Chapter 112

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

Both of them had leave, otherwise they wouldn't have dared to be as wild as last night.

After Shen Yao woke up, her throat was still a bit hoarse; she wrinkled her nose and let out a soft hum, opening her mouth to quietly scold Xie Ci'an for not knowing how to cherish the fairer sex.

Xie Ci'an rubbed his nose in embarrassment; although what he heard most last night was Shen Yao saying "lighter," "harder," "slower," "faster," he was a male comrade and couldn't quibble with a female comrade.

Lying on the soft bed spacing out for a while, the two hurriedly got up.

Shen Yao patted Xie Ci'an's shoulder, "Go see what's left to eat.

Mom and Dad have all gone to work; there's no one else at home besides the two of us."

They really knew how to pick their timing; what decent person takes a day off on a normal workday?

Even the lively courtyard house was excessively quiet, showing just how leisurely it was.

Xie Ci'an gave an "mm," casually threw on his clothes and trousers, turned, and went out the door.

Shen Yao, however, didn't go out; she cleared a small clean spot by the bedside and continued burying her head in sorting the gift money she hadn't finished counting last night.

Of course, it wasn't just the gift money; there was also the little nest egg the two of them had saved up so far.

Xie Ci'an married Shen Yao; the bride price was Xie Ci'an's entire net worth from these past years, and the passbook had already been handed to Shen Yao on the day they got their marriage certificate.

Excitedly rubbing her palms together, Shen Yao stared unblinkingly, counting the surplus of the money they currently had on hand.

The largest portion was definitely Xie Ci'an; with a graduate degree, after working nearly four years since graduation, his salary had triple-jumped to one hundred yuan a month.

Minus daily expenses and some furniture purchases and room renovations at the time of marriage, there were still over two thousand three hundred yuan left.

"Not bad, indeed didn't cheat me," when his salary was sixty-something he worked a year, when it was eighty-something he worked a year, the rest was one hundred until now.

He gave the family twenty each month, bought his own clothes, occasionally ate meat to satisfy a craving.

Just like that, Xie Ci'an could still save two thousand three; it was something Shen Yao hadn't expected.

Because Shen Yao's own overt salary was only just under two hundred; Grandmother-in-law Zhou and her birth mother Yuan Li gave her a total of five hundred in private funds, plus the gift money collected from both sides, nearly a thousand.

Of course, secretly (in her space) Shen Yao had earned quite a bit through the black market; her savings had long since broken a thousand.

Clatter—

It was the wonderful sound of money colliding.

Although Shen Yao felt that money, whether you had it or not, you could still live very well, it was still the more the better.

"Eight hundred, nine hundred, one thousand!"

Counting out another thousand and putting it away together with the passbook, adding up to three thousand yuan; in this era that was really quite a lot, enough to even buy several houses in Jing Shi.

Taking out the round numbers, the rest was all scattered change; the two of them would definitely have daily expenses.

Seeing Xie Ci'an hadn't returned yet, Shen Yao simply secretly took some loose change from her space and mixed it in.

She put it in an empty biscuit box, locked it in the newly made bedside cabinet.

Shen Yao got off the kang/bed, dusted off her hands, not forgetting to send the three thousand nest egg into her space.

That way, even if a thief entered the house, she wouldn't worry about it being stolen.

"Yao Yao, Mom left some food; I warmed it up on the stove at home, come taste it quick."

Xie Ci'an's voice drifted in from outside the door; the distance was far, so it sounded a bit distorted.

Shen Yao answered with a sound, hurriedly tidying her clothes and hair.

Once done, she ran out in a few steps to open the door for Xie Ci'an.

"Eat in the main house?"

Although their room also had a stove, the stove was more of a decoration.

They had already agreed to pay an extra five yuan in partnership fees; the two of them would eat all three meals in the main house.

As for Shen Yao feeling this price was a bit cheap, Xie Ci'an shook his head, "Mom said it this way; Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master ate like this for several years."

