Siheyuan: He Yuzhu since 1958

Qin Huairu returned home and just closed the door, Jia Dongxu couldn't wait to ask: "How is it?! What did the old lady say?!"

Qin Huairu said, "This old lady is so smart. As soon as I got there, she guessed what we were thinking. She said we should try it for three months. After three months, if we feel it's appropriate, she will ask the people from the street office to come and sign a document. After she leaves, the house will belong to us. If we are not comfortable living there for three months, then we can just break up." Then she asked, "Dongxu, it's easy for us to talk about it. What if we find out about this and come back to make trouble?!"

After Qin Huairu's reminder, Jia Dongxu came back to his senses instantly. Jia Dongxu said: "Don't worry about mom, she will not be back for a few years. If she makes a fuss, just send her back to her hometown. At most, give her more money every month." Speaking of his hometown, Jia Dongxu hated Jia Zhangshi again. Originally, after Qin Huairu married him, Jia Dongxu planned to move Qin Huairu's household registration from the countryside. But Jia Zhangshi refused to move Qin Huairu's household registration for the sake of two mu of land for each person. Now, the land for each person is gone. He can't support a whole family with his quota alone, and he has to go to the pigeon market to buy expensive grain every month. In the past, there was a subsidy from Yi Zhonghai, and his salary was high, so it was okay to eat some expensive grain. Now Yi Zhonghai's subsidy is gone, and his salary has also dropped. Thinking about it, Jia Dongxu wanted to say: "Baby is so sad!"

Jia Dongxu warned: "Your belly is getting bigger now, so be careful."

"I understand. Don't worry! I know what I'm doing." After saying that, Qin Huairu helped Jia Dongxu wash his feet and let him go to sleep first. Then, after she fixed the sticks, she took the pot and went out to wash it. Then, she simply washed herself and walked to Jia Dongxu's side and lay down.

Just after midnight, He Yuzhu got up from the bed, put on her makeup, walked to the window, opened the curtains, and looked out. Suddenly, she saw a figure coming out of the backyard. Upon closer inspection, the figure was none other than Liu Haizhong.

He Yuzhu muttered in his heart: "Liu Haizhong, it's so late. Where are you going dressed like this?!" After hesitating for a few seconds, He Yuzhu carefully went out the door and quietly followed Liu Haizhong to the front yard. Soon Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui met up. Then he heard Liu Haizhong ask: "Old Yan, can you really buy food in Pigeon City?!"

Yan Bugui replied, "It's hard to say now. Ever since the announcement of the reduction in rations on Monday, the price of grain in Pigeon City has been driven up to an extremely high level. Two days ago, the price of coarse grains has risen to 15 cents per pound, and the price of fine grains has risen to 50 cents. It is estimated that the price of grain will continue to rise. As for how much it will rise, I don't know!"

"Then why are you still standing there? Hurry up! Let's go explore the way first." Liu Haizhong urged Yan Bugui to go out.

As soon as Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui walked out, He Yuzhu followed them out. Because He Yuzhu had a bicycle, and he was more familiar with the road than Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong, He Yuzhu soon walked ahead of them. However, the Pigeon City that He Yuzhu went to was not the same Pigeon City that they went to. He Yuzhu had a bicycle and could go a little further.

Arriving not far from the Pigeon Market, He Yuzhu pushed the car into the alley. After putting the car into the space, he took out the backpack and walked towards the Pigeon Market with the backpack on his back.

When he reached the entrance of the Pigeon Market, He Yuzhu was stopped by someone who was watching the Pigeon Market and asked, "Buy or sell?!"

He Yuzhu replied: "Sell!"

The person watching the pigeon market glanced at the basket behind He Yuzhu and said, "Two cents."

He Yuzhu didn't say much, he took out two dimes from his pocket and handed it to the pigeon watcher. The pigeon watcher took the money and made way.

After He Yuzhu left, the sentry hiding behind the tree came out and said, "Da Biao, the person who just came in is a frequent visitor to our Pigeon City. I saw him selling meat in there last time."

Da Biao laughed and said, "Sixth son, no matter if he is a regular customer or a new customer, Master Thirteen has long said that in our business, we just need to do what we should do. If we want to have a long-term business, we should not do anything that is unscrupulous."

He Yuzhu didn't expect that he was discovered even though he had disguised himself so well. He also didn't expect that he almost encountered another case of thieves robbing each other. But even if He Yuzhu knew, he would just laugh it off. If someone wanted to give him money, why would he stop them? !

He Yuzhu entered the pigeon market and habitually found a spot close to the entrance of the alley. After putting down the backpack, He Yuzhu took out a piece of meat.

Not long after, someone came up to ask for the price. He Yuzhu had already learned the price at the pigeon market before, so he didn't waste any time and said directly: "Stamps, 2.5 yuan per pound. No stamps, 3.5 yuan."

"Can it be cheaper?!"

He Yuzhu shook his head. The person asking the price sighed and said, "I don't have a ticket. Give me two kilograms!"

He Yuzhu took the seven yuan and handed over a two-pound piece of meat. As one person left, another soon took over. In just half an hour, all the three hundred pounds of meat that He Yuzhu prepared were sold out, and he basically didn't receive any tickets. After selling the meat, He Yuzhu carried the empty basket and walked around the pigeon market. Many people were asking about the price of grain, and only a few people were selling grain, and most of them were coarse grains. Judging from the quality, most of them were old grains.

After walking around for a while, He Yuzhu found a ticket scalper and spent a dozen yuan to buy all the cigarette tickets, wine tickets and national grain tickets he had.

When He Yuzhu walked into the alley, he saw Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong walking in front of him with their heads down. He Yuzhu rolled his eyes, put away his bicycle, followed them, and patted the two from behind.

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui both shuddered at the same time. Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui looked at each other. They seemed to be communicating with their eyes: "Did you run into something dirty?! How about turning back to take a look together?1"

He Yuzhu understood what the two were thinking and asked, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, where are you two going so late?!"

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui patted their chests at the same time. Liu Haizhong said, "He Yuzhu, where did you come from? You scared me and your uncle!"

He Yuzhu replied: "Wherever you go, I will go there."

Liu Haizhong immediately became interested and asked, "Zhu Zi, what are you doing in Pigeon City?!"

He Yuzhu replied: "What else can we do there?!"

Yan Bugui narrowed his small eyes, looked at He Yuzhu thoughtfully, and said, "Zhuzi, they say that even in a famine a cook will never starve to death. Are you going to the Pigeon Market to buy food too?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Who would complain about having too much food at home?! Look, the ration has been reduced. It's okay for me to eat less, but Yu Shui is growing. She can't eat less."

Yan Bugui then asked: "Zhu Zi, don't you have a way to buy food?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "I'm just a cook, what connections can I have? If you want to get some tickets, I can still find a way. As for the rest, I have no idea. In a few days, I plan to learn from Uncle San and try to catch some fish. If that doesn't work, I'll go to the mountains to see if I can get anything. Uncle San, I heard that people in the countryside don't farm anymore."

Liu Haizhong asked: "If they don't farm, what do they do?!"

He Yuzhu replied: "What else can I do?! Make iron!"

"Iron smelting?!" Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui shouted at the same time, and immediately felt bad. The countryside no longer farms but turns into an iron factory. How can this be?! What will they eat in the future?! Thinking of the soaring food prices, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui's faces turned pale.

He Yuzhu didn't know what Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui were thinking. Anyway, he went home, took a shower, and went straight to bed.