Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

It was only then that Banggeng realized that Yi Zhonghai's earlier refusal to let him move into the dining room wasn't out of concern for him, but rather a pretext to ask for rent.

The gratitude I had just felt for Yi Zhonghai vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of hatred.

But at this moment, he was under the eaves and had no choice but to bow his head.

Now, only Yi Zhonghai's house might be able to take him in and let him stay there.

If I don't bow my head and suppress that hatred in my heart, and if Yi Zhonghai notices it, even if I'm willing to pay one yuan a month in rent, Yi Zhonghai might not agree to let me live in the Yi family.

At the same time, the idea of ​​getting a house of my own as soon as possible also arose in my mind.

But to buy a house you need money, but to earn money you need a job.

Bang Geng has just been released from prison, and finding a suitable job immediately is easier said than done.

After settling things down for bedtime, Banggeng turned his gaze to Qin Huairu, asking expectantly, "Mom..."

"Can you help me find a job outside?"

“You’ve been working outside for so long, you must know people. It doesn’t matter if the salary is a little lower, just keep doing it for now.”

"I heard that many of our neighbors from the courtyard have become leaders outside. Could you use their connections to find me a job?"

"Oh, right... I also heard that many people in our courtyard work at Dongjun Restaurant, which Wang Dong owns in the front yard. I heard that besides Dongjun Restaurant, Wang Dong also owns several fried chicken shops in Beijing, with several thousand employees in total. Could I work there too...?"

"I don't necessarily want to be the store manager, but I'd be happy to be a supervisor."

After hearing Bang Geng's words, Yi Zhonghai felt a surge of disdain.

Let alone a supervisor, even if Bang Geng wanted to work as a regular employee at Dongjun Restaurant or Fried Chicken Shop, Wang Dong might not be willing to hire him.

But he didn't say those words aloud.

He was still counting on Qin Huairu to support him in his old age. Banggeng was Qin Huairu's lifeline. He could use Banggeng to scheme against Qin Huairu, but he absolutely could not scheme against Banggeng directly. Otherwise, given Qin Huairu's protective nature, she might part ways with him, and he would be the one who suffered in the end.

They quickly shifted their attention to Qin Huairu, wanting to see how she would handle Bang Geng's unreasonable request.

Qin Huairu's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

Her son had just been released from prison, and as a mother, she wanted to fulfill all his requests, but this unreasonable request was simply impossible for her to make.

During the three years Bang Geng was imprisoned, although she was always working outside, she was always washing dishes in the kitchen of restaurants, and the restaurants she worked for were basically small roadside shops with only a few employees.

In this situation, Qin Huairu has no chance to develop connections and relationships.

Moreover, she's almost fifty years old, and the word "middle-aged woman" can already describe her current status. Years of work have left many traces of time on her face, and even her wrinkles are much more numerous than they were a few years ago. She's no longer the beautiful widow that everyone wanted to take a look at more than a decade ago.

Then even fewer people would want to deal with her.

Not to mention helping Bang Geng find a job outside, as he gets older, his speed in washing dishes in the kitchen is getting slower and slower, and his hands and feet are obviously not as nimble as those of young people. If it weren't for his cheap price, he might lose his job one day.

As for the neighbors in the courtyard house.

Because the Jia family had done too many annoying things in the courtyard in the past, and their reputation in the courtyard was not good, almost no one wanted to associate with the Jia family. Even the neighbors living in the middle courtyard were too lazy to say a word to them when they met, let alone use their connections to find Banggeng a job. In their eyes, Banggeng had been to prison and had a bad reputation in the courtyard since childhood. It was already a favor if they didn't avoid him, so they would definitely not agree to go through the trouble of helping Banggeng find a job.

Moreover, many of the neighbors in the courtyard worked at Dongjun Restaurant and Fried Chicken Shop, which were owned by Wang Dong, and were considered his employees.

They all knew that the Jia family had a grudge against Wang Dong and had plotted against him many times, even almost sending this big boss to jail several times.

The phrase "deep-seated hatred" is not an exaggeration to describe the two families' relationship.

In this situation, anyone with a modicum of common sense wouldn't risk offending the big boss, Wang Dong, by helping this ungrateful bastard, Bang Geng.

Under Banggeng's expectant gaze, Qin Huai hesitated for a full two minutes before finally speaking: "Banggeng..."

"How about we change jobs..."

"You know that our Jia family isn't very well-liked in the courtyard."

“If I hadn’t married your father, the Jia family would have been kicked out of the courtyard house after the Zhang family took the house away.”

"Anyway, relying on those neighbors is not as good as finding them yourself..."

“I heard that we have several construction sites starting at the same time, all of which are building large buildings. As long as you are young, you can find a job there, but it can be tough.”

"Why don't you go in and give it a try?"

"If you're lucky, you might not only find a job, but you might also meet a good mentor and learn some skills."

"Let me tell you, those experienced construction workers who know how to build houses are in high demand now. Construction sites all over Beijing are vying for them, and they can earn three or four yuan a day."

"If you can learn some skills, you can earn over a hundred yuan a month, which is much more worthwhile than working as an employee at Dongjun Restaurant or Fried Chicken Shop."

Upon hearing this, Bang Geng also began to hate Qin Huairu.

He thought that after being released from prison, he could find a good job with Qin Huairu's help and continue to live a life of luxury.

After being released from prison, he discovered that what he had imagined was completely different from the reality.

Forget about a good job that could make a lot of money, I almost didn't even have a place to live.

Although Qin Huairu treated him very well and always thought of him first when she got something good, Banggeng still felt that Qin Huairu was a useless mother.

Although you can earn money working on a construction site, everyone knows it's a place where you have to do hard labor, exposed to the wind and sun all day long. It's not as good as working at Dongjun Restaurant or a fried chicken shop.

Not only do you not have to work in the sun, but the salary is also very high, and it's a very respectable job.

So many neighbors from the courtyard house were able to work at Dongjun Restaurant and Fried Chicken Shop, and quite a few even became supervisors and store managers, earning a couple hundred yuan a month.

We're all neighbors in the same courtyard, so why can't I work at Dongjun Restaurant and the fried chicken shop?

As for the prejudice of the neighbors against the Jia family, Bang Geng believes that it was all caused by Qin Huairu.

If she had behaved herself back then and hadn't caused trouble in the courtyard, the Jia family's reputation there certainly wouldn't be so bad, and she would have had the opportunity to work at the Dongjun Restaurant. (End of Chapter)