Chapter 429: The Jia family mother‑in‑law and daughter‑in‑law bully people

Yan Jiekuang glanced at Shazhu.

He knew Shazhu was like a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken, purely with ill intent.

He also said it would be best to let him go to the countryside.

He felt resentful.

He turned his head aside.

"San Daye, look, I know Yan Jiekuang will surely blame me, but I still have to say, Si Ni Zi's appearance is definitely like this."

Shazhu gave a thumbs-up.

He then switched tone and spoke of the drawbacks of Yan Jie Di going to the countryside.

"A little girl who knows nothing, once in the countryside she'd be completely clueless; even if our neighborhood folks are around, what could they do? Hearts are hidden behind bellies; a few kind words and she'd still know nothing. Putting it bluntly, if she ever comes back with a child, what would you do? I'm just here to tell you—aside from that I can't manage or control—should she go or stay? San Daye, Third Aunt, you two decide for yourselves."

Yan Jiekuang is a boy.

A boy, once down there, fears nothing.

As long as he doesn't court disaster.

It's no big deal.

A girl is different.

One should really understand the idiom "red beauty brings disaster".

Such things have happened around here: a beauty like a fairy from a painting goes down, marries a middle-aged bachelor, bears several children; when the girl's parents find out, they nearly die of anger.

Such bloody facts lie before our eyes.

Yan Fugui and his wife, however, still wrangle over what's fair or not.

Putting it bluntly.

If Yan Jie Di really experienced what Shazhu described down there, the only ones who would suffer most would be Yan Fugui and his wife.

That's all I have to say.

Good and bad.

Yan Fugui will weigh it himself.

……

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

That day.

Taking advantage of the Sunday rest, Shazhu was squatting at the doorway fixing a stool; when he was fully focused on his work, a slightly hoarse inquiry came from his ear.

"Master He, are you busy?"

Shazhu looked up.

His eyes lit up instantly.

The asker turned out to be Director Wang of the street office.

He rose and replied to Director Wang.

"The stool at home is broken, I'm fixing it, Director Wang, do you have any instructions? Speak up quickly, I, He Yuzhu, will fully support your work."

"I dare not take orders." Director Wang probably saw Shazhu, suddenly had an idea, turned her thoughts to him, lowered her voice and asked Shazhu: "Master He, I'm looking into the Jia family in the central courtyard; I want to ask, have the Jia people recently prepared anything for Bangeng to go to the countryside?"

Upon hearing it was about the Jia family,

he lost all interest.

He originally didn't want to say anything.

But then he thought again.

The person standing before him was Director Wang of the street office, come to investigate the Jia family; surely she'd heard some rumors; regardless of whether Shazhu spoke or not, it wouldn't affect the facts, so he briefly recounted what the Jia people had been doing in the siheyuan these days.

"Director Wang, it's like this: these days the Jia folks have been quite honest and haven't been going out much…"

Director Wang nodded at Shazhu, then turned and walked toward the Jia family across the way.

Yan Jie Di, who was helping watch the kids inside, poked her head out, wore a gossipy expression, and asked Shazhu: "Uncle He, what do you think Director Wang is doing going to Bangeng's place now?"

It was just an offhand remark.

But it served as a reminder.

These days.

The townspeople in the courtyard preparing to go to the countryside, each household getting their children's supplies ready; the higher authorities have issued detailed notices, and this batch of countryside‑bound people will go to the remote snowy lands to do basic construction.

There the weather is cold; families with children going down are preparing warm clothes as much as possible.

Only the Jia family acted as if nothing were wrong; aside from Jia Zhangshi having specially sought out Shazhu a few days earlier, these days they've shown no movement at all.

Bangeng is Jia Zhangshi's heart's treasure.

It's impossible to let Bangeng go to the distant Northeast to do support construction.

Shazhu guessed.

The Jia family very likely pulled some strings.

Who that person is, Shazhu doesn't know, but he's sure Bangeng shouldn't have to go to the countryside; otherwise the Jia family couldn't have stayed so quiet these days.

Shazhu never would have imagined that, after the Jia mother‑and‑daughter failed to get work for Bangeng from him, they hit on the idea of letting someone else take Bangeng's place in the countryside, fixing their sights on a simpleton next door in the big courtyard, telling that simpleton they'd give him various things, and the simpleton would go to the countryside in Bangeng's stead.

But because Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu saw that the simpleton wasn't smart enough, they employed the "destroy the bridge after crossing" tactic, not giving a thing of what they'd promised.

The simpleton may lack wit, but that doesn't mean the Jia family can push him around; furious, he ran to the street office and exposed how Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu had paid him two hundred bucks to take Bangeng's place in the countryside, then went to the street office demanding his money back—whereupon the whole street office exploded in an uproar.

This is just pure bullying of the simpleton.

Director Wang worried the affair would blow up, so she rushed ahead to the Jia family to feel things out; if it were as the simpleton said, she figured she'd end up taking the fall.

Of course.

The Jia family couldn't expect anything good either.

Before Director Wang steps down, she will move in first to deal with the Jia family.

Holding this thought, Director Wang strode up to the Jia family; based on what Shazhu had just explained, she was convinced that the Jia family mother‑and‑daughter‑in‑law had spent money to get the second fool to take Bangeng's place going to the countryside.

Her hatred made her teeth itch; she snapped that the Jia family mother‑and‑daughter‑in‑law were inhuman, the sort that eats people and doesn't spit out the bones—two hundred dollars, and you actually gave it to the second fool!

The uproar dragged a bunch of people into misfortune.

Damn it.

Burning with anger, Director Wang's expression shifted; she stood outside the door, slightly squinting, and called out, "Is anyone home?"

"Who's that?" Jia Zhangshi called from inside, her voice lazy, "What do you want with our Jia family?"

I'm Wang Cuihua.

Director Wang identified herself.

When Jia Zhangshi heard that Director Wang from the street office had arrived, she scrambled out of bed, rushed to the door, flung it open, and greeted her with a smile.

She faced Director Wang.

She still felt a little guilty.

"Director Wang, what brings you here? Please come in."

Jia Zhangshi, who was always plotting good deeds, thought a windfall had fallen from heaven, ushered Director Wang inside, and then instructed Qin Huairu to pour her a cup of boiling water.

The conversation turned.

They began to question Director Wang.

"Director Wang, any subsidies from above? It's not that I'm crying poor again; the whole Siheyuan, our Jia family is the worst off—Bangeng is seventeen, at marrying age; please see if the street office has a suitable job and recommend one—our Bangeng looks like cadre material."