I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 46 What to do

Qin Jingru looked at this and then at that, her expression dejected. She knew that returning to the countryside was inevitable, and there was no use in being reluctant. Many things are beyond one's control.

"I have an idea for Dongjin. It can eliminate potential threats, help the Jingru family, and also help us."

Qin Huairu lowered her head and pondered for a long time before finally revealing her true thoughts.

Qin Huairu's idea was very practical. Just in case, Qin Jingru could go back to earn work points during the busy farming season, and then come back during the off-season under the pretext of providing grain. This way, she could get some food and reduce the burden on Qin Jingru's family.

"Then it's settled. Jingru can stay here for now. When the difficulties come next year, Jingru will go home to earn food. When the farming season is over, she will come back under the pretext of delivering food. If she misses home during the New Year, she can go back for a few days and take some money with her."

Finally, Jia Dongjin made the decision, telling Qin Jingru and the others to return only when the ration quota was announced to be reduced, so that they could earn some food and then return to the Jia family during the off-season, thus saving as much food as possible for the family.

The Qin sisters naturally had no objections and both nodded in approval of the arrangement.

There's an old saying in Beijing: "The youngest son and the eldest grandson are the lifeblood of the old lady."

Upon hearing the mention of the safety of the people and the sticks in the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi immediately shut her mouth, for the sticks were Jia Zhangshi's Achilles' heel.

"Dongjin is right, Jingru, just stay here with peace of mind. The New Year is coming soon, and I have a little something for you."

To cover up her earlier embarrassment, Jia Zhangshi suppressed her heartache and took out a pair of newly made cloth shoes.

"Oh, Aunt Zhang, I love your shoes the most! Once I put them on, I don't want to take them off. Your craftsmanship is truly amazing!"

From panic to a turn of fortune, Qin Jingru's words were sweeter than honey, and she even gave a thumbs-up, a new way of giving a thumbs-up that she had learned in the city.

She glanced at her cousin on the kang (a heated brick bed), and saw Qin Huairu gesturing towards the outer room with a mocking look on her face. Qin Jingru couldn't help but stick out her tongue and make a face as well, her face flushed red.

Old Mrs. Jia was shrewd and pretended not to see anything, but Bang Geng next to her exclaimed, "Auntie is so beautiful, even more beautiful than the women in the movies."

Qin Jingru hugged Xiaobanggeng tightly and showered his chubby face with kisses, saying sweetly, "Xiaobanggeng, um, Auntie loves my Xiaobanggeng the most. Auntie will buy you delicious food and give you lucky money for the New Year."

Jia Dongjin doesn't like to work hard to save money. He's very generous when it comes to food. In the past six months, with the improvement of the family's meals, the Jia family members have all developed a healthy, rosy complexion.

Just like in the show, Bang Geng has a chubby face under his watermelon head, which is indeed adorable. No wonder Sha Zhu is so infatuated with him that he even gives Bang Geng the precious peanuts.

Qin Jingru has changed the most. She used to have a large frame, but in the blink of an eye, she has grown into a young woman. The granary is taking shape, and several young men of similar age in the courtyard have begun to peek at her intentionally or unintentionally.

Bang Geng initially looked disgusted, but upon hearing that there was something to gain, he stubbornly held back and didn't wipe the drool off his face, though tears began to well up in his eyes.

He didn't know where he learned it, but he thought that the best way to act tough was to be a man. In the end, he couldn't hold back anymore and finally burst into tears. Qin Jingru was embarrassed and ran off to deal with the New Year's goods. Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu both laughed heartily.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll make you some boiled flatbread. Tomorrow I'll make some steamed buns."

Boiled scrambled eggs, some people in Beijing call it "pen li peng," which has a playful and humorous connotation.

Actually, it's similar to dumpling soup, a kind of helpless attempt to refine coarse grains. Take one pound of cornmeal, add one ounce of wheat flour, add boiling water to make dough, the stiffer the better, roll it into a thick sheet, cut it into cubes, sprinkle dry cornmeal on top to prevent them from sticking together, put them in a bowl and shake them, then cook and eat it. It tastes better than cornmeal buns.

Jia Zhangshi was a native of old Beijing and knew how to cook many dishes. She often prepared coarse grains in a refined way to improve her family's appetite. This is one of the benefits of having an elder in the family.

