I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 105 Temple Fair

Jia Dongjin glanced at the doors and windows before whispering, "Then let's continue migrating. There will always be places where we can eat. Jingru, life is actually very short. There's no such thing as a next life. We only live once. Death isn't that scary. Don't let this life be in vain."

Upon hearing her youngest son mention death, Jia Zhangshi slapped him and said irritably, "What nonsense are you spouting on New Year's Day? The meat dumplings are ready, hurry up and eat."

The Jia family's New Year's Eve dinner was similar to Yi Zhonghai's, except that he had a meat coupon as a "good citizen" reward, so he didn't have to risk going to the pigeon market and could buy a pound of cheap meat instead.

Besides making dumplings, Jia Dongjin cut off a piece of meat and personally made meatball soup for his family, especially for Xiao Dang, who has difficulty chewing.

Seeing that Qin Huairu was having trouble feeding Xiaodang while holding her, Jia Dongjin reached out and took Xiaodang in his arms. The little girl was just over a year old, and she opened her little mouth, babbling for food.

Jia Dongjin quickly picked up a piece of scrambled egg and fed it to his daughter. The little girl smacked her lips and was delighted with her appearance. He then picked up a meatball, waiting for the next feeding.

"Dad, my sister can eat by herself. Can you give me some meat dumplings? I can't reach them."

Banggeng, watching from the side, was a little jealous. He didn't forget to dig a pit for his sister, saying, "Dad, Xiaodang farts a lot when she eats eggs, and her farts are really smelly."

"Nonsense, Xiao Dang is so cute, how could she fart? Be careful you don't get beaten up for slandering your little sister."

Just after threatening Bang Geng, Xiao Dang let out a loud fart, which made the fart curtain bounce up and also made Jia Dongjin shut up.

The whole family laughed so hard they couldn't stand up straight. Qin Huairu even clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, easily saving the day for Jia Dongjin.

After finishing the dumplings, Jia Dongjin walked to the window of the outer room, and just like last year, quietly lit a cigarette and looked out the window.

Just like on New Year's Eve in 58, snowflakes were still falling outside the window. Every household was celebrating the New Year, and every household was filled with laughter. Every household seemed no different from previous years.

Looking at the white expanse of the central courtyard, Jia Dongjin remained lost in thought, and once again burned his finger with a cigarette butt.

"A timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest!"

Just like last year, Qin Huairu came over again, but this time she didn't ask Jia Dongjin if he had something on his mind. Instead, she said auspicious words, then sat down next to him and quietly looked out the window with the man.

"It's late, I'll go get Xiaodang, let's go to sleep."

Smoking is bad for pregnant women, so Jia Dongjin put out his cigarette and led his wife and daughter to the front yard.

Two sets of footprints were left on the white carpet in the courtyard. As the snow fell heavily, the footprints gradually faded and eventually disappeared, and the world was once again covered in white.

"I'm heading east. I heard there's a temple fair there, but I haven't been yet."

The woman had never seen a man so dejected and dejected, and couldn't help but launch an initiative.

"Let's go shopping!"

"Enjoy life while you can," Jia Dongjin smiled. Even without "Parents' Love," "Workers' Love" was just as good; he couldn't think too much about it.

Unlike last year's New Year holiday, Jia Dongjin did not stay at home to rest during the winter. Now that he has a family, he must fulfill his responsibilities as a family member.

He took his family to the temple fair, and Qin Jingru also went out with them. The whole family had a great time all day.

After 1949, of the major temple fairs in Beijing, only the White Pagoda Temple Fair, the Huguo Temple Fair, and the Longfu Temple Fair remained. The Longfu Temple Fair lasted for about two years before being converted into the year-round "Dongsi People's Market" in 1951. After that, only the White Pagoda Temple Fair and the Huguo Temple Fair remained in Beijing. At that time, the White Pagoda Temple Fair lasted three days, then moved to the Huguo Temple for four days, rotating every seven days. The White Pagoda Temple Fair was finally cancelled during the difficult period of 1960.

