The thought of Wei Hua's recent meritorious service gave Sha Zhu a new idea. As soon as he returned to the courtyard house, he immediately knocked on Wei Hua's door.
"Hua Zi, can I ask you for a favor? My sister-in-law gave birth to a daughter for me today, but you're probably aware of the current situation. I wonder if you have any valuable coupons, like meat coupons, milk powder coupons, or fine grain coupons."
"If you have any extra, could you give me some? Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any loss. I'll give you every penny you owe."
Since everyone else followed the rules, Wei Hua wouldn't deliberately cause trouble for them. Anyway, the receipts were basically useless anyway, so Wei Hua turned and went into his own home.
"My husband and I don't usually eat very well, and we happen to have some receipts saved up. Plus, today Deputy Factory Director Li gave me five jin of meat coupons and some other receipts as a reward. I'll give all of these to you!"
Upon hearing Wei Hua's words, Sha Zhu became extremely excited. He immediately counted the receipts, then pulled out more than ten yuan from his pocket and insisted on stuffing it into Wei Hua's hand.
Although there were no grain coupons, Sha Zhu understood Wei Hua's situation. After all, the Jia family had squandered all of Wei Hua's family's grain. Even if there were grain, he wouldn't give it to him.
However, with two milk powder coupons and seven or eight jin of meat coupons, Sha Zhu was already satisfied. Those two milk powder coupons alone were worth about seven or eight yuan. The main thing is that even if you have money, you might not be able to get milk powder coupons.
Back home, Sha Zhu packed a few things, returned the car, and went back to the hospital. He came back mainly to pack some things and also to return the car.
As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she quickly put her son to sleep. She then climbed into the empty bed next door. The next morning, she took her son and waited by the butcher shop.
Although they had meat ration coupons, whether they could actually buy meat was a matter of luck. People weren't even enough to eat, so where would they get the grain to feed the pigs?
To buy meat, you have to arrive early and wait here. Once meat appears, it sells out quickly. Sha Zhu can only hope there's meat for sale today; if not, he'll have to come back tomorrow to queue again.
As soon as the pork was brought up, Sha Zhu bought a pound of lean meat and a pound of bones that didn't require meat coupons. It wasn't that Sha Zhu was stingy, but each person was only allowed to buy one pound at a time.
Sha Zhu brought the meat and his son to the steel mill. After taking a few days off, Sha Zhu took his son back to the courtyard house.
Upon returning home, Sha Zhu did not immediately cook. Instead, he first had his son warm himself by the fire to prevent him from catching a cold.
After He Chen's body warmed up, He Yuzhu began to prepare postpartum meals for Yu Li, dividing a pound of meat into three portions.
He Yuzhu chopped the meat into small pieces and then cracked two eggs into the bowl. After filling a small bowl, he put the rest into a lunchbox. He added a little salt to the small bowl and then fed his son.
After feeding him, she took her son back to the hospital. By the time Shazhu arrived at the hospital, it was already past 9 a.m.
Knowing that Yu Li had just given birth, He Yuzhu handed her a lunchbox as soon as he arrived at the hospital.
"Have some egg and lean pork soup first. I'll go back later and make another serving. I'll try to get two old hens in a couple of days."
"Zhu Zi, there's no need to go to so much trouble. It's too difficult to prepare those things now. Didn't we catch a lot of fish beforehand? Just catch a few when we get back. Crucian carp soup is not only nourishing but also helps with lactation."
“You are the backbone of our family. You can’t make a mistake at this time. Getting caught on the black market will affect your work. Besides, the black market is not safe at all.”
Hearing his wife's words, He Yuzhu was very pleased. So he quickly took out the remaining seven or eight jin of meat coupons as if presenting a treasure.
"Don't worry about the meat coupons. Hua Zi and I exchanged them last night. You know Hua Zi did a great job a couple of days ago. Yesterday alone, Deputy Factory Director Li rewarded him with five catties of meat coupons, and even two milk powder coupons. He just didn't get any fine grain coupons."
"With the receipts we've collected over the past few months, you won't have to worry about nutrition during your postpartum period."
Hearing her husband's words, Yu Li felt relieved. Since it was an exchange with a neighbor, it wasn't a big deal. As long as you don't sell these receipts, you can exchange them however you want without any problem.
Perhaps due to the excessive exertion yesterday, Yu Li didn't chat with her husband for long. Then she went to bed to recover.
Seeing that Yu Li had fallen asleep, He Yuzhu took the child and left the hospital. Such a big matter definitely required informing his parents-in-law, and he also had to handle the logistical arrangements.
