Break out of the courtyard

Seeing that he was about to arrive at the courtyard, Yan Bugui asked in a low voice the doubt in his heart, "Heping, is your mother taking over your father's job, or is she looking for a new job?"

"New job!" Zhang Heping said with a smile: "The steel rolling mill refused to let my mother take over, so we asked my father's old boss for help. We owe a big favor, and we can only pay it back slowly during the holidays."

"Heping, please see if our family can..."

Zhang Heping's smile faltered and he looked like he was thinking, "Third uncle, the political review over there is very strict. You are an intellectual, and you are among the workers and peasants... you know!"

Yan Bugui nodded helplessly, not knowing what he understood.

As soon as Zhang Heping and three others entered the gate, they saw Jia Zhang, Qin Huairu and Banggan, who were wearing malays and wearing filial piety, blocking the door of Yan's house.

"My Jie Cheng went out early in the morning!" The third aunt said casually: "I haven't come back yet. I don't know where I went. I'm crazy."

Qin Huairu said pitifully: "Third aunt, didn't we agree yesterday that your family would help us carry the coffin this morning?"

"It's already afternoon now. You told me about morning! Besides, I didn't promise you yesterday! I just said that when Jie Cheng comes back, I'll ask him." When the third aunt saw Yan Bugui and the others coming back, she followed Ma After Xiuzhen said hello, she loudly said to the Jia family at the door:

"Stop blocking the door! If you have some free time, go to the street and pay someone to carry the coffin."

"Everyone is dead, and I can't bear to give up this little money!"

Zhang Heping took Ma Xiuzhen home who wanted to watch the fun, but saw his second sister Zhang Pandi lying on the kang on the right, with a cat eavesdropping under the window.

"Mom!" The second sister got out of bed excitedly and took the household registration book, grain book, and non-staple food book from her mother Ma Xiuzhen. When she saw that her name was also on it, she was so happy.

Zhang Heping felt the temperature of the house, and thinking about what Ma Xiuzhen said at noon, she lent all the 20 yuan to her grandfather. She still had 1 yuan and 3 cents left on her body, so she asked her mother to come over.

"Mom, is the firewood in front of Third Master's house expensive? Why don't you go out and buy some to burn the kang? By the way, take grandma to get familiar with the surroundings."

After grandma and mother went out, Zhang Heping asked the second sister to guard the "lifeblood" of the family and went to find the third uncle.

There are still a lot of things to do next, and the remaining money is not available. He wants to find Yan Bugui for further cooperation.

When Yan Bugui heard that Zhang Heping was going fishing, he immediately became energetic, but it was already too early. The two of them discussed and decided to go to Houhai first to see if the ice was safe for fishing.

……

Middle courtyard, east wing, Jia's house.

Qin Huairu knelt in front of the brazier and looked at Jia Zhang who was sitting cross-legged on the kang without saying a word. She couldn't help but said: "Mom! Let's ask the elder for help! With our family's popularity, who is willing to carry the coffin?" To go to the countryside so far away..."

"If you want to beg him, just go and put the ring on first!"

Hearing Jia Zhang mention Shanghuan again, Qin Huairu fell silent and stood up with a gloomy expression.

"If you don't ask me for help, you can use money to hire people from outside." Qin Huairu stared at Jia Zhang with a complicated look, "Also, I will go to work at the steel rolling mill tomorrow, should you give me some food? ticket?"

When Jia Zhang heard that Qin Huairu's tone was wrong, she immediately got off the kang, "What do you mean?"

Facing Jia Zhang's triangular eyes, Qin Huairu took a deep breath and said coldly: "I don't know how to ring!"

Mrs. Jia Zhang was a little unsure of Qin Huairu's attitude at this time, and she was actually afraid that Qin Huairu would remarry.

Because Banggeng is closer to Qin Huairu, once Qin Huairu remarries, Banggeng will marry him too, and the old Jia family will have no descendants!

Looking at Qin Huairu's appearance, even though she has given birth to three children, her appearance is still attractive, not to mention she is only 3 years old...

"I'll go, I'll go!" Mrs. Jia Zhang reluctantly went out and went to find the coffin bearers.

