Chapter 514

Jia Family

Suddenly it was a scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping

There was no hitting

There was also no scolding

Qin Huairu, using her plain and splendid voice, recounted to Jia Zhangshi how the Jia Family had been schemed against by Shazhu; Shazhu's so-called speaking up for Jia Zhanghu was merely unwilling to let the Jia Family have good days, bluntly saying that with Jia Zhangshi this evil old woman in the Jia Family, Bangeng's marriage would not be good

Such blame

Jia Zhangshi would not admit it

Although she had already figured everything out and knew the facts were as Qin Huairu described—that Shazhu, lacking good intentions, spoke up for her only to use the pretext of filial impiety to give Bangeng a hard slap

Jia Zhangshi understood these principles; precisely because she understood, after Qin Huairu said these words to her, she continued to pretend to be muddled

Bangeng's marriage being bad doesn't mean he can't find a wife; if the girls in the city won't have him, can't he go to the countryside to find a partner?

Even if the girls in the countryside also look down on Bangeng, a widow with children would surely be willing to take him

First time nervous, second time familiar; after all, Bangeng has already married a widow with children

Jia Zhangshi's mindset, affected by the joint effort of Qin Huairu, Bangeng, and Huaihua to drive her out, underwent a slight change; she suddenly realized that in this world no one can be relied upon, and even her beloved grandson, whom she had always doted on, would, under the lure of profit, place her, his own grandmother, in mortal danger

Going to the rural hometown is no different from sending Jia Zhangshi to the underworld

You take the first day

I take the fifteenth day

In order to survive, Jia Zhangshi discarded her so-called Bangeng superiority theory

Between staying in the city to survive and Bangeng establishing a family and career, Jia Zhangshi unhesitatingly chose the former

Jia Zhangshi, having understood the meaning in Qin Huairu's words, deliberately pretended to be muddled

"Huairu, you keep scaring Mom, but in our Siheyuan's neighbors, whoever you say, Mom believes—except Shazhu. If Shazhu had brains, could he be called Shazhu? That one foolish character already explains the problem; Shazhu doesn't have the brains to scheme against our Jia Family. When the riotous soldiers chased him, if he were a clever person, he would have dropped the steamed buns and fled; but Shazhu stubbornly clung to the buns and ran—what else is that if not a brain disorder? If I were to die, Shazhu's person lacks cleverness; at the Yagangchang they let him work as a cook in the factory, yet he insisted on working at the scrap yard, his brain kicked by a donkey. He could never scheme against our Jia Family, and our Jia Family would never let him scheme."

Qin Huairu froze

She stared fixedly at Jia Zhangshi

She wasn't sure whether Jia Zhangshi was pretending to be muddled with her, or whether Jia Zhangshi truly thought that way

Seeing Jia Zhangshi's facial expression, there was no pretense

Then she felt relieved

She secretly pondered: could it be that Jia Zhangshi, grown old, has suddenly become muddled?

Qin Huairu was quite certain of one thing: Jia Zhangshi is not foolish; otherwise she would have remarried long ago, and someone who could control her would not fail to see all this

After thinking it over repeatedly, she again repeated what she had just said

"Mom, I know this matter is my fault, you hold resentment in your heart, but the truth is not as simple as you imagine; we haven't had contact with Shazhu for many years, and Shazhu would love to see our Jia Family suffer misfortune, yet today he unexpectedly spoke up for you—don't you find that strange?"

"What's so strange about that? When people reach a certain age, they naturally grow tired of certain things." Jia Zhangshi slapped her own thigh, "I understand now—Shazhu has children; if he saw you and Bangeng driving me, the old woman, to the countryside and leaving me to fend for myself, wouldn't his few children imitate him? Shazhu isn't helping me; they're helping themselves."

Qin Huairu felt her brain about to explode

I didn't expect Jia Zhangshi to be so good at making up stories

Think about it

What Jia Zhangshi said also makes sense; if Bangeng someday learns from Qin Huairu's example of driving out Jia Zhangshi and drives out Qin Huairu, then Shazhu's words would truly come true: 'How you treat Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, Bangeng will treat you the same way.'

Her body suddenly shivered

She was frightened

Qin Huairu realized that besides failing to convince Jia Zhangshi, she had actually been convinced by Jia Zhangshi instead

In the corner of her eye

She saw Bangeng's gloomy cheeks

Her heart suddenly jumped to her throat

Worried that she would later follow in the footsteps of being driven out, she hurriedly sought an excuse for her earlier act of driving Jia Zhangshi away

"Mom, it's not that I insist on sending you to the countryside; it's that you did this wrong. You know the temperaments of the folks in our courtyard—you, forget it, I won't say more; things have already happened, saying more would be pointless."

