Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 56 Implementation of Grain Coupons

The day after Yi Zhonghai was imprisoned, the old deaf woman left the courtyard, leaning on her cane. Her bound feet moved slowly, and her jujube wood cane clattered in the alley.

It took her forty minutes to walk from Nanluoguxiang to Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office, a journey that usually takes ten minutes.

Wang Xia was organizing documents in her office when she saw the old lady standing at the door. She quickly stood up, helped her in, and poured her a cup of hot water. "Grandma, why did you come alone? You could have just sent someone to tell me if you needed anything."

The old deaf man, leaning on his cane, gasped for breath. "Little Wang, Zhonghai's been arrested. I'm all alone now, and with my bound feet, it's difficult for me to go in and out. There's no one to take care of me; I really can't go on."

Wang Xia sat down next to her and said softly, "Please speak slowly."

The old deaf man looked up at Wang Xia. "I still have some things, enough for my retirement. That house in Zhonghai, isn't it managed by the neighborhood committee? Arrange for someone to live there and take care of my daily life. Buy groceries, cook, do laundry, and I'll give her a monthly wage. Do you know anyone suitable?"

Wang Xia remained silent for a while. The old lady had helped Deputy District Chief Zhou back then, and the former leader had always remembered that favor.

"Grandma, I've noted this down. Don't worry, I'll find someone for you in the next couple of days."

Two days later, the seal on the room in the east wing of the central courtyard was lifted. Wang Xia led a woman in her early thirties into the courtyard. She had a round face, wore a blue cloth jacket and black cloth trousers, and carried an old rattan trunk.

Old Sun from the neighborhood office followed behind, introducing the new resident to the people in the courtyard. Her surname was Wu, and her name was Wu Guilan. She would be living in this room from now on.

Madam Jia peeked out from the west wing, looking Wu Guilan up and down while cursing under her breath.

Wu Guilan nodded to the people in the courtyard, then carried her suitcase into the east wing.

Tian Xinghua took her child to visit someone.

When Lao Li came home from get off work in the evening, Tian Xinghua told him about it.

He ran to the next courtyard and told He Yuzhu, "Zhuzi, a woman in her early thirties, surnamed Wu, moved into Yi Zhonghai's room. The neighborhood committee arranged for her to sweep the streets and also take care of the old deaf man in the backyard. She does all the laundry, cooking, and grocery shopping."

He Yuzhu leaned back in his armchair, holding a teacup. "Where would the old deaf man get the money to hire someone to take care of him?"

"She said it was her own personal savings. My wife chatted with her for an afternoon and said that the old deaf man gave her five yuan a month for her work, with extra for buying groceries."

He Yuzhu didn't speak, but he made a mental note of it. That night, he climbed over the outer wall of the courtyard and went around to the alley outside the backyard. His spatial perception spread out, and the old deaf man's back room was entirely within his perception range. The old deaf man was already asleep, his snoring intermittent.

There was a hole under the floor tiles at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), and inside were hidden more than a hundred yuan, some in small change and some in larger bills. The old deaf man hadn't had any income in recent years, so it seemed that this old fox had a hidden stash of money outside, which he had taken.

The next day, He Yuzhu didn't go out. He brewed a pot of tea and sat in the courtyard, his spatial awareness constantly focused on the passageway. Around noon, the old deaf man, leaning on his cane, walked through the passageway and headed outside.

He Yuzhu put down his teacup and walked around the main gate of the courtyard, following her from a distance of thirty meters. The old deaf man walked through two alleys and turned into a narrow alley. He Yuzhu followed him to the alley entrance, his spatial sense guiding him into the small courtyard.

The courtyard wall was intact, but most of the main house in the courtyard had collapsed, with broken tiles piled on the ground and grass growing from the cracks in the wall.

The old deaf woman walked to the corner of the main room and squatted down. She used her cane to pry open a blue brick. Behind the brick was a dark hole. She put her cane on the ground and reached in. She didn't find anything.

She was almost sprawled on the ground, her hands scrambling through the hole, only to find her hands covered in mud. She brought her face close to the opening; it was empty, completely bare. The cloth bag was gone, the gold bars were all gone.

