Courtyard House: Wudang Disciple Sweeps Through the Compound

The constant noise around him made Jia Dongxu's head buzz, and his anger flared up like kindling. He could no longer contain himself and shouted at the two of them.

Startled by the sudden roar, Banggeng shrank its neck, its big round eyes instantly filled with glistening tears, its little face scrunched up, and its little mouth pursed in a pitiful way, looking like it was about to burst into tears at any moment.

Why are you getting angry at the child?

Upon seeing this, Madam Jia quickly hugged her precious grandson tightly, protecting him completely. Then, she abruptly turned her head, her triangular eyes glaring fiercely at Qin Huairu, her tone full of undisguised reproach and dissatisfaction.

"Qin Huairu, Dongxu gives you so much living expenses every month, and all you come up with is this bland, watery stuff to fool us, grandmother and granddaughter?"

"Mom, Dongxu only gives me ten yuan a month for living expenses! Our food supply for this month is already almost gone, I really have no other choice!"

Qin Huairu's face was full of grievances, her voice was clearly trembling with sobs, and her eyes were slightly red. Her weak and helpless appearance looked particularly pitiful.

You have to understand that in those days, food was supplied in rations, and every household had to rely on their food ration coupons to buy the limited amount of food, and not a single grain more could be given.

However, this rationing policy only applies to urban residents. In the Jia family, only Jia Dongxu got a formal job in the factory and thus obtained the precious urban resident status. Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi, and Banggeng still have rural resident status.

The street office had previously notified them to transfer their household registration to the city, but Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu each had their own agenda. They coveted the land in the countryside and thought that if their relatives helped take care of the farming, they could get some grain every year. So they delayed going through the household registration transfer process.

Who would have thought that the rural harvests had been getting worse year by year for the past two years, and life had become increasingly difficult. Naturally, the Jia family's situation also became strained, and they could hardly afford a full meal on ordinary days.

However, no matter how tough life got, the three members of the Jia family each had a considerable amount of savings hidden away, and they were not really in dire straits.

Leaving aside Jia Zhangshi, just considering the pension she received from Lao Jia and the five yuan monthly allowance Jia Dongxu gave her, over the years she has accumulated a considerable amount, enough for her to subsidize herself privately.

As for Qin Huairu, needless to say, most of Sha Zhu's monthly salary was borrowed by her under various seemingly reasonable excuses. In addition, how much her Uncle Yi Zhonghai secretly subsidized her was unknown to outsiders. Her private savings were far more substantial than they appeared on the surface.

Jia Dongxu worked as a level-two fitter in the factory, earning thirty-five yuan a month, which was considered a good income at the time. However, he only gave Qin Huairu ten yuan as living expenses for the whole family and five yuan to Jia Zhangshi for her retirement.

The remaining twenty yuan was kept by himself. No one in the family knew whether the money was used or where it was spent, and no one dared to ask.

"Alright, Mom, stop nagging. I'll go borrow some grain from the master later."

Annoyed by his mother's endless nagging, Jia Dongxu waved his hand impatiently, interrupting Jia Zhangshi.

"Hmph, that old widow Yi Zhonghai is so stingy every time he borrows grain or money, only giving people a few pounds of cornmeal. He's incredibly cheap! What's the use of him having so much money when he's an old widow with no children? He deserves to be old and have no one to take care of him in his old age!"

Seeing that her son had relented, Jia Zhangshi was still relentlessly cursing and swearing in the direction of Yi Zhonghai's house, looking as if she wanted to devour him alive.

At this moment, in the backyard of the Chen family, the family had just finished dinner, and the lingering warmth and faint aroma of the food remained on the table.

Chen Wenqi carefully took out fifty yuan from his pocket and handed it to his mother, Zhou Shuqin, saying softly, "Mom, this is the money I made from fishing by the river today. Please take this fifty yuan to help with household expenses. I'll keep the rest for emergencies, in case there's a sudden problem at home."

Zhou Shuqin looked at the money her son handed her, her face filled with surprise and disbelief—when her son said he had caught more than a dozen big fish and sold them for more than eighty yuan, she thought he was joking and didn't take it to heart at all.

It wasn't until she heard Chen Wenzi and the little girl describing their daytime fishing and selling of fish in vivid detail that she gradually began to believe that what her son was saying was true, and she was both surprised and delighted.

"Keep this money for yourself. Mom doesn't usually need much money, and I can manage the household expenses. You'll be in your final year of junior high next semester, which is a crucial time. Study hard and get into high school. Then we'll save up to buy a bicycle, making it easier for you to get to school and you won't have to commute every day."

Zhou Shuqin looked tenderly at her son, gently pushed the money back, her tone full of love and earnest expectations for him.

"Okay, Mom. But I have an idea. I want to go to medical school instead of high school. Medical school is close to home, so it's convenient to go to school and I can learn real skills sooner."

Chen Wenqi took the money, carefully put it away, and then revealed his long-held plan.

"Why do you suddenly want to go to a vocational school? Your grades are always so good, you're always at the top of your class. Mom has always hoped that you could go to university, have a better future, and make something of yourself."

When Zhou Shuqin heard her son's plan, she looked surprised and puzzled. She asked softly, trying to understand her son's thoughts.

"I will have the opportunity to go to university in the future, and I can also take the college entrance examination after graduating from vocational school. This will give me more options and allow me to learn a solid skill earlier, so that I will have confidence whether I am looking for a job or working on my own in the future."

Chen Wenqi patiently explained his considerations to his mother, making the pros and cons very clear, hoping that his mother could understand him.

"Okay, you've grown up now and have your own thoughts and judgments. Whatever you decide, Mom will support you. As long as it's a choice you've thought through carefully, Mom will be at ease."

Looking into her son's determined eyes, Zhou Shuqin knew he had made up his mind, so she smiled slightly and stopped objecting, her eyes full of tolerance and support.

"Yes, thank you, Mom."

With his mother's support, Chen Wenqi felt a surge of warmth in his heart, making him feel exceptionally warm and further strengthening his resolve to make his choice.