Siheyuan: Domineering life

Mid-January 1997.

The scorching sun beat down on the lush green earth, and from high above, layers of mist evaporated continuously, as if the land were on fire.

In your province, a highway leading deep into the mountains winds like a white dragon, stretching all the way into the primeval forest, where a huge yellow mining truck travels.

The car wasn't going fast, mainly because it was too big. The people inside enjoyed the driving experience while admiring the scenery along the way. A group of people sat in the driver's seat chatting and laughing, adding a lot of coolness to the hot weather.

The driver of this super mining truck was none other than Yang Jun. At this moment, he, Yi Qiushui, Yang Qingxiang, and a group of women were crammed into the driver's cab, chatting and laughing as they drove towards the doomsday shelter in the primeval forest.

This was their first visit to the doomsday shelter since its construction, as it would be their retirement home in the future, and they wanted to get a feel for it beforehand.

The super minecart is 32 meters long, 8 meters wide, and 12 meters high. Due to the winding road, its speed is kept at around 40 miles per hour. Sitting in the driver's cab, which is three stories high, you can overlook the scenery outside and enjoy the air conditioning in the cab. It's incredibly comfortable.

Since the Doomsday Shelter was built, many construction workers and technicians have settled here, forming a small town with a population of over 50,000. With Yang Jun's continuous investment in recent years, the town's living conditions are very good and no worse than those of big cities.

"Honey, there's a turn ahead, slow down."

"It's me, Yi Qiushui, who's sitting in the passenger seat," she reminded him.

Yang Jun gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Hearing this, he nodded.

"know."

Then I eased off the accelerator a little, turned the steering wheel, and the behemoth made a quick turn.

Sitting in the back, Yang Qingxiang looked at the endless road and winding bends and said anxiously, "We've been walking for two days now, when will we reach the shelter?"

She and Yang Jun had been to the doomsday shelter once before, and that time they went by helicopter, so it only took two hours to get there. Now, driving this behemoth is like driving a tortoise. At this speed, it will probably take at least ten days to half a month to reach their destination.

Upon hearing this, Meng Wenya glanced at her and asked, "Are you in such a hurry to go over there? Is something the matter?"

"No," Yang Qingxiang shook her head blankly.

"Then that's settled?" Meng Wenya raised an eyebrow and said, "We came out with Lao Yang this time to have fun. Since we're having fun, why are we in such a hurry to get there?"

"I'm not in a hurry, it's just... sigh, this is too slow, most of the time is spent on the road, it's quite boring." Yang Qingxiang.

"Just be content with yourself."

Meng Wenya said, "We finally managed to get out of here, and Lao Yang is personally accompanying us. What more could we ask for?"

"Besides, we'll be settling there in the future, so we'll have plenty of time to visit the shelters. So, for now, we should enjoy the scenery along the way."

Seeing this, the others nodded in agreement.

“Yes, we’re retired now anyway, so we have plenty of time to travel. Besides, we’re all getting on in years, so we should keep a peaceful mind and enjoy life more.” - Nalan Qingmeng

“It seems like we’ve always been retired. We’ve never worked a day in our lives, hehe!” Nalan Qingyun said.

"The retirement I'm talking about isn't retirement from work, but retirement and relaxation based on age. Although we've never worked in our lives, everyone generally agrees that we can rest when we reach a certain age."

"Yes, I was just saying it casually."

Yang Jun remained silent, focusing intently on driving. He had to concentrate and dared not be careless in the slightest. The car was too big; if he made a mistake, his whole family could be wiped out.

This time he didn't come alone; he brought quite a few people with him, about a dozen cars. In addition to his bodyguards, he also brought along nannies, cooks, and the like. No matter where he goes, he doesn't want to live a life of compromise.

Four cars led the way, followed by a long line of cars, like a group of ants moving house in an orderly fashion. His super mining truck was like the queen ant, directing the moving operation.

"Honey, how about we switch to a regular RV?" Yang Qingxiang still felt the speed was a bit slow and spoke up again.

