I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 98 The Shadow

After Yu Zhu voiced his indignation, Yi Zhonghai advised, "Why not! Silly Zhu, don't be foolish. Go ask Jia Dongjin for help tomorrow. It's not shameful to humble yourself. You're so close to him, he'll definitely help. I'll also help you find someone. If it works out, you can earn an extra 100 yuan a year. Don't be too picky about who you're with."

Jia Dongjin got his father-in-law and cousin into jobs at the steel rolling mill, and they were both permanent employees. Everyone in the courtyard knew about it, and Yan Fugui and Yan Jiecheng were green with envy.

The people in the courtyard didn't know the specifics of what happened, or that Jia Dongjin had gotten in touch with Li Huaide. Otherwise, none of that nonsense would have happened later. It was just a matter of timing and luck.

He Yuzhu's eyes darted around. He wasn't really stupid; in normal circumstances, he was smarter than the average person.

He knew in his heart that Jia Dongjin had good intentions towards him, and even more so towards his sister He Yushui.

He Yuzhu was initially unsure whether Jia Dongjin would help, but Yi Zhonghai's words spurred him on, making him realize that the problem was not serious.

"I'll take care of things when I go east. Uncle Yi, you've been so good to me since I was a kid. If we both go, I won't say anything nice. Our feelings are all in the wine."

He Yuzhu picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp. He felt instantly refreshed and looked at Yi Zhonghai with increasing respect. He was filled with even greater ambition for the future.

After finishing their business, He Yuzhu couldn't help but try to help his boss. He leaned down to Yi Zhonghai and whispered, "Uncle Yi, I have a way that will definitely help you have a baby, but you need Aunt Gao's consent."

"Silly Zhu, you, you!"

Yi Zhonghai was so shocked he couldn't speak. He pointed at He Yuzhu for a long time before finally asking in a low voice, "Why don't you tell me?"

Having a child is a perpetual pain in Yi Zhonghai's heart, and he is willing to pay any price for it. Even though He Yuzhu in front of him seems a bit silly, he knows that the other party is not being sarcastic.

The saying "Three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang" is worth considering, Yi Zhonghai thought.

He Yuzhu's move was also a stroke of genius. He first clinked glasses with Yi Zhonghai, then stood up and went outside to look around. After carefully closing the door, he said mysteriously, "Uncle Yi, you just said that five catties of cornmeal can find you a rural wife. I feel like..."

"No, no, this won't do, this will turn out badly. This matter ends here, and you absolutely mustn't talk about it outside."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes flashed, and he shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly. As the former manager of the courtyard house, he had to be moral.

"Fine, forget I said anything!"

After He Yuzhu finished speaking, he found it unbelievable. He lightly slapped himself as an apology for his abruptness.

"Let's drink! Let's drink to our hearts' content today!"

For some reason, He Yuzhu felt that Yi Zhonghai's drinking capacity was unusually high today, a full 30% higher than usual.

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"Dongjin, come to my house for a drink. I have something to say."

The day after Yi Zhonghai's conversation, He Yuzhu came to the Jia family and insisted on having a drink with Jia Dongjin, saying that refusing to go would be disrespectful to him.

Jia Dongjin had just taken on a big job making radios, so he had no choice but to put down his tools and come to the He family's house.

Things are different now. Jia Dongjin is richer than He Yuzhu, so he felt embarrassed to eat for free and took some dried fish with him.

"Dongjin, I really have something important to do. Let's have a drink first, brother."

They casually picked out a couple of dishes, and while drinking and chatting, He Yuzhu finally brought up the matter of skipping a grade for the exam.

Jia Dongjin could indeed help with this, but it wasn't worth asking Li Huaide for help. Besides, he had already asked for a promotion, so it wouldn't be convenient to bother his superiors back and forth.

He rolled his eyes for a while, but couldn't come up with a good solution. He could only tell the truth: "Zhu Zi, last year I asked Wang Dali, the head of the electrician group, for help. My father-in-law came to the steel mill because he did a good job on the self-reliance project. I'm completely clueless about this myself; I only know it was decided by the factory leaders in a meeting. How the canteen was upgraded is totally unknown to me. If I really had connections in the canteen, I would have found a way to promote your sister-in-law long ago. Would I still let her peel potatoes in the canteen every day?"

Jia Dongjin's words were reasonable and well-founded, but He Yuzhu was no ordinary person, especially since he had just made a boast in front of Yi Zhonghai.

Fueled by alcohol, He Yuzhu's words became rather harsh. "Dongjin, we're buddies. It's just applying for a promotion, not getting your wife promoted. These are completely different things. Don't try to fool me. You're a favorite of the leaders now; applying for a promotion is just a matter of putting in a good word. Don't worry, I'll definitely reward you handsomely afterwards!"

"Zhu Zi, I'm just a lowly electrician, I've only been working at the factory for a year. Don't you know what kind of connections I have? I really can't help you with this."

Having already said his refusal, Jia Dongjin had no choice but to see it through. He had neither the inclination nor the need to help, and could only hope that the other party would understand.

