I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 96 I Like You

After pondering for a while, Li Huaide finally made a decision. He actually had a third idea: Jia Dongjin's academic qualifications were not good, but his cultural level was not low. He could write good articles and had even published articles in the Sijiu City Daily, earning nearly 20 yuan in royalties.

This time, a professional reporter wrote the article. Jia Dongjin only followed the reporter's requirements and wrote a publicity article for the steel rolling mill's newspaper. After the reporter discovered the article, he felt that the wording was better than his own and recommended it to the Sijiu City Daily. Jia Dongjin received the article fee again, which made the head of the steel rolling mill's publicity department eager to do the same.

The head of the propaganda department mentioned several times that he wanted to transfer Jia Dongjin to the propaganda department, but Director Yang did not agree, on the grounds that Jia Dongjin only had a primary school education, and that to enter the propaganda department, one must at least have graduated from junior high school.

Li Huaide also wanted to promote Jia Dongjin to the propaganda department, but due to his education and electrician status, he couldn't go too far. In officialdom, stability is paramount, and going too far is not necessarily a good thing.

Jia Dongjin plans to resolve the issue of academic qualifications first, and he also expressed his agreement.

Just as a house needs a solid foundation, academic qualifications make career advancement legitimate and enable one to go further in life.

Jia Dongjin was quite stubborn; he chose to attend the night school at Sijiucheng Industrial University, majoring in mechanical design.

Therefore, Li Huaide knew that he wanted to pursue a technical career and develop in the power science department.

He frowned slightly, took out a cigarette, and Jia Dongjin hurriedly lit it for his leader as a sycophant.

By the end of the year, the power department would be incorporated into the production department and no longer under the jurisdiction of logistics. If Jia Dongjin could stand out, he could be a good tool for Li Huaide to get into the production department. However, working in the technical department would require passing a technical exam to make a living, so Li Huaide hesitated slightly.

"Night school lasts a year and may require taking time off work, which will definitely affect my job and my salary will be much lower."

Jia Dongjin has a heavy family burden, which worries Li Huaide. A night school diploma is not easy to obtain, after all, Jia Dongjin is not a retired cadre.

"Please rest assured, Director Li, I have been reading books on this subject in my spare time and have gained some knowledge. I will have a good talk with the school to ensure that I do not need to take time off work to study."

Jia Dongjin took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaling smoke alongside Li Huaide. He was brimming with confidence, having successfully cultivated a positive image of diligence and ambition in the eyes of his superiors.

Great merit deserves a reward. Li Huaide is best at winning people's hearts. Giving him a night school diploma seems far from enough. He opened the drawer and took out a large envelope. The envelope was bulging and contained 100 yuan and a bunch of receipts. Among the receipts was a milk powder coupon that Jia Dongjin urgently needed.

"I am deeply grateful, but I would like to ask Director Li for a small favor. I would like to skip a grade and take the Level 5 electrician exam at the end of the year."

Promotion is a big deal, involving his own vital interests. Jia Dongjin is not one to mince words; in the adult world, it's all about wanting both.

Li Huaide readily agreed to such a trivial matter as skipping a grade. He was becoming more and more interested in this young man who didn't want to be the deputy director of the canteen but instead went to night school. He had just passed the grade-skipping exam last year, and now he wanted to skip a grade again this year.

"I hope I'm not overestimating myself."

Watching Jia Dongjin leave, Li Huaide fell into deep thought. He needed to expand his power, but not just anyone. Those with ability or powerful backing were the only necessary conditions.

Jia Dongjin is a low-level worker. Whether he can advance or not depends on his own efforts. Giving Jia Dongjin a chance is just a matter of a word from Li Huaide. He can treat it as a casual move.

The deputy director of the steel rolling mill is at the deputy provincial level. At this point, Li Huaide's father-in-law's help will become less and less, and he will mainly depend on his own abilities and opportunities.

What Li Huaide needs to do now is to play his chess game on the steel rolling mill's chessboard and cultivate his own power.

Even a casual game of chess is still a game of chess, much like venture capital decades from now.

In fact, Jia Dongjin did have a good talk with the school. After several exchanges with the head of the teaching and research department, he obtained permission from the head of the teaching and research department to take a leave of absence. Later, he attended a few night school classes and obtained the consent of the teachers. He did not need to come to school during the week; he only needed to complete assignments and pass the course exams.

All of this comes at the cost of knowledge accumulated from past lives and dried fish, or even fresh fish. The reason for doing so is quite simple.

In his previous life, Jia Dongjin was a college student majoring in mechatronics. It's no exaggeration to say that he knew more about many aspects of mechanical design, especially in the field of electric drive, than his instructors—a true case of overwhelming them.

At that time, electric drive only existed in university teaching and research departments, and there was no major for electric drive. Jia Dongjin could only choose mechanical engineering, which is a versatile major.

After a private discussion with the teacher, the teacher understood the student's true level. Fortunately, Jia Dongjin worked in a steel rolling mill, so he could make up a reason, and the teacher believed the source of his knowledge without arousing any suspicion.

From then on, in order to survive better, Jia Dongjin used up almost all the resources he had from his previous life. Apart from being prescient in major events, he was no different from others.

