The entire courtyard is full of villains

Chapter 78 What do you want to do?

"Qin Huairu, apprentice, salary 18.5 yuan! She has been working in the factory for less than a year, so she gets a holiday bonus of 5 yuan, totaling 23.5 yuan!" Before the words were even finished, the pay slip and money were handed out through the window.

Qin Huairu hurriedly took the money, clutching two ten-yuan bills, three one-yuan bills, and one fifty-cent bill in her hand. This was money she had earned with her own hands, and a warm feeling welled up inside her. Just then, the accountant behind her impatiently called out, "Next!"

Yi Zhonghai hurried forward. He had taken too many days off this month, and in the end, he only received twenty-six yuan and thirty cents. Adding the twenty yuan holiday bonus he earned for twelve years of service, he only had forty-six yuan and thirty cents in total. He sighed as he looked at his payslip. If he had perfect attendance, he should have been more comfortable this holiday. Unlike Qin Huairu, he didn't stand there in a daze. He thanked her and left.

Outside, Guo Da Piezi saw them come out and immediately called out, "Those from Workshop 3, gather here! Everyone's here, let's go to the canteen together!"

Before long, the people from Workshop 3 had all gathered and, led by Guo Da Piezi, headed in a grand procession toward the canteen.

The canteen was already bustling with activity. Several canteen cooks had been transferred over, and the pork brought in by the logistics department was laid out on the counter for them to cut. Secretary Su personally supervised the process with the security personnel, making sure nothing went wrong. Meanwhile, Liu Lan and several other female workers were busy counting out twelve loose milk candies per group and carefully packing them into paper bags provided by the factory.

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu were queuing up when they reached the meat counter that Sha Zhu was in charge of. Yi Zhonghai noticed that Sha Zhu was working hard and sweating profusely, so he quietly pulled Qin Huairu and joined the queue behind him.

After finally getting rid of everyone in front of him, Yi Zhonghai stepped forward, lowered his voice, and chuckled, "Zhu Zi, didn't you keep saying you wouldn't get anything this year?"

Sha Zhu wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking helpless. "Uncle, how would I know? I was conscripted as soon as I arrived this morning." With that, he deftly picked out a piece of fatty meat and threw it onto the scale. "Here's a fatty one for you, it'll smell good!" The scale stopped steadily at half a jin. There were security guards watching nearby, so no one dared to cheat on the weight, but picking out some fatty meat for acquaintances was an unspoken rule.

Yi Zhonghai looked at the fat piece of meat, nodded in satisfaction, and then winked at Qin Huairu behind him.

"Zhu Zi, what about your Sister Qin?"

"Don't worry, sir, I understand!"

Sure enough, when it was Qin Huairu's turn, the meat that Sha Zhu had handled was even fatter than Yi Zhonghai's.

Seeing the grateful smile on Qin Huairu's face as she accepted the fatty meat, Sha Zhu felt an indescribable surge of pride. The feeling of having a slight advantage, of letting others' hopes fall into his hands, was truly exhilarating. As he cut the meat, he couldn't help but think: It's a pity Zhang Erhe didn't come; otherwise, I'd definitely cut him a clean cut of lean meat, and that would surely make him furious.

Just as they were enjoying themselves, Liu Haizhong arrived with his workshop team. Seeing that the clerk was Sha Zhu, Liu Haizhong's eyes lit up, and he quickly joined his line, warmly greeting him, "Zhu Zi!" As he spoke, he offered Sha Zhu a cigarette, a token of his apprentice's respect.

Sha Zhu had almost never accepted cigarettes from Liu Haizhong before. He glanced at the security officer staring intently at him, swallowed hard, and casually tucked the cigarette behind his ear. Today, Sha Zhu was in a good mood and didn't make things difficult for Liu Haizhong. He swiftly picked out a fat and plump piece for him.

Liu Haizhong, carrying the meat, glanced smugly at the thinner portions in the hands of others, feeling a sense of satisfaction: Look, this is the prestige of our Second Uncle in the courtyard!

Immediately afterwards, several other households in the courtyard also came to collect their meat. Sha Zhu didn't give them any particularly fatty cuts, but they were all decent. When the propaganda department staff arrived, Xu Damao's eyes lit up, and he also joined the queue in front of Sha Zhu.

