mchenry-crisis.org Chapter 22 Marriage
Chapter 22 Marriage
"Houses are no small matter. Go see your boss tomorrow before you go to work. Buy a few packs of good cigarettes before you go. First come, first served. We ordinary people have to be quick and decisive. We can't just wait for a free lunch."
Old Li emphasized that even though his daughter is getting married in the next two years, he is still tormented by the issue of his son's wedding house.
After the five of them finished eating, Jia Dongjin brought up the matter of changing his younger brother's name again, the reason being that Old Jia with the white beard had a dream about him.
People with jobs carry more weight when they talk to street urchins. This time, it didn't take much effort for him to persuade his adoptive parents and younger brother, thus accomplishing another long-cherished task.
"Since Dongjin has said so, we should accept Lao Jia's favor and change the name. It's just a matter of time and effort."
"Fine, let's rename the National Army to the People. You're just dreaming, talking like it's the truth, and you're just making my old arms and legs suffer."
Jia Dongjin falsely claimed that Old Jia had appeared in his dream to repay a debt of gratitude, and that the character "军" (army) in the name of the National Army was inauspicious and not as lucky as "民國" (people).
He spoke with great seriousness, and the Li family was skeptical of the superstitious claims. Old Li, not wanting to spoil the mood, reluctantly agreed to change the name.
As agreed, he rushed to the repair shop to meet up with Song Tao and Brother Liang. With practice comes skill, and now the three of them are more efficient at work. They only spent half an afternoon assembling two bicycles.
"Long live the common people!"
Holding the two hard-earned black tens, Jia Dongjin happily returned to the courtyard house.
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"Guolan, I met Zhang the matchmaker this morning. She said there's a good blacksmith. The young man is 22 years old and has already become a first-class blacksmith. His family has a house. He's a big, strong guy. His monthly salary is 22.5 yuan, and his ration is 5 jin more than that of ordinary workers."
Li Guolan's mother was buying groceries one morning when she was stopped by a matchmaker named Zhang from the neighborhood. Zhang insisted on introducing Li Guolan to a potential partner. After looking at his photo, Li Guolan thought he was a good man, and since his father had a retirement pension, he was a good match for the Li family.
A family with a daughter is sought after by many men. Li Guolan will be 18 next year, a good time to find a partner. As a mother, she feels both gratified and lost.
Li Guolan blushed. She sat on the stool with her head down, twisting her handkerchief for a long time before replying, "Mom, Dongjin just started working and his salary is already 30.5 yuan, which is more than that old man's. Taozi said that Dongjin and he built bicycles together, and they could earn 10 yuan for each bicycle they built. Second Brother's bicycle was built by Dongjin. He also told me not to tell anyone."
"Dongjin is your older brother. It's good that he's capable. You just need to go on blind dates, find a suitable person to marry, and then you'll have a good life."
"Cough, cough!"
Li Guolan's mother was rambling on and on, not noticing that her husband was choking on cigarette smoke and was coughing incessantly.
"You old geezer, you even manage to choke on your own cigarette smoke."
The old lady tried to appease her husband for a while, but when she saw him giving her meaningful glances, she realized what he meant. She slapped her forehead, overjoyed and unsure of what to do with herself.
"The darkest place is under the lamp; Mom's just a grumpy old woman, hehe!"
"Once you've decided on this, you have to act quickly, don't delay!" Old Li took a sip of tea to calm himself down, then lit a cigarette and began to ponder whether it could be done.
"Mom and Dad, what's the matter that you've decided to hurry up with?" Li Guojun was thinking of going to Yuanmingyuan Park to hunt birds and was puzzled by what he heard.
"Go away, you're such a fool. All you do is hunt birds all day. You never learn from your older brother. He figured things out in the blink of an eye. Now he's a man of principle, and he's a pillar of the family."
Li Guojun was inexplicably scolded by his mother and kicked out of the house.
"Guolan, have a good talk with Mom. Did you really hit the nail on the head?"
"Mom, I... I can't say for sure either."
Li Guolan blurted it out without realizing her own thoughts, and her face turned as red with embarrassment.
The girl couldn't face her parents, so she rushed to her room and covered her head with the blanket.
"Should we take another look? We can discuss this again before the New Year."
"Alright, let's take another look." Old Li shook his head; the matter was too sudden, and he hadn't quite grasped it yet.
