Chapter 288 Something Happened to the Jia Family Again
On that day, Qin Huairu bathed and changed clothes for Jia Zhang, carefully combed her hair, and tied a red rope on her hand, which meant to drive away bad luck and bring good luck.

Qin Huairu's meticulous care for Jia Zhang made her feel the long-lost family warmth. Jia Zhang said something from the bottom of her heart: "Huairu! You have suffered so much in the past few years! I know Dongxu. He is the same as his father. He is not a loving person."

"You are pregnant, raising two children, and doing housework. It's really hard for you. It's all my fault. I've dragged you down!"

Qin Huairu's eyes were red. She held Jia Zhang's hand and said sincerely, "Mom, please don't mention this anymore. As the daughter-in-law of the Jia family, these are what I should do."

Then, she said gently, "It's a good thing that you're back. Let's live a good life from now on and no longer suffer from poverty, okay?"

Although Jia Zhang's expression was a little unnatural, she nodded silently to show her agreement. She said to Qin Huairu: "Okay! Mom will listen to you. Let's live a good life from now on, and we won't..."

Qin Huairu was so happy when she heard the news that she cried. She found that although her mother-in-law had been in seclusion for three years, she had not completely changed.

Now, I feel that my mother-in-law has become much better. It seems that the experience during this period has had some positive effects on her.

After washing and dressing up, Jia Zhang looked brand new. Although her face was still a little sallow and she was no longer as plump as before, she looked much more energetic.

When eating, Jia Zhang habitually placed the bowl and chopsticks neatly in front of herself, then sat up straight and waited for the order to start eating.

"Mom! Please eat it! This is the braised pork I made especially for you. It's so delicious!" Jia Dongxu picked up a piece, put it in his mouth and chewed it with big mouthfuls.

Jia Zhang suddenly realized that she had returned home, not in a labor camp with strict rules.

She took a deep breath and relaxed. "Oh! Good!" She whispered, tears streaming down her face unconsciously. Recalling the past few years, she was filled with emotion.

I was in a good mood and my appetite was greatly increased.

"This braised pork smells so good!" Jia Zhang couldn't help but exclaim, and she greedily stretched out her chopsticks to pick up the meat in the bowl. Over the past few years, her desire for this delicious taste had almost driven her crazy.

Bang Geng was standing by with envy, his saliva almost dripping, but he didn't dare to reach out to grab the meat.

Because Qin Huairu had specifically told him that these pieces of meat were prepared for grandma and he was not allowed to eat them.

Banggeng has made a lot of progress in the past three years and has become a little more understanding of human affairs. He knows that the meat is for his grandmother who has not returned for three years, so he didn't make a fuss like usual.

Jia Zhang looked up and saw Banggeng staring at the bowl of braised pork. Although she was used to being selfish, she still loved her eldest grandson in her heart.

So, she picked up a piece of meat and gently put it into Banggeng's bowl. "My dear grandson, grandma can't finish this bowl of meat, so help grandma finish a piece!" she said with a smile.

"Hey! Thank you grandma!" Banggeng didn't expect there would be an unexpected surprise, so he picked up the braised pork excitedly and chewed it in big mouthfuls, "Hmm! It smells so good!"

Qin Jingru swallowed her saliva and looked at the three of them eating the braised pork one bite at a time, her eyes almost popping out with envy.

She had been living at her sister's house for a few months, and this was the first time she saw anyone eating meat, but there was no portion for her.

Qin Jingru was so greedy that she wished she could have a taste of it. "Auntie! I want to eat meat, too!" At this moment, her heart was filled with longing, and her voice was also a little anxious.

Hearing this, Qin Huairu rolled her eyes at her and said, "You don't do any physical work, so why do you want to eat meat? Just eat steamed buns with me!"

"Humph!" Qin Jingru said unhappily, "How can that idiot eat meat without doing any work?"

"Bah!" Qin Huairu spat at her, "How dare you say that? Banggeng is a child, so are you a child too?"

