Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

Seeing that there were only four people, Liu Haizhong cleared his throat, stood up, and said:

"Well, my Guangtian counts too, so there are three of you left. Who else is willing to raise their hand?"

Liu Guangtian glared at Liu Haizhong, but Liu Haizhong didn't notice. He didn't want to do this thankless task, but he had no choice. His father had specifically asked him to do it, and if he didn't, he would definitely get beaten again.

After a while, no one raised their hand. Liu Haizhong was getting a little embarrassed. He was now the acting group leader. Did the people in the hospital dare to disrespect him?

"Cough cough."

Yan Fugui coughed and said loudly, "Has anyone seen Wang Feng? Jia Dongxu is, after all, related to him. It wouldn't make sense for him not to help with this."

"I didn't see it."

"I didn't see it either."

"Wang Feng and Qin Jingru are often not in the courtyard, and we don't know where they go. Third Uncle, I think we shouldn't count on Wang Feng. You should look for the other people instead."

Yan Fugui nodded, looked at Xu Damao, and said in a deep voice:

"Xu Damao, please do me a favor tomorrow. We're neighbors who grew up together, it wouldn't be right for you not to help."

"Alright, then count me in."

Xu Damao sighed and nodded in agreement. He really didn't want to work with Sha Zhu, but he had no choice; when faced with this situation, he had to help.

Yan Fugui then looked at the other two young men and said in a deep voice, "We're still short two people, Er Leng and Da Qiang, it's just the two of you."

"Okay."

The two of them, with long faces, reluctantly agreed.

The Jia family has terrible character and has argued with almost every family. Many people don't want to go, but this has always been the rule in the courtyard: if you're invited and you don't go, no one will help you if something happens to your family in the future.

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears, walked to the octagonal table, and respectfully bowed to everyone in the courtyard.

"Thank you everyone, thank you for your help. If you ever need anything in the future, our family will definitely help you."

"Alright, Huai Ru, stop being sad. Don't cry yourself sick."

"Yes, Huai Ru, you must take care of yourself. You have two children at home. What will they do if you get sick?"

Seeing that everything was arranged, Yan Fugui waved his hand: "The eight people who were called to carry the coffin earlier, if any of them are still at work, ask for a day off tomorrow. Meeting adjourned, everyone go home for dinner."

After everyone dispersed, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi also returned to their room. During the hospital-wide meeting today, Jia Zhangshi didn't say a single word.

Back in the house, Qin Huairu went to cook. Jia Dongxu was gone, but they still had to make a living, especially with two children to care for.

The coffin and other necessities were bought this afternoon, and they're just waiting to carry Jia Dongxu out tomorrow. They don't plan to hold a banquet, mainly because food is too expensive now, and given their relationship with the people in the courtyard, they might end up losing a lot of money.

Madam Jia sat on the bed without saying a word, feeling extremely sad. She didn't even respond to Bang Geng's questions.

She always felt something was amiss about her son Jia Dongxu's death. It didn't make sense that Lao Jia was caught in a machine, and now Dongxu was also caught in a machine. What a coincidence!

......

Early the next morning.

Sha Zhu and the people in the courtyard who worked at the steel rolling mill went to the factory to ask for leave.

Qin Huairu had already prepared cornbread, two for each of them, which served as their breakfast.

After the eight people finished eating their cornbread, they carried the coffin and headed towards the cemetery outside the city. This time, Jia Zhangshi did not go with them; Qin Huairu went instead.

The people in the courtyard knew how stingy the Jia family was, so when they helped them and gave them cornbread, no one said much.

Whether it was bad luck or something else, they encountered a heavy rain as soon as they left the city.

Fortunately, the heavy rain only lasted for a short while, otherwise it would have been troublesome. But even in such a short time, they were all soaked.

The road became difficult to walk on, consisting entirely of wet fence paths. The mud underfoot was sticky, and every few steps they had to rub the mud off their shoes, leaving their trouser legs covered in splattered mud. This made it very difficult for them to carry the coffin.

The eight men carried the coffin to the cemetery, all panting heavily. Yan Jiefang, the youngest of the eight, felt the most exhausted; his shoulders were swollen from the weight.

Finally, at four o'clock in the afternoon, they successfully buried Jia Dongxu, and the group of eight returned with Qin Huairu.

They had only eaten two cornbread buns for breakfast, and Qin Huairu hadn't prepared lunch for them. They were already so hungry that they were weak and powerless. However, even though they were angry, they still buried Jia Dongxu.

This time, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao didn't argue, but the way they looked at each other was exceptionally cold.

......

Courtyard 28.

Today, Wang Feng took out a large goose from his spatial storage, and Qin Jingru made braised goose in an iron pot for dinner.

During this period, the poultry and livestock in Wang Feng's space reproduced very quickly, and they were basically all edible. Except for the cows, which he couldn't eat yet, he could eat the others without worrying about their reproduction.

The tigers have grown quite a bit, and the smallest one now weighs about 40 pounds. There's also good news: the tigress is about to give birth again, and once the tigers are grown up, he can make ginseng and tiger bone wine.

Qin Jingru placed a piece of goose meat on Wang Feng's plate and said, "Brother Wang Feng, we can go back to the courtyard tomorrow. I heard that Sha Zhu and the others took leave today to help the Jia family carry the coffin."

Wang Feng nodded: "Okay, then we'll go back to the hospital tomorrow."

Lou Xiao'e burst out laughing:

"Brother Feng, you're being too mean. As soon as the Jia family got into trouble, you all ran away. When you come back to the courtyard, who knows what people will be saying about you behind your backs."

Wang Feng chuckled and shook his head: "Hehe, son, you don't understand. The Jia family is a bunch of ingrates. If you help them now, in a few days they'll be thinking about how to leech off you. If anything happens to us, they'll definitely kick us when we're down. Tell me, is it necessary for us to help a family like that?"

Qin Jingru nodded: "Goose, that Jia family is really like that. You know, Qin Huairu and I are cousins, after all. If their family hadn't gone too far, would we have severed ties with them? They're the kind of people who always try to take advantage of you and betray you. Last time, Qin Huairu's mother-in-law even went to our house to steal things, including the two hundred yuan that Brother Wang Feng gave me."

"Alright, although I've never met anyone from the Jia family, or Qin Huairu, I've heard you all talk about them, and I'd like to meet them," Lou Xiao'e said with a smile.

"Alright, let's not concern ourselves with other people's business. Let's go to bed early after dinner. Goose, have you boiled some water?" Wang Feng asked.

"It was burned long ago."

"That's fine then."

After dinner, Wang Feng and Lou Xiao'e took a hot shower together, and the three of them went to bed early.

......

The next day, early in the morning.

After having breakfast with Qin Jingru, Wang Feng returned to Courtyard No. 95 at 10 a.m.

The two of them had just entered the courtyard when Qin Huairu, carrying vegetables, also returned to the courtyard.

As soon as Qin Huairu returned to the house, she saw that a mourning hall had been set up inside. The room was covered with white cloth and lit with white candles. Jia Dongxu's portrait was also displayed in the mourning hall.