Siheyuan: I am Banggeng's uncle

Chapter 797 Favorable Conditions!
Hearing a familiar voice calling from outside, Yao Kaijie braced his lower back with his left hand and struggled to his feet. As he walked outside, he asked, "I'm home. Who's looking for me?"

"Crench!"

A door opened with a bang, and Yao Kaijie saw Lin Qiuyue standing in the doorway carrying some things. His face showed surprise, and he asked Lin Qiuyue curiously, "It's Comrade Qiuyue! What brings you to my house today? Please come in!"

Hearing Yao Kaijie's words and seeing his difficult movements, Lin Qiuyue asked him curiously, "Teacher Yao! What's wrong with you?"

When Yao Kaijie heard Lin Qiuyue's question, he replied awkwardly after Lin Qiuyue entered the house, "It's nothing! I twisted my back while moving things a while ago."

Having said that, Yao Kaijie asked Lin Qiuyue curiously, "By the way, Comrade Qiuyue, what brings you to my house?"

Upon hearing Yao Kaijie's question, Lin Qiuyue first placed the gift she had brought on the table, then smiled and said to Yao Kaijie, "Teacher Yao! The situation is like this: since schools closed, our children and the children of our relatives have been staying at home all day with nothing to do. So my husband was thinking of asking a teacher to give the children some extra lessons, and that's when I thought of you and Teacher Song. I wonder if either of you are available?"

Upon hearing Lin Qiuyue's explanation and learning her purpose, Yao Kaijie, considering the current situation, immediately showed a troubled expression. He said to Lin Qiuyue, "Comrade Qiuyue! Normally, as neighbors, it would be no problem for me to occasionally tutor your child, but now!"

"What now! Qiuyue! We're free, don't listen to your teacher Yao's nonsense." Song Guiying, who was standing in the inner room, became anxious upon hearing the conversation between Lin Qiuyue and Yao Kaijie. Before Yao Kaijie could finish speaking, she immediately came out of the room and hurriedly said that she was free.

Seeing Yao Kaijie's troubled refusal, Lin Qiuyue understood what he was worried about. She wondered if she could ask him to introduce her to one or two teachers. Before she could even speak, Song Guiying's reply came from inside the house.

When Lin Qiuyue saw Song Guiying walking out of the house looking anxious, she looked surprised and asked Song Guiying uncertainly, "Teacher Song! Are you really free? But don't worry, we won't let you help for nothing. We'll give you a food allowance of fifty yuan every month."

"What! A food allowance of fifty yuan a month, Qiuyue! Is this true?" Song Guiying seemed to find it hard to believe her ears when she heard the amount of compensation Lin Qiuyue gave her, and hurriedly asked Lin Qiuyue to confirm.

Upon hearing Song Guiying's question, Lin Qiuyue nodded firmly and replied with great certainty, "Teacher Song! We have a lot of children in our family, and they are of different ages, so it will be quite tiring when we tutor them. The fifty yuan is just a food allowance. In addition, we can also provide you with some receipts that you need."

Since the school closed, Yao Kaijie and Song Guiying have only been able to receive a subsidy of eight yuan per month from the school, plus the dozen or so yuan that Yao Kaijie earns from odd jobs outside, which is barely enough to support their family.

Now that Yao Kaijie has sprained his back and can no longer work odd jobs, his family's life has fallen into dire financial straits. With a monthly food allowance of fifty yuan, plus some urgently needed receipts, it means their family will no longer have to worry about food and clothing. After confirming Lin Qiuyue's terms, Song Guiying immediately asked, "Qiuyue! Where do you plan to have tutoring? When exactly will it start?"

Upon hearing Song Guiying's question, Lin Qiuyue immediately explained to Song Guiying, "Teacher Song! I believe you are aware of the current situation, so we cannot conduct tutoring openly. Our family has a separate courtyard in Houhai, which is in a relatively remote and quiet location. Therefore, we have decided to conduct tutoring for the children in that courtyard. As for when it will start, it depends on when it is convenient for you and Teacher Yao."

Song Guiying was well aware that tutoring the children carried certain risks, but between those risks and ensuring her family's basic needs were met, she chose to fill her stomach. That's why she was so eager to take on the job.

Hearing Lin Qiuyue's arrangements, Song Guiying's concerns immediately lessened, and she quickly replied, "Qiuyue! My husband Yao's back isn't fully healed yet, and I estimate he'll need to rest for a few more days. How about starting next week?"

Upon hearing Song Guiying's reply, Lin Qiuyue immediately nodded. Then, she took out a large black ten-yuan note, five two-jin grain coupons, and a meat coupon from her bag. Smiling, she said to Song Guiying, "Teacher Song! Then it's settled. This is my deposit for you. Please accept it first."

The reason Yao Kaijie's back hadn't recovered was because his family didn't have enough money for his medical treatment. Now that they had ten yuan, Song Guiying could go to the old Chinese medicine doctor and buy some ointment for Yao Kaijie. So, Song Guiying didn't stand on ceremony with Lin Qiuyue and quickly took the money and receipts from her. She said to Lin Qiuyue with gratitude, "Qiuyue! I'll accept this deposit. Give me the address of that courtyard, and we'll both be there on time next Monday morning."

Upon hearing Song Guiying's words, Lin Qiuyue remembered the address of the courtyard. She immediately took out a piece of paper from her bag, handed it to Song Guiying, and then said to her, "Teacher Song! This is the address of the courtyard. We will come over to cook for you. From now on, you don't need to bring your own lunch. You can eat with the children at the courtyard."

The monthly subsidy of fifty yuan was already enough to make Song Guiying happy, but she didn't expect to be able to have a free lunch as well. This meant that her family could save enough food for one person every day, so they would never have to worry about not having enough food for their family again.

Despite her joy, Song Guiying was, after all, a teacher, and the generous terms Lin Qiuyue offered made her feel extremely embarrassed. With a face full of shame, she said, "Qiuyue! You've already given so much money, let's bring our own lunch!"

Upon hearing Song Guiying's words, Lin Qiuyue realized Jia Dongming's true purpose in making such an arrangement. She immediately smiled and said to Song Guiying, "Teacher Song! We've been neighbors for many years and know each other quite well, so please don't stand on ceremony with us."

Song Guiying had only said that out of politeness, and now that she heard Lin Qiuyue's words, she went along with it and replied, "Alright! Qiuyue! Since you've said that, then we won't stand on ceremony with you. You can rest assured about the children; we promise to make up for all the lessons they've missed over the years."

(End of this chapter)