Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

Niu Dazhuang was working the bellows in the outer room, cooking. Qin Huairu lifted the curtain and came in.

She said jealously, "Hmph! You've gotten away with it to that little vixen in the house. When did you two start dating? Does Xue Ru know?" Her tone was accusatory.

Niu Dazhuang twisted his neck and saw it was her, then continued pumping the bellows: "Have you eaten? Where's the corn cob?"

"You've eaten. Banggeng is taking a nap. I'm asking you a question." As she spoke, Qin Huairu walked behind Niu Dazhuang and nudged his shoulder.

Niu Dazhuang knew that Qin Huairu was angry, so he pulled her over and put her on his lap. The two sat facing each other, but Niu Dazhuang was sitting on a small stool...

"Oh...you're so annoying, why don't you even wash up..." Qin Huairu punched Niu Dazhuang's shoulder with her little pink fist.

"Huai Ru, you're all my people, can you please not fight when you meet in the future?!"

"It was her who ruined our good time, how can I not be angry!"

"This is a replacement for you."

"Hmm... as long as she doesn't deliberately cause trouble, I won't bother arguing with her anymore!"

"Ah! That's more like it! Hold me tight..."

Ye Chunmei, who was in the inner room, had recovered from her stomach upset. Hearing the commotion outside, she felt jealous but there was nothing she could do.

"Dazhuang, is the food ready yet? I'm starving!" I had no choice but to call for help.

"Not yet. Coming soon."

"See? She's deliberately targeting me; she can't stand to see me doing well!" Qin Huairu said sweetly.

Then she said to the inner room, "Are you even a woman? How can you be so shameless, making men cook for you!" Qin Huairu was not to be outdone.

In a fit of anger, Niu Dazhuang grabbed Qin Huairu and dragged her into the inner room...

The sun was already setting in the west when Ye Chunmei finally ate her lunch.

"We're comrades in arms now, so you two shouldn't start fighting every time you see each other," Niu Dazhuang patiently advised.

"You guys eat, I have to go check on Banggeng'er." After saying that, Qin Huairu got off the kang (a heated brick bed), no longer swaying her slender waist as usual.

With a furrowed brow, she turned around and slapped Niu Dazhuang, scolding, "It's all your fault!" Then she left.

After finishing her meal and resting for a while, Ye Chunmei was about to leave: "It's all your fault! We missed the temple fair. I'm off this Sunday, so we'll go to the department store and buy you some more!"

Ye Chunmei felt much better with the bicycle to hold onto.

"So, you two sisters have made up, and I'm now an outsider."

When Banggeng was little, he was very well-behaved. He would wake up on his own without crying, and would get off the kang (a heated brick bed) and go to play with the other children in the yard.

When Qin Huairu got home, she sat on the doorstep and didn't move, watching Banggeng'er play in the yard.

Until Jia Zhangshi returned.

The courtyard gradually became lively again, with everyone talking about what fun things they had seen at the temple fair that day...

"Grandma, my stomach isn't feeling well today, so you can cook dinner!"

When Jia Zhangshi returned from the temple fair, she was in a good mood and assumed it was something from back then, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

"Huai Ru, now that Bang Geng'er doesn't need much care anymore, are you considering having another one?" Jia Zhangshi said, her mouth never stopping as she cooked.

"That depends on your son. Anyway, I didn't intentionally choose not to have children." That's the trend now; almost every family has three or four children. Qin Huairu couldn't go too far.

"That's good, but we can't let Dongxu get too tired. Our whole family depends on him to support us!"

"If you're worried, why don't you invite Dongxu to sleep in the outer room tonight?" Qin Huairu thought to herself, hoping for this.

"You said it yourself." Madam Jia's controlling nature was too strong.

"Yes, I said it. As long as Dongxu agrees, I have no objection."

"Then I'll tell him when he gets back."

As they were talking, dinner was ready, and Jia Dongxu arrived home from get off work. He had just stepped inside when...

Jia Zhangshi said impatiently, "Your wife and I have discussed it and agreed that from now on, you can sleep in the inner room two nights a week, just like before."

"Grandma, this was all your idea. I just agreed, but I didn't discuss it with you!" Qin Huairu wasn't going to take the blame. If Jia Dongxu wanted to hold a grudge, he should hold a grudge against his mother.

"My dear mother! Can't you just mind your own business a little less? You want to hold your grandson more, but you won't let me sleep in the inner room. How am I supposed to hold my grandson more?" Jia Dongxu said helplessly.

Speechless, Jia Zhangshi started arguing back. "Dongxu! Our whole family depends on you. If something happens to you, how will we, the mother and children, survive?" As she spoke, she wiped her tearless eyes with her sleeve.

"Let's eat first. After we eat, you two can talk." After Niu Dazhuang had been making a fuss for half a day, Qin Huairu was also quite hungry.

As for Niu Youliang, after getting off work and entering the house, he smelled something was wrong. He pointed at Niu Dazhuang and laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, you're quite capable. You've only been here two days and you've already hooked up with someone? This isn't our hometown, so be careful."

"Okay, hurry up and eat, I have to go out in a bit."

"Yeah, young people should go out and explore. What kind of future can they have if they stay at home all day? But be careful when you go out at night, don't let anyone sneak up on you."

The father and son even had a couple of drinks that evening.

After dinner, the two smoked another bag of cigarettes. "I have a comrade-in-arms who is now in charge of purchasing at the supply and marketing cooperative. He has a mule and horse team that delivers goods. Didn't you drive a donkey cart back home? If you're interested, I can put in a good word for you."

"The supply and marketing cooperative's mule and horse teams? Do they deliver goods in Beijing?"

"Yes, but you start as a temporary worker and it takes a few years before you have a chance to become a permanent employee."

Are there any other jobs available?

"Yes, there are opportunities, but we'll have to wait for a reply. It's also in transportation, but it's not easy to get in. It's a large company in the city, and even if you get in, you'll only be a porter. Whether you can drive a truck depends on your performance."

"Driving? What kind of car? What city-level unit?"

"Kyoto Transportation Company, their main job is driving large trucks to other places. You don't know how to drive a large truck. Even if you do, you'll have to start as a porter when you first join the company."

"Uncle, is this job reliable? If it is, then this is the one." Niu Dazhuang's eyes lit up. A driver, one of the eight key personnel. He could work there until the late 1980s, that couldn't be better.

"I know you're ambitious, kid. Let me tell you, I need to give away two or three of our family's old things."

"Send them, hurry up and send them. As long as they can get into the Kyoto Transportation Company, I won't mind sending a few more."

"Okay, keep your mouth shut. Tell me after it's done!"

"I didn't know that! I'm going out, leave the door open for me tonight."

"Go on, you brat!"

Go to the tavern whenever you have free time, get acquainted with the locals. Old Man Pian'er, he'll come in handy when he goes to the Northeast to sell grain. Old Man Niu, he'll need him when he buys some old things.

And those two foreigners, if we build good relations now, they'll come in handy after the reform and opening up...