Seeing the Jia family eating this kind of food again, no one else said anything. Everyone knew the Jia family was not to be trifled with, and no one wanted to invite trouble.
People would only gossip about it behind each other's backs. Jia Dongxu couldn't stop them from talking, so as soon as the porridge was cooked, he brought it into the room.
Looking at the greenish-white porridge before them, no one had much of an appetite. But they had no choice but to eat it, because this was all the Jia family could afford. Even with this porridge containing seaweed, the Jia family could only have one bowl per person; there were no more.
After each person drank a bowl, they lay on the bed pondering what would become of the Jia family. Qin Huairu even considered leaving the Jia family. It wasn't that Qin Huairu was fickle; she simply couldn't go on living like this anymore.
She used to have some breast milk. But after more than two months, she hasn't produced a single drop. Watching her daughter cry for food every day, Qin Huairu feels terrible. Yet, she only has two bowls of porridge a day.
How could she possibly produce breast milk after eating these things? The thought of her children's condition made Qin Huairu feel as if knives were constantly cutting her.
“Jia Dongxu, our family is in such a state now. We have to sell the sewing machine and everything else as soon as possible, or we’ll all starve to death. You don’t know what’s going on with Xiaodang. Xiaodang is crying out for food every day. Drinking this kind of algae porridge every day is unbearable for both children and adults, let alone children.”
In the past, if Qin Huairu had dared to sell anything belonging to the Jia family, Jia Zhangshi would have made a huge fuss. But this time, Jia Zhangshi did not raise any objections.
Jia Zhangshi desperately wanted to sell the sewing machine as soon as possible to get some money for her medical treatment. If things continued like this, she might die from the excruciating pain. What did a little bit of possessions matter in the face of death?
Seeing that no one else objected, Jia Dongxu brought out his sewing machine from home. Jia Dongxu never imagined he would one day have to sell his possessions.
But now, Jia Dongxu has no choice but to call all his neighbors over and sell the sewing machine in front of them.
In this era, selling one's possessions is not accepted by everyone, and many people even consider it a wasteful act.
However, many people also like to buy these second-hand items because they don't require receipts and are much cheaper.
A new sewing machine costs at least 120 to 200, and you'll need a receipt. But an old sewing machine will never cost more than 80.
Many people were interested in the Jia family's sewing machine. Both Huang Xiaojuan and Yu Li liked it quite a bit. The sewing machine was bought by Jia Dongxu for his wedding, and although it had been used for seven years, it was still in pretty good condition.
In this day and age, people cherish their belongings and would never intentionally damage them. Although there is some paint chipping, it works almost as well as new.
"As you all know, this is a sewing machine. Although it has some paint chipping, it works just the same."
“Although selling it privately is against the rules, it is second-hand after all. Even if the neighborhood committee knows, they won’t say anything. Now, whoever offers the highest price will get the sewing machine.”
30.
32.
33.
With everyone continuously raising their prices, the price quickly rose to 50. After reaching 50, the rate of increase gradually slowed down.
The price of a used sewing machine is at most 80 yuan. Many sewing machines are in better condition than those from Jia's shop, so once it reaches 50 yuan, people start to hesitate.
Besides Yu Li, only Huang Xiaojuan was actually quoting prices. Both of them wanted to sew clothes for their children, and having a sewing machine would make things much easier.
After a bidding war, Huang Xiaojuan finally won the Jia family's sewing machine for 60 yuan.
After receiving the money from Huang Xiaojuan, Jia Dongxu gave her all the purchase receipts. He also wrote a written agreement to avoid any future problems. The agreement was, of course, at Huang Xiaojuan's insistence. Otherwise, given Jia Zhangshi's personality, who knew what kind of trouble she might cause?
With the money, Jia Dongxu immediately left the courtyard house. The first thing he did was to pay back the ten-odd yuan he owed the hospital.
The second thing was to quickly buy medicine for the three injured family members. With the little money he had, it was definitely not enough to send all three of them to the hospital. They were all his flesh and blood, and Jia Dongxu couldn't show favoritism to any of them.