At least Xie Ci'an and Shen Yao weren't the most freeloading; the two of them didn't have kids yet.

Yesterday was a banquet; there would definitely be some leftover dishes and rice left over.

Shen Yao and Xie Ci'an weren't picky people either; they simply reheated the leftovers, peeled two boiled eggs, one each, and the two ate their fill with the rice and dishes.

"In a bit, let's go for a walk by the park lake; we took three days off, we can properly stroll around the hutong surroundings."

The Fengshou Hutong where the Xie Family was located had a good geographical position; placed in the future, it would be properly inside the Third Ring Road.

However, currently many places also hadn't been demolished; it looked messy and chaotic, and for the moment its quality didn't show.

Shen Yao got up and washed her hands, "Heard the willow trees in the park have sprouted new buds, and there are a few early elm seed trees; let's bring a cloth bag, maybe we can pick some to bring back."

At this time, park greenery rarely had pesticides sprayed; elm seeds used to steam buns, mantou, and flower rolls were all good.

Xie Ci'an and Shen Yao tidied up their bowls and chopsticks after eating, turned and locked the door, pushing the bicycle out.

"Little Xie and Little Shen, going out?" Miao Cuilan came in from outside, pinching a bunch of tender green onions.

"Yeah, Miao Dama, this was bought from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative? Looks really fresh."

Shen Yao took up the conversation, smiling as she greeted Miao Cuilan.

"New green onions at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative; if you go now you can still buy some," Miao Cuilan looked at Shen Yao and said in a low voice, "The Supply and Marketing Cooperative also has fresh native chicken eggs, large and plentiful and cheap, six fen each."

Shen Yao let out an "oh" at that, "Miao Dama, then we'd better go take a look."

"Go on, go on, seize the time; I have to go over in a bit too."

Shen Yao turned her head to watch Miao Cuilan leave, looked up at Xie Ci'an and sighed at how fast this person's attitude changed; before, she had even talked back to her while arguing with the Qian Family.

Xie Ci'an chuckled lightly, "Miao Dama probably took a fancy to you working at the canning factory.

Of the three sons of the Miao family, only the eldest kept staring at the Cheng family across the way.

The second son was no longer young and still had no partner, so Miao Dama was anxious in her heart."

Shen Yao widened her eyes, "But the people at the Canning Factory aren't willing to marry a Temporary Worker."

In the Qian family, besides Qian Dacheng and the eldest Qian Jian'gang, who were both Formal Workers at the Machinery Factory, Miao Cuilan had no job (the job had previously been given to Qian Jian'gang), the second son Qian Jianjun was a Temporary Worker managing the warehouse at the Machinery Factory, and the third son Qian Jian'guo was a High School Freshman this year and still had two years before graduating.

The inside situation of the Qian family—sigh—it wasn't that Shen Yao wouldn't help introduce them; they had absolutely no competitiveness in the matchmaking market, just having a job and a house was enough to be struck dead by a single blow.

Xie Ci'an told Shen Yao not to take it to heart, "Miao Dama is like that to everyone, she doesn't look down on the country people around here either, and she won't find a suitable one for a while."

Which good family's daughter would marry into the Qian family? They have nothing and a pile of troubles.

Shen Yao nodded, "Mm, if Miao Dama doesn't say it directly, I'll just pretend I don't know."

Even if she said it directly, she couldn't agree; pushing anyone into a pit of fire was out of the question, Shen Yao's conscience couldn't bear it.

After the bicycle left the Hutong, Shen Yao sat on the back seat and hugged Xie Ci'an's waist.

The clear bell rang far away, along with the two people's happy laughter.

With Miao Dama secretly letting slip, the two of them were definitely going to make a trip to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

And early arrival was not as good as a clever one; Shen Yao not only bought cheap eggs, but also bought scallions, bok choy, and several other fresh vegetables.

