Siheyuan: Traveling through three years to gain the power of a palm

He admitted that he once envied the pure love of this era, but after traveling through time, he realized that true love is always a scarce commodity. It was only because there were so many divorces, infidelity, and two-timing people in that era that the beauty of this era was highlighted.

Shen Yue was not surprised by Jiang Fan's response. She also told this to Li the matchmaker, so in fact the only topic today was Jiang Dalei.

Jiang Dalei, who was surrounded by people, scratched his head embarrassedly.

"Da Lei, don't be shy. Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. If you have any requests, just tell us. Don't worry that we can't afford to feed another mouth in our family."

"Yeah, don't be like Brother Jiang Fan. He's the second child, and he has Ping An above him. Ping An already has a second child, but you're the eldest in the family."

The four adults took turns to persuade Jiang Dalei, fearing that he would be influenced by Jiang Fan, and also said "no rush".

Jiang Fan curled his lips and left with Jiang Yang and Jiang Yue. The two boys would graduate from high school next year, and they probably wouldn't learn much in the next year. Jiang Fan decided to ask them what their future plans were.

If they had a goal, he would try to find someone to arrange it for them next year. If not, he would tell them first and let them consider it. Although they could make it in time for the college entrance exam, they didn't have the ability.

Although the peak of sending educated youth to the countryside was after 68, the plan had actually been made and implemented several years earlier, but on a smaller scale.

Jiang Fan wasn't quite sure when this incident would happen, but that didn't stop him from making early preparations. As he said, if you can keep your family in the city, then keep them there; life in the countryside is tough.

After listening to Jiang Fan's analysis, Jiang Yang and Jiang Yue were both silent. They didn't really have any idea of ​​what they would do in the future; they weren't technical secondary school students, so they weren't guaranteed jobs upon graduation.

High school graduates lack the technical skills to meet the needs of industrial development, so they are not in high demand and can only work as clerical workers in factories. However, if they have other skills certificates, it is a different matter. Ultimately, they still need to have a skill.

"If you two don't know what to do, think about it carefully during this period. You probably won't learn anything at school, so why not take advantage of this time and find someone to teach you a skill. This will give you an advantage when you enter the factory in the future."

After hearing what Jiang Fan said, both of them agreed and said they would think about it carefully.

Jiang Fan knew that these two people were obedient, so he didn't need to worry too much. He just needed to talk things out.

What Jiang Fan didn't know was that Jiang Yang and Jiang Yue were sensible, but too sensible. They both knew that their family was able to live in the city thanks to Jiang Fan's help.

So they were unwilling to let Jiang Fan worry and work hard for them anymore.

If Jiang Fan knew what they were thinking, he would definitely be moved to tears and then slap each of them twice.

I really thought it was that difficult to find two jobs. Apart from anything else, Li Huaide definitely had a job offer. It was just a matter of spending a little more money, and Jiang Fan didn't care.

Back in the house, the "interrogation" of Jiang Dalei had ended.

Jiang Dalei naturally couldn't stand the repeated consolations from his elders, and he also had his own ideas in mind, that is, to get married and have children as soon as possible, so that he could better follow Jiang Fan in the future.

"Okay, since Da Lei has agreed, I'll go talk to Matchmaker Li tomorrow and ask her to look for one. We'll think of a way to get another house for us to use as our wedding room over the next two days."

Chapter 194: Yi Zhonghai's move to buy grain

When it comes to houses, everyone thinks about one thing, which is to build a house in the yard.

The quadrangle was a three-story courtyard. Uncle Jiang's family lived in two of the back rooms, one for the couple and one for their three sons. Since Jiang Yang and Jiang Yue usually lived on campus, it wasn't too crowded. However, if Jiang Dalei got married, there wouldn't be enough.

Jiang Fan and his family lived in two halls and an ear room in the front yard.

"If we're going to get a house, it'd be best if it's in our yard so we can all live together and look after each other."

"Yes, the house in front that Yan Jiecheng rented is now vacant. Can we rent it?"

