I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 9 Three Paths

Everyone present gasped in shock. A new car only cost 180 dollars, while these two bicycles were dilapidated and would only cost 70 or 80 dollars at a trust store.

Jia Zhangshi is shameless; she actually dared to ask for 120 yuan, clearly indicating that she didn't want to sell.

Having said that, Yan Fugui's face turned very ugly. He could only change the subject, "Thank you for your kindness, but I only earn 27.5 yuan a month. I have to support a family of six, so I really can't afford 120 yuan."

After saying that, Yan Fugui's eyes darted around, and he came up with the idea of ​​using the bicycles for free again. "It's inconvenient for bicycles to go over the steps of the hanging flower gate. I suggest building a small shed in the front yard to store the bicycles. It will save Dongjin the trouble of carrying them up and down. It will also be convenient for anyone in the yard to use them in the future."

This was a bit like outright robbery. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would understand what it meant. Anyway, Yan Fugui was being generous with other people's money and got a bicycle without paying anything in return, so of course no one objected, and the subsequent voices of approval were endless.

Erdan's dad and Yan Jiecheng were the most enthusiastic, and they immediately started looking for materials to build a bicycle shed.

Madam Jia Zhang was so angry that her fat face trembled. She pointed at Yan Fugui's nose and cursed, "You old miser Yan, you couldn't buy it by force, so you've turned to extortion! I'm not someone to be trifled with, this won't do!"

Jia Dongjin, a modern man, had never seen anything like this before. He stared blankly for a moment without saying a word, then turned his head and looked at Yi Zhonghai indifferently.

There was nothing for Yi Zhonghai to do at this conference. He could buy a bicycle anytime he wanted, but he was used to a low-key and simple life and didn't want to be too flashy by riding a bicycle.

Yi Zhonghai sent Yan Fugui to lead the vanguard because he wanted to see Jia Dongjin's character, whether he was easy to control, whether he was filial and obedient, and whether he had the ability to support his family.

Therefore, he had inquired about Jia Dongjin's character from various sources, and the result was originally satisfactory to him. However, Jia Dongjin was pushed down and injured by Qin Huairu. After learning about this incident from Bang Geng, Yi Zhonghai was in a difficult situation.

The most important thing in caring for the elderly is their character; otherwise, it's like inviting others to eat your own dead family's food, which is absolutely a veto offense.

Yi Zhonghai had said so much, but in fact he had been carefully observing Jia Dongjin. When he saw the other man looking at him, Yi Zhonghai's heart stirred.

Yan Fugui's behavior was too unseemly. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. As the eldest son, Yi Zhonghai certainly wouldn't do something foolish like supporting Yan Fugui. "Old Yan, this isn't appropriate. Dongjin, you should understand Third Uncle's situation. He's only thinking of the courtyard. How about this, Dongjin can handle his own car. If anyone needs to borrow it, they should discuss it with Dongjin. The Jia family is struggling financially, and it wasn't easy for Dongjin to buy the car. Don't bother him unnecessarily."

"Uncle, Uncle, thank you both for your understanding and support. As long as I'm free, if anyone needs a ride, just let me know. But let me make this clear: the ride is free, just give me two pounds of cornmeal. Sigh, it's really, really that my family is struggling to make ends meet, it's so difficult, otherwise I wouldn't even dare to ask."

After Jia Dongjin finished speaking, before he could even sit down, He Yuzhu stood up and said loudly, "Brother Dongjin, I'm going on a blind date soon, so let's agree on this beforehand that I can borrow your seat once."

"Silly Zhu, you can borrow anything you need, except for blind dates!"

Seeing He Yuzhu's displeasure, Jia Dongjin quickly pointed to the bicycle parked on the veranda and said, "A blind date is a big deal. This bike is too old and might scare your date away. I can't afford to pay for it."

"this,"

Sha Zhu scratched his head. He knew that what Jia Dongjin said made sense, and he couldn't blame Jia Dongjin.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter. Their original intention was to borrow the car, and now that their goal had been achieved—Jia Dongjin had agreed to lend it and the price was acceptable—the courtyard was filled with a joyful atmosphere once again.

Yan Fugui felt he might have offended Jia Dongjin. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before trying to make amends: "Dongjin, actually, just a quick paint job would make the car look much better. I know someone who can help, it'll probably cost about five yuan."

Jia Dongjin shook his head, then seized the opportunity to play the victim, saying, "I also want to spray paint, but I only have one cent left in my pocket. I don't even dare to borrow money, for fear that I won't be able to pay it back. How about you do me the favor and I'll let you use the car for free twenty times?"

Two pounds of cornmeal cost about two cents. Borrowing a car once costs two cents, so twenty times would cost four yuan. After deducting the commission Yan Fugui would take, it's reasonable and equivalent to a wholesale price discount.

Yan Fugui was shrewd and calculating. He was unwilling to suffer such a loss, so he waved his hands repeatedly and refused, saying, "I give all my money to your third aunt to support her family. In fact, your third uncle is even poorer than you. He doesn't have a single penny in his pocket. I really can't help you with this."

"Eastward advance? What did you say? There won't be enough food, and there might be a famine?!"

With the bicycle matter settled, everyone dispersed and went home. As they washed up and went to bed, a storm brewed in the Jia family.

Jia Zhangshi had always worried about food, and after hearing Jia Dongjin's suggestion, her voice rose in alarm.

"Hey, keep your voice down, you can't let this get out."

