sinovels Chapter 5 The Grain Coupon Scandal: The First Test
Chapter 5 The Grain Coupon Scandal: The First Test
Lin Chen had just mentally processed the workshop director's words, "directly participate in the probation assessment," when he stopped in his tracks as he stepped into the courtyard. Beside the moon gate in the middle courtyard, Jia Zhangshi was leaning against the wall, clutching an empty coarse cloth grain bag in her hand. Upon seeing him enter, she immediately straightened up, her face contorted with worry, looking as if she had just suffered a great calamity.
"Xiao Lin, I've been waiting for you to come back!" Jia Zhangshi greeted him with small, quick steps, her voice low and trembling. She deliberately glanced behind him, as if afraid of being overheard. "Look, it's already completely dark, and our Gengzi hasn't had dinner yet. His little belly is as flat as if it's stuck to the wall. Yesterday I saw you had some coarse grain biscuits here, so you must not be short of food. Could you spare some for our family? Even just an ounce of grain coupons would be fine. I'll pay you back as soon as we get our relief next month!"
As she spoke, she reached out to tug at Lin Chen's sleeve, but her calloused hand was subtly avoided by Lin Chen the moment it touched the work clothes fabric. Lin Chen glanced at the grain sack in her hand; the rim was worn smooth and shiny, yet the edges were spotless, clearly a prop prepared beforehand. Looking at Jia Zhangshi's face, though she had deliberately applied some ash to appear haggard, the shrewdness in her eyes was unmistakable—she had calculated that he had just returned to the city and was afraid of being labeled "unapproachable," so she was trying to morally blackmail him.
"Aunt Jia's words are strange." Lin Chen took out his own enamel mug, unscrewed the lid, took a sip of cold water, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the neighbors passing by in the front yard to hear. "These biscuits are relief I received from the neighborhood committee yesterday. There were only a few of them, just enough to fill my stomach. If your family is short of food, why don't you go to Uncle Yi? He's an eighth-grade fitter and receives a factory-level technical allowance. He's much better off than me, a mere apprentice who just started working at the factory."
These words struck a nerve with Jia Zhangshi. After her failed attempt to steal grain yesterday, she had gone to Yi Zhonghai to borrow some grain coupons. Yi Zhonghai, under the pretense of "saving apprenticeship subsidies for Qin Huairu," only gave her two cornbread buns, and also subtly warned her, "Don't always covet what the neighbors have." Now, with Lin Chen pointing it out, her face flushed red and then paled, but she refused to back down: "Uncle Yi is helping Qin Huairu raise three children; it's not easy for him! You're a single young man, you only have yourself to feed, what's wrong with you feeding us, a widow and her children? Is the neighborly affection in this courtyard less important than a little bit of food?"
She deliberately shouted the words "orphan and widow" loudly, and sure enough, the door to Yan Bugui's house in the front yard creaked open a crack. Yan Bugui peeked out, his hand still clutching his ever-present little accounting notebook, the abacus beads spinning rapidly between his fingers, clearly calculating something. A commotion also came from the backyard; Liu Haizhong came out, a pipe dangling from his lips, and squatted on the threshold, puffing away, his eyes fixed on them, waiting to see them make a fool of themselves.
Lin Chen sneered inwardly; this Jia Zhangshi certainly knew how to seize an opportunity. He cleared his throat, pulled out the bag of coarse grain biscuits with only two pieces left from his work clothes pocket, and deliberately held it up to the light, waving it around: "Look, that's all there is. This relief food is distributed per person; if I give it to you, I'll go hungry tomorrow. Besides, when the neighborhood committee distributed relief, I saw your family received a share, so why didn't you have enough to eat?"
"That little bit of relief is useless!" Madam Jia was anxious, and her voice suddenly rose. "Qin Huairu, that jinx, didn't have much breast milk after giving birth. Gengzi and Dang'er are at the age where they are growing, and they need to eat two cornbreads per meal! As their grandmother, I can't just watch my grandchildren starve to death, can I?" As she shouted, she squatted down on the ground, as if she would refuse to leave until Lin Chen agreed.
