Volume 1, Chapter 31: The Matter of the House

Chu Yan nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What about that old woman? Didn't you... kick her out earlier?" After saying this, she gave Su Jianshe a playful, embarrassed poke.

Su Jianshe smiled slightly. "Don't worry, she's fine. Even if she goes to the hospital, they won't find anything. It’s just constipation; I just happened to do her a small favor."

He patted Chu Yan’s head and laughed, "Xiao Yan, let’s not talk about those unpleasant things. Today is our first day of marriage; where would you like to go for fun?"

To enjoy a few days of newlywed life with Chu Yan, Su Jianshe had specifically asked for time off. Of course, he didn't necessarily have to go to work. Liu Dazhuang was now capable enough to handle things on his own. Even if Su Jianshe wasn't there, Liu could manage the communal cooking—though the taste wouldn't be as good as his, it was at least edible. It was already much better than the time when Shazhu was away and Ma Hua was in charge of the ladle.

Just as Su Jianshe was considering whether to teach Liu Dazhuang a few more dishes, Chu Yan said shyly, "Brother Jianshe, let's forget about it. How can we just play every day? Even if it is our first day of marriage, one should still attend to their work."

Her words brought Su Jianshe, who had been pondering how to improve their standard of living, back to reality. People in this era didn't dislike leisure, it was just that everyone still viewed labor as a glorious pursuit, while recreation took a back seat.

Su Jianshe thought for a moment and said slowly, "Let's rest for another day. Even if we go, there might not be any tasks to assign. The temperature has dropped sharply lately, and our clothes are quite thin. There might be nothing to do at the cooperative anyway." He didn't want his wife to overexert herself, especially since she was so virtuous and reasonable.

"Hmm..." Chu Yan tilted her head to consider it for a moment, then hesitantly agreed.

The chill in the Four-Nine City was growing day by day, with frost already appearing on the windows. It would surely get colder soon. By then, every household would be prepared with cotton-padded jackets, and even if they were worn out, they might not be sent to the cooperative for repairs. In this era, owning a single cotton jacket was a luxury; most people wore the same one day in and day out for work.

"Brother Jianshe, why don't I get you a new cotton jacket?" Chu Yan asked with concern. "Your old one has been with you for years; it’s time for a replacement. It’s long since lost its warmth!"

Recalling their shopping trip before the wedding, Su Jianshe had bought her several beautiful clothes, including cotton jackets, just to keep her warm. Yet, she was now afraid to wear them out, fearing gossip about being extravagant.

Su Jianshe didn't care much about the jacket. At the time of purchase, the supply and marketing cooperative hadn't offered much in the way of stylish choices, and most items were no different from what he usually wore. Moreover, he was proficient in Baji Quan and had a sturdy physique that was impervious to the bitter cold. Recently, he felt a persistent warmth throughout his body upon waking, and he suspected his Baji Quan had made further progress.

When Chu Yan mentioned staying warm, a thought suddenly occurred to Su Jianshe. "Xiao Yan, how about I find you a different job? If you keep going to the supply and marketing cooperative, I’m afraid you’ll get frostbite on your hands." He frowned at the memory of news reports about impoverished children with frostbitten hands, and his own memories of Chu Yan suffering from the same in the winter.

"Change jobs? Forget it, Brother Jianshe, I actually quite like my current work!" Chu Yan hurriedly refused. She was grateful for his concern, but she knew how difficult it was to switch jobs. After all, Qin Huairu, Jia Dongxu’s wife, had only managed to get into the rolling mill because of a family crisis. In this era, finding work was incredibly hard; she didn't want misfortune to befall their family just to secure a position.

"Don't worry, I'll handle the job search!" Brother Jianshe promised, patting his chest.

Although Chu Yan was curious about his connections, she trusted him implicitly. However, another matter crossed her mind. "By the way, Brother Jianshe, we need to handle the housing matter at the neighborhood office."

"The house?" Su Jianshe looked blank.