Even in the Small Alley, Shen Yao bought a small basket of sweet and delicious Da Bai Pears.

Wow, what a harvest~

Shen Yao showed a mouthful of beautiful big white teeth, first had Xie Ci'an send her home, then set out toward the Park Lake Side not far away.

"Stop, stop the bike"

Shen Yao jumped off the back seat, the cloth bag in her hand swinging with great vigor.

"There are Elm Seed Trees there, Xie Ci'an, park the bike properly and come find me."

Shen Yao felt that once she came here, she had caught a disease where she couldn't walk away upon seeing something edible.

Beautiful elm seeds, no bigger than a fingernail and light green, hung in strings on the tree swaying in the wind; in Shen Yao's eyes, they were grain.

Sigh

It seemed that whether in the Shen Family or the Xie Family, no one had starved themselves.

Why was she so determined to find something to eat? Her head was filled with nothing but eat, eat, eat.

Shen Yao felt strange while reaching out to grab the elm seeds and put them into the cloth bag.

Perhaps the elm seeds had just sprouted new buds, and no one had come around to harvest them yet.

This mature elm seed tree, thick as a leg, was now all cheaply given to Shen Yao.

Grab grab grab, strip strip strip, pack pack pack...

Shen Yao was busy and happy, and seeing few people around, she even climbed the tree, specifically pulling down places where the elm seeds were dense.

Soon, Shen Yao filled the cloth bag she brought half full.

She pressed lightly inside with her hand, making room to continue packing.

"Hey, what exactly do you mean? If I don't tell my family, what am I supposed to do?"

"Graduating from high school this year, without a job I'll have to go to the countryside as a Sent-down Youth."

"... How would I know what you should do? If you don't want to be a Sent-down Youth, have your mom give up her job."

"What? You won't try to scheme for my mom's job, will you? That's impossible."

"You, Zhao Yinbao, you speak too harshly; am I that kind of person, Cheng Bing?"

"You aren't, but what about your family? Your eldest sister has dragged it to twenty-five without marrying; who knows what your parents are thinking."

"I have other matters; I'm leaving first. You go back to school yourself when you have time."

"Zhao Yinbao, wait, I, I..."

Shen Yao quietly poked her head out from behind the Elm Seed Tree, her gaze landing squarely on the girl at the Cool Chair by the Lake Side.

The girl lowered her head, sobbing, not forgetting to wipe her eyes twice, kicking at the fallen branches around her as she walked.

Shen Yao:...

She never expected that just coming out to pick some elm seeds would turn into a Melon-Eating scene in seconds.

The key was that this was their own courtyard's melon!

"What's wrong?"

Xie Ci'an, who had returned after parking the bicycle, looked at Shen Yao and blinked.

Shen Yao let out a breath, handed the cloth bag hanging on her arm to Xie Ci'an, and while climbing the tree to pick elm seeds, described the scene she had just seen by the lake.

Xie Ci'an:...

Not knowing whether to praise Shen Yao for being diligent or say this melon wasn't sweet enough, Xie Ci'an reached out to hold Shen Yao's arm and quietly explained that everyone in their courtyard knew about this matter.

Everyone knew?!

"I saw that last night at dinner, Cheng Shen and Zhao Jie didn't seem to communicate particularly."

Just like ordinary neighbors, greeting each other when they met, occasionally snapping at each other a couple of times.

Cheng Shen's original name was Xue Hongmei; because she had married into the old Cheng family for decades and had no sons, she was unwilling for others to call her by her original name.

As for Zhao Meizhi, Zhao Meizhi's husband and the Xie Family's eldest son Xie Aidang were not far apart in age at all.

These two, strictly speaking, were different in generation, so how did they end up making their children in-laws?

Xie Ci'an touched Shen Yao's head, "Pretending not to know in her heart also carries a meaning of dissatisfaction."

Shen Yao looked up, "Everyone is dissatisfied?"

