Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 423 Sha Zhu's Decision

The three women had just run out of the house when they bumped into Yan Jiecheng, who had just returned from get off work.

Seeing the three women looking flustered and like they'd been chased by a dog, Yan Jiecheng asked in surprise, "Mom, what's wrong with you...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Bugui came running out, carrying a shoe in his hand and stumbling along.

Yan Jiecheng was all too familiar with this situation. There were a few men in the neighborhood who loved to beat their wives, and this kind of scene was always playing out at their homes. Seeing his parents' behavior, he knew what was going on without even asking.

woohoo~~
Seeing her son return, the old woman seemed to find solace, taking two steps forward and grabbing Yan Jiecheng's arm, crying as she spoke:
“I can’t live like this anymore, your dad is going to beat me to death.”

The commotion caused by the Yan family was quite significant, and since it coincided with rush hour, some neighbors had already noticed and gathered around.

Seeing this, Yan Jiecheng felt ashamed and, regardless of whether the old woman was willing or not, grabbed her arm and led her into the house.

As the three women got closer to Yan Bugui, they were startled. They struggled and shouted, "Yan Jiecheng, you bastard, let me go! I'm not going back!"

As he passed by Yan Bugui, he saw him holding up a shoe as if he was about to attack. Yan Jiecheng grabbed the third aunt's arm tightly and said with dissatisfaction, "Dad, the neighbors are coming over. If you don't mind the embarrassment, then go ahead and do it."

After saying that, he ignored Yan Bugui and dragged the sobbing Third Aunt into the house.

Yan Bugui valued two things most in his life: money and face. After hearing Yan Jiecheng's words, he glanced around and saw several people looking in his direction. He snorted, said nothing, and went into the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

Those who came to watch were disappointed when they saw this scene. They stood there discussing it for a while before gradually dispersing. Some people who loved watching the excitement were still unwilling to give up. After everyone left, they quietly came to the vicinity of Yan Bugui's house to eavesdrop.

After Yan Jiecheng entered the room, he pressed the third aunt down to sit on the bed, and looked at Yan Bugui, who had followed him in, and asked with a long face:
"Dad, what's going on? Why are you fighting? Aren't you two afraid of being laughed at by the neighbors at your age? The older you get, the more unruly you become."

When Yan Bugui saw his son scolding his father, his anger, which had just subsided, suddenly flared up again. He swung his hand and threw the shoe he was holding at Yan Jiecheng.

"Laughing at me? This whole mess is all because of you, you little brat. You still have the nerve to talk nonsense here. Get out of here."

Yan Jiecheng dodged the shoe that was thrown at him and said indignantly, "What does your fight have to do with me? Stop taking your anger out on me all the time."

"None of your business?"

Yan Bugui glared at Yan Jiecheng and shouted, "If you hadn't been so picky about jobs and refused to work at the steel mill, would this have happened today?"

Upon hearing about the job at the steel rolling mill, Yan Jiecheng paused, glanced at Yan Bugui who was sitting in a chair lighting a cigarette after speaking, then looked at the third aunt who was quietly sobbing and hadn't uttered a sound, and asked with some confusion:

"What does your fight have to do with working at the steel rolling mill?"

After speaking for a while without anyone responding, Yan Jiecheng showed an impatient expression and plopped down next to the third aunt, saying:

"Mom, tell me what happened."

The three women turned and glanced at Yan Bugui, who was smoking a cigarette. They choked back tears as they recounted what had just happened, and then said with a pitiful expression:
“Jiecheng, tell me, is this my fault? Your dad was so confident he could persuade He Daliang, but in the end, he didn't care at all. What's wrong with me saying a few words? And he even hit me…”

The more the third aunt spoke, the more aggrieved she felt, and she couldn't help but start sobbing again. Yan Jiecheng understood what was going on after listening, and was about to comfort the third aunt when Yan Bugui suddenly stood up and pointed at Yan Jiecheng, saying:

"He Daliang didn't help, but didn't he point out a way? This little brat got himself into trouble for not going to the steel mill, what does it have to do with me?"

Yan Jiecheng was still fuming because he didn't go to the steel rolling mill, and he immediately picked up the conversation as soon as Yan Bugui finished speaking.

"Dad, you're not right about that. We agreed that I would be working in the security department of the steel rolling mill, but in the end I was told I would have to work in the workshop. That's fine, we wouldn't be picky about having a formal job, but in the end it all fell through because you didn't give me that 450 yuan for the job."

Seeing his son Yan Jiecheng bringing up old grievances, Yan Bugui glared at him and said:
"Don't you know why I won't give you the money...?"

"I didn't agree because I knew all along."

The mere mention of buying job quotas filled Yan Jiecheng with rage, and he interrupted Yan Bugui before he could finish speaking:

"Are you borrowing money from me? You're lending me money at exorbitant interest rates. No, even loan sharks aren't as ruthless as you. You're asking me to pay back 80% of my salary every month for five years. What kind of repayment method is that? Aren't you treating me like a sucker?"

Ignoring the clenched teeth of Yan Jiecheng, Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses and stated logically and persuasively:
"It's like Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai – both parties are willing to hit and be hit. If you're unwilling to lend me money, you can't blame me for not being able to buy a job quota..."

"If I don't blame you, who else can I blame? If you had just lent me the money, I wouldn't be working as a temporary worker on the street now."

……

The argument between the father and son grew louder and louder, while the third aunt remained silent, simply sitting on the bed and sobbing.

At that time, the sound insulation of bungalows was generally poor, and the sound of the father and son arguing quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors. Several nosy old ladies in the yard came to the door of the Yan family and listened for a while. They looked at each other, and under the pretense of mediating the fight, they swaggered into the house.

The four members of Sha Zhu's family heard the commotion in the front yard, but none of them went out to see what was going on. He Yuanchao, Zhang Min, and Yu Li all had their eyes on Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu raised his hand and scratched his head, saying in disbelief, "Second Uncle, does Manager Guo of Fengzeyuan really want me to work there?"

He Yuanchao shook his head and said, "It's not certain yet. They said they need to test your skills first. I brought this up today to ask you if you would like to work at Fengzeyuan if you had the chance."

Hearing his second uncle's words, Sha Zhu's somewhat agitated emotions gradually calmed down. He scratched his head and thought for a while, then glanced at Yu Li before turning to He Yuanchao and saying:

"Second Uncle, I still want to work at the steel rolling mill. It's not about the skills; I'm just used to being carefree and I'm afraid I won't be able to adapt to the strict rules at Fengzeyuan."

He Yuanchao had considered what Sha Zhu said. Although working at Fengzeyuan would broaden his horizons and increase his knowledge, and offer more opportunities for future development, He Yuanchao would not force Sha Zhu to go. He could open a restaurant and live a good life when the factory's performance declined.

After Sha Zhu finished speaking, seeing that He Yuanchao remained silent for a long time, he felt a little nervous and cautiously began to speak:

"Second Uncle, do you want me to work at Fengzeyuan?"

With the couple of one mind, after Sha Zhu finished asking his question, Yu Li, who was standing to the side, also looked at He Yuanchao with some nervousness.

(End of this chapter)