"I, He Yuzhu, was truly blind to have considered you a brother. Fine, you won't help me, huh? Fine, from now on, we'll go our separate ways. I really don't believe that without Butcher Jia, I, He Yuzhu, will have to eat pigs with hair on."

Jia Dongjin made it clear that he refused, and He Yuzhu acted out of line, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, attracting the attention of everyone in the courtyard, who thought the two were fighting.

The banquet ended unhappily, and Jia Dongjin inexplicably broke up with He Yuzhu. He was very depressed, as there was no reasoning with such a muddle-headed person.

After hearing what had happened, Madam Jia said in a low voice, "What a coincidence! Yesterday, Yi Zhonghai went to the He family for drinks. I thought the sun had risen in the west, and then this happened today."

"Holy crap, it was that old bastard who started it all!"

Jia Dongjin had been secretly wary of Yi Zhonghai, but he never expected that Yi Zhonghai, after lying low for almost a year, would start making moves under the guise of donations. With just one move, he disrupted the friendly relationship he had established with He Yuzhu.

"Brother Dongjin, why don't you beat him up again?"

Qin Jingru couldn't help but speak up. Her thinking was rather simple, still stuck in the stage of "might makes right," somewhat like the idea that truth only exists within the range of artillery fire.

"That silly Zhu is so stupid. Once he's made up his mind, he won't listen to anyone's advice. He might even think that we can't stand to see him do well and that we're speaking up for Yi Zhonghai instead."

Madam Jia was also furious. She knew He Yuzhu's stubborn temper all too well. Beating up Yi Zhonghai would only backfire and might even lead to a fight with He Yuzhu, which wasn't worth it.

"Mom is right. This is too small a matter. Yi Zhonghai won't cause trouble for no reason. Let's be careful and pretend we don't know anything for now. Sooner or later, we'll seize the opportunity to confront him and teach him a lesson he won't forget."

Yi Zhonghai once seduced a woman into a cellar, and Qin Huairu had never forgotten the time she was almost killed by him and Liu Hong.

Yi Zhonghai had been playing dumb, which kept her on edge. Now that he was starting to move, Qin Huairu was no longer nervous.

With a clear conscience, Qin Huairu has nothing to fear. Her father and her uncle from the Jia family have both entered the steel rolling mill and are living in the mill's staff dormitory. With Jia Dongjin, the pillar of the Jia family, she already has an overwhelming advantage over Yi Zhonghai. She is no longer as isolated and helpless as before, at the mercy of others.

If it weren't for the fact that life is so good now and Qin Huairu is unwilling to confront the old, wily family head-on, she would have had the younger generation of the Qin family deal with this old scumbag from the courtyard house long ago.

"Alright, let's see how it goes, riding a donkey while reading the script."

Jia Dongjin has now developed some connections, and the situation has changed beyond recognition. He plans to upgrade his electrician level by the end of the year and has a trump card up his sleeve to deal with Yi Zhonghai. He is not afraid of his opponent.

He was genuinely speechless at He Yuzhu. This kid just charged headlong into things when someone provoked him. It could only be said that He Yuzhu was too young and hadn't experienced the harsh realities of society, which was why he was so arrogant.

"Should we teach him a lesson?!"

Jia Dongjin touched the minibus and began to ponder for a long time.

After replacing the old parts with recycled ones and fixing the radio, Jia Dongjin didn't rush to exercise or go to bed. Instead, he took out paper and pen.

"A New Approach to Self-Reliance in Steel Rolling Mills: Project Report on Pig and Chicken Farming in the Canteen"

Qin Huairu brought over hot water. Like Jia Dongjin, she also had only a primary school education.

The term "higher primary school" does not refer to high school. Rather, it refers to a special educational level established in an era of high illiteracy rates to distinguish between the first and second grades of primary school and the fifth and sixth grades.

Simply put, "gaoxiao" means graduating from the upper grades of primary school.

Having been educated by Jia Dongjin every day after marriage, Qin Huairu already knew these characters and couldn't help but read them aloud.

"Cafeteria, are you trying to scam Sha Zhu?"

There are only two people connected to the courtyard and the canteen. Jia Dongjin cannot deal with her, so the target can only be He Yuzhu.

"How could that be! I'm a good person. Keep this a secret, don't even tell Mom and Jingru."

Jia Dongjin looked up and smiled, rewarding the woman's intelligence with a smile, before continuing to bury himself in writing incriminating materials.

Since Yi Zhonghai wanted to win over Sha Zhu, Jia Dongjin was prepared to cut off this connection and let the idiot raise pigs. He was curious to see what kind of expression Yi Zhonghai would have then.

In fact, deep down, Jia Dongjin had always been wary of He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu is the main character in the drama and enjoys the protagonist's halo, so it's hard to kill him off with one blow. Besides, Jia Dongjin doesn't have that kind of intention or ability at all.

In the original drama, He Yuzhu had done a great favor for the Jia family, and now he has also reminded them of the favor of speculation and profiteering. It is impossible for him to cripple He Yuzhu, not to mention that there is also He Yushui.

