I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 16 Reaction

"There are definitely some small fish left. You could catch a few too. But small fish are nothing. What does this little brat know?" Yan Fugui waved his chopsticks and began to explain the calculations of managing a household to his son.

"Jie Cheng, we don't have that kind of spare money. Fishing is much cheaper, and we've caught quite a few. Last year I caught a two-pound carp, and you all had a good feast. You all get to drink the crucian carp soup we usually have. I heard that Jia Zhangshi didn't spend her savings on her funeral. Jia Dongjin said his adoptive parents gave him the money for the fishing nets. That kid is lucky to have such a good family, but unfortunately, he's still unlucky and has returned to the Jia family, a bottomless pit. That kid doesn't even know how to sell the big fish he catches; he only cares about his own cravings. He's a typical street urchin and spendthrift. You must never be like him."

Upon hearing Yan Fugui's words, Yan Jiecheng became interested. He put on a lewd expression and said, "Dad, I heard that Jia Zhangshi wanted to marry Widow Qin to Jia Dongjin, but Widow Qin was unhappy and injured Jia Dongjin?"

"This is probably true. I heard that Widow Qin is going to take over the shift at the factory in the next few days. A workstation at the steel rolling mill is worth 800 yuan. Widow Qin is quite cunning; she managed to snatch the workstation away. Jia Dongjin suffered a huge loss. Do you think these street thugs are willing to accept this? Sooner or later, the Jia family will cause trouble. We'll just have to wait and see what happens." Yan Fugui stroked his chin and laughed smugly.

"800 yuan for a workstation?!" Yan Jiecheng exclaimed in surprise. His eyes lit up at the thought of working in a steel rolling mill in the future, while Yan Jiefang next to him looked gloomy and felt hopeless about his future.

"Did Qin Huairu push her on purpose?" Aunt Yang Ruihua asked, her eyes darting around, her face full of shock.

"The workstation should have belonged to Widow Qin in the first place. I guess she looked down on that street urchin and used a scheme to take it back. You would have done the same if you were in her shoes." Yan Fugui didn't even look up. Compared to the rumors in the courtyard, he believed the analysis from a self-interest perspective more. Qin Huairu was a recognized capable wife in the courtyard. Dealing with a lecherous street urchin was a piece of cake for her.

"Oh, the workstation is so attractive, Qin Huairu has some tricks up her sleeve."

"Don't look down on her. Qin Huairu did nothing wrong. They were all just trying to save their lives." Yan Fugui gulped down a mouthful of cornmeal porridge and shook his head.

Laughing at those who have nothing and hating those who have something is a characteristic of people at the bottom of society.

The Yan family was buzzing with discussion, and the Jia family was also not at peace.

"Give me the money. I gave you 50 yuan to buy the fishing net, and you have to pay it back." After finishing her meal, Jia Zhangshi did not continue to help Qin Huairu bake the small fish. Instead, she sat imposingly in the outer room, waiting to confiscate her youngest son's money.

She looked at her youngest son affectionately and said, "Keep enough fish for the family to eat. If you can't finish them, Mom can help you sell them for money. After you've raised 50 yuan for the fishing net, you can save the rest for your wedding."

Fish at the market cost 2 cents a pound, but small fish didn't fetch a good price. Jia Zhangshi hadn't realized the value of protein. After Old Jia died, she was so afraid of poverty that she only thought about selling fish for money.

Jia Dongjin couldn't help but frown. Ever since he swindled ten yuan from He Yuzhu, he knew this moment would come, but he didn't expect Jia Zhangshi to be so impatient.

"Mom, I'll listen to you. Actually, fish are more valuable than money." Supporting the family is a man's inescapable responsibility, so Jia Dongjin didn't dare to object and obediently took out the small amount of money he had gotten from He Yuzhu.

Having received a big black ten, Jia Zhangshi's attitude was as warm as spring. Qin Huairu seized the opportunity and made her small request, "Mom, we're out of oil and there's not much salt left."

"Well, fish is a waste of oil and salt, meat is better. Think of a way to see if you can borrow some from Uncle Yi and Sha Zhu to tide you over for a few days, and then buy some next month when you get your ration coupons."

It was early June, a full month away from next month. How could she wait that long? Qin Huairu immediately realized that her mother-in-law was forcing her to go out and ask for money again.

There are many people struggling to make ends meet, and she has already borrowed every courtyard house she could. She really has no better options.

Seeing Qin Huairu's troubled expression, Jia Dongjin couldn't help but say, "Mom, don't make things difficult for my sister-in-law. Who has extra tickets these days?"

"There's no way to change it, Mom can't conjure it up." Having seen Jia Dongjin's habitual actions many times, Jia Zhangshi also shrugged.

"Let me try to conjure up some tickets, conjure them up!" Jia Dongjin sighed dramatically, pulling out the tickets he had collected that morning. When selling fish that morning, he had focused on the tickets, specifically collecting a few oil and salt tickets, all for this moment.

"Eastward advance? Where will the tickets come from?"

