PDLP Chapter 24 Lingering Fear
Chapter 24 Lingering Fear
After Qin Huairu finished cleaning up the dishes, Jia Dongjin took out the ledger of debts and called Qin Huairu outside.
Like most Chinese people, he prefers to be debt-free and doesn't want to owe anyone money.
Having received his salary, Jia Dongjin felt his money was now legitimate and couldn't sit still for a moment; he was eager to pay off his debts.
"ah?!"
These debts were all incurred before Jia Dong came in. Qin Huairu's pretty face turned bright red with embarrassment. Unlike in the original drama, her skin hadn't yet reached such a level of thick-skinnedness.
Glancing inside, Qin Huairu saw Jia Dongjin's determined expression and knew she couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she went to the backyard with him.
After paying off the debts in the backyard, Qin Huairu didn't ask Jia Dongjin to pay any more. She blushed and said softly, "Dongjin, even if we have the money, we can't pay it all off at once. We'll pay back half of the debts for the people in the middle courtyard next month after we get our salaries. If word gets out, people will think we've made a fortune, which will only cause trouble. Don't worry, everyone knows we've started paying off our debts, so they won't press us for repayment. As for Uncle Yi's debt, there's no rush. Apart from Dongxu's funeral, I owe him so much that I can't even remember it all."
The reasoning was so simple that Jia Dongjin slapped his forehead and said with great regret, "I was naive. Sister-in-law, you are right. Our Jia family is a poor family, and the title of poor family is very honorable. We must not let it be ruined in our hands."
Looking at the street urchin standing beside her, Qin Huairu felt a complex mix of emotions. In any case, being able to pay off her debts made her feel incredibly relaxed and at ease.
She gritted her teeth and said to Jia Dongjin, "When you get back, remember to talk to your mother-in-law. She used to say that it's a skill to take on debts, and why should you pay back debts you've taken on through your own abilities? Dongjin, all the money is in your mother-in-law's hands. I... I don't want to be in debt either."
Jia Dongjin: "..."
By sheer ability, she owed money and refused to pay it back. Jia Zhangshi truly lived up to her reputation as the pinnacle of the Siheyuan (courtyard house). Jia Dongjin stared, speechless for a moment.
Qin Huairu lowered her head; she couldn't stand with Jia Dongjin at the moon gate any longer, so she hurried home.
------
After his job stabilized, Jia Dongjin began his career as a net worker and fisherman. He usually slacked off at the factory, but on his days off he was full of energy, and all kinds of food were continuously stored in the cellar. The Jia family's various receipts also began to be processed in a healthy manner.
With no financial difficulties at home, Qin Huairu didn't need to sell receipts, and her smile grew brighter every day.
Therefore, Wang Dali, the electrician team leader, also had a heart-to-heart talk with Jia Dongjin, reminding him to be serious about his work so as not to affect his progress or even his future certification exams.
Everyone knew that once employees were officially hired, the factory couldn't fire them at will. Jia Dongjin outwardly complied but inwardly defied him, leaving Wang Dali speechless with anger.
After discussing with Director Li of the steel mill canteen, Jia Dongjin tried to exchange the fish for money and receipts as much as possible. When trading with Lao Huang, the chef at the state-run restaurant, he prioritized exchanging the fish for food such as cured meat and eggs.
Jia Dongjin's policy was to prioritize goods over money, and to spend money whenever possible. He prioritized storing fine grains to exchange for cured meat, eggs, cooking oil, etc. Of course, he did not mind coarse grains such as cornmeal.
Inspired by him, Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu not only smoked cured meat, but also pickled a large number of salted eggs. The yolks of Qin Huairu's salted eggs were so oily that Jia Dongjin couldn't help but give them a thumbs up.
The Jia family even rendered a whole earthenware jar of lard, and all sorts of food were hidden in various dark corners of the Jia family home.
As a result, the Jia family, which had always been poor, suddenly rose to prominence. Fortunately, Jia Dongjin started paying off his debts, otherwise people would have been cursing him.
Smelling the aroma of meat wafting from the Jia family's house, the people in the courtyard secretly shook their heads, saying that the Jia family was not a family that lived a simple life.
In particular, Uncle Yan Fugui, the third uncle in the front yard, felt that Jia Dongjin was indeed a street hustler, only knowing how to be greedy and not knowing how to save money. He was not a good person to manage a household.
--------
"Mom, this is Dongxu's tea mug from the factory."
After working long hours and getting used to the rhythm, Qin Huairu took a break and went to Workshop One. Knowing that there was no way to salvage the situation, Yi Zhonghai handed her the tea mug that Jia Dongxu had been using.
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finished their sighs, Qin Huairu started talking about her job.
As luck would have it, Qin Huairu is now very close to Liu Lan. Knowing that Qin Huairu wanted to learn about the fitter trade, Liu Lan introduced her to her neighbor.
This neighbor is a woman named Yang Chunhua, 29 years old this year. She has worked as a fitter in the No. 2 workshop of the steel rolling mill for nine years.
After Yang Chunhua was lucky enough to be promoted to a first-level fitter, she has not been promoted again. Her wages are low and cannot be increased. She is now trying to use her connections to change her job and hopes to become a welder.
Yang Chunhua was very glad that Qin Huairu had changed jobs, saying that fitter work was not something that ordinary women could do. Not to mention moving heavy workpieces, the daily rough and clumsy work alone would exhaust people.
Not only was it hard work, but if she didn't do a good job, she would be criticized by her superiors and looked down upon by her coworkers. She was often so tired that she would hide in a corner and wipe away her tears.
In addition, Yang Chunhua also told Qin Huairu that Yi Zhonghai, the head of Workshop One, did not have a high reputation.