At this moment, Qin Huairu came out of the house carrying Jia Huaihua, her face showing just the right amount of exhaustion, her eyes red as if she had just been crying. She gently tugged at Jia Zhangshi's arm: "Mom, don't be like this. Comrade Lin just got back, it wasn't easy for him either. If it really doesn't work out, I'll go to the workshop again tomorrow to ask if we can apply for some temporary subsidies."
"Apply for subsidies? What subsidies could your apprentice possibly get!" Jia Zhangshi shook off her hand, deliberately winked at Qin Huairu, then turned to Lin Chen, "Look how sensible our Qin Huairu is, taking care of three children while still having to go to the workshop as an apprentice, her hands are all blistered but she doesn't dare to say a word. Lin, please have pity on these children, can you lend me half a jin of grain coupons? I'll give you a written agreement!"
Lin Chen watched the mother and daughter's back-and-forth performance, his gaze falling on Qin Huairu's "worn-out" hands—hands that had been red, swollen, and cracked by the pool during the day were now much better, with only some red antiseptic applied to the knuckles. He understood immediately; they were treating him like a second Sha Zhu, trying to scam food stamps by playing the victim.
"Aunt Jia, it's not that I don't want to lend it to you." Lin Chen put away the biscuits, his tone sincere but with an undeniable firmness. "Food coupons are rationed, and my ration for this month is just enough for myself. Besides, I just returned to the city and haven't been officially hired yet, so I haven't even received the food coupon standard for regular employees. If you really need it urgently, why don't you go ask Sha Zhu? He's a cook in the canteen, he'll definitely have some left over."
No sooner had she finished speaking than footsteps came from the courtyard gate. Sha Zhu walked in carrying a bulging lunchbox, a smug look on his face—no need to ask, the lunchbox must contain leftover meat from the canteen. Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up, and she immediately stood up from the ground, about to go to greet him, but Qin Huairu beat her to it.
"Zhu Zi, you're back." Qin Huairu greeted him, holding the child in her arms. Her voice was so gentle it could melt your heart. "Did the cafeteria have meat today? Huaihua seems to be a little calcium deficient; she cries a lot at night." As she spoke, she deliberately showed Jia Huaihua's little arm and then quietly brought her own hand to Zhu Zi's face. "My hand got blistered again while I was practicing with the file today, and I can't lift things very well."
When Sha Zhu saw Qin Huairu's appearance, his heart softened immediately, and he quickly handed her the lunchbox: "Yes, I stewed some pork belly today, and I saved a lot for you. Don't practice if your hand is injured. I'll talk to Uncle Yi tomorrow and ask him to arrange some light work for you." As he spoke, he reached for the food coupons in his pocket, clearly having been completely manipulated by Qin Huairu's sob story.
Jia Zhangshi, watching with envy, was about to interject when Lin Chen stopped her with a look. Lin Chen walked over to Sha Zhu and patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Zhu, I just ran into Chef Li from the canteen at the factory gate. He said you took two extra steamed buns today and the foreman said a few words to you. Is that true?"
Sha Zhu's face stiffened, and he quickly withdrew his hand: "Who said that? That's not true!" What he feared most was problems with the canteen's operations, after all, it was the source of his confidence in supporting the Jia family. Lin Chen's words hit his weak spot, making him temporarily forget about giving out food coupons.
Yi Zhonghai came out of the house at this moment, carrying an enamel bowl filled with freshly cooked millet porridge. He had obviously overheard the conversation, but deliberately pretended to have just come out: "What are you all doing gathered here? It's getting dark, why aren't you home for dinner?" He handed the bowl to Qin Huairu, "This is freshly cooked millet porridge, give Huaihua some to help her recover." He then turned to Jia Zhangshi, "Auntie, if you're really short of food, I have half a jin of coarse grain coupons here. You can take them and use them first, then pay me back next month."
