Seeing his mother and grandmother lying in bed, Banggeng could only helplessly go into the kitchen. Then he made them some cornbread.
After finishing their meal, the family lay in bed planning for the future. Qin Huairu was now thinking about selling vegetables again, because she didn't know what else to do besides this road.
Given my current physical condition, I have no other way out but to sell vegetables.
"Banggeng, try to get a car soon. Then find a beast of burden to pull the cart. Mom has decided to go to the city to sell vegetables once she feels better."
"As for your grandmother, you can decide for yourself. Anyway, Mom is no longer able to support her. Whether you support her or not is your business."
Upon hearing Qin Huairu's words, Banggeng looked at Jia Zhangshi. Having inherited the true teachings of both Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu, Banggeng was no good person. Now that he himself was barely surviving, Banggeng wouldn't consider family ties. Moreover, Banggeng and Jia Zhangshi had been separated for over a decade; there was no such thing as kinship between them.
Seeing the look in her eldest grandson's eyes, Jia Zhangshi suddenly felt a little scared. She naturally knew a little about her grandson's personality. But whether she knew or not didn't matter much, because Qin Huairu was incapable of raising anything good.
"Banggeng, let Grandma rest for a while. Grandma actually has a special skill. Once Grandma is feeling better, she'll go out begging. Grandma looks so pitiful right now, I'm sure many people will pity me. I'll definitely be able to create value for you then."
Hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, Banggeng didn't throw her out. To improve their lives, Banggeng tried to get a cart the next day. After getting the cart, he tried to find an animal to pull it.
Fortunately, it's autumn now, and the farm work in the fields is mostly done. Naturally, there's less need to use oxen.
With Banggeng agreeing to help others raise cattle, they lent him one. The oxcart was ready, and Qin Huairu began harvesting vegetables from other people's fields, driving the oxcart to the city to sell them before dawn every day.
Although Qin Huairu was in poor health, she could still manage to sell vegetables while sitting on an oxcart. Qin Huairu would get up early in the morning to sell vegetables, and Jia Zhangshi would follow her when she went out, and then they would find a place to beg.
There's no longer any crime of speculation or profiteering. Naturally, the profit margin for selling vegetables isn't as high. You might only earn two or three yuan a day. This is only because wages and prices have risen somewhat; otherwise, you'd earn even less.
Qin Huairu could earn two or three yuan a day, but Jia Zhangshi couldn't even get one yuan a day, and sometimes she could only get a few cents.
Jia Zhangshi had no right to complain; she cherished even a single penny.
Both Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi hoped that Banggeng would quickly find a woman and have a child so that the Jia family line would not be cut off.
Given Bang Geng's current situation, he needs a lot of money for any woman to be willing to marry into the Jia family; otherwise, no one would ever marry him.
To achieve this goal, the two of them had no choice but to work incredibly hard.
They are working hard, and the Xu family is working hard too. Xu Fugui is getting old now, and Xu Damao has accomplished nothing. If they don't work hard, their later years will be unimaginable.
To avoid a miserable old age, Xu Fugui used his past connections to get a job as a security guard at a movie theater. Calling him a security guard was a stretch; he was more like an old doorman.
Seeing that his father had gone out to work, Xu Damao didn't want others to outdo him. He was now practically the most miserable person in the courtyard. If he didn't work harder, he would never have a chance to turn his life around.
Xu Damao, who is nearly 40 years old now, is also starting to worry about his retirement.
In order to have a better future, Xu Damao set up a small stall nearby and started a small business.
Just as everyone was striving to improve their lives, He Daqing was also released from prison. He Daqing, who had been sentenced to 12 years, was released after serving 11 years in prison.
When He Daqing returned to the courtyard house, everyone was somewhat incredulous that the person before them was He Daqing. The 60-something-year-old He Daqing sported a full beard. His aged appearance told everyone that he hadn't had a good life in recent years.
Upon returning to the courtyard house, He Daqing found his son and daughter.
"Pillar, Rainwater, Dad's back."
"Why did you come back? Why didn't you just die in prison? Haven't you hurt us enough? What are you planning to do to us now that you're back?"
