Siheyuan: Domineering life

The ward next door.

Upon entering, one could see Sun Xiaopeng and Sun Xiaoma sitting on either side of the hospital bed, attending to Yan Erni.

One of them fed her chicken soup, and the other wiped her mouth; they looked extremely filial.

Despite their burly and rugged appearance, these two brothers were exceptionally filial to their mother. If it weren't for the support of the three brothers, Yan Erni would have been beaten to death by domestic violence long ago.

"Grandpa Yang."

"Grandma Yang."

Upon seeing Yang Jun and Yi Qiushui arrive, the two brothers quickly stood up to greet them.

"Uncle Yang...Auntie..."

Yan Erni tried to greet them, but Yi Qiushui stopped her.

"Don't move, lie down quickly. Your body is injured, so don't move around."

"Thank you, aunt."

"How badly are you hurt? Are you alright?" Yi Qiushui asked.

"The doctor said it's nothing serious, and I can go out after resting for a couple of days," Sun Xiaoma said from the side.

"It's good that you're alright. Just take good care of yourself and you can go out when you're fully recovered." Yi Qiushui felt much relieved after hearing this.

"Auntie, the physical injuries I suffered are minor, but what truly hurts me is my heart, sob sob."

Yan Erni started sobbing as she spoke.

She couldn't take it anymore, so she acquired Sun Zhaocai. If it weren't for her three children, she would have ended her life long ago. She thought that Sun Zhaocai would restrain himself now that the children were older, but he not only didn't restrain himself, he became even worse. Now, he's abusing her more and more frequently.

"Uncle Yang, you have to stand up for me! I can't live like this anymore!" Yan Erni cried.

Yang Jun's face was somber as he said, "Let's focus on healing our injuries first, and we can talk about the rest later."

He is an outsider and has no right to decide other people's marriages.

"Uncle Yang... I've had enough of this kind of life." Yan Erni said, her face streaked with tears, her voice choked with sobs, "If this continues, I'll die at his hands sooner or later, sob sob..."

At this moment, Sun Xiaopeng knelt down in front of Yang Jun with a thud.

"Grandpa Yang, please uphold justice and let my mother have a few days of peace."

"Grandpa Yang, please, I beg you." Sun Xiaoma also knelt on the ground.

"Just let my dad and mom get a divorce. My mom's health can't take that kind of life anymore."

Yan Erni had mentioned divorce to Sun Zhaocai more than once before, but Sun Zhaocai disagreed. Moreover, relying on his position as Yang Jun's bodyguard, he used some connections to prevent the divorce from taking place, so it has been dragged on until now.

Faced with the mother and her two children's desperate pleas, Yang Jun was deeply troubled.

I really don't want to get involved in other people's affairs, especially since Sun Zhaocai is my bodyguard. How could I possibly destroy his family with my own hands?

"Old Yang..."

Seeing Yang Jun's troubled expression, Yi Qiushui couldn't help but say, "If you find it difficult, I'll take care of it."

Yang Jun looked up at her, and after a long while, slowly nodded.

Seeing Yang Jun nod, Yan Erni and her two children, along with Yi Qiushui, smiled.

"Thank you, Uncle Yang."

"Thank you, Grandpa Yang."

Sun Xiaopeng and Sun Xiaoma immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"What are you two doing? Anyone who didn't know better would think I was the one preventing the divorce." Yang Jun said.

“Grandpa Yang, we don’t blame you. If it weren’t for that bastard… my dad would have gotten a divorce long ago because of your connections. Now that you’ve agreed, and with Grandma Yang in charge, I don’t think he can cause any trouble.” Sun Xiaopeng.

“That’s right. As long as you agree, no matter how capable he is, he can’t cause any trouble.” Sun Xiaoma said, looking like he shared the same hatred.

"Hey, I..."

Yang Jun glanced at Yi Qiushui, then waved his hand and said, "I don't care anymore, you handle it."

Yi Qiushui nodded, then turned to Yan Erni and the Sun Xiaopeng brothers and said,
"Xiaopeng, Xiaoma, there's something I have to say upfront."

"Grandma Yang, please speak."

The two sat upright, listening respectfully.

"The reason I'm upholding justice is simply to stop your mother from suffering domestic violence, not to sever your father-son relationship. You must understand this."

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaoma and Sun Xiaopeng looked conflicted. To be honest, they didn't acknowledge this father in their hearts. They had thought that after their parents' divorce, they could sever their father-son relationship with Sun Zhaocai. However, after hearing Yi Qiushui's words, they didn't know what to do.