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"Brother Dongjin, I've been waiting for you for so long, where have you been?" Yan Jiecheng immediately followed when he saw Jia Dongjin return.
Ever since learning about the high wages of electricians, Yan Jiecheng had lost all interest in carrying heavy loads. Knowing that Jia Dongjin hadn't gone fishing today and had only done half a day's hard labor, he rushed back to the courtyard house in a hurry. He waited until 4:30 before he finally saw Jia Dongjin and hurriedly went up to stop him.
"Jiecheng, is there something you need?"
Yan Jiecheng wanted to learn electrical work, and Jia Dongjin had no problem with that, but the way he was getting it done for free and was also somewhat forced was unacceptable to anyone.
"Jiecheng, you need to read more books. I suggest you get a library card so you can take books home and study them carefully. I got one myself; it only costs 5 cents a year, which is a great deal. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get an electrician's license."
"Getting a library card is no problem, 5 cents is nothing." Yan Jiecheng grinned, a little reluctant to part with 5 cents, but the temptation of the electrician's license quickly overcame his reluctance. He understood the saying, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub, and you can't catch a scoundrel without risking your wife."
While polite words were necessary, the truth depended on his mood. Jia Dongjin patiently recommended books on basic circuits to him, explaining some simple common sense points. He was then rescued by the clever Qin Huairu, who used the excuse of playing with a stick to sneak out of the courtyard.
"Uncle, I need to buy a knife!"
Banggeng, wearing new pants, dragged Jia Dong into the supply and marketing cooperative, pondering the wonderful prospect of buying toys.
"This knife is ugly, let's get a different one."
"Then I want this tin frog that can hop around. Erdan already has one."
"Frogs are so ugly. Uncle will make you a gun. It'll be really cool, and you can shoot all the bad guys."
"You're not lying to me?"
"Uncle never lies, and he would never lie to Little Stick. Come on, I'll make it for you right now. But you have to earn the gun by working; I can't just make it for you for free."
"Can I sweep the floor? I've been raising earthworms very well; I feed them vegetable leaves every day."
"Banggeng is such a good boy, then it's settled. But you can't take advantage of Shazhu. Shazhu's vegetables cost money too. Stealing is theft, and you'll be caught by the fence. Your uncle will beat you up. Instead, when you go to the market with Grandma, just pick up some vegetable leaves on the ground. Earthworms aren't picky eaters. Your uncle will also buy you candy, but you can't eat too much. You can only have one a day. If you ruin your teeth, your uncle won't buy you any more."
Just like in the original drama, Bang Geng was quite bold and actually sneaked into He Yuzhu's kitchen to steal He's vegetable leaves.
In those days, everyone was poor, and there wasn't much of value in their homes. In addition, due to the nature of the traditional courtyard houses, Yi Zhonghai did not approve of locking the doors, so the people in the courtyard houses developed the habit of not closing the doors.
During the day, He Yuzhu goes to work and He Yushui goes to school, leaving the He family home virtually empty, which provides convenience for the little brat.
Don't say you weren't warned. Jia Dongjin gave Banggeng a heads-up to prevent the little thief from harming the He family's cabbages and eating the hearts of perfectly good cabbages as snacks. That would be embarrassing, and he would have to spank the child. It might even cause a conflict with the two female bosses in the family.
Jia Dongjin is far from being wealthy, so he must spend his money wisely. He can make his own toys, so there's no need to buy them. It would be better to use the money for toys to buy candy.
"Uncle, I promise I'll listen to you."
Unsurprisingly, the candy easily outweighed the allure of the toy.
"You're a man of Beijing, you have to keep your word. Let's pinky swear, it'll be for 100 years."
As the sun sets, a tall person and a child walk through the alley, the golden sunlight casting two shadows that appear to grow longer and shorter behind them.
That evening, Jia Dongjin had just done fifty push-ups and sit-ups and was getting ready to go to sleep when suddenly, someone climbed onto his small bed!
"Shh, Uncle, it's me!"
After finishing the small wooden gun, Bang Geng loved it dearly, but he was still not satisfied. He felt that the wooden gun was not very useful and could not really shoot Liu Guangfu and Erdan Ge. Therefore, he launched a night raid on Jia Dongjin in the hope of expanding his arsenal.
