stjorthotic Chapter 93 Squash
Chapter 93 Squash
The wind in Beijing still carries a hint of late summer heat, yet it has already quietly painted the fields with the colors of ripeness. On the rooftops and fenced courtyards of the traditional courtyard houses, the most eye-catching sights are the rows of gourds lying horizontally and vertically. Like chubby, adorable babies, they stretch out in the warm sun, announcing the joy of a bountiful harvest.
By mid-August, the pumpkins that the villagers had been eagerly anticipating were finally fully ripe, and golden pumpkins were hanging on the roofs of every household.
"Jiecheng's mother, squash is a good thing. It saves on food and tastes delicious. Steam it tonight, and it'll be so sweet it'll make your teeth ache," Jia Zhangshi said with a fawning smile, standing next to Yang Ruihua.
On the roof of the Yan family's house in the front yard, 10-year-old Yan Jiekuang was working. He carefully moved the tiles to make a path to pick pumpkins.
"Be careful, Jie Kuang. Put the tiles back exactly as they were when you're done. If you break even one tile, you'll miss out on a squash tonight. Dong Jin's mom, the squash vines are still yours. Picking squash is free, it's no big deal."
Yang Ruihua, the former third aunt, stood in the front yard, calling loudly to her youngest son on the roof.
"Aren't you worried about the child falling?"
Madam Jia spoke kindly as she and Yang Ruihua stood together, discussing having Yan Jiekuang help the Jia family harvest pumpkins.
Retrieving squash from the roof is no easy task. Besides the danger, one must be careful not to break the roof tiles and safely bring the squash down. Since adults are heavy, this job can only be done by children.
The Yan family was the thinnest in the courtyard, but this became an advantage. Yan Jiekuang was neither too young nor too old, making him the most suitable candidate, without exception.
Liu Guangfu and Erdan were both strong and healthy, so they were not suitable to be on the roof. Luo Jun and Banggeng were too young to be entrusted with important tasks, so Jia Zhangshi sought help from the Yan family.
"How about 3 cents?"
Despite the politeness, the emperor couldn't allow his soldiers to starve, so Jia Zhangshi had no choice but to promise a large sum of money.
"Mom, it's not appropriate to give money to the neighbors, let's give them a squash instead."
The squash vines were given by the Jia family. Seeing that Yan Fugui was embarrassed to accept the money, Jia Dongjin quickly chimed in to help.
A single pumpkin weighs at least two or three pounds, much more valuable than 3 cents. Yang Ruihua smiled and nodded, signing a verbal labor contract on the spot.
With such a successful example, several other families in the courtyard asked the Yan family for help, making Yan Fugui very happy. However, unexpectedly, a dispute arose in the end.
While harvesting squash for Ma Quansheng's family, a problem finally arose. Yan Jiekuang was probably tired from working and accidentally stepped on and broke three tiles. Zhang Qin, who was below, saw this and immediately became unhappy, demanding that her payment be reduced to three cents.
Yang Ruihua was naturally unhappy, and the two immediately started arguing. One wanted to compensate for the broken tiles, while the other claimed that the agreement could not be changed, and that breaking the tiles was unavoidable and somewhat constituted force majeure under the contract.
Ma Quansheng and Yan Fugui stood by with dark faces. Both men were on their wives' side, but they couldn't bring themselves to get involved in the women's argument.
As the only elder in charge of the courtyard, Second Uncle Liu Haizhong tried to mediate for a long time, but no one listened to his advice. Both sides had their reasons, and neither was willing to give in.
Everyone in the courtyard was watching the spectacle. As the most beautiful woman in the courtyard, Zhang Qin was throwing a tantrum for the first time, and everyone was watching with great interest, especially He Yuzhu and Xu Damao.
Xu Damao's sly and mischievous nature was finally revealed at this moment. He ran home, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and sat on the veranda of the Jia family's house, eating melon seeds while watching the animated GIFs of beautiful women arguing, occasionally offering his own comments.
Luckily, he spoke softly; otherwise, Ma Quansheng would have given him a severe beating.
The Jia family also went out to watch the excitement. In these days, there was a severe lack of spiritual nourishment, so they would gather around to watch any excitement, without any fear of being accidentally hurt.
As it gets dark, changing roof tiles at night can be dangerous; a child falling and getting hurt would be a serious matter, and it's not worth continuing.
Seeing that it wasn't working, Jia Dongjin simply took three tiles from the leftover tiles from the house repairs and told Yan Jiekuang to replace them first.
"I told you, just replace them, it's just three tiles, why are you making such a fuss? And your husband is a government official."
With the mistake rectified, Yang Ruihua's momentum surged, completely overwhelming the beautiful Zhang Qin, who was so angry that she covered her face and returned to the Ma family in defeat.
The Yan family members, beaming with pride, carried the pumpkins back to their front yard with Yan Jiekuang. Today, the Yan family had a bountiful harvest, having collected nine pumpkins, equivalent to more than ten kilograms of grain. The black market grain coupons had risen to 1.5 yuan per kilogram, meaning that Yan Jiekuang had earned an adult's monthly salary in one day. The whole family was overjoyed.
