Comfortable life in Siheyuan

After Liu Qingshan and others returned home happily, they all started talking.

"The smell on Second Uncle is really pungent!" Feng Yu said with a smile.

"That's right. Fortunately, it's winter now. If such a thing happened in summer, the whole courtyard would probably be filled with that strange smell!" Liu Qingshan also laughed, his tone full of ridicule.

"What are you talking about! Isn't it disgusting?" Feng Yu's stomach churned and she couldn't help but dry heave. She gave Liu Qingshan a coquettish look.

"Okay, okay, it's my fault. I won't say anything, okay?" Seeing this, Liu Qingshan quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Qingshan, your sister-in-law and I will be going back to the army in two days. During this period, the house will be left to you to take care of. My parents are old, so I'll have to trouble you to pay more attention to them if anything happens." Liu Qingsong said to his brother earnestly with a look of reluctance in his eyes.

"Brother, don't worry! I know what to do. You should also be careful outside and take care of yourselves. I'm at home, so you don't need to worry." Liu Qingshan put away the smile on his face and responded seriously.

"How about this, tomorrow you call my second sister and her family over, and we'll take a family photo together. When the photos are developed, remember to send me one." Liu Qingsong suggested with a smile.

"Okay! This is a good idea. I will go to see my second sister this afternoon and tell her the news." Liu Qingshan agreed readily.

……

After a noisy and chaotic storm, the sun was already high in the sky, indicating that lunch time was approaching.

In the third uncle's house in the front yard, the newly married daughter-in-law Yu Li was very sensible and well-behaved. She walked into the kitchen early and offered to help cook.

However, the third aunt politely declined, "Oh, don't bother yourself. I can handle it all by myself. Just sit back and wait for dinner." Although Yu Li wanted to insist a little longer, she was ultimately no match for the third aunt's insistence and had no choice but to walk out of the kitchen and put the dishes in place.

Sure enough, not long after, footsteps were heard, followed by the hearty laughter of the third aunt: "Haha, sorry for waiting! The food is here!" Before she finished speaking, she deftly placed the steaming dishes on the table.

Seeing this, Yu Li stood up quickly and prepared to help serve the dishes. However, when she walked into the kitchen, she was stunned - the sumptuous dishes she had imagined did not appear, but only a plate of pickled vegetables.

Yu Li silently returned to the dining table and sat down, looking at her father-in-law Yan Bugui who was distributing pickles to everyone with complicated eyes. An indescribable sense of foreboding surged in her heart, as if something bad was about to happen. She wondered secretly, where did this premonition come from? Was it just because of that pitiful plate of pickles?

At this moment, Yan Bugui seemed to notice Yu Li's gaze, looked up at her, and an awkward smile appeared on his face. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end he didn't. The whole table fell into a strange silence, with only the occasional sound of chopsticks colliding with dishes, which seemed particularly harsh.

"We just had a banquet yesterday, so let's have a vegetarian meal today to save some grease!" The third uncle had a fake smile on his face, trying hard to hide the fact that his family was stingy. While he was talking, he was also glancing at Yu Li's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

When Yu Li heard this, she couldn't help but grinned into an extremely stiff smile, and she nodded reluctantly to show her agreement. But in fact, her heart was already turbulent, and she even felt like she was bleeding - God, what kind of family did I marry into!

Recalling the dishes at yesterday's banquet, Yu Li didn't eat much at all. Not only that, she also missed breakfast this morning because she was embarrassed to go out. She had thought that she could replenish her energy a little at noon, but who would have thought that what was waiting for her was the so-called "fat-shaving meal". But the problem was, where did she get so much fat to scrape?

In this extremely awkward atmosphere, the meal ended quickly. Yu Li hurriedly drank a large bowl of water, which finally made her empty stomach feel a little full.

As soon as the couple returned to the room, Yu Li immediately changed into a different person, with a gloomy expression. She stared at Yan Jiecheng and angrily asked, "Yan Jiecheng, do you and your family eat like this every day? Did I marry you just to live this kind of hard life? And, you promised me a happy life, is this what happened?"

Yan Jiecheng was also a little panicked when he saw this situation: "Wife, keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear it. My parents have been like this for so many years. I will take care of you more often in the future. Isn't it back now?"

Yu Li felt relieved after hearing what Yan Jiecheng said. So she said, "Last night you promised me that you would give me all your salary in the future. You can't go back on your word. How much is your monthly salary now?"

When Yan Jiecheng heard Yu Li asking about salary, his eyes suddenly became uncertain and he didn't dare to look her in the eye.

"Why don't you say anything? How much is it?" Yu Li continued to ask impatiently.

Yan Jiecheng took a deep breath, then lowered his head and muttered softly: "I am still an apprentice, and my monthly salary in the first year is only 18 yuan..."

"Okay, got it! Then you keep three dollars for yourself for pocket money, and give the rest to me for safekeeping. By the way, do you have any savings now?" Yu Li continued to interrogate.

"Wife...Wife, I really don't have any savings, and I can't give you all my salary..." Yan Jiecheng's voice seemed to be strangled by an invisible big hand, getting smaller and smaller, almost as loud as a mosquito or fly. At the same time, his head seemed to be pressed down by a heavy burden, and was about to fall under the table.

"Everything you said yesterday was a lie. What's going on with your salary?" When Yu Li heard Yan Jiecheng's words, her voice suddenly rose eight octaves, exploding in Yan Jiecheng's ears like thunder.

"My job was paid for by my father, and now every month... I have to pay... my father. I only have 5 yuan left after paying my monthly salary." Yan Jiecheng did not dare to hide anything and explained his situation truthfully.

"You still dream that you and I can live a good life? We should be thankful that we are not starving to death! To say that we can live a good life is simply a pipe dream! You live on your own, I am going back to my parents' house." After Yu Li finished speaking, she stood up and packed her things.

"Wife, don't go! If you hold on for another two years or so, I'll be promoted to a regular employee. Then you won't have to pay so much money. Five yuan a month will be enough." Yan Jiecheng held his wife tightly and explained anxiously.

Hearing Yan Jiecheng's words, Yu Li was struck by lightning and slumped down on the bed, as if the whole world had fallen into darkness.