Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

The middle courtyard is Yi Zhonghai's home.

Because there were so many people, Qin Huairu added a lot of potatoes to two pounds of pork and stewed a large pot of pork.

Although Xiaodang and Kuihua did not go hungry during their time in the countryside, they just ate enough to get enough to eat. Moreover, they ate coarse grains most of the time, and could only eat white flour steamed buns during festivals.

For example, the whole pot of braised pork and potatoes in front of me can only be eaten during the Chinese New Year.

Smelling the aroma of meat in the air, the two of them had already started drooling.

Just when they thought they would finally have a good meal tonight, a scene that stunned them appeared.

Great stalk...

Their younger brother, as if he hadn't eaten pork in years, swept the vegetable bowl with his pair of chopsticks. Soon, most of the braised pork in the bowl went into his stomach.

Jia Zhang was unwilling to be left behind, so she ate the remaining half of the braised pork.

Xiaodang and Kuihua had just eaten three pieces of meat and when they were about to pick up their chopsticks for more, there was no piece of braised pork left in the vegetable bowl, only half a bowl of potatoes.

The most pitiful ones were Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai. They ate slowly and the braised pork in the meat and vegetable bowl was eaten up just after they finished two pieces.

"Brother..." Xiaodang said to Banggeng with an aggrieved expression.

"My mother prepared this braised pork for me and Kuihua. Why did you eat it all?"

"We haven't eaten pork in the country for five or six months."

"You work in a steel mill and can eat pork every now and then. How dare you snatch the braised pork that mom prepared for us?"

Banggeng didn't care about Xiaodang and Kuihua's feelings at all, and replied nonchalantly: "Who told you that I work in a steel mill and can eat pork every now and then?"

"From the tone of your voice, I think Mom hasn't told you about our family situation yet."

"My father and I made a mistake at the steel mill, so only one of us could stay. Now I'm the only one working in the family, and I'm an apprentice at the steel mill, earning only 18 yuan a month."

"If Mom and Dad didn't make a few dollars by making matchboxes at home, we wouldn't even be able to afford food, let alone pork."

"I haven't eaten pork for more than half a month."

"The work at the steel mill also exhausted me to death."

"After Yi's father was fired by the steel mill, there was no fitter in the workshop willing to be my master, so I could only do odd jobs in the workshop."

"It seems like the workshop director and several production team leaders have a grudge against me and can't bear to see me rest."

"Assign new tasks whenever you stop."

"From the time I get to work to the time I get off work, I'm always busy and never sit down."

"The little food in my stomach has long been gone. I finally had a meal of braised pork, so I must eat more. Otherwise, I won't have the energy to go to the steel mill to work and earn money tomorrow."

"Dad Yi has lost his job?" Xiaodang and Kuihua both showed shocked expressions on their faces.

The two of them also hoped that after Yi Zhonghai retired, one of them would go to the steel mill to take over Yi Zhonghai's job. In this way, the two of them would only need to find one job.

Now Banggeng actually told them that Yi Zhonghai had lost his job.

Then all their previous plans on the way home would be useless.

Seeing the two girls showing expressions of doubt and shock, Qin Huairu could only sigh and continue, "Your father Yi's job position at the steel mill is indeed gone."

“Even my pension after retirement is gone.”

Hearing this, Xiao Dang wanted to ask Qin Huairu a question: "Since Yi Zhonghai has nothing left, why is my mother still married to Yi Zhonghai? Is she serving an old man for nothing?"

"It's better to get a divorce as soon as possible and marry a man with a job." But because Yi Zhonghai was sitting next to them, Xiao Dang swallowed the words back when they were on the tip of his tongue. Then he called Qin Huairu out of the house and asked the question that he had not asked before.

"Mom... Yi Zhonghai has no job and no salary now. Why are you still serving him? Why don't you just get a divorce?"

Qin Huairu answered helplessly: "Xiaodang..."

"I want a divorce, but I can't."

"When Bang Geng and Yi Zhonghai made mistakes at the steel mill, they were both going to be fired. At that time, our Jia family's house would also be taken away by the steel mill."

"I don't know what method Yi Zhonghai used to convince Director Yang to keep one person."

"In order to keep Bang Geng's job and the Jia family's house, your grandmother and I not only gave Yi Zhonghai 600 yuan, but also agreed to sign a divorce agreement with Yi Zhonghai."

"If I take the initiative to file for divorce from Yi Zhonghai, I will be kicked out of the house. Not only will I not get a penny from Yi Zhonghai, I will not get any of the old Yi family's house either, and even Bang Geng will be kicked out by Yi Zhonghai."

"For the sake of Yi Zhonghai's house and the more than 1,000 yuan in savings he has, I can only continue to serve him."

"But it's okay."

"Yi Zhonghai knew that his savings were not enough for retirement, so he would make matchboxes with me at home. He would give me four dollars and keep the rest for himself, so we didn't lose anything. He also found a place for Banggeng to live for free."

"When Yi Zhonghai dies in the future, this house will belong to Banggeng, and the rest of his savings will also be mine."

Hearing this, Xiaodang's expression suddenly changed and looked much better.

But when he thought of the work position in the steel mill that Yi Zhonghai lost, his brows, which had just relaxed, frowned again.

When he returned to the house, he asked worriedly, "What about my and Kuihua's work?"

"You can't possibly stay at home and make matchboxes, right?"

Qin Huairu quickly shook his head: "The policy is different now. You can't even get the materials to make matchboxes."

"Many people in Beijing are unemployed. Everyone wants to make matchboxes to supplement their family income. The match factory has limited production and stipulates that a family can only receive 15 yuan for raw materials. If they get more, they will get nothing."

"Can you find a job outside?"

"Ask your brother to ask at the steel mill as well."

"Old Yi, you are an eighth-level fitter in the steel mill after all. You should know a lot of people. Why don't you ask them for Xiaodang as well?"

Bang Geng was the first to stand up and refute: "Don't even think about it..."

"I haven't even been promoted yet, so how can I care about you guys?"

Yi Zhonghai followed up, "I have been fired by the steel mill. My former co-workers who knew me stay away from me, so they can't ask me anything."

"Xiaodang and Kuihua should go out and ask more questions and walk around the streets more often."

"Many factories in Beijing recruit workers through the streets."

"Walk around the streets more often, maybe you can come across a job."

Hearing this, Xiaodang and Kuihua were disappointed and sighed and replied, "We heard about it on the way back."

"There are unemployed educated youth everywhere in Beijing. If you don't have connections, you can't find a job at all."

"Many educated youth took over their parents' jobs and went to work in factories."

"We originally wanted to take over Yi's job, but we didn't expect that his job position would be gone." (End of this chapter)