"Bang Geng, I can make bows and arrows, but you have to follow the rules and not cause trouble. You also have to do chores well, such as raising earthworms and sweeping the floor, and you have to be worthy of your uncle's hard work."
Jia Dongjin was so annoyed that he had no choice but to agree to make him a small bow and arrow, but he was strictly forbidden from shooting at windows or other people's pets. The materials for the bow and arrow were readily available; there was bamboo outside the shower room, left over from the shower room construction.
"I'll do as you say. If I work diligently, can you take me fishing sometime?"
"You greedy little devil, you have to be at least ten years old to catch fish. Go back to sleep now, you can dream about anything."
"Uncle, you're always huffing and puffing in bed. My mom says you're exercising. Could you teach me how to exercise?"
"Not now, you're too young. You need to be at least ten years old."
Jia Dongjin pinched the little boy's nose. He had to get up early for work tomorrow, so he could only send the child back to the inner room to sleep.
Banggeng brandished his small bow and arrow, whistling through the courtyard and chasing Yan Jiedi around in a chaotic mess, almost getting a beating from Yan Jiekuang.
He Yuzhu sat on the threshold, watching with amusement, when he saw He Yushui dragging Jia Dong into the He family home.
"Brother Dongjin, I need to talk to you about something."
The little girl held Jia Dongjin's left hand, her body almost pressed against his. Jia Dongjin felt an indescribable fragrance wafting into his nostrils, making him feel intoxicated and almost ecstatic.
He Yushui said anxiously, "Brother Dongjin, you can't sell fish privately anymore. You'll get into trouble sooner or later. I saw it clearly just now."
He Yuzhu's brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, gestured towards the front yard, and offered a suggestion: "You can learn from him. Every time he catches a big fish, he sells it to the steel mill canteen or a state-run restaurant. I can help."
He Yuzhu's skills in cooking boiled pork and sauerkraut fish were well-received, earning him many positive reviews. His superiors have already spoken to him, and he is confident in passing the certification exam. If he waits patiently for a few years, he may be promoted to head chef and have the opportunity to be in charge of the most greasy small dishes.
Therefore, He Yuzhu had a good impression of Jia Dongjin. However, this man was only interested in catching fish, and he would go out to set fishing nets on his days off, and he had run all over the rivers around Beijing.
In the courtyard house, Jia Dongjin was like a nobody, rarely interacting with his neighbors. Only when he occasionally brought them some pickled fish as a treat would he chat with them.
Just now, He Yushui was walking home from school when she saw a man selling crickets being arrested and taken away. She heard he might be sent to jail. The man selling crickets was at least forty years old, tall and strong, but he didn't dare to resist. He kept begging for mercy, saying he had an eighty-year-old mother and a baby to feed. But no one paid any attention. The big man cried his heart out, tears streaming down his face, looking utterly miserable. The crickets were scattered all over the ground, and a bunch of children were scrambling for them.
The little girl turned pale with fright and ran home to tell her brother, He Yuzhu, who then reminded Jia Dongjin.
She was anxious, fearing that her foolish brother might make things worse by being confused, so she simply brought Jia Dongjin to the He family.
As an adult, He Yuzhu thought more deeply. He connected the matter to the report and whispered a reminder to Jia Dongjin to be more careful in the future.
The fishy smell couldn't be hidden, and trying to conceal it would be self-deception. Therefore, Jia Dongjin would occasionally give his neighbors some fish, which was a way of keeping quiet.
The person who would report him for selling fish is most likely Yan Fugui from the front yard. Yan Jiecheng is still counting on him to help him pass the electrician exam, so he probably won't report him before the electrician exam next June.
By next year, all the evidence of speculation and profiteering will have almost disappeared, Jia Dongjin knew this was the case.
Even if he gets caught, the sentence won't be severe. At worst, he can escape to Hong Kong Island and won't starve.
In difficult times, wanting to live a life of luxury is wishful thinking; just the act of reporting him is enough to give Jia Dongjin a hard time.
He didn't ask for much; as long as he could make ends meet and have the same standard of living as Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, or Xu Fugui, Jia Dongjin would be satisfied.
Jia Dongjin worked so hard for two reasons. First, he wanted to overcome his inner fears, as he was always wary of the Jia family and worried that the two women would cause trouble. Second, he wanted to eliminate his deep-seated fear of the difficulties that lay ahead for the next three years.
