Chapter 105: Shazhu Doesn't Get to Eat

The others acted as if they couldn't see him; it was clearly intentional, which made Shazhu furious, and he immediately cursed, "How can you people bully even a child? It's just a meal, what's the big deal?"

"Bang Geng becoming a eunuch is all because of you, and you still have the nerve to talk, you brat!"

Someone retorted.

Yan Jiecheng: "Shazhu, you finished your work just now, are you eating or not? If you don't eat, there won't be any food left!"

"Eating, eating, eating!"

Shazhu's stomach was growling, and he couldn't care about the crying Bang Geng on the side; he carried his bowl and squeezed into the crowd, but by the time it was his turn, the dishes were gone, leaving only some thin porridge.

Shazhu was dumbfounded; he had been cleaning out the latrines for so long, and now he couldn't even get a mouthful of hot food—were you bastards doing this on purpose?

Seeing Shazhu standing there blankly, a few workers quickly finished the food in their bowls and then scooped up the remaining thin porridge from the pot; now it was even worse, Shazhu couldn't even lick the bottom of the pot.

Crack! Shazhu smashed his bowl to the ground.

"You're all targeting me, right? Truly, a tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs; if I don't show you some color, you really think your Uncle Shazhu is easy to bully?"

Shazhu's face turned beet red, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and he was about to flip the table where people were eating, but Liu Haizhong had done this before, and the end result was being beaten up by the crowd.

Shazhu shivered in the cold wind, never expecting he would have a day of such misfortune, and because he had been locked up in the Police Station for half a month, his wages for cleaning latrines at the Rolling Mill this month were also gone.

Tomorrow, that bastard Zhao Gangzi was going to hold a banquet in the Siheyuan again; others only needed to give a dime or two as a gift to eat, but when he wanted to tag along for a meal, Zhao Gangzi opened his mouth like a lion and demanded two yuan from him.

With those two yuan, couldn't Shazhu just buy two chickens and stew them himself instead of begging for a meal here?

Zhao Gangzi looked at the dejected Shazhu opposite him, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold sneer, and he muttered to himself, "This can't be blamed on me; everything is of your own doing, otherwise you wouldn't have ended up in this state..."

He then shook his head, no longer thinking about Shazhu's affairs; after all, tomorrow was his big day, and he had originally wanted to hold a grand celebration, but considering the special circumstances, he didn't care, he just feared the Lou Family would be gossiped about.

Therefore, he would only hold it in the Siheyuan; Lou Bancheng and Mother Lou would definitely come, and he would also invite some close friends.

Originally, Factory Director Yang Feng had this intention too.

But the factory affairs were busy, and there was some kind of gala to be held on New Year's Day, plus all the stamping, signing, and approvals; he heard that some big shots from above were coming too.

It had Yang Feng completely overwhelmed and unable to get away.

However, although he couldn't be there in person, his heart was certainly there, and he gave Zhao Gangzi a gift of a full 20 yuan in his own name, which added up to more than what all the neighbors in the Siheyuan combined had given.

Like Third Uncle Yan Bugui, who was now the second-in-command in the courtyard, he was stingy and only gave five mao.

Second Uncle was a bit better, at least giving one yuan.

That evening, tables and chairs were set up in the courtyard, and the whole place was lively, even more energetic than during the usual New Year.

By contrast, the Back Courtyard was deserted.

Originally, there were only a few households in the Back Courtyard: Yi Zhonghai, the Deaf Old Lady, Xu Damao, and now the Jia Family.

Yi Zhonghai had entered the Mental Hospital, the Deaf Old Lady had been executed by firing squad, and Xu Damao had gone to the countryside for treatment because of his infertility.

There were originally a few other households, but they hadn't returned due to various matters, so now only the Jia Family remained in the Back Courtyard.

Back Courtyard, Jia Family.

"Mom, that Zhao Gangzi came over to press for the debt again just now, saying if we don't pay back those 40 yuan, he won't let us get through the New Year; he's a real Huang Shiren!"

Jia Dongxu said with a mournful face; that Zhao Gangzi had come by just now specifically to collect the debt and had almost dismantled their door.

Jia Zhangshi had just returned from stealing chickens and dogs outside when she heard this news, and she remained as steady as an old dog, saying, "What are you afraid of? Didn't he say half a year? It's only been a month, and it's clearly written in black and white..."

"Besides, our family isn't Yang Bailao and the White-Haired Girl, so why should we be afraid of him? I reckon he's getting married tomorrow and is out of money, which is why he came to collect."

"We just won't pay, let's see what he can do."

Hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, Jia Dongxu felt relieved and even thought it made a lot of sense; anyway, there was still nearly half a year left.

If they paid back the 40 yuan now, that would be the real reason they couldn't get through the New Year, and the whole family would freeze to death.

"Sigh, Mom, how about we go over and mooch a meal tomorrow too? After all, since they're holding a banquet, mooching a few bites shouldn't be a problem," Jia Dongxu had another idea.

Jia Zhangshi felt the same way; there would definitely be a lot of people, and if she secretly stole a couple of plates of food, no one would see.

After all, she was very confident in this regard.

Bang Geng also returned home crying; he hadn't managed to mooch any of the communal food and had been stepped on several times, his face swollen.

Fortunately, Bang Geng had protected his crotch tightly, otherwise the wound down there would have been kicked open.

"Grandma, they are all bad people; I want to learn our family's ancestral skills and steal everything they have!"

Bang Geng cried and grabbed Jia Zhangshi's pant leg, and Jia Zhangshi felt terrible seeing her only grandson become like this.

The only seedling of their family had become a little eunuch, even more miserable than that infertile Xu Damao.

"Don't cry, my good grandson; tomorrow Grandma will take you to steal some good food to eat; I don't believe they can poison the food they eat themselves!"

Jia Zhangshi hardened her heart, still unrepentant and intending to continue taking Bang Geng to steal; Qin Huairu, who was cooking flour paste on the side, couldn't listen anymore and hurriedly grabbed Bang Geng, saying, "Mom, can you stop teaching Bang Geng these crooked ways? Do you have to teach him to be a bad child?!"

"Ouch! You jinx, you actually dare to talk back to me!"

Jia Zhangshi stomped her feet and clapped her hands, starting to curse again; if it were before, Jia Zhangshi would definitely have started hitting Qin Huairu.

But now, Jia Zhangshi only dared to move her mouth.

Last night, she had woken up in the middle of the night and seen Qin Huairu sharpening a kitchen knife at the doorway, which had scared Jia Zhangshi so much her heart was pounding, and she still hadn't fully recovered.

"Anyway, you can't teach Bang Geng to be bad; I've decided, after the New Year, I'll send Bang Geng to school, and then I'll give Third Uncle some gifts to ask for his help," Qin Huairu said with lowered eyes, holding Bang Geng with one hand while cleaning the dishes in the sink with the other.

"School? What school? Where would we get the money? We still owe a 40-yuan debt,"

"It would be better to let Bang Geng learn some skills from me so he won't starve in the future; knowing a few characters is useless!"

Jia Zhangshi clearly did not agree with Qin Huairu's idea; if he went to school, how much money would that cost? It would be better to buy a few chicks to raise at home, and then they could lay some eggs to eat.

Jia Dongxu felt the same way; after all, Bang Geng could no longer carry on their family line, so even if he became an educated man, it would be useless—a life of a dead end.