Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 195 The Supply of Sexual Beasts: A Covert Deal

A year has passed.

In the blink of an eye, the Gregorian calendar has officially entered 1958, and the Lunar New Year is just around the corner.

The last time we celebrated Chinese New Year was right after Chen Xueru finished her postpartum confinement period.

In January of that year, the government introduced an important policy that was closely related to people's livelihoods: the supply of eight kinds of non-staple foods, including pork, beef and mutton, eggs, and brown and white sugar, would be rationed by coupon.

The supply of pork was rationed according to population, with each person receiving six ounces of pork and five ounces of beef or mutton per month. Hui people received one pound and four ounces of beef or mutton per month, while red and white sugar were each 4 ounces. Eggs were supplied in limited quantities per household.

"Oh dear, what's going on here? Before, you needed coupons to buy cloth and grain, and now you need coupons to buy meat. They won't even let you buy more eggs or brown and white sugar. Are they trying to kill us?"

As expected, Jia Zhangshi was not included in this round of rationing for meat, eggs, and brown and white sugar.

Just like the flour purchase certificates and grain coupons of the past, Jia Zhangshi, who did not have an urban household registration, knew that there was nothing she could do about it, but she was still uncomfortable and complained on the spot.

After the implementation of meat rationing, including beef and mutton, each person could buy about one pound of meat per month on average. For a family of several people, this was generally enough to eat unless there were special circumstances.

After all, most people, even if they can afford it, are reluctant to buy meat to eat on a regular basis. Apart from holidays, they are already very lucky if they can eat meat once or twice every ten days or half a month.

However, for those who are wealthy and have good economic conditions, and who regularly buy meat to eat, the impact is much greater.

Once this rationing and meat coupon system was implemented, regardless of whether people were willing or not, the amount of meat each household could buy each month was fixed. Even if you had money, you couldn't buy more meat unless you obtained meat coupons like you would with grain coupons.

However, this means spending more money.

The Jia family's economic conditions were not outstanding in the courtyard, but they were one of the few large households that ate meat. From now on, they would need to use ration coupons to buy meat, and they were short of the ration for one person. Naturally, Jia Zhangshi was unwilling to accept this.

however.

Faced with Jia Zhangshi's statement, Du Jianguo, the senior judge of the Intermediate Court, changed his expression slightly and reprimanded her loudly with a cold face: "Jia Zhangshi, what are you trying to do? Are you questioning the policies above and opposing the country?"

Everyone in the courtyard was already used to Jia Zhangshi's antics. However, the fact that the Jia family had a smaller quota than others had nothing to do with them. It was simply because Jia Zhangshi was reluctant to give up her land in the countryside and refused to transfer her household registration to the city. She wanted to take advantage of every opportunity.

Faced with this situation, Du Jianguo naturally wouldn't tolerate her, especially his last sentence, which was a truly hurtful remark.

Now, Yi Zhonghai, who is the Jia family's backer, has passed the Level 6 fitter exam again, but Du Jianguo also passed the Level 6 fitter exam recently, and is once again on equal footing with Yi Zhonghai, speaking with more confidence.

at this time.

Yi Zhonghai stepped forward and, in a gruff voice, "warned" Jia Zhangshi: "Sister-in-law, you should change your bad habit of speaking without thinking. You've caused everyone to misunderstand for no reason. Aren't you going to apologize to everyone?"

Du Jianguo seized on Jia Zhangshi's sore spot by her remarks. If he were determined to escalate the matter, he would definitely make things difficult for her. Even Yi Zhonghai didn't dare to confront her directly and could only step in to make Jia Zhangshi back down.

Several years have passed since he lost that treasure, and Yi Zhonghai's physical condition has changed.

The most obvious change is that her voice has become much softer and more feminine.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Yi Zhonghai deliberately lowered his voice every time he spoke, making it sound deeper and somewhat like a duck's quack.

"I apologize, everyone. I'm uneducated and not very eloquent. I didn't mean to oppose any national policy just now..."

By this time, Jia Zhangshi had realized the seriousness of the matter, and even though she was unwilling, she could only lower her head.

