I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 26 Relief

Based on this alone, Jia Dongjin knew that Qin Huairu's family were honest people. He felt a sudden pang of sadness and cursed the heavens in his heart once again.

Five eggs may not seem like much, but they were all the Qin family could offer, making them an extremely valuable gift.

"Brother Jia, you've had a long day, so please rest. I'll clean the fish."

"Call him Brother Dongjin." Qin Huairu looked at her cousin with a smile. Girls change a lot as they grow up. The little kid from back then has grown into a young woman, almost as beautiful as she was back then.

"Brother Dongjin, let me get you a towel and soap."

Qin Jingru was young, but she was quick-witted. As soon as she arrived at the Jia family, she immediately got into work mode and worked efficiently.

The household was full of women. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jia Dongjin went out to wash up. Everything was handled by Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu. He wasn't familiar with the Qin family, so he only needed to contribute money and effort.

"Dongjin, a pretty young girl has come to your house. Who is she?"

As soon as Jia Dongjin stepped out of his house, a donkey-faced man approached him.

"You can't hit someone who's smiling at you." Jia Dongjin took the Daqianmen cigarette, looked at Xu Damao meaningfully, making Xu Damao feel uneasy, and then said slowly, "Don't ask, I won't tell you even if you ask."

"Is it really necessary? I was just asking casually, I didn't mean anything by it." For some reason, Xu Damao felt uneasy. After seeing Qin Jingru, he felt uneasy if he didn't ask. He waited for a long time in the corridor of the central courtyard before he found an opportunity to find out the information.

"It's good that you don't have any thoughts. She's Qin Huairu's cousin, and she's still a child."

Jia Dongjin exhaled a smoke ring and took the stick to take a shower. He was covered in sweat and didn't have time to argue with Xu Damao about Qin Jingru.

"Mom, the Qin family is a good family to befriend. Please don't treat them badly and try your best to help them. I'll find a way to earn the money. Our Jia family is small, so we need to have more relatives like them."

Taking a break, Jia Dongjin spoke these words to Jia Zhangshi.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. Since Qin's mother was willing to give away all the eggs, Jia Dongjin did not want to leave any regrets at this crucial moment.

"Mom is a grandmother, how could she not understand this? Mom is just poor, and poor people can't do anything. Now that you can earn money, Mom will do things differently than before."

"Is this a return gift for your in-laws?! You're really generous."

Looking at the large bag of cornmeal and salted fish, Jia Dongjin clicked his tongue in amazement.

"That's right. We were poor before, so there was nothing we could do. You're too kind-hearted, and you're a bit lacking in social skills. You should learn more from your mother. When it comes to relatives and friends, either don't give them gifts, or give them very generous gifts so that they feel embarrassed. That way, they'll remember the favor. Your brother has wronged Huai Ru, and now it's time to make up for it. It will also make her look good in her family's eyes."

As Jia Zhangshi was packing up return gifts for the Qin family, she didn't even look up. What she said was unexpected, leaving Jia Dongjin shocked and ashamed.

Helping the Qin family was just a whim; neither Jia's mother nor son expected that in the near future, the return on their goodwill would be so high that it would make Jia Zhangshi worship Buddha.

When Jia Zhangshi said that things would be difficult in the future, Qin's mother was extremely anxious. She didn't dare to be polite and the next day she took a large sack and rushed home. Jia Dongjin pushed his bicycle and took her to the Deshengmen Bus Station.

These days, women can do anything. The sack was filled with cornmeal and salted fish, weighing over 60 pounds. Qin's mother, nearly 50 years old, carried the sack with ease, weaving through the crowds on the crowded bus.

Jia Dongjin was dumbfounded. His thinking was still stuck in his previous life, such as a girl not being able to open a mineral water bottle cap.

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"Mother-in-law, I'm sending you some grain. Could you please help Jingru find a marriage partner?"

A week later, Qin Huairu's father and Jia Shouli, her cousin from Jiajia Village, came to the courtyard house, accompanied by Qin Huairu's brother, Qin Daqiang.

As agreed beforehand, the Qin family sent food rations to Qin Jingru under the pretext of finding her a husband, so as not to arouse suspicion among the people in the courtyard about the source of the Jia family's food.

The two large sacks they gave us were actually a cover-up; they only contained some sweet potatoes on top, and the bottom was full of dried wild vegetables.

Rural areas are places where food is produced, and it is much easier to find food than in cities. What rural areas really lack is money, as well as ration coupons such as cloth coupons.

At crucial moments, Jia Zhangshi was not lacking in courage; in fact, her courage surprised Jia Dongjin.

Both Jia Dongjin and Qin Huairu had formal jobs, and their secure employment gave her courage. Following Jia Dongjin's suggestion, she lent 80 yuan each to Jia Shouli and Qin Huairu's father, who were close to her, so that the two families could secretly buy grain.

In addition, Jia Zhangshi gave each of the two families an extra 20 yuan, asking them to help buy sweet potatoes and other food.

When things get better, we can ask someone to send some coarse grains and eggs to the Jia family and slowly pay off the debt.

Meat is out of the question, but getting some eggs and whole grains in the countryside shouldn't be a big problem, provided you have the money.

To cope with the three years of hardship, Jia Dongjin went to great lengths. He handed over almost all of his savings and salary, totaling 100 yuan, making it impossible for Jia Zhangshi to refuse to lend money to her relatives.

