Courtyard House: A Veteran Returns Home and Becomes a Father

As soon as night fell, a table of dishes was already set out in the Jia family's house, and the room was packed with people sitting around the table.

The head of the table was an old deaf woman. When Jia Zhangshi went to call Yi Zhonghai in the afternoon, he immediately invited this old matriarch of the courtyard when he heard there was something delicious to eat.

The deaf old lady sat to her left and right with Yi Zhonghai and Old Master Jia, with Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong on their outer sides. Jia Zhangshi stood obediently behind the deaf old lady, while Jia Dongxu sat opposite her.

Once everyone had arrived, Old Master Jia spoke first: "I've invited you all here today because my son Dongxu is almost eighteen, and it's time to find him a wife. I'd like to ask for your advice and help me propose marriage—everyone here is a prominent figure in the neighborhood, so it will show our sincerity."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu's face instantly turned bright red, and he stammered, waving his hands, "Dad, I don't think there's a rush..."

"What's the rush?" Old Master Jia glared at him. "You're almost eighteen! In the countryside, you'd be a father by now!"

Madam Jia immediately chimed in, her voice shrill: "Exactly! Get married and have kids early, then I'll help you take care of them, wouldn't that be great!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately replied, "That's wonderful news! Which girl have you taken a fancy to? I'll help you find a matchmaker!"

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui joined in the fun, asking questions, but the deaf old lady didn't even look up, only busy picking at the main dishes on the table—tonight, Old Master Jia had gone all out to make a good impression, setting out a table full of chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

After everyone had finished asking their questions, Old Master Jia slowly spoke up: "I think the young wife of the Su family in the courtyard across the street is quite nice."

Jia Dongxu's embarrassment vanished instantly, and he said urgently, "Dad! What were you thinking? They're already married!"

"So what if she's married? Haven't they been saying her husband's gone?" Old Master Jia said nonchalantly. "Marrying her wasn't a bad deal!"

Yi Zhonghai frowned: "That can't be right! That girl just got married a few days ago!"

"These days are chaotic, and her husband is in the army. Who knows when he might be gone? The rumors are quite detailed!" Old Master Jia said confidently.

"That won't do either!" Yi Zhonghai advised. "Dongxu is handsome and talented, perfect in every way except for being unemployed. There's no need for him to marry a widow!"

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui nodded in agreement, while the deaf old lady continued to eat in silence, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.

"So what if she's a widow?" Old Master Jia's calculations clicked rapidly. "The Su family has no one else besides that boy who just passed away! She owns a house, and her salary is high. If Dongxu marries her, won't that house and all that money belong to the Jia family?"

Madam Jia's eyes lit up, and she immediately chimed in, "Exactly! I heard that young woman earns nearly a hundred a month! Her master earns even more! Besides, she just became a widow, and Dongxu came to propose marriage right away. Shouldn't the Su family be extremely grateful?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong immediately felt it made sense, but Yan Bugui had ulterior motives—he loved to scheme all his life, and upon hearing that the Su family was so wealthy, his little calculations immediately began to run wild.

He immediately interjected, "I think my Jie Cheng is suitable too! Although there's a bit of an age gap, my family is willing to marry her! So what if she's a widow? I have no objection! Why should all the good things go to the Jia family?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Madam Jia exploded on the spot, pointing at Yan Bugui and cursing, "You stingy old man! Your son Jie Cheng is only nine years old, he's not even fully grown yet, and you dare to make a move on my daughter-in-law? A toad trying to eat swan meat!"

Yan Bugui was so embarrassed by the rebuttal that he was speechless for a long time, and the scene became awkward.

The deaf old lady next to her finally looked up, her mind clear—the Jia family was trying to take advantage of the Su family's extinction! She knew the Su family's background well; the two sons of the old master Su had joined the Red Army and fought against the Japanese long ago. It wasn't that they had no descendants; they were just busy in the army. The Jia family was dreaming!

She immediately put down her chopsticks and slowly stood up: "I'm too old to interfere in your young people's affairs. If it really works out, just remember to invite me to your wedding."

Upon seeing this, Yi Zhonghai quickly got up and escorted the deaf old lady back to her room.

When Yi Zhonghai returned, the food on the table was almost finished. Old Master Jia made the final decision: "It's settled then! No need to hire a matchmaker tomorrow. We'll all go together to propose marriage. We're all respected people in the neighborhood; the Su family will definitely agree!"

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong immediately nodded. Yan Bugui, seeing that his plan had failed, was full of resentment but could only reluctantly agree.

After everyone had left, Jia Zhangshi spat in the direction of the Yan family's house, cursing, "Pah! Those little brats who haven't even grown their beards yet dare to steal my money tree? Dream on!"

Ignoring her curses, Old Master Jia pulled out a small box from behind his back, took out ten ten-yuan bills, and handed them over: "Take this. Tomorrow, buy some valuable gifts. We'll come to propose marriage after we get off work!"

