I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 35 Dispute over the House

Upon hearing what Aunt Yang Ruihua said, Jia Zhangshi was about to explode when Jia Dongjin quickly stopped her.

He suppressed his anger and said calmly, "The innocent are innocent. Please tell Uncle San that Heaven is watching what people do. Everyone should behave themselves."

After seeing off the three aunts, Jia Dongjin, worried that Jia Zhangshi might cause trouble, earnestly advised her, "Mom, we can't be sure if it was the Yan family who reported us. Don't worry, I'll investigate slowly and we'll talk about it after we find out. You mustn't do anything reckless, otherwise they might sue us for retaliation, and the police might arrest us and put us in jail."

At this point, people feel contempt for the whistleblower in their hearts, but outwardly they welcome or even encourage them. Even if it is found to be a false accusation, ordinary people don't have many ways to get revenge, and if they do, they may be accused of retaliation.

With this in mind, Jia Dongjin did not vandalize the home of the primary suspect, Yan.

The interpersonal relationships in the courtyard are complex. In the past six months, the aroma of meat has frequently wafted from the Jia family's house, making many in the courtyard envious. Acting impulsively is absolutely not advisable.

He decided to wait and see, and then consider how to take revenge once things became clear.

"Okay, then let's wait for now. But Mom can't swallow this. She'll curse for three days straight, at least to disgust that bastard."

After listening to Jia Dongjin's analysis, Jia Zhangshi knew there was no good solution. With better days in sight, she was very satisfied with her current life and would never be willing to hang herself from the Yan family.

People make different choices when faced with the same situation, depending on their circumstances.

Now, with her troops well-trained and supplies plentiful, Jia Zhangshi is living a very comfortable life, unlike in the original drama where she was backed by an abyss and thus did not resort to ruthless tactics to force her opponent to submit, especially since she didn't even know who her opponent was.

"Mom, swearing in the street is actually quite tiring, and it has a bad influence."

Jia Dongjin is a modern person at heart, and he believes that cursing is meaningless and cannot harm the other party in the slightest.

"When we move eastward, we have to resort to cursing; cursing is the only normal thing to do. If we don't curse, the other side will be wary, and the neighbors will think we're really just speculating."

Qin Huairu expressed her opinion in the inner room.

Jia Dongjin: "..."

He still hasn't truly integrated into the times and doesn't understand that the ways of survival differ across eras.

Qin Huairu was meticulous, and Jia Dongjin once again felt his shallowness.

Before going to bed that night, Jia Zhangshi returned home cursing in the street.

Taking advantage of her mother-in-law's good mood, Qin Huairu asked about the child's name.

"Life is already so hard, and then this money-losing brat comes along. I don't know which damned bastard messed up our house like this. Let's call him Xiao Dang, and his real name is Jia Dang."

Jia Zhangshi's dream of having a grandson was shattered. She looked at the baby in swaddling clothes, sighed, and decided on a name.

At this time, girls were still considered a financial burden. Life was too difficult, and raising a girl was not cost-effective. After marriage, girls rarely gave back to their parents' families. Therefore, people discriminated against girls as a financial burden, which had nothing to do with nationality.

Other nations and ethnic groups also discriminated in this way during times of poverty, so don't laugh at me, brother.

Hearing the child call him Xiaodang, Jia Dongjin was both amused and exasperated, secretly marveling at the power of the plot. He had been fighting desperately for the past six months, but he couldn't overcome it.

"Jingru is here, and Xiaodang is here too! Is fate something we can't defy?"

As Jia Dongjin was lost in thought, Jia Zhangshi patted her youngest son and said, "Dongjin, you'll be 23 after the New Year. Now that you have a house, it's time to find a partner. Once you've settled into your house, I'll go find Wang the matchmaker from the neighborhood office. You should think about what kind of person you want so I can talk to her."

As soon as Jia Zhangshi finished speaking, Qin Jingru, who was washing dishes, trembled and almost dropped the bowl on the ground, while Qin Huairu nearly spilled the chicken soup on the kang mat.

Banggeng stopped studying his sister and hurriedly jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed) and rushed into Jia Zhangshi's arms. "Grandma, Aunt Yushui also asked Uncle when he's going to find a partner and what kind of person he wants. Aunt Yushui said if I tell her, she'll give me candy and buy me lots of delicious food."

Back then, Jia Dongxu was not well-off and couldn't find a good wife in the city, so he found a beautiful wife in the countryside. When he saw He Yushui's attention, Jia Zhangshi couldn't help but become wary.

He Yushui was a young, immature girl, and Madam Jia was eager to have a grandson, so she didn't consider He Yushui at all.