In rural areas, 80 yuan is a lot of money.

These days, money is very valuable. Cornmeal only costs 10 cents a pound in the city. As long as there is a quota, you can buy 800 pounds of cornmeal.

Rural residents can definitely buy more; the exact amount depends on the combined resources of both families.

Since fishing techniques couldn't be taught, Jia Dongjin's family gave them a fishing net and some fishing lines and hooks so they could catch some meat in the river to supplement their nutrition.

"My dear elders, people are the most important thing. Don't be stingy with money. We have a monthly salary. Just exchange it all for grain and get through the food shortage. Don't even think about paying off the debt. My mother and Jingru don't have rations. Sending us grain is just an excuse. Just say that relatives couldn't bear to see us like this and saved some grain to support the Jia family. It's a legitimate source of food to avoid anyone reporting us."

Jia Dongjin said that the two families only owed 160 yuan in total. Jia's monthly salary is nearly 50 yuan, so it's just three months' salary. He told his relatives not to worry. If they don't have enough money, they can borrow some more at the end of the year.

There is still enough food in the countryside. With 80 yuan to buy grain to make up for the shortfall, as long as it is used carefully, it should last for a year without any problem.

The two families were surprised that the Jia family would lend so much money. To make it easier for them to spend, most of the money was in small denominations. Jia Dongjin's uncle, Jia Shouli, counted the money five times with trembling hands before he could count it correctly.

Qin Huairu's father didn't know the details, but he simply told Qin Huairu to make sure his daughter lived a good life in the Jia family.

On the front lines of public opinion, Jia Zhangshi spoke openly to Wang Dama and Erdan's mother about Qin Jingru. She carried two bags of dried fish and escorted the two families out of the courtyard in a high-profile manner. She also publicized the fact that relatives had provided grain to the Jia family, thus providing a pretext and justification for ensuring that the Jia family would not lack food later on.

Since ancient times, the catering industry in Beijing has enjoyed a high reputation, with a constant stream of famous dishes, exquisite cooking techniques, meticulous selection of ingredients, and diverse flavors.

However, since the implementation of the "unified purchase and sale policy for grain and oil" in 1953, this traditional characteristic has undergone fundamental changes. The procurement of raw materials has been strictly restricted, and the variety of products sold and the quality of meals have declined significantly.

In 1956, the implementation of the "public-private partnership" policy led to changes in the management system. Many long-established restaurants and eateries were merged or closed down, and a considerable number of them had to shut down. Those that survived could only struggle to maintain their operations and had to be managed by the newly established state-owned "food company".

During this period, although the supply was relatively open, the main food provided was still the common staple food, such as steamed buns and pancakes.

There was also a food shortage during this period. At that time, restaurants in Beijing did not require food coupons for staple food. When Jia Dongjin saw off his relatives, he bought two kinds of steamed buns at several restaurants along the way. Each steamed bun cost 5 cents, and he spent all of the more than 8 yuan he had.

"Dongjin, thank you." Holding 80 steamed buns, Qin Daqiang was deeply moved and it took him a while to squeeze out these words.

"Don't be polite with your family. Food is life from now on, so don't let this news leak out." After spending the money, Jia Dongjin felt a little relieved, and the seriousness on his face turned into a smile.

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"Young lady, you're so lucky to have two such good relatives." Looking at the sweet potatoes specially placed on the table, Aunt Wang from the backyard took a bite of a roasted sweet potato and said with envy.

"Good deeds bring good fortune. The sweet potatoes are roasted well today; I'll take some over to Guihua later too." Jia Zhangshi said without even blinking, making Jia Dongjin look at her with new respect.

The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes carries a slightly charred, caramelized scent, the wrinkled skin from the charcoal fire causing the oozing sugar to caramelize into a golden-brown crust on the oven walls—a crisp, caramelized fragrance that makes your mouth water. Taking another deep breath reveals the soft, sweet flesh inside, the starch slowly caramelizing from being cooked over the fire. It's as if the warmth of autumn has been poured into the aroma; the warmth travels from your nose to your throat, and even your chest feels cozy.

At this time, it was usually city dwellers who helped those in the countryside, and it was rare to see rural relatives helping city relatives. The people in the courtyard were unaware of the truth and envied the Jia family's good fortune.

Looking at the two bags of dried fish, Yan Fugui's eyes burned with envy, but he couldn't say anything. He could only be jealous of Jia Dongjin's fish-catching skills.

Aunt Yang Ruihua sighed that Jia Zhangshi had made progress, as she could actually recite the words on the Spring Festival couplets.

Today, they know it wasn't just luck; Jia Dongjin is indeed skilled at catching fish, and there might have been some suspicion that he was hiding his abilities before.

Subsequently, instead of seeing the Third Uncle deal with the Jia family, Yan Fugui began to improve his relationship with Jia Dongjin, subtly hinting that he wanted to use the fishing net.

"Uncle, the fishing net is our means of survival. My whole family depends on it for food. Please don't make things difficult for me."

To borrow a famous saying from his past life, Jia Dongjin would rather borrow a wife than a fishing net, since he didn't have a wife anyway.

Since Jia Dongjin was a bachelor, Yan Fugui and the others in the courtyard gave up on the idea. Everyone understood; if it were them, they wouldn't lend their fishing nets to others either.