These were well-chosen words, giving Jia Zhangshi a way out while simultaneously highlighting Yi Zhonghai's status as an "authoritative figure in the compound." Lin Chen understood that Yi Zhonghai was afraid Jia Zhangshi would make a scene and damage his image in the compound, since he still needed to support the Jia family and cultivate Qin Huairu as his backup plan for old age.
Jia Zhangshi took the grain coupons, her face immediately beaming with smiles. She thanked him repeatedly, her previous sorrowful expression vanishing completely. She turned and went home without even a polite word to Lin Chen. Qin Huairu, carrying her child and a bowl of millet porridge, followed her back into the house. As she passed Lin Chen, she cast a meaningful glance at him, as if blaming him for ruining her plans.
Seeing that the show was over, Sha Zhu picked up his lunchbox and was about to leave when Lin Chen quietly pulled him back and whispered, "Brother Zhu, I'm not trying to be mean, but the Jia family is a bottomless pit. If you keep giving them money like this, when will it end? Wouldn't it be better to save some money for your own wedding?"
Sha Zhu paused for a moment, then scratched his head: "I know, but it's not easy for Qin Huairu to raise three children. Uncle Yi also told me to take care of the neighbors." Lin Chen shook his head, knowing that he couldn't persuade him in a short time, so he had to give up.
Back in his side room, Lin Chen locked the door and dragged the old storage box out from under the bed. He had used the system to examine the box during the day in the workshop and found a loose wooden board at the bottom. He pried it open and sure enough, inside was half a bag of stale rice and several crumpled grain coupons—money the original owner had painstakingly saved, which had unexpectedly become his life-saving money.
He opened the system panel, which showed that his points had increased to 25—he had just thwarted Jia Zhangshi's moral blackmail, and the system had judged it as an "initial counterattack," awarding him 7 points. He clicked on the points shop, browsed the items, and finally spent 20 points to redeem a pound of coarse grains and a packet of "high-efficiency deodorizer." This deodorizer was unique to the system and could eliminate the odors produced during fusion, so he wouldn't have to worry about being discovered when doing fusion indoors in the future.
Just as he finished exchanging the money, he heard light footsteps outside the door. Alertly, Lin Chen blew out the kerosene lamp and peered through the crack in the door. He saw Jia Geng clutching an empty bowl, lurking furtively near his door, clearly sent by Jia Zhangshi to investigate. Lin Chen sneered, pulled a piece of dried sweet potato mixed with sand from his pocket, and slipped it through the crack in the door, deliberately saying, "Take this. There's only a little left. Don't steal any more."
Jia Geng picked up a dried sweet potato, took a bite, and winced as the sand rubbed against his chin, but he quickly stuffed it into his pocket and ran home. Lin Chen knew this was just the beginning; Jia Zhangshi would never let it go, and there would definitely be even more troublesome methods to come. He had to improve his strength as soon as possible, not only to gain a foothold in the workshop, but also to establish his own authority in this courtyard.
He took out a few scraps of alloy he'd picked up from the workshop during the day, and rummaged through the storage room for an old horseshoe, deciding to try fusing them into a sharper chisel. According to the system's instructions, the success rate of fusing similar materials was 100%. He placed the scraps and the horseshoe together and concentrated on activating the system. A pale blue light flashed, and the two items began to slowly fuse. A faint smell of rust filled the air, and Lin Chen quickly took out the deodorizer he'd just redeemed and sprayed it twice; the smell vanished instantly.
Half an hour later, a jet-black chisel with a sharp edge appeared in his hand. He used the system to assess it; its hardness was three times higher than the original chisel, and it also possessed the "wear-resistant" attribute. Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction. He figured that taking this chisel to the workshop tomorrow would definitely impress the foreman.
After the fusion was completed, the system notified him that his points had increased to 30 and that the "Basic Material Analysis" function had been unlocked. Lin Chen tried using this function to scan the coarse grains he had just exchanged, and the panel immediately displayed the ingredients: "Coarse grains (containing wheat, corn, and a small amount of bran), no mold, edible." This function was indeed useful; he would no longer have to worry about buying spoiled grains.
