I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 45 Undecided

"Today is a good day!"

Jia Dongjin rode his bicycle leisurely through the alley, his pockets tucked with his early wages and his bicycle basket filled with benefits from the steel mill.

In his previous life, Jia Dongjin had dated many women. His first girlfriend disliked him because he couldn't get a government job. In this life, he and Qin Huairu both work at a steel rolling mill and can receive double benefits.

The steel mill's New Year's benefits were quite generous; each person received three ounces of pork and a pound of apples. In addition, the two families in the courtyard contributed 500 yuan each, so the Jia family was sure to have a prosperous New Year this year.

In fact, the Jia family actually received 440 yuan. The generous old lady, Gao Cuilan, didn't count the previous miscellaneous debts and only deducted 60 yuan for handling Jia Dongxu's funeral.

Madam Jia was in a good mood. She knew that Gao Cuilan was still angry, so she didn't hold it against her. Neither did Jia Dongjin nor Qin Huairu. The two families made a simple break with the past.

"Brother Dongjin, Happy New Year! I'm wishing you a Happy New Year in advance." Old Cai, sporting two panda eyes, looked at the young man opposite him with a grin.

"Brother Cai, Happy New Year! I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year in advance!" Jia Dongjin almost burst out laughing, secretly admiring Old Cai for being such a genuine person. He was almost fifty and still hadn't learned to be slick. His dedication was something Jia Dongjin couldn't stand at any moment.

"Everything is set up. Come in and take a look. Let me know if you need anything."

Old Cai stretched out his right hand, striking a pose as if inviting your inspection.

Jia Dongjin dared not delay. After carefully inspecting the house and confirming that everything was in order, he led Lao Cai to the Jia family's residence in the central courtyard.

"Mom, give Master Cai another 150 yuan, that'll settle the accounts."

Jia Zhangshi usually went to inspect the back room. When she saw Lao Cai, she treated him like her own brother, asking him all sorts of questions. But now she wanted to pretend she didn't know him. She hesitated for a long time before reluctantly taking the money.

Old Cai had seen this kind of thing countless times, so he didn't mind. He happily took the money and was about to leave when Jia Dongjin grabbed him, startling him and making him think there was a problem with the quality of the project.

"Brother Cai, I have something to ask you. Have a smoke first." Jia Dongjin offered cigarettes to lead the way, guiding Old Cai into the back room to discuss the matter.

"Just say the word if you need anything. I owe you a favor." Seeing that Jia Dongjin had something to ask him, Lao Cai immediately relaxed. He casually blew out two smoke rings and looked at Jia Dongjin with a smug look. He had been practicing blowing smoke rings a lot lately and could now blow out two.

"Brother, you're really like a brother to me!" Jia Dongjin naturally had to play the straight man, and he asked mysteriously, "Are you working at the neighborhood committee office?"

Old Cai looked at the other person, a puzzled expression on his face, and asked, "You've become a police officer?"

"Look at what you're saying, I was thinking..." Jia Dongjin hurriedly explained.

After the two finished talking, Old Cai took out a pack of Peony cigarettes. "Brother Jia, have one. There's something I need. My father-in-law's radio is broken. It's his only hobby. What do you think?"

"Just one word, brother." Business came so quickly that Jia Dongjin felt he couldn't take it anymore. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, opened his mouth and exhaled three smoke rings, each one so round that Lao Cai couldn't stand it.

Old Cai: "..."

The Spring Festival of 1958 was the most prosperous one Qin Jingru had ever experienced since she could remember.

To reward the little girl for daring to take up a knife and go into battle, Jia Dongjin and Jia Zhangshi discussed it and decided to give her ten yuan as a reward. When the whole family was making new clothes for the New Year, they also made a new outfit for Qin Jingru from head to toe. The clothes were worth at least 15 yuan, and only the shoes were made by the Jia family themselves, which were worth at least 1 yuan.

To obtain cloth ration coupons, Jia Dongjin even risked going to Xizhimen to buy expensive cloth ration coupons from scalpers.

