Despite it being a day off, the courtyard was more lively than usual.
Early in the morning, the yard was bustling with activity. Some people were washing vegetables, others were chopping them, and almost every household came to the backyard to help.
"Hey, I didn't expect Xu Damao to be so popular."
Xu Damao stood at the door with his hands on his hips, looking at the residents who came to help, and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Good my foot! It's all because you said you could come to the banquet if you gave us two cents, and everyone felt bad about it, so we came to help!" Sha Zhu couldn't help but retort to Xu Damao.
Today is the day Xu Damao is holding a wedding banquet for his chubby daughter.
Because he was so happy, Xu Damao simply waved his hand and said he could have a meal for just two cents.
Goodness, as soon as those words were spoken, everyone in the courtyard got excited.
These days, every family has several members, so spending just a couple of cents to host a feast is like winning the lottery.
"Mrs. Jia, we've all come to help, how can you just sit there like that?"
The second aunt, who was washing vegetables, looked up and saw Jia Zhangshi eating melon seeds. Her leisurely appearance made her look like a landlord's wife!
"Pooh!"
Jia Zhangshi spat out the sunflower seed shells in her mouth, then groaned, "I can't. I hurt my back yesterday while pulling the manure cart, so I can't work."
"Then call Qin Huairu out to do the work!"
Aunt Erda said irritably, "What nonsense about hurting your back is just Jia Zhangshi's excuse for being lazy."
“Oh dear, my daughter-in-law is heavily pregnant and can’t do any work!” Jia Zhangshi replied.
have to!
None of the three family members are able to do any work.
The second aunt was too lazy to argue with Jia Zhangshi, so she lowered her head and started complaining to the other aunties in the courtyard.
Jia Zhangshi didn't care about this.
Ever since someone chased her to her house demanding her money bag, Jia Zhangshi's face had been utterly humiliated.
This allowed Jia Zhangshi to let loose and no longer feel any psychological pressure when she was pulling the manure cart and picking up vegetable leaves every day.
As for Qin Huairu, she was much smarter than Jia Zhangshi. She simply hid in the house and didn't show herself, leaving the foolish Jia Zhangshi to go outside and be scolded alone.
Today, He Daqing was in charge of cooking. Although it had been a long time since he had cooked such a large feast, with Sha Zhu assisting him, everything was handled with ease.
"He Daqing, you're not good at this either. I'll teach you a thing or two when I have time."
Upon hearing this, He Daqing raised his hand and slapped him across the face.
Sha Zhu was prepared, and his slap missed completely.
"You brat, it's one thing to not call me 'Dad,' but now you dare to look down on my cooking!" He Daqing was a little annoyed: "Back when I was cooking, you were still in my crotch!"
He originally thought that if he returned to the courtyard house and lived with Sha Zhu, Sha Zhu would change his opinion of him.
But after living here for so many days, Sha Zhu never once called him "Dad".
Not only did they not shout, but today they even mocked his cooking skills.
"It's not that I look down on you, it's just that you're really not very good at it. I'll teach you how to stir-fry shredded pork with garlic sauce sometime. Chen Jun specifically taught me that." Sha Zhu indicated that he wasn't trying to pick a fight.
He Daqing pursed his lips and ignored Sha Zhu.
But Sha Zhu raised his chin to the side and said, "He Daqing, after you went back to the courtyard house, you didn't seduce the widow, did you?"
"What do you mean?" This question completely baffled He Daqing.
Ever since he returned from Baozhou, he's been busy looking for work and driving a tricycle; he has no time to think about finding a widow.
Besides, where are there so many widows for me to seduce?
"Why is Jia Zhangshi staring at you like that?"
Sha Zhu's tone wasn't very good when he said this, because a long time ago, Jia Zhangshi had been making a fuss in the courtyard, saying that after Old Jia left, He Daqing had invited her to see a movie, but she had directly refused.
At first, Sha Zhu didn't believe these things, but He Daqing and his grandfather had both dated widows before, so Jia Zhangshi's words became somewhat credible.
"How would I know? She might still be holding a grudge against me!" He Daqing glanced at Jia Zhangshi subconsciously, but Jia Zhangshi's staring gaze gave him goosebumps.
After the incident of stealing the tricycle, He Daqing now avoids Jia Zhangshi, not because he's afraid of her, but because seeing her annoys him.
"That would be for the best. If you want to seduce a widow, go seduce a widow somewhere else. Even a rabbit won't eat the grass near its burrow!" Sha Zhu warned.
He's already married and has kids, so he's not afraid of He Daqing running away, but he's worried that He Daqing will ruin their family's reputation.
“I would rather never have a woman in my entire life than have Jia Zhangshi.”
Sha Zhu actually suspected him of trying to seduce Jia Zhangshi; isn't that just pure insult?
Around ten o'clock, Jia Zhangshi patted the sunflower seed shells off her clothes and then called Qin Huairu and Banggeng to reserve a spot.
They had already discussed their strategy yesterday: to work separately so as not to interfere with each other, and then, after eating and drinking their fill, they packed some food to take home.
Having not eaten meat for so many days, Jia Zhangshi was already impatient.
"Hey, hey, Jia Zhangshi, you haven't given your donation yet, have you?"
Just as Jia Zhangshi's bottom touched the stool, she heard the voice of her third uncle, Yan Bugui.
"What's the rush? They haven't given their gifts yet!" Madam Jia was displeased, feeling that Yan Bugui was targeting her.
Yan Bugui was also unhappy: "That's because they're still helping out, and only your family of three are here to reserve seats."
Today, the accountant receives a five-cent tip, so Yan Bugui is very conscientious, always keeping an eye out for the Jia family trying to freeload at the banquet.
"Here you go, here you go, you're the most troublesome one in the whole compound, Old Man Yan."
Jia Zhangshi impatiently tossed two cents over, which Yan Bugui carefully put away and made a note of in his notebook.
The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.
Crossed out!
The Jia family's backyard.
About an hour later, the dishes on the feast were almost all cleared away, and the residents who came to help took off their aprons to reserve seats.
As luck would have it, the Third Aunt and Jia Zhangshi sat at the same table.
"Hey, Auntie He, doesn't He Daqing live in your front yard? Has he found a job yet?"
The three women turned their heads in surprise: "Why are you asking about He Daqing? You don't want to ride their tricycle again, do you?"
"No, no, no, I was just asking casually," Jia Zhangshi said. "If he finds a job, cooking during the day and driving a tricycle after get off work in the evening, how much money could he make?"
"They probably haven't found it yet. Yesterday, when he and his younger brother were switching shifts, they were discussing buying another tricycle." The third aunt said this with a hint of envy.
It turns out that pedaling a tricycle earns more money than working a regular job, and He Daqing and his brother are already planning to buy a second one.
If the two brothers each had a car, they would make a lot of money every month.
Add to that the jobs of Sha Zhu and his wife, and the He family's monthly income is simply unimaginable.
Oh, you're buying a second one?
Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi was extremely excited: "Really? They're buying a second tricycle so soon? How much money have those two brothers made recently?"
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