Yi Qiushui had already guessed what they were thinking, so she said earnestly, "No matter what, your father raised you three brothers for twenty years. You can't forget the kindness of raising you, can you?"

"Besides, your father has been by your grandfather Yang's side for almost twenty years. He has worked diligently and has saved your grandfather Yang's life more than once. Even if you don't care about his reputation, you can't make things difficult for your grandfather Yang, can you?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaopeng's face turned red, and he was extremely conflicted. After a fierce internal struggle, he finally spoke.
"Grandma Yang is right. Parents getting divorced does not mean that we can sever our father-son relationship."

“Here, I can assure you that I will take care of him in his old age and see him off when he dies. As for anything else, I really can’t do it.”

After saying that, he turned to look at his younger brother, Sun Xiaoma, and asked, "Third brother, what do you say?"

“I agree with Second Brother’s proposal,” Sun Xiaoma said. “At most, we’ll take care of him in his old age and see him off when he dies; anything else is out of the question.”

Yi Qiushui nodded and said, "That's enough. I hope you will keep your word."

She still left Sun Zhaocai a way out, so that he wouldn't have to grow old alone.

Yang Jun sat silently to the side. He couldn't interfere in this matter. Yi Qiushui's handling of it was already very fair. If it were anyone else, who would care about your life or death?

"In addition, your father is currently bedridden and will likely be unable to get out of bed for several months. I hope that you will fulfill your duties as children during this time until he recovers and is discharged from the hospital." - Yi Qiushui

“Of course,” Sun Xiaopeng said, puffing out his chest. “No matter what, he is still our father. We can’t just leave him alone in the hospital.”

"Now that you say that, I feel relieved."

Yi Qiushui paused slightly, then continued, "I will talk to Zhao Cai after he recovers from his injuries. In the meantime, you can continue as before. If he still doesn't repent by then... I will uphold justice for you."

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaoma and Sun Xiaopeng quickly said, "Grandma Yang, that kind of person will never repent. I think we should just get a divorce."

Yi Qiushui raised her hand to interrupt them, saying, "I can't always stand on your side. No matter what, Zhaocai still calls me 'Auntie,' so I have to give him a chance."

Before Sun Xiaopeng and Sun Xiaoma could say anything more, Yang Jun interrupted them.

"Do as your grandma says."

Seeing that Yang Jun had already said that, the two brothers didn't know what to say.

"Yes, Grandpa Yang."

After chatting for a while, Yang Jun and his wife left. Before leaving, they went to see Sun Zhaocai one last time. Before leaving, fearing that the two brothers in the Sun family might not care about their father, Yang Jun specifically asked Yang Anguo to find a caregiver for Sun Zhaocai.

When I got home, it was already afternoon. The sun was about to set, the weather was turning cloudy, and snowflakes started falling again.

After the commotion caused by the Sun family father and son, the New Year celebrations were ruined. In previous years, the Yang family would have been filled with guests, with everyone coming to offer New Year's greetings. However, due to dealing with their affairs, everything was delayed, and the New Year celebrations were truly desolate.

After dinner, the family sat in the living room chatting.

Several women were chatting about the Sun family, engrossed in their conversation. Women are naturally gossipy, even the most noble women are no exception.

As they were chatting, Huang Yani suddenly thought of something.

"Old Yang, it's almost the anniversary of Mom's passing. What are you planning to do?"

After listening, Yang Jun pondered for a moment and said, "There's no need for a grand ceremony. Just have a small gathering with close relatives and friends."

Actually, this matter had always been on his mind, but he just didn't want to mention it.

Time flies. In the blink of an eye, it's been almost a year since his mother left him. In a few days, it will be the anniversary of his mother's death. According to the customs of his hometown, a ceremony is held on the anniversary. He doesn't know the specifics, but he knows that it seems to be a time for the deceased to say goodbye to their living relatives and be reincarnated in peace.

Ordinary people attach great importance to this day, let alone the Yang family.

"Old Yang, this is how I've arranged things."

Yi Qiushui said, "I have already contacted a highly accomplished monk from Jiuhua Mountain, and he will preside over the ceremony."

Yang Jun said, "I'm relieved to leave this matter to you. Luckily, you're here at home, and you've taken a lot of the burden off my shoulders."

"You know that much," Yi Qiushui said, pursing her lips.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun held her hand and smiled, "I will always remember your kindness. You are the pillar of our family; we can't do without you."

"Stop flattering me. Your casual remark makes me work myself to death. I'm exhausted after all these years."