With hope for the future, Jia Dongjin did not give up fishing and repairing radios. These two skills not only earned him a living but also helped him expand his network of relationships, which was invaluable during difficult times. Without fish as a form of hard currency, the teacher would not have readily agreed.

The sun shines brightly, and the autumn breeze is not yet cold.

The weather in Beijing at this time was neither too cold nor too hot, truly a beautiful autumn day in October.

Lying on the grass by the river, Jia Dongjin looked languid, while Qin Huairu sat beside him, gently removing fish bones and feeding him.

Only by the river can two people truly enjoy their own private world.

It was only by the river that Jia Dongjin would say things he couldn't normally say, revealing his true self.

Qin Huairu would also run and jump happily, and even sing, such as her favorite song "Thousands of Miles". Recently, the man sang another song, "I Just Like You".

"Love and affection are gone, but why do I still love you?"

Green hills and clear waters, coupled with a lover humming a lullaby, should have been a blissful experience, but Jia Dongjin felt inexplicably anxious.

"Huai Ru, you can't sing this song in public. Please stop singing it. This song is too sad; it means sadness."

Jia Dongjin only taught Qin Huairu a small part of the lesson; the rest was slightly unlucky for lovers, especially for the man.

He didn't expect that Qin Huairu would like the song as soon as she heard it, and insisted on learning it, and she even learned it very quickly.

As the woman sang, she kept glancing at Jia Dongjin; the unspoken meaning in her eyes was clear to those who understood.

The woman was indeed strong at this time. Even though she was pregnant, Qin Huairu still rode her bicycle and followed Jia Dongjin to the riverbank.

If you like a flower, bloom with it; if you love someone, grow with them.

In private, Jia Dongjin often read books and learned to read with Qin Huairu, and even instilled some ideas in her. He was gradually broadening her horizons and expanding her thinking.

Qin Huairu understood what the man meant and studied with great seriousness and diligence. She was extremely intelligent and could learn academic subjects very quickly, almost effortlessly, which made Jia Dongjin unable to bear it at any time. He could only use "Jin Ping Mei" to ward off disaster.

The division of Chinese people into rural and urban residents is relatively recent, especially around Beijing. Many so-called rural people have become farmers simply because they couldn't bear to part with their few acres of land.

At that time, farmers were just poor; their basic education and skills were similar to those of city dwellers, and there was no significant difference between them.

When she was told she couldn't sing this song, the woman looked aggrieved. She liked younger men and didn't see anything wrong with it.

Jia Dongjin knew the story behind the song's creation. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly pointed to the river, "Oh dear, the net is moving violently, there's a big fish."

After saying that, Jia Dongjin took off his clothes and rushed into the river.

"Wow, this grass carp must weigh five or six pounds!"

Qin Huairu was both surprised and delighted; in the blink of an eye, spiritual civilization had been defeated by materialism.

Working together, the two brought the grass carp ashore. Jia Dongjin lifted it up and knew it weighed about 8 jin (4 catties).

"Bang Geng is in for a treat tonight, haha."

"Take the fish head back to make soup, and grill the fish meat here. It'll be good for you to nourish yourself."

In fact, Qin Huairu was worried that it would be too conspicuous. Jia Dongjin did not object. It is better for couples to compromise and respect each other.

Thus, the couple ate their fill of protein. Because they lacked seasonings, they only had Sichuan peppercorns picked from the roadside. Jia Dongjin crushed the peppercorns into powder on a stone and sprinkled it on top. The fish still had a fishy smell, but no one complained. Paired with apples that Jia Dongjin had secretly bought from farmers, the couple ate with great relish.

After returning home, the two couldn't eat. Jia Zhangshi and Qin Jingru both looked suspicious and strongly suspected that the couple had secretly eaten a big meal outside.

Under the guise of delivering potatoes, Qin Jingru secretly sneaked back to the courtyard house. She had been busy in the village for half a year, earning some food for her family. After the busy farming season, without her even having to ask, her family would send her to the city to save as much food as possible. She had no choice but to go.

"I caught a big fish, but since it was in the way, I just grilled it and ate it by the river. I also ate some apples."

Jia Dongjin took out a large fish head and an apple, and frankly stated the truth. Qin Huairu, as always, lowered her head and pretended to be a quail.

"That fish head is so big, it must weigh seven or eight pounds!"

Qin Jingru had always wanted to go with them, but the journey was too long and it was inconvenient to borrow two bicycles.

At this time, bicycles were valuable items, and being able to borrow one was already thanks to Jia Dongjin's connections. He didn't want Qin Jingru to come along, and Qin Huairu didn't want to either. There was no reason for the couple to rush to be the third wheel.

"About five pounds."

Jia Dongjin was a master of lies. He pointed to the pickled fish in the bowl and said, "Don't think that the bigger the fish, the better. Actually, fish weighing around one or two pounds are the best. Fish that are too big are old and the meat is not tender. They just look festive."

Just then, a knock came from outside the Jia family's door.

"Is Dongjin at home?"

"It's Ma Qianbu. What's he doing here?"

It is very impolite to disturb someone's meal at their home. Ma Quansheng is a cadre, so he must understand this principle.