Jia Zhang also pretended not to hear Qin Jingru's pleas, but she increased the frequency of picking up the meat. There were only a few pieces of meat in the small bowl, and she finished it in a few bites.

She wiped her mouth and said in a pretended apologetic tone, "Oh! Jingru! Auntie ate too fast and didn't leave a bite for you. I will definitely save some for you next time." After saying that, she smiled and patted her stomach to show that she was full.

Qin Jingru sighed: "Next time? Who knows when that will happen!"

She recalled the past six months, when she had worked like a servant for her sister's family, lighting fires, cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, and taking care of children.

After working so hard and giving so much, her sister and her family didn't even bother to give her a bite of meat when they came. This made her feel sad and angry.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, so he lost control of his emotions and shouted, "You are too bullying, wuwu..." Then he ran out crying.

When Jia Zhang saw this, she looked at Qin Huairu with a pretended apology, "Huairu! This... is all my fault. Go and call your sister back!"

Qin Huairu responded nonchalantly: "Mom, don't worry about her, Jingru is just a child with a temper, she will be back by herself in a while."

Jia Zhang nodded. Her concern for Qin Jingru was not sincere. She continued, "Huairu, I'm back. I'll help you at home. Should we let Jingru go home?"

Then she added, "I don't mean anything else, it's just that our family is so large that we really can't accommodate her. And she has been outside for so long, it's time for her to go home..."

"Yes!" Qin Huairu nodded in agreement. She also agreed with this idea deep in her heart. She had always wanted to drive Qin Jingru back to her hometown, but since no one helped her, she temporarily tolerated Qin Jingru to stay.

"It's the end of the year now, it's time to send her home. My uncle and aunt must miss her after not seeing her for such a long time."

"Yes, yes, yes! That's right. When you go back, you must thank your uncle and his family!"

"........."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were planning to drive Qin Jingru away, but Jia Dongxu felt dissatisfied when he saw this.

He did not do this out of kindness, but because he was attached to his young and beautiful sister-in-law and was reluctant to let her go home.

Jia Dongxu angrily threw down his chopsticks and said in a firm tone: "I won't eat anymore, you guys eat it!" Then he turned back to the bedroom angrily and lay on the bed alone sulking.

Seeing this, Jia Zhang was a little puzzled and asked: "This...what happened to Dongxu?"

There was a flash of coldness in Qin Huairu's eyes, and her suspicions became more serious. She wished she could drive Qin Jingru away immediately.

………………

Sure enough, when it was time for dinner, Qin Jingru came back shyly again.

As soon as she came back, she buried her head in helping Qin Huairu prepare dinner and was reluctant to really run away!

After dinner, Qin Huairu helped Qin Jingru set up a sleeping place in the living room.

"Jingru, you have been helping my sister these past few months. Now my mother-in-law is finally back, so you don't have to work so hard anymore."

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to make a new dress, and then you can go home!"

Qin Jingru was shocked when she heard this and said unhappily, "Sister, I don't want to go back, I want to stay here." She looked up at Qin Huairu, her eyes flashing with a little uneasiness and expectation.

"Would you mind not sending me away?"

Qin Huairu frowned and explained: "You silly child, this is not your home. You will have to go back sooner or later."

Then, Qin Huairu sighed softly and said helplessly: "It's not that I want to drive you away, you see my sister's house really can't accommodate you anymore."

Qin Jingru still refused to listen, but just lowered her head and cried silently. She had become accustomed to city life and had seen the prosperity of the city. How could she easily give up all of this and return to her hometown in the remote countryside?
Qin Huairu had to spend a lot of time persuading Qin Jingru to finally agree to go home.

In order to appease her, Qin Huairu promised to buy her a new set of clothes and find her a husband in the city in a few years.

Just like that, Qin Jingru's first trip to the courtyard ended.

She was so reluctant to leave that she kept looking back. It was such a heartbreaking scene.

Qin Jingru's departure did not cause any commotion in the courtyard. Except for a few people who were reluctant to see her go, most people did not care about this little country girl.

