Chapter 47: Chapter Forty-Seven: Qin Huairu's Counterattack

Qin Huairu had been married into the Jia family for over two months, and during these two months she had never been idle, going every day to the clothing store on the street to pick up some work. After two months of effort, Qin Huairu had also earned a dozen or so dollars. That night, Qin Huairu had just finished making love with Jia Dongxu.

Qin Huairu whispered, 'Dongxu, we will definitely have a child in the future; with the child, our family will then be four people. Relying only on your salary, the odd jobs I pick up certainly won't be enough.'

Jia Dongxu lay beside her, lit a cigarette, and said, 'Huairu, I know; I'm looking for a master at the factory to see if I can get a raise.' After saying that, he pulled Qin Huairu into his arms.

Since Qin Huairu married into the Jia family, Jia Zhangshi has taken a dislike to her in every way, ordering her to do all kinds of chores each day, especially at mealtimes; whenever Qin Huairu took an extra few bites, Jia Zhangshi would glare at her with her triangular eyes. Although Qin Huairu said nothing, she kept these things in mind. After two months of effort, she finally had some leverage.

Qin Huairu extinguished the cigarette in Jia Dongxu's hand, lay in his arms, looked at him, and whispered softly, 'Not that, Dongxu—I mean, see if you can get Mom to take on some work too, so at least our household can be a bit more relaxed.'

Jia Dongxu lowered his gaze to Qin Huairu's alluring figure, the fire in him flared up again, and he pounced on her, ready to proceed. Qin Huairu stopped him, saying, 'Dongxu, wait—you haven't said yet? Will it work or not?'

At this point, Jia Dongxu's mind was filled with desire; he said, 'Tomorrow you go check and come tell me,' then lunged at Qin Huairu again.

The next day, after Jia Dongxu went to work, Qin Huairu took the clothes she had finished over the past two days and said, 'Mom, I'm going to deliver some clothes to someone.' Without waiting for Jia Zhangshi's reply, she left, went to the clothing store on the street, handed the finished clothes to the boss, picked up some fabric, and then headed for the Street Office.

Arriving at the Street Office, Qin Huairu looked at its gate and saw the guard on duty pause his steps. At that moment, a guard noticed Qin Huairu gazing toward the back of the gate, walked over, and said, 'Comrade, what do you need?' Qin Huairu had originally intended to turn and leave upon seeing the guard approach, but thinking she had done nothing wrong, she plucked up courage and said, 'Comrade, I heard the Street Office can find work for poor families; I'd like to inquire.'

Upon hearing she was there to pick up work, the guard told her, 'Just go inside; the first door on the left is it.' After saying that, the guard turned and returned to his post.

Qin Huairu entered the Street Office gate carrying the fabric, knocked on the frame of the first door on the left, and asked, 'Comrade, I wanted to ask if this is where I can pick up work?'

Hearing Qin Huairu's voice, the staff member inside, who was working, looked up at her and said, 'That's right, comrade, come in and speak.'

When Qin Huairu approached the staff member, she said, 'Hello, comrade, I am Qin Huairu from Courtyard 95. Our family of three has only one wage earner; my mother-in-law and I are rural hukou, and urban units won't take us. Could you give us some work?'

The staff member asked about Qin Huairu's address and head of household, then opened the registration sheet, checked it, and said, 'We distribute work to poor households here; I just looked at the personnel register and didn't find your family.'

Qin Huairu's face showed disappointment as she said, 'Is there no other way? My family is truly in dire straits, comrade.'

The staff member thought for a moment and said, 'How about this, Comrade Qin? We still have a batch of shoes that need to be rushed, but it's a political task; once accepted, it must be completed on schedule, and the quality must be guaranteed.'

Qin Huairu exclaimed excitedly, 'Thank you, comrade; rest assured I will definitely finish it, and you can count on the quality.'

The staff member looked at Qin Huairu and said, 'Although you've guaranteed it, Comrade Qin, I still need to remind you that this batch of shoes are military shoes, intended for volunteer comrades preparing to return from Korea; time and quality are both crucial.'

'Comrade, please rest assured; my mother-in-law and I will do it together, so there will be no problem. How many pairs can I take?'