"Okay, okay!" Jia Zhangshi grabbed the money and agreed repeatedly, but she was secretly thinking about something else. Old Jia always controlled the money, and she had been wanting to save some money for herself for a long time. She would buy gifts tomorrow and try to squeeze some money out of them!

As dawn broke and before the first rooster crowed, Jia Zhangshi jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

She put on the faded blue cotton jacket in the dark, reached under her pillow, and found the brand-new 100-yuan note that Old Jia had given her the night before.

Clutching the bill between her fingers, Jia Zhangshi's mouth stretched almost to her ears in a wide grin. She thought to herself with glee, "Old Jia's been really generous this time, 100 yuan! After we get things done, the rest will all be my secret stash!"

With her money tucked away and a coarse cloth basket tucked under her arm, she hurried briskly toward the pigeon market. The pigeon market was already bustling with activity, with vendors carrying loads, setting up stalls, and hawking their wares. The air was filled with the lively sounds of people, and the fresh scent of various fruits and vegetables mingled with the earthy smell. Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened – not from greed, but from figuring out how to spend the least amount of money to do something in the most respectable way.

She wandered around for a while before finally stopping in front of a fruit stand. The stall owner was a wrinkled middle-aged woman, and in front of her were two baskets of bright red apples and golden pears, which looked very tempting.

"Big sister, how much are your pears and apples?" Jia Zhangshi leaned forward, her voice not too low, wanting to ask the price but also afraid that the people next to her would hear her little scheme.

The middle-aged woman at the stall, fiddling with the weights on her scales, replied without looking up, "Young lady, don't you know what the market is like right now! Fruit is expensive. Big apples are 50 cents a pound, small ones are cheaper, 20 cents a pound. Pears are the same price as apples, big and small, all according to price."

Five cents? Two cents?

Jia Zhangshi's mind raced with calculations. Her eyes lit up, and an idea immediately popped into her head: "If I buy fewer large ones and more small ones, and then tell Old Jia they're all large fruits at five cents a pound, wouldn't that allow me to secretly save some money?"

She quickly calculated in her mind: Buy one pound of large apples and two pounds of small pears, so the large ones would total two pounds and the small ones four pounds. The large ones were 50 cents a pound, so two pounds would cost one dollar; the small ones were 20 cents a pound, so four pounds would cost 80 cents, totaling one dollar and eighty cents. But if she went back and said they were all large, six pounds would cost three dollars, allowing her to secretly pocket one dollar and twenty cents in difference!

Thinking of this, Jia Zhangshi's face crinkled into a smile, and she quickly said, "Alright, eldest sister, do as I say! One pound of each of the large ones, two pounds of each of the small ones, and some apples and pears too. Pack them up for me!"

The street vendor was quick and efficient, picking up Jia Zhangshi's basket and stuffing it full. She picked out the reddest and largest apples and placed them on top, while the smaller ones and pears were placed at the bottom, filling the basket to the brim.

"Look, is it enough?" The old woman handed the scale to Jia Zhangshi, the weight was pressed low, it was obvious that she had given her a little more.

Jia Zhangshi didn't care about a little more or less; she only cared about her own savings. She quickly waved her hand and said, "That's enough!" With that, she readily took out one dollar and eighty cents from her pocket, counted it three times to make sure she hadn't given too much, and then handed it to the old lady.

Carrying the heavy load of fruit, Jia Zhangshi was overjoyed and hummed an off-key little tune as she hurried home.

When she reached the gate of the courtyard, she looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, quickly carried the basket into her house. She carefully poured out the fruit and rearranged it—putting all the large ones on top and pressing the small ones down tightly at the bottom, making it look like a full basket of good fruit worth five cents a pound.

After packing up, she didn't dare to delay and hurried to the supply and marketing cooperative with her basket. This supply and marketing cooperative was the most impressive place in the city, with shelves stocked with tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, pastries, and fabrics. However, the salespeople inside were always arrogant, and most people had to put on a smiling face for them.

As soon as Jia Zhangshi lifted the curtain and went inside, she saw a young woman in blue overalls sitting behind the counter, legs crossed, drinking tea from an enamel mug in one hand and sunflower seeds in the other, eating them with relish, spitting the shells all over the floor.

Hearing the door open, the girl didn't even lift her eyelids, continuing to drink her tea and eat melon seeds as if nothing had happened, not even bothering to say hello.

Jia Zhangshi was seething with anger, but what could she do when the other party was from the supply and marketing cooperative and had access to scarce goods? She could only suppress her anger, force a fawning smile, and say politely, "Comrade, hello, I would like to buy two boxes of pastries."

The salesman slowly spat out the sunflower seed shells from his mouth, and without looking up, uttered a few words: "Broken ones are six cents a box, unbroken ones are one dollar a box. Which do you want?"

Broken pieces are cheap, four cents cheaper; unbroken pieces are more presentable. Jia Zhangshi's stinginess kicked in again. She rubbed her hands together and tentatively said, "Comrade, how about this? Two boxes of pastries, the top layer all unbroken, the bottom filled with broken ones. I'll give you eight cents a box, two boxes for one dollar and sixty cents. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the salesperson finally looked up and sized up Jia Zhangshi – she was dressed plainly, her basket was old, and she looked like someone who wanted to appear respectable but was reluctant to spend money.