As time went on, his relationship with his family improved.
Now, every time Jia Dongjin goes out to catch fish, Qin Huairu makes him a special steamed bun with two kinds of dough, and her gaze towards him is becoming more and more gentle.
Needless to say, Jia Zhangshi is now the one the old lady relies on most, and Banggeng has long been relegated to a secondary role.
However, no matter what, Jia Dongjin's deep-seated fear could not be eliminated.
This year he plans to focus on stockpiling food, but next year he wants to shift his focus to other things, such as making money.
The warning from the He siblings reminded Jia Dongjin not to underestimate the wickedness of human nature.
Having the steel mill canteen's involvement in "laundering" is equivalent to having it officially recognized, and that's a considerable favor to be done.
"Zhu Zi, thank you. I just bought some good food. I'll treat you tonight. Let's have a couple of drinks and give the rainwater some nourishment."
After recovering, Jia Dongjin first freed his left hand, then slapped He Yuzhu hard. He remembered this favor and was too embarrassed to call him "Silly Zhu" again.
"You provide the ingredients, I'll provide the labor. I also have some spare change. It's not a big deal. Right now, the purchasing staff can't buy supplies, and the canteen is eager to buy fish. Big fish goes without saying, but for small fish, the canteen can make stewed small fish, or fried, braised, or stewed crucian carp soup. It's just that the quantity can't be too small. It has to be at least five catties at a time."
The steel rolling mill has dedicated purchasing staff who go out every day to buy food, especially pork, chicken, eggs, and other delicacies.
For some reason, we've been getting less and less supplies this year. I heard the head of the purchasing department is constantly scolding the purchasing staff, and Director Li of the canteen is also looking worried.
He Yuzhu introduced Jia Dongjin to sell fish, which was a way to help the canteen solve its problems and also won him the favor of Director Li. It was a win-win situation.
"Thanks, but catching fish is all about luck. If I'm lucky, I'll definitely come and ask you for help. Zhu Zi, why are you always drinking so much baijiu? It can't be that bad."
Jia Dongjin was somewhat puzzled.
Without Qin Huairu sucking his blood, He Yuzhu's expenses were actually very small. As long as he wanted, he would hardly spend any money on food each month. He Yushui would spend a maximum of eight yuan a month, and He Yuzhu could save at least seven or eight yuan a month.
"I've spent some money on blind dates lately and bought some things, so I'm a little short on cash," He Yuzhu said, scratching his head sheepishly.
A blind date?!
When the topic of blind dates came up, Jia Dongjin immediately became interested. He was the person in the courtyard who most wanted He Yuzhu to get married, without exception.
"It was introduced to me by Sister Zhao from the cafeteria. She's her neighbor and works at a textile factory. I met her once at Beihai Park, but her appearance was a bit lacking."
He Yuzhu is 23 years old this year, which is the perfect age to find a partner and get married. To thank his colleague Sister Zhao for her help, he specially bought her some steamed cakes and also bought himself a short-sleeved shirt.
Unfortunately, the result was not satisfactory. The girl had a great figure, but her appearance was too ordinary, which failed to ignite He Yuzhu's passion.
"Zhu Zi, not to be rude, but looks are secondary. The key is that the two of you can get along. As long as you're not unattractive, it doesn't matter. Anyway, they all look the same with the lights off. I've heard that a wife who's too beautiful isn't good either; she'll attract unwanted attention and cause trouble for her husband. Besides..."
As Jia Dongjin relaxed, he started speaking without thinking, becoming cryptic, and his expression turned lewd.
"Brother Dongjin, it's not a good habit to only say half of what you mean."
As a novice in love, He Yuzhu was extremely sincere.
When it comes to cooking, He Yuzhu is a master, but when it comes to dating, Jia Dongjin, a former bachelor, has a wealth of experience in blind dates and romance, far surpassing He Yuzhu.
"Zhu Zi, I've heard—and I really have only heard—that the prettier a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive you. Zhu Zi, you can't just like pretty girls; be careful you don't get fooled by them!"
"You, you dare to tease me!"
He Yuzhu wasn't really stupid; he jumped up and prepared to settle accounts with Jia Dongjin.
Seeing that things were not going well, Jia Dongjin turned around and fled from the He family's house. Unexpectedly, there was a pregnant woman standing at the door, and he almost bumped into her.