Chapter 19: Sorry, I Don't Like Second-Hand Goods

The Apprentice's salary was low to begin with, only twenty-five and a half yuan a month; counting that two-yuan subsidy, it was only twenty-seven yuan.

With so many mouths to feed in the family now, let alone twenty-seven, even thirty yuan a month wasn't enough to spend, and it was clear Bang Geng was also nearing the age to start school.

With this happening at such a critical juncture, it was no wonder Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu were beating and scolding Qin Huairu; even Qin Huairu herself couldn't help but slap her own face twice.

"I must have been blind back then to marry a jinx like you, a bitch! Watch me beat you to death!"

Jia Dongxu flew into a rage, raised a small leather whip in his hand, and lashed out fiercely at Qin Huairu, while Jia Zhangshi stood to the side, criticizing her incessantly.

Such a commotion drew many people in the Siheyuan to watch, and even Shazhu and Yi Zhonghai came over, but they couldn't persuade them to stop either.

They had even nearly been hit by a few lashes of the whip; if it weren't for that old thing meddling in the middle, Qin Huairu might not have fallen for Zhao Gangzi's trick.

"Wuu... stop hitting me, Dongxu, I know I was wrong! Just forgive me this once!! Wuuuuuu..."

"First Uncle, Zhuzi, hurry and help me plead for mercy, don't let Dongxu drive me away! Wuuu..."

Qin Huairu cried with snot and tears, instantly arousing Shazhu's sympathy, and he hurriedly advised Jia Dongxu with kind words: "Brother Jia, I don't think Sister Qin did it on purpose. If you ask me, the real culprit is actually that damn Zhao Gangzi."

"I fell for his trap too, and my salary was docked by two yuan. Now he's living the good life, making nearly fifty yuan a month!"

Hearing Shazhu say this, although Jia Dongxu still had anger in his heart, it eased up quite a bit. Just as Shazhu said, the root cause was that Zhao Gangzi was just too evil.

Didn't I just almost sell his house? He has harmed our Jia Family into such a ghostly state; we are mortal enemies for the rest of our lives.

"Hmph, that hateful Zhao Gangzi!" Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth.

"You little bitch, you can't escape responsibility for this either, stop crying, damn it! Go over there in a moment and get those two yuan back, otherwise don't come home!"

Jia Dongxu delivered his harsh ultimatum, then slammed the door shut, locking Qin Huairu outside. Seeing this, the crowd tactfully dispersed.

"Dongxu, I was wrong, isn't that enough? Wuuuuuu..."

Qin Huairu cried for a while before slowly bracing herself up and walking slowly toward the Back Courtyard. The only plan now was to go beg Zhao Gangzi; otherwise, it was hard to say if she would really be driven back to her maiden home.

In the current Siheyuan.

Zhao Gangzi had already become a subject of discussion for many people after their meals. He was so capable at such a young age—a Third-Level Fitter in his twenties—and he even had a seven-yuan subsidy.

For a single-person household, that much money meant he could drink and eat meat every day and still not spend it all in a month; he could even have quite a bit left over!

It was precisely because of this that Zhao Gangzi perfectly concealed the resources brought by the Hatred Value System, redeeming plenty of chicken, duck, fish, and meat from it every day.

Those who didn't know better assumed it was because he had many vouchers from the factory, or that some family assets Lao Zhao had left him had been dug up. Almost half the courtyard began to resent Zhao Gangzi.

If Zhao Gangzi had lived a miserable life, they might have been able to sympathize, but seeing Zhao Gangzi eating such big fish and meat every day without sharing any with them, this jealousy immediately boiled over.

They wished Zhao Gangzi would commit some offense, preferably one that would bankrupt him instantly.

And the Hatred Value generated by these animals was continuously being transmitted to Zhao Gangzi. Although it was only in the tens or hundreds, it was better than nothing, and it added up to a few thousand every day.

At this moment, Zhao Gangzi was also preparing to enjoy life properly. After all, it had been nearly half a month since he transmigrated, and he hadn't had a proper meal yet.

He carefully searched through the System Panel, redeemed plenty of chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and spent a few thousand Hatred Value points to open a Storage Grid to put away the food that wouldn't fit in his house.

"Back in the day, I also learned this craft at Xindongfang; I can't let it go to waste," Zhao Gangzi smacked his lips, tossed the cut meat into the pot for a quick stir-fry, and a fragrance immediately wafted out.

"Is Brother Gangzi home?"

While Zhao Gangzi was stir-frying, a woman's voice came from the doorway.

Moreover, every household in the Siheyuan was unlocked; Qin Huairu pushed the door open and walked in, sobbing.

Jia Dongxu was a bit worried about his beautiful wife and was currently peeking over here from a hidden corner.

Zhao Gangzi naturally saw this behavior. Facing the sobbing Qin Huairu, he said, "Oh, isn't this Sister Qin? What's wrong? What are you doing coming to our house? I'm not providing a meal, mind you."

He greeted her with a smile, pulled Qin Huairu into the room right in front of Jia Dongxu, and locked the door from the inside.

Qin Huairu was stunned, and Jia Dongxu was even more stunned. Are these two on such good terms? This isn't quite what I had in mind!

"That damn little bitch, she actually came when I told her to. I knew those two had something going on! Damn it, damn it all!" Jia Dongxu felt as if two bull horns were sprouting from the top of his head.

Inside the room, Qin Huairu saw Zhao Gangzi's enthusiasm and directly began to plead: "Gangzi, help your sister out, I'm about to be beaten to death by our Dongxu."

"Please, give back that two-yuan subsidy from our family. Sister Qin will never forget your kindness, Gangzi, wuuuuuu..."

If this were anyone else, they would have agreed, but who was Zhao Gangzi? Would he let money that was already in his hands fly away?

"That won't work, Sister Qin. It's all in black and white, and I'm not going back on my word just because you say so. Besides, isn't it your own fault that Brother Jia hit you? What does that have to do with me!"

Once the door was closed, Zhao Gangzi dropped his smile and said to Qin Huairu with a cold face.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to drive Qin Huairu away and continued to stir-fry the pork belly by the stove. The sizzling fat and the fragrance it stirred up made Qin Huairu swallow a mouthful of saliva.

During the time Jia Dongxu had been injured, she hadn't eaten a single bit of meat at home. Seeing Zhao Gangzi living so well now, she felt nothing but envy.

"Little Brother Gangzi, can you give your sister some face?"

"Sister won't treat you badly..."

Qin Huairu didn't know what she was thinking, but her pretty face suddenly flushed red, and she thrust her upper body forward toward Zhao Gangzi.

Zhao Gangzi was stir-frying in front, but he glanced at Qin Huairu from time to time. Indeed, in the entire Siheyuan, Qin Huairu was the most outstanding in both face and figure.

At this moment, Qin Huairu was standing right beside Zhao Gangzi. She steeled her heart and began to rub against Zhao Gangzi's arm; Zhao Gangzi even felt a wave of heat against his ear.

"Gangzi, how about you do your sister this favor? Two yuan is a small amount to you, but to our family, it's life-saving money!"

In fact, Qin Huairu wasn't planning to give in for nothing; she was deliberately setting a trap for Zhao Gangzi. As long as Zhao Gangzi dared to lay a hand on her, she would immediately scream that Zhao Gangzi was acting like a hooligan. By then, forget about that two-yuan subsidy.

Even his five-yuan subsidy would have to be added to her pocket. Otherwise, if she reported him, acting like a hooligan toward a woman wouldn't just lose him his job—he might even have to go inside and spend two years in prison!

"Sorry! I don't like second-hand goods! Get as far away as you can, and get the hell out of here!"