Seeing that He Yuzhu was really going to report this to the authorities, Jia Dongxu immediately poked Qin Huairu, who was sitting beside him. Qin Huairu was a shrewd woman. Although she had yet to master the art of tea and her skin, she still knew what to do at this moment.
Qin Huiru hurriedly stood up with her big belly and called out to He Yuzhu,""Brother Zhu Zi, I remember now. Those cured meat and sausages haven't started cooking yet. I'll go back and get them for you now.”
Hearing her words, the neighbors were in an uproar and discussed animatedly.
"You just said you ate it, and now you say it's still there. You really know how to make things up.”
"He's obviously trying to cheat on someone else's bacon. Now he can't be lazy and is afraid.”
"In the future, you have to be careful of this family. They steal, cheat, and throw a tantrum.”
Yi Zhonghai had just turned around and taken two steps when he heard Qin Huairu's words. He was so angry that he fell backward. He thought to himself, I helped you guys turn the situation around, but you guys treat us like fools.
Liu Haizhong was so angry that he slammed his large tea jar on the table. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. He panted for a long time, grabbed the tea jar, and turned around to go back.
Seeing that Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong had left, Third Master Yan Bugui also called for everyone to disperse. Because Jia Zhangshi had quarreled with her neighbors many times in the past, the Jia family's reputation was not very good. Now that everyone knew the Jia family's means of stealing meat, throwing tantrums, and shamelessly, they would try their best to avoid interacting with this family in the future.
In this era, reputation was very important. Unlike the later generations, where people would close their doors at home and not even know the surname of the person opposite them, everyone was living in the same courtyard now. There were no computers, phones, or even televisions, which were necessary conditions for otakus. The interactions between neighbors were even more frequent. In this era where resources were scarce, the help of neighbors was even more needed. It was true that distant relatives were not as good as close neighbors, and close neighbors were not as good as opposite neighbors.
In addition, the children in this day and age were also free-range. Primary school students did not have parents to pick them up. After school, children from the same courtyard or neighboring courtyards walked together and played together. If they were isolated by other children, it was really possible for them to develop a solitary and unruly personality.
When He Yuzhu followed Qin Huairu back with two pieces of cured meat and a skewer of sausages, she heard Jia Zhangshi cursing in the room."We're neighbors. What's wrong with eating some of his meat? He even said that he would report it to the authorities.”
"This kind of person deserves it if his father doesn't want him anymore. He just lacks virtue. A kid without parents is uneducated.”
He Yuzhu could only pretend not to hear her. He couldn't possibly argue with an old woman. Even if he argued, he probably wouldn't win.
Because of this matter, there was also a rift between He Yuzhu and Yi Zhonghai. Yi Zhonghai felt that He Yuzhu did not give him face. He knew that He Yuzhu's family did not lack this bit of meat, so there was no need to be entangled over this bit of meat. He Yuzhu also felt that it was not the right thing to do. He did not look for Yi Zhonghai to drink anymore. He also told He Yushui that in the future, she should chat with the deaf old lady and not trouble an auntie.
The He siblings and the Jia family did not even speak to each other. Other than Qin Huiru who would greet the He siblings, Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu would either scowl at each other or curse at each other. However, Jia Dongxu was the kind of person who appeared fierce on the outside but was weak on the inside. He Yuzhu glared at him, and his eyes immediately drifted away, not knowing what to do.
He Yuzhu's New Year's Day holiday was also spent busy. At the beginning of the new year, He Yuzhu had even less contact with the neighbors in the courtyard house. While everyone despised the Jia family for stealing and acting shamelessly, they also felt that He Yuzhu was unreasonable.
Therefore, He Yuzhu was not fated to interact with other neighbors. For example, today, your family would give two steamed buns to my family, and tomorrow, my family would give you a small bowl of fried meat. He Yuzhu was also happy to have fewer interactions with these people and fewer conflicts. She just needed to take care of the deaf old lady and her sister every day.
The Spring Festival in 1955 was very early. It was on January 24th. During this period of time, He Yushui successfully passed the final exam of the sixth grade in primary school. He would follow the sixth grade in the next semester.
He Yuzhu also jumped to the third year of the factory's part-time school to prepare for the college entrance examination this year. He Yuzhu's childhood friend, Xu Damao, became a full-time employee at the beginning of January. His father, Xu Fugui, was transferred to the district cinema in order to make room for Xu Damao.