"If you're tired, you can let Yani handle it for now."

Upon hearing this, Huang Yani immediately refused, saying, "I can't, I can't."

“As long as Sister Qiushui is around, I will never be in charge of this family. At most, I will help Sister Qiushui with her work.”

Yang Jun could say such things, but she couldn't take them seriously. There was no precedent for favoring a concubine over the wife. If she broke the rules with her, how would the family be managed in the future?

"Did you hear that?" Yi Qiushui raised an eyebrow and said, "You don't take me seriously, but others do."

"I didn't disregard you," Yang Jun said with a wry smile. "Didn't you say you were tired? I just felt sorry for you; I didn't actually do that."

"I think that's exactly what you're thinking."

Yang Jun: "..."

Women are not rational beings; if you try to reason with them, you will definitely lose.

the next day.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, right after breakfast, people started coming to visit and offer New Year's greetings.

I couldn't come to pay my respects yesterday because of Sun Zhaocai's matter, so I postponed it to today.

"Happy New Year, Godfather."

Shi Tou was the first to arrive. He and his wife came with lots of bags and packages. They had come yesterday, also with things, and they came again today with more things. You could tell that this guy was very shrewd.

"Okay, okay, Happy New Year."

Yang Jun greeted them with a smile.

"Godfather, you two chat, I'm going to wish Godmother and my aunts a Happy New Year."

After saying goodbye to Yang Jun, Shi Tou's wife went to find Yi Qiushui and the others.

"How's business lately?" Yang Jun asked. "It's been a long time since we had a proper chat, and I haven't seen you in person."

The two sat on the sofa and chatted.

Shi Tou poured Yang Jun a cup of tea and said with a smile, "With your godfather looking after you, it's hard for your business not to be good."

After a slight pause, he continued, "I've handed over the fruit business to my wife. I mainly deal in oil and rubber now. This year I opened eight more factories in Southeast Asia, and the businesses are all on track now."

When talking about business, Shi Tou couldn't help but feel smug. Over the years, he had been doing very well, with his business booming and making a fortune every day.

"How's work going?" Yang Jun asked again.

"Still the same..." Stone seemed to remember something and said, "Godfather, speaking of which, I've been in this position for almost three years. Don't you think it's time for me to move to a different place?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun glanced at him.

"Do you have an idea?"

"Godfather, to be honest, I've taken a liking to..."

After saying that, he whispered a few words in Yang Jun's ear.

After listening, Yang Jun nodded: "With your qualifications, you are indeed capable of this position... How about this, after the New Year, I'll move you to a different place."

"Thank you godfather."

Upon hearing this, Shi Tou jumped up from the sofa with joy and bowed to Yang Jun, saying, "I wish my godfather a prosperous new year."

"Alright, kid, your flattery skills are getting better and better these days," Yang Jun said with a laugh.

"Hehe, it's all thanks to my godfather's good training."

As the two were talking, Banggeng and He Xiao also came to offer their New Year's greetings.

"Godfather, Happy New Year."

The two put down the gifts they were carrying and knelt on the ground to kowtow to Yang Jun.

"Get up, everyone. You already paid your respects yesterday, so there's no need to do it again." Yang Jun helped them up.

"Hehe, I gave New Year's greetings yesterday, but not today?" Banggeng chuckled.

"You can offer New Year's greetings twice, but I don't have two red envelopes to give you," Yang Jun said with a laugh.

"No need, no need, we don't want red envelopes, we came here specifically to wish our godfather a Happy New Year."

"Wishing my godfather, godmother, and all my aunts a happy new year and good health. And wishing all my brothers and sisters success in their studies."

Yang Chengdao and Yang Chengcai were busy greeting guests who came to pay New Year's visits in the front yard.

The two then sat down, and the group continued their conversation.

They mainly talked about the ups and downs of the past year, such as business or work, summarizing the experiences of the past year and making plans for the coming year. Yang Jun also made arrangements for Bang Geng, but He Xiao is still in college and no arrangements have been made for the time being.

Later, Sun Zhaodi and Wang Xiaoxiao also arrived.

They all came with their families and lots of gifts, and soon the living room was filled with them.

After paying her respects to Yang Jun, Sun Zhaodi went to the hospital to take care of her injured younger brother.

Later, Yang Mei, Yang Liu, and Yang Yu all came, and Yuan Erni also came with her two sons.

Although we couldn't have a proper family reunion yesterday, it's still not too late today; the passing of time will only make the festive atmosphere stronger. (End of Chapter)