I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 10 Let's get started!

When asked by her mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu refused, saying, "Mom, we've already agreed that I can support the child myself."

"Huai Ru, you said it yourself. I think Dong Jin is a good choice, at least suitable for you. I guarantee he won't treat you badly. It's too difficult to be a widow at such a young age, and a stepfather is even more unreliable. Don't say anything I don't mean."

Madam Jia snorted, turned over and went to sleep, leaving her eldest daughter-in-law with her back to her.

Qin Huairu glanced at the baby beside her, leaned forward, tucked the thin blanket around her, covered the baby's belly, and then closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

The Jia family in the west wing were having a late-night chat, while the Yi family in the east wing across the street were also chatting.

"Cuilan, what do you think of Jia Dongjin?"

"No way, not at all. I kept staring at him throughout the entire conference, and Jia Dongjin didn't look at Huai Ru even once. His eyes were also clear and honest. A street thug may be a street thug, but he doesn't necessarily steal chickens or dogs, let alone harass his sister-in-law."

The older woman spoke slowly, clearly having thought it through carefully.

"I heard he drank alcohol yesterday," Yi Zhonghai said in a low voice.

"Drinking is the way to go. Huai Ru is pretty, but she's full of energy after her twilight years and is prone to making a fool of herself. This younger brother is better than his older brother; at least he has a skill and is good-looking too."

"What good is it for a man to be good-looking? What matters is his ability to do things!" With a new goal in mind, Yi Zhonghai felt relieved and started getting handsy, as if the old man had suddenly become a young man again.

"Oh dear, you shameless old man..."

While Yi Zhonghai was working on his project, Yan Fugui's family in the front yard was also preparing to work on it, and they had developed a plan to assemble bicycles.

"I'll pay you 30 yuan to assemble your bicycle. But you have to pay it back when you start working. Since I also used the bike, the interest can be waived." Unable to resist his eldest son Yan Jiecheng's persistent pleas, Yan Fugui finally reluctantly agreed to the painful decision.

Seeing Yan Jiecheng's smug and silly expression, Yan Fugui secretly shook his head. This eldest son looked presentable, but his scheming skills were far inferior to his second son, Yan Jiefang. However, the custom in Beijing was that the eldest son should support his parents in old age, so as a scheming expert, Yan Fugui could only accept it with a heavy heart.

With his mission accomplished, Yan Jiecheng was lost in his daydreams about riding a bicycle. After washing up, he was about to go to sleep when his younger brother, Yan Jiefang, came over and asked, "Big brother, did you sign the agreement with Dad?"

"Does a verbal agreement count? Dad doesn't want to waste paper and pen."

Yan Jiecheng disagreed.

"Give me a penny, and I'll tell you how you fell for it." Yan Jiefang stretched out his hand, palm facing firmly upwards.

"Recall the consequences of lying to me." Yan Jiecheng knew that his second brother Yan Jiefang was shrewd. He thought about it for a long time and couldn't think of where he had been taken advantage of. He had actually been tricked by Yan Fugui, so he could only negotiate with his second brother.

"I guarantee double the return!" Yan Jiefang replied decisively. He knew he was going to make a profit from this one cent.

After some whispering, Yan Jiefang received a dime and happily climbed up to his bunk to sleep.

"This is so hard for me!"

The next day, Jia Dongjin and Yan Jiecheng went to the train station to work as laborers carrying heavy bags. They were lucky that day; Jia Dongjin worked hard for half a day and earned three cents.

After a hard day's work, all the laborers sat against the wall to smoke and relax.

Jia Dongjin was exhausted. Yan Jiecheng's eyes flickered, and he handed him a cigarette, saying, "Brother Dongjin, my dad didn't mean it yesterday. We're brothers, so you can't hold a grudge."

In reality, Jia Dongjin's original body was quite good, and his adoptive parents truly did not mistreat him. However, after being a street urchin for so long, his body was not used to the hard labor, and his soul kept issuing warnings, leaving him exhausted, his chest heaving like a bellows, and his body covered in sweat.

But he had no choice but to do it. Even manual labor wasn't something just anyone could do. The train station prioritized security, and without a guarantor or introduction, most people couldn't even get through the gate.

The cigarettes were economical, costing eight cents a pack. They were much better than rolling cannons in leaves, and couldn't be more economical. They were the first choice for laborers to relieve fatigue or numbness.

Jia Dongjin took the cigarette, lit it, and took a big drag before saying sincerely, "Jiecheng, don't worry. Although I'm not a coward, I can't be angry with Third Uncle, let alone hold a grudge. I understand the saying 'a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative.' By the way, I have some things to do this afternoon and will be going out later. Go back to the courtyard by yourself after you finish."