Many people say that Yi Zhonghai is hiding his true skills and doesn't teach his apprentices anything, fearing that he might starve them if he did.
Yi Zhonghai didn't teach Jia Dongxu much before, and the same was true for Jia Dongxu's fellow apprentices. None of them learned any real skills, resulting in none of his apprentices being successful, and the relationship between master and apprentices was very strained.
"No wonder, all these years, I haven't seen any apprentices come to visit that old bastard. Liu Haizhong in the backyard is a blacksmith, and during festivals, at least seven or eight people come to visit him, all carrying wine and snacks. She wasn't wrong about that old bastard; Yi Zhonghai really does like to keep things to himself, and he's capable of such disgusting things."
Jia Zhangshi slapped her thigh and then remembered her son, Jia Dongxu. Jia Dongxu had been a fitter for nearly ten years and was only a level two fitter before he died. He must have also suffered at the hands of Yi Zhonghai.
Then, she remembered that Yi Zhonghai wanted to take Qin Huairu as his apprentice, and suddenly felt a wave of fear.
Qin Huairu was the same; after learning the truth about the fitter, she was in a daze all day, and Liu Lan seemed to be deep in thought.
She looked up at Jia Zhangshi, and unusually, stared at her mother-in-law for a long time before saying in a low voice, "Mom, luckily Dongjin said there was a problem with my job and let me switch to working in the canteen. I secretly tried it out in Workshop 1, and it was so difficult to move the workpiece. I almost strained my back when I put it down. I looked closely, and all the workers in Workshop 1 were big men. There were only eleven women in the whole workshop, nine of whom were lathe operators and milling machine operators. There were only two female fitters, and they were both women whose arms were as thick as my legs."
"Huai Ru, Mom knows. From now on, stay away from that old bastard. Don't mention this again, and especially don't talk about it in the courtyard. We'll keep it to ourselves."
After putting away the teacup, Jia Zhangshi sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a daze, remaining motionless until she went to bed.
When it was time to sleep at night, Banggeng wanted to sleep next to his grandmother, but Jia Zhangshi pushed him to the outside of Qin Huairu, preventing Banggeng from sleeping between the two women.
-------
September arrived in the blink of an eye.
The summer heat seemed to have been quietly swept away. Stepping outside in the early morning, a cool breeze carried a hint of coolness, making one's nose tremble slightly. The sky was a clear, translucent blue, like a blue cloth washed clean, with a few white clouds drifting by occasionally, leisurely like an old man strolling through a hutong, utterly carefree.
The locust trees in the courtyard are beginning to change their appearance. Golden leaves are peeking out from among the once lush green foliage, swirling and falling with the wind, carpeting the bluestone path with a soft rustling sound underfoot. Old people sit on small stools on the doorsteps, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, chatting about everyday life. A yellow dog lies at their feet, its eyes half-closed, occasionally flicking its tail to shoo away the fallen leaves. The morning glories at the base of the wall are still blooming, purple and blue, like tiny trumpets, playing autumn's prelude to the sun.
"Dongjin, the cellar is almost full. Are you still going to catch fish? Why don't you take a break? You should go out and have some fun, go see your Uncle Li, don't overwork yourself."
After Banggeng went out to play, Jia Zhangshi started discussing business, and Qin Huairu also sat down to participate in the meeting.
One pound of fish can be exchanged for two pounds of cornmeal. Jia Dongjin did the math, and it was about right.
At this time, Beijing is not bustling with traffic or towering buildings. It is like a light ink painting, quiet and timeless, with every scene exuding the simplicity and tranquility of life.
But Jia Dongjin dared not indulge in his revelry. He shook his head and said in a low voice, "There's still a month before the river water gets cold, and then we won't be able to catch fish anymore. Not only can I not rest, but I'm also planning to take a few days off to catch more fish to exchange for fine grains and money. After it gets cold, the family will need to prepare salted fish, and stockpiling grain is a big deal. You can never have too much food. Now it's September, which is a good time to buy grain. I can secretly remind my relatives to stockpile more grain, and if they are really in trouble, I can lend them some money."
He glanced at Qin Huairu's large pregnant belly. "Sister-in-law, you're due to give birth in two or three months. Why don't you take a leave of absence and rest at home? Have someone pass on a message to your in-laws and invite them over to discuss this matter. Mom is getting old and can't handle too much work, so it would be best to hire someone to help take care of you and the baby. I just don't know how much to pay them?"
Hearing that her family could also receive help, Qin Huairu suddenly raised her head and choked up, saying, "Dongjin, thank you so much. As long as we have food to eat, that's enough. We don't need any payment. My family will definitely be willing to send someone over, which will save us one person's food ration. My sister-in-law is also about to give birth, and my mother is too busy taking care of her daughter-in-law, so I guess Jingru will come over."
"Jingru?"
Jingru should be Qin Jingru, who was Xu Damao's second wife in the original drama.
In the late 1950s, the autumn winds came early and were strong.
As soon as September arrived, the old locust tree in the courtyard began to shed its leaves. The large, yellow leaves swirled and rolled on the bluestone path, like a swarm of headless flies.
The fallen leaves were swept up by the wind, swirling and flying into the sky, before crashing onto the rooftops and courtyard walls with a "pitter-patter" sound.
Jia Zhangshi closed the doors and windows, but the wind still seeped in through the cracks, making a strange "whooshing" sound.
A muffled chime came from the distant clock tower, its sound broken and intermittent by the wind, like a sob.
As time goes by, the characters from the original play will make their dazzling appearances one by one. Thinking of the tragic fate of the Jia family, Jia Dongjin was shocked and stood there dumbfounded for a moment.