"Hey Sha Zhu, give me some fatty ones too!"

Sha Zhu glanced up at him, his face expressionless, and with a swift motion, he precisely cut off the thinnest and toughest piece of meat from the table and tossed it in front of Xu Damao with a thud.

Xu Damao's anger flared up the moment he saw it: "You idiot Zhu! You give everyone else fatty cuts, but you give me this stuff? This piece is the leanest one out of this pile of meat! Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?"

Sha Zhu remained calm, slamming the knife down on the cutting board with a "clang." He glanced at the security officer beside him before slowly speaking, "Xu Damao, stop spouting nonsense. The meat is all the same; this piece just happened to be the one you got. How is it that I cheated you?"

"Bullshit! You're just taking revenge!" Xu Damao didn't really care about the fatness or leanness of the meat, but he couldn't swallow this blatant sabotage in front of everyone, so he started arguing with Sha Zhu at the top of his lungs.

Hearing the commotion from a distance, Secretary Su frowned and walked over: "What's going on?"

As soon as Xu Damao saw the leader arrive, he immediately put on a wronged expression: "Secretary Su, please be the judge! This He Yuzhu, just because he had a grudge against me in the hospital, deliberately gave me the thinnest piece of meat! Look at that!"

Secretary Su glanced down at the piece of meat; it was indeed lean. He glared at Sha Zhu, then pointed to the lean piece and calmly said, "Wrap this up for me. I'm getting old, and the doctor advised me to eat less fatty food, so this is perfect." He then turned to Sha Zhu, his tone leaving no room for argument: "You, give this comrade a normal portion again."

Sha Zhu, under Secretary Su's watchful eye, was reluctant and wanted to cut Xu Damao into a lean cut again, but ultimately lacked the courage. He could only grimace and cut Xu Damao into a piece with a good mix of fat and lean meat.

Xu Damao took the meat, his face immediately beaming with smugness. He silently moved his lips, gesturing a few words at Sha Zhu: "So what if you're so awesome?"

Enraged, Sha Zhu slammed the cleaver down on the cutting board, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. The security officer standing nearby immediately stepped forward and demanded sternly, "He Yuzhu! What are you trying to do?"

"I...I...I have a hand cramp!" Sha Zhu had a sudden inspiration and shook his wrist. "I cut too much meat today, so I need to stretch it out!" As he spoke, he glared at Xu Damao: We'll see.

Seeing that the matter had been resolved, Secretary Su picked up his share of lean meat and turned to leave.

"Alright, alright! Everyone in Workshop Three, listen up!" Guo Da Piezi, seeing that everyone had received their wages, meat, flour, and milk candy, raised his voice and shouted, "Everything's here, that's enough for today! This past year, I, Old Guo, have been so grateful for everyone's support, so I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year in advance!" As he spoke, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to everyone, "I hope you all have a safe and peaceful holiday! We'll see you again on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year when we resume work!" After saying that, he waved to signal that everyone could disperse.

Qin Huairu was about to leave with her share of the food when Yi Zhonghai called her back.

"Huai Ru!"

"Master, what's wrong?"

“Huai Ru, this is what I’m thinking,” Yi Zhonghai took a few steps closer, “This year for the Spring Festival, your family, my family, the old lady’s family, and Zhu Zi and his sister, let’s all get together and have a lively festival. What do you think?”

Qin Huairu looked troubled upon hearing this: "Uncle, you know my mother-in-law... she definitely won't be willing to take out these things that were just distributed."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can keep the meat and sugar for yourselves. You just need to contribute some flour and a cabbage. Zhu Zi and I will take care of the rest. Let's get together and have a happy New Year!"

Upon hearing that she wouldn't have to touch the precious meat and sugar, Qin Huairu felt relieved and nodded in agreement: "Okay, Master, I understand."

"That's good." Yi Zhonghai made the final decision. "Come over early on the 30th!"

Chapter 79 Taking Advantage

Yan Bugui was waiting at the gate of the compound early this morning. He knew exactly what was going on—today was the day the steel rolling mill distributed its New Year's goods. For the past few years, he'd been here every year at this time. The steel rolling mill's benefits were among the best in the area, and he'd often taken advantage of this opportunity to make a little extra money. This year was no exception; he was already waiting early.