In the morning, Jia Dongjin rode his bicycle with Yan Jiecheng to the train station to carry heavy bags. He had seen the disdain in Yan Jiecheng's eyes earlier and was too lazy to engage in any pretense with him.

When people are hungry, anything tastes good; their adaptability is incredibly strong.

After a short rest, Jia Dongjin no longer needed to soak the cornbread before eating it. He finished the cornbread with water and rode his bicycle to the supply and marketing cooperative in the urban-rural fringe area to buy three large nets.

The mesh of the barrier net is about the size of two fingers and can catch fish weighing between one ounce and ten pounds. In addition, there is a bundle of gauze and wire to make fish traps and fish baskets, as well as a small bundle of fishing line and ten size 3 fish hooks, which cost a huge sum of fifty yuan.

In his previous life, Jia Dongjin was a seasoned angler. With a bicycle, his range of activities expanded five to ten times.

With famine looming, the Jia family, young and old, were in dire need of survival. Jia Dongjin prepared to make a concerted effort to catch as many fish as possible within his means.

Last night, Jia Dongjin's description frightened both Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu. Jia Zhangshi immediately gave Jia Dongjin fifty yuan, a bold move that made Jia Dongjin think more highly of his mother.

Madam Jia knew very well that stockpiling more grain was not a bad thing. It was better to be safe than sorry, and this was money she couldn't and dared not skimp on. If Jia Dongjin couldn't catch any fish, she could use the bicycle to pay off the debt and sell it to Yan Fugui; she wouldn't lose money on fifty yuan.

Money makes things easier. After the fishing gear was prepared, they returned to the courtyard house and surprisingly, no one came to investigate.

Jia Dongjin glanced at the sacks of fishing nets in the back of the truck, then at Yan Fugui, who was watering flowers with a haughty expression and his rear end sticking out. Completely bewildered, he couldn't help but ask, "Third Uncle, watering the flowers, aren't you checking for enemy spies today?"

"Dongjin, you're old enough to be married, why are you still joking around with your third uncle? Alright, I'm actually asking you today, what's in that sack?" Yan Fugui smiled and looked at the sack in the back seat of the car.

"Carrying heavy bags at the train station was too tiring, so I borrowed money from my foster mother to buy a fishing net. Uncle, I'll also get two bamboo poles to make fishing rods, ready to steal your title as the fishing expert from the courtyard, haha."

Judging from what everyone said about Yan Fugui's catch and from Yan Fugui's own words, his skill level was not at all on the same level as Jia Dongjin's, and he had a sense of superiority deep down.

"Your third uncle is a renowned expert. If you want to surpass me, you'll have to study for another twenty years." Yan Fugui didn't own a bicycle, and he couldn't bear to spend money to take a bus to the suburbs to fish. He could only catch a few small carp in Shichahai. Occasionally, he would catch a big fish, and Yan Fugui would be happy for months. He didn't understand the difference between an expert and an ordinary person.

"Uncle, don't look down on me. Carrying heavy loads is too tiring. Tomorrow I'll go fishing for fun. I guarantee at least two pounds of fish. Do you dare to bet, Uncle?" Jia Dongjin started to provoke him. He was worried that this old geezer would cause trouble in the future, and he wanted to resolve this annoying courtyard door god peacefully.

"What kind of skill is it to use a fishing net? I'm a teacher, how can I gamble? Hurry up and go home. Your mother bought a big vat today to pickle vegetables, and she's waiting for you to come home and move the vat." Yan Fugui had acted dishonestly yesterday, and he felt uncomfortable, so he didn't want to waste his breath arguing with this street urchin.

Jia Dongjin's tone was unfriendly. Yan Fugui was worried that the street urchin would dig a hole for him, so he didn't bother to ask how much the fishing net cost. Anyway, he couldn't bear to buy it, so he just watched the street urchin squander money.

After the fishing nets were cleared from the road, Jia Dongjin hurried home. When he knocked on the door, he found that his bed had been moved and the house was in a mess.

"Mom bought the fish tank today and also paid for a fish neck. If nothing goes wrong next year, you have to pay me back for the fishing net."

After locking the door, Jia Zhangshi said in a low voice.

"Did your sister-in-law take a sticky rice cake out?"

"As soon as we left, I told her to take Banggeng far away, so that Banggeng wouldn't talk nonsense and reveal the secrets of our cellar."

"Alright, that's how we do it."