latelenovela Chapter 208 "He Yuzhu" 12
Chapter 208 "He Yuzhu" 12
It was past five o'clock when we got back to the courtyard. By then, the workers had finished their shifts, and everyone in the courtyard was still there.
Seeing the old hen tied to He Daqing's handlebars, and the large sack behind the front bumper, everyone in the yard was envious.
Especially Jia Zhangshi, whose eyes were filled with jealousy, muttered to herself, "What's so great about marrying a country wife?" Then she looked at Jia Dongxu beside her and said, "Dongxu, you can't marry a country girl. We have to marry someone from the city who has a job." She completely forgot that she herself was a rural resident.
Jia Dongxu nodded at his mother but didn't say anything. What could he say? Tell her that women in the city with jobs didn't want him? Let her do whatever she wants! With their situation—a widow and her son—he'd be grateful he wasn't a bachelor!
He Daqing and his group ignored everyone else, exchanging a few pleasantries with those who greeted them, but they didn't stop walking home at all.
When they got home, Wang Yan was told to rest inside with Yushui. He took out some vegetables from the sack for dinner and put the rest in the cellar before going to kill a chicken.
When Xu Fugui passed by in the backyard and saw He Daqing killing a chicken, he laughed at him: "Daqing, other men marry wives to serve their men, but you've got a wife to serve you, how nice!" As he spoke, he gave He Daqing a cheeky thumbs up.
If He Yuzhu were here, seeing Xu Fugui like this, he would definitely sigh at what it means to be "inherited" in terms of "cheapness".
Sure enough, upon hearing Xu Fugui's words, He Daqing slapped the water jet from the faucet with the flat of his knife, splashing it at Xu Fugui, saying, "You old bastard, just you wait. Once I'm done with my work, I'll let you enjoy the service of a real man."
When Xu Fugui saw He Daqing make a move, he jumped to the side, but his trousers were still a little wet. Hearing He Daqing's words, he wrung out his trousers and said, "Old He, you brute, can't you use your mouth? Why do you have to resort to violence?"
He Daqing laughed: "It's easier to do it yourself!" Xu Fugui glanced at him: "Go kill your chicken! It's nothing!" Seeing He Daqing's knife move again, he quickly ran a few steps. Hearing He Daqing laughing "haha" behind him, Xu Fugui turned around and said to him: "Wait for me next time!" After saying this, he continued walking, but his pace was still very fast.
Looking at the relationship between He Daqing and Xu Fugui, and then at the relationship between He Yuzhu and Xu Damao, one can only say that there is something to it about "heredity"!
After cleaning the chicken, He Daqing returned to his own kitchen. The main reason was that scalding the chicken feathers made it too fishy and pungent; otherwise, he would have cleaned it in his own kitchen.
When he got to the kitchen, he saw that Wang Yan had already washed all the vegetables for dinner, and there was also a handful of dried mushrooms soaking next to her. "Look, it's different after you get a wife," he thought with a smile, and told Wang Yan to go back to her room. He then started stewing the chicken.
The neighbors in the courtyard are having a bad day again. The aroma of chicken soup is spreading outwards from the central courtyard, and the Jia and Yi families are the ones most affected.
While eating cornbread and stewed cabbage, Jia Zhangshi muttered curses at He Daqing. Jia Dongxu just ate his food in silence. This was his mother's usual routine: she would curse He Daqing while eating. At first, he would say a few words, but she wouldn't listen, so he gave up.
As for the Yi family, they also ate cornbread and stewed cabbage, except that their cornbread was made from a mixture of two types of flour. "This He Daqing doesn't know how to manage a household at all. It would be so much better to keep that old hen for laying eggs," Li Cuilan said regretfully as she ate.
"Alright, what does a cook like him need? Go and bring the old lady two steamed buns. She'll probably nag about it again today. Just listen to her and tell her we'll cut some meat for her to cook in a couple of days," Yi Zhonghai said with a stern face.
Ever since he learned that He Daqing had remarried, he hadn't smiled and seemed to be lost in thought every day.
The three members of the He family ate to their heart's content. After seeing the He family's cellar and watching He Daqing cook these past two days, Wang Yanzhi felt confident about cooking for herself in the future. The He family would never skimp on food, no matter where they lived.
She had overheard He Daqing talking about arranging a job for her brother at noon, but she hadn't asked earlier. Now that no one else was around, she finally spoke up: "Brother He, can you really get Dahe a job in the city?"
"What? You don't believe me? You're underestimating me, aren't you? It's not a big deal. I'll go see Boss Lou tomorrow, no problem." Sure enough, no man who drinks doesn't brag, the only difference is the degree to which he brags.
When He Yuzhu returned today, the three of them rested. They were all a bit tired from the round trip of dozens of miles. They drank a bowl of warm chicken soup from the kitchen, and He Yuzhu went back to his room to look at some recipes before resting.
The next day, after going to work, He Daqing went to see Boss Lou and told him about his brother-in-law's situation. He asked for an apprenticeship, which was the same as what He Daqing had thought: just to cook a couple more meals at the Lou residence. He received a note from Lou Bancheng.
After asking around in the canteen and among the familiar workshop workers for a few more days, He Daqing found a suitable mentor for his brother-in-law. So, on his day off, He Daqing went to Wangjia Village again. This time, he went by himself, because he had to bring his brother-in-law back with him, as there weren't enough people on the bicycle.
After explaining the situation to the Wang family, they asked Uncle Wang to take Wang Dahe to the village chief to get a certificate. Although they shared the same surname, they still gave him two bottles of wine. Wang Dahe was an adult able-bodied man; if he left, the village would lose a laborer. So if the village blocked his connections, he really wouldn't be able to leave.
After finishing his business, Wang Dahe took a bundle of bedding and followed He Daqing into the city, leaving his family in the care of his aunt and her family.
After arriving home, the two ate the meal Wang Yan had left for them. Then, He Daqing took Wang Dahe to the bathhouse for a bath and a haircut. Afterward, they changed into a set of He Yuzhu's worn-out clothes. These were several sets of clothes that He Yuzhu had worn out a couple of years ago and were kept in He Daqing's room.
Without a woman in the house, things like sewing and mending are a bit lacking. Sometimes when she remembers, she'll ask Aunt Yi to help her mend it. If she doesn't remember, she'll go to the tailor shop and buy a new one. Wang Yan has cleaned, washed, dried, and mended it these past few days, and she's planning to keep it for Wang Dahe to wear.
Back home, He Daqing and Wang Yan took Wang Dahe to a side room in the middle courtyard, the same room where He Daqing and He Yuzhu had lived when they were building the house.
There are no houses provided in the apprentice factory. The factory has employee dormitories, but they are all large communal beds with 8 people per bed. You can only get a room when you become a junior worker, and you have to pay rent every month. If you get married, have children, or have too many family members to live in, you will have to wait until you are promoted to intermediate worker. At that time, you can get two rooms, and the rent will be deducted from your monthly salary.
So after discussing it, He Daqing and Wang Yan decided to rent a room for Wang Dahe in the courtyard to reserve the house first. Later, when Wang Dahe became a junior worker, he would be allocated the house he was currently renting.