Chapter 158

Yang Qing, has your conscience been eaten by a dog? You let me, a sickly old woman, go back to the countryside. What's the situation in the countryside now? Do you want me to die?

Pfft, Yang Qing, you scoundrel with a rotten conscience.

Jia Zhangshi's defenses broke; Yi Zhonghai schemed to send her back to the countryside, and Yang Qing also acted maliciously, making her go down to the countryside.

These are all enemies.

Yi Zhonghai looked at Jia Zhangshi like an idiot and said, "What level are you? Why provoke Yang Qing? Aren't you afraid of dying fast enough?"

Qin Huairu also didn't expect Jia Zhangshi to be so tough; didn't I tell her how formidable Yang Qing is?

Mother-in-law is so smart; she should know that.

She doesn't realize, and a mindset isn't that easy to change.

Seeing her flustered and exasperated, Yang Qing felt pleased.

"Aunt Jia, you've wronged me—who doesn't know the state has changed its policy? Many places have had bumper harvests this year."

"That's well-intentioned—if you go back to the countryside, you'll have no burdens, and life will be wonderful."

"Unlike Jia Dongxu, who still has to support a bunch of kids."

Although everyone knows Yang Qing harbors ill intentions, they all agree his words are quite right.

Xu Damao was the first to echo him.

"Jia Shen'er, I've been to the countryside recently and I know the situation."

"The countryside has really improved this year; in some places, during the summer harvest each person got over two hundred jin of grain."

"Add the autumn harvest, and that year wouldn't each person have four or five hundred jin of grain?"

"For one person, it's not only enough to eat; there might even be a surplus to support the grandchildren."

"Look at Yang Qing—he only gets twenty jin of grain a month, less than two hundred jin a year, while rural folks are far better off."

The others were puzzled—is the countryside really that good?

Gu Ning has been to the countryside and knows what it's like.

Rural work is all heavy labor; only the young and strong can manage that much.

Moreover, this grain isn't all wheat; it also includes coarse grains like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Yang Qing's twenty jin are mostly fine grain.

If Jia Zhangshi goes back, she probably won't even fulfill her work points—how could she have that much?

However, the countryside also offers plenty to eat—wild greens from the fields, vegetables from private plots, and all sorts of edible things like grasshoppers and mole crickets, simply too many to count.

Someone like Yang Qing, who likes to scheme, might well end up eating himself fat.

Qin Huairu also understands this—if the countryside were so good, why would she have gone to such lengths to come to the city?

She must speak up for her mother-in-law, because she herself comes from the countryside, and so does Jia Zhangshi.

If she doesn't speak up, Jia Zhangshi will surely torment her when she returns home.

"Xu Damao, if you don't understand, don't spout nonsense."

"In the village, grain is distributed according to work points."

"My mother-in-law is sick all over—how could she possibly work every day?"

"If she doesn't earn enough work points, how could she get that much grain?"

"If it were really that good, how could people starve to death?"

"Besides, the distance is so great—what if she gets a headache or fever?"

"Our Dong Xu is so filial—how could he possibly ignore his mother-in-law's life or death?"

Qin Huairu's heartfelt words moved a crowd.

They all said she was said she was a good daughter-in-law.

She thereby gained a wave of fans.

Her remarks, however, made Yang Qing seem a bit over the top.

Yang Qing nodded at Xu Damao to thank him for speaking up, then asked.

"What should we do? According to you, she can't work in the city, nor in the countryside—does that mean she can only idle away?"

"And you're pregnant, so you can't do anything either."

"Jia Dongxu can't support you either."

"What, does our courtyard owe you, so we should just support you?"

"Should we set up offerings for you?"

Yang Qing's words pulled many people's thoughts back to reality—no family has it easy; spending money to support two people who do nothing, isn't that degrading oneself?

Jia Zhangshi, rebutted by Yang Qing, felt a bit guilty and lost for words; she suddenly collapsed onto the ground and unleashed her ultimate move.

"Oh dear, Old Jia, come up and take me away—I've dragged Dong Xu down; just let me die."

Yi Zhonghai saw Jia Zhangshi lie down and immediately stood up.

"Hey, sister-in-law Jia, our courtyard is one family—could we really let you starve to death?"

Then he looked at the rest of the courtyard.

"The Jia family is indeed in difficulty, and I know it's not easy for anyone—this way, I'll support them with twenty per month, and the rest of you, show some spirit."

"One yuan isn't much, one fen isn't little."

"Today the Jia family is in trouble, we helped her; tomorrow if your family is in trouble, we'll help too."

"Mutual help is how we go farther."

"In a lifetime, whose family hasn't faced a difficult time? You agree, right?"

Jia Zhangshi's plea for death, combined with Yi Zhonghai's words, really hits the heart.

Yang Qing still oversimplified—how could a scheme devised by two old foxes be so easy to crack?

Yang Qing also shouldn't be so pushy anymore; they've already begged for death, what else do you want?

At this moment, Liu Shumin stood up again.

Since she married in, she has been scheming about the Jia and Yi families.

She smiled and looked at Jia Zhangshi.

"Aunt Jia, I heard that when Master Jia died from a work injury, the factory paid out quite a bit, didn't it?"

"Back then, it was Lou Bancheng who was in charge of the steel mill; he was a good man, very generous to the workers."

"I heard that back then, the compensation for one person was over a thousand."

Jia Zhangshi jumped up.

"Who, who said that?"

"It's only seven hundred yuan; if you don't believe me, ask Eldest Uncle."

Yi Zhonghai could only bear false witness.

"It really is seven hundred."

Second Uncle finally seized the opportunity.

"Old Yi, that's not right; seven hundred started in '56, before when Factory Director Lou was in charge, the compensation was not small—no less than fifteen hundred, even if not two thousand."

"If you don't believe me, ask Lou Xiao'e."

Lou Xiao'e looked bewildered; "This also concerns me?" she stammered.

"I… I also don't…… know………"

"I can go home and ask."

Whoosh……

Now the compound is lively again.

Jia Zhangshi didn't expect that Lou Xiao'e was Lou Bancheng's daughter.

Qin Huairu also hadn't told her.

Others, at this moment, also realized that Lou Xiao'e was Lou Bancheng's daughter.

Speaking of it, if you're not an old-timer of the steel mill, you really wouldn't know.

Jia Zhangshi hurried to make amends?

"There are also three hundred in other expenses."

"But this money has long been spent by us."

Liu Shumin laughed heartily.

"May I ask, Aunt Jia, how did you spend it?"

"As far as I know, before Jia Dongxu started work, your family had subsidies; after he started work, because he took over Old Jia's shift, he earned twenty-seven, enough for the two of you."

"After marriage, since Qin Huairu is from the countryside, they hardly spent any money."

"Before the famine arrived, Jia Dongxu's wages were enough for your living."

"After the famine years, first there was your extortion of a fixed amount from Yang Qing, then Eldest Uncle demanded that our family's Zhuzi bring you a boxed meal."

"What money did you spend?"

"Where did that compensation go?"