Therefore, Jia Dongjin could only engage in a love-hate relationship with his opponent, slowly simmering them together. Even though his main rival, Yi Zhonghai, had been promoted to the eighth-level worker, he had already reached his peak. Jia Dongjin, however, had a much broader vision. He firmly believed that in the future, he would definitely stand higher than his opponent.

Back then, Qin Huairu gently pulled her hand, breaking up Li Guolan's marriage and achieving her own happiness, while also fueling Jia Dongjin's ambition to climb the social ladder.

Life is not always mysterious; many times, many things are interconnected, like a chain reaction.

As people grow older and look back on their lives, they often find that, within the rules of society, everything is clear: your destiny depends on your understanding and has little to do with intelligence or ability.

This was especially true in Courtyard No. 95, where the Jia family was in dire straits and weak. Yi Zhonghai, in alliance with He Yuzhu, easily unified the entire courtyard under the guise of helping the Jia family. After the Jia family rose to power, Yi Zhonghai faced a challenge from Jia Dongjin and quickly fell into a low point in his life.

This is essentially no different from the cake-cutting story that Jia Dongjin knew online in his previous life.

The cake is only so big. If you cut too many slices, someone will inevitably get a smaller slice. That's obvious.

Or rather, difficulties are like springs; the weaker you are, the stronger they become. Yi Zhonghai's dominance over the courtyard meant that the Jia family was subservient.

Conversely, since Jia Dongjin was unwilling to be Yi Zhonghai's son and had achieved an initial victory in the struggle, it meant that the Jia family was powerful and Yi Zhonghai was weak. They were no longer the moral authority of the courtyard and could no longer use their high-sounding words to suppress the people in the courtyard.

Qin Huairu is unaware that her gentle tug not only changed her own fate but also Jia Dongjin's.

Instead of continuing his underhanded tactics, Jia Dongjin confronted Yi Zhonghai head-on. In the process of their open and covert struggle, he not only changed the fate of the two families, but also affected the fate of many people in the courtyard.

"Go east, you write yours, I'll wash mine."

Qin Huairu was washing the man's face and feet with her hands, but her eyes were fixed on him. She was not very educated, but she liked this cultured man very much. In particular, the way the young man was writing seriously made her heart flutter with joy.

"Huai Ru, I have a gift for you."

After writing down the incriminating material about the treacherous person, Xiao Dang was fast asleep in her small bed. Jia Dongjin took out an object, went to the small hut in a mysterious manner, and then stuffed the object into the quilt.

Qin Huairu touched it; it was incredibly hot. She took it out and exclaimed with delight, "Oh my, it's a hot water bottle!"

The hot water bottle, also known as the Tin Lady or Hot Water Granny, is a traditional Chinese household heating appliance, with records dating back to the Song Dynasty. It is a flat, round heater made of copper, tin, or ceramic, commonly shaped like a pumpkin or a pot. It features a water inlet with a screw cap and a leak-proof diaphragm. Hot water is poured in and placed on bedding to provide warmth. A cloth bag is needed to cover it during use to prevent scalding. "Tang" refers to boiling water in ancient times, while "Pozi" playfully refers to its function of keeping someone company while they sleep.

This device appears multiple times in Ming and Qing dynasty novels such as *Dream of the Red Chamber* and *Jin Ping Mei*, as well as in film and television dramas like *Empresses in the Palace*. Chen Ji of the Yuan dynasty described it in his *Tangpo Zhuan* as having "a large belly and a shrunken neck, a plump body as white as a gourd," and Jin Nong of the Qing dynasty painted a picture of it. In fact, a Tangpo is simply a hot water bottle used for heating.

Before Jia Dongjin transmigrated, Qin Huairu gave all the good food to her husband and children, and she also had her mother-in-law Jia Zhangshi weighing on her. Her body was severely depleted, and her hands and feet were often cold. After Jia Dongjin found out, he went to the trust store and bought a tin pot-shaped hot water bottle, specially for women to keep warm.

He and Qin Huairu were originally sister-in-law and brother-in-law, but now they are husband and wife, and sometimes their interactions are inevitably a little awkward.

A marital relationship requires effort. Jia Dongjin hopes that the two can become close and harmonious. He is just an ordinary person with no high intelligence or advanced technology. He can only try his best to treat his partner well, starting with the little things in daily life.

The sweet talk worked. After the man finished his workout and got into bed, the woman snuggled up to him and said, "Dongjin, it's been three months now."

"What three months?"

The man was still lost in thought, his mind wandering to the sinister man. The woman was too embarrassed to say it directly, so she could only use flirtatious hints. Jia Dongjin was overjoyed and took the opportunity to unlock a new position.

After a long while, the woman's satisfied voice kept coming from the side and front, "Good man, I didn't expect it, I never thought it could be like this, but you've worked too hard."

"Serving my daughter-in-law! That's what the doctor said too, let's learn from that first."

The sea of ​​knowledge is boundless, and the couple can only rely on hard work as their boat.