'That depends on your own ability, Comrade Qin; we provide the fabric for each pair of shoes, and the processing fee is five cents per pair,' the staff member said.

Qin Huairu reckoned in her mind that, with herself and Jia Zhangshi using the sewing machine, they could manage about ten pairs a day, and she said, 'Comrade, our household can probably make ten pairs a day; may I first take one hundred pairs? Would that work?'

The staff member looked at Qin Huairu in astonishment and said, 'Comrade Qin, you're not joking with me, are you? Ten pairs a day?'

Qin Huairu hurriedly said, 'Comrade, it's true—my husband's master's family has a sewing machine; I've borrowed it, so time will definitely not be an issue, and you can rest assured about the quality.' She didn't dare say her own family had a sewing machine, fearing the office would deny her the work.

Upon hearing Qin Huairu say that, the staff member replied, 'That's right; okay, we'll give you one hundred pairs first—you don't need ten days, twelve will do. Let me write you a slip; sign it and then go pick up the fabric.' Saying this, he picked up a form and began to write.

After Qin Huairu signed her name, she said to the staff member, 'Comrade, I still don't know your name; may I first return the items in my hand and then come back for the fabric?'

'I'm Zhang Caifu; go ahead, leave the slip here and pick it up when you return,' Zhang Caifu said. Qin Huairu thanked Zhang Caifu and, carrying the fabric she had gotten from the clothing store, returned to the Courtyard House.

Qin Huairu walked all the way back to the Courtyard House, a faint smile on her face. Although there was no public-private partnership yet, she could have gotten work elsewhere, but she feared Jia Zhangshi would refuse and make her return it. Today she had come to the Street Office to try her luck, and unexpectedly she actually obtained the work.

After Qin Huairu put the fabric from the clothing store back in the Courtyard House, she turned and walked toward the street again. There was a lot of fabric for one hundred pairs of shoes, but Qin Huairu didn't call Jia Zhangshi; she made two trips herself to bring all the fabric home.

When Jia Dongxu returned home, Qin Huairu was using the sewing machine to make shoes. She had not asked Jia Zhangshi to join her; she was waiting for Jia Dongxu to come back so that he could tell Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Dongxu came out of the inner room and asked, 'Huairu, how did you get so much fabric? The bed is piled full.'

Qin Huairu stepped on the sewing machine, didn't turn her head, and said, 'Oh, Dongxu, I picked up one hundred pairs of shoes at the Street Office; each pair pays five cents, but there is a time limit of only ten days.'

Upon hearing the time was so tight, Jia Dongxu said, 'How can there be a time limit?'

Qin Huairu stopped the sewing machine, glanced at Jia Dongxu, and said, 'These shoes are for volunteer comrades coming down from Korea, so the schedule is a bit tight. Don't worry, Dongxu—I'll work late tonight; I think it'll be about right. If we finish the hundred pairs, we could earn five dollars.'

At this moment, Jia Dongxu, still in the honeymoon phase, heard Qin Huairu say she would stay up late and said, 'How can you stay up? I'll go get Mom to work with you.' He said this and left to find Jia Zhangshi. After Jia Dongxu left, Qin Huairu's face showed a faint smile.

Before Jia Zhangshi even entered the door, Qin Huairu heard her scolding from outside: 'I tell you, Jia Dongxu, I raised you all by myself, and now that you have a wife you've forgotten your mother, and now you're making me work again.'

'Mom, don't say that; Huairu is doing this for our family's sake. Think about how much a worker earns in ten days—five dollars for ten days—how many days could that feed our family?'

Although the two were muttering softly outside, the sound still reached Qin Huairu's ears; she acted as if she hadn't heard and continued sewing shoes on the machine.

After a while, Jia Dongxu entered the house with a reluctant Jia Zhangshi and said, 'Huairu, starting tomorrow you and Mom will work together.'

Then he turned to Jia Zhangshi and said, 'Mom, these are shoes for the volunteer comrades; you must finish them within the ten days.'

Jia Zhangshi walked into the room, sat on a stool, and said, 'I still have to put up with you, you little brat.' After saying that, she poured herself a cup of water and began to drink.