Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guoping subconsciously glanced at Li Huaide beside him, his face showing difficulty: "Section Chief! I just told everyone that each person could buy five jin, and now suddenly reducing it by two jin, I really don't know how to bring it up..."

Jia Dongming laughed and said, "Guoping! Tell everyone that I'll be going into the mountains again next week when I have some free time. Will we still be worried about not having meat then?"

Zhang Guoping nodded in agreement: "Okay! Section Chief, I'll go and tell the comrades right away, and then I'll help you take care of this wild boar so you can take it back."

After Zhang Guoping pushed Jia Dongming's bicycle away, Li Huaide smiled and thanked him: "Section Chief Jia! On behalf of the factory, thank you."

Also, next time you go into the mountains, if it's convenient, why not hunt some more game for the factory? I'll buy it all at the highest purchase price.

In this era where everything requires coupons, money may not be as important as coupons, but no one would complain about having too much of it.

Without much hesitation, Jia Dongming agreed immediately: "Director Li! Don't worry, if there are any extra prey, I will definitely save some for you."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide's smile deepened, and his tone became even more friendly: "Section Chief Jia! I'll go back to the logistics department and get a few people to help."

The payment for these prey items will be settled with you tomorrow morning when you bring Qin Huairu to my office to complete the formalities!

Jia Dongming smiled and nodded, "Director Li! Okay, see you tomorrow morning!"

After Li Huaide left, Jia Dongming walked back to the entrance of the small canteen. Looking at the busy security team members, he added to Zhang Guoping, who was standing next to him, "Guoping! All the comrades who participated in slaughtering the pig today will each receive two jin of pig offal as a reward for their hard work."

Zhang Guoping immediately shouted to the crowd, "Did everyone hear that? The section chief said that everyone who participated in slaughtering the pig will receive an extra two jin of offal!"

Upon hearing this, the team members present were all overjoyed, and they worked even more efficiently.

Before long, the wild boar that Jia Dongming wanted to take away had been dealt with.

He kept half a carcass of meat, packed the other half into a sack from the canteen, tied it back to the back rack of his bicycle, said goodbye to his teammates, and rode away from the steel mill.

About twenty minutes later, Jia Dongming finally returned to the courtyard house.

As he pushed his bicycle into the courtyard, Yan Bugui, who was guarding the gate, caught a glimpse of the bulging burlap sack on the back seat. His eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward, greeting him warmly, "Section Chief Jia! You're back! I heard from the people in the compound that you went hunting in the countryside today and caught a whole truckload of game. Is that true?"

Jia Dongming knew what Yan Bugui was up to, but he still smiled and replied, "Third Uncle! It is true."

"Have you eaten yet?"

Yan Bugui noticed the burlap sack in Jia Dongming's hand and casually inquired, "Section Chief Jia, is this sack filled with wild game brought back from the countryside?"

Jia Dongming smiled and replied, "Third Uncle, you always have to keep some of the game you hunt, so I brought back half a piece of wild boar meat to add some oil to the family."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui quickly replied, "Section Chief Jia, we haven't had any meat in a while. Could you spare some for me?"

Jia Dongming waved his hand and said in a friendly tone, "Third Uncle, it's not appropriate to do business in private."

There was indeed a lot of meat; our family couldn't finish it all. We'll share a pound with everyone in the courtyard later, so we can all have a taste.

Yan Bugui had originally planned to buy some meat at a low price, but he didn't expect Jia Dongming to share it with everyone. He was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly, saying, "Section Chief Jia, then I thank you on behalf of everyone!"

"Uncle, you're back! Grandma and Mom are waiting for you to have dinner."

Banggeng, who was playing in the middle courtyard, heard the voices in the front yard and ran over. As soon as he saw Jia Dongming, he shouted happily.

Jia Dongming nodded to Yan Bugui: "Third Uncle, I'll go home first. My mother is waiting."

"Uncle, my mom told me you hunted a lot of wild boars today, is that true?"

Banggeng followed Jia Dongming toward the Central Court, his eyes glancing frequently at the bulging sack on the back of the bicycle, asking questions with a face full of curiosity.

Seeing his excited expression, Jia Dongming smiled and replied, "It's true. This bag contains half a piece of wild boar meat and some offal."

Since Jia Dongming came back, there has been meat at almost every meal at home, and Banggeng feels that life is much better than before.

