Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

The front yard, Aunt Wu's house.

When Qin Jingru arrived at Aunt Wu's house, she saw that the door was open, so she carried the bucket and went straight in.

"Sister Jingru."

As soon as Qin Jingru entered the house, Ya Ya saw her and immediately smiled happily.

Aunt Wu, who was making clothes for someone else inside the house, heard Ya Ya's cry and quickly turned around. She saw Qin Jingru holding a bucket in her hand.

"Jingru, you're here. Come and sit down."

Qin Jingru rubbed Ya Ya's little head and lifted the burlap sack on the bucket.

"Aunt Wu, it's like this, I helped a friend of Brother Wang Feng prepare a banquet today, and I slaughtered thirty roosters. They didn't want the chicken heads, tails, and internal organs, so I brought them back for you. Add more salt and air dry them, and these will last you and Ya Ya a long time. It'll also help Ya Ya get some nutrition."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Wu rushed to Qin Jingru's side. When she saw a whole bucket of chicken innards, chicken heads, and chicken butts, she was so excited that she trembled all over.

"This...so many?"

During this period, the factory rarely provided meals for employees. They could not get meat dishes even once a month. Even when there were meals to be prepared, He Daqing would take half of it by himself, and the rest would be shared among the others. She and Ya Ya had not eaten meat for a long time. How could she not be excited to see so much meat now?

Seeing Aunt Wu's excited expression, Qin Jingru smiled and said, "Aunt Wu, I'm going to help Brother Wang Feng's friend prepare a banquet tomorrow. There are about ten geese and thirty rabbits to prepare. Brother Wang Feng's friend doesn't want any offal or anything like that, so I'll bring them all over for you tomorrow. It'll probably be twice as many as here."

"Aunt Wu, you need to deal with these internal organs, chicken heads, and chicken butts right away, otherwise they'll spoil overnight."

"Jingru, you're heavily pregnant now, how can you still help with the banquet? How can anyone feel at ease with you doing this?" Aunt Wu said.

Qin Jingru smiled slightly: "Aunt Wu, I don't need to do it myself. They've already found several chefs. I just need to give some on-site guidance."

"That's fine then."

Aunt Wu wiped away her tears and said emotionally, "Jingru, thank you. I'll take care of it right away. I'll ask for two days off from the factory tomorrow and I'll definitely be able to get these internal organs sorted out."

At this point, she suddenly realized that she didn't have enough salt at home, and the supply and marketing cooperative was closed, so she didn't have time to buy any more.

"Jingru, I don't have much salt left at home. How much salt do you have? Go back and get it for me to use. I'll pay you back when I buy some salt at the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow."

Qin Jingru smiled and nodded: "Aunt Wu, wait here. I still have several pounds of salt at home, that should be enough. I'll teach you how to process these internal organs later. Also, Aunt Wu, you must not let anyone in the yard see these things. Just process them at home behind closed doors, otherwise it will be hard to explain."

"Yes, thank you, Jingru. You've been so good to us, mother and son. I don't know how to repay you."

Aunt Wu's eyes were red with tears, and she was deeply moved. She owed Wang Feng and Qin Jingru so much that she could never repay them in this lifetime.

"Hehe, Aunt Wu, you don't need to be so polite. Didn't Ya Ya say before that when she grows up, she wants to be Wang Feng's wife? Then we'll be family. There's no need for thanks. Alright, Aunt Wu, I'm going back to get the salt now."

Qin Jingru chuckled and made a joke before walking out the door.

Aunt Wu watched Qin Jingru's retreating figure, smiled helplessly, and didn't take her words to heart at all.

Soon, Qin Jingru returned to the house and brought over all three catties of salt. She also taught Aunt Wu how to process the ingredients.

Aunt Wu also knows how to process these ingredients, but she's not as professional as Qin Jingru. Using Qin Jingru's method, these internal organs, chicken heads, and chicken butts can be stored for another month or so.

There's no way around it, there are just too many offal this time. Today there are about 30 jin here, and tomorrow it will probably be double that, about 70 jin, which adds up to 100 jin. If we don't handle it properly, the meat will all spoil before they finish eating it.

Even if Qin Jingru follows her method of processing, this meat can only be stored for three or four months at most. In other words, during this period, Aunt Wu and Ya Ya would have to eat at least one pound of meat every day.

......

The Intermediate People's Court, the Wang family.

Wang Feng moved the recliner to the door, and before he could even finish his cigarette, Lu Banxia returned pushing her bicycle.

"Brother Feng, where's Sister Jingru?"

"She went to Aunt Wu's house."

"oh."

Lu Banxia also knew about Aunt Wu's relationship with their family. She admired Aunt Wu quite a bit. A widow with a child, she worked hard to raise the child to adulthood. She was also a good person, much better than Qin Huairu.

Just then, a young man in military uniform with a kind face walked over from the front yard. When he saw Lu Banxia chatting and laughing with a man, he asked in surprise:

"Banxia, ​​what are you doing here? Don't you live in the backyard?"

When Lu Banxia saw that the person who came was Wang Tiechui, her Uncle Li's bodyguard, she smiled and explained:

"Brother Iron Hammer, I forgot to tell you last time, this is Comrade Wang Feng, the deputy head of the purchasing department of the steel rolling mill. He's the one who saved me twice on the mountain before. Also, I'm eating at his house now."

Lu Banxia said this on purpose. This was to let Uncle Li know about Wang Feng in advance, as she had discussed it with Wang Feng beforehand.

"What?"

Wang Tiechui's eyes widened as he looked at Lu Banxia, ​​then scrutinized Wang Feng. He instantly remembered, glared angrily at Wang Feng, and demanded sharply:

"Young man, didn't I tell you to take good care of Comrade Lu Banxia in the courtyard? Is this how you're taking care of her? You're even taking care of her at home?"

Wang Feng then remembered who the person in front of him was. He stood up, took out a Daqianmen cigarette from his pocket, and handed it to him.

"Hey Hammer, come on, have a smoke, let me explain."

"Explain? Explain what? Banxia is our leader's niece, how could you... how could you?"

"Hey, Brother Hammer, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Lu Banxia stamped her little foot and hurriedly explained, "Brother Tiechui, it's not what you think. I'm good friends with Wang Feng's wife, Qin Jingru. She's pregnant, and it was Sister Jingru who saw how hard it was for me to work and cook all by myself, so she let me eat with them. But I also pay for their meals every month."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Jingru walked through the hanging flower gate and headed towards them.

"Banxia is right, I invited her to my house for dinner. Comrade, you wouldn't suspect that my man has something going on with Banxia, ​​would you?"

When Wang Tiechui saw her, she was indeed heavily pregnant and even more beautiful than a fairy, surpassing Lu Banxia in beauty.

Since he already has a wife, and it was his wife who invited Banxia to his house for dinner, what else is there to say? It's not like Wang Feng's wife would find another woman for her husband, is it?

Thinking of this, he smiled sheepishly and nodded at Wang Feng, saying apologetically:

"Young man Wang Feng, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."