Yang Jun shook his head and said, "If you think it's too slow, you can get off and sit in the car."

"What's the difference?" Yang Qingxiang pouted and said, "Even if I ride in a small car and you ride in a mine cart, the speed still won't be as fast."

"Well, there's no other way then." Yang Jun clicked his tongue and said, "I've finally come out, so I have to experience driving a minecart properly."

"Sigh, I really don't know what's so great about the experience of driving a mine cart." Yang Qingxiang pursed her lips.

"Hehe, you just don't understand."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun laughed and said, "Men driving is like women shopping; no matter how long you shop, you never feel tired."

"Driving a mine cart is like riding a horse. Some horses are gentle, while others are fierce, so the riding experience is different. For example, I like fierce horses, the fiercer the better."

Yang Jun spoke eloquently, and all the women listened with pursed lips.

"I think you mean different women have different experiences, right?" Yi Qiushui said, pursing her lips.

"Hey, you really understand me best," Yang Jun chuckled.

"After being with you for decades, don't I know all the tricks of your trade?" Yi Qiushui rolled her eyes.

“We understand,” the women said in unison.

Yang Jun chuckled upon hearing this.

"This is my only hobby in this life. I hope you'll forgive my poor performance."

The women rolled their eyes again.

They didn't understand why Yang Jun couldn't live without women before, but as they got older, they realized that he couldn't live without them. The youngest among them was over thirty, and the oldest, like Yi Qiushui, was sixty. They were getting older every day, while Yang Jun remained as young as ever. He was still that young man in his early twenties, in his prime, with inexhaustible energy every day, especially in terms of sex, which was like eating for him—he couldn't miss a single meal.

Since Yi Qiushui, Yang Qingxiang, Meng Wenya, Huang Yani, and others have all passed menopause and are entering old age, the task of taking care of Yang Jun has fallen on the shoulders of a few young women, such as Li Jing and Qiu Nini. Therefore, they understand even more that Yang Jun is indispensable in that aspect.

"Old Yang, do you have other women outside?" Nalan Qingmeng suddenly asked.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire driver's cabin fell silent. All the women turned to look at Yang Jun, waiting for his answer.

Upon seeing this, Yang Jun felt a pang of panic, but outwardly he maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

He didn't speak; he remained silent.

At this point, any answer will be wrong.

If you say you don't have other women, they definitely won't believe you. But if you say you do, you'll be met with a storm of criticism and endless verbal attacks. Of course, he knows better than anyone whether he has other women or not.

He was never short of women, but he hadn't brought them home in recent years. However, he still kept four women outside, each one younger, prettier, and more sensible and obedient than the last, able to meet all his demands.

He simply stopped bringing women home and wouldn't allow them to have children for him. Over the years, he had kept this in mind. He had finally raised his children to adulthood, and most of them had gradually started their own families and careers. Now that they were about to fulfill their role as fathers, he would absolutely not cause himself any more trouble.

There's no need to buy a hen if you want to eat eggs, so he made a strict rule for himself: no matter how good a hen is, he would definitely give it away after eating its eggs for a year.

Of course, he never mistreats any of the women who follow him; each woman receives a large sum of money before leaving, so over the years, he has not left behind any romantic entanglements.

"Say something!" Nalan Qingmeng urged.

"You think we won't know you have another woman just because you don't say anything?"

Other women joined in the verbal attack, forcing Yang Jun to admit that he was keeping a mistress.

"What do you want me to say?"

Forced into a corner, Yang Jun spread his hands and said, "I thought these kinds of things were tacitly understood by everyone, and that was enough. Why do you have to keep digging to the bottom of things this time?"

"If I say no, you definitely won't believe me; if I say yes, you'll be sad."

"Why bother?"

In fact, he had already indirectly told them that he was keeping a mistress, but he didn't say it out loud to avoid upsetting them.

"Hehe, hehe."

Nalan Qingmeng laughed twice, then said angrily, "I knew it would be like this. I knew you were keeping a woman outside."

