HPDBC Chapter 55 Marriage
Chapter 55 Marriage
After getting off work that evening, Jia Dongjin went to the He family's house. He brought dried fish and some newly bought Lianbai wine to express his sincere gratitude to He Yuzhu.
As a triumphant hero, He Yuzhu naturally wouldn't keep the celebration to himself. While his enthusiasm was still high, he pulled Jia Dongjin aside for drinks, taking the opportunity to improve relations with the Jia family.
Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone. After only two drinks, Xu Damao from the backyard joined in with some food and drinks. Eventually, even Liu Guangqi from the backyard joined in, carrying his father Liu Haizhong's scrambled eggs and cabbage.
Since kind words don't cost money, Jia Dongjin started the praise, and everyone praised He Yuzhu as the hero and war god of the courtyard. The courtyard at No. 95 Tongluoguxiang was filled with brotherly and sisterly affection and became a united and friendly courtyard again.
"Zhu Zi, I must thank you today. Thank you for saving my sister-in-law from danger!"
Jia Dongjin, with genuine sincerity, raised his glass in a toast.
"Count me in, Sha Zhu. That was a great fight. It's a pity I arrived too late and missed beating that bastard. You truly are a man of Beijing!" Xu Damao said, holding his wine glass with a hearty expression.
Liu Guangqi, standing beside him, also looked on with admiration. He was a scholar who often saw his father beat his two younger brothers, but he himself had never been in a fight. He deeply admired true warriors.
"It's nothing, it's no big deal!" He Yuzhu's face lit up as he raised his glass and downed it in one gulp. He only had time to grin when he put the glass down.
The security officer was indeed a professional at beating people. He Yuzhu was in pain all over his body, but it was only a minor injury, and he didn't even have a reason to ask for leave.
"Brother Dongjin, this time the question is too hard! They actually asked us to write about life. Could you please teach me?"
He Yushui seized the opportunity and rushed over with the essay topic to ask for advice.
"Life has no 'what ifs,' and fate has no hypotheticals."
Because there was a cause, there was a result.
Since it has already happened, why bother saying "why bother" again?
Upon seeing the essay topic, Jia Dongjin blurted out, adopting a serious tone.
Seeing that the little girl didn't understand and seemed lost, he quickly added, "Feeling lost is a very discouraging thing because you don't know where you should go, but at the same time, feeling lost is also a good thing. Because it makes you think, makes you re-examine yourself, and without feeling lost, there is no growth."
"Brother Dongjin, look! Someone's come to your house."
Xu Damao suddenly interrupted, unable to bear Jia Dongjin's pretentious act.
"Holy crap, so the bastard actually dared to come over, it's like he delivered the goods to my door!" Seeing Xu Damao point, He Yuzhu looked closely and realized that the real culprit had arrived. He was about to rush out to continue the fight when Jia Dongjin grabbed him.
"Zhu Zi, he's a guest, and he's carrying gifts, so it must be something good. I have to go home and entertain him. You all enjoy your drinks."
"Oh dear, Dongjin, you haven't finished speaking yet! How am I supposed to write this essay?" He Yushui, who was listening intently, shouted anxiously.
"If you feel tired of living, it's because you're carrying too much on your mind, just like being stuffed after eating too much. When you have free time, you should read more books. Even if you don't use them right away, they will eventually enrich your mind."
Perhaps he had been thinking too much today, Jia Dongjin was a little smug, and his words were vague but also somewhat suggestive.
The arrival of the uninvited guest Liu Hong brought the joy of the courtyard at No. 95 to almost its peak.
"Aunt Zhang, I'm Liu Hong, the security officer at the steel rolling mill. I've come to apologize today. I'm 35 years old, earn 47 yuan a month, am widowed, and have three sons..."
Liu Hong, dressed in a brand-new security section uniform overcoat, looked tall and imposing, commanding respect. He wasn't there to do his job; instead, he brought some snacks with him to the Jia family's house.
When guests arrived at his home, Jia Dongjin naturally had to rush home to entertain them. Only after being introduced did he realize who the visitors were.
As for Liu Hong, Jia Zhangshi neither welcomed nor rejected him.
Unlike in the original drama, Jia Dongjin's arrival meant that she no longer had to harden her heart and tie Qin Huairu down to survive in order to make a living.
Therefore, regarding her eldest daughter-in-law's remarriage, Jia Zhangshi no longer acted as she had initially agreed. She neither opposed nor supported the remarriage, but instead declared ownership of the rambling.