"There are also the two rooms of the old deaf man in the backyard. She said she would leave them to Yi Zhonghai before, but after that incident, the house was taken back by the street office. Those two houses are very good."

"Go to the neighborhood office in the next couple of days and ask if you can rent it. It's a little difficult to buy a house right now, otherwise it would be more cost-effective to buy it."

The man and woman hadn't even met each other before they started discussing the wedding house and the idea of ​​having two children in three years to continue the family line.

Jiang Fan didn't care, as long as it didn't involve him.

Hard times continued like this. Almost every night, people were coming in and out of the courtyard, all going to the black market to buy food. Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu were the main force, and they were so exhausted from the food shortage that their hair was falling out.

Both of them looked visibly haggard, as if they had aged several years.

As soon as Yi Zhonghai got home from get off work that day, he called Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu.

"Dongxu, Zhuzi, come and sit down. I want to tell you something."

"Master, is there any news about buying food?" Jia Dongxu asked impatiently as soon as he sat down. Sha Zhu next to him also gave him an inquiring look. They were both really exhausted from trying to get some food.

"There is no way to buy food. We still have to buy it on the black market. But I have come up with a way. Maybe we can buy more food and it will be safer." Yi Zhonghai's words aroused the emotions of Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu.

The two of them had been in and out of the black market many times, and although they had never been caught by the police, they were still very nervous. Especially on the way home from the black market, there had been many reports of people being robbed on their way home after buying food, with both food and money stolen, and some even losing their lives.

Fortunately, the two of them always went to the black market together, and their build was barely considered strong, so nothing happened.

"Master (Master), what's your solution?"

The two couldn't wait to ask.

"That's what I heard someone say on my way home from get off work. It's about all the families in our yard who need to buy food, pooling their money and buying a few hundred kilograms of food at once."

"That way, those who sell grain might give us a discount because of the large quantity. Besides, it will definitely take a lot of people to move so much grain. If we pick young and strong men to go with us, it will definitely be safer."

Yi Zhonghai stroked his chin and said with some pride, "Besides, with so many of us, we don't have to be afraid even if we really encounter robbers. We might even be able to fight back and capture the robbers and send them to the police station. We'll also have a chance to get a commendation. The robbers are at most two or three people. We can at least gather a dozen guys in the courtyard. Ten against three, so we have the advantage!"

Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu's eyes lit up more and more. They felt that what Yi Zhonghai said made a lot of sense. Especially Sha Zhu, when he heard that he could catch a criminal and get a commendation, he couldn't help but think of Xu Damao holding the certificate. "Xu Damao just reported feudal superstition. If I catch a murderer, wouldn't it be great?"

Yi Zhonghai looked at the silly and happy Sha Zhu and pushed him unhappily, "Sha Zhu, what are you thinking about? Tell me whether you are going or not."

"I will go, of course I will. I just wanted to ask for your advice!" Sha Zhu said firmly.

The three of them acted immediately and first went to inform Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong. As the three giants of the Siheyuan Garden, they still had some say.

Yan Bugui naturally had nothing to say and immediately agreed, even taking the initiative to bargain. It was really dangerous for a skinny old man like him to buy food on the black market.

Liu Haizhong didn't agree directly, but he joined the group after being flattered by Yi Zhonghai. After all, it was a major event concerning all the residents of the courtyard house, so how could he do without Liu Haizhong's leadership?

"Since everyone agrees to join our gang, let's make some plans first." At the square table, Yi, Liu, and Yan sat on each side, while Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu sat on the other side.

"Uncle Yi, what's the point of planning? Just go door to door and call people to come for a meeting. I don't believe that there is still someone in our yard who doesn't lack food." Sha Zhu's reckless character came out again.

"Zhu Zi, don't be so confident. There are indeed people in our yard who don't lack food." Yan Bugui's hoarse voice sounded, reminding Sha Zhu not to forget the Jiang family and the Xu family.

"Although the Jiang family has a large population, many of them also have jobs, earning over 200 yuan a month, close to 300 yuan. Most of them have urban household registration and are not short of food. The Xu family is even better. Xu Damao, the projectionist, used to bring a lot of things home, so I guess they have plenty of food."

