N-M Chapter 109 Sudden Rise
Chapter 109 Sudden Rise
The deaf old lady was no ordinary person; she was experienced in scheming and trickery, and Yi Zhonghai had long been convinced of her abilities, otherwise he wouldn't have visited her house so often.
In the courtyard at No. 95, only he knew a little about the old lady's background and was aware that she was unfathomable.
It was the deaf old lady who used a little trick to force He Daqing, a dignified man, to leave his hometown.
The people in the courtyard only knew the surface and simply thought that He Daqing was infatuated with the beauty of the white widow, but in fact, the real reason was that the deaf old lady was up to no good.
Just like Wu Sangui's betrayal of the Ming Dynasty, some people, unable to offend Wu Sangui, only dared to pin the blame on Chen Yuanyuan, a woman, and the meaning was pretty much the same.
It's interesting that, no matter how absurd and unconventional, many people prefer to believe that Chen Yuanyuan harmed Wu Sangui, and that he was driven to despair for the sake of a beautiful woman. The writing is beautiful and pleasant to listen to, and everyone loves it. However, Jia Dongjin only felt that it was similar to the "bread and butter" meme from his previous life, and felt that many people deserved his suffering.
Therefore, during the Republican era, there were two main viewpoints: some believed that the lower classes were too ignorant, while others believed that the ignorance of the lower classes was entirely caused by the upper classes, with Shang Yang's theory of keeping the people ignorant being a clear example.
Upon hearing the deaf old lady's words, Yi Zhonghai dared not take it lightly any longer. He racked his brains but couldn't think of anyone who would be so idle as to pick a fight with a cook. In the end, unable to come up with anything, Yi Zhonghai could only hastily conclude that Sha Zhu had offended Director Li of the canteen.
"Yeah, it's because Sha Zhu can't keep his mouth shut."
The deaf old lady nodded, agreeing with Yi Zhonghai's conclusion.
Without investigation, there is no right to speak.
The deaf old lady rarely went out. She didn't know anything about the steel rolling mill. She only knew that the self-reliance project was about growing sweet potatoes and that Li Huaide was in charge. She didn't know that Jia Dongjin was the real initiator, which allowed Jia Dongjin to escape a disaster.
"Zhonghai, the Jia family is really doing well now. After the New Year, Jia Dongjin bought so many candied hawthorns, but he doesn't respect the elderly at all. Without you as the steward, the atmosphere in our courtyard has deteriorated a lot. But this matter is not urgent. You have to wait until you become the steward again."
The deaf old lady had bound feet. When she heard the Jia family distributing candied hawthorns, she finally made it to the middle courtyard, only to find that the candied hawthorns had already been distributed. She didn't want to compete with the children for the food, but she held a grudge against Jia Dongjin in her heart.
Jia Dongjin's public beating of Yi Zhonghai naturally put him on the opposite side of the deaf old lady, and for her, dealing with Jia Dongjin was only a matter of time.
Jia Dongjin never flaunts his wealth outside and keeps a very low profile in the courtyard. The advantage is that he is very well hidden, but the disadvantage is that everyone is envious of his high salary and wants to kick him while he's down.
After the special meals were suspended, He Yuzhu was too busy to take care of himself and could no longer offer any benefits to the deaf old lady. If Yi Zhonghai hadn't lost power, the deaf old lady would have asked him to hold a general meeting of the entire hospital and arrange for Jia Dong to come in and serve her. At least she could eat pickled fish from time to time instead of cornbread and salted vegetables every day.
"The manager?!"
Yi Zhonghai's pupils contracted. If having a baby was his top priority, then returning to his position as the manager was his second priority, not much less important than being rated as an eighth-level fitter.
From Yi Zhonghai's perspective, there wasn't much difference between a monthly salary of 85 yuan and 99 yuan, but the manager represented power and status, which was indispensable to him.
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In the movie "Léon: The Professional," Mathilda and Léon have a classic dialogue.
When Matilda asked, "Is life always this hard, or is it just childhood?"
Leon replied, "Always."
Although it may sound pessimistic, it reveals a truth about life: difficulties are the norm, not the exception.
