Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 422 The Third Aunt Who Got Beaten
He Yuanchao rode his bicycle with Zhang Min, chatting and laughing, and soon they arrived at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

Yan Bugui's wife, Auntie San, was sitting at the door of her house peeling potatoes when she saw He Yuanchao and Zhang Min pushing their cart into the yard. She lost her usual enthusiasm, gave them a perfunctory greeting, and then turned away with a long face and went inside.

She was still resentful that He Yuanchao hadn't arranged a job for Yan Jiecheng, and watched helplessly as an opportunity to get into a steel rolling mill slipped away.

He Yuanchao and Zhang Min exchanged a glance and smiled. Neither of them paid any attention to the third aunt's attitude and pushed their bicycles into the courtyard.

Sha Zhu and Yu Li hadn't returned yet. He Yuanchao parked his bicycle, took out his keys, opened the door, and carried peach cakes into the house with Zhang Min.

The house was clean and tidy, and looked very comfortable. He Yuanchao glanced around and nodded. He then went to the table, picked up the thermos, and poured two glasses of water.

She had only taken a couple of sips when she heard Yu Li greeting people in the yard from outside.

Zhang Min hadn't seen Yu Li for a long time either. Hearing the noise, she put down her water glass and went out to greet her with a smile.

Yu Li was about three or four months pregnant. Instead of riding her bike, she walked home. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw that her own door was wide open. She thought it was Sha Zhu who had returned and didn't pay much attention. But when she saw Zhang Min come out, her face immediately showed a look of surprise.

"Second Aunt, what brings you here?"

Zhang Min's personality has changed a lot. She's no longer as aloof as before and can even crack a few jokes with people she's close to.

"What! Can't I come to your house?"

Yu Li knew a little about Zhang Min's personality before, and seeing her stern face, she panicked a bit and quickened her pace while explaining, "Second Aunt, that's not what I meant..."

"Slow down."

Seeing that Yu Li didn't understand the joke and looked flustered, Zhang Min was afraid that something might go wrong. Before Yu Li could finish speaking, Zhang Min quickly took a few steps forward and said, "I was just joking with you. Why did you take it seriously?"

When Zhang Min came to Yu Li's side and grabbed her arm, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You, you, why are you so easily teased? I was just saying it casually, look how anxious you are. Aren't you afraid of hurting the baby in your belly?"

Yu Lilu walked rather quickly, her face flushed. After hearing Zhang Min's words, she smiled somewhat awkwardly:
"Zhu Zi said you never joke, so I thought I said something wrong!"

"What's the big deal about saying the wrong thing? No matter what, your priority right now is the baby in your belly. Don't worry too much about anything else."

Hearing Zhang Min's words, Yu Li did not refute them, but nodded obediently and said:

"Okay! I understand, Auntie. I'll be careful. By the way, Auntie, how have you been lately? Have you had a severe reaction?"

As she spoke, Yu Li glanced down at Zhang Min's stomach.

……

The mother and daughter quietly inquired about each other's pregnancy, then helped each other into the house.

He Yuanchao sat on a chair at the dining table and saw Yu Li, who was covered in sweat, enter the room. He put down his water glass and smiled, "You're back. Quickly sit down and rest."

Yu Li had been married to Sha Zhu for four or five months, and was no longer so afraid of He Yuanchao. Upon hearing this, she sat down confidently in a chair at the table and said:
"Second Uncle, when did you come back from West Mountain?"

"I just got back last night."

Upon hearing this, Yu Li was momentarily at a loss for words, so she made small talk by asking, "How's things in Xishan, Second Uncle? How is it different from Kyoto?"

Despite Zhang Min's good family background, she had never been to Xishan. After hearing Yu Li's words, she also turned her attention to her husband.

Seeing this, He Yuanchao thought for a moment and then told Zhang Min and Yu Li about what he had seen and heard along the way, including the train station in Yuantai, the guesthouse of the mining bureau, and the street scenes in Yuantai and Yangqu.

After a short while, hurried footsteps echoed in the courtyard, followed by Sha Zhu's voice. "Wife, is Second Uncle here?"

Before Li could even reply, Sha Zhu grinned and went inside.

Upon seeing He Yuanchao and Zhang Min sitting at the table, Sha Zhu's mouth stretched even wider; if it weren't for his ears blocking it, the grin would probably have reached the back of his head.

"Second Uncle, when did you get back?"

While speaking, he didn't stop using his hands and feet; he pulled a chair from the table and sat down next to He Yuanchao.

When He Yuanchao saw that Sha Zhu came into the house empty-handed, he knew that Sha Zhu had taken his words to heart and had not taken any more food from the factory. He nodded to himself and said with a smile, "I came back around six o'clock last night."

Sha Zhu was very excited to see his second uncle. He talked non-stop, like a machine gun, recounting what had happened at home and in the factory over the past few days.

He Yuanchao also asked a few questions about things that interested him. Seeing this, Sha Zhu became even more enthusiastic and talked about everything he knew in one go, gesturing as he spoke.

Seeing that the father and son were having such a lively conversation, Yu Li and Zhang Min didn't interrupt, but instead whispered about women's affairs to each other.

While the four members of Sha Zhu's family were having a lively conversation, the three members of Yan Bugui's family in the front yard were equally engaged.

It was right around the time people were leaving get off work. Not long after Sha Zhu got home, Yan Bugui also rode his bicycle back to the courtyard house.

Yan Bugui carefully pushed the car into his house and saw the three aunties cooking with long faces. He couldn't help but ask them a question.

"What's wrong with you? Which child in the family has upset you this time?"

The three women were busy with their work, not even looking up, and said angrily, "Nobody provoked me, I just get angry when I see He Daliang."

Yan Bugui didn't continue the conversation with the three aunties. After parking his bicycle against the corner of the wall, he couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"That kid He Daliang hasn't come for a while. I wonder what brings him here this time?"

Upon hearing this, the third aunt couldn't contain her anger any longer. She slammed the pot lid on with a bang, turned around, and angrily said:

"How can you be so carefree? You still have the time to care about other people. Why don't you use that time to think about our eldest son's job?"

"Are you out of your mind? Why are you taking it out on me?"

Upon hearing his wife mention Yan Jiecheng's job, Yan Bugui instantly lost his temper.

"When the steel rolling mill was upgraded, didn't I try to find him a job? In the end, he didn't go because he was worried about the money and was picky about jobs. Now he's blaming me."

The three women knew Yan Bugui was right, but they were stubborn and wouldn't back down, still holding their heads high as they said:
“You’re his father, who else should we blame but you? You were so confident back then that you could get Jiecheng a job in the steel mill’s security department, but look at him now? He’s still working as a temporary worker. You’re incompetent, yet you have the nerve to say that.”

Yan Bugui is slick, mercenary, and calculating, a typical petty bourgeois, but as the head of the family, he also has his own dignity.

The aunt's words hit Yan Bugui's sore spot, making him tremble with anger, his face turning red, and he had to take a few deep breaths to calm down.

He glanced around, then finally took off one of his shoes, held it in his hand, and took a few steps forward to greet the third aunt.

"I'll fucking beat you to death, you spendthrift woman..."

The third aunt had lived with Yan Bugui for half her life, and this was the first time she had ever seen him so angry. She was so frightened that she froze on the spot until she felt a burning pain all over her body, then she cried out "Oh my god!" and ran outside, clutching her head.

(End of this chapter)