Xie Ci'an nodded, "The Qian family's Jinbao and Yinbao can go to the Machinery Factory Security Section after graduating this year; Zhao Meizhi wants to find a better daughter-in-law."

The Cheng family's Cheng Bing is not favored at home, and Uncle Cheng is set on finding a Son-in-law living with wife's family."

Especially with the current policy, high school graduates without jobs must go to the countryside as Sent-down Youth; Cheng Bing absolutely cannot count on her biological parents giving up a job for her.

Zhao Meizhi marrying a daughter-in-law into the house — not only gaining nothing but also having to give up her own job — who would be willing to do such a losing business.

Shen Yao: ……

Mentioning this, Shen Yao had to share the gossip from her own family with Xie Ci'an.

Xie Ci'an: ……

"The child miscarried?" Clearly his worldview had suffered a tremendous shock.

Shen Yao hummed, "This matter has already passed one or two months, it happened after the New Year.

That female lead has already returned to the countryside to rejoin her unit, and the Zhao family is also helping the male lead find a new match.

However, Shen Yao once heard Yuan Li say that after this ordeal, Chun Fei injured her foundation; the countryside is not a good place to recuperate, fearing she will have difficulty conceiving again in the future.

Speaking of it, the place where Chun Fei miscarried was not far from where Zhao Ziqiang watched the gate. There was no one around, making it very difficult for Zhao Ziqiang to clear himself of suspicion.

But the problem also lies here — Chun Fei cannot outright accuse Zhao Ziqiang.

In the end, the Zhao family paid two hundred yuan and successfully sent the Chun family away.

As for who lost or gained on both sides, Shen Yao does not comment on this.

But after all is said and done, neither side is innocent; scheming against each other, how can one distinguish who is right and who is wrong? It is merely a matter of who ultimately comes out on top and who ends up withdrawing in dejection.

Xie Ci'an touched his chin, "The Cheng family and the Zhao family won't make trouble to this extent."

After all, they have been neighbors for decades; Xie Ci'an has some understanding of both sides' conduct.

"Most likely, it depends on how much Cheng Bing herself is willing to stake."

If Cheng Bing learns from Chun Fei and uses pregnancy to manipulate the Zhao family, Zhao Meizhi will pinch her nose and accept it for the child's sake.

But similarly, Cheng Bing's life afterward won't be much better either.

Zhao Meizhi, a widow alone, managed to raise four sons safely to adulthood; if she had no ability, it would be even more impossible for her to keep working at the machinery factory.

The Cheng family itself is even more not a simple lamp; if Cheng Bing dares to get pregnant, the Cheng family will dare to open their mouth like a lion and bite off a piece of flesh.

You must know Cheng Bing has a second sister above her; Xie Ci'an remembers her name is Cheng Yu.

She also married right after high school graduation; it is said the family she married into was very good.

The Cheng couple opened their mouths and demanded five hundred yuan, and that was back in '64 or '65.

They made a huge fuss; in the end, the Cheng couple got the money, which also counted as formally severing ties with Cheng Yu.

After Cheng Yu married out, even during holidays and festivals, she never returned to the Cheng family again.

Shen Yao and Xie Ci'an saying a few words about the courtyard house was purely idle chatter to pass the time.

Once the topic came to a pause, their focus was still on their own surroundings.

Carrying the cloth bags full of elm seeds, they strolled around the park, then went to a restaurant and ate meat buns with vegetable dishes, and finally rode bicycles to the department store to buy some daily necessities they had been lacking.

"Mom, Xie Ci'an and I are back."

Tian Na got off work from the medical office, returned home to find the cleaning already half done, looked up and saw Shen Yao carrying two cloth bags walking into the room.

"What did you buy?"

"Mom, inside are elm seeds; can we have elm seed rice tonight?"

"Sure, elm seeds are fresh and tender right now, most suitable for eating with rice."

Tian Na waved her hand broadly, took the elm seed cloth bag, turned around and went to the kitchen to busy herself.