Chapter 32 Gloating over misfortune
"Young man, that's fast enough."

The cart driver was already sweating in the middle of winter.

Jia Dongxu was thinking about his wedding, so he didn't say much and continued to brag to his wife.

"Bihua, if we had known that the department store didn't provide delivery, we should have gone there earlier. We are now delayed and can't see Li Zhiguo suffer."

"Dongxu, let's just live our own lives, and don't always think about your ex."

Chen Bihua was not very happy. It was no big deal for her man to talk about Qin Huairu and Li Zhiguo all the time.

"I'm not thinking about it. I just want her, Qin Huairu, to regret it."

Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth, thought about how glorious it would be when he returned to the courtyard, and laughed again.

After walking through another alley and turning the corner, the courtyard house was right in front of us.

"Huh, what about people?"

Jia Dongxu was a little confused. There was no one at the gate of the courtyard, but there were firecracker debris scattered on the ground outside the gate.

Does Li Zhiguo have money to buy firecrackers?
No, this should be put there by me for him.

"Young man, you see it's all here, when can I get the money?"

The cart master asked about this. For a large order like this, the payment should be paid first, but he insisted on paying after the order arrived, so I had no choice but to accept it.

"Master, why are you in such a hurry? I'll go get someone to help carry the sewing machine, and I'll pay you when the time comes."

Jia Dongxu asked his wife to wait at the door while he went back to the yard to call someone to greet them.

"Okay, Dongxu, I'll watch it."

Chen Bihua was guarding the sewing machine next to the cart.

"Third Aunt, where is my mother? Please ask everyone to come to the door to greet her. I am taking my wife back to the compound."

As soon as Jia Dongxu entered the compound, he met the three aunts. It must have been arranged by his mother.

Who knew that the third aunt said reluctantly: "Dongxu is back, your mother is out, it's okay, you can take your wife home first."

"She went out? Forget about her. Call the people who went to the yard. My family bought a sewing machine. Come and have a look."

Jia Dongxu didn't know how many times he thought about it along the way. This was his glory.

"Hurry up, someone come, my family has just bought a sewing machine, someone come."

Jia Dongxu shouted a few more times, but no one came.

The third aunt sighed and said, "Dongxu, you should go home first!"

"What's wrong? Everyone is at my house now. Didn't we agree on two tables? There won't be enough space for so many people."

Jia Dongxu finally understood why his mother went out. She must not have explained it clearly to everyone.

When the three aunts heard this, they laughed angrily, "Your house can't accommodate everyone. There are about a hundred people in our courtyard. How can two tables of food be enough?"

"Oh, I'll go find an old man and explain it to everyone."

Jia Dongxu was anxious and didn't care about anything else. He ran to the central courtyard immediately.

The third aunt then moved to the door, took a look outside, shook her head and said, "What's so great about a sewing machine? My family doesn't need it.

Li Zhiguo’s bicycle is still more economical. My husband, Lao Yan, has ridden it twice.”

She was waiting at the door to receive the workers. She had just seen Jia Dongxu coming back with the cart driver and deliberately did not go out to say hello.

But when Jia Dongxu ran to the middle courtyard, he was stunned. There was no one there, only an old table in the middle courtyard.

"A great uncle, a great uncle!"

Jia Dongxu’s first reaction was to find a master, but he saw that the door of Yi Zhonghai’s house was locked, the house next door was also locked, and the house opposite was also locked.

He panicked. What happened?

I hurried home, but his door was also locked.

"Stupid column!"

Looking at the main house next door, Sha Zhu’s house also locked the door.

"Oh, what happened?"

Jia Dongxu turned around and ran to the front yard to find the third aunt to get things clear.

Just then, a group of people came out from the backyard, talking and laughing.

"Li Zhiguo, you really need to be nicer to our Qin Huairu in the future."

"Sister Hua, don't worry. I will definitely get enough food money for lunch and won't let my wife go hungry."

Li Zhiguo was spotted by Sister Hua and was dragged out to wait for his fellow workers.

"Why is there no one in the middle court? Jia Dongxu hasn't come back yet."

Sister Hua just wants to see what other people’s wives look like.

"I do not know."

Li Zhiguo was a little confused. I thought the Jia family’s banquet would not be held.

Sister Hua asked clearly which house the Jia family belonged to, and she went over to take a look.

"Li Zhiguo, the Jia family has locked the door, look at what you have done."

"What does this have to do with me? Please do your own thing.

Sister Hua, I have a very good relationship with people in the courtyard. Everyone is willing to come to my house to congratulate me. The three uncles in the courtyard and the oldest old lady have all given me gifts. "

Li Zhiguo was just bragging a lot, but Sister Hua didn't know it anyway.

