Siheyuan: Domineering life

After visiting the shelter, Yang Jun and his companion went up to the ground.

Once we got to the ground, we realized it was already dark.

Underground, time stands still, and there is no distinction between day and night. Only when you come up to the surface and breathe the fresh air do you feel the meaning of being alive.

Yang Jun lamented that he would rather never need this shelter than live a life of hardship underground.

"Ah, it's so sweet."

Yang Jun closed his eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"What's sweet?"

Yi Qiushui's voice came from behind.

Yang Chengwu has already gone back, and Yang Jun is also preparing to go to the restaurant for dinner.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun's expression softened, and he smiled, saying, "Air."

"Air?" Yi Qiushui paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Of course, the air in the mountains is naturally fresher than that in the city."

Yang Jun listened and shook his head with a smile, saying, "That's not what I meant."

"I just came up from down below."

Upon hearing this, Yi Qiushui suddenly understood.

Then, he nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, no matter how good it is down there, it's never as good as living under the sun."

"You're just telling the truth."

Yang Jun rubbed his stomach and said, "I'm hungry, can I eat now?"

"The food was ready a long time ago, just waiting for you." Yi Qiushui rolled her eyes at him, and then the two went to the restaurant.

This manor was built according to the layout of Yanjing Pengyuan Garden, or rather, it was completely copied from it. Therefore, Yang Jun was very familiar with the place and went straight to the restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, several women and children sat at the table waiting for him.

"If I come back late in the future, don't wait for me. You can eat first."

After saying that, he patted his little daughter Yang Chengyu's head and said, "Look how hungry my precious daughter is."

"Hmph, bad dad."

Yang Chengyu shook her head, brushing his hand off her head, and pouted, saying discontentedly, "If you don't come back soon, do you want your precious daughter to starve to death?"

"Oh, my darling, how could Daddy bear to let you starve? I knew you were hungry, so I rushed back as soon as possible," said Yang Jun.

Seeing the warm and friendly scene of the father and daughter joking around, all the women had smiles on their faces.

"Chengyu, you're not allowed to talk to your father like that." Yang Chengyu's mother, Li Jingqiu, scolded him with a dark expression.

Upon hearing this, Yang Chengyu shrank back in fright and hid behind Yang Jun, sticking her tongue out at her mother.

"Dad isn't angry, so why are you interfering?"

Yang Jun said, "Forget it, the child didn't say anything too outrageous, why make such a big deal out of it?"

"Fine, then you can spoil her. What will you do if one day she starts taking advantage of you and acting all cute?" Li Jingqiu said, pouting.

“My daughter wouldn’t do that.” After saying that, Yang Jun turned to Yang Chengyu and said, “Right, my precious daughter?”

“Yes, Dad,” Yang Chengyu chuckled.

After that, the father and daughter stuck together as if they hadn't seen each other for centuries.

"Dad, I want to eat stir-fried sea cucumber with scallions."

"Okay, Dad will put some on your plate."

The stir-fried sea cucumber with scallions was placed a bit far away, and Yang Jun couldn't reach it with his chopsticks, so he simply brought the plate over and placed it in front of his daughter.

"Old Yang, don't spoil your daughter." Li Jingqiu frowned.

"No, no, my daughter is very sensible."

As Yang Jun spoke, he kept putting food on his daughter's plate.

There are many children in the family, but he especially likes to dote on the younger ones, particularly the very youngest.

In recent years, the Yang family has continued to grow and expand. He has added two more children to the family, Yang Chengyu being the youngest. Therefore, he dotes on this little girl very much.

Perhaps it's due to age; the older people get, the more they cherish family ties, and they can never love their children enough.

"Hey!"

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Yang Jun, Li Jingqiu could only sigh.

"By the way, Lao Yang, how did it feel to come up from underground?" Huang Yani asked.

"Sweet!" Yang Jun answered without hesitation.

"Sweet?" Huang Yani looked confused.

Upon seeing this, Yi Qiushui laughed and said, "He's saying the air is sweet."

"Several thousand meters down there, where there's no sunlight and the air doesn't circulate, you're saying the air is sweet?" Huang Yani pursed her lips, looking completely unconvinced.

The other women had the same expression.

“You misunderstood Lao Yang,” Yi Qiushui explained with a smile. “You didn’t see it, but I did. The first thing he said when he came up was that the air was so sweet.”

"Oh, I see."

Huang Yani laughed and said, "I knew it! How could the air down there possibly be sweet?"

"To be honest, if there wasn't really no other way, nobody would want to live down there. It's better up there."

“Yes, the space below is just in case; we can’t actually live underground,” Li Jingqiu agreed.

"Is there even a need to think about this? It's definitely not as good as living under the sun," Meng Wenya said.