Now, Xu Damao was the only film projectionist in the rolling mill. He Yuzhu's neighbor Qin Huairu's son, Bang Geng, was also successfully born. Jia Dongxu was so happy that he sent a red-skinned egg to every house in the courtyard, except He Yuzhu's house.
He Yuzhu had recently collected ten new sets of the first set of RMB. The first set had 12 kinds of face value, 62 varieties, and 84 versions. The total face value was 203662 yuan.
There weren't many sets of this currency in the future, only a dozen sets. Even the People's Bank didn't keep a single set, and its value had increased by more than 200,000 times. The new currency would be issued next month to retrieve the old currency, so He Yuzhu quickly found a friend at the bank to exchange ten sets of the first set of RMB.
It was a Sunday on New Year's Eve. In the afternoon, He Yuzhu went to the deaf old lady's house to pick her up for dinner. Yi Zhonghai and an auntie were chatting at the deaf old lady's house. When they saw He Yuzhu coming over, the auntie said,"Zhu Zi, let's have the New Year's Eve dinner together this year?”
He Yuzhu did not want to make things too awkward with Yi Zhonghai, so he agreed.
On New Year's Eve, most of the workers went home in the afternoon. He Yuzhu went back early to pack up the ingredients after lunch in the canteen.
Yi Zhonghai brought two bottles of Fen wine, and a middle-aged woman brought a fish and two catties of streaky pork over in advance. Yi Zhonghai chatted with the old lady, and a middle-aged woman and He Yushui helped He Yuzhu.
He Yuzhu exchanged pork for some beef, mutton, and a rabbit in Pigeon City. This New Year's Eve dinner was extremely sumptuous.
According to the old Imperial Capital's custom, they made sixteen dishes, four cold dishes, four hot dishes, four meat dishes, and four soup dishes. After serving the dishes, Yi Zhonghai's expression was a little bad.
While they were drinking and chatting, Yi Zhonghai said to He Yuzhu,""Zhu Zi, you shouldn't have made a scene with Jia Zhang last time. You see, you're so well-off. There's no need to fuss about that little bit of bacon and sausage. You've caused the neighbors to stop interacting.
Moreover, the other neighbors would think that you were too calculative. They all lived in the same courtyard and usually saw each other. Was it worth it to eat some sausages and bacon?”
He Yuzhu was unhappy."This isn't about ordering sausages and bacon. First Master, Jia Zhangshi is stealing. It's a matter of principle."”
Yi Zhonghai quickly explained,"That's not what I'm talking about. They admitted that they took your sausages and bacon. They only said that they would return it to you when they make bacon. That's enough. There's no need to be so aggressive. You don't need a few pounds of meat."”
He Yuzhu was even more unhappy when he heard that. He choked,"Not only did you not get punished for stealing, but you also don't have to return the things. Isn't this encouraging theft?”
Yi Zhonghai was unhappy when he heard that.""How am I encouraging theft? Other than you, who else has been robbed in our courtyard? I don't think so. Then you have to think about why you were stolen. Nowadays, everyone's standard of living is not high. Other than your family, who else makes sausages and bacon?”
He drank another mouthful of wine and added,"You hung dozens of catties of sausages and bacon outside. What would happen if people who can't even eat their fill saw it? Think about it yourself. He might be rich and wealthy, but he had to hide all the good things at home. Wouldn't people be jealous if he placed them outside? I'm doing this for your own good."
He Yuzhu felt uncomfortable when he heard that, but he had to admit that what Yi Zhonghai said made some sense, but he still said,"It might be a little inappropriate for me to dry so many sausages and cured meat, but I don't think there's a problem with the way I handle it after the incident.”
An elder knocked on the table and said,""You were too calculative when you handled the problem back then, and it seemed unreasonable. You don't lack this point, so why bother?”
He Yuzhu's thoughts were different."It's not about whether I'm lacking this bit or not. If Jia Zhang-shi gets the benefits, do you believe that she will be even more insatiable in the future? Next time, she might come to my room to take it.”
"How could that be?"
Yi Zhonghai said,"The Jia Zhang-shi has lost face. They will avoid you in the future. How can they be insatiable?"”
He Yuzhu said,"Look at Jia Zhangshi. Is she a person who cares about face? She doesn't care about face when there are benefits."”
The two of them drank wine and started to argue. In the end, the New Year's Eve dinner ended unhappily, but their relationship was not as stiff as before.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。