She is now in high demand and fears that rural residents will not be eligible for food rations. She has long decided to find a city wife with a job, but she can't bring herself to say it in front of the Qin sisters.

Originally, she had considered passing the marriage to her younger brother, but seeing that Jia Dongjin's conditions were getting better and better, with a monthly salary of 51 yuan, Jia Zhangshi gave up on that idea and wanted to find a virgin for her youngest son.

She decided to take the opportunity to make things clear, so as not to give Qin Huairu any ideas.

After a long pause, Madam Jia finally said vaguely, "Dongjin, you're a good catch, so you should find someone with a job and a good family background, so they can help you in the future. You can judge for yourself what looks like, but he must be fertile. We only have one son in our family, so he needs brothers. You should at least give him two brothers to help him."

The Qin sisters: "..."

The next day, Jia Dongjin found contractor Lao Cai. Like the matchmaker, Lao Cai's renovation team was also affiliated with the street office. Because of the official endorsement, his credibility was trustworthy.

Introduced by Section Chief Zhang of the Real Estate Department, Lao Cai, with Section Chief Zhang's trust and endorsement, had a very enthusiastic conversation with Zhang and quickly set a time to view the house.

When Jia Dongjin got home from get off work, he grabbed his keys and opened the doors to the two outbuildings in the front yard. He was preparing to clean the houses in advance so that he could finalize the repair plans with Lao Cai.

As usual, Yan Fugui was tending to his plants when he saw Jia Dongjin unlock the doors to the two rear rooms. Ignoring the strange looks from others, he hurried forward and asked, "Dongjin, why are you opening the doors?"

"Uncle, this is the room the steel mill allocated to me. I'm just getting it ready. Is there something you need?"

Jia Dongjin was still angry and spoke very rudely, using "you" instead of "you (formal)".

Yan Fugui came on menacingly. Although Jia Dongjin was not afraid, his heart skipped a beat as he instantly remembered the plot.

The houses were very appealing. Yan Fugui had long coveted the two rear-facing rooms. In the original drama, he was the one who acquired the rear-facing rooms and gave them to Yan Jiecheng as their wedding room.

Yan Fugui, consumed by anger and frustration, couldn't discern the truth in Jia Dongjin's words. He said urgently, "Dongjin, your third uncle applied for these two rooms a long time ago. Director Wang of the neighborhood office personally received the application report, saying we'd proceed when conditions were right. Are you mistaken?"

"That's right, it was Director Wang from the neighborhood office who gave me the key. The house was allocated to me by the steel mill. You can ask around at the neighborhood office."

Jia Dongjin ignored him and addressed the gathered neighbors directly: "Gentlemen, these two factory buildings have been allocated to me. I'm planning to tidy them up these next few days. There's still quite a bit of stuff inside, so please move it out. If no one wants it, don't come looking for me if the craftsmen come and take it all away in a few days."

Seeing that Jia Dongjin was serious, Yan Fugui became anxious. He spread his arms wide, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, and blocked the doorway, refusing to let anyone in or out.

For reasons that cannot be openly discussed, there are not many houses owned by landlords in Beijing. Many people break into these houses and, after living there for a long time, unknowingly take possession of them.

Yan Fugui was an old man from Beijing and was afraid that Jia Dongjin would do the same and occupy the house, so he resorted to his shameless behavior.

"This is a house my family applied for a long time ago; you can't move out."

Like father, like son. Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, who were originally hiding in the house watching the commotion, quickly came over when they saw what was happening.

When it came to his own interests, Yan Jiecheng took the lead, and eventually even the three old ladies came over to cheer him on.

The saying goes, "Power comes from fists," and families with many members are not to be trifled with. This is a major reason why people want to have more sons.

This is true in rural areas, and it is also true in cities.

"Jia Dongjin, my dad is the third-in-command of this courtyard house. What do you want?"

Yan Jiecheng roared and confronted Jia Dongjin face to face.

In order to secure a wedding home for Yan Jiecheng, Yan's family disregarded their reputation and argued with Jia Dongjin.

When his own interests were at stake, Yan Jiecheng stopped calling him Brother Dongjin and started calling him Jia Dongjin by his full name.

"Jia Dongjin, this house is the closest to ours. We Yan family have too many people and too few houses, so we applied a long time ago. The neighborhood committee was about to approve it, and you're trying to snatch it away! I advise you to think carefully. Try moving the house if you dare!"

Yan Jiefang's face was a bit gloomy. He was much more ruthless than Yan Jiecheng, and he immediately picked up a mop.

The elderly woman next to her, Yang Ruihua, didn't say a word, but the rolling pin she was holding tightly in her hand revealed her thoughts.

The score was 1 to 4, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense!