RBCT Chapter 101 Chrysanthemums in Full Bloom
Chapter 101 Chrysanthemums in Full Bloom
"It's exactly what you think. Humph! That ugly, ugly guy Zhu, if it weren't for his cooking skills, what pretty woman would want him? It's only because Xiao Feng is from the countryside that he's not good enough for her."
Yi Zhonghai nodded. He had met Gao Xiaofeng before, and the girl was actually quite pretty. He didn't expect He Yuzhu to reject his suggestion as soon as he saw the photo.
He was speechless, which is why he said that He Yuzhu was ugly and deformed, and that although he looked like an eggplant, he dreamed of eating swan meat every day, and didn't even look at the best girl in Gaojia Village.
In his spare time, Yi Zhonghai likes to play chess. He is a smart man and his skill level is the best in the courtyard. He can make Yan Fugui, the second best player in the courtyard, lose a horse. He understands the killing moves and idle moves very well.
Now that he has recovered, he treats Yi Damao as a mere pawn, while Gao Xiaofeng is the real trump card. This will completely subdue He Yuzhu and firmly bind him to the Yi family's war machine.
After being publicly beaten by Jia Dongjin, Yi Zhonghai felt that his men lacked strong fighting skills.
He Yuzhu had initially wanted to stand up for him, and was considered to be politically reliable, so Yi Zhonghai decided to give him another chance.
To get He Yuzhu to comply, some underhanded methods were needed. This was something his wife, Gao Cuilan, was good at. Yi Zhonghai had a great leadership style; he trusted his people and entrusted Gao Cuilan with all the work.
"Okay, Zhonghai, you can rest assured, I guarantee there won't be any problems."
Gao Cuilan clapped her hands excitedly. Gao Xiaofeng was her distant niece, and she couldn't be happier if she could help He Yuzhu and Gao Xiaofeng get together.
If Gao Xiaofeng marries He Yuzhu, 70% of the elderly care problem will be solved.
Even if Yi Damao is unreliable, He Yuzhu can suppress him militarily, and Gao Xiaofeng can provide internal support. Thus, the couple's later years will be as peaceful as Mount Tai.
"This is a very important matter. Find a suitable time to pick up Xiaofeng and buy her a decent outfit."
"Yes, Xiaofeng's family is in financial difficulty, she would definitely be happy to help."
Gao Cuilan was full of confidence. As before, Yi Zhonghai decided on the strategy, and she was responsible for refining the tactics.
Unlike before, city girls are now showing new trends in choosing partners.
To ensure rationing, to save food for their families, and to ensure their fathers and brothers could eat their fill, city girls were unwilling to marry easily.
Luo Daya from the Luo family in the central courtyard of the siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) is a typical example. She refused Old Madam Luo's suggestion to find a matchmaker named Wang, citing her youth as the reason.
The situation in rural areas is unique, even completely opposite to that in cities.
Rural girls are eager to get married in order to save food for their families, let alone marry into the city.
The story that one could marry a rural girl for just 5 jin of cornmeal was told by Gao Cuilan's family. Yi Zhonghai felt uncomfortable, as if he had an indescribable sadness, because he himself was a rural person who later fled to Beijing and became a city dweller.
Yi Zhonghai understands the feelings of parents. If he were in that situation, he would also find a way to provide for his daughter. It's a last resort.
"If you're willing, that's good. We're doing a good deed too."
Yi Zhonghai's eyes flickered; even if the plan failed, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.
The girl was an export product, and Yi Zhonghai felt that they needed to pay attention to packaging her carefully to ensure a successful outcome. In this way, the old couple could bring the He siblings under their control and be able to compete with the increasingly powerful Jia family.
Time flies, and the Spring Festival of 1959 is approaching. Every household is busy preparing for the New Year. Just like last year, after Jia Dongjin and his wife received their wages, they took Qin Huairu to give New Year's gifts to relatives and friends before returning home to prepare for the New Year.
However, a new list of recipients was added this year, and he specifically sent a gift to Zhang Xiaohui, the head of the power department.
Jia Dongjin's father-in-law and cousin came to the Jia family home. The two old men, carrying their wages and New Year's benefits from the factory, sat happily in the Jia family home drinking Gaomo (a type of Chinese liquor) and chatting about going home for the New Year.
Qin's father had mixed feelings about his son-in-law, Jia Dongjin. Seeing his son-in-law becoming more and more successful and even helping him get a stable job, he dared not put on airs. Fortunately, his daughter, Qin Huairu, was pregnant, otherwise he would always worry that his daughter's marriage would have problems.
Therefore, the old man was always very polite to Jia Dongjin, and he and Jia Dongjin's cousin rarely came to the courtyard, for fear of disturbing the Jia family's life.
Jia Dongjin was very polite to the two elders and presented them with gifts, including one to Qin Jingru's family. The gifts weren't many; he was trying to give money instead.
No matter what, it's easier to get food in the countryside than in the city. Actually, what the countryside lacks is money, but Jia Dongjin just doesn't lack money.
He is now the head of the electrician group, earning 80 yuan a month, plus subsidies he can get 86 yuan. Including repairing radios and occasionally saving up for a bicycle, he earns more than 100 yuan a month, not including the income from fishing.
