Siheyuan: A Family of Loyal and Brave People

"How can I live my life when my family becomes like this..."

The third aunt lay in Yan Bugui's arms and cried.

“Oh, there’s nothing to worry about.

Isn’t it just some foreign debt?

If we tighten our belts and bear it, we can pay off our debts this year and return to normal life next year."

Although Yan Bugui felt bitter in his heart, he pretended to be calm in front of his wife and encouraged and comforted her.

"That's easy for you to say. All our savings are gone. How are we going to get by now?"

The third aunt breathed heavily and spoke in a low voice, still worried.

When it comes to savings, Yan Bugui feels a little embarrassed.

If a few kids brought this up, he could still hit them back with a stick, but it was difficult for Yan Bugui to refute when the third aunt spoke.

You should know that part of the Yan family’s savings came from the third aunt’s dowry.

Yan Bugui not only lost all his own fortune, but also lost all the fortune of Aunt San.

“At worst, I can go talk to Liu Haizhong and ask him to extend the repayment period.

That way we can get by.”

Yan Bugui said with gritted teeth.

"Dad, the Second Uncle has already given me some leniency once. If I ask him to give me more time again, I'm afraid..."

Yan Jiecheng said something that spoiled the mood, which immediately attracted Yan Bugui's angry glare.

"Shut up, no one will think you are dumb if you don't speak!"

Yan Jiecheng and the others were not free from responsibility for the Yan family's fall into such a situation.

Yan Bugui became furious when he thought about how much money he would have to spend every month to raise a child and how there would be no return.

I really regret giving birth to four ungrateful little bastards.

If it weren't for them, Yan Bugui could have lived a comfortable life even though he was in debt, and he wouldn't be in the situation he is in now, unable to move forward or backward.

"I'm also telling the truth."

Yan Jiecheng turned his head away and said indifferently.

Life was hard at home, and Yan Jiecheng and his friends were filled with resentment.

Normally, he was intimidated by Yan Bugui's tyranny and dared not act rashly. Today, he took the opportunity of the third aunt's return to vent his anger.

"I asked you to tell the truth!"

Yan Bugui raised his hand to hit him, and Yan Jiecheng quickly stepped back.

Yan Bugui, who was holding the three aunts in his arms, was unable to move and was unable to do anything for a while, allowing Yan Jiecheng to escape easily.

"Hey, brat, you still dare to hide."

After missing the attack, Yan Bugui became furious and wanted to get up and chase Yan Jiecheng, but was stopped by the third aunt.

"Stop joking, stop joking.

Isn’t this house messy enough?

If the noise continues, the house will collapse."

The third aunt advised weakly.

“It’s not your father’s fault alone that things turned out this way.

Jie Cheng, you should be more understanding of your father's difficulties.

Old Yan, don't blame the child.

They are suffering too.

At this point, our whole family should unite and find ways to overcome the difficulties together.

Stop fighting among yourselves.”

The third aunt is the lubricant in the family. After her persuasion, Yan Bugui and his son gradually calmed down and no longer acted on impulse.

"Mom, what do you say we should do now?

We were hungry every day, and we couldn't concentrate in class, let alone learn.

Why don't you persuade Dad not to worry about the interest anymore.

If we extend the repayment period to two or three years, we won’t have to pay so much every month, and we can get by.”

Yan Jiecheng was not just losing his temper, he had some considerations in mind.

It was just that Yan Bugui was narrow-minded and reluctant to spend more money, which led to the family falling into trouble.

“No, absolutely not.

I risked my reputation to get Liu Haizhong to give me an interest-free period of more than a year.

We have endured for several months, how can we give up all our efforts?

Besides, if it takes two years to pay off the debt, when will I be able to save money again?

The four of you all have to study, and the annual expenses will only increase.

If you don’t pay off your debt now, it will be difficult to deal with it later.”

Yan Bugui also has his own considerations.

Yan Jiecheng only sees the present, while Yan Bugui has a longer-term vision.

"Dad, everything has its priorities.

We can't even get by now, so what's the future?

Let’s just live the present life well first.

If it really doesn’t work out, I will stop studying in a few years and go out to find a job to reduce the burden on my family.”

Yan Jiecheng gritted his teeth and put forward his own idea.

Giving up studies and starting work early is undoubtedly a disadvantageous approach.

But life is so hard now that Yan Jiecheng can't care about so much.

"That's enough, stop arguing.

Quiet, give me some quiet time."

The third aunt rubbed her aching head and stopped the quarrel between the father and son.

Both sides were filled with resentment and had huge differences, so they couldn't reach an agreement at all.

If we continue talking, we won't reach a consensus and it will just be a waste of energy. It's better to stop for a while and talk after we calm down.

The father and son were both silent. They turned their heads away in anger and no longer looked at each other.

After a long silence, the third aunt broke the silence and said, "If it really doesn't work, I can go out and find a job to add some income to the family. Wouldn't that solve the problem of lack of money?"

There are only two ways to solve financial difficulties: increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.

With Yan Bugui's stinginess, he has already pushed the limit in saving money.

If we save any more, the vital signs of several children will not be maintained.

Therefore, only by increasing revenue can the family's difficulties be solved.

"Mom, it's hard to find a job nowadays.

Many graduates can’t find jobs. What can you do after you graduate?”

Yan Jiecheng poured a basin of cold water on his mother's head.

In recent years, the urban population has exploded and the employment problem has become increasingly serious.

If it were not for the purpose of alleviating the problem of employment difficulties, the government would not have advocated sending educated youth to the countryside to build the frontier.

There simply aren’t enough jobs in the city to accommodate so many young people.

The third aunt glared at Yan Jiecheng, and she finally understood why Yan Bugui couldn't help but beat him up.

Yan Jiecheng is too ignorant.

"What can I do? There are so many things I can do.

He worked as a servant in a rich family's house, picked up garbage on the street, and if all else failed, he would kneel at the street corner begging with a broken bowl in his hand.

I don’t believe that I can’t earn enough to eat.

A living person can be killed by holding his urine!"

The third aunt snorted coldly and said angrily.

"Not really, not really, the situation at home hasn't reached that point yet.

How can I let you become a beggar?"

Yan Bugui hurriedly comforted him in a gentle voice.

"Humph, there's nothing we can do. Our four children are almost starving to death.

How can I, as a mother, have any dignity left?"

The third aunt was not very happy with Yan Bugui either.

Not only did he lose all her dowry, but he couldn't even take care of his children.

This family has become a mess, and Yan Bugui should bear the main responsibility.

"Well, can't poor families go to the street office to get jobs making matchboxes?

I can earn a few dollars every month from work. Although it’s not much, it’s enough to make up for the deficit at home.

I think this suits you very well.”

In order to save face, Yan Bugui immediately thought of a way.

Unexpectedly, just after he finished speaking, Yan Jiecheng refuted again.

"no.

Making matchboxes is a job that only low-income families or families with disabled people can do.

With our family's income, the neighborhood office will not approve it."

It’s not that Yan Jiecheng hasn’t thought about ways to make money, but he would never miss any opportunity to exploit.

I just tried many times but none of them succeeded.