Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

Intermediate People's Court.

When Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai returned to the courtyard, it was already six o'clock in the afternoon.

Today he processed a batch of second-grade workpieces, and one-third of them were defective. He had no choice but to ask Yi Zhonghai for help. The two of them have been working on it until now to finish processing the defective workpieces. Otherwise, he would definitely have his wages deducted when the inspection is carried out tomorrow.

Jia Dongxu was trembling as he walked. He only ate two small steamed buns for lunch, without a single vegetable leaf. Those two buns were the smallest ones, about the same size as one. He was already dizzy from hunger, which is why he was able to process so many substandard parts in the afternoon.

Yi Zhonghai patted Jia Dongxu on the shoulder, sighed, and said:

"Dongxu, you must be more careful in your work in the future. With your level of performance today, even if I assign you the simplest level 2 workpiece, you won't pass the pre-New Year's worker qualification assessment. What happened to you today? Why is your workpiece pass rate so low?"

Jia Dongxu nodded emphatically: "Master, I understand. I will definitely work hard from now on."

Reprimanded by Yi Zhonghai, Jia Dongxu clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

"Okay, then you should go back now."

"Thank you, Master."

Jia Dongxu walked back to the Jia family home with a gloomy expression. As soon as he entered the house, Qin Huairu greeted him with a smile.

"Dongxu, why are you so late today? Go wash your hands, we're waiting for you to start dinner."

Jia Dongxu looked coldly at Qin Huairu. Just as Qin Huairu was about to urge Jia Dongxu again, Jia Dongxu suddenly slapped her hard across the face.

"Smack."

Qin Huairu's face instantly turned red, revealing a handprint. She covered her face, looking at Jia Dongxu with a pitiful expression, and asked in confusion:

"Dongxu, what's wrong with you? Why did you hit me?"

Madam Jia was also puzzled. Dongxu rarely hit Qin Huairu. What was wrong with him today?

Jia Dongxu sneered, "Qin Huairu, you dare ask me what's wrong? I'm asking you, yesterday you said Qin Jingru wouldn't flip the wok for me anymore, so why did she flip it for me again today?"

"I...I, Dongxu, Jingru really told me yesterday that she didn't flip the wok for you. Maybe Jingru was just too busy. Why don't you try again tomorrow?" Qin Huairu said cautiously, her head down.

"Well, Qin Huairu, you jinx! You were saying yesterday that Qin Jingru, that bitch, wouldn't cook for our Dongxu anymore. Turns out you were lying to us! I'll beat you to death."

Jia Zhangshi screamed and pinched Qin Huairu hard.

"Smack."

Jia Dongxu's eyes were fierce as he slapped Qin Huairu hard across the face again, his face grim as he said:

"Qin Huairu, I wanted two cornbread buns and a serving of cabbage for lunch today. Qin Jingru served me cabbage with not a single leaf, just some watery broth. And the two cornbread buns weren't even the right size. What do you call this if not flipping the wok?"

"Qin Huairu, you useless thing, you jinx! How could my Dongxu have married such a good-for-nothing like you? I sent you to find that bitch Qin Jingru and tell her not to cook for our Dongxu anymore. You couldn't even handle Qin Jingru, and you still dare to deceive us?"

Upon hearing Jia Dongxu's words, Jia Zhangshi became even more ruthless, and in no time, she had pinched Qin Huairu until her body was covered in bruises.

"Waaaaah."

Qin Huairu cried out in grievance as she was being pinched, but she dared not dodge or run away, and could only silently endure it.

Jia Dongxu was also in a very bad mood today. Not only was he tossed around in the wok, but he also made a lot of defective products and was scolded by Yi Zhonghai.

"Clap clap clap".

Jia Dongxu slapped Qin Huairu three times in a row before his anger subsided considerably.

After three slaps, Qin Huairu's cheeks instantly became red and swollen.

"Waaaaah, Mom, Dongxu, I didn't lie to you. It was Jingru who said she didn't toss the wok for Dongxu." Qin Huairu wiped away her tears and said pitifully.

Jia Dongxu sighed and lowered his hand, which had been raised high.

He also knew that the main responsibility for this matter did not lie with Qin Huairu. If anyone was to blame, it was Wang Feng and Qin Jingru. Their obvious flipping of the wok was clearly aimed at him and Yi Zhonghai.

They couldn't do anything about Wang Feng and Qin Jingru. Wang Feng was a deputy section chief and a very capable fighter, and Qin Jingru was now a head chef in the cafeteria. What could they do?

Jia Zhangshi pointed at Qin Huairu and cursed, "Qin Huairu, you good-for-nothing! What good are you? You can't even handle your own cousin, and now you're specifically targeting our family?"

Qin Huairu covered her swollen face and cried, "Waaah, Dongxu, Mom, please believe me, I really didn't lie to you. I was also lied to by Jingru."

Banggeng watched as his mother was beaten by his grandmother and the others. He was used to it. He shouted at the three of them:

"Grandma, I'm hungry. Can you finish your meal before you hit me? Do you want me to starve to death?"

"Oh, my dear grandson, dinner's ready! We're going to eat now."

Jia Zhangshi grinned, then glared fiercely at Qin Huairu.

"Qin Huairu, are you dead? Can't you see my precious grandson is hungry? Hurry up and bring him some cornbread."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu wiped away her tears, quickly walked to the kitchen, and brought the steamed buns she had prepared earlier to the table.

Jia Dongxu was so hungry that his legs were weak. As soon as the cornbread was put on the table, he picked up a cornbread and ate it in big mouthfuls.

Just as Qin Huairu was about to grab the cornbread, Jia Zhangshi slapped her hand with a chopstick. Jia Zhangshi glared fiercely at Qin Huairu with her triangular eyes and cursed:

"Qin Huairu, you good-for-nothing, you made Dongxu get flipped in the wok again today. You're getting no food tonight as punishment."

As she spoke, Jia Zhangshi distributed one steamed bun to each person, and Qin Huairu's share was entirely taken by her and Jia Dongxu.

"Waaaaah."

Seeing this, Qin Huairu cried again in grievance, but Jia Dongxu and Jia Zhangshi ignored her and continued eating.

Qin Huairu now hates Qin Jingru to death. If it weren't for Qin Jingru, she wouldn't have been beaten up in a mixed doubles match today, and after the beating, she wouldn't even have been given food.

Banggeng was even more heartless; he was already used to his mother being beaten. After finishing two cornbread buns, he looked at Jia Zhangshi and shouted:

"Grandma, I don't want to eat anymore. I want to eat meat! I haven't eaten meat in so long!"

Jia Zhangshi ruffled Bang Geng's curly hair and comforted him, "Bang Geng, just bear with it a little longer. When your dad gets his salary this month, I'll have him buy you meat."

"No, I want to eat meat now! I don't care, go find me some meat! You're making me eat cornbread and steamed buns every day, are you trying to starve me to death?"

As he spoke, Banggeng plopped down on the ground, slapping his thighs repeatedly and shouting:

"Old Jia! Come up here quickly! Grandma and Dad are abusing me! Old Jia! They're trying to starve your precious grandson! They won't give me any meat! Come up here and take them away!"