"Huairu, the matter of work is Mom's fault; Mom failed to keep her mouth shut. At the time Mom didn't think much, just thinking that our Jia Family has been trampled all our lives, and suddenly Bangeng became an official, she wanted to show off, to let them know our Jia Family's ancestral grave also sprouts green smoke, wondering whether to find a good wife for Bangeng."

She glanced at Bangeng

Jia Zhangshi's tone

Suddenly softened

"Bangeng, regarding work, don't be anxious either; Grandma will go inquire at the Jiēdào tomorrow. Others may lack work, but as they say, our Bangeng must have work; given our Bangeng's talent, wherever he goes he is cadre material, and Grandma will surely settle this work matter for you."

Bangeng said nothing

Qin Huairu also said nothing

In the situation where the deed is done, she could only let Jia Zhangshi go inquire

Whether there are dates or not, give three strikes

What if Jia Zhangshi successfully finds work for Bangeng from the Jiēdào?

If she can't find work, that's fine too

At worst, continue to make an issue of this; even if she can't drive out Jia Zhangshi, she must make Jia Zhangshi behave humbly as a member of the Jia Family

Upon pondering this

Qin Huairu's mood inexplicably improved a lot; seeing that it was late, she urged Bangeng and them to hurry up and sleep

Just as the words left her mouth

Bangeng, Huaihua, and Jia Zhangshi—several people—all changed expression; in a not-so-large room, having to sleep four adults is already quite difficult; if the four adults were all the same sex, it wouldn't be strange or embarrassing, but the problem is that among the four members of the Jia Family, there are three females and one male

When a daughter grows up, she avoids her father

When a son grows up, he avoids his mother

This is an old principle passed down for thousands of years.

Jia Zhangshi felt overwhelmed, Qin Huairu was worried, Huaihua felt embarrassed, and Bangeng felt ashamed and unable to bear it.

"Bangeng, you sleep in the outer room; Grandma will make your bed soon, and Grandma, your mother, and your sister — the three of us — will sleep in the inner room."

The Jia family's house is about thirty square meters; when Jia Dongxu first married, because they couldn't get a separate room and couldn't not let him marry, Jia Zhangshi hired someone to build a partition inside, creating a small room of eighteen square meters with a double wooden bed and a few wooden cabinets; after Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu married, the couple slept in the inner room.

The outer room is about twenty square meters; near the window is a single bed where Jia Zhangshi sleeps; opposite is a plain wooden table where the Jia family eats; against the north wall is the stove.

The inner and outer rooms are divided by a cloth curtain; since Bangeng had lived in the countryside for three years, only three women remained indoors, Huaihua not being old either, and the dividing curtain was sewn into a quilt by Jia Zhangshi.

Bangeng returned, but for a moment couldn't find the divider.

Jia Zhangshi's face flashed with a bit of astonishment; worried that Huaihua and Bangeng weren't used to it, she made a smooth remark.

"Tonight we'll just make do; tomorrow I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some cloth and make a curtain in the middle — we're all from the same parents, Bangeng used to hold Huaihua when we were little, so don't be embarrassed, go to sleep."

Bangeng, Huaihua, and they also had no other choice; we couldn't possibly kick Bangeng out of the Jia family.

Following Jia Zhangshi's arrangement, each lay down on the bed.

They didn't take off their clothes.

They wore autumn shirts and pants.

As the electric light was switched off,

the interior also became pitch black.

Strangely, Bangeng, Huaihua, Qin Huairu, and Jia Zhangshi all felt no sleepiness; under the night's shroud, each stared wide-eyed, thinking about future matters.

Bangeng lay in the outer room, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling he couldn't see, lost in thought.

The situation of the Jia family.

As a male member of the Jia family, how could he not know?

At that time in the courtyard, Bangeng kept secretly glancing at You Fengxia; seeing that You Fengxia never paid him any attention, not even looking at him,

he felt something was off.

Given the Jia family's current house, You Fengxia could never marry him.

Just as when Jia Dongxu first married Qin Huairu, the couple slept in the inner room, while Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi, and Huaihua slept in the outer room.

It was inconvenient to handle affairs.

Suddenly it seemed Qin Huairu was right; Jia Zhangshi truly became a burden to the Jia family, delaying Bangeng's marriage prospects — if she stayed, Bangeng could only dream of marrying.

After a few years, Huaihua would grow up; as a girl she must marry; sending Jia Zhangshi to the countryside would leave the Jia family with just three people: Bangeng and You Fengxia as a couple, plus Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu had a job at the steel mill and could also serve You Fengxia and Bangeng as a couple.

Filial Bangeng began arranging work for Qin Huairu, intending to have her serve as a maid for the two of them.