After picking up the medicine, Jia Dongxu thought for a long time before finally buying some rice noodles for Xiaodang. No father wouldn't feel sorry for his daughter.
Xiao Dang was starving every day, and Jia Dongxu felt terrible seeing her like this. Although he didn't have money to buy formula for his daughter, he had rice cereal, which should keep her from getting too hungry.
After buying the rice noodles, Jia Dongxu also bought over ten kilograms of grain. With this grain, his family could last at least another ten days. He would buy more grain as soon as he received his food coupons. This would make things much easier for his family next month, since he wouldn't need to pay the hospital debt. Plus, the thirty-odd yuan he had should be enough to last for a few more months.
The situation will definitely improve by next autumn harvest, and my family will be able to get rid of the current situation.
Thinking that his family's situation would improve in a few months, Jia Dongxu took all his belongings back to the Jia family home.
Since the entire Jia family had suffered injuries from falls, Jia Dongxu only bought a few types of medicine. One was safflower oil to wipe the wounds, another was a plaster to reduce swelling and relieve pain, and the third was painkillers.
Upon returning home, he first gave his mother a painkiller. After confirming there were no more bleeding points, he applied safflower oil to Jia Zhangshi's face and finally put on a plaster.
Qin Huairu's condition was much better; at least there were no more bleeding points, and her injuries were almost completely healed. Jia Dongxu simply applied some safflower oil and then put on a plaster for Qin Huairu. Since Qin Huairu's injuries had lasted for more than a month, she naturally didn't need to take painkillers. Bangbang's condition was the mildest; Jia Dongxu didn't even apply safflower oil to him, and directly put on a plaster for bruises and sprains.
After settling their affairs, Jia Dongxu went into the kitchen and made a bowl of rice noodles for his daughter.
After feeding his daughter, Jia Dongxu went into the kitchen. Since he had bought some food that day, Jia Dongxu unusually didn't add anything else to the porridge.
Everyone's mouth watered at the sight of the cornmeal porridge in front of them, even Xiao Dang drank more than half a bowl. As for the others, they all ate at least three bowls.
After finishing their meal, they even licked the porridge clean with their tongues, making sure not to finish any. The Jia family used to rarely eat this kind of coarse grain, but now it had become a food they longed for.
Everyone knows our family's situation; after this good meal, who knows when the next one will come? Although we lost a sewing machine, life is relatively easier now.
After paying off the hospital debts, at least things will be a little easier for my family. Everyone hopes to recover quickly so they won't have to eat tree leaves and seaweed every day anymore.
Yi Zhonghai later shared the same idea. After getting rid of the burden of the Jia family, Yi Zhonghai was thinking about how to make a name for himself.
After thinking for a long time, he still had no clue. Frustrated, Yi Zhonghai could only start with small things. Even if he couldn't change his background, he could improve his reputation. Without a good reputation, nothing would be available to him.
Whenever anything happens in the neighborhood, Yi Zhonghai is always the first to rush to help. He'll help his neighbors fix their roofs or sweep the yard for everyone.
The same applies to the steel rolling mill. When there's nothing to do, teach others the techniques and do as much as you can.
At first, everyone thought Yi Zhonghai had some ulterior motive, but after half a month, they stopped taking it seriously. Many people guessed Yi Zhonghai's purpose, but no one interfered with him.
It's a good thing for everyone if Yi Zhonghai can improve. As long as Yi Zhonghai doesn't scheme against everyone, everyone is happy to see him improve.
Wei Hua didn't pay much attention to Yi Zhonghai's change. The main reason Yi Zhonghai had become so bad was for the Jia family. Of course, a large part of it was also because Yi Zhonghai was a rather selfish person. His current selfless dedication is something everyone should celebrate.
We're all ordinary people; nobody wants to argue with their neighbors every day. And nobody wants to be schemed against every day. That's how Yi Zhonghai gradually gained some understanding.
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