"It's all the fault of the Luo family in the Central Court. Old Mrs. Luo used to have backbone, but today she let Luo Sanya steal our business, taking away eight whole squash. Jie Di, you wretched girl, all you know how to do is mess around with Bang Geng, and you've lost so many squash!" Yang Ruihua complained angrily.
Upon hearing the price for picking squash, the elderly Mrs. Luo from the Zhongyuan Court waved her thin hand and led her granddaughter Luo Sanya around the courtyard to promote it, poaching 8 customers and earning 8 squash in the process.
"Alright, why talk nonsense on such a joyous occasion? The Luo family is having an even harder time than ours. I heard that old Luo doesn't even want to eat. It's just that the girl has a small appetite, otherwise something bad would definitely happen. Don't be too petty with neighbors. As long as Jie Kuang can do the work, that's enough. What do you need Jie Di for?"
Yan Fugui was overjoyed. For the first time ever, he didn't hold a grudge against the Luo family, which impressed the Yan family, especially Yan Jiedi. She had thought she was in deep trouble and was preparing to run away at any moment, but her father had come to her rescue.
While the Yan family in the front yard were having a good time, the battle at the Ma Quansheng family's house in the middle yard continued.
The argument started when Ma Quansheng inadvertently complained that he had lost both face and dignity that day. Zhang Qin was already feeling wronged, but she didn't expect her husband to dare to complain. She couldn't suppress her anger and started their first argument since their marriage.
Zhang Qin was pregnant, and she already had a sweet tooth. She loved steamed pumpkin since she was a child, especially its sweet taste.
They arrived at the courtyard house late this year. The original owner, Lao Mo, was eager to move back to his hometown and didn't take good care of the squash vines. In the end, only two vines survived, and they only harvested nine squashes in total. Zhang Qin was reluctant to part with them, which led to an argument with the Yan family.
The difficulties she encountered in life amplified Zhang Qin's petty nature, revealing the ordinary side of this beautiful woman.
"You're supposed to be a cadre, but if I marry you, I won't even be able to afford a watermelon, let alone a squash."
That day, Zhang Qin kept touching her belly, and Ma Quansheng had no choice but to go out and buy a watermelon. However, watermelons were scarce at the market, and Jia Dongjin had to queue for quite a while before he managed to snag a small watermelon.
Ma Quansheng went to the market too late, and after searching for a long time, he still couldn't buy a watermelon. Zhang Qin kept this in mind and took the opportunity to vent her frustration.
Looking at the unreasonable little woman, Ma Quansheng felt a chill in his heart. He couldn't bear to hit his pregnant wife, so he could only go out to relieve his depression. Just then, he saw Jia Dongjin tidying up the pumpkins and strolled over, wanting to chat for a bit.
Qin Huairu has been a skilled farmer since childhood. With earthworms, hens, and rabbits to produce fertilizer, growing squash is a piece of cake for her.
The early bird catches the worm.
The Jia family was the first to act, seizing advantageous terrain and setting up simple melon trellises by stringing ropes along the eaves and walls of their houses. Not counting the tender melons they ate before, the dozen or so melon vines now yielded more than fifty mature melons, which Jia Dongjin was moving one by one to the under-bed and on the cabinets for storage.
More than fifty pumpkins weighed nearly two hundred pounds, equivalent to the same amount of grain, which was a valuable asset at the time.
As the catch dwindles, Jia Dongjin, like everyone else, has become cautious, afraid to waste a single grain of food.
"Dongjin, my wife loves steamed squash. Can you sell me one? I'll pay two cents a pound." Ma Quansheng's heart skipped a beat. He took out a dollar and prepared to buy a squash to take home and appease his wife.
A pound of cornmeal now costs 2 cents on the black market, double the price of before. And don't complain about the price; sometimes you can't even buy food with money in hand.
One pound of squash is equivalent to one pound of cornmeal, and one yuan can buy about five or six pounds of mature squash.
"Ma Qianbu, you can't let me make a mistake. The neighborhood committee has always said that speculation and profiteering are not allowed."
Jia Dongjin waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle drum.
Since being reported for speculation and profiteering, he has been extremely cautious, fearing that he might get caught again. This is a difficult time, and management must be even stricter than last year. Absolutely no mistakes can be made. Qin Huairu is pregnant, and he must consider his wife and child.
Jia Zhangshi was a rural resident and was not subject to a grain ration. The Jia family was also short of food, so Jia Dongjin did not agree to sell.
"How about three cents a pound?"
"No, it won't work. It involves making mistakes, no amount of money will do."
Ma Quansheng insisted on buying, his attitude was earnest, while Jia Dongjin emphasized that he had been reported for speculation and profiteering in the past and could not get involved in dangerous places again, and the two negotiations reached a stalemate.