In preparation for the hardships of the next three years, Jia Dongjin, after becoming wealthy, frequently visited Xizhimen and even formed a partnership with one of the fat men there. He not only used his money to buy expensive food but also traded salted fish for a lot of cured meat and eggs.

Furthermore, just as depicted in the drama, Jia Zhangshi did indeed frequently sew shoe soles. However, most people are too superficial, assuming Jia Zhangshi was lazy and didn't even finish sewing the soles until they developed a patina.

Jia Dongjin could only say that these people lacked understanding of Jia Zhangshi or Gou Dao. At that time, needlework was a basic skill for women, and it was impossible for them not to be able to sew a pair of shoes in a year. Even a fool could not understand it.

The truth is quite the opposite. Jia Zhangshi is a master at sewing shoe soles. By making shoes, she can earn at least eight yuan a month, which is no less than what Wang Dama earns by pasting matchboxes. Do you really think that Jia Dongxu can grow up by living on air?

On several occasions, Jia Dongjin saw Jia Zhangshi secretly selling cloth shoes at the vegetable market. He even advised her to be careful not to get caught, as selling shoes was considered speculation.

Jia Zhangshi was reluctant to give up this income. It wasn't until Jia Dongjin was reported for speculation that Jia Zhangshi was frightened into turning over a new leaf and honestly handing over the cloth shoes to the supply and marketing cooperative and state-run stores for sale. Her monthly income plummeted to 5 yuan.

Because she earned 3 yuan less each month, Jia Zhangshi was heartbroken and could hardly breathe several times. Fortunately, Jia Dongjin's monthly salary increased to 51 yuan, and Jia Zhangshi's mood returned to happiness.

Many families in rural areas work hard all year but can't save even a few dollars.

Therefore, ten yuan was a huge sum of money for Qin Jingru, a girl from the countryside.

Good fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and unsurprisingly, the unexpected still happened!

"Jingru, you have to hide this 10 yuan well. Don't tell anyone when you go home after the New Year. Your aunt treats you like her own daughter, that's why she's telling you this. After you get married in a few years, this will be your secret stash. A woman with money in her hands can stand tall."

Looking at the bright-eyed and beautiful girl in front of her, Madam Jia sighed inwardly, but her face was full of affection.

Qin Huairu, who was about to give birth, suddenly looked up from the kang (a heated brick bed). She opened her mouth but found she had nothing to say. She could only look at Qin Jingru with guilt before lowering her head to continue breastfeeding Xiaodang.

"Mom, let Qin Jingru stay here for now. There's no rush to go back. We could consider going home for the New Year and then coming back afterward. My sister-in-law and I both have to work, and we have two children at home. You can't manage on your own. For your and my sister-in-law's health, our family can't do without Qin Jingru. Besides, with these people in the compound around, more people mean more protection. We need to take extra care of Banggeng. We can't do without Jingru."

Hearing what was being said in the inner room, Jia Dongjin understood what was going on. However, in the original drama, Qin Jingru was Xu Damao's wife, and she was too young now, so he just couldn't bring himself to kiss her.

Compared to other time travelers, he still wanted to find an unknown wife from the story, and was unwilling to get entangled with the women in the courtyard, including Yu Li and He Yushui, who were favored by many people.

In addition, Jia Dongjin was always wary of some people in the courtyard, and he was also planning to move to the front courtyard's back house next year to do some things, so he was afraid he wouldn't be able to take care of his family in the middle courtyard.

More people mean more strength. Qin Jingru's willingness to take up arms and fight made Jia Dongjin very satisfied. He now earns more than 50 yuan a month and has a lot of food stored at home, so he is not worried about feeding one more person.

Deep down, Jia Dongjin wanted Qin Jingru to stay in the Jia family, but he was worried that it would be too conspicuous.

These days, everyone's watching. Next year is going to be a difficult time, and when everyone is struggling to get enough to eat, it's clearly unbelievable that the Jia family can support two rural households without any ration quotas.

No need to report or provide evidence; Director Wang of the neighborhood office will send someone to investigate. Since it's an obvious matter, Jia Dongjin can only confess honestly, and the outcome will definitely not be pleasant.

Thinking about this, Jia Dongjin hesitated, as did the rest of the Jia family.