When asked by Jia Zhangshi, Jia Dongjin yawned. "I traded fish for it. We can eat the fish at home ourselves, or give them away to repay favors. But whatever you do, don't sell the fish. Speculation will get you arrested. This morning I was hiding in a corner selling fish, I was terrified. It's not something a normal person would do. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed now, just like yesterday. You guys pack up the fishing nets and equipment, I'll get up early again to catch fish tomorrow."

Before going to take a bath, Jia Dongjin took out 1.7 yuan from the money he made selling fish that morning and handed it over. He still habitually kept a little money hidden away.

The Jia family was poor, so he had to strengthen his family's faith to prevent his mother and daughter-in-law from going astray and harming the poor, simple-minded Zhu.

Jia Dongjin considered himself a good person, and besides, the more money he contributed, the more influence he would have at home.

"You can earn this much by catching fish?"

Looking at the money in her hand, Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up, while Qin Huairu, who was baking small fish in front of the stove, tilted her head and looked on with an inquiring gaze.

"Huai Ru, you've had a great day. You actually made 35 cents on Dong Jin, plus all those receipts and fish."

Looking at the money in her mother-in-law's hand, which was at least a dollar, Qin Huairu was speechless.

While Qin Huairu was feeling down, voices could be heard coming from Yi Zhonghai's house.

"We need to take another look. You're just in a hurry!" Yi Zhonghai's voice was as calm and steady as ever.

The middle-aged woman, Gao Cuilan, spoke rather quickly, "Dongxu is gone, and we're getting older every year. You find it too much trouble and are unwilling to adopt someone. How can I, a woman, not be anxious?"

"I'm anxious too, but this is something that can't be rushed. Let's see how it goes and talk about it at the end of the year. Let's temper him first. If the deaf old lady doesn't have any objections, I'll arrange an apprenticeship for him after the New Year, and he can become a full-time employee in two years. Two years is enough time to train him well. Then I'll find him a wife, and we'll have a good life again."

"Honey, I'll do whatever you say." The middle-aged woman, Gao Cuilan, suddenly became breathless.

"What are you doing? I drank too much today and I'm a little tired."

"Just in case, just in case it happens."

"You old hag, you're always causing trouble. Aren't you afraid of exhausting me?"

"You old fool, you used to say you'd be willing to talk until you died. Ugh, you, be gentle."

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees outside, causing the branches to sway softly, as if they were calling out their own names.

At 4 a.m. the next morning, Jia Dongjin got up. In his satchel, there were still two steamed buns made from two kinds of flour. Without thinking much about it, he replaced them with three cornbread buns, opened the door, and set off on his journey.

"Dongjin, why did you take the dried fish out of your bag?" Qin Huairu rushed out holding a small bag of dried fish.

"Even in a famine, there's no need for a cook. I can grill fish myself by the river." Jia Dongjin waved his hand, pushed his bicycle, and walked towards the hanging flower gate of the central courtyard.

As I was leaving the courtyard, I unexpectedly ran into the door god Yan Fugui. It was a day off, and Yan Fugui was fully equipped with fishing gear, clearly going out to fish, but he seemed to be waiting for someone.

"Good morning, Uncle! Going fishing, huh?" Jia Dongjin chuckled, pretending not to see Yan Fugui's smiling face, and left after exchanging a few pleasantries.

Jia Dongjin had two fishing rods tied to his bicycle, clearly intending to catch fish. Yan Fugui quickly reached out to stop him, saying, "Dongjin, your third uncle has been waiting for a long time. Don't you want to have a fishing contest? I'll go with you today and see who catches more fish."

"Uncle, you know what the road is like. My bicycle is too old and can't carry anyone. See you later!" Seeing the other party getting close, Jia Dongjin was so scared that he pushed his bicycle and ran away. Only after shaking off Yan Fugui did he realize that he was covered in a cold sweat.

He wasn't wrong. The roads outside the city are now all dirt roads, making it very tiring to ride a bicycle. They are nothing like the cement roads of his previous life.

"This cunning old man is really dreaming. Yan Fugui, you're dreaming. You can have anything in your dreams." Jia Dongjin dared not get involved with this third uncle, otherwise it would definitely bring endless trouble.

He's truly afraid of this Yan Fugui now; he really lives up to his reputation—there's no such thing as a wrong nickname, only a wrong name.

Today was similar to yesterday. When Jia Dongjin returned to the courtyard house in the evening, he saw Yan Fugui with his butt sticking out, leisurely watering flowers in the front yard.

Upon seeing his competitor return, Yan Fugui immediately straightened up, pointed to the conspicuous small bucket placed beside the steps of the hanging flower gate, and proudly showed off: "Dongjin, your third uncle tried his hand at fishing today and caught sixteen fish. The largest crucian carp weighed a full three ounces, and together they weighed at least a pound. Do you want to try your third aunt's crucian carp soup today? It's so delicious it'll make your mouth water."

"Alright! Since Uncle is so sincere in inviting me, I'll bring some cornbread to your house for dinner after I've finished tidying up." Jia Dongjin looked troubled, pretending to be unable to resist the temptation of crucian carp soup, and reluctantly agreed to go to the Yan family's house for a meal.

Yan Fugui was reluctant to treat anyone to a meal; his mouth was agape, and he couldn't utter a word for a moment.