She chuckled, said nothing more, and quickly picked up two pastry boxes, stuffing them with pastries.

The top was covered with a whole layer of peach shortbread and jujube paste cake, and the bottom was stuffed with crumbly pastries, packed tightly, making it look like a box full of delicious pastries.

"Alright, all packed." The salesperson tossed the box onto the counter and said irritably, "If you don't have money, don't pretend to be something you're not. What's the point of trying to impress others? Hurry up and pay, don't keep me from having my tea."

These words pierced Jia Zhangshi's heart like needles. She was furious, her chest heaving with anger. But then she thought, the pastries were already packed; it wouldn't be worth it to make things worse now. She gritted her teeth, suppressing her anger, and said, "Comrade, don't rush, I haven't finished buying yet! Give me two more bottles of baijiu and two jin of brown sugar. How much is that?"

Upon hearing this, the salesperson immediately became impatient, glaring at Jia Zhangshi with a sharp and sarcastic tone: "Why can't you just say it all at once? Stopping and babbling like an old woman urinating, wasting time! Where were you all this time?"

"Old woman urinating"? That's such a mean thing to say!

Jia Zhangshi was trembling with anger, cursing the salesman's ancestors to the eighteenth generation in her heart, but she still had to put on a submissive appearance and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, comrade is right, I didn't think it through, I will definitely make it clear next time!"

She was thinking to herself: Wait till I pay, then I'll see how I curse you out!

Seeing that she had given in, the salesperson didn't waste any more words. He turned around, took two bottles of liquor from the shelf, wrapped two jin (1 kg) of brown sugar in kraft paper, put them on the counter, and then quickly calculated with an abacus: "The pastries are 1.6 yuan, the liquor is 1.2 yuan a bottle, two bottles are 2.4 yuan, the brown sugar is 0.8 yuan a jin, two jin are 1.6 yuan, that's 5.6 yuan in total! Pay up!"

Madam Jia quickly took out her money, counted out five dollars and sixty cents, and handed it over, her eyes fixed on the items on the counter, afraid that she might have given something missing.

The salesperson took the money, casually stuffed it into the drawer, and didn't even count it.

Jia Zhangshi picked up the basket containing pastries, liquor, and brown sugar, and after confirming that everything was there, she could no longer suppress her anger.

As soon as she stepped out of the supply and marketing cooperative, she turned around and yelled at the salesperson inside, "What are you pretending for! You're just a salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative, what's with the attitude! You're a dead childless wretch! You'll never have a child in your life, you'll be childless forever!"

After she finished yelling, she was afraid the other person would chase after her, so she took off running faster than if she were being chased by a dog.

The salespeople at the supply and marketing cooperative were furious when they heard this!

She's only eighteen years old, a virgin in her prime, and quite pretty. Everyone treats her with utmost respect and deference. How dare this old hag call her "childless" and "unable to bear children"? This is an utter disgrace!

"You old hag! How dare you insult me?" The saleswoman was so angry that her face turned red. She jumped up from her chair, grabbed the abacus from the counter, and chased after him.

But when she rushed out of the supply and marketing cooperative, the streets were bustling with people, and there was no sign of Jia Zhangshi. Jia Zhangshi had long since disappeared down the alley.

The salesman stood on the street, trembling with anger, and smashed the abacus in his hand to the ground with a "crack," shattering it into several pieces.

With her hands on her hips, she cursed in the direction Jia Zhangshi had run off in: "You damned old hag! May you get hit by a car or choke to death while eating! If I ever see you again, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Pedestrians on the street were drawn to the commotion, gathering around to watch and point. Seeing this, the salesman felt even more ashamed, his face turning bright red. He stomped his foot, picked up the broken abacus from the ground, and stormed back to the supply and marketing cooperative, slamming the door shut with a deafening roar.

Meanwhile, Jia Zhangshi ran all the way before daring to stop and catch her breath. Leaning against the wall, she laughed between breaths, feeling incredibly relieved: "Serves you right for being so arrogant! Serves you right for insulting me! You still got a thorough dressing-down, you brat! You're still too green to mess with me!"

After laughing enough, she picked up her basket and happily headed home.

The basket was heavy, but Jia Zhangshi didn't feel tired at all. Her heart was filled with the secret joy of making money on her own and the satisfaction of winning the argument.

She was thinking: when she got back, she would tell Lao Jia that all the fruit was big and only 50 cents a pound, the pastries were good stuff at 1 yuan a box, and the liquor and brown sugar were all bought at the highest price. By doing this, she could not only complete her task but also secretly save a lot of money. Just thinking about it made her feel wonderful!

The more she thought about it, the more smug she became. Jia Zhangshi's steps became lighter, and she started humming a little tune. She was completely unaware that her stingy and trouble-prone nature would inevitably lead to big trouble sooner or later.