Who knew that it would hit him hard. The round-faced Sister Hua smiled and said, "Come on, Qin Huairu has told us that you took advantage of the Jia family's banquet to coerce the people in the courtyard."

"Ahem, why does Qin Huairu tell everything to others?"

Li Zhiguo quickly dodged. If he continued talking, all his secrets would be exposed.

A group of people went to the front yard, only to see the three aunts looking out the door, and they didn't notice them coming.

"Third Aunt, what are you doing?"

Li Zhiguo shouted from a distance.

"Li Zhiguo, come quickly and watch the fun."

The third aunt waved her hand like a thief.

Everyone was puzzled and went over to take a look.

Isn’t that Jia Dongxu and his new wife outside the yard, struggling with a cart driver?

There was a sewing machine tied to the cart, which looked festive.

"Third Aunt, what's going on?"

Li Zhiguo was puzzled. What was the point of making such a fuss on such a happy day?

"Something happened. The bench maker asked Jia Dongxu to pay 50 cents for shipping. Jia Dongxu thought the bench was too slow to come back and delayed his marriage, so he only wanted to pay 30 cents, and then they started arguing."

The third aunt thought Jia Dongxu was a bit cruel. If it were her, she would have given him at least 40 cents.

"Jia Dongxu is so stingy!"

Sister Hua was shocked. She had never noticed it before.

"Let's go, sisters, and watch the fun."

"Okay, let's see Jia Dongxu's wife."

A group of female workers rushed out of the yard.

Jia Dongxu was still making a fuss, "You've delayed my invitation. I don't have 50 cents, only 30 cents. It's up to you whether you want it or not."

"We agreed on 50 cents. Just based on your attitude, I won't accept even a cent less. If you don't pay, you can't use this sewing machine."

The cart driver also got angry and his cloth shoes were worn out during the journey.

"Okay, you still want to steal my sewing machine!"

Jia Dongxu grabbed the cart driver, but he was not as strong as the other driver and was almost knocked down by the driver.

"Dongxu, forget it. Today is our big day. Hey, someone came out of the yard."

Chen Bihua also felt sorry for the money, but getting married would make people laugh.

"Who is coming?"

When Jia Dongxu turned around, he saw Li Zhiguo and a group of female workers in the factory.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Li Zhiguo, you were kicked out by Sister Hua and the others, you deserve it!"

"Jia Dongxu, don't make up your own mind. Which eye of yours saw that I was kicked out?"

Li Zhiguo was speechless. They were brothers, so couldn't he expect something good from him?
"Weren't you kicked out?" Jia Dongxu felt that this kid was just being stubborn.

"Jia Dongxu, why are we chasing him away? We still have to have a drink at his house today."

Although Sister Hua dislikes Li Zhiguo, she despises Jia Dongxu, the coward, even more.

"His family can hold a banquet, but he has no money..."

Jia Dongxu wanted to say something, but was stopped by the cart driver.

"Young man, everyone in your hospital is here, so just pay the freight. It's fifty cents. I'll bring it from Wangfu Street, so you won't lose anything."

The cart driver is out to make money and really doesn't want to cause trouble.

"me……"

With so many people watching, Jia Dongxu was at a loss for words.

Sister Hua didn't mind making a big fuss, and she shouted, "It's only fifty cents, just pay it to them. We are workers, and we don't want to suffer any loss for our hard work."

Jia Dongxu is a bit embarrassed, he still has his dignity.

"Dongxu, why don't we just forget about it? Today is our big day."

Chen Bihua couldn't hold back her pride any more.

"Then wait a minute. My mom will pay when she comes."

Jia Dongxu looked unhappy. He wanted to give it but he had no money.

Li Zhiguo saw Jia Dongxu's embarrassment and said directly: "Jia Dongxu, don't tell me that you can't even take out 50 cents? I am a gentleman in Beijing, don't you even have this little face?"

"My mother usually manages the money. Besides, I used all the money I brought today to buy a sewing machine. This is the first one in our hospital..."

Jia Dongxu started yelling loudly, and as a result, people from the next yard ran out again.

I heard that there are two newlywed couples in the courtyard today, who knows, they might be showing their affection again.

Some people also came out of the courtyard. Liu Haizhong came out with a group of people, thinking that he had to be present to welcome the workers.

The place was immediately surrounded with three layers inside and three layers outside.

Just at this moment, the male workers from the steel rolling mill arrived, another large group of people.

"Li Zhiguo, what's going on?"

"Tang Rude, quickly call the people over and watch Jia Dongxu's excitement first. I'll take you to the courtyard to give gifts later."

Li Zhiguo went over to call the workers over and told them not to run away as they had to pay.

Just when Jia Dongxu was feeling ashamed and was about to ask his wife to pay for the debt first, his savior arrived.

"Mom, why did you come just now?"