Qin Huairu had the most complicated feelings about Liu Hong's marriage proposal. She had never known that she had human rights and had long been used to playing the role of a quail. She simply lowered her head and let fate decide her fate.
As for the most crucial point, such as whether Qin Huairu likes this man and is willing to marry him, that is the least important and least crucial thing. Nobody cares about this, and even the time traveler Jia Dongjin has not yet realized this.
To be honest, Liu Hong is a good person. He is a cadre, talented and wealthy, and more than a match for the widow Qin Huairu. Even Jia Zhangshi could not find anything wrong with him.
At the steel rolling mill, Liu Hong and Qin Huairu caused such a big incident, putting them in the spotlight. People were already talking about it with great interest. By noon, Jia Zhangshi had received the news and knew more about it than Jia Dongjin did.
Both were widowed, of similar age and appearance, and almost everyone was happy to see them together. Zhang Youde, the head of the security department, was nearing retirement, and for some reason, he also wanted to bring this couple together.
The people at the steel mill had already exposed the backgrounds of the two parties involved. Liu Hong was a typical soldier. He was straightforward and kind-hearted; otherwise, he wouldn't have proposed to Qin Huairu in public.
As for Jia Dongjin, he was naturally willing as well. He could feel Liu Hong's sincerity and also hoped that Qin Huairu could have a happy life.
Instead of the tragic and miserable lives depicted in the drama, where they ultimately had to rely on sucking blood from He Yuzhu to survive, their humanity was distorted, leading to a group of people's tragic lives.
In Jia Dongjin's personal opinion, He Yuzhu, He Yushui, and Qin Huairu's entire family are all losers in life. Although the final act of arguing may seem like a victory, they will ultimately be severely punished by law and condemned by the people, and thus also belong to the category of losers.
The only beneficiary was Yi Zhonghai; he got what he wanted, but also ruined everyone involved.
Since Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu did not explicitly object, everyone considered it a natural progression for Liu Hong and Qin Huairu to marry.
The only potential problem is the ownership of Bang Geng and Xiao Dang, but no one is paying attention to it at the moment. Everyone thinks it's a minor detail that can be resolved through negotiation.
but,
Bang Geng and Xiao Dang still have followers, and it's not just one person who's following them.
There are four people who are paying attention: Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, Jia Dongjin, and Liu Hong.
Jia Zhangshi couldn't bear to part with Banggeng, and she would never allow Banggeng to change his surname.
Caring for offspring is something even animals understand, let alone humans; Liu Hai is just a rare exception.
As a mother, Qin Huairu couldn't bear to part with either of her children. This was a promise she made to her late husband, Jia Dongxu, deep in her heart, and also a testament to their past marriage.
After marriage, Qin Huairu also enjoyed a period of happiness, just like any other newlywed couple.
She had just met Liu Hong, so there was no question of liking or loving him. The only thing that supported her remarrying Liu Hong was helping to raise their two children.
If Liu Hong is unwilling to help raise Banggeng and Xiaodang, there is naturally no reason for him to remarry. Qin Huairu does not think she should serve Liu Hong. The remarriage that seemed like a done deal suddenly became uncertain.
Jia Dongjin didn't care about Banggeng changing his surname, nor did he care that Xiaodang staying in the Jia family would increase his burden, etc.
As an uncle, it is also Jia Dongjin's responsibility to raise his nephews and nieces.
In this era, it was a responsibility that could not be shirked. If this were in an ancient large family, Jia Dongjin would even have the right to dispose of his children.
Liu Hong was unwilling to raise children, not even Xiao Dang. Jia Dongjin suddenly felt something was wrong. Liu Hong was not as honest as he seemed. It seemed inappropriate for Qin Huairu to remarry Liu Hong.
Jia Dongjin felt ashamed, but he didn't show it. He just watched the group discuss the matter calmly without participating, even though his opinion was very important.
"Uncle, I found the book for you. What's in it for me?"
"Thank you, Bang Geng. Uncle will treat you to fried liver." Jia Dongjin had just gotten his hands on an old copy of "Jin Ping Mei" and would read it every night after exercising. Unexpectedly, it suddenly disappeared one day, but luckily Bang Geng found it.
Jia Dongjin quickly hid the book and took his nephew out to enjoy himself.
Next to the tavern that sells mutton soup, there's a small restaurant that serves pretty good fried liver at a reasonable price—only 13 cents for a small bowl.
The fried liver is shaped like a brown paste; it's made of starch with a little bit of intestine and a few slices of liver, along with some garlic and seasonings.