However, after searching for a long time, she still couldn't agree on a price, so she couldn't help but curse the people in the courtyard.

After Qin Huairu left, she immediately rummaged through the boxes and cabinets at home, and finally found out that Jia Zhang might have hidden the money notes on her body.

At night, the aroma of rice wafted in, dispersing the smell of incense in the mourning hall, and the sounds of children chirping could be heard in the front yard.

Qin Huairu looked around, but Banggan and Xiaodang were nowhere to be found. When she walked to the second door and looked into the front yard, she saw a dozen people gathered under the dim light at the corner between the east wing on the left and the side room facing the street. Among the children holding empty bowls was Xiao Dang.

However, Banggan stood alone outside the group of children, which made Qin Huairu feel tight.

……

"Zhang Xiaosan, why did you only scoop so much for me?" Liu Guangtian asked dissatisfiedly, holding the big bowl.

"There are so many people today, and I've scooped too much for you. What will happen to the others? What if the person who scooped the last one is gone?" Zhang Heping did not tolerate him this time.

I no longer live next door to your house, and the stove is not under your window. You come to me to beg for food, and you still dare to feel dissatisfied!

"You scooped out such a big bowl for me last time..." Liu Guangtian muttered and walked aside.

While Zhang Heping was standing on a small stool by the stove, sharing porridge with a group of little kids, Qin Huairu jumped into the queue with a big bowl and a stick, came to the stove, took a look at the pot, and then said:

"Heping, your porridge is so delicious! Can you give Banggeng a bowl?"

"No!" Zhang Heping refused without even thinking, "Next!"

Zhang Heping looked down on Qin Huairu. The last time Banggeng stole something from the Zhang family, Qin Huairu came over to pay back the book and the money he wronged Banggian. The eggs were two smelly eggs that the aunt got from nowhere.

The key is that no one from the Jia family apologized to the Zhang family from beginning to end!

"Banggan, don't think that just because your mother is here, you can jump in line!" Yan Jiefang took a large yellow enamel basin and squeezed in, "Get out of the way! It's my turn!"

"Banggen, when you and your grandma called Brother Heping a cripple, you should have thought of today!"

"Bangge, we won't play with you, just go away!"

Zhang Heping ignored Qin Huairu's ugly face when he left. He was holding a large basin that could cover his head and hold most of his head. He looked at Yan Jiefang speechlessly, "Your father asked you to take it." Is this the basin from?"

"how do you know?"

Zhang Heping rolled his eyes, seeing that Yan Bugui helped him sell 30 this afternoon... No! For the sake of sharing 15 yuan, I endured it!

"I'll scoop it up for you later, next one!"

After Zhang Heping shared the porridge with the remaining four little kids, he scooped all the porridge left in the pot into the Yan family's big basin.

"Brother Heping, can you boil the water for the pot?" A boy who lives in the wing room next to the second door of the central courtyard asked diligently.

Then, he took the enamel basin that Zhang Heping handed him and ran to the sink in the front yard to get some water.

As soon as Zhang Heping drained the water out of the pot, the group of brats dispersed.

His mother, Ma Xiuzhen, came out with a handkerchief and invited Zhang Heping to go home for some porridge, while she began to clean the stove.

By the way, I added water to the big iron pot, covered it with a big wooden lid, closed the fire door, and used the remaining fire to boil the water.

Ma Xiuzhen waited for Zhang Heping to finish eating, turned off the lights, hung up the latch on the door, said hello to the third uncle squatting next to the flower garden, and took her son to the hospital.

That night, Ms. Jia Zhang didn't go home until very late. Faced with Qin Huairu's indifferent expression and Bang Gang's attitude of turning his head and ignoring her, Ms. Jia Zhang felt panic in her heart.

"Mom, give me the meal ticket, I have to go to work in the steel rolling mill tomorrow!"

"Also, you can't scold Zhang Heping and his family anymore. At least you can't let others hear it. Bangge has been isolated by those children."

"Besides, tonight is Dongxu's first seven!"

……

Thanks to "book friend 20230402095402747" for the reward