I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 27 Sisters

"In essay writing, there's a saying: 'A strong beginning and a leopard-like ending' are essential. There are many ways to do this, such as getting straight to the point, expressing your feelings directly, or using imagery to convey emotions, and so on."

Because of He Yushui's reminder about speculation, Jia Dongjin has been taking good care of the little girl lately. Seeing that He Yushui wasn't doing well with her homework, he started to act like a big shot.

"Brother Dongjin, you can write essays?"

He Yushui had just started junior high school and hadn't yet experienced the harsh realities of endless practice problems. Her understanding of Jia Dongjin was still at the upper elementary school level, so she was surprised that he could speak so eloquently.

"Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts is a piece of cake. I'm a student of the real world. Zhu Zi, studying takes a lot of brainpower. You go and clean the fish, and we'll make something good for Yu Shui later."

Jia Dongjin put down a large bowl of fish and boasted proudly.

He had just returned from catching fish and had taken a bath; he was feeling completely relaxed.

"Don't brag. The teacher assigned an essay titled 'Striving.' How do you plan to write it?" This essay is a bit difficult for a first-year junior high student. He Yushui thought about it for a long time but still didn't know where to start.

"Only through hard work can we reach our ideals and destinations; only through hard work can we achieve brilliant success; only through hard work can we experience a dignified life. ... Under the guidance of our elders, as students of the new society, we must strive to learn skills and better contribute to our country and people. We must also strive to defeat the wolfish ambitions of imperialism and enable people to live a stable and happy life."

Jia Dongjin knew some phrases by heart and, without even being scolded, quickly wrote an essay, leaving the He siblings speechless and looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Dongjin, you're quite something. I didn't expect you to be such a cultured person." He Yuzhu carried the fish to clean it, intending to invite Jia Dongjin to have some food and drinks together.

"No, we have food at home. Jingru's cooking is passable. Zhuzi, the rainy season is a time when she grows a lot. You're the eldest brother, so you have to take good care of her. Don't let her become... don't let her get as thin as a stick."

Jia Dongjin almost blurted out "airport," but quickly changed it to "prickly pear."

"I'm your older brother and also your chef, do you need to tell me that?"

He Yuzhu didn't care. Jia Dongjin shook his head and instructed the little girl, "Yushui, you'll grow up soon. You need to have a fighting spirit and fight for your own interests. As the old folks say, women hold up half the sky, and all the opposition is just a paper tiger."

"Hmm, can I claim the essay I just wrote?" He Yushui was writing furiously, preparing to claim the completed essay as her own. Smelling the soapy scent on Jia Dongjin, the little girl had a mischievous idea.

"No, you need to practice more. Try to use parallel sentences as much as possible. Parallel sentences are most suitable for this time of day, and they're guaranteed to get you a high score. Revise them a lot and try to make them your own."

These days, writing is all about momentum, and parallel sentences are tailor-made for the times, definitely a strong contender for high scores.

"No problem. Dongjin, can you come and teach me how to write essays often in the future?" He Yushui straightened the pen that Jia Dongjin had knocked askew, and smiled sinisterly.

"No, brother, I don't know anything. I just copied it from the newspaper, and I've already used it all up! Rainwater, it's simple to get good grades: memorize more for Chinese and do more math problems, and you're guaranteed a high score."

Jia Dongjin shuddered and ran out of the He family's house.

He was preoccupied with his own worries and troubles, so he had neither the time nor the inclination to be a tutor.

He Yushui looked eager, but Jia Dongjin wasn't a saint and couldn't stand the clinginess of teenage girls.

The peaches were far from ripe. The Jia family owed the He family a debt, and he dared not and was unwilling to act like a beast. If he were to eat peanuts in a muddle or end up in a prison cell, Jia Dongjin would be the most pathetic transmigrator.

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"Sis, I need to tell you something."

The Jia family's house wasn't big, and having an extra person would cause a lot of trouble.

After Qin Jingru moved to the city, thanks to the improvement in the Jia family's living standards, the sallow complexion on her face noticeably decreased, and she regained the rosy glow that a young girl should have.

She had no complaints about serving Qin Huairu; on the contrary, she was overjoyed. If it weren't for Qin Huairu's sister-in-law giving birth and Qin's mother being unable to leave, she wouldn't have been able to snag such a good opportunity.

Qin Jingru always felt a little awkward getting up early every day. Apart from Jia Dongjin going out to catch fish, she was always the first one up, and she finally gained some experience.

