Chapter 597: Every Family Has Its Own Difficulties

"Snap!"

A flowerpot was knocked over and shattered into pieces.

He Yuzhu was startled and quickly darted out of his room, just in time to see Zhao Yingzi pulling Jia Zhangshi toward home.

"Jia Zhangshi?" He Yuzhu frowned. "How come a dog can't change its habit of eating excrement? Are you eavesdropping at my wall again?"

During this period, no one in the courtyard dared to provoke Jia Zhangshi, and she had become a bit arrogant. Hearing this, she turned back and cursed: "You surnamed He, both you and your father are corrupt officials! I am here to supervise you on behalf of the government, to see what you've snuck back."

He Yuzhu understood as soon as he heard this—he must have been seen by Jia Zhangshi peeking through the window crack when he carried the box into his room earlier.

He was too lazy to cover it up and simply laid it out: "Jia Zhangshi, I'll tell you the truth. Everything I brought back is local produce from the Northeast—there's roe deer meat, wood ear mushrooms, ginseng, and deer antler. In short, I brought back everything you can think of. Are you angry? If you're angry, go ahead and report me."

"You think I don't dare?" Jia Zhangshi put her hands on her hips. "In the old society, when I went to report you, you found people to break my legs. Now it's the new society, and the people are the masters!"

Zhao Yingzi pulled hard on her arm: "Mother, isn't there anything better for you to do? Why must you cause trouble for Factory Director He?"

"What kind of factory director is he?" Jia Zhangshi shook off her arm. "The Rolling Mill already dismissed him; I found that out long ago! You are nothing now! An outsider official can't control us Beijingers!"

He Yuzhu felt helpless upon hearing this and only left one sentence: "Then let's wait and see whether I can control you or not."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately perked up and said sarcastically: "I heard from people that your mother's family used to be big landlords and only fell into ruin before the Liberation. If I report these things, you and your father might not be able to keep your official positions."

He Yuzhu's eyes turned cold, and he said immediately: "Jia Zhangshi, if you dare to spout nonsense, I will make you pack your bags and leave immediately!"

Zhao Yingzi pulled and dragged her, finally managing to get Jia Zhangshi back into the house.

Not long after, Zhao Yingzi returned, entered He Yuzhu's house, and apologized as soon as she stepped inside: "Zhuzi, please don't be angry. My mother-in-law is just a shrew; I really have no choice."

He Yuzhu asked: "Don't we have three managing elders in our courtyard? How can you not even handle one Jia Zhangshi? Why let her be so arrogant?"

Zhao Yingzi sighed: "It's all my fault. Doesn't our Street Office have a night school? Director Wang came to do some work, so I let my mother-in-law go to the night school to study. She's something else—she didn't learn many characters, but she became good sisters with a few shrews from the street. They play cards whenever they have nothing to do, and while playing, they study how to deal with their daughters-in-law and the people in the courtyard. She has a whole set of theories now, and she can talk better than me. You tell me, what can I do?"

"Then can you stop giving her money and just give her some food to eat?" He Yuzhu asked.

Zhao Yingzi shook her head, tears falling down: "Zhuzi, when I got married, you told me not to marry Jia Dongxu. I really regret it now. This mother of his is too much of a troublemaker. To get money, she reported me and Dongxu to the Street Office. It was Director Wang who mediated and made us give her ten yuan every month. If we hadn't bought the back room, I really wouldn't be able to go on living like this." As she spoke, she began to sob.

Shen Guizhi comforted her: "Yingzi, you are pregnant; crying will affect the baby."

Zhao Yingzi said: "Zhuzi, I really am sorry to you! You helped me arrange a job, but I keep causing trouble for you."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "Yingzi, you are different from Jia Zhangshi. You have such a good relationship with my mother, so I will still help you with whatever I can."