Sure enough, around noon, the first boy from the Jiang family in the backyard, Shuanzi, came back carrying some things.

"Shuanzi, you're back early today?" Yan Bugui greeted him with a smile.

Upon seeing him, Shuanzi instinctively hid what he was holding behind his back: "Teacher Yan..."

"Hey, the steel rolling mill distributed supplies today, right?" Yan Bugui stepped closer, giving a thumbs up. "You really have to be from your steel rolling mill! Come on, let me see what good stuff you distributed!"

"No, no, no, it's nothing..." Shuanzi hurriedly backed away, "It's just... just some flour and candy..."

"Really? I don't believe it." Yan Bugui shook his head. "With a factory this big, how could you not give out some meat?"

“The meat is cooked through, but…” Before Shuanzi could finish speaking, Yan Bugui’s hand had already deftly slipped into his cloth pocket. His fingertips touched something greasy, and he was secretly delighted.

"Wow!" He pulled his hand away and exclaimed, "Such good meat! It must weigh almost a pound!"

"Just half a jin! Teacher Yan!" Shuanzi snatched the meat back. "I think I heard my mom calling me, I'm going back now!" He then ran into the backyard without looking back.

Yan Bugui didn't even have time to chase after her; he quickly called into the house, "Ruihua! Ruihua! Quick, bring a basin of water! Use the big basin you use for cooking vegetables!"

Hearing the commotion, Yang Ruihua came out. Although she didn't understand what was going on, she quickly did as she was told. Yan Bugui couldn't wait to put his hands into the basin and scrub them. A slick of oil immediately spread across the surface of the water.

"Old Yan, what's wrong with you...?"

“Shuanzi from the backyard just came back. The steel mill gave everyone half a pound of meat this year! And a lot of flour too!” Yan Bugui said with a sigh as he carefully rubbed his fingers. “It has to be a big factory… Our school doesn’t have this kind of benefit.”

Just then, footsteps sounded again from the alley entrance. Yan Bugui hurriedly ordered, "Take the basin inside, let me use a few more hands—if I save enough, I'll have enough oil for cooking this year!"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Yang Ruihua understood immediately and quickly carried the basin into the house. This couple, sleeping in the same bed, couldn't possibly be two different kinds of people; they'd long since become exactly the same.

Next, Yan Bugui successfully intercepted several more workers returning from the steel rolling mill, his hands gleaming with oil. He had just entered the house and washed his hands when he turned around and bumped into Liu Haizhong carrying a bag as he walked in.

"Old Liu! I heard your factory gave out meat today?" He greeted him warmly. "Everyone else got half a jin, so a veteran like you must have gotten two jin, right?"

"No, no," Liu Haizhong said modestly, but his face was full of smiles. "They're all the same, just half a jin." He held up the bag in his hand as he spoke.

Yan Bugui reached in and touched it, exclaiming, "Oh, Lao Liu, this piece of meat is exceptionally fatty!" As he spoke, he squeezed it a few times, and his hand was immediately covered in oil.

Liu Haizhong looked on with heartache: "Old Yan, what's wrong with you...?"

"Tsk tsk, look at this fat!" Yan Bugui continued to flatter, "No wonder he's a senior craftsman! Of all those people who passed by, whose meat could compare to yours?"

Although Liu Haizhong felt a pang of regret, he couldn't help but feel a little relieved upon hearing these words.

"Old Liu!" Yan Bugui saw Liu Haizhong grinning from ear to ear and quickly stepped closer. "Old Liu, you know, I'm the only one in my family working at the school, and I don't earn much. This year, my ration has been reduced again. It's almost Chinese New Year, and all your nephews and nieces are still hungry... How about some of your meat..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Haizhong snatched the meat back. "Old Yan, why does it sound like Guangtian is laughing to me? This kid did terribly on the exam this year! No way... It's almost New Year's Eve, I can't hit the kid... But I have to go back and have a good talk with him! He dares to complain with such a low score!" With that, he turned and walked quickly into the yard without looking back.