Just as Lin Chen finished tidying up his tools, he heard Yan Bugui's voice from outside the courtyard: "Xiao Lin, are you asleep? I have something I want to talk to you about." Lin Chen opened the door and saw Yan Bugui carrying his accounting notebook, a shrewd smile on his face. Clearly, the grain coupon incident earlier had gotten him thinking.
"Teacher Yan, what's the matter?" Lin Chen stepped aside to let him in, knowing full well that he was definitely here to find out his background, and maybe even wanted to borrow some food or get closer to him.
Yan Bugui sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), opened his notebook, pointed to the numbers on it, and said, "I heard you've been doing well in the workshop and might even get promoted early. My son, Jie Cheng, also wants to become an apprentice at the steel rolling mill. Could you ask him about it for me? If it works out, I'll give you two jin of grain coupons as a thank you gift." As he spoke, he stared at Lin Chen's reaction, trying to read something from his face.
Lin Chen understood immediately. Yan Bugui wanted to use his connections to find a job for his son and even tried to bribe him with food coupons. He deliberately feigned reluctance: "Teacher Yan, it's not that I don't want to help you, but the selection of apprentices in the workshop is all based on a unified exam. My word as a new apprentice doesn't count. Besides, if I help you get in through connections and the foreman finds out, my chances of becoming a permanent employee will be ruined."
Yan Bugui clearly didn't believe him and wanted to persuade him further, but Lin Chen suddenly changed the subject: "However, I can find some review materials for Brother Jiecheng. I roughly know some of the key points for the workshop exam. If he passes, I can help him with anything he doesn't understand in the workshop later."
These words made Yan Bugui's eyes light up. He knew that Lin Chen was technically skilled, and if his son could learn from him, he would definitely have a bright future. He quickly nodded, "Okay, okay! Then thank you in advance. I'll leave the information to you." As he spoke, he reached into his pocket to take out his food coupons, but Lin Chen stopped him.
"Teacher Yan, I'll bring you the materials tomorrow, you don't need the food coupons. We're neighbors, it's only right to help each other." Lin Chen's words gave Yan Bugui face without accepting his favor, making it difficult for him to make any other requests.
After Yan Bugui left, Lin Chen locked the door, deep in thought. Although Yan Bugui was shrewd, his mathematical skills were quite good; they might come in handy later. As for Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu, they would definitely make further moves, and he had to be prepared. He took out his system and used the "Basic Materials Analysis" function to scan the yard. Suddenly, he discovered an unusual reaction in the hollow of the old locust tree root, indicating that it contained a considerable amount of stolen goods, likely stolen items from Jia Zhangshi.
Lin Chen's lips curled into a smile. Now that he had leverage over Jia Zhangshi, he would have a way to deal with her if she dared to provoke him again. He carefully hid the newly fused chisel and locked the grain coupons and coarse grains in the storage box before lying down with peace of mind. Moonlight streamed in through the window cracks, illuminating his face with a composure and calculation beyond his years.
That night, the courtyard was unusually quiet, but Lin Chen knew that beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were surging among various forces. Yi Zhonghai was plotting how to further bind Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu, Jia Zhangshi was thinking about how to steal grain or cheat for grain coupons next time, Yan Bugui was scheming how to use Lin Chen's connections, and Liu Haizhong was probably still worrying about his son's dowry.
And he, Lin Chen, must rely on his wisdom and the system to gain a foothold in this complex web of calculations, not only to survive, but to thrive better than everyone else. He closed his eyes, his mind racing with plans for tomorrow: show off his new chisel skills in the workshop, find review materials for Yan Bugui's son, and inquire about Jia Dongxu's work situation—based on his memories from his previous life, Jia Dongxu's workplace injury was imminent, and this would be a crucial opportunity for him to change his fate.
As night deepened, the sounds of snoring filled the courtyard. Lin Chen silently told himself, "Lin Chen, keep going! In this life, you will definitely live a meaningful life!"