Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

Chapter 626 Jia Zhangshi negotiates with Qin Huairu

Ignoring Banggeng's shouts, Qin Huairu put the roast duck away, which made Banggeng swallow hard.

However, Banggeng didn't dare to make a big fuss this time. His mother had just said that she would buy him roast duck again in the future. Anyway, he could eat it at dinner later, and the roast duck was not going to run away.

Jia Zhangshi licked the oil off her fingers and said to Banggeng, "Banggeng, go to the backyard and play with Xiaodang. Grandma has something to tell your mother."

"oh."

Banggeng agreed and ran out the door. He wanted to call Xiaodang back to eat roast duck.

After Banggeng ran out the door, Jia Zhangshi closed the door, her triangular eyes fixed on Qin Huairu, and questioned her sharply:

"Qin Huairu, tell me honestly, where did you get this roast duck?"

"Mom, didn't I just say? I bought this. I saw that you haven't eaten meat in a long time, so I bought one," Qin Huairu argued.

Madam Jia, her triangular eyes bulging, pointed at Qin Huairu and roared, "Qin Huairu, how dare you lie to me? Tell me, have you found another man?"

"Don't think I'm a three-year-old who's easy to fool. You only make 27.5 yuan a month, and this roast duck costs half a month's salary. You definitely didn't buy it."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu knew she couldn't hide it any longer. After all, there were still many days ahead, and even if she could hide it this time, she couldn't hide it next time. She sighed, sat down on the stool, and slowly said:

"It was given to me by Li Huaide, the director of the steel rolling mill."

"The steel rolling mill manager?"

Jia Zhangshi's triangular eyes widened, revealing an expression of disbelief.

After a long while, she looked intently at Qin Huairu and asked, "Have you gotten involved with the steel mill manager?"

Qin Huairu rolled her eyes: "Mom, please don't put it so harshly. What do you mean by 'hooking up'? We have a purely superior-subordinate relationship. It was Factory Director Li who saw that it wasn't easy for a widow like me to support two children and a mother-in-law, so he bought me a roast duck. He was just being considerate of his subordinate."

Madam Jia knew perfectly well that Qin Huairu must have gotten involved with Li Huaide; otherwise, why would she send her a roast duck? Roast ducks are so expensive these days!

Thinking that this person was the director of the steel rolling mill, Jia Zhangshi asked in a tactful tone:

"Qin Huairu, so you're dating Li Huaide? Have you been with him...?"

Before Jia Zhangshi could finish speaking, Qin Huairu nodded in agreement.

"Mom, you were the one who told me to get an IUD and find a government official to support our family. Now I've found one, and he's even the director of a steel mill. Please don't cause any trouble for me, or our family won't be able to make a living."

Hearing the definite answer, Madam Jia Zhang felt somewhat upset, after all, Qin Huairu was her daughter-in-law, and now she had hooked up with another man, but she knew what was important.

In this day and age, cornmeal costs 27 yuan per pound, and the key is that she doesn't have a ration. With Qin Huairu's salary of 5 yuan, she'll definitely starve. Besides, it was indeed her who told Qin Huairu to seduce the cadre. Now this person is not only a cadre, but also the director of the steel rolling mill. What else could she be dissatisfied with?

After a long while, Madam Jia sighed and said:

"Qin Huairu, I don't care what you do outside, but you have to agree to three conditions, or I won't let you off the hook."

Qin Huairu nodded: "Mom, please speak."

Madam Jia held up her finger: "First, you absolutely cannot bring Li Huaide back to our courtyard, and you absolutely cannot let anyone know about your affair with Li Huaide. My Jia family is a prestigious family, and we cannot afford to lose face like this."

"Secondly, now that you've hooked up with Li Huaide, you must not only ensure that our lives are better than before, but also that my painkillers are not lacking, and that you give me twenty yuan a month for my retirement."

"Third, when Bang Geng grows up, you must ask Li Huaide to find Bang Geng a good job."

Upon hearing Jia Zhangshi's three conditions, Qin Huairu shook her head and refused without even thinking.

"Mom, I agree to the first and third conditions, but didn't you quit taking painkillers? Why are you taking them again? Our family is already struggling financially, and you still need to take painkillers? That'll cost three yuan a month!"

"Furthermore, my monthly salary is only 27 yuan. You want me to give you 5 yuan for retirement? How are we supposed to survive then?"

"Yes, Li Huaide will give me some benefits from time to time, but who is Li Huaide? He is the director of the steel rolling mill. If I keep asking him for money, he will definitely hate me. If we don't stick to this powerful figure, what kind of life will our family live in the future? Think about it carefully."

"Qin Huairu, you've hooked up with Li Huaide, and now you don't care about your old mother anymore? I don't care. If you don't agree to my conditions, we'll just break up. I'll go to the factory tomorrow and make a scene. I'll expose your affair with Li Huaide, and let's see what you can do then!" Jia Zhangshi shouted.

"Mom, can't you be reasonable? You were the one who told me to do this before, but now that I've found the right person, why are you making things difficult for me?"

Qin Huairu said firmly, "Mom, at most I'll buy you painkillers every month and give you five yuan for your retirement. If you want to make a fuss, I'll let you. At worst, I'll give my job back to you and remarry someone. Anyway, I can't live like this anymore."

Hearing Qin Huairu constantly mention remarrying, Jia Zhangshi immediately deflated, but she still forced a tough stance and said:

"Qin Huairu, don't threaten me with remarriage all the time. If you dare to remarry, I'll strangle Banggeng. Anyway, Banggeng is going to be someone else's son. At worst, we can reunite in the underworld."

After saying this, Madam Jia's tone softened, and she continued:

"I can agree to five yuan a month for retirement, but you have to let us eat white flour once a week and meat at least once a month, otherwise there's no point in talking."

"Okay, okay, I agree, alright?"

Seeing that this was already Jia Zhangshi's bottom line, Qin Huairu had no choice but to agree.

Seeing that Qin Huairu agreed, Jia Zhangshi's mood improved considerably. The thought of being able to eat white flour once a week, meat once a month, and five yuan a month for retirement made her smile.

"Qin Huairu, now that you're dating Li Huaide, won't Li Huaide give you a different job? Maybe make you a manager or something? At least your salary should increase, right?"

Qin Huairu rolled her eyes: "Mom, stop daydreaming. I can barely read or write, and I don't have any skills. Besides washing and chopping vegetables in the kitchen, what else can I do? It's good enough that people take care of our family."

Jia Zhangshi asked in surprise, "Isn't Li Huaide the factory director? Isn't he the biggest boss in this steel rolling mill? If he wants to raise your salary, who would dare to object?"

Qin Huairu shook her head speechlessly; she was too lazy to even talk to Jia Zhangshi.