Hearing He Yushui's words, He Daqing didn't know how to respond. He Daqing never expected that more than ten years later, his daughter still wouldn't forgive him.
This made He Daqing look at his son. Sha Zhu's attitude was also somewhat ambiguous. People are selfish. The He family's current housing conditions are already very crowded. After all, Sha Zhu has had five children, and the eldest son, He Chen, is already 18 years old.
The five siblings lived in one room, separated by curtains. They had many conflicts with He Yushui over the house.
Now that He Daqing has returned, the He family, who were already struggling with housing, will face even greater difficulties. Shazhu doesn't even know where his father will stay after his return.
Seeing He Daqing staring at him, he could only turn his head away, pretending he knew nothing.
"Zhu Zi, Dad knows that what happened back then was all my fault. Now I really know I was wrong, and I promise I will behave myself from now on and never cause you any more trouble."
“You can talk to Yushui about what’s wrong! Our family of seven is crammed into two rooms, which is already quite crowded. You should find a place to stay first, and come to my house for meals whenever you want.”
Upon hearing Sha Zhu's words, He Daqing looked at He Yushui. He Daqing wasn't a good person either; he had abandoned his son and daughter for a woman before, and now he was willing to give up He Yushui for the sake of making a living.
Through ups and downs, he saw the true nature of humanity. He Daqing had finally seen through his daughter's true colors. When she got married, Sha Zhu had given her a generous dowry, and from his son's words, he knew that the two of them didn't get along.
Since his own daughter didn't acknowledge him, He Daqing didn't want to acknowledge this daughter either.
"Since you despise me so much, then go live on your own. Didn't you think I was a burden to you? Then move back from the yard; this house is mine."
This sudden change left He Yushui somewhat bewildered. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way; her father was actually telling her to move out.
However, seeing He Daqing's aged appearance, He Yushui had her own plans. She'd already lived in this house for free for over a decade. Moving out now wasn't out of the question, but she needed to have a fight with He Daqing first. That way, she wouldn't have to support him in his old age.
After arguing with He Daqing, He Yushui moved out of the courtyard house with her daughter. Over the years, He Yushui has been affected, but like Shazhu, the impact has been minimal.
Although her salary was affected, He Yushui still managed to save a considerable amount of money. To distance herself from her father, He Yushui moved far away without leaving a trace. It was as if she had completely vanished from the courtyard house.
He Yushui could do that, but Sha Zhu couldn't; after all, He Daqing was his father. Seeing that He Yushui had moved out, Sha Zhu arranged for He Daqing to move in.
Sha Zhu also had his own selfish motives; after all, everyone has desires. He Yushui had been living here for a long time, and it was uncertain who would inherit the house in the future. Now that He Yushui was gone, the house belonged to him. And once He Daqing died, he could leave the house to his child.
After settling He Daqing in, Sha Zhu didn't forget to take him out for a bath. He was genuinely worried that He Daqing would get his blankets dirty if he didn't get a bath.
When He Daqing returned after his shower, Yu Li had already prepared the meal. However, Yu Li's attitude towards He Daqing wasn't as warm as it used to be. If it weren't for He Daqing, her family's life would have been much better.
It's impossible to say that Yu Li had no complaints, but He Daqing was, after all, her father-in-law. Even if she had complaints, Yu Li couldn't openly express them.
The He family's life is now only so-so. Sha Zhu's salary is still about the same as before, but he has to support five children. Moreover, Wei Hua has never been up the mountain in the past ten years, and apart from simple meals, Yu Li hasn't made anything else of value.
He Daqing was somewhat dissatisfied with the food. The smile that had been on his face just moments before had completely vanished.
"Pillar's wife, I just got out of prison, shouldn't you get me something better?"
"Eat if you can, don't eat if you can't. You want to eat well? Don't we want to eat well too? You're having a hard time in prison, but are we having a better time outside?"
After finishing his sentence, Sha Zhu ignored He Daqing and grabbed a steamed bun made from two kinds of flour, eating it with pickled vegetables. This was the only kind of food his family usually ate.
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