Chu Yan explained that their residence required registration. The house had originally been allocated to their parents and them together; now that their parents had passed and they were married, it had to be re-registered. The old rules of allocation based on head count no longer applied, but the procedure was simple—they just needed to head to the neighborhood office. Su Jianshe took her hand, and they set off together.

...

After dealing with the debt collectors, Liu Haizhong hurried to Yi Zhonghai's house. Before he even stepped inside, a foul stench hit him, as if someone had been defecating indoors for days.

Suppressing his discomfort, Liu Haizhong suggested, "Old Yi, why don't we talk at my place?"

Yi Zhonghai had endured it for a long time, but he had reached his limit. He had taken good care of the old woman, but she was, after all, not his own mother. "Fine, let's go to your place!" he agreed.

After shooing his mischievous sons away, the look of distress finally surfaced on Liu Haizhong's face. "Old Yi, you said at the meeting that you could handle that brat Su Jianshe. What exactly is your plan?" Thinking of the massive sum his family had spent, Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth. Three hundred yuan! That was enough to cover two years of their family's expenses. And now, it had all been fed to that pack of ingrates.

Ignoring Liu Haizhong’s rage, Yi Zhonghai acted profound. "Do you remember the house Su Jianshe lives in?"

The house? Liu Haizhong looked at him, puzzled. He didn't see how targeting the house would help him get revenge on Su Jianshe—was he supposed to steal it? "Old Yi, that house isn't Su Jianshe's; it belongs to the state. Even if I got my hands on it, what could I do?"

Yi Zhonghai slammed the table, his expression certain. "Exactly, the house wasn't originally theirs, but now that they're married, they count as a small family. If we find someone to pull some strings, couldn't the house become ours?"

"Trading a house for the few hundred yuan your family lost—either way, Su Jianshe is the one who loses out!"

...

"Are you saying that now that Su Jianshe and Chu Yan are married, their house will be vacated according to policy?"

"And that our family could then apply for it?"

Joy appeared on Liu Haizhong's face! But Yi Zhonghai shook his head. "If it were that simple, those shrews from the Jia family would have already made a scene!" Yi Zhonghai glanced at him with disdain. "You think you can compete with me for the status of 'Grandpa' in the courtyard? If not for wanting to vent this anger, you would never have thought of this method in your entire life!"

Yi Zhonghai looked at Liu Haizhong and said slowly, "The house is currently assigned to us, and those with workers in the family have the rent deducted from their wages. Usually, no one notices because everyone receives subsidies, so it's as if nothing was deducted."

Hearing this, Liu Haizhong seemed to realize something and couldn't help but interject, "So that's why! No wonder I always see mysterious subsidies in my wages that I never actually receive."

Yi Zhonghai ignored him and continued, "When I was dealing with Shazhu's business last time, I happened to find out that Su Jianshe hasn't done anything about their second room. As long as it isn't registered within half a month, the house no longer belongs to them!"

Liu Haizhong, upon hearing this, didn't feel happy, but rather helpless. "I thought you had a good idea, but it's a terrible one. What if they handle it ahead of time? Let alone revenge, it won't have any impact at all!" He didn't think Su Jianshe would be foolish enough to overlook this. As a chef at the rolling mill, someone would surely tip him off.

"What if Jia Zhangshi finds out?" Yi Zhonghai said calmly.

Liu Haizhong's eyes lit up! A brilliant move!

...

"Comrade, hello, we are here to handle a housing matter."

Su Jianshe, carrying their marriage certificate and previous registration papers, quickly found the staff at the neighborhood office. After some inquiry, he understood that the process wasn't difficult; the key was adhering to policy. The original policy allocated housing based on the number of people. His original family of four had been assigned two rooms. The Jia family, despite having many people now, had only been two people when the housing was distributed. Since all the housing had been allocated, there was none left to spare, which was why a family of five was crammed into a single room.