Having witnessed the spectacle, Du Jianguo, who did not want to antagonize Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family, chose to stop while he was ahead and not pursue the matter further.

Continuing to dwell on this point won't do him any good.

“Master Dongxu, what are we going to do? Now we even need ration coupons to buy meat, and our family's ration is less than others. I don't really care, but Dongxu and Banggeng are in a lot of trouble. Dongxu needs oil and fat for his work, and Banggeng is growing and needs nutrition too…”

After the meeting, Jia Zhangshi did not go home, but instead took Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu to Yi Zhonghai's house and began to complain on the spot.

Faced with Jia Zhangshi's actions, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to say, "Sister-in-law, there's nothing I can do about this. These days, everyone has a hard time. We can only take it one step at a time."

Yi Zhonghai naturally understood what Jia Zhangshi's purpose was in doing this; she simply wanted some help from him, but he did not give in.

Meat was rationed, and the couple together only received a little over two jin (1 kg) a month, one jin of which was beef or mutton.

Although they live frugally, they occasionally buy meat to improve their lives.

The key is that Yi Zhonghai does physical labor, so he can go without meat, but he can't go without oil and fat.

With the limited pork ration at home, it's only enough to buy some fatty meat to render lard.

If we distribute the rations to them, what will we eat?
After trying a few more times to probe, Jia Zhangshi, unable to get any benefits or promises from Yi Zhonghai, could only return home disappointed with Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu.

"Master, is it really appropriate to just let Jia Zhangshi and Dongxu go back like this?"

Watching them leave, and remembering how unhappy Jia Zhangshi had seemed earlier, Wang Guihua hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at Wang Guihua, somewhat displeased, and said, "So what? We only have that many meat rations ourselves. If we give them all away, what will we eat?"

"This……"

Wang Guihua also fell silent.

In fact, Wang Guihua wasn't that selfless. She was just thinking that she would have to rely on Jia Dongxu for her old age, so she naturally couldn't afford to have any rifts with them.

"A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment!"

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai sighed and said helplessly, "Dongxu's salary used to be low, so we helped him out. Now Dongxu's monthly salary is almost forty, and he still expects us to help him out. Do you think this is appropriate?"

Whenever the Jia family needed anything, he always obliged, letting them take whatever they wanted. Yi Zhonghai increasingly felt that he had been taken advantage of by Jia Zhangshi.

With his help, the Jia family lived a very comfortable life, even better than the couple. Now, just because they were short a little bit of meat ration coupons, they came to him crying and complaining, openly and secretly asking for more help.

This made Yi Zhonghai feel somewhat uncomfortable.

When the Jia family buys and eats meat, they never think of inviting them or sending them a bowl.

During the Lunar New Year, the two families would get together to make dumplings and prepare New Year's Eve dinner. However, the Jia family always benefited more, since there were only two of them and they didn't have that much food.

In this respect, the former Sha Zhu did a very good job.

Yi Zhonghai was helpless. Although he and Jia Dongxu were master and apprentice, and they both knew about the matter of retirement, it was not officially discussed. The two families did not live together and usually lived their own lives.

"But what if Dongxu gets the same idea?"

Jia Zhangshi is not important to them, but Jia Dongxu is, so it's hard for Wang Guihua not to worry.

"I believe he won't. Dongxu is a reasonable person..."

Despite saying this, Yi Zhonghai may not really think so, and his mind inevitably wavered.

Yi Zhonghai wasn't afraid of anything else, but he was afraid that Jia Zhangshi would take advantage of him and corrupt Jia Dongxu, raising an ungrateful child who would render all his previous efforts and sacrifices futile.

What he wanted was a grateful elder who would listen to him. If Jia Dongxu couldn't do that, how could Yi Zhonghai entrust his later years to him?

“The Jia family is living too well now. We can’t keep going back to the way we were before, making ourselves suffer just to help them, especially since you’re not feeling well. We should spend money where we need to, but helping the Jia family can have to wait. Next time, Madam Jia will…”

Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, Wang Guihua was taken aback, thinking about her own illness...