Decades later, there's nowhere to eat it even if you want to, and many people have long forgotten about this kind of food.

At that time, each person had a monthly food ration, and coarse grains, flour, and rice were sold in proportion. Flour was considered a refined grain, while cornmeal was considered a coarse grain. Some skillful families would try to make coarse grains into refined dishes. They would steam cornmeal and wheat flour into flower rolls, which were called "gold wrapped in silver." Half a century later, some old brands still sell them, and they are called gold and silver rolls.

Machine-milled rice, as opposed to "hand-milled rice," refers to rice that has been hulled and polished using machines in rice mills (such as rice milling machines driven by diesel engines or electric motors), and is mostly a product of indica rice processing.

Early indica rice was widely cultivated in the south. It had a high rice yield and was good for storage, making it a major source of military rations and staple food at the time. After processing, it was called "machine-made rice". Because a large amount of rice oil (germ and aleurone layer) was removed during processing, it had a dry, hard, and rough texture, lacked aroma, and tasted unpleasant.

"Jingru, you shake the basin until it forms small, round dough balls." Jia Zhangshi put the lid on and instructed Qin Jingru to shake the basin.

The most distinctive feature of "Penli Peng" is its unique preparation method: the diced dough pieces are placed in a bowl sprinkled with a thin layer of flour and shaken to allow them to collide with each other, rounding off the edges and turning them into smooth little dough balls. This is also the origin of its name "Penli Peng" or "Shaking Gaga".

In terms of taste, it combines the sweetness of cornmeal with the chewiness of wheat flour, and is warm and soft.

In terms of how it is eaten, it is a food that is half staple food and half vegetable. It can be served in soup or taken out and mixed with other dishes.

There are many ways to season it, but the traditional classic combination is "sesame paste, chive blossoms, fermented bean curd, and chili paste", similar to the seasoning for hot pot lamb.

Since Jia Zhangshi didn't have the luxury, she cooked it with boiled cabbage, and finally, at Jia Dongjin's insistence, she added an egg.

"There are no green vegetables now, but if we add spinach leaves, because of the yellow (dough balls) and green (vegetable leaves) colors, some people call it 'Lama Strolling in Green'," Jia Zhangshi said proudly.

From a nutritional perspective, "pen li peng" is a refined version of whole grains, achieving a combination of staple food and vegetables, resulting in a relatively balanced diet.

Because of the addition of wheat flour and an egg, the soup tasted really good. Jia Dongjin ate two big bowls, and even ate a whole bowl of corn stalks.

"Dongjin, there's a little over a bowl left in the pot. Shazhu has been very helpful to Huairu in the canteen and even gave us 20 yuan back. You should serve a bowl to the He family to make up for it. They definitely wouldn't make this kind of food."

Sharing food is a common practice in the courtyard houses and tenements of old Beijing. When people make something unique, they will share some with their close neighbors to try.

As Jia Zhangshi's life improved, she began to share her gifts with others, repaying the favors she had received from them in the past.

Sending the food to the He family in the Central Court alone was not appropriate. Jia Zhangshi's eyes darted around, and she changed to three small bowls.

After gathering three bowls, she instructed Jia Dongjin to deliver them to He Yuzhu, Aunt Wang in the backyard, and Liu Haizhong in the backyard.

Liu Haizhong is now the only steward of the courtyard house. It would be impolite not to give gifts to Liu Haizhong, but Jia Dongjin has no objection.

"Mom, this is the salary my sister-in-law and I just received."

Taking advantage of the good atmosphere, Jia Dongjin handed over his salary for the month.

Qin Huairu received only 12 yuan per month during her postpartum confinement period, while Jia Dongjin received 51 yuan per month.

After counting, Jia Zhangshi saw that the amount was only 50 yuan and couldn't help but ask, "Shouldn't it be 63 yuan?"

Since Jia Zhangshi is no longer stingy, Jia Dongjin and Qin Huairu have temporarily handed over all their wages, while Jia Zhangshi is responsible for all household expenses and will also give the two of them some pocket money, hence this question.

"Mom, I want to do something next year, so I bought some tools." Jia Dongjin took out a toolbox.

Jia Zhangshi casually opened the box and found it filled with tools of various sizes, such as screwdrivers and pliers. She asked curiously, "What are these for? What are you planning to do?"