She was just an ordinary passer-by in the courtyard, coming quietly and leaving silently. After Jia Zhang's return and Qin Jingru's departure, the old Jia family seemed to have returned to the starting point.

Jia Zhang has been staying at home since she came back. Even though she is a shrew, she can't stand the pointing and talking of neighbors, so she hides at home and refuses to go out.

Because the mistake she made was really despicable; in today's society, it is normal to be criticized for having an affair with others.

Her family had not had a harmonious relationship with the neighbors in the compound over the years. Her bad mouth had offended many people, causing tension between the inside and outside of the family.

Therefore, few people cared about her family's situation. Except for her third uncle Yan Bugui, who visited her once symbolically, no one else took the initiative to visit her.

Jia Zhang couldn't help feeling a little lonely, and sometimes she would reflect on herself. Especially when she saw other neighbors' houses crowded with people, she felt even more emotional.

As time passed, everyone gradually got used to the existence of Jia Zhang, and this matter was gradually forgotten.

Jia Zhang went out of the house and made peace with her neighbors. However, when she saw Aunt Yi, she still felt guilty and would take the initiative to avoid her.

Apart from this, after meeting Liu Zhiye, the "culprit" who sent her to the "fence", she didn't do anything else except looking unhappy.

This year passed quietly.

At the end of the year, the neighbors of No. 95 Courtyard achieved a rare "victory" under the command of the Third Uncle.

They successfully bought back a lot of scarce supplies, among which fresh pork was particularly popular, as many people had not tasted it for several months.

In a festive atmosphere, people enthusiastically celebrate the arrival of New Year's Eve, looking forward to eating another delicious meal of pork dumplings.

In the backyard of Liu Haizhong's house, brothers Liu Guangfu and Liu Guangtian have learned a lot this year.

Without waiting for his father Liu Haizhong to speak, they asked his mother to chop the meat into stuffing first. What a sensible and considerate little kid!

Seeing this, Liu Haizhong did not care about the brothers' behavior. Unlike previous years, this year he had more delicious snacks to go with his wine, which made him feel particularly happy.

Thanks to Liu Zhiye and Liujiazhuang, the New Year benefits distributed by the Red Star Factory this year can be said to be quite rich.

Seafood such as hairtail, yellow croaker, prawns, crabs, and fresh vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants allowed the workers to have a good and abundant new year.

This situation is happening in many public institutions. For the units cooperating with Liu Zhiye and Liujiazhuang, the distribution of welfare benefits this year is even better than last year, and the welfare level has been significantly improved.

Liujiazhuang has very deep connections, and they can get sufficient supply of materials that are in short supply in other places, such as fertilizers, cement, glass, steel, daily necessities, daily chemicals, etc.

These connections have also brought huge business opportunities to Liujiazhuang and brought many conveniences to the lives of local residents.

The same is true for Liu Zhiye himself. Although he is not a very high official now, he is very well-respected in all aspects of the capital. He can get things done easily by saying something.

He knew that the disaster situation this year continued to be grim, and that food, meat, eggs and other non-staple foods were still in short supply and would not improve until the end of next year.

In the past two years, Liujiazhuang and he himself have faced a rare opportunity. They must seize this opportunity, lay a solid foundation, and prepare for the future leap.

Liu Zhiye has piled up countless antiques and various artworks in a space of nearly 200 cubic meters, totaling approximately 100,000 pieces.

If these cultural relics and artworks were put up for auction in the future, their value would reach at least 200 to 300 billion RMB.

These are the precious treasures that he had painstakingly collected over the past four years through purchases from society by Yan Jiecheng, "Polan Hou", Xu Damao and others, as well as from the "old and young people" he had collected.

In addition, the space also contains hundreds of tons of jade, gemstones, jadeite raw stones, thousands of cubic meters of precious wood, and tens of thousands of kilograms of rare Chinese medicinal materials.

In addition, he also stored thousands of bottles of liquor and thousands of kilograms of loose liquor, including Moutai, Wuliangye, Fenjiu, Jiannanchun, Xifeng Liquor, Luzhou Laojiao, Wangfu Liquor, Red Star Erguotou, etc.