Jia Dongjin always thought the name was strange. It was clearly not fried, so why was it called fried liver?
I learned from the introduction that although "fried liver" has "fried" in its name, it is not actually made by frying. Instead, it is a thick soup made by simmering over low heat and thickening with cornstarch.
The origin of its name can be explained in several ways: "炒" comes from the Manchu word "colambi," which means "to boil in a thick sauce," not the modern Chinese meaning of "stir-fry." Under the influence of Manchu culture, similar dishes like "炒红果" (actually sugar-boiled hawthorn) also use the word "炒" to indicate the boiling process.
In classical Chinese, "炒" (chǎo) also means "to boil or simmer": the Jiyun dictionary records "炒, 熬也" (chǎo, áo yě), indicating that the original meaning of the ancient character "炒" included slow cooking, which is different from the stir-frying of today.
For marketing purposes, the "Huixianju" restaurant in Beijing during the late Qing Dynasty improved its original "plain boiled offal" and deliberately named it "fried liver" to attract customers and elevate its status. The word "liver" made it seem more upscale, even though there were very few actual liver slices and most of it was just sausage slices.
Jia Dongjin is a person who enjoys eating and drinking. He can cook some dishes himself, so he rarely goes to restaurants to waste money. He prefers to buy ingredients and cook at home.
But snacks like fried liver are an exception. Even if he worked himself to death, Jia Dongjin could never make them taste the same. He could only satisfy his cravings occasionally.
His salary of 51 yuan as a level-three electrician gave him the confidence to enjoy snacks.
The fried liver at Tongxingju outside Qianmen is the most famous, and you often have to wait in line for a long time to get a bowl. But Jia Dongjin didn't have time to wait in the long line, so he could only make do for the time being.
Today is the Lantern Festival, and this small restaurant that sells fried liver is making glutinous rice balls. They have set up a glutinous rice ball making machine in the lobby. It looks a bit like a big iron pot, with a diameter of more than 10 feet, and it keeps spinning.
Many people lined up in long queues at the store entrance, waiting for the glutinous rice balls to be shaken and flow into the large basket.
Although the small restaurant's glutinous rice balls were limited in variety, they were really delicious. The owner hadn't yet learned to cheat on the ingredients; the fillings were made with real walnuts, candied fruit peel, hawthorn strips, winter melon strips, and rock sugar. The glutinous rice balls were also large, about the size of a table tennis ball. The sticks were quite edible, and after finishing the fried liver, I was already craving glutinous rice balls again.
"Uncle, you're so kind!"
"Stop flattering me. You can't touch the fried liver in the lunchbox. It's for Grandma and your mom. Today is the Lantern Festival. Otherwise, Grandma wouldn't have agreed to let us spend money so lavishly."
"The glutinous rice balls look delicious, aren't they very sweet?"
"Of course it's sweet, you'll see when you eat it tonight."
"Why are you hiding it so tightly? Are you afraid others will find out?"
"Bang Geng, you can secretly give Jie Di dried fish to eat, but you can't tell anyone that you ate fried liver and glutinous rice balls, otherwise people will report our family, and you won't have any good food anymore. That's a matter of life and death, don't be stupid."
Money is always good, no matter when or where. Jia Dongjin only spent two yuan to provide his family with two delicious meals and a Lantern Festival.
He is now filled with gratitude for the steel rolling mill, a genuine gratitude, and has been thinking about what he can do to contribute to the mill.
"Uncle, Jie Kuang is picking up trash, he's not afraid of getting dirty."
Bang Geng pointed and saw Yan Jiekuang picking up trash on the street, being shunned and chased away by people. Jia Dongjin sighed and said, "Bang Geng, making money by picking up trash is a good thing. Jiekuang is not shameful!"
Many things are beyond human control; life goes on, and time flows on.
Matchmaker Wang is exceptionally capable and has solid professional skills. Her cross-regional matchmaking collaborations have been a resounding success.
The girl's name is Zhang Qin. She is a textile factory worker who has just turned 18 and earns 18 yuan a month. Her father works at the grain bureau, and she has an older brother who is already married.
Zhang Qin graduated from junior high school and was the most beautiful girl in the textile factory. Her appearance was exactly what the Chinese people generally consider to be standard: beautiful and fertile.
Upon reviewing the information, Wang the matchmaker knew that the two were a good match; Jia Dongjin was looking for someone like Zhang Qin.
Matchmakers are the best judges of character. Jia Dongjin played all four of his cards, and sure enough, Zhang Qin fell for him and also took a liking to this capable young man.