The Huguo Temple Fair had a history of about 300 years from its inception until before the liberation. During this period, it experienced many vicissitudes and changes.

Under the eaves, there are no longer any books, calligraphy books, or rubbings from ancient or modern times, Chinese or foreign. Some "unique" or "rare" books that were previously unavailable on the market can now be bought here, and at very low prices.

The East and West Stele Pavilions, traditionally used for book and painting, now only display New Year pictures for people to view and buy. There are no longer any more vendors selling songbooks like Baibenzhang or Tongletang in front of the pavilions. Nor are there any outsiders carrying blue cloth bundles selling songbooks here anymore.

At this time, the Huguo Temple fair was not large in scale, unlike the massive crowds that Jia Dongjin had experienced in his previous life, which were awe-inspiring. However, it was still bustling with activity, filled with all sorts of snacks and trinkets, leaving the Jia family dazzled.

Without these old cultural relics, the temple fair became much more vibrant with traditional operas and acrobatics. It's said that in the late Qing Dynasty, the West Temple featured animal training performances and large-scale circus and acrobatic shows. However, most performances were simply street acts. Many vendors used white clay or white plaster to draw circles on the ground, calling it "painting a circle." At that time, there were also many vendors selling scissors, fabric scraps, and jewelry. In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, temple fairs often offered snacks for children to both eat and play with.

The most exciting part was the acrobatic performance. Jia Dongjin and Qin Huairu, carrying sticks and small dangling objects, squeezed into the crowd and watched with great interest.

When the performers finished their show and started collecting money from the audience, Jia Dongjin grabbed Qin Huairu and slipped away quickly without paying. Both of them had sly smiles on their faces.

The performances were free to watch, but the various snacks and toys had to be paid for. Ever since they bought the sugar figurine for Banggeng Xiaodang, the couple couldn't stop themselves from buying a lot of toys, such as bamboo snakes and windmills. For once, Jia Zhangshi didn't criticize or lecture the couple. She and Qin Jingru focused their energy on various snacks, such as candied hawthorns and braised buns. The six members of the Jia family ate their fill.

Since Jia Dongjin's chrysanthemums suffered a "misfortune," Jia Zhangshi was no longer reluctant to spend money, which led to this culinary adventure.

In this day and age, the temple fair still has such good food. Jia Dongjin guessed that it was to enhance the festive atmosphere of the New Year. The organizers of the temple fair had gone to great lengths. He secretly asked Qin Huairu and knew that he had enough money and coupons. With Jia Zhangshi's tacit approval, as the head of the family, he waved the floodgates to consumption upgrade.

"Money is worthless, you can always earn more after you've spent it all."

"I had a great time today, Mom will pay for the candied hawthorns."

Jia Zhangshi was not to be outdone; she took out two cents with a bold expression.

Even though she's busy now, she can still earn 4 yuan a month making shoe soles. As the head of the Jia family, she has to set an example for her son and daughter-in-law.

After finishing the candied hawthorns, the group ate mutton offal soup. Jia Zhangshi wasn't satisfied and ordered an extra bowl of fried liver. After finishing, she wiped her mouth and quickly pulled Qin Jingru away.

"Jingru and I will go over there and take a look. You guys eat here and take your time. Huairu, please rest well and don't pay too much."

Qin Huairu put on a bitter smile and reluctantly took out money and tickets to pay the bill. As the housekeeper's wife, this was her duty, and she couldn't escape it.

A mother-in-law has a natural tendency to suppress her daughter-in-law. Qin Huairu's feigned distress amused Jia Dongjin and the food stall owner, and for a moment, the entire food stall was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Only Banggeng and Xiaodang looked at each other, their little mouths puffed out, looking just like two little hamsters.

Seeing that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were not by her side, Qin Huairu urged the child to eat on the surface, but secretly reached out under the table and took the initiative to shake hands with Jia Dongjin, her eyes full of tenderness.