In just a moment, Wang Guihua quickly understood Yi Zhonghai's meaning: he was going to tighten his support for the Jia family and control them.

Don't be fooled by Jia Dongxu's current monthly salary of 38.6 yuan; he still has to give Jia Zhangshi 3 yuan a month for her retirement. In addition, Jia Zhangshi suffers from headaches, and buying painkillers every month is also an expense.

Most importantly, Jia Zhangshi did not have a fixed quota and needed to buy extra grain from outside, which was another expense. However, Jia Zhangshi's land rent and grain in the countryside could offset this part.

Yi Zhonghai and Wang Guihua were already fully aware of these circumstances, but they pretended not to know and didn't expose Jia Zhangshi. Unfortunately, the Jia family always used this as an excuse to ask them for help, and Yi Zhonghai couldn't refuse, so he always had to give them something, no matter how small.

The Jia family not only bought meat more often than others in the courtyard, but also frequently ate fine grains. Jia Dongxu also liked to drink a little wine and prepare some side dishes when he had nothing to do. Few families could compare to their lifestyle.

Under these circumstances, they were even able to save a little money each month. Although this was just Yi Zhonghai and Wang Guihua's guess, without their help, the Jia family would definitely not be as relaxed and comfortable as they are now.

"While I'm still somewhat useful, I can't let Dongxu's heart drift away."

As he said this, Yi Zhonghai's gaze darkened slightly.

His salary is not as high as before, and his skills are now limited due to his hand injury, making it difficult for him to make any breakthroughs. Even his daily work is becoming a bit strenuous, which has given Yi Zhonghai a sense of crisis.

Originally, there was a double insurance policy: even if he misjudged Jia Dongxu and couldn't be relied on, at least there was Sha Zhu as a backup. But now, he only has Jia Dongxu as an option.

When Yi Zhonghai first learned that he couldn't have children, why didn't he adopt a child to raise? Besides the excessive time and money involved, he was also afraid that he wouldn't be able to raise the child properly and that the child would be at the mercy of others.

Even biological children can be unfilial, let alone those with no blood relation whatsoever.

Yi Zhonghai is a man who likes to have everything under his control.

However, after the wage system was changed, Jia Dongxu became a second-level fitter, and his salary rose accordingly. The Jia family's life became more comfortable, which was not a good thing for Yi Zhonghai.

Whether in the past or now, the Jia family still asks him for help every month. In the past, they were really struggling to make ends meet, but now they want to enjoy life and live a good life.

This means that even without his mentor, Jia Dongxu's family could maintain a normal life, which greatly reduced his importance.

The only saving grace is that the Jia family has gotten used to a good life over the past year.

As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Asking them to go back to their previous state would probably be unacceptable.

Yi Zhonghai knew that as long as he was still "needed" by the Jia family, he would have the opportunity to manipulate them.

Having invested so much in Jia Dongxu and the Jia family, Yi Zhonghai naturally couldn't give up. However, he also couldn't gamble everything and completely tie himself to the Jia family now. He needed to do something more.

……

the other side.

Just as the Jia and Yi families were harboring their own thoughts and scheming, not long after Li Hongbing returned to the front yard, Yan Bugui came looking for him.

“Hongbing, from now on you’ll need ration coupons to buy meat. And each person will only have a ration of six ounces of pork and five ounces of beef and mutton. Including your mother-in-law, your family of four will only have a ration of less than four and a half pounds a month. That’s definitely not enough to eat, right?”

Hearing Yan Bugui's words, Li Hongbing roughly guessed what he was thinking, but he didn't show anything. Instead, he pretended to be helpless and said, "Uncle Yan, it's impossible to eat as freely as before. Now everyone is on a ration basis. Even if you have money, you can't buy it. But we're all in the same boat, so I don't have anything special to offer. I'll just have to be more careful in the future."

Not only meat, but also other supplies, Li Hongbing certainly has no shortage of, after all, he has stockpiled a lot over the past few years.

only.

From then on, Li Hongbing could no longer openly discuss eating meat. Apart from one or two times a month, he could only do it secretly behind closed doors.

