Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

Compared to her stingy father, the mother is much more reliable.

Aunt Yan grinned and called out, "Your dad already said, would we ever shortchange you two from food?"

Yan Jiedi nodded happily, "Yes, no, no..."

"Mom, we don't need to pay, right?" Yan Jiekuang asked impatiently, and then asked his mother, "Is this for real this time? You won't lie to me again?"

It wasn't that the two didn't believe it, it was just that Old Yan had been stingy for decades.

Who would believe that a stingy person who tries to take advantage of even the smallest thing would suddenly offer to treat you to a meal?

Aunt Yan's face hardened, and she scolded, "Fake, all fake! If you don't want to eat it, fine, I'll save the money!"

"I want to eat, I want to eat." Yan Jiekuang nodded repeatedly, then went over and hugged his mother, trying to please her, "Mom, shall we have meat tonight?"

Aunt Yan glanced at her husband, and seeing him nod, she said, "Okay, I'll cook meat for you two tonight."

Having been back for two days, Yan Jiekuang, who hadn't had a single bite of meat, was truly craving it.

The mere mention of meat makes their cheeks water uncontrollably.

Yan Jiedi's performance wasn't much better; aside from other things, the food she ate in the countryside was truly arduous.

Having something to eat, something hot, something to fill your stomach—that's happiness.

Meat? !

You probably don't know what it means for people to starve to death.

The local customs in the place Yan Jiedi went to were quite good. She herself was a good-natured woman and an intellectual, so she was well taken care of by the local villagers.

When he was in trouble, the villagers gave him all the cornmeal they had.

That's enough for their family's food supply for three months.

Then, the family survived by eating sweet potato seedlings, wild vegetables they dug up, and grass roots.

The child's face turned yellow from eating, but the villagers were all relieved when they talked about it: "It's good that the child survived."

In such an environment, who would have the face to ask a fellow villager, "Is there meat to eat?"

What, did you slaughter the oxen or the chickens that crow and lay eggs, just so you could have something to eat?

In the entire five years, Yan Jiedi only ate meat twice.

The first time was when a girl who went to the countryside with her caught three field mice in the field.

The two of them secretly found a secluded spot and quietly roasted the field mouse.

If the bottom is roasting, the top needs to be fanned to disperse the smoke.

Otherwise, if someone sees you, they'll come and snatch it from you. Everyone needs meat!

That time, Yan Jiedi ate with shining eyes, even chewing the bones to pieces before swallowing them.

I felt neither fear nor disgust.

It smells so good that I've been dreaming about eating field mice for days on end.

When I opened my eyes this morning, my pillow was soaked.

The second time was to celebrate a bumper harvest, and the commune slaughtered a pig to reward everyone.

She stewed a whole, fat pig weighing over 100 pounds in a pot big enough for her to jump into and take a bath.

Yan Jiedi happily divided a large enamel bowl, soaked two steamed buns in it, and ate them all in one go.

He licked the bowl clean before he was satisfied.

Just those two times, I haven't seen a single drop of meat or oil in five years.

Want to?

Some people bite their own arms at night, some people look at their own arms and swallow their saliva, do you think about that?

Inside the Jia family's house, a large bowl of braised pork was placed on the table, along with two stir-fried vegetable dishes.

Jia Geng sat at the table with a bowl of rice in his hand, and once he picked up his chopsticks, he didn't stop eating.

"Smack, smack~"

The chopsticks kept reaching into the bowl of braised pork, never stopping from beginning to end.

One bite of meat, one bite of meat, and another bite of meat.

He didn't eat a single grain of rice, and he didn't even glance at the two vegetable dishes.

Seeing her son eating like that, Qin Huairu secretly wiped away her tears, saying, "Slow down, slow down, Mom will make you more if you want to eat more."

"Hmm, hmm~" With his cheeks puffed out, Jia Geng couldn't even speak at this moment.

This meat smells so good!

The bowl was full of meat, a full two pounds, which Jia Geng ate without leaving a single scrap.

He even poured the broth from the bottom of the bowl into the rice porridge.

Slurping and slurping, Jia Geng shoveled the rice into the bowl until it was completely clean, then let out a satisfied burp and put the bowl down.

He turned to his mother, who was staring in amazement, and said, "Mom, this is so delicious."

Xiao Dang and Huaihua, who were sitting across the table, were completely dumbfounded.

His brother came back too, and Mom cooked meat for him.

Why are you so hungry? It's like you're a starving ghost reincarnated.

