Beijing. No matter how chaotic things get, it won't be this chaotic here."

Xu Damao took a sip of wine. He was actually very intelligent, but he had been taken care of too well since childhood and was still in the stage of eating, drinking and having fun, so he did not understand the dangers of the world.

"Da Mao, listen to your dad. He's eaten more salt than you've eaten rice."

Xu's mother hurriedly reminded her son that she was originally a servant in the Lou family, a wealthy family in Beijing, and still maintains contact with the Lou family.

With a powerful family backing them, Xu's mother wasn't actually worried. However, her only son, Xu Damao, often had to deliver movies to rural areas, in remote and desolate places, which had been causing her a lot of anxiety lately, making her lose her appetite and sleep.

"Da Mao, I will apply for a gun for you and try my best to equip you with one. With a gun, most people won't dare to mess with you."

Xu Fugui's eyes lit up, and he finally came up with an idea. The work of a projectionist is not easy. They often have to take a projector weighing more than 100 kilograms to the countryside by bicycle. The projector is a valuable item, and it is reasonable to carry a gun in order to protect public property.

"Great! I've been wanting to hunt rabbits and pheasants for a long time. Before the college assembly, Jia Dongjin even caught two rabbits and sold me a rabbit leg. It's perfect as a snack with drinks."

Men are naturally drawn to firearms, and Xu Damao is no exception.

"Don't get too close to Jia Dongjin. That kid is sinister; I can't see through him. He's ruined two families, but he's completely unscathed and even made a fortune. He's made a huge grudge against Yi Zhonghai and Yan Fugui, and the three families will be at odds sooner or later. Don't get yourself into trouble."

"How are things lately, Master? Is Madam feeling any better?"

Xu's mother used to go out frequently to serve Lou Bancheng's wife, Lou Tanshi.

Lou Tanshi was originally Lou Bancheng's concubine. In order to avoid being wiped out, Lou Bancheng sent his wife and several sons to Hong Kong Island, ostensibly to establish an outpost there and purchase urgently needed equipment and supplies for the country.

After the legitimate wife left, Lou Bancheng promoted Lou Tanshi to the position of legitimate wife, and the concubine finally rose to prominence.

"The lady is alright. The master donated the steel rolling mill and other family assets to the country. The higher authorities value him highly and call him a patriotic businessman."

When talking about his employer, Xu Fugui became noticeably cautious, carefully choosing his words.

"That's good. Madam and Miss are both well."

Mother Xu began to worship all the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

"Try not to worship indiscriminately in the future; this is feudal superstition."

Xu Fugui looked at his wife and a smile appeared on his lips.

"You're the one talking nonsense; aren't you afraid of offending the Bodhisattva?"

Xu's mother hurriedly prayed for the gods and Buddhas to forgive her, and then added, "From now on, I'll pray in my heart, so they won't be able to find out that I'm being superstitious."

"My wife is so smart, Da Mao, you should learn from her and stop thinking about these cat pees all the time."

Xu Fugui casually flattered his wife, making his mother beam with joy. Xu Damao took the opportunity to sneak another drink before picking up a slice of ham to calm his nerves.

After delivering New Year's gifts to his adoptive parents, Jia Dongjin went to Lao Cai's place to pick up the broken radio. He got home a little late, but luckily Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu were waiting for him, so he didn't miss the New Year's Eve dinner.

"Mom, our New Year's Eve dinner was so plentiful, with chicken, meat, and fish. We're sure to have plenty every year from now on."

Just as Jia Dongjin uttered auspicious words, he noticed that everyone's spirits were low, and Qin Jingru was even teary-eyed. Confused, he quickly looked at Jia Zhangshi.

Madam Jia sighed, "Jingru came back this afternoon. There's a severe food shortage in the countryside right now, and people are barely surviving. She was heartbroken and left all her savings and new clothes for the New Year at home. She even took off her new shoes to exchange for food. She got more and more upset as she talked about it. Please don't take offense."

People in Beijing value auspiciousness during the Lunar New Year, so it was indeed impolite for Qin Jingru to cry at someone else's house during the New Year.

But Jia Dongjin didn't care about that. There were just too many tragic things happening to him. Like many others, he had already adapted, or rather, become numb to it.

Jia Dongjin's eyes darted around, and he quickly took out the broken radio. As expected, it successfully diverted the attention of the three women.

"Brother Dongjin, are you sure you can handle this?"

Qin Jingru's almond-shaped eyes began to blink again.

"How can a man say no? Let's eat first. After the New Year's Eve dinner, if I'm not mistaken, I guarantee you'll have a radio to listen to."

Jia Dongjin looked arrogant and enjoyed the admiration of the young girl, Qin Jingru.

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up at the same time, but then dimmed again as she quickly picked up Xiaodang to breastfeed.

Recently, Qin Huairu has been feeling uneasy. She always feels empty, and only her children can soothe the chaos and restlessness in her heart.

After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner and dumplings, Jia Dongjin started repairing the radio. Old Cai said that his father-in-law had a short temper and would hit the radio if it didn't work. At first, there was no problem; the radio would obediently resume working after being hit. Later, tragedy struck: no matter how much he hit it, the radio refused to work. That's when Old Cai asked Jia Dongjin to fix this malfunctioning device.

After disassembling the radio casing, Jia Dongjin quickly found the problem. Sure enough, it wasn't anything serious; it was just a problem with the solder joints. After repairing the solder joints with a soldering iron, the radio was working again.

Soon, the clanging sound of Peking Opera rang out from the kang table in the Jia family's room, and the three women all gathered around, with Banggeng joining in the fun as well.

Jia Dongjin didn't listen to the radio. He went to the outer room and sat down in a chair.

"Sizzle"

The famous sound of striking a match rang out.

Lighting a cigarette, Jia Dongjin quietly gazed out the window. It was snowing heavily outside, the snowflakes falling in a flurry, gradually covering the black ground with white snow. As the snow piled up thicker and thicker, his mood grew heavier and heavier.

Suddenly, a firecracker went off. Some child was playing with firecrackers. Snowflakes were blown up by the firecrackers and quickly fell back to dust.

After finishing one cigarette, Jia Dongjin didn't move. Instead, he lit another one.

My steed will not go, what can I do? Yu, my Yu, what can I do?

He suddenly remembered someone's famous line, "There are two trees in front of my house, one is a jujube tree, and the other is also a jujube tree."

Nicotine has a numbing effect and can temporarily relieve people's inner thoughts and anxiety. After careful consideration, Jia Dongjin felt that everything was different, yet everything was the same.

"Dongjin, is something on your mind?"

Qin Huairu walked over and asked softly.

"I'm moving to the front yard right away, and I'm thinking about what to move there."

Jia Dongjin paused for a moment, thought for a while, and then answered.

The new house has been tidied up, and he will move to the front house tomorrow. Jia Dongjin did not participate in the New Year's Eve vigil; he chose to go to sleep.

When Qin Huairu returned to the inner room, she heard Jia Dongjin add, "It's time to pay New Year's visits after the New Year, and my foster mother might come over."

"Foster mother?!"

Qin Huairu's heart tightened. Jia Dongjin was methodical in his speech and actions, and he had a plan in mind. He wouldn't bring up his adoptive mother for no reason. There was clearly something going on in his words.