The old deaf man knelt on the pile of broken bricks, his hand still outstretched into the hole in the wall. His lips trembled, and his whole body seemed to have its bones removed, slowly collapsing and slumping onto the broken bricks.

He Yuzhu withdrew his senses at the alley entrance, turned around, and walked away, humming a little tune as he walked briskly.

The old deaf woman lay on the broken bricks for a while before waking up. She knelt on the ground again and felt around in the hole in the wall. She sat on the ground, tears streaming silently down her face, dripping onto her coat.

That was her life savings, meant for an emergency. Now it's all gone.

She sat on the ground for a long time, then stood up with the help of her cane and slowly moved out of the yard. As she closed the door, she glanced at the half-collapsed main house, the grass in the corner swaying in the wind.

He locked the door, then, leaning on his cane, headed towards the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office. This time, he walked even slower; his feet ached, but his heart ached even more.

When Wang Xia saw her, she quickly helped her into the office and sat her down. The old deaf woman's face was pale, and her hand trembled on the end of her cane. "Xiao Wang, make a call to Deputy District Chief Zhou."

Wang Xia picked up the phone on the table and shook it, connecting to Deputy District Head Zhou's office. She handed the receiver to the old lady.

"Old Zhou, I can't go on living like this."

On the other end of the phone, Deputy District Chief Zhou's heart tightened. "Grandma, please speak slowly."

"Zhonghai is in jail. I asked Xiao Wang to find someone to take care of me, but my money was stolen. This is the third time. It was stolen silently, and the police station can't find out anything. Can you think of a way to help me?" Her voice trembled violently, barely managing to hold back her breakdown.

Deputy District Chief Zhou was silent for a moment. "Madam, things are very tense right now. You know that if you try to get special treatment at this time, it'll be troublesome if someone reports you. Here's what we'll do: I'll personally give you fifteen yuan a month, enough for your food, drinks, and entertaining. I'll give the money to Wang Xia, and she'll deliver it to you every month. That's all for now, we'll see how things go later."

The old deaf man gripped the receiver, his lips trembling for a long time. "When you were in trouble back then, who hid you for three days and three nights? Now that the old lady can't go on living, you're just feeding beggars."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Deputy District Chief Zhou spoke, his voice lowered. "Grandma, I'm only asking because I remember your kindness. The fifteen yuan is from my personal salary, not through the official account. We really can't make exceptions now."

"Alright, Lao Zhou, I've got it."

The deaf old woman put down the receiver, leaned on her cane, and stood up. Wang Xia offered to help her, but she waved her hand and slowly walked out of the office. Her back was hunched, and her gray cloth jacket swayed in the wind.

October arrived in the blink of an eye, and Beijing officially implemented a grain rationing system, bringing with it grain coupons. Notices were posted at the entrances of alleys, and the neighborhood committees went door-to-door to inform residents that each person had a fixed amount of coarse and fine grains per month, and that buying grain required not only money but also grain coupons.

People in the courtyard gathered in the front yard to discuss the matter. Yang Ruihua was calculating whether the rations for her family of five would be enough, while Wang Caifeng asked if the lost food coupons could be replaced.

Standing in the crowd, Jia Zhangshi spoke the loudest. "Rationing is rationing, it won't make my Jia family go hungry. My family sends grain every year, cornmeal, wheat flour, sack after sack. Huai Ru's brothers also send grain. My Jia family is the least lacking in grain in the courtyard!"

Several women looked at her with envy. Jia Zhangshi patted her clothes proudly, turned around and went back to the west wing. Qin Huairu followed behind her, a smile on her face as well.

He Yuzhu leaned against the door of the front courtyard and heard Jia Zhangshi's words. He smiled and returned to the side courtyard. He sat on the armchair and brewed a pot of tea. Thinking of Jia Zhangshi's smugness, he laughed again.

In 1958, the People's Commune was established. Every household had to hand over their grain to the collective; those who did not participate in labor production would not receive grain.

Only Jia Dongxu in the Jia family has a fixed allowance. When Xiao Dang is born in 59, there will be five mouths to feed. You'll have your day then.