Siheyuan: Yan Jiekuang's carefree life

Yan Bugui said, "Isn't it easy to divide it?! Measure it with a ruler, then build a wall in the middle to divide the house into two. Then open two doors, and the problem will be solved, right?! There are many abandoned houses outside, you can pick up the bricks to divide the houses yourself. At most, you can find some connections to buy some cement, and you can do it yourself when you have time."

Yan Jiecheng said: "Dad, you can't expect me to do this alone, right?!"

Yan Bugui replied: "Of course you won't do it alone. Pick up the bricks and we will help you do it. You won't be paid for the work. But you must provide the meals."

Yan Jiecheng hesitated for a few seconds, thought about it, and thought it would be better to do it himself, but it would be too tiring to do it alone. After weighing the pros and cons, Yan Jiecheng said, "I will pay at most three dollars."

Yan Bugui said: "Three dollars?! You should do it yourself!"

Yan Jiecheng gritted his teeth and said, "Five dollars! Five dollars at most! No more!"

Yan Bugui thought for a moment and nodded, "Five dollars is five dollars, but you have to prepare the ingredients yourself. Also, you are married, will you and Yu Li cook alone, or will you eat with us?!"

Yan Jiecheng said: "Of course we eat together."

Yan Bugui said directly: "Since we are eating together, you should pay an extra ten yuan a month. It will be regarded as your living expenses."

"Why?!" Yan Jiecheng was immediately annoyed, jumped up and asked, "Why don't you ask Jiefang for living expenses?!"

The third aunt smiled and said, "You are really wrong. Jiefang and the others did pay for their living expenses. It wasn't much, just five yuan each. Jie Di's share was paid by Jie Kuang. If you feel sorry for your younger brothers and sisters and want to help them, that's fine."

Yan Jiecheng was immediately stunned, not knowing how to respond. Then a question came to his mind: "Yan Jiekuang knows he has money, but where does Yan Jiefang get the money?!" The more Yan Jiecheng thought about it, the more he felt there was a problem, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Yan Jiecheng said, "How much is my monthly salary?! I have to pay twenty yuan all at once. How are we going to make ends meet?"

Yan Bugui said, "Don't think I don't know. Your monthly salary is about fifty yuan. If you pay twenty yuan to your family, you still have at least thirty yuan. What?! Thirty yuan is not enough for the two of you to spend?! Are you supporting someone else outside?!"

"Dad! Don't say such nonsense!" Yan Jiecheng replied, thinking to himself, "How does my dad know how much I get paid?!"

It was a coincidence that a student in Yan Bugui's class lived next door to Master Yan Jiecheng's parents. Yan Bugui went to visit his family that day and happened to meet Master Yan Jiecheng who was visiting his parents. The two chatted for a while after they met. Yan Jiecheng's master accidentally told Yan Bugui about Yan Jiecheng's salary situation.

Yan Bugui had not intended to ask Yan Jiecheng for more living expenses, but Yu Li's performance today was really bad. Not to mention that she came empty-handed for the first time. Moreover, when eating, she only cared about wolfing down her food and didn't care about other people at all. In this case, Yan Bugui didn't need to be polite to them.

Seeing Yan Jiecheng was hesitant, Yan Bugui continued, "Yu Li works in a textile factory. She also has a salary. Even if her salary is not much, it is more than enough for the two of you to spend every month. You can save your salary."

Yan Jiecheng thought for a moment and said, "Dad, I'll discuss this with Yu Li and give you an answer later."

"Okay! Then you guys discuss it first!" Yan Bugui replied, urging, "It's settled. It's time for you to go! I didn't cook for you tonight."

"Dad, you are too stingy! What time is it now?! When I went to the canteen at work, it was closed long ago. Can you at least give me a bite to eat before letting me go?!" The more Yan Jiecheng said, the more aggrieved he felt, and he always felt that he was not his biological son.

Yan Bugui thought for a moment and said to his wife, "Give him two steamed buns."

"Okay! I'll get it right away!" After saying that, the third aunt stood up and went out reluctantly. Not long after, the third aunt came back with two steamed buns. The third aunt handed the steamed buns to Yan Jiecheng and said, "Don't say that I don't love you. I put some pickled cabbage in the steamed buns for you, eat it quickly!"

When Yan Jiecheng heard the word "pickled cabbage", he suddenly felt like he had no desire to live. But it was better to have something than nothing. Yan Jiecheng didn't care about that anymore, so he grabbed some boiled water and ate the two steamed buns in two or three gulps.

After Yan Jiecheng left, Auntie Three said, "Why did he come back? He kept me from cooking!"

Yan Bugui looked at his wife's back, sighed and muttered, "This son has been raised in vain."

On Wednesday afternoon, Yan Jiecheng took advantage of the train departure time to go to the textile factory to find Yu Li and told her about the house. After listening to Yan Jiecheng's story, Yu Li thought about it and said, "Jiecheng, after your parents meet with my parents on Sunday, I will ask my dad to bring up the house issue. What do you think?!"

Yan Jiecheng thought for a moment and said, "My dad will definitely not agree. Maybe he will let me become a live-in son-in-law. Forget about me looking for a house. Let's be patient. In two years, I can apply for a house from my company. Then we can move out and sell the house to my dad. Maybe we can make some money."

Yu Li asked: "Will your father agree?!"

Yan Jiecheng replied: "Who cares? If he doesn't agree, we can just keep the house."

Yu Li thought for a moment and said, "I don't think it's that simple. I'd better go back and talk to your dad first."

Saturday came in a flash. It was already six o'clock in the evening when Yan Jiecheng returned home. Yan Bugui was sitting in front of the door enjoying the cool air. When he saw Yan Jiecheng coming in with something, he smiled and asked, "You have a big bag in your hand. What are they?"

Yan Jiecheng replied, "Take it to Yu Li's house tomorrow. Two bottles of wine, a pack of cigarettes, and two boxes of snacks."

Yan Bugui said, "Bring it here for me to see."

Yan Jiecheng handed the cloth bag in his hand to Yan Bugui. Yan Bugui looked at the contents of the bag and said sourly, "It's better to have a daughter."

Yan Jiecheng didn't respond and asked, "Dad, when are we leaving tomorrow?!"

Yan Bugui said, "I talked to Jie Kuang during dinner. I'll lend you his bike tomorrow. It takes at most 20 minutes to ride a bike from our house to Yu Li's. We'll arrive at 9 o'clock, so we'll have time to leave at 8:15."

Yan Jiecheng had a smile on his face and asked shamelessly, "Dad, I'm getting married soon. Shouldn't I be equipped with these three turns and one ring?!"

Yan Bugui glanced at Yan Jiecheng and asked with a smile: "Do you really want it?!"

Yan Jiecheng nodded heavily and replied, "Yes!"

Yan Bugui continued, "If you want it, that's easy. Money! How can I help you if you don't have money?!"

Although Yan Jiecheng had already guessed the answer, he still felt a little disappointed when he heard Yan Bugui's words. At this time, Yan Bugui's voice rang again: "You need three transfers and one ring to get married. What about Jiefang and Jiekuang? How much is my monthly salary? I can't save enough money for three sets of three transfers and one ring even if I work for nothing for half my life. What's more, it's useless to have money. I still need tickets. Where can I get so many tickets?!"