Jia Dongjin hurriedly got up and carefully checked whether the doors and windows were closed tightly. He then went into the inner room and saw that Bang Geng was fast asleep before returning to the outer room to talk about the important matter.

"A famine is inevitable, and it will last for quite some time, at least a few years."

He made an excuse to meet someone who had returned from the countryside and they talked about rural life. The person said that when the communal dining system first started, people ate and drank to their hearts' content, but now it has changed to two meals a day. In some places, there isn't enough porridge, so they add a lot of water to it. He estimated that in the future, even getting porridge will be a problem.

If farmers in rural areas can't eat, then city dwellers will also have trouble getting enough to eat. This is a simple deduction that doesn't require high intelligence.

Jia Zhangshi's eyes darted around, and she kept rubbing her hands together, clearly thinking of a solution.

Qin Huairu, standing beside her, was deathly pale. The joy that the bicycle had brought her had vanished, and even the bone broth on the stove no longer seemed so delicious.

Life was already difficult for a widow and her child. With an uncertain income for her mother-in-law and an unemployed brother-in-law to care for, Qin Huairu didn't dare to think about how they would manage in the future.

But she couldn't help but think about it. Qin Huairu looked up at Jia Dongjin. Since this man had mentioned that there might be a famine in the future, he must have something in mind. Just look at the bicycle he got today, maybe he really has a plan.

Madam Jia was no fool; she thought of this even before Qin Huairu. She whispered to Jia Dongjin, "You brat, I don't have time to waste with your nonsense. Spit it out."

"Good intentions gone unappreciated, how vulgar." Jia Dongjin curled his lip, criticizing Jia Zhangshi in his heart, but still decided to let out the fart.

He held up three fingers and said, "There are three paths, but let's make this clear first, you absolutely cannot tell anyone. You must keep it from even Banggeng, including Jia's relatives and your sister-in-law's relatives. If word gets out, I'll be eating peanuts, and you two will be stuck in jail."

Seeing that there was a path, and more than one, Jia Zhangshi felt relieved. She decided not to scold the brat and instead said to Qin Huairu, "Huairu, you know what's important."

Qin Huairu was pregnant, and she was even more afraid of something going wrong than Jia Zhangshi. She nodded repeatedly and assured her, "Go east, sister-in-law will definitely not tell anyone. Tell me quickly which three roads you are on."

"First, my sister-in-law should take over the job immediately. After that, she and Banggeng will be granted urban residency, and the Jia family will no longer have to worry about quotas. This is of utmost importance. Second, there's the issue of employment. I won't discuss my job for now, but my sister-in-law's job is in trouble, so she must... Finally, Mom needs to give me 50 yuan. I want... We have these three paths, but we can't go down the wrong one, or we'll definitely go hungry. Don't say I didn't warn you."

After muttering to himself for a while, Jia Dongjin finally got a response from Jia Zhangshi: "You brat, speak like a human being! What do those last six words mean?"

"It means there will be trouble if you don't listen to me." Jia Dongjin pursed his lips, only then realizing that his mother and daughter-in-law were not very literate, and that he had shown off in the wrong place.

He spread his hands, then said seriously, "Time is too tight. I'll go buy the supplies tomorrow, and dig a cellar when I get back. I can use my bicycle to pay off the debt. It only costs, no, only 50 yuan. I guarantee I won't lose money."

"You said it yourself, a bicycle is fine, Mom will give you the money. Huai Ru, what do you think about the job?"

Sometimes, the truth is as simple as a thin sheet of paper; once you pierce it, it's easily revealed.

"Hmm, I think Dongjin makes sense." Qin Huairu's eyes lit up. She didn't know anything about factory matters, but after Jia Dongjin's explanation, even a fool would know which path to choose.

Since this was a matter of great importance, Jia Zhangshi changed from rubbing her hands together to clenching her fists. Her eyes darted around frantically, and she clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly more than ten times before finally making a decision.

"Dongjin, your mother will only say one thing: you are the only male in the Jia family, it's time for you to take responsibility. You need to know whether the family is eating solid food or drinking thin gruel."

After careful consideration, Jia Zhangshi concluded that the first two routes were fine, and Jia Dongjin's words made sense. The third route was a bit unreliable, but with the bicycle discount, the mere 50 yuan was worth the effort.

Therefore, she ultimately made the decision to approve it.

"Mom, I will."

"Speak your mind! Speak like a human being!"

"I promise I'll do my best!"

"You're a man, it's your duty to do your best."

After discussing the important matter and seeing that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were willing to listen to his advice, Jia Dongjin couldn't help but ask about the hospital-wide meeting. He was quite puzzled. It seemed that Yi Zhonghai, the legendary backer of the Jia family, was not a protector, but rather someone who was deliberately targeting him.

Madam Jia chuckled and said, "That old bastard Yi Zhonghai is cunning. Giving you a hard time is a good thing. He cares most about your retirement, so he certainly won't make a decision lightly. He's testing you to see if you're honest, obedient, and filial. He might also be suspicious of your character, like when Huai Ru pushed you and got hurt."

When Jia Dongjin's injury was mentioned, Qin Huairu lowered her head and instantly became like a quail, pretending that the old lady couldn't hear her; Jia Dongjin blushed and also pretended to go to sleep.

Thus ended the night's conversation.

Jia Dongjin's snoring started, and then a woman's voice came from the inner room.

"Dongjin is a good guy, he's like a man. Huairu, what about you two? Think about it again?"