Yan Bugui, who was always calculating in his mind, quickly analyzed the situation of the Jiang and Xu families to everyone.

After hearing this, Sha Zhu said with some complexity, "Uncle Yan, if you say so, then there's no need for us to ask Jiang Fan and Xu Damao."

"No matter what, we're all neighbors living in the same yard, so we have to tell them about this collective activity. Even if they don't want to go, we still have to tell them."

Yi Zhonghai said righteously, "How about this, let's go ask the other neighbors for their opinions and gather those who are willing to go. Then we will tell everyone about the situation and ask for their opinions."

Yi Zhonghai's words were agreed by several people, only Yan Bugui looked at him meaningfully.

The few of them acted quickly, asking door to door.

As Sha Zhu said, who doesn't lack food these days? Even if we don't have a shortage now, we still have to plan for the future. Who knows if there will be another disaster next year? Even if there isn't a disaster next year, it will take another year or two to recover.

After dinner, as darkness gradually fell, one person from each of the twenty or so households in the quadrangle came to Yi Zhonghai's house in the middle courtyard for a meeting.

The noise wasn't too loud, but it wasn't too small either. Most people wouldn't notice it, but Jiang Fan could tell through the window that something was amiss.

"That Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu are fine, but what are Yan Laoxi, Liu Haizhong, and the other neighbors doing at Yi Zhonghai's house? Something's wrong. It's absolutely wrong."

Chapter 195 Breakthrough Meeting

Jiang Fan keenly sensed that something was wrong here, and was afraid that Yi Zhonghai was going to cause trouble again.

Without hesitation, Jiang Fan called his family over and told them about this.

"No matter what tricks Yi Zhonghai plays, this is clearly a meeting for all members of the courtyard. He can't possibly leave us out."

Shen Yue thought for a moment and said to Jiang Fan, "Second Brother, go to the Xu family and ask if Yi Zhonghai has informed them."

Jiang Fan answered without hesitation: "No need to ask, definitely not. If Xu Damao knew about this, he would have come here long ago."

Everyone nodded, but also felt somewhat puzzled. What on earth did this old man Yi Zhonghai want to do?

Deduction

"Brother, open the door."

Xu Damao's voice sounded outside, and Jiang Fan got up to open the door for him.

"Uncle Jiang, Auntie, you are all here. It seems that you also know about Yi Zhonghai?" Xu Damao greeted with a smile after coming in.

"Sit down, Damao."

Xu Damao found a stool and sat down without any hesitation. He was familiar with the Jiang family.

Xu Damao also saw people in the backyard running towards the middle yard. He was worried that Yi Zhonghai was causing trouble, so he came over to ask.

"I don't know what they're going to do. It seems like our two families are the only ones who haven't been notified."

Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, "Forget it, Big Brother, Damao, Dalei, let's go find them directly. I want to see what they want to do!"

At this time, Yi Zhonghai was explaining to his neighbors why he didn't call the Jiang and Xu families. After all, as a major force in the courtyard, they would always attract attention.

"Because according to our observations, both the Jiang and Xu families have enough food. They may not need to join our food-buying team."

After hearing what Yi Zhonghai said, the neighbors began to talk to each other in low voices.

"What Yi Zhonghai said makes sense. With so many people working in the Jiang family and only three of them having rural household registration, there's no way they'd be short of food."

"And Xu Damao, his job is quite lucrative. He used to take a lot of things home from showing movies in the countryside."

"That's exactly what happened. He came back from the countryside some time ago, and I wanted to buy something from him, but he refused."

"How could he be willing to do that? Didn't he share all the things he brought back with Jiang Fan?"

The neighbors were talking about it, most of them were angry about Jiang Fan and Xu Damao. Rationally speaking, how the Jiang and Xu families were doing had nothing to do with them, and they had nothing to do with it either.

But human nature is like that. They were starving and living in misery, while two families lived next door, well-fed and well-fed. If nothing had happened, they wouldn't have noticed. But after Yi Zhonghai said that, their emotions were immediately stirred.

