svetikya Chapter 27: The Aroma of Meat Fills the Courtyard
Chapter 27: The Aroma of Meat Fills the Courtyard
When Zhang Lei arrived at the courtyard house with the three women, the department store's truck was already parked at the entrance.
He took out the cigarettes he had bought in advance and handed one to each of the workers unloading the goods.
The driver took the cigarette and said with a smile, "We're relieved to have you here. We were really worried we'd move the stuff to the wrong room if you hadn't come."
Zhang Lei smiled and thanked him, "Thank you so much, sir. You're so meticulous." After saying that, he led the workers to the backyard to move goods, making trip after trip without stopping.
At this moment, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang came over. Zhang Lei glanced at the coal dust on their clothes and nodded in satisfaction.
Yan Jiecheng quickly said, "After we finished moving the coal, we saw that your house hadn't been cleaned yet, so we tidied up the three rooms and the yard for you."
After hearing this, Zhang Lei took out another four cents from his pocket, gave two cents to each of them, and praised them, "You did a good job. You two deserve to earn this money."
Clutching the money, the two men beamed with joy, saying repeatedly, "Brother Lei, remember to call us again next time something like this happens."
Looking at their expressions, Zhang Lei smiled and agreed, "Don't worry, if there's an opportunity to make money, you two will definitely be included."
Soon, Zhang Lei's three rooms were filled to the brim again.
The middle room, in particular, was to Zhang Lei's liking. The three-meter by four-meter bed that he had personally chosen looked like it could easily sleep four or five people.
Zhang Lei nodded in satisfaction.
Time flew by and it was evening.
Zhang Lei stayed in the kitchen and, taking advantage of the three women's inattention, quietly took out a large piece of pork belly and a large piece of beef from his spatial storage. Combined with the vegetables he had bought during the day, he could cook a proper meal to celebrate.
Seeing Zhang Lei in the kitchen, Ye Shuqin quickly went over and said, "Let me do it, honey. You go and rest in the living room."
Zhang Lei didn't object. He wasn't good at cooking, and he knew his own skills well. He could only barely cook the food properly.
When Ye Shuqi and Ye Shuhua saw their eldest sister enter the kitchen, they obediently followed her.
Soon, with the help of the three women, a sumptuous meal was prepared.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Zhang Lei took the opportunity to open a bottle of wine and said with a smile, "Today is the first day you three have checked in. Come on, let's have a drink to celebrate."
He poured a small wine cup for each of the three men, and the four of them raised their glasses and drank it down.
At this moment, Ye Shuhua looked at the dishes on the table and said with a smile, "Honey, look at these dishes, which one did I make, and which one did my eldest and second eldest sisters make?"
Looking at Ye Shuhua's smug expression, Zhang Lei smiled and said, "You made this pork belly, didn't you?"
Ye Shuhua asked curiously, "Husband, how did you know?"
Zhang Lei said with a smile, "Because it looks a lot like you."
Seeing Ye Shuqin and Ye Shuqi's smiling faces, Ye Shuhua didn't react for a moment. After thinking about the connection between pork belly and pig, she immediately pretended to be angry and said, "Fine, you call me a pig. Let's see how I deal with you."
Seeing Ye Shuhua rush over, Zhang Lei quickly begged for mercy, and the room was immediately filled with laughter.
The aroma of Zhang Lei's family's food quickly spread throughout the entire courtyard.
The deaf old lady who lived closest to him was so disturbed by the rich aroma of meat that she could hardly eat or sleep.
After all, it was 1959, a year of great disaster. Let alone eating meat, it was already a blessing for everyone to be able to fill their stomachs.
Whether it was because Zhang Lei's stewed meat was too plentiful or because it smelled so good, the aroma of meat filled the entire yard, making everyone in the yard drool with envy.
On the other side, in the Jia family, Jia Zhangshi was holding a cornbread in her hand, eating it with pickled vegetables, chewing it over and over again, finding it too disgusting to swallow.
Suddenly, the enticing aroma of meat wafted through the air, and her eyes lit up. She turned and yelled at Qin Huairu, "Qin Huairu, hurry up and see who's cooking meat! Go get it for me, and get some right now!"
Qin Huairu looked troubled and whispered, "Mom, these days, who would be willing to give us their meat?"
