dognovel Chapter 14 Qin Huairu's Test
Chapter 14 Qin Huairu's Test
He Yuzhu's family needed to buy vegetables for winter storage, and winter storage vegetables were a common sight in Beijing during that era.
Every winter, long queues form in Beijing to buy groceries. And it's not just groceries; long queues also form for coal briquettes and other daily necessities.
This also made people in Beijing accustomed to queuing up whenever they saw one. Later, there was a joke that a few people went to urinate by a wall, but there was not enough space, so they lined up to wait.
Unexpectedly, it happened to be after get off work, and many people lined up voluntarily. It wasn't until the very end that everyone realized they had been queuing for nothing.
Buying vegetables for winter storage is also a top priority for the government. One year, there was no organization for it, which resulted in the vegetables from farmers rotting in the fields because no one wanted them. When it was time to eat them, the people of Beijing did not have enough vegetables to eat.
Considering the impact of this situation on people's lives, the government takes the lead in organizing the sale of winter-stored vegetables every year.
In Beijing, the three traditional winter vegetables were radishes, cabbage, and potatoes. These vegetables fed two or three generations. Mentioning these three vegetables brings back memories of a bustling and prosperous era for countless people.
These vegetables are cheap; a pound of cabbage or a pound of potatoes costs only 200 yuan, and a pound of radishes costs 300 yuan.
One hundred kilograms costs 20,000 yuan, and one hundred thousand yuan can buy several hundred kilograms of vegetables.
This will basically allow people to eat from the end of the year to the beginning of the new year, when summer vegetables will be available.
The three traditional items solved the problem of people having difficulty getting vegetables and also helped farmers solve their livelihood problems.
He Yuzhu would naturally not queue up in the middle of the night. If he wasn't afraid of arousing suspicion, he would have skipped the grocery shopping step altogether.
The space is like spring all year round, and all kinds of vegetables are free from pests. Once planted, they can be harvested one crop after another.
We often eat tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers that aren't available in this season.
To avoid suspicion, the only option now is to find someone to help him buy vegetables for winter storage.
Right next to He Yuzhu's house in the Intermediate People's Court, the west wing house was occupied by the Ma family.
Ma San is in his twenties and supports his family by doing odd jobs.
There is a blind old mother in the family, and her two older sisters are both married.
"Third Brother, I'm busy at work. Could you buy me some vegetables for winter storage? Here's 150,000 yuan. You can buy me 500 jin of vegetables."
"Hey, Zhu Zi, you don't need that much money."
"Third Brother, consider this extra as a token of appreciation for your trouble. Don't refuse, or I'll feel bad asking you to help me buy groceries."
Ma San accepted the 150,000 yuan from He Yuzhu with gratitude, knowing that He Yuzhu wanted to help him.
For some people, 50,000 yuan is nothing, and they might even feel insulted. Or it might fuel even greater greed. But Ma San wouldn't. Despite his family's poverty, he never complained about being poor in the courtyard house.
These were among the few people He Yuzhu thought highly of in the courtyard. He was willing to let such people take advantage of him.
With his assets, he could easily support several families. However, He Yuzhu wasn't a pushover, which made it easy for others to take advantage of him.
If Sha Zhu had understood this principle, he would never have been fooled and toyed with like a fool by the pretty widow for the rest of his life.
"Rain, when Brother Ma brings back the vegetables, remember to have him put them in the east wing."
The east wing was converted into a storage room, and a small cellar was dug so that people could put their own things in there without anyone stealing them.
A communal cellar won't do. We don't need to wait for the stalks to grow up. In fact, Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu are also up to no good now.
The story says that Sha Zhu taught Bang Geng, but Bang Geng's original teacher was actually Jia Dongxu.
The person had been a petty thief since childhood. Later, he stopped stealing from the courtyard house and started stealing small parts from the steel rolling mill.
Madam Jia was a bully in the courtyard house, and she took advantage of every family there. She wouldn't even look at the vegetables bought from the cellar without being tempted.
It's just that people usually don't notice it, or if they do, they don't make a fuss. You can't exactly call the police over a few cabbages, can you?
In this day and age, calling the police is a big deal, and most people wouldn't bother.
"Big brother, I understand."
"Then I'm going to work."
After shouting upstairs, He Yuzhu locked the door and pushed the cart out. Locking the door was a habit He Yuzhu had taught He Yushui.
He would start training He Yushui from this moment on, regardless of whether Bang Geng would still be the legendary thief in the future. He Yuzhu didn't want to leave the other person with the habit of coming to his house and taking things at will.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, Fengzeyuan's business gets better and better, so He Yuzhu has to work late into the night every day.
His skills are improving day by day, and his master, Wang Defa, is becoming increasingly satisfied. He Yuzhu himself knows that he has changed a lot, even though he is trying his best to restrain himself.
With improved culinary skills, things like knife skills and heat control become easy for those who are not skilled at them.
He Yuzhu didn't want to be high-profile, nor could he completely hide his abilities, which was why Wang Defa became increasingly satisfied with him.
By the time He Yuzhu returned home, He Yushui was almost asleep.
"Big brother, I'm starving!"
"Starve to death? Can't you even cook something for yourself?"
"Hehe, I forgot about studying."
He Yushui knew what kind of compliments her older brother liked to hear, and sure enough, when he heard that it was because of her studies, He Yuzhu stopped lecturing her.