In this era, fishing is incredibly lucrative, its value immeasurable by money. Protein is the ultimate currency. Whether it's bribing night school teachers, dealing with officials in the neighborhood committee, or even cultivating a good relationship with Section Chief Zhang of the Power Department, Jia Dongjin uses fish to pave the way, and he is always successful.
By pulling strings, Jia Dongjin got information from Li Lan at the street office that the person who reported him for speculation last year was not Yan Fugui.
"Who else could it be but Yan Fugui?"
This news was too explosive and had to be kept a secret. Although Li Lan spoke vaguely, Jia Dongjin still guessed the reason.
Jia Dongjin dared not tell Jia Zhangshi, fearing that she might not be able to keep her mouth shut or reveal the secret in her behavior, so he could only inform Qin Huairu in secret.
Even so, he dared not say it outright, much less reveal its source, but simply gestured towards the east wing.
"It's him?!"
Reporting Jia Dongjin would not benefit Yi Zhonghai at all; it was probably just revenge for losing four of his molars, Qin Huairu could only assume.
"Huai Ru, you must approach your opponent's ruthlessness with the utmost malice."
Men and women think differently. Jia Dongjin shook his head. Among the people in the courtyard, the one he dared not underestimate the most was Yi Zhonghai.
The intervention of the cunning Yi Zhonghai was a key reason why Jia Dongjin was trying to curry favor with the Yan family. He needed to improve his strategic position in the courtyard and avoid being surrounded by enemies.
After winning over Uncle Mao, the security guard at the street office, Jia Zhangshi started pushing her cart around all day, and Jia Dongjin's repair business got on the right track. He no longer needed to go to the street office to do business.
He only goes to the street office station on his days off when he's not fishing, saving precious time.
Unbeknownst to them, the Jia family's income had become the highest in the courtyard. Jia Dongjin had been appointed as the group leader, and he received many more receipts each month. The couple no longer had to save up for a long time just to buy a piece of cloth.
"A true warrior dares to face the bleakness of life and the dripping blood. Since you call yourselves men of Beijing, don't just put on airs; you must stand firm, persevere, and perseverance will lead to victory!"
Jia Dongjin is holding a small bamboo stick and performing "surgery" on a small stick.
It's nothing serious. The child has a sensitive digestive system, and eating too much cornmeal can cause constipation, requiring manual intervention.
During this period, the screams of children could be heard from time to time in various courtyards. The children's perfectly healthy anuses were brutally stabbed by their parents, leaving them covered in blood.
Bang Geng was no exception; he was suffering at this moment, with two elderly people acting as his technical advisors.
"Grandma, help!"
Bang Geng wasn't having any of it. He had reached his limit and finally cried for help.
At this moment, Qin Huairu had already taken Xiao Dang far away, and Bang Geng could only call out to Jia Zhangshi. The two old men next to him didn't care at all and were instructing Jia Dongjin on how to act. Xiao Bang Geng was both terrified and helpless.
"Bang Geng, keep your voice down, Jie Di will hear you."
Jia Zhangshi was in so much pain that her facial muscles twitched, and in the end she could only mention Yan Jiedi's name.
It must be said that Jia Zhangshi understood her little grandson. She defeated him with one move, and the stick stubbornly withstood the attack of the small bamboo stick, without disgracing the men of Beijing.
"He's a real man!"
Jia Dongjin was sweating profusely. After he finished, he put down the small bamboo stick and gave the stick a thumbs up.
"It's a joke, no big deal."
Qin's father was used to this, and out of respect for Qin Huairu, he still gave his grandson a word of encouragement.
Everything is getting better, but the Jia family has a heavy burden. The baby is due next year and will need food, especially high-quality protein and fat.
Life was originally easy and pleasant, but with Qin Jingru's arrival, food became scarce, and cornmeal once again became the staple food for the Jia family.
Unlike others, Jia Dongjin didn't want his child to eat too much cornmeal. Too much cornmeal could cause constipation in children, requiring adults to help with bowel movements using twigs or bamboo sticks.
Madam Jia thought it was too wasteful. Originally, she and Qin Huairu were both firmly against it, but now she said with a determined look, "Dongjin, Mom supports you. Children should eat less cornmeal."
Every family loves their children dearly. It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality. Seeing the sheep droppings and blood in the broken basin, Jia Zhangshi finally changed her mind.
Making a living is not easy. After all that trouble, the blame ended up falling on Jia Dongjin and Qin Jingru, ultimately leading to tragedy.
"Dongjin, lie down properly. Don't worry, I'll treat you well."
Qin Huairu was gentle and tender. Jia Dongjin had been unable to defecate for several days. At this moment, he was heartbroken and could only think about the sorrow of his withered chrysanthemum!
"Who else? Do you really think time travel is all-powerful? Have you heard of Chrysanthemum Remnant?!"
For the first time in his life, Jia Dongjin strongly agreed with a certain viewpoint: never think that time travel makes you awesome, or dream of becoming an emperor or general.
If you understand probability, you'll know that you'll most likely be transported into the body of Meng Jiangnu's husband, rather than Qin Shi Huang or some young master as you imagine. Aside from a nervous breakdown, you'll most likely die quietly in some remote corner.
"Huai Ru, we're on the same side! I'm made of flesh and blood, please be gentle."
When the situation became urgent, Jia Dongjin also became affectionate and spoke softly, almost like a man in the ICU begging his wife not to remove the life support.