Hearing that there was half a wild boar in the bag, he jumped for joy: "Great! We'll have meat again tonight!"

As soon as I entered the Intermediate People's Court, I ran into Sha Zhu coming out of a room.

Sha Zhu greeted him warmly, "Brother Dongming, you're back! I heard you hunted over a dozen wild boars today?"

Jia Dongming nodded: "There are a total of seventeen wild boars, three wolves, and a silly roe deer."

Later, Deputy Factory Director Li came over and, after much pleading, managed to get a large portion of the produce allocated to the canteen.

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu was secretly delighted—there would be meat in the cafeteria tomorrow, and he could secretly save some for the old lady and Yu Shui to have extra meals.

He grinned and said, "Brother Dongming, the canteen hasn't had any meat or vegetables for over a month. The workers are going to be overjoyed tomorrow."

Remembering that many people in the security department had diarrhea after eating braised pork today, Jia Dongming joked, "Zhu Zi, several people in our department spent the whole afternoon running to the toilet because of eating meat today."

The cafeteria will be serving meat tomorrow; it'll probably be quite a scene.

Sha Zhu laughed when he heard this: "Brother Dongming, I've heard about this."

Some people say it was you, as a new official, who started this fire. But if you ask me, it's purely out of jealousy!

Jia Dongming shook his head and changed the subject: "Zhuzi, there's half a wild boar meat in this bag, plus a pig's head and two sets of offal."

Could you please help me cut this in a bit? Each family in the yard will get one pound.

Please braise the pig's head and offal, and I'll save some for you later.

Sha Zhu readily agreed: "Sure thing! Leave it to me, I guarantee I'll get it done."

Upon hearing that Jia Dongming planned to distribute the meat to all the residents of the compound, Sha Zhu's face showed admiration. He gave Jia Dongming a thumbs up and said, "Brother Dongming! You're a real man. Leave these wild boar meat and offal to me. I'll definitely handle them perfectly."

"Dongming! You rascal, how dare you go into the mountains alone to hunt wild boar? I was terrified when I heard the news."

As soon as Jia Dongming stepped into the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi, who was sitting in front of the main room, immediately got up from her small stool and said in a complaining tone.

Jia Dongming sensed the worry in Jia Zhangshi's words and smiled sheepishly, "Mom! The wild boars that can hurt me haven't been born yet! If those wild boars hadn't run away so quickly today, I could have caught even more."

Jia Zhangshi's gaze quickly fell on the burlap sack on the back of the bicycle, and her eyes lit up as she asked, "Dongming! Could this sack contain wild boar meat?"

Jia Dongming nodded and replied, "Mom! There's half a wild boar's carcass, a wild boar's head, and two sets of offal in here."

"I've already asked Zhuzi to come and help. He'll cut some out and distribute it to each household in the courtyard, giving each household a pound."

The rest can be made into cured meat, and we can eat it slowly.

Upon learning that Jia Dongming wanted to share the meat with the neighbors, Jia Zhangshi became anxious. She was about to object, but remembering her son's temper, she could only swallow her words with heartache.

Jia Dongming observed Jia Zhangshi's reaction and nodded in satisfaction when he saw that she did not object.

He pushed his bicycle under the eaves and parked it. He unloaded the sack and said to Jia Zhangshi, "Mom! After Zhuzi has divided the meat, you take the stalks and deliver them to each of the neighbors."

Jia Zhangshi, who was feeling the pinch of dividing the meat, immediately brightened up when she heard that she was to be in charge of delivering it. She quickly assured him, "Dongming! Don't worry, Mom will definitely handle this perfectly."

Standing by the stone table in the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi watched as Sha Zhu skillfully butchered the wild boar meat. She then turned to Bang Geng, who was watching the commotion, and instructed him, "My dear grandson! Hurry home and bring Grandma's basket. Grandma will take you to distribute the meat to the neighbors."

Banggeng responded and turned to run towards the courtyard gate.

A moment later, Banggeng came running back carrying a basket, excitedly shouting, "Grandma! I brought the basket!"

Jia Zhangshi took the basket, put the chopped wild boar meat into it one by one, and said to Banggeng with a happy face, "Come on! My dear grandson, let's share the meat with Grandma."