"Old Liu! Old Liu!" Yan Bugui chased after him for two steps, but Liu Haizhong seemed to have suddenly gone deaf and couldn't hear anything, so he ran away very fast.

"Damn it, we were just one step away!" Yan Bugui stomped his foot in anger.

He was about to go inside to wash his hands when he looked up and saw Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu enter the yard one after the other.

"Hey, Lao Yi, Huai Ru, you're back?" Yan Bugui quickly went to greet them.

Yi Zhonghai had long since figured out his tactics, and calmly put his hands behind his back. Seeing this, Yan Bugui immediately reached for Qin Huairu's cloth bag.

To everyone's surprise, Qin Huairu reacted quickly, grabbing the bag and clutching it tightly to her chest. Yan Bugui's hand froze in mid-air—any further forward would be inappropriate, so he had no choice but to awkwardly withdraw his hand.

"Old Yi, Huai Ru, did you get your meat today too?"

“I’ve got it, Lao Yan,” Yi Zhonghai replied. “But I only got half a jin of meat this year. I was thinking of making a braised pork for the old lady, and saving some to make dumplings, but that might not be enough. Have you been to the market these past few days?”

"Of course there is! They go every day!" Yan Bugui slapped his thigh. "Jie Cheng goes to queue up at four o'clock every day, but there are only two bones left at most on the meat stall! I really don't know who buys all the meat in the middle of the night!"

"Oh, let's try again tomorrow. The closer it gets to the end of the year, the less likely anyone will be willing to buy it," Yi Zhonghai said as he quickened his pace inside.

“Third Uncle,” Qin Huairu clutched the bag tightly, “my mother is really thinking about this meat. If it’s gone, she’ll definitely…” Yan Bugui immediately wilted upon hearing Jia Zhangshi’s name—he couldn’t afford to offend that old widow.

"Never mind, never mind." He shook his head and had to think of another way.

Seeing Yan Bugui back down, Qin Huairu quickly ran back to the Intermediate People's Court.

Inside the Jia family's house in the middle courtyard, Xiao Dang, perhaps having eaten his fill that morning, slept soundly and quietly all morning. Around nine o'clock, Bang Geng woke up, ravenously hungry, crying and fussing in bed. Jia Zhangshi, grumbling, got up. The cornbread in the pot was already cold, and she was too lazy to reheat it, so she simply tossed one to Bang Geng. The grandmother and grandson hastily devoured the cornbread with some hot water. Bang Geng wiped his mouth and ran out to play with the other children in the yard, while Jia Zhangshi picked up the old insoles she had made year after year and sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) to busy herself with them.

But after a while, the needle and thread in her hands gradually slowed down, her head drooped little by little, and her eyes closed—she had fallen asleep again.

"Mother?"

Qin Huairu pushed open the door and called out twice, but Jia Zhangshi didn't respond at all. The room was chilly. She went into the inner room and was both angry and amused—Jia Zhangshi was slumped there, like a prostrating Buddha, her head bobbing up and down.

"Mom!" Qin Huairu stepped forward and raised her voice.

Jia Zhangshi was suddenly awakened and almost fell off the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Qin Huairu! What are you doing?!"

"I called you just now, but you didn't answer."

"I heard you! Before I could even reply, you barged in... What's wrong? What happened?"

"Mom, the factory paid out wages today."

"Then give me the retirement money you promised!" Jia Zhangshi perked up immediately upon hearing that she would receive money.

"Here you go." Qin Huairu handed over three yuan. "Mom, the factory gave out some things this year too."

"What did you post?"

"Half a pound of meat, a pound of flour, and twelve milk candies."

"How come there's only this little bit? Last year we got a pound of meat, how come there's only half a pound left this year?"

"Mom, don't you see what kind of year this is... We should be thanking our lucky stars if we get even half a pound of meat. What are you complaining about?"

Chapter 80 Doing bad things will get you beaten

"Oh, right." Seeing that Qin Huairu had stopped complaining, Jia Zhangshi remembered something else. "Mom, my master said that we can spend the New Year at his house this year. His family, the old lady in the backyard, and Sha Zhu and his sister—it'll be a lively gathering of several families."