The two have been married for almost a year, and she now regards Jia Dongjin as her life partner. Influenced by Jia Dongjin's shamelessness, Qin Huairu often can't help but make intimate gestures whenever conditions permit.

Qin Huairu peeled potatoes every day, and her hands were slightly rough, but Jia Dongjin felt that he couldn't hold them enough and couldn't bear to let go.

Finally, the two smiled at each other and decided to hug one and hold the other's hand. The couple walked hand in hand through the temple fair, making some women's eyes water and secretly blaming their own husbands.

"Huai Ru, thanks to the temple fair, it's hard to buy candy everywhere now. Let's buy a lot of candied hawthorns, and then go buy some sesame cakes, so we won't run out of sugar later."

Jia Dongjin never forgot to look for food, and eventually found that there was no shortage of clever people everywhere. Everyone thought that snacks such as candied hawthorn and mutton soup were too expensive and wanted to save their money to buy affordable sesame cakes. As a result, there were long queues in front of the sesame cake stalls. In the end, he could only let his wife play with the stick while he held his little one and waited in the long queue to buy sesame cakes.

Banggeng held the little windmill in his arms, reluctant to put it down, and spent the happiest Spring Festival of his life.

After returning home, he became even more arrogant, handing out candied hawthorns to Sanya, Jiedi, Luo Jun, and others. The children flocked to him, and because there weren't enough candied hawthorns to go around, a fight almost broke out.

Grandpa Wang's son, Shuanzhu, arrived late from the backyard. He was heartbroken, holding his little sister. Fortunately, Madam Jia had left two strings of silk for the Wang family, otherwise Jia Dongjin would have had a hard time handling the situation.

While the children were having fun, no one noticed that the curtains of the Yi family's house in the middle courtyard had been pulled open, and a person was staring at Bang Geng with a gloomy look in his eyes.

A long holiday was out of the question; the focus now was on boosting production. Just as Jia Dongjin and his wife finished criticizing Xiaobanggeng and were about to wash up and rest to recharge for work the next day, a knock came at the door of the front yard.

When Jia Dongjin opened the door, he saw that it was Yan Fugui, Yan Jiecheng, and Yan Jiefang who had come to visit.

"Dongjin, congratulations on the upcoming birth of your son! This orchid is in the best condition; it's about to bloom. It's a feast for Huairu's eyes. We're next-door neighbors, so let's have a proper chat today since it's the New Year."

You can't hit a smiling face. This orchid looks expensive. Since Yan Fugui came with such sincerity and brought a gift, Jia Dongjin naturally agreed to sit down with him.

The room was small, and the adults sat crampedly. After being beaten down by society, the two brothers, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, had become docile, sitting on small stools with their heads down, listening to Yan Fugui and Jia Dongjin talk.

Yan Fugui smiled and waved his hand, refusing the tea Qin Huairu poured for him. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he hesitated to speak, but kept glancing at Qin Huairu. Jia Dongjin knew something was amiss and quickly gave him a look, sending Qin Huairu to the Jia family residence in the central courtyard.

Finally, the group got down to business. After whispering among themselves for a long time, the three members of the Yan family happily returned home. Before leaving, they even traded their meager grains for the old melons stored by the Jia family.

When Qin Huairu returned and inquired about the matter, Jia Dongjin smiled but remained silent, only making strange gestures with his hands. Seeing that the man was not behaving himself, Qin Huairu pinched his strange hand hard and then brought up the matter of the gloves.

During a general meeting in the cafeteria before the Lunar New Year, the cafeteria director mentioned the gloves that Jia Dongjin had given to Qin Huairu, saying that petty-bourgeois mentality was unacceptable. Although he did not name names, everyone knew that he was referring to Qin Huairu.

"Holy crap, that cafeteria manager Li is no good!"

Jia Dongjin's eyes widened; another person had been added to his list of beasts.