Although it is possible to buy meat rations from outside as long as you have money, this behavior is not allowed and violates the policies of the authorities.

Once or twice might be fine, as long as it's well hidden, others might not notice. But if it happens too often, and you continue to eat meat every few days like before, you're likely to attract envy and be reported by those around you.

Especially with people like Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family in the compound, although they have been quiet for the past two years, Li Hongbing knows that they will definitely jump out again if given the chance, so he must be careful.

Hearing Li Hongbing say this, Yan Bugui couldn't help but smile, and subconsciously whispered, "Hongbing, my family's situation is different from yours. There are many people in our family, and our meat ration is more than other families."

However, my salary isn't high; it's enough to support my family, let alone buy meat. If you need some, I can give you some of my meat coupons..."

as predicted.

Yan Bugui wanted to sell meat coupons.

Li Hongbing was not surprised at all that he had this idea.

After all, during times of relative peace and hardship, Yan Bugui was the kind of person who would even use the grain coupons he saved to exchange for sweet potatoes in the countryside.

One pound of national grain coupons could be exchanged for six pounds of sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are a type of coarse grain, not as filling as staple grains like rice and noodles, but they are quite filling, so Yan Bugui used them as a staple food.

However, eating too many sweet potatoes can easily cause acid reflux, and excessive consumption is not good for the body. Furthermore, if not paired with other foods, it can lead to malnutrition.

Based on the frequency and quantity of meat their family usually buys, the monthly meat ration might not be enough for other families, but for Yan Bugui, it was clearly more than enough.

In this way, the extra meat coupons became Yan Bugui's perk.

The first person Yan Bugui thought of was Li Hongbing, who had the highest income in the courtyard and was the biggest meat eater.

Although Li Hongbing is not someone who is easily taken advantage of, he is not short of money and is fair in his dealings, and will not maliciously lower prices.

The key is.

This kind of transaction reduces a lot of risk compared to trading outside.

Simultaneously.

Even if this deal has nothing to do with personal relationships, it can still make Li Hongbing feel more favorably toward him.

Li Hongbing pondered for a moment, looked at Yan Bugui, and said, "Xue Ru is currently pregnant and needs nutrition, so our ration is indeed not enough. If you, Uncle Yan, are willing to share some of your meat coupons with me, I would be very happy to do so. However, it depends on how you want to share them."

Chen Xueru is pregnant again.

That was during the summer.

This summer, because I didn't calculate the date correctly and didn't use the anti-spam tool, I ended up having another baby successfully conceived, a lucky birth.

Despite the surprise and frustration, Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru were actually quite happy.

The reason for using contraception was simply because Chen Xueru had just given birth to her first child not long ago, and they were worried that consecutive pregnancies and births would put a strain on her body and cause damage that could have been avoided.

Li Hongbing has no shortage of meat or money, so buying some meat coupons from Yan Bugui to cover his tracks is a good option.

After all, besides eating at home, Li Hongbing also had to send some to his older sister, Li Hongmei.

Although the authorities prohibited and even cracked down on the private trading of grain coupons and meat coupons, there were always ways around the rules. Instead of openly selling them, people would use the pretext of sharing or borrowing them.

As long as it's not a business of reselling for profit, but just something you buy for personal use, the authorities usually turn a blind eye, unless you're unlucky enough to be caught red-handed during a crackdown.

Transactions within the same neighborhood are even less risky.

Even if they knew, no one would report it, unless someone could guarantee they would never need to use extra tickets in their lifetime.

This is an act that incurs public wrath and blocks everyone's path.

Even if someone reports them, as long as Li Hongbing and Yan Bugui give the same story, they will basically be fine.

Even the worst outcome would be a few words of criticism and education, since it's just for personal use, not for resale and profit.

Li Hongbing was willing to buy, but he also had to consider the price. Even if he was rich, he didn't like being ripped off.

Yan Bugui naturally had no intention of doing so, because even if he could gain an advantage, it would be not worth offending Li Hongbing in the process.

The deal was successfully completed, and Yan Bugui was overjoyed, as was Li Hongbing.

(End of this chapter)