There are more than two million in cash and more than two tons of gold and pure gold jewelry here.

To be honest, these things are enough for him to live a few lifetimes of comfort without worries. He can enjoy life to the fullest and pursue the things he loves without having to worry about making a living.

Liujiazhuang has entered the right track of self-development. Liu Zhiye does not need to intervene too much. He just needs to guide the general direction and let it run on its own.

Liu Zhiye has also faced a bottleneck in his personal career. If he wants to develop further, the resistance will gradually increase. However, he is only 28 years old, and it may not be a good thing if he holds a high position too early.

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind."

Besides, the wind will blow in the future, and he will inevitably become the target of public criticism if he is so high and mighty. It is better to be neither high nor low, spend these few years steadily and then talk about the future.

----

In the blink of an eye, the new year is about to arrive. Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is the spring of 1962.

Entering March in the Gregorian calendar, the capital city is not as fragrant as imagined. There is no lush greenery, no grass growing or birds singing. What meets the eye are mostly dead branches, fallen leaves, and dried fruits.

Just after the Waking of Insects, the hibernating species seemed to be still asleep, while the elderly who had stayed in their homes for the entire winter began to tentatively step out of their homes.

In this season, the earth revives, all things grow, and everything will be renewed with new vitality.

Although we can smell the scent of spring, the feeling is still more cold, damp, and a little chill left over from the last days of winter.

Forging workshop 1 of Red Star Factory.

"Ah!" Suddenly there was a scream, and everyone was in panic, only to see Jia Dongxu being rolled into the machine. Fellow workers rushed forward to check, only to see Jia Dongxu struggling and calling for help: "Ah! It hurts... Save me... I..."

"Quick! Turn off the machine tool!" Someone hurriedly turned off the switch as if waking up from a dream.

But it was too late. In a short moment, Jia Dongxu was sucked into the machine and crushed into a meat patty.

The scene was horrific. Dark red blood gushed out of the machine like a spring, with some flesh and tissue mixed in it.

The pungent smell of blood made the workers pale and they all ran to the side and vomited. They were all ordinary people and had never seen such a bloody and tragic scene.

In the workshop, Director Sun looked pale, and while trying to suppress his stomach discomfort, he anxiously shouted, "Quick! Go report to the factory committee leaders! Something serious has happened!"

Director Sun hurriedly found Yi Zhonghai, only to see him staring blankly at Jia Dongxu's body (if it could still be considered a body), and shouted: "Old Yi! Old Yi! Are you okay? My condolences!" Yi Zhonghai came back to his senses, glanced at Director Sun, then turned around and vomited violently.

After such a serious safety accident occurred, the secretary, factory director, security director Liu Zhiye and others rushed back immediately.

After Liu Zhiye hurried to the scene, Deputy Director Jiang and others lost the mood to greet him and said directly: "Okay, you quickly take people to investigate and find out the cause of this accident."

After Liu Zhiye completed the on-site inspection and questioned all the workers, he concluded that this was a tragedy caused by an operational error.

He reported the situation to the factory committee leaders present, and their expressions eased a little. The secretary said, "Fortunately, it was not caused by deliberate sabotage, but why let a novice do such a dangerous job?"

"Who is responsible here? We can discuss this later. The most urgent task now is to comfort the families of the victims."

Director Yang nodded and asked seriously, "Does anyone know this worker in trouble?"

Director Sun immediately replied: "Director, Comrade Yi Zhonghai is Jia Dongxu's master and also his neighbor across the street." As he said that, he pushed Yi Zhonghai in front of everyone.

Director Yang stepped forward, held Yi Zhonghai's hand, and said solemnly: "Comrade Zhonghai, please accept my condolences. The factory has an urgent task for you. Please go to Jia Dongxu's house..."

"This...this..." Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but feel worried when he heard that he was asked to report the death to the Yi family.

He couldn't help feeling uneasy when he thought that Jia Zhang might be angry with him because of Jia Dongxu's death.

(End of this chapter)