"Brother Ma put all the vegetables in the side room, and arranged them neatly."
"Okay, I'll heat up the food for you in a bit, and you can take half of it to the Ma family."
"Okay, I understand, brother."
He Yushui is now gradually learning from He Yuzhu the principles of being a good person, repaying kindness with kindness and repaying evil with evil.
They reciprocate kindness to those who treat them well. They also seek revenge against those who scheme against them, holding a grudge even if they cannot achieve it immediately.
He Yuzhu didn't think it was bad to educate his sister this way. After all, everyone in this world is inherently ruthless, and the more you open your heart to someone, the worse the outcome will be in the end.
He Yuzhu brought back two lunchboxes from Fengzeyuan today, one containing chicken and the other fish.
He Yushui had already steamed the buns in advance; all she had to do was heat up the vegetables before they were ready to eat.
Despite her young age, He Yushui can already cook for herself while standing on a stool.
At this time, many children lived like this. He Yuzhu would not mistreat He Yushui; he provided her with the necessary necessities of life, and he would not spoil her by making her do nothing.
He Yuzhu's act of reheating dishes at home was torture for everyone in the courtyard.
After all, at that time, ordinary people ate very little meat each day.
Not to mention the food meticulously prepared by the chefs at Fengzeyuan; the taste was simply divine.
"Jia Zhangshi said to Qin Huairu."
"Go to Sha Zhu's house and order some food, I'm hungry."
Qin Huairu was speechless. Tonight, Jia Zhangshi had taken five large cabbages from the cellar.
Now the other person is hungry again, and Qin Huairu herself only ate a little bit last night.
Jia Dongxu lay on the bed without speaking. He no longer liked Qin Huairu as much as he had at the beginning. If it were before, he would never have let Qin Huairu suffer.
Although no evidence was found that Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai were sleeping together, suspicions were still running through their minds.
Sometimes that's just how it is. Once you have a preconceived notion, no matter how normal you are, the other person will still see something as wrong with you.
Qin Huairu has indeed been very well-behaved lately. She was really unlucky when she came out of the cellar that day.
Not only did he suffer the most brutal beatings, but he also had to endure the strange looks from his neighbors and the women in the alley.
Even though she always played the victim and pretended to be pitiful, people still gossiped about her behind her back.
If Qin Huairu could turn back time, she would truly regret marrying into the Jia family.
A vicious mother-in-law and a weak and incompetent husband.
And then there's that old lecherous scoundrel who's always scheming against him.
While He Yuzhu and He Yushui were eating inside, they suddenly heard a knock on the door.
"Bang bang bang"
He Yuzhu had a sense of destiny, as if this knocking was meant to happen a million times.
Who is it?
"Zhu Zi, it's your sister Qin. Open the door, I need to talk to you."
"Sister-in-law Jia, it's late. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
"Zhu Zi, could you give me some vegetables? I've never tasted such delicious food before."
He Yushui stuck out her little tongue and glanced at He Yuzhu.
"Eat quickly."
He Yuzhu stopped talking, and He Yushui hurriedly picked up her bowl and started eating.
Qin Huairu waited outside the door for a long time, but there was no sound from inside.
Qin Huairu took the bowl and went back dejectedly.
In Yi Zhonghai's home in the east wing, Yi Zhonghai hid by the window and looked across the street.
He also wanted to see if Qin Huairu could succeed, just like he had said to her in the cellar that day, if she could seduce He Yuzhu.
We'll find something to use against him and force him to write a confession. Then they can control He Yuzhu at will, and he'll have to do whatever they tell him to do.
If it really works, the He family's house, savings, and He Yuzhu's future salary will all become theirs.
Qin Huairu was thrilled when she heard Yi Zhonghai's description, feeling as if she was about to reach the pinnacle of her life.
Today, Madam Jia asked her to come and order vegetables, and Qin Huairu appeared reluctant on the surface. In reality, she was already impatient; Qin Huairu was very confident in her beauty.
She didn't believe a man could remain unmoved, and at the same time, she didn't intend to hand over He Yuzhu's secrets to him as Yi Zhonghai had suggested.
Qin Huairu felt that if she really had something on He Yuzhu, she could do it herself.
In this way, everything He Yuzhu owns will be hers, so why should there be another person to share her benefits?
Unfortunately, Qin Huairu failed today.
When she returned home, she was greeted by Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu's disappointed eyes. At that moment, she was so ashamed that she almost died on the spot.
Although she didn't say it, Qin Huairu knew what they meant.
That was clearly contempt, as if mocking her, implying that she was only good at flattering the middle-aged Yi Zhonghai.
At this moment, Qin Huairu was a little unwilling to admit defeat, feeling that she must conquer He Yuzhu.
Then, I'll make the other person kneel down and sing "Conquer".
"Brother, how can Sister-in-law Jia be so shameless? She just comes to our door begging for food like this?"
"Alright, don't worry about it. There's not a single good person in the Jia family. Just stay away from them in the future, and don't be fooled by their superficial flattery."
"Brother, you underestimate me. I'm not going to fall for that."
"Okay, my Rainwater is the smartest."
He Yuzhu was thinking to himself, "Who was that scheming guy in the story?"
Of course, those familiar with the plot will know that Sha Zhu ended up harming his own sister in order to please Qin Huairu.