“Hey, you guys, tell me, why doesn't Yi Zhong Hai adopt a child, even though he's childless? How can this be? If he adopts a child and raises them, they'd be closer to him than his apprentice, Jia Dong Xu!”
“From what I see, he's just relying on his being a level 7 machinist, and he has other plans. He wants to remarry and have a child of his own. Otherwise, why wouldn't he adopt that adorable Shen Yuan Chao?”
“I think you're right, otherwise, it doesn't make sense!”
For the first time, Yi Zhong Hai felt the sting of being talked about behind his back. He stormed back to the middle courtyard with a black face, and saw Yi Da Ma making steamed bread.
“What are you making so many steamed breads for?”
Yi Da Ma: “My health isn't good, and I can't go see the old lady every day. I was thinking of making enough for her to have several days' worth of meals. If she wants to eat them, she can just heat them up.”
Yi Da Ma had obviously heard the gossip outside too. And thinking back to how Yi Zhong Hai had resolutely refused to adopt Shen Yuan Chao, she also suspected that he was thinking she was a burden and wanted to divorce her to marry someone who could have children.
If that was the case, Yi Da Ma couldn't just keep focusing her attention on Yi Zhong Hai and the old lady like before.
Yi Da Ma decided to follow Liu Hui Zhen's example and take on odd jobs at the neighborhood committee.
In 1952, the New National Capital City's Overseas Students Intermediate Supplementary School opened. The adjustment of the departments at higher education institutions was basically complete, and the Municipal Education Bureau began taking over the city's various private primary and secondary schools.
A large amount of educational supplies were needed, and a lot of jobs like making pasteboard boxes, sewing and mending, and all kinds of small odd jobs were assigned to Nan Luo Gu Xiang.
These odd jobs could earn about a few thousand to ten thousand yuan a day, which translates to a few dimes to a dollar in the second set of renminbi.
It wasn't much money, but if Yi Da Ma tightened her belt, even if she got a divorce, she could still make a living on her own.
So, from now on, she would make sure the old lady had two meals a day, and that was enough. As for doing laundry, she would do it when she had time, and the old lady had her own ways of handling things when she didn't.
Besides, the neighborhood committee had assigned Yi Zhong Hai to take care of the old lady. The good reputation went to Yi Zhong Hai, but the actual work was done by Yi Da Ma.
Now Yi Da Ma had come to understand that taking care of the old lady wasn't just her responsibility, but also Yi Zhong Hai's.
Seeing Yi Da Ma's negative attitude, Yi Zhong Hai’s face turned ugly. “Sun Xiu Ju, what do you mean by that?”
Yi Da Ma: “Lao Yi, we've been husband and wife for so long. If you want to divorce and remarry, just say it. I won't make things difficult for you. I know I've held you back from having children. I'm willing to step aside!
Don’t just keep beating around the bush and arguing here.”
“You... “
Yi Zhong Hai’s eyes widened in shock. He was almost speechless. It was clearly Yi Da Ma’s fault for not taking good care of the old lady, and for not being nice to him.
She was making a fuss about adopting Shen Yuan Chao. How could she make it seem like he was the one in the wrong?
Yi Zhong Hai had never felt so humiliated before.
Yi Da Ma kept her face cold and continued making the meal.
At this moment, Liu Hui Zhen walked into the front courtyard, only to be stopped by Yan Bu Gui and his wife.
“Oh, Hui Zhen, you brought another lunchbox? You're even better than the chef in our courtyard, Sha Zhu!
Liu Hui Zhen clutched her lunchbox: “This is for the kids. Third Uncle, Third Aunt, I'm going home now.”
Yang Rui Hua: “Hey, Hui Zhen, Director Wang said he would get a household registration for you and your family. Have you gotten it yet?”
Liu Hui Zhen: “Yes, I got the household registration booklet. We’re all Capital City residents now!”
Yang Rui Hua saw that Liu Hui Zhen didn't show her the lunchbox and said viciously: “Humph, you no longer have your rural ration. I'll see how you survive in this courtyard!”
Liu Hui Zhen didn’t bother chatting more. She was in a hurry to go home and see her children.
Yang Rui Hua: “Old Yan, this Liu Hui Zhen is really asking for trouble. Once she loses her rural ration, and the relief station no longer needs so many people, her family will be in dire straits!”
Yan Bu Gui: “Of course, we'll definitely lower the price when the time comes and buy that house. Then we’ll retire to the west wing, plant some flowers and vegetables, and save a lot of money!”
Unaware of Yan Bu Gui and his wife’s scheming, Liu Hui Zhen hurried to the middle courtyard of the quadrangle, still carrying the lunchbox with the rice porridge.
Jia Zhang Shi’s eyes were bloodshot with jealousy. “Bah! You heartless lot, you only know how to help that widow Liu. You don’t know how to help me, an old lady, and my family of orphans and widows. How pitiful we are!”
Qin Huairu looked at the lunchbox, her eyes filled with envy!
At this moment, Sha Zhu walked in with two lunchboxes. These past few days, Sha Zhu had been riding high!
He had gained Yang Factory Manager's favor and not only became the head chef of the steel mill but also became a team leader. Yang Factory Manager had also promised that Sha Zhu could take home any leftover food from the special meals he cooked.
Today, Sha Zhu brought two lunchboxes of leftovers.
Qin Huairu’s eyes widened at the sight of the leftovers.
Jia Zhang Shi, who was mending shoes, coughed loudly: “Ahem…”
Qin Huairu immediately came to her senses and lowered her head to do laundry.
Because Jia’s daughter-in-law was really beautiful, men in the courtyard, including Sha Zhu, Xu Da Mao, Yan Jie Cheng, and the Liu brothers, all had their eyes on her.
If Jia Zhang Shi wasn’t always watching over her, Xu Da Mao would have probably harassed her several times!
In the original story, Qin Huairu always felt that Jia Zhang Shi was a mountain weighing down on her, but she didn’t realize that without Jia Zhang Shi, she wouldn't have been able to build such a good reputation for herself!
Sha Zhu: “Hey, Qin Jie, doing laundry? Is that Bang Geng’s? Hey, the little guy is getting stronger! Can he roll over yet?”
Qin Huairu: “He can’t yet. Between three and six months old, it’s good if they can roll over.”
Sha Zhu thought to himself, something wasn’t right. He’d heard He Yu Shui say that Yuan Chao could roll over a long time ago. Damn, no matter how you looked at it, Shen Yuan Chao was just smarter than Bang Geng!
Jia Zhang Shi: “Sha Zhu, you, a chef, always carrying lunchboxes. Where did that widow Liu get hers? Did you teach her how to cook?”
Sha Zhu: “No, she’s working at the relief station, helping the head chef. The head chef felt sorry for her and gave her some food, and it’s not anything good.
The last time it was pork and noodles in a stew!”
Qin Huairu felt uncomfortable upon hearing this. After marrying into the Jia family, she was always at the bottom of the food chain!
Whenever there was good food at home, Jia Zhang Shi and Jia Dong Xu would eat first. When the family had pork and noodles in a stew, she was lucky to have a steamed bread and a bit of the broth.
But Liu Hui Zhen, a widow who was in every way inferior to her, could eat pork and noodles in a stew.
Qin Huairu’s vanity was severely damaged.
As a rural woman who had married into the city to a worker-peasant-soldier, she had always been top-notch, whether in the countryside or in the quadrangle.
Why was this Shen Yuan Chao now outshining her in every way?