The other women were also furious when they heard this.

However, after grumbling for a few minutes, everyone fell into a collective silence.

They tacitly approved of Yang Jun keeping women outside the marriage, after all, they knew they couldn't stop him. Moreover, Yang Jun's physiology was different from that of ordinary people. He couldn't live without women, just like a person can't live without food and water. Women had become an indispensable part of his life.

If you keep worrying about Yang Jun having affairs, then life will be unbearable. They know that Yang Jun doesn't dislike them or have a preference for new women; rather, he has an insurmountable physical obstacle. So, once you understand this, there's nothing to worry about.

Their current complaints are just a way to vent their frustrations, but they will never interfere with Yang Jun keeping women outside the marriage.

As long as they don't bring women home, no one will compete with them for their affections or fight with their children for the family property, they won't object to Yang Jun having women outside the home.

"Hey!"

At that moment, someone sighed, and the entire driver's cab fell silent. Everyone seemed to agree with the sigh, as if it expressed their own thoughts.

For a long time, no one spoke.

Seeing this, Yang Jun composed himself and said, "I'm sorry, I owe you all so much in this life. If there's an afterlife... I'll be your servant..."

"Stop it." Yi Qiushui interrupted him and rolled her eyes at him.

She's heard these kinds of things so many times she's practically worn out, but she still doesn't change. And it's not just her; which woman here hasn't heard something similar?
Sweet words lose their sweetness when spoken too often, and may even cause physical aversion if heard too frequently.

That's exactly what happened to Yi Qiushui and the others.

"Yes, I know you don't like hearing this kind of talk, and neither do I."

Yang Jun paused slightly, then continued, "If there's anything that can make you feel better, just let me know, and I'll do my best to help you."

Yang Jun did indeed owe them something in this matter, so he was willing to make it up to them as much as possible.

"If we told you we wouldn't let you keep women, would you agree?" Yi Qiushui rolled her eyes, her face full of mockery.

"This..." Yang Jun smiled wryly.

"Heh! Don't make empty promises if you can't do them."

"Let's change the conditions, let's change it, except for this one, hehe." Yang Jun chuckled dryly.

To be honest, he really can't live without women. It's like not letting him eat; wouldn't he starve to death?
Everyone listened in silence.

In fact, they already lacked nothing. They had always lived a life free from worries about food and clothing, so the conditions promised by Yang Jun were meaningless to them.

After a long pause, Yi Qiushui sighed and said,
"We have no other requirements for you, unless we absolutely have to..."

Yi Qiushui paused for a moment, glanced around at the women, and said, "If we must have something, we hope that we can all die peacefully in our lifetime."

"A peaceful death?" Yang Jun was startled and asked, "What do you mean?"

He was extremely panicked, not understanding why Yi Qiushui was talking about a peaceful death, whether alive or dead, it was quite eerie.

"It means that our relationship will have a good beginning and a good end."

Seeing Yang Jun's still puzzled look, Yi Qiushui explained, "We're both getting on in years, and we don't want to be kicked out of the house by you in our old age."

The women nodded in agreement; Yi Qiushui's words were exactly what they wanted to say.

If Yi Qiushui, as the legal wife, had such worries, how much more so would the concubines, who had no protection whatsoever? They had no other demands of Yang Jun than that they hoped for a good beginning and a good end for each other, and a perfect conclusion at the end of their lives.

“How could that be? I’m not that kind of person,” Yang Jun exclaimed.

“Of course we know you’re not that kind of person,” Yi Qiushui said. “If you were, we would have been kicked out of the house long ago.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun smiled wryly and said, "I swear to God, I have never had such thoughts, much less looked down on you."

“You’re right. We should see things through to the end. Although I’m not a good husband, I’m definitely a man of my word. I do what I say.”

"We all believe in you," everyone agreed.

"Old Yang, don't worry, we won't care whether you have women outside anymore. We only have one request: just don't bring women home."

"Okay, I'll do as you say." Yang Jun. (End of Chapter)