After leaving the hospital, I went to Yu's house to inform my father-in-law and mother-in-law. Then I returned home and started preparing lunch for Yu Li.
After preparing lunch, he went to the hospital to take care of Yu Li. But just as Sha Zhu was going upstairs, he was seen by Qin Huairu, who was getting up to use the restroom.
Qin Huairu has been resting for almost a week. She is now able to walk around, and the bandages on her body are almost ready to be removed.
For some unknown reason, Qin Huairu actually followed Sha Zhu to the obstetrics and gynecology department on the fourth floor.
When Qin Huairu saw Sha Zhu hand the postpartum meal to Yu Li, her eyes revealed envy.
Qin Huairu hadn't expected Yu Li's postpartum meals to be so plentiful. She herself had barely eaten any eggs during her postpartum period, but Yu Li not only had crucian carp soup, but also egg and lean meat soup. This made Qin Huairu feel uncomfortable no matter how she looked at it.
Qin Huairu, who already harbored resentment towards the Jia family, felt her resentment growing stronger. However, in order to know about her two daughters' condition, Qin Huairu still went into the ward.
"Zhu Zi, congratulations on becoming a father again. Yu Li is so lucky to marry a man like you. Unlike your sister Qin, who actually married into the Jia family."
"Could I ask you how my two daughters are doing? I haven't been home for almost a week and I'm very worried about them."
When Sha Zhu heard that Qin Huairu was only inquiring about Xiao Dang and Xiao Huaihua, he didn't speak ill of her, since Qin Huairu hadn't done anything wrong.
"You don't need to worry about your two daughters, you should worry about yourself. Ever since you were hospitalized, the steel mill sent someone to take care of them the very next day."
"Their lives are so much better now than before."
Hearing Sha Zhu's words, Qin Huairu was no longer worried. However, her eyes never left Yu Li's lunchbox. The meaning was crystal clear.
It's a real pity. Sha Zhu is no longer the same Sha Zhu. Qin Huairu is no longer the same Qin Huairu either.
"Qin Huairu, you should go back quickly! Our family is struggling financially and can't afford to help you. You should think about how to return the grain to Hua Zi."
"I've noticed that the Wei family's meals have dropped several levels in quality these past few days. If it weren't for Wei Hua's outstanding contribution a few days ago, they might not have been able to keep going. Can you please stop causing trouble for others next time?"
Hearing Sha Zhu's words, Qin Huairu was filled with questions. But she swallowed her anger and instead asked about Wei Hua's situation.
“Zhu Zi, Sister Qin didn’t want this to happen either, but you know our family’s situation. It’s not that I don’t want to pay it back, but we have to wait until my situation improves.”
"Don't worry, once I'm discharged from the hospital, I will definitely find a way to return the grain to Hua Zi."
"Can you tell me what great achievement Hua Zi has made this time?"
He Yuzhu might ignore Qin Huairu for other matters. But since his friend had done a good job, Sha Zhu didn't mind telling Qin Huairu to make her jealous.
"I have to thank you for this. Hua Zi has been going to the hospital every few days to deal with your matter. On his way out of the hospital, he saw a child trafficker snatching a child. Hua Zi rescued the child, but who knew that the person he rescued was the daughter of the deputy commander of our military district."
"As a result, they found the steel rolling mill and personally thanked Hua Zi. You should know that she is the daughter of the deputy commander of the military region, whose rank is much higher than that of our steel rolling mill director and deputy director. Deputy Director Li immediately rewarded her with a TV ticket and a bunch of other receipts."
"Director Yang wasn't stingy either; he awarded Hua Zi the title of Advanced Individual on the spot. I heard he also gave him other rewards. If Hua Zi hadn't only recently become the deputy director, his rank might have been promoted even higher."
Hearing Sha Zhu's words, Qin Huairu felt even worse. Why had she become such a wretched person, while Wei Hua's life seemed to be getting better and better?
If it weren't for Wei Hua and Yang Tao, how could her child have been struck by lightning? Their family lives so well, yet they refuse to help her out.
Last time, Jia Zhangshi and I had to pay so much money in compensation because we stole from Wei Hua's family. If it weren't for that incident, Jia Zhangshi and I wouldn't have had to pick wild vegetables. If we hadn't picked wild vegetables, none of this would have happened.
The resentment in Qin Huairu's heart burned fiercely, turning her eyes bloodshot. She felt that Wei Hua had absorbed her family's fortune; otherwise, how could such a thing have happened to him? Qin Huairu left Yu Li's hospital room, her face contorted with anger.
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