The clerk, wearing a dark coat, took the forms Su Jianshe had filled out and asked, "Are you sure you want to register this house again? Housing resources are indeed tight. If you aren't in urgent need, the office suggests you consider vacating the extra room."

Su Jianshe shook his head gently, his gaze falling tenderly on Chu Yan. "Comrade, we definitely need to live in this house. Otherwise, when we have children in the future, where will they stay? Besides, this was once my parents' home."

The clerk nodded in an official manner. "In that case, I wish you an early addition to your family!"

As the official stamp fell, the two rooms in the courtyard were officially registered to Su Jianshe and Chu Yan. Looking at the bright red residence permit in his hand, a sense of indescribable satisfaction welled up in Su Jianshe. Having lived two lives, he had finally built a home of his own. He smiled at Chu Yan, "How about we pick out some new furniture? Since it's a new home, it needs a fresh look!"

...

"Liu Haizhong, are you saying our family can move out of here?" Jia Zhangshi looked at him suspiciously, then added viciously, "And let me tell you, you must return that pot of meat to us! That was our family's meager ration!"

Qin Huairu helped Jia Dongxu into his wheelchair. Jia Dongxu looked gloomy, muttering, "Liu Haizhong, you have to return that meat, or I'll bash my head in at your doorstep!"

Their words made Liu Haizhong’s scalp tingle. He had never known them to be like this. Banggen, having just entered, asked curiously, "Mom, what's going on? Has the Second Master not brought the meat yet?"

"Banggen, don't talk nonsense. Go sit over there," Qin Huairu ordered.

"Sister-in-law, I have a vital matter to discuss with you. Seeing your family of five squeezed into this small room, I truly can't bear it. If you agree, we can write off the meat debt, and you might even get an extra room. Isn't that a wonderful deal?"

Jia Zhangshi hesitated for a moment, but in truth, she had long desired to leave this place. Her son was bedridden and defecating in the room, making it smell foul. If she could have a private room, how wonderful would that be? No, even better, if she could live with her grandson!

Liu Haizhong’s mouth curled slightly, then he composed himself. "We live in the same courtyard; why would I harm you?"

"Fine, tell me. If we can really get that room, we won't mention the meat!"

Liu Haizhong hurriedly explained his plan. As he spoke, the eyes of Jia Zhangshi, Jia Dongxu, and the others grew brighter and brighter.

"You mean, if we go to the neighborhood office and make a fuss now, Su Jianshe's house can be ours?"

Liu Haizhong patted his chest. "Exactly! As long as you go, that house will definitely belong to you! But if Su Jianshe registers it first, you won't have a chance!"

"So we must hurry!" Liu Haizhong added, as if remembering something.

"This house must be ours! No one is going to take it!" Jia Zhangshi jumped up, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to rush out, terrified of missing the opportunity to escape their cramped quarters.

"Qin Huairu, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and put me in the wheelchair!" Jia Dongxu roared. He had long coveted Su Jianshe’s house. "I’m telling you, if we don't get this house today, you’ll regret it when we get back!"

This... they were truly impatient. Liu Haizhong shook his head helplessly and turned to leave. Finally, he was rid of the Jia family, that troublesome plaster! He would never get involved in their mess again.

As soon as Liu Haizhong entered his house, his eldest son, Liu Guangfu, rushed over with a complaining look. "Dad, why don't you understand! Look at Su Jianshe's big house; if it became ours, how convenient would that be?"

If any of his other sons had dared to speak like that, Liu Haizhong would have slapped them. But facing his beloved eldest son, he didn't get angry; instead, he explained with a smile, "Guangfu, you don't understand the intricacies of this!"

Back inside, the foul odor of his own home made him wrinkle his nose. He sighed and finally enlightened his ignorant son: "You think that just because the Jia family makes a scene, the house will easily fall into our hands?"

Liu Guangfu looked bewildered. If the Jia family couldn't get the house, why did his father urge them to make a fuss? Looking at his son's blank expression, Liu Haizhong took a sip of water and began to explain slowly.