I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 25 Chicken Butt

After more than four months of getting to know each other, Jia Dongjin earned Qin Huairu's trust through his actions, and she no longer regarded him as a street thug.

Especially recently, the situation in the countryside has been getting worse and worse, with all sorts of rumors circulating, causing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law great anxiety. Now they completely believe what Jia Dongjin said.

Just now, Qin Huairu thought that the Jia family mother and son were unwilling to help her family, and she felt quite resentful. She didn't expect a big reversal at the last minute.

"Dongjin, don't worry. With Shazhu here, the canteen takes good care of me, and the work is easy. 22.5 yuan a month isn't a small amount. We rural women aren't that precious. There are plenty of women who give birth in the fields. I'm eating well now and don't need to take leave."

Qin Huairu's monthly salary is 22.5 yuan, which includes Jia Dongxu's seniority pay. This is a large sum of money for her, and she would never part with it.

If word gets out, people will criticize Qin Huairu for being pretentious and lazy, and Jia Zhangshi will certainly not agree to it.

"Dongjin, don't meddle in women's affairs. Mom knows what she's doing."

Sure enough, Jia Zhangshi jumped out.

In this era, many people only know about postpartum care and do not have the concept of maternity leave. Like many women, Jia Zhangshi worked until she gave birth.

Some women come from impoverished families and, even after giving birth, cut the umbilical cord and continue working.

Qin Huairu is his sister-in-law, and as her brother-in-law, Jia Dongjin shouldn't interfere too much, so he didn't say anything more.

That evening, as Jia Dongjin began snoring, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law started their late-night chat in the inner room.

"Huai Ru, I heard that because of you, Sha Zhu almost got into a fight?"

"Mom, it's nothing. That guy was so blind. He insisted on giving me steamed rice cakes. When I refused, he just stood behind the cafeteria. Sha Zhu went out and chased him away."

"Shazhu seems to have a thing for you, what do you think?"

"Mom, we've already agreed that I can support the child myself."

"Sigh, it's a pity that Sha Zhu is too slovenly. Actually, he's quite well-off. He has two private rooms and is also a great cook."

"Dongxu just left not long ago. I'm standing guard in the cafeteria now, so I can keep watch for him."

"What a joke! We're poor, we can't even afford to eat, how can we possibly keep our vows? Only wealthy families have the right to keep their vows. Let's not beat around the bush, Mom knows you look down on Sha Zhu, I won't force you to keep your vows, but you'll have to wait until Bang Geng is a bit older, so he won't be bullied by his stepfather."

In September, Jia Dongjin took six days of sick leave and four rest days, spending ten days wandering around the waters around Beijing and catching nearly 280 catties of fish.

After working for a while, he got to know some people, such as Lao Huang, a sixth-level chef at a state-run restaurant. With their help, he exchanged all his earnings for fine grains, meat, eggs, and receipts.

The method for requesting sick leave was something Jia Dongjin had learned from stories of educated youth in his previous life: before taking his temperature, he would drink scalding hot water to raise his temperature to the fever threshold, which made Wang Dali, the electrician team leader, shake his head repeatedly.

----------

Along the Yongding River, the autumn wind swept across the water, creating ripples. The river reflected the weeping willows on the bank; their leaves were already turning yellow, and as the autumn wind gently brushed the water's surface, they seemed to be whispering to the river. The reeds along the riverbank began to sprout, their white plumes swaying in the wind like soft clouds resting on the water's edge.

In September, the countryside around Beijing is a paradise for birds. It is the peak season for migratory birds, and flocks of birds flying south frequently fly across the sky. They fly in neat formations, emitting clear calls, as if bidding farewell to this land.

In the woods, the resident birds were not to be outdone. Sparrows hopped and skipped on the branches, while some unidentified small birds hid among the dense leaves, emitting melodious songs.

Along the wetland shore, the waterbirds were particularly lively. Mandarin ducks swam in pairs on the water, their colorful feathers shimmering in the sunlight.

Suddenly, a flurry of duck calls rang out. A wild duck plunged headfirst into the water and only surfaced a while later, shaking off the water droplets and splashing up tiny water droplets.

"Brother, could you get some steel balls from the steel mill? Stones aren't working. A wild duck just ran away; maybe we can make beggar's duck later."

Li Guojun was a slingshot expert and figured out how to use steel balls as bullets to increase the lethality.

"You're lucky if you get to eat sparrows. Do you really think everyone can just take them? If you get caught, you'll at least be fined and disciplined, and you might even get fired."

With the backing of state-owned enterprises like the steel rolling mill, Jia Dong acted with no restraint. To help his adoptive parents, he even brought along his adopted younger brother, Li Guojun, and the two brothers went fishing together.

Because of Jia Dongjin's persuasion, Li Guojun has now changed his name to Li Guomin. He is not very good at swimming, and Old Li does not allow his son to go into the water, so he only bought a net.

Under Jia Dongjin's guidance, the two brothers roamed freely in the rivers of Beijing, and Li Guoqing also brought home more than 100 jin of fish.

With his younger brother's help and having happened to catch a rabbit before, Jia Dongjin is also making great strides into the new field of rabbit catching.

However, due to poor technique, he only managed to catch three rabbits before reaping no further rewards. Fortunately, the investment cost was low, consisting of only some thin iron wires obtained from a steel rolling mill.

Li Guomin wasn't good at catching rabbits, but he had his strengths: he was skilled with a slingshot and could shoot down more than a dozen birds every time he went out.

Young people have a sweet tooth and, having nothing to do in the wild, they always grill fish or birds to eat. As a result, they not only don't break their bodies, but they also become much stronger.

Especially Jia Dongjin, who has been consciously improving his nutrition and exercising, is no longer the skinny guy he used to be.

Youth is priceless; being young is wonderful.

Now Jia Dongjin's complexion is dark red, his eight-pack abs are starting to take shape, his shoulder muscles are bulging, and he exudes a manly aura. Girls at the steel mill have already started to chat him up, and He Yushui no longer dares to get too close to him, let alone hold his hand.

-----------

"Dongjin, your mother-in-law is here." Madam Jia Zhang quickly stepped forward to help unload the large and small bags from the cart, and said in a low voice.

At the end of September 1958, on a day off, Jia Dongjin had just returned home from catching fish when he found two women in his house. Their clothes were patched and layered, but they were clean and tidy, and they looked like capable people.

"You must be tired from your journey. I am Jia Dongjin. You can just call me Dongjin." Jia Dongjin hurriedly stepped forward to greet him. Suddenly, he noticed a girl standing next to Qin's mother. She was a pretty little girl with braided hair.

"Dongjin, this is my cousin Qin Jingru. She's fourteen years old this year, and her family sent her to help out. Jingru's birthday was at the beginning of the year, so she's actually fifteen, only seven years younger than you."

Qin Huairu's belly was already quite large, and her due date was in November. In a month and a half, she would be able to put down her burden.

"Mother-in-law, I brought five eggs this time. My husband wanted me to bring six, but our hen hasn't laid an egg in three days. Huai Ru is about to give birth, so we couldn't wait any longer and only brought five. I'll make up for it next time."

Qin's mother had just arrived at the Jia family's residence and hadn't even had a chance to drink water before she hurriedly presented her gifts.

With trembling hands, she took five eggs from her bundle and handed them to Jia Zhangshi.

For a mere egg, he waited three days for a chicken's rear end. The hardships his elders had endured instantly reminded him of the long river of history, and Jia Dongjin could hardly breathe.