One day, when she found an opportunity, Qin Jingru whispered to her cousin for a long time. Qin Huairu was stunned for a while, and when she understood, she laughed so hard that she burst into laughter, which startled the young girl, who hurriedly helped the pregnant woman.

"You silly girl, aren't you afraid of looking ugly? All young men look like this. Don't tell anyone when you go out, or you'll make a fool of yourself."

Qin Huairu blushed, patted her younger sister, and said in a low voice, "Everyone's home is crowded these days, it's no big deal, just pretend you didn't see it. We can make him a thin blanket; I'll talk to Grandma about it later."

"No way, I've seen Korean pheasants before."

Seeing that the young girl was terrified and clueless, Qin Huairu couldn't help but tease her, "You'll understand when you get married in a few years."

"marry?!"

Qin Jingru seemed to understand but not quite, staring at her cousin with her almond-shaped eyes.

"Oh, you little brat!" Qin Huairu suddenly blushed to her ears and reached out to pinch her younger sister.

After the sisters finished their commotion, Qin Huairu sighed and said, "Dongjin is a good man, but it's a pity you're too young. My mother-in-law can't wait. When Dongjin first started working, she said that once he had saved up some money after the New Year, she would find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for him."

"A woman three years older than her husband is like a gold brick," and you, sister, are just the right age to marry a gold brick. I heard that your mother-in-law wanted you to marry her.

"Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about? I'm a widow with a child, and I'm pregnant again. Who would want me? I reckon my mother-in-law wants to find a city girl. There's a girl named Yang Caixia in the factory's logistics department. She's pretty, and she's approached Dongjin a few times, but he avoids her. Don't let Dongjin's carefree attitude fool you; he's very particular about food and has high standards. He loves reading and probably wants to find a cultured and beautiful girl. Don't talk nonsense when you go out, or you'll cause trouble."

After giving her earnest advice, Qin Huairu shook her head, ignoring the shameless man, and lowered her head to focus on her needlework.

Qin Huairu tried several times to thread the needle but couldn't get the thread into the eye. After drinking a whole cup of water, she calmed down and, with just a gentle touch, threaded the needle into the eye.

That evening, Jia Zhangshi walked expressionlessly to Jia Dongjin's small bed, tossed down a small quilt and said, "It gets chilly at night, don't forget to cover yourself when you sleep."

"No rush, it's still hot now, we can cover ourselves with a blanket at the end of the month." Jia Dongjin is young and energetic, so he can't cover himself with a blanket at all. He just covers his stomach with clothes at night.

At that time, cloth coupons and cotton coupons were very precious, so he folded the small quilt and carefully placed it at the head of the bed.

"Just cover yourself up, why are you making so many excuses? If you're hot, just drape it over your waist. Young people just love to stay cool, aren't they afraid of getting back pain when they get old?"

"Okay, okay, Mom, I'll listen to you, alright?"

Jia Dongjin had a headache, so he could only put up a small tent around his waist.

The next day, upon learning that Jia Dongjin had bought so many steamed buns made from two kinds of flour for his relatives, Jia Zhangshi made up her mind and also went to a restaurant to buy steamed buns, trying to exploit this food shortage together.

After being able to eat the expensive steamed buns, Jia Zhangshi had no choice but to exchange the unused ration of coarse grains for fine grains with others, which expired and could not be used the following month. She secretly hoarded the unused coarse grains in the cellar, taking the policy of demanding grains without paying money to the extreme.

"Mom, that's how it has to be done. Money is nothing, grain is the real deal." Jia Dongjin praised Jia Zhangshi as he ate the fragrant steamed buns made from two kinds of flour.

Given Bang Geng's young age, and to avoid leaking information, the adults dared not speak carelessly and could only speak vaguely.

Everyone was saving up for future food shortages. Like Jia Zhangshi and Qin Jingru, Qin Huairu also ate heartily. After finishing her meal, when Banggeng went out to play, Qin Huairu mentioned that there was a small black market near Xizhimen where one could buy food coupons and other ration coupons. In the past, when the Jia family was short of food, Jia Dongxu had gone there to buy expensive food coupons.

"Dongjin, our family has 100 jin of Beijing grain coupons now, which can be exchanged for national grain coupons. National grain coupons are different from local grain coupons; they have no expiration date." Qin Huairu took out a national grain coupon, which she had obtained by chance in the canteen and had always been reluctant to use.

"No time limit?!"

Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongjin spoke at the same time, and the mother and son looked at each other, both understanding each other's feelings.