Zhao Yingzi's eyes lit up: "Zhuzi, can you help me get some grain? Jia Zhangshi doesn't have a household registration or a grain ration book in the city; she relies entirely on the grain for me and Dongxu. If we give her a share, and Bang Geng is also a big eater now, our grain really can't hold up."

Shen Guizhi also said: "Zhuzi, help her if you can. Yingzi is pregnant now and needs to eat better."

He Yuzhu nodded, took two hundred catties of Grain Coupons from his pocket, and handed them to her.

Seeing the two hundred catties of Grain Coupons, Zhao Yingzi was immediately overjoyed.

Just then, Bang Geng suddenly barged into He Yuzhu's house without even knocking. He glanced at He Yuzhu, didn't greet him, and said right away: "Mother, my father wants you to go home and cook quickly!"

Zhao Yingzi scolded him angrily: "You little bastard, don't you know how to knock when entering someone else's house?"

Bang Geng curled his lips and said: "My grandma said you are just being overly particular!"

Seeing Bang Geng like this, Zhao Yingzi was furious; she grabbed a broom handle from He Yuzhu's house and chased after Bang Geng to hit him.

Bang Geng took to his heels and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Yingzi wiped her tears: "In one year, Bang Geng has learned exactly the same behavior as his grandmother. You tell me, what can I do?"

He Yuzhu shook his head; he had no solution for other people's family affairs.

Zhao Yingzi left in tears.

After she left, Shen Guizhi said: "Zhuzi, do you have a way to help Yingzi? This person Jia Zhangshi is truly hopeless. She teaches Bang Geng how to take advantage of others every day! Whenever anyone leaves something outside, it's sure to go missing, and it's basically always Bang Geng's doing."

He Yulu suddenly interjected: "Bang Geng even snatched my popsicle!"

He Yuzhu said: "Mom, this isn't the old society anymore. To be honest, I'm helpless too."

Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

He Yuzhu opened the door and saw that the visitor was Wang Xia.

"How did you know I was back?" He Yuzhu was a bit surprised.

Wang Xia smiled: "I went to Courtyard No. 65 to handle some business earlier, and when I passed by your courtyard gate on the way back, I ran into Yan Bugui. He told me you were back."

He Yuzhu let Wang Xia into the East Cross Courtyard and, without beating around the bush, asked: "Do you have something to ask me for?"

Wang Xia nodded: "No need to guess, you already know, right?"

"Short on grain again?" He Yuzhu asked directly.

Wang Xia nodded vigorously: "There are over a dozen households in the street where five or six people live but only one person works; they are truly too poor. As the director, if I don't help out, people will really starve to death."

He Yuzhu didn't waste words and asked directly: "How much do you want this time?"

Wang Xia pondered for a moment: "Is ten thousand catties okay? Our street isn't short of money; we can buy it from you."

He Yuzhu nodded: "Fine, in three days, go to the warehouse of the Liushi Trading Company in the East Suburb to pick it up."

He looked up at Wang Xia and noticed she had clearly lost weight, so he asked: "What, are you starving too?"

Wang Xia sighed and didn't hide it: "I originally had enough money and enough grain to eat. But there's an old lady nearby whose son died in the war; she's a Five-Guarantee Household. The little bit the street gives isn't enough, so I've been helping her out."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything more after hearing this; he took five hundred catties of Grain Coupons from his pocket and handed them over: "I know you Cadres can't afford to look too well-fed, but you can't let yourself suffer from malnutrition either."

Wang Xia took the Grain Coupons, feeling a bit embarrassed: "Zhuzi, we've known each other for over ten years, and every time, it's you helping me..."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "Why talk about that? But..." He changed the subject, "Is there something you can solve? That Jia Zhangshi is always plotting how to do bad things with a few bad old women on the street. Now everyone in our courtyard is annoyed by her."

Wang Xia shook her head, looking troubled: "Many people in your courtyard have reported this to me. The current environment is just like this; people like her use the gray areas of policy to do their own unspeakable things. What can I do?"