“What am I expressing?”
Jia Zhangshi looked ‘perplexed’.
“You are the host, and I am the Master you invited to record the gift ledger. Now that the work is done, don’t you know what’s missing?”
Yan Fugui spoke slowly, staring at Jia Zhangshi.
He was a teacher, priding himself on being a cultured man.
He truly couldn’t bring himself to ask for a cigarette.
According to custom, the host should offer it proactively.
“I didn’t invite you; you offered to do the accounting yourself.”
“Old Yi and Lao Liu arranged other tasks, and you three distributed them among yourselves. What does that have to do with me?”
Jia Zhangshi spread her hands.
“Alright, alright, you’re amazing, you’re really amazing.”
Yan Fugui extended a finger, pointing at Jia Zhangshi, his chest heaving with anger, his face flushed red.
“Yan Fugui, you messed up the work and still want to ask me for a cigarette? How can you be so delusional?”
Jia Zhangshi decided to speak plainly.
“I messed up the work?”
Yan Fugui pointed at himself, his expression indignant.
“Look at the gift ledger you recorded. This family only gave three mao, and you accepted it.”
“Don’t you know that person brought two children to eat?”
“If you had any foresight, you should have at least collected one yuan from him.”
“Now I’ve lost money, and you’re still shamelessly asking me for a cigarette. Should I take a dump for you right now?”
Jia Zhangshi’s words were vulgar, full of mockery.
Yan Fugui suddenly raised his hand, gave himself a loud slap, and turned to leave.
He was defeated!
Speechless.
“What’s wrong with Old Yan?”
Liu Haizhong craned his neck, watching Yan Fugui leave.
“Jia is too ignorant, breaking the rules, it’s truly inappropriate.”
Yi Zhonghai guessed some of the inside story and sighed.
“Heh heh.”
Liu Haizhong thought for a moment, immediately understood, and chuckled twice.
Sha Zhu watched Jia Zhangshi finish counting the ledger, not even collecting the kitchen tools, and ran to Jia Zhangshi, his face full of anticipation.
“What are you doing? Go do your work.”
How could Jia Zhangshi not know what Sha Zhu was thinking? She said with a stern face.
She secretly wondered how to get rid of Sha Zhu.
“Jia Family's Aunt, look, I took half a day off to help your Jia family with everything. Shouldn’t I get… that?”
Sha Zhu chuckled.
“What is ‘that’? I mean, why are you beating around the bush when you talk?”
“I have other things to do. Hurry up and pack up the pots and pans and stuff, don’t delay going to work this afternoon.”
Jia Zhangshi lifted her foot to leave.
“Jia Family's Aunt, you forgot to pay me!”
Sha Zhu quickly called out.
“What pay? Sha Zhu, what you’re saying makes me feel uncomfortable.”
Jia Zhangshi pointed in Yi Zhonghai’s direction: “First Master and Second Master are at this age, busy with everything, but they didn’t ask me for pay.”
After speaking, her finger pointed to Liu Guangtian and others: “Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiecheng helped my family and didn’t ask for pay either.”
“Why are you so special?”
“No, Jia Family's Aunt, I’m a cook. I should get paid for helping with the banquet.”
Sha Zhu felt something was wrong and quickly said.
“What’s wrong with being a cook? Does a cook have an extra hand or an extra foot compared to them?”
“Everyone came to help, and my Jia family remembers this kindness. If anyone in the future has an issue, my family will definitely send people to help.”
“You’re not old, why are you so obsessed with money?”
“Sha Zhu, don’t make me look down on you.”
Jia Zhangshi spoke one after another.
Sha Zhu opened his mouth, feeling in his heart that it seemed immoral for him to ask the Jia family for wages.
They were all residents of the same Courtyard, everyone contributed to help, so it was only right for him to help too.
Before Sha Zhu could process these words, Jia Zhangshi had already run back home.
She had to hurry and put away the gift money.
After a while, Sha Zhu finally understood.
He got paid for working for other families, so why shouldn't he get paid for working for the Jia family!
Moreover, he was different from others; he took half a day off to help with the Jia family’s banquet!
Even if the Jia family didn't pay him, they should at least compensate him for the money deducted from his leave.
Sha Zhu angrily walked towards the Jia family, determined to ask Jia Zhangshi for money.
“Sha Zhu, what are you doing?”
Qin Huairu asked gently.
“Ah, Qin Jie, I... I’m looking for Granny Jia to ask for my pay.”
Sha Zhu’s voice grew weaker and weaker, until it was like a mosquito flapping its wings.
“What do you want with my mother? Tell me if you have anything, and I’ll pass it on to her.”
Qin Huairu smoothed her hair, smiling brightly: “You’re the head chef for the banquet, we can’t treat anyone badly, especially not you.”
“No, I have nothing to say to Granny Jia.”
“Qin Jie, having your word is better than anything.”
Sha Zhu said firmly.
He was shouting wildly in his heart, Qin Jie remembered my contribution!
“Alright, then help clean up the kitchen utensils. I’ll have to return them to each household later.”
Qin Huairu casually assigned a task.
“Alright, I promise to wash all those things clean.”
Sha Zhu was full of vigor.
It was all for Qin Jie, worth it!
Qin Huairu watched Sha Zhu’s retreating back, a strange meaning flashing in her eyes.
The Jia family had no adult male, so if others were unreasonable, there would be no one to support them.
Among so many adult males in the Courtyard, Sha Zhu was the most suitable to control.
For the Jia family, she had to do something.
Sha Zhu, however, didn’t know that he had been targeted by Qin Huairu.
He was happily working.
He wasn't even in a hurry to go to work at the Rolling Mill.
In the afternoon, Chen Jianye came home from work.
Passing through the Middle Courtyard, he heard Third Aunt and a group of old wives gossiping.
“My Old Yan was really screwed over by the Jia family this time. He was the gift ledger Master, and he gave fifty fen. Isn’t that generous enough?”
“That’s generous enough,” an old wife chimed in.
“Heh, who knew, the Jia family collected the gift money and didn’t even buy him a pack of cigarettes. It’s truly outrageous.”
“Which family would do such a thing? The Jia family has no man, they don’t even care about basic decency.”
“Old Yan said at home that he will absolutely not help the Jia family with anything in the future. He was really hurt by the Jia family this time.”
Third Aunt recounted with indignation to everyone.
Grandpas cared about face and didn’t like to speak ill of people behind their backs.
Women were different; the information they usually exchanged was such trivial matters.
Third Aunt had to speak out about the Jia family’s dirty deeds, otherwise, it would be unbearable to keep it inside.
“I also heard that Granny Jia didn’t pay Sha Zhu for the banquet work either.”
Another old wife revealed.
“How did you know?”
Third Aunt’s spirits lifted.
Hearing this news, she felt inexplicably much more comfortable.
Her Old Yan wasn’t the only one who got screwed by the Jia family; Sha Zhu was screwed even worse.
Normal banquet wages started at two yuan.
If the host cared about face and wanted a good reputation, some would give three, four, or even five yuan.
“When Sha Zhu was washing dishes, I asked him how much the Jia family paid him.”
“Guess what he said? He said they didn’t give him a single fen.”
The old wife looked around as she spoke, very cautious.
“The Jia family didn’t give Sha Zhu a single fen, and he still helped the Jia family wash dishes?”
“He’s a big fool too.”
“If it were me, I’d smash the Jia family’s door down.”
A group of old wives chattered, expressing their opinions.
The Jia family’s reputation worsened.
Of course, Sha Zhu was also labeled a fool by these old wives.