Feeling that life is difficult doesn't mean you've done anything wrong, nor does it mean you're more unfortunate than others.
There's a saying from a past life: In the adult world, if you are both morally upright and excellent, then you must never fall to the bottom of society, otherwise you are destined for hardship, which is exactly the opposite of the fairy tales in books.
This is the true state of society at the grassroots level. Jia Dongjin's humility and kindness are seen as making him easy to bully or manipulate.
Jia Dongjin felt confident that he had the upper hand, but Yi Zhonghai resorted to underhanded tactics, and the Jia family was once again in trouble.
July is the time when students are on summer vacation. Liu Haizhong's eldest son, Liu Guangqi, came home for vacation and happened to see Qin Jingru, who was delivering eggs.
As long as you're willing to spend the money, it's easier to get food in the countryside than in the city, especially in the rural areas near Beijing.
Qin Huairu gave birth to Huaihua. Jia Dongjin felt sorry for his wife and had already asked his father-in-law to send a message, asking him to get some good food in the countryside.
This time, Qin Jingru brought 30 eggs, along with some rice bran for feeding the chickens and coarse grains for human consumption.
Since Qin Huairu's father went to work, the Qin family's financial situation has improved significantly. Her mother-in-law, feeling sorry for her daughter, even asked her to bring a small hen and two watermelons.
The young woman, carrying a load on her shoulder, caused a stir among everyone in the courtyard as soon as she entered.
Little Banggeng, in particular, was overjoyed when he learned that there would be watermelon to eat. He started asking for it as soon as he entered the gate, and even before he got home, he opened the sack to take out the watermelon.
Before Qin Jingru could react, Bang Geng eagerly opened the sack. The sight of the treasure drew a crowd from the entire hospital, eliciting loud exclamations from Yang Ruihua.
The children, being naive, only stared at the watermelon, while the adults kept their eyes fixed on the hens, eggs, and precious grains.
The people in the courtyard swarmed around, their eyes shining. Especially Aunt Er from the back of the courtyard, who kept asking about the eggs and the little hen, which startled Qin Jingru and almost made the little hen escape.
Even the traditionally aloof Luo family came to the Jia family to see the novelty. The Yan family was the most unbearable. Yang Ruihua's eyes were redder than those of a rabbit raised by a stag. She subtly inquired about the origin of these foods.
Before Qin Jingru arrived, she made a special effort to dress up and wore her best clothes.
As she grew older and more mature, she no longer felt the awkwardness of first entering the courtyard house. Moreover, she kept her mouth shut, simply waving her small hand and saying, "Second Aunt, my sister needs nutrition to give birth. Several families went to great lengths and saved up for a long time to gather these eggs. Half of the eggs in the bag are my food rations. My sister's family is having a food shortage. We country folk don't have much money, so we can only help out with food. It's nothing."
She only knew that life was hard in the countryside, but she didn't expect that things would be this difficult in the city after only a year and a half.
From this, Qin Jingru understood that it was not easy for her brother-in-law to support the family. No wonder that even though he had a high salary, he still had to work like a beast of burden, repairing radios and assembling bicycles during the week, and catching fish on his days off. He rarely had any free time.
Putting Yang Ruihua aside, Jia Dongjin understood what his second aunt meant. These days, it's hard to buy anything. Liu Haizhong, who works as a blacksmith, has a lot of physical exertion and needs to ensure his nutrition. He's used to eating eggs every day, and his second aunt has her eye on the Jia family's eggs and young hens.
However, the Jia family themselves were short of eggs, so he couldn't resell them or give them to Liu Haizhong, nor could he accept money.
Madam Jia was also reluctant to part with him. She understood what Liu Haizhong's husband meant and shook her head slightly at Jia Dongjin.
Seeing Jia Dongjin remain unmoved, Liu Haizhong's face darkened. He turned and went home. Today was his day off, and two of his apprentices had come to visit him. He had to treat them well.
When Liu Haizhong visited the Jia family, his second aunt gave him a hint in her words. She originally thought that Jia Dongjin would get some eggs so that the family could have some scrambled eggs to entertain the guest. However, Jia Dongjin didn't take it seriously and embarrassed Liu Haizhong.