Yan Bugui wiped his glasses and looked at Yi Zhonghai's harmless face, thinking: Old Yi, I really don't know what you're thinking? Are you trying to stir up the emotions of the neighbors in the courtyard and get them to deal with Jiang Fan?

Yan Bugui saw Yi Zhonghai's plan, but he kept it a secret, intending to keep it to himself. There was no benefit in telling him, and even if he told Jiang Fan, he would have to admit it. If he didn't, he would be labeled a two-faced, fickle villain.

And now he really needs to rely on Yi Zhonghai's plan to buy food.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished their discussion, Yi Zhonghai gave Liu Haizhong a look.

Liu Haizhong understood and stood up as they had agreed beforehand. "Ahem, neighbors, everyone has finished their discussion. Now let's ask for your opinions on whether we should notify the Jiang and Xu families about our grain purchase plan. Let's vote by raising our hands. The minority will obey the majority."

Under Liu Haizhong's command, the neighbors voted by raising their hands. Only two families agreed to notify the notice: the Chen family in the middle courtyard, the one who wanted to buy a bicycle from Jiang Fan, and the other was Wang Jun, a neighbor in the front yard, Wang Bing's father.

"It's clear now that no one agrees to notify them. Lao Chen, Lao Wang, if you two insist, for the sake of the safety of our plan, we have no choice but to refuse you."

Yi Zhonghai's tone was tactful and contained a hint of regret, as if if only the two of them changed their stance now, they could join their team. The other neighbors also looked at them with a slightly unfriendly look.

"I disagree!"

Jiang Fan pushed open the door. He had heard everything clearly outside and understood Yi Zhonghai's "good intentions". Why did he have to avoid their two families when holding the meeting? It turned out that he wanted to use them as a negative example.

Behind Jiang Fan were Xu Damao, Jiang Ping'an and Jiang Dalei. Although there were only four of them, they exuded the momentum of a galloping army.

"Neighbors, why didn't you notify us about this whole-house meeting? You don't consider Xu Damao and me as members of the community. You're isolating us. I can go to the neighborhood office and file a complaint against you. You're not uniting with the people."

Jiang Fan took the initiative and seized the right to speak before Yi Zhonghai could open his mouth to question him.

"That is to say, you are still holding a meeting at Yi Zhonghai's house. How come this large courtyard can't accommodate you? You have to squeeze into this small room. Aren't you afraid of getting heatstroke?"

Xu Damao continued Jiang Fan's words, "Those who know you are holding a meeting here, but those who don't know might think there's some criminal gang plotting in our yard."

Xu Damao's words made the neighbors' faces change. They couldn't get involved with a criminal gang.

"Xu Damao, what nonsense are you talking about!" Sha Zhu stood up and pointed at Xu Damao, "How are we a criminal gang? Explain it to me clearly, or you'll see how I deal with you!"

"Pillar!"

"Uncle, he slandered us." Sha Zhu said angrily.

"Alright." After restraining Sha Zhu from his impulsive behavior, Yi Zhonghai looked at Jiang Fan and said, "Jiang Fan, Xu Damao, we are holding this meeting for the sake of our neighbors. After all, the current economic situation is not good and food is hard to buy, so..."

"Stop!"

Jiang Fan raised his hand to signal Yi Zhonghai to shut up.

"Yi Zhonghai, to be honest, I have no interest in what kind of meeting you hold or where it is held. Let alone buying grain as a group, even if you go to sell grain as a group, it is none of my business."

"But people should be honest. You said you didn't want to invite Xu Damao and me to the meeting, so just don't. Why did you have to bring us up before the meeting? And you said our two families don't lack food? How do you know we don't lack food?"

"We both have a pregnant woman, so we have two mouths to feed. Not to mention that we have three rural residents in our family who don't have their rations. We can only exchange our rationed fine grains for coarse grains, and we're short on food."

After hearing what Jiang Fan said, the neighbors started talking again, and the wind turned to Jiang Fan and his group again. It was as if they were not the ones who had just said bad things.