I saw Jia Zhang running over from the crowd. She had just gone to the next yard to recruit people, and after much persuasion, she finally invited a few families.

"Dongxu, this is our sewing machine, it's great, tell mom how much it cost."

When Jia Zhang saw the sewing machine and people like Li Zhiguo, she finally had a chance to save her face.

"Mom, our sewing machine cost one hundred and seventy-five dollars and forty cents. It's more expensive than a bicycle."

Jia Dongxu declared loudly so that Qin Huairu could hear it and regret it.

"well!"

Jia Zhang's face turned red with excitement.

Just then the cart driver interrupted the self-indulgent atmosphere of the mother and son.

"Auntie, your son hasn't paid the shipping fee yet. Please give me fifty cents to unload your sewing machine."

"Wumao, you are stealing money. Isn't it free delivery? Be careful or I will sue you in the department store."

Jia Zhang was immediately furious. Sewing machines were so expensive, how could she afford them?

"Mom, everyone has seen it. Department stores don't offer delivery."

Jia Dongxu quickly reminded them not to lose face.

"Okay, my son is getting married today, so I won't argue with you. Dongxu, give me the money, we don't need the fifty cents."

As Jia Zhang spoke, she went to look at the sewing machine. What a great thing it was! She heard that if you put cloth on it, it would become clothes with a click.

"Mom, I have no money."

Jia Dongxu was extremely embarrassed. How could his mother not remember that he had handed over his monthly salary?

"You don't have money? That's it. I don't have any either."

Jia Zhang was confused. After buying the sewing machine, she had emptied out her family's savings, and the dishes she bought for the banquet were all scraped together.

Everyone was stunned. This was Beijing, and a family couldn't even come up with fifty cents?
"Jia Dongxu, you are worse than Li Zhiguo."

"It's shameful. It's really shameful for our hospital. Li Zhiguo has no money, but he doesn't owe any money."

"It's Li Zhiguo's turn to snatch your girlfriend away."

Li Zhiguo was speechless. Who did he offend that he had to be implicated in the conversation?

"Uncle, come quickly, uncle."

Jia Dongxu shouted and needed to ask his master for help.

"Mom, let the uncle come and pay the bill. He is helping our family collect the membership fees today."

When Jia Zhang heard this, her face turned red.

"Dongxu, stop shouting. Our family didn't receive any betrothal gifts today."

"What do you mean I didn't receive it? Look, everyone is here! Three to five yuan per household, that's a lot."

Jia Dongxu saw the residents and thought something was wrong. Why was there no one in the yard before?
"Dongxu, all the residents in the courtyard have gone to Li Zhi's house to give gifts."

Jia Zhang was extremely miserable. Her good sewing machine and her son's wedding day turned into a big joke just because of a few cents.

"What? Why? My family treated us first."

Jia Dongxu yelled.

Li Zhiguo looked at them and shook his head. "Tang Rude, Wang Jianjun, let's go to my house to pay our tribute. We have to drink at noon."

"Don't worry, I'm just watching the fun."

Some workers' eyes lit up. This was big gossip. They would have something to brag about it at work tomorrow.

"Xu Weijun, you just want to see my brother Dongxu make a fool of himself, so stop watching and go to my house to give me a gift first."

Li Zhiguo called the workers into the compound without further ado.

It was his big wedding day, and he didn't want to quarrel with the Jia family, so he left first.

Who would have thought that when he brought the workers in, the people in the yard ran out one after another, watching the fun.

In the blink of an eye, even Qin Huairu was pulled out by Aunt Chen.

"Register the gift here."

Li Zhiguo was very particular about putting the money in his pocket. He had to use the money he received to replenish He Daqing and he could not go back on his word.

When the workers saw so many tables set up in the backyard and a banquet was being held there, they simply paid the money.

"Okay, that's good!"

Yan Bugui was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

Not long after, people who came to watch the fun came back one after another.

"Oh my, this is hilarious. The Jia family bought a sewing machine, but they couldn't even afford the 50 cents for shipping."

"That's right. Jia Dongxu has no money, Jia Zhangshi has no money, and even the new daughter-in-law can't come up with any money."

"Isn't it said that Chen Bihua's family is well-off? She has walnut and apricot trees at home, but she still has no money."

"This is far worse than Qin Huairu's family. Look, last time, the Qin family gave Li Zhiguo a lot of things..."

The aunties were all telling jokes about the Jia family.

Didn’t the Jia family brag about buying a sewing machine? Now what’s the difference between them and Li Zhiguo?

"Brother Li!"

After Qin Huairu came back, she saw the Jia family clearly.

"Huai Ru, don't worry about the Jia family, as long as we live well, that's enough.

Let me tell you, my family has the best conditions in this courtyard."

Li Zhiguo ignored the contempt of people around him and pulled his wife aside to give her a lecture.

(End of this chapter)