But how to make You Fengxia marry him?

Bangeng really couldn't think of a solution for a moment; first, the Jia family's housing conditions need improvement; second, his own job must be secured — Bangeng didn't want to go clean toilets at the steel mill, and he guessed You Fengxia wouldn't marry a man who does that.

There was also a rival in the courtyard.

It was truly not ordinary difficult.

Bangeng, thinking and thinking, fell into a drowsy sleep; not long after, a snoring sound arose.

The three lying on the big bed in the inner room thought, "Really, people sleep peacefully; Bangeng, in this situation, could still go meet Zhou Gong — impressive."

Huaihua's thought was how to stay away from the Jia family; she inexplicably started worrying about the job at Bai Xu restaurant.

If only I had known today.

Why bother back then?

I regretted it.

Qin Huairu pondered how to use Jia Zhangshi; Bangeng's marriage must not be delayed, and there's work too — she should try to arrange it as much as possible.

Thinking about who else she could rely on.

She turned it over and over in her mind.

In the end, however, she couldn't come up with a reasonable solution.

She unconsciously turned her body sideways.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi's side face toward her, Qin Huairu quickly turned her body the other way, giving Jia Zhangshi a back of the head.

Something she didn't know.

It was that after turning her face, Jia Zhangshi, who had been pretending to sleep with closed eyes, opened her eyes and looked at Qin Huairu's back of the head, and Jia Zhangshi's face showed a hint of helplessness.

Knowing Qin Huairu hated her.

But there was nothing to be done.

Who knew someone in the courtyard, jealous, had written a report letter?

Moreover.

Jia Zhangshi also suspected that Qin Huairu had never actually found Bangeng a job; the so-called job-finding was just a scheme to drive her away.

Bangeng is still unmarried; if he got married, how could the five adults of the Jia family possibly sleep?

The more he thought, the more worried he became.

He also began to resent himself.

If he hadn't been deceived back then, holding over a thousand in savings, buying a siheyuan would have been wonderful — instead of being disliked by Qin Huairu and despised by Bangeng as now.

"Ah!"

A sigh of helplessness.

It echoed in Jia Zhangshi's heart.

In the pitch‑black environment, her mood unusually calmed; when Jia Zhangshi woke up, the sky was already bright, Qin Huairu had gotten up, Huaihua had also gotten up, and there was no sign of Bangeng in the outer room; asking Qin Huairu, she said Bangeng had gone outside to use the toilet.

Jia Zhangshi turned over, sat up straight from the bed, folded the bedding, put on her shoes and stepped on the floor, simply washed her face, ate a steamed bun, and told Qin Huairu she would go to the street office soon to find work for Bangeng.

Seeing Shazhu diagonally opposite, he came out of the house, holding a satchel in his hand, looking like he was going to work; Jia Zhangshi hurriedly walked a few steps, rushing out of the Jia Family at the same time, also shouting at Shazhu.

"Shazhu."

Shazhu glanced sideways at Jia Zhangshi.

An icy-cold demeanor.

Jia Zhangshi's heart skipped a beat, and Qin Huairu, watching from inside, felt a ripple. Since Shazhu wasn't acting with good intentions, trying to use Jia Zhangshi to scheme against the Jia Family, he shouldn't treat Jia Zhangshi this way. Could it be that I simply misjudged Shazhu? He was simply disgusted by Bangeng's act of hitting Jia Zhangshi.

"Zhuzi, Jia madam has nothing else, just wants to thank you a little. Last night's incident, in our courtyard you stood up for Jia madam; Jia madam thanks you."

"You're overthinking it." After throwing out that harsh remark, Shazhu also ignored Jia Zhangshi, pushed his bicycle, and started walking toward the outside of the Siheyuan.

At the courtyard gate, he bumped into Bangeng head-on, but pretended not to see him, rode his bicycle, and headed toward the Yagangchang.

Left behind were Jia Zhangshi and Bangeng, staring at each other.

……

Yagangchang.

Inside Factory Director Yang's office.

Shazhu gratefully accepted the tea from Factory Director Yang and tossed in a bit of flattery.

"The tea personally brewed by Factory Director Yang smells fragrant."

"Alright, stop the flattery. I know you well—spit it out, what's up?"

"Actually, there's nothing much; I just came to see you and listen to your teachings."

"Go away, go away, I don't have time to chat idly with you; I have a lot on my plate—when is Bai Xu opening?"

"Soon, probably about a week."

"The senior leader entrusted me to pass on a message: handle things well, act boldly without worry; if anything happens, he'll back you up."

"With those words from the senior leader, I'm reassured. If you see the senior leader, tell him just what I said—surely you'll pave a broad road to success."