However, neither of them dared to say that.

In this family, Jia Geng is of paramount importance.

Even without Granny Jia, he was still the most favored son of the Jia family.

Besides, of the three children, he was the only one who suffered in the countryside.

Xiao Dang and Huaihua were worried because of their young age that their grades might not be good enough to get into high school and they might have to go to the countryside.

But now the situation has changed, the sky has cleared, and there's no need to worry anymore.

The two of them have escaped a terrible fate!

So don't just stand here and talk without understanding the situation, or you'll get another scolding from your mother.

"It's good that you've eaten. Drink some water and rest. Mom will go wash the dishes." Qin Huairu picked up the bowl and said, "Xiao Dang, make your brother a cup of tea."

"Hey~" Little Dang obediently went to make tea.

It was good tea, distributed by the factory to the workshop; Qin Huairu received two ounces.

He gave the extra to his master, Yang Jianguo, and kept half an ounce for himself, which he usually wouldn't even drink.

This was reserved for her eldest son.

"Brother, have some tea." Xiao Dang brewed the tea and brought it to him before sitting back down opposite him, leaning on the table and watching him.

Seeing the curiosity in their eyes, Jia Geng took a sip of tea, put it down, and said with a smile, "What's wrong? Ask whatever you want to ask."

"Brother, is it tough going to the countryside?" The two had only heard people say it was tough, but they didn't really know how tough it was.

Right now, I just want to hear my older brother tell me just how tough it is to go to the countryside.

At this point, Jia Geng was no longer sleepy.

Is it bitter?

His heart was numb with bitterness, and Jia Geng immediately began to tell the two about his experiences over the years.

It was indeed a hardship, but there were many people who suffered more than him.

It wasn't really as exaggerated as he described.

But Jia Geng was, after all, born and raised in Beijing, the apple of the eye of the Jia family.

If they don't mention it upfront, it means they'll be strictly controlled later.

He has never lacked food or drink; he has never been short of anything.

Down there, I couldn't eat or sleep well.

In the end, they found there was no way to go back; they could only slowly adapt.

All these years of training haven't really been a bad thing for him.

Chapter 282 Qin Huairu's Thoughts, Good Things Are Coming

With his feet barely touching the ground, Yang Jianguo was so busy that he forgot about time.

More than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye, and the courtyard is no different from usual.

It's just that a few more people greet me when I go to and from get off work.

Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiedi successfully resolved their work issues.

Dajuan also went to work at the steel rolling mill, taking over Da Liu's job.

Only Jia Geng stayed at home, waiting for news from her mother.

Qin Huairu also wanted to find a job for her child, but hiring in the special workshop wasn't something that could be done simply by making a few connections.

When everyone acts like her master, even the factory manager has to give way to them.

Now, my senior colleague has become a 'technical expert' in the workshop.

Qin Huairu could ask him for help, but she herself was unwilling to ask.

Why? !

A woman's intuition told her she didn't want to get involved in this trouble.

Aside from the normal senior-junior relationship, it's best not to owe him any personal favors.

Otherwise, Qin Huairu was worried that she would never be able to repay this favor.

Outsiders look at Zhang Chao with the same gaze as ordinary people.

But Qin Huairu, who was directly involved, felt differently.

Sometimes I feel like there's something hidden in his eyes when he looks at me...

This feeling became more and more real as Zhang Chao decided not to get married.

If this had happened more than ten years ago, Qin Huairu would have been thrilled to have this opportunity.

Zhang Chao is so capable!

The factory's top technicians earn over a hundred yuan a month as their basic salary.

Good background, good family, tall and imposing.

With these conditions, what kind of girl can't you find?

It's like she's incredibly lucky to have anyone take a liking to her; Qin Huairu has no choice but to seize this opportunity and make the most of it!

But now, Qin Huairu no longer has that idea.

Not only that, she was also acutely aware of the gap between them.

There's no way that's possible between them.

This wasn't just the case at Qin Huairu's house, but also at Zhang Chao's.

Given his family background, do you think he could afford to marry an "old" widow with three children?

Don't forget, she's almost forty.

As you get older, you gain more experience.

Over the years, following Yang Jianguo, I not only learned technical skills, but more importantly, I learned how to be a good person.

My senior brother is a good person and has taken good care of me.

Qin Huairu is able to have the skills and good life she has today.

I dare not say much, but Zhang Chao's help and guidance were indispensable.

Those were things she couldn't understand or learn.