Carrying more than a dozen pieces of wild boar meat, Jia Zhangshi, like a proud hen, led her hen to the front yard of Yan Bugui's house and called out, "Old Yan! Are you home? I've brought you some meat."

Hearing the shout, Yan Bugui, who was eating, immediately put down his chopsticks and went to the door. He lifted the curtain and saw the basket in Jia Zhangshi's hand. Ignoring the fact that she called him by his nickname, he said with a big smile, "Sister-in-law! Could you pick out a fatter one for our family?"

Seeing Yan Bugui's humble demeanor, Jia Zhangshi felt her vanity greatly satisfied and said smugly, "Old Yan! Wild boar meat is mostly lean with little fat, but since you're the third oldest man in the courtyard, I'll let you choose a piece yourself."

Yan Bugui was overjoyed and quickly reached into the basket to find the fattest piece of meat. He didn't forget to rub the meat a few times with his hands so that his palms would be covered in oil so that he could wash off some oil when he got home.

Yan Bugui quickly selected the meat and repeatedly thanked her, saying, "Sister-in-law Jia! Please be sure to thank Section Chief Jia properly when we get back!"

Jia Zhangshi waved her hand and turned to walk towards the other households in the front yard.

After dividing the meat in the front yard, Jia Zhangshi went to the door of Yi Zhonghai's house in the middle yard and called out, "Uncle! Are you home?"

Since Jia Dongming returned, Yi Zhonghai has been troubled by the issue of retirement, and he has been unable to eat or sleep well these past few days.

Upon hearing Jia Zhangshi's voice, he quickly put down his chopsticks and replied, "Coming, coming! Did you need something, sister-in-law?"

Yi Zhonghai lifted the curtain and saw Jia Zhangshi carrying a basket of meat. Remembering what his coworkers had mentioned when he got off work, he smiled and asked, "Sister-in-law! What are you doing here...?"

Jia Zhangshi proudly introduced, "Uncle! My Dongming hunted more than a dozen wild boars in the mountains today and brought back some meat. He asked me to share some with everyone in the yard so they could have a taste."

He took a piece of meat from the basket and stuffed it into Yi Zhonghai's hand: "Uncle! Here, take this piece of meat. I have to deliver it to other places, so I'll be going now."

Just as Yi Zhonghai was about to speak, Jia Zhangshi had already picked up her basket and walked towards the Zhou family next door.

Yi Zhonghai accepted the wild boar meat from Jia Zhangshi, and a thought inexplicably flashed through his mind.

He hurried back to his home, placed the meat on the table, and then asked his wife, Yi Tanshi, "Honey, if we were to ask Jia Dongming to take care of us in our old age, do you think he would agree?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Tan's face immediately showed surprise.

Jia Dongming had only been in the courtyard for three days. Although she hadn't had much contact with him, she could tell from his care for Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng that he was a filial son.

If she could really have him take care of her in her old age, she would naturally be happy to do so.

But Jia Dongming was not Jia Dongxu after all, and besides, she knew her husband's personality all too well.

Given Yi Zhonghai's strong desire for control, getting Jia Dongming to comply will probably not be so simple.

Thinking of this, Yi Tan said, "Husband, Jia Dongming is the head of the security department of the steel rolling mill. He earns more than a hundred yuan a month. If he is willing to retire, that would be the best thing."

However, I think you should ask the old lady what she thinks first.

Yi Zhonghai nodded: "Okay, after we finish eating, I'll go to the backyard to talk to the old lady."

Amidst a chorus of thanks, Jia Zhangshi returned to the courtyard with a beaming smile, carrying a bundle of meat. She called out to Jia Dongming, "Dongming! I've given meat to everyone in the courtyard except for Shazhu's family."

When Jia Dongming saw his mother return, he turned to Sha Zhu and asked, "Zhu Zi, have you had dinner yet? If not, just have a meal here. We'll talk about the rest after we eat."

Sha Zhu didn't agree immediately, but replied tactfully, "Brother Dongming, Yushui is still waiting for me to eat at home."

"I'll go back and eat first, then I'll come back and help you clean up the pig offal."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming immediately said, "Zhu Zi, cut some meat and go to my kitchen to cook a dish."

I asked Huai Ru to call Yu Shui over; she'll eat here tonight.

"Let me tell you, I have Moutai here."

Sha Zhu heard "Maotai"