Seeing Qin Huairu's expression, Madam Jia scolded her directly, "Just go when I tell you to! Why are you talking so much!"
The little boy standing nearby also spoke up longingly, "Mom, I want to eat meat."
Qin Huairu looked helplessly at Jia Dongxu, but Jia Dongxu was only focused on shoveling rice into his mouth. He swallowed and mumbled, "Huairu, just listen to your mother."
He didn't say it out loud, but he was also really craving the delicious smell of the meat.
Seeing the Jia family's setup, Qin Huairu had no choice but to stand up and go out to see who was cooking meat.
Just as she reached the door, Jia Zhangshi stopped her, saying, "Qin Huairu, wait a minute!"
Qin Huairu stopped and turned back, puzzled, asking, "Mom, didn't you tell me to go see which family was cooking meat?"
Madam Jia pointed to the large ancestral bowl beside her, pursed her lips, and said, "How can you bring back any meat if you go empty-handed? Take that bowl with you!"
Qin Huairu looked at the ridiculously large bowl and said with a troubled expression, "Mom, this bowl is too big. Let me get a smaller one."
Madam Jia immediately glared at her: "Why take a small one! If you take a small bowl, they'll fill it up with just one scoop. Who's going to eat that? Take a big one! One scoop is barely enough to fill the bottom of the bowl, and they still have the nerve not to refill it?"
Qin Huairu was speechless upon hearing this. Jia Zhangshi's little bit of cleverness was all used to take advantage of others and freeload meals.
Soon, Qin Huairu followed the aroma of meat to the back room, but upon seeing that it was Zhang Lei's house, she immediately hesitated.
After all, they had just had a conflict with Zhang Lei's family during the day, and anyone with a shred of self-respect wouldn't have the nerve to come knocking on their door.
But then she thought of Jia Zhangshi's shrewish and unreasonable face, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and push open the gate of the back courtyard, and walk to the door of Zhang Lei's living room.
Zhang Lei and his three companions were having dinner when they heard a knock on the door. Ye Shuhua immediately skipped and hopped to open it.
Seeing an unfamiliar woman standing at the door, she called out, "Brother-in-law, someone's looking for you!"
Hearing the sound, Zhang Lei walked over and saw Qin Huairu. He glanced at the large bowl she was holding, and his expression instantly darkened. He asked in an unpleasant tone, "Qin Huairu, what are you doing here?"
Qin Huairu immediately put on a pitiful look and whispered, "Zhang Lei, did you cook meat at home?"
Zhang Lei raised an eyebrow: "What's it to you if I make meat?"
Qin Huairu's face showed even more grievance, her voice trembling with tears: "Zhang Lei, you know my family's situation, we're almost starving. Bang Geng is still so young, he's been crying because he smells meat. Could you spare some for me? I'll definitely pay you back when my family buys meat."
Hearing this, Zhang Lei couldn't help but find it amusing: "Qin Huairu, when has your family ever had a rule about returning borrowed items? You even dare to borrow meat? What were you thinking?"
Qin Huairu's eyes reddened, and her voice lowered even further: "Zhang Lei, I know about what happened during the day. You have a problem with me and the Jia family. But the child is innocent. Just lend him two or three pieces of meat so he can have a little something to eat."
Seeing Qin Huairu's aggrieved expression, Ye Shuhua finally felt a pang of pity and whispered, "Brother-in-law, how about we just give her two or three yuan?"
Upon hearing Ye Shuhua's words, Qin Huairu's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had seen a glimmer of hope.
But Zhang Lei coldly replied, "No way. We don't even have enough meat for ourselves, let alone extra to lend to others."
He turned to Qin Huairu, his tone unwavering: "Qin Huairu, go back to where you came from. My family doesn't have any extra meat for you. If you want meat, go buy it yourself."
Seeing Qin Huairu's lips move as if she wanted to say something more to feign pitifulness, Zhang Lei interrupted her directly: "Alright, stop acting in front of me. Don't tell me you can't afford it. I know very well how many people are in your family and how much Jia Dongxu earns each month."
Qin Huairu could no longer hide her grievances. Knowing that she definitely wouldn't get the meat today, she could only pick up the ancestral bowl and slink away.