Qin Jingru is 16 years old this year and is already a beautiful young woman. As the saying goes, natural beauty is hard to hide. She is too young and does not know that good looks can also bring trouble.
Upon seeing the beautiful woman again, Liu Guangqi was finally moved. After returning home and thinking it over, he went to Liu Haizhong and asked to marry Qin Jingru.
Liu Guangqi was a vocational school graduate with a bright future, and as the eldest son of the Liu family, Liu Haizhong had high hopes for him. How could he possibly let Liu Guangqi marry a country bumpkin? At that time, the father and son had an argument.
It's quite a coincidence that Liu Haizhong is simple-minded, but he has his advantages. He teaches his apprentices without holding back, unlike Yi Zhonghai who hides his knowledge, fearing that he might starve his apprentices.
Liu Haizhong has many apprentices, and they are all successful, with many being third- or fourth-level blacksmiths.
Today was a day off, and Liu Haizhong's two apprentices came to visit their master. The three of them were drinking when they encountered Liu Guangqi's troubling matter.
"This won't do! How can this be? The Jia family is too shameless! We can't ignore this, lest it affect Guangqi's studies later. Guangqi is a vocational school student, and he's going to be a leader in the future. We absolutely can't let him be seduced like this. We have to put a stop to this."
If the master is troubled, the apprentice must do his work.
The Jia family received a lot of good things. Liu Haizhong had been standing at the Jia family's door for a long time, but Jia Dongjin remained unmoved, not taking him, the steward, seriously and not offering him a single bit of tribute. Liu Haizhong had been holding a grudge.
After hearing his apprentice say this, he also felt that he should do something about it. The group exchanged glances and understood each other's meaning.
Fueled by alcohol, the two apprentices and Liu Haizhong arrived at the Jia family's residence, intending to cause trouble. All three were burly blacksmiths, clearly showing their intention to bully them.
"The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind" is a unique and unspoken rule on this magical land, much like "laughing at those who have nothing and hating those who have something."
Jia Dongjin has a high salary and a skill; Banggeng is young and doesn't hide his abilities; the Qin sisters are young and beautiful. When the Jia family is weak, it's like a child carrying a thousand pieces of gold in a bustling market—possessing such a treasure is a crime.
The covetousness of the courtyard house eventually led to disaster!
Qin Jingru often stayed at the Jia family's house, which indicated that she was looking for a partner. Qin Jingru's family and Jia Dongjin had discussed the important matter of the girl's life, and both sides agreed that Qin Jingru should find a partner from the city in the future. Jia Dongjin and Qin Huairu readily agreed to help, but Qin Jingru was still young and it was not yet time for her to find a partner.
"The Jia family must be taught a lesson."
Liu Haizhong was the only steward of the courtyard house. He was used to acting domineeringly. When it came to his eldest son, whom he valued most, Liu Haizhong spoke without any politeness. Finally, fueled by alcohol, he began to curse Qin Jingru, saying that she was like a toad trying to eat swan meat and that she was trying to seduce Liu Guangqi.
The young girl was shy, and Qin Jingru didn't want to argue with a man in public, especially about something like this.
Liu Guangqi was studying at school and only came back during the Spring Festival and summer vacation. Qin Jingru didn't know Liu Guangqi at all. This was a completely undeserved disaster. The girl was so angry that she lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and cried.
When outsiders came to bully her family out of nowhere, Jia Zhangshi did not swallow her anger.
Widows can generally be divided into two types: those who are submissive and those who never suffer any loss.
Jia Zhangshi belongs to the second type. The word "coward" does not exist in her dictionary, and she immediately started to fight with Liu Haizhong.
Liu Haizhong was a typical blockhead; when it came to arguing, he couldn't win against Jia Zhangshi at all, especially since the Jia family was in the right.
Enraged by the insults, Liu Haizhong casually shoved Jia Zhangshi to the ground.
Suddenly, a storm brewed at Courtyard No. 95, stirring up a tempestuous wave!