“…” Nalan Qingyun.

“…” Nalan Qingmeng.

When the shelter was mentioned, the group of women started chatting excitedly, all complaining about how bad the shelter was.

Some even felt that the environment in the south was too humid and hot, not as good as Yanjing. However, they knew that this place would be where they would retire in the future, so even if they couldn't accept it, they would try to accept it.

"Old Yang, are we really going to live here from now on?" Yi Qiushui asked.

Although the women already knew the outcome when they arrived, they still felt some resistance, especially since all they could see were endless mountains, and the feeling of being unable to get used to the obstructed view was really hard to accept.

Yang Jun didn't say anything and continued eating with his head down.

"Hey."

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but sigh.

They knew this was their final resting place, but they were still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

Having lived in Yanjing for decades, it's always a bit difficult to adjust to a new environment all at once. But there's nothing I can do; I decided to settle here a long time ago, so I can't just change it at will.

The shelter took decades to build, and Taiping Town invested a great deal of money and emotion in it. It was built for retirement, and even if you can't accept it, you have to accept it.

Seeing that they weren't very interested, Yang Jun said, "It's inevitable that we'll settle here, but... we don't need to settle here for now. We can talk about it after I've completely retired."

Before anyone could speak, Yang Jun continued, "Chengdao is still not quite on his own right. As his father, I have to support him for a while longer. I won't let go until he can run freely."

The women nodded in agreement.

The decision to have Yang Chengdao succeed Yang Jun was made long ago, and they all tacitly agreed that Yang Chengdao would be the future head of the Yang family. Only if Yang Chengdao established himself firmly could their children have better opportunities for development. Therefore, they all hoped that Yang Chengdao would do better and better.

“Yes, you can’t back down yet. At least wait until you’re able to run away after you’ve achieved enlightenment before you let go,” Yi Qiushui sighed.

If you were to ask who cares about Yang Chengdao the most, it would probably be his biological mother. More than anyone else, she hopes that Yang Chengdao can go further, and she also hopes that Yang Jun can support her son for a longer period of time. "Chengdao is working so hard, I believe he can definitely do it," Yang Qingxiang said.

She was one of the first to enter the Yang family and watched Yang Chengdao grow up step by step to where he is today, so she also hopes that Yang Chengdao can stand on his own.

“We all believe that enlightenment is possible,” the women said in unison.

The meal took a full two hours to eat.

This was their first meal in their new home, and they had so much to talk about.

After dinner, instead of gathering in the living room to chat as usual, everyone went back to their own yards to visit their new homes.

Although the manor was built according to the layout of Yanjing Pengyuan, the interior decoration style was completely different, giving people the feeling of moving into a new home. Therefore, the women went back to their own courtyards to decorate their new homes.

The only saving grace is that Yang Jun finally has his own yard here.

Back when he was in Pengyuan, he would stay in a different woman's courtyard every day, without his own private space, which was very inconvenient. Sometimes when he wanted to rest for one night, those women would disagree.

Now things are much better. He finally has his own private yard, and he no longer has to plow the fields like an old ox every night. He can finally rest, and he feels very comfortable.

but……

"husband."

Yang Jun had just brewed his tea and was about to enjoy it when he suddenly heard someone calling him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Nalan Qingyun wearing pajamas, leaning against the door, her eyes half-closed and smiling at him.

Upon seeing this, Yang Jun couldn't help but shiver.

Nalan Qingyun is only in her early forties now, which is the age when she is most fond of eating. Back in Yanjing, she was never full, and Yang Jun could hardly afford to feed her. Unexpectedly, she was hungry again after arriving at her new home.

"Um... I've been traveling for days, and I'm a bit tired today. Why don't you go back to your own yard?" Yang Jun said through gritted teeth.

He was really tired. He hadn't had a proper rest after traveling for several days straight before visiting the shelter. Now he was exhausted and just wanted to rest as soon as possible.

"Yeah, I understand."

Upon hearing this, Nalan Qingyun walked over, plopped down in his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Feeling Yang Jun's tense body, Nalan Qingyun laughed and said, "Don't be nervous, I'm not going to eat you."

"Oh my, how can I not be nervous when you're so greedy?" Yang Jun frowned.

"I'm really tired today. Okay, let's go home."

"No," Nalan Qingyun said, twisting her waist. "You sleep yours, I'll sleep mine, we won't disturb each other."

"Do you even believe what you're saying?" Yang Jun asked.

“Yes, I believe you,” Nalan Qingyun said with a smile.

Yang Jun was speechless and said helplessly, "Listen to me, I'm really tired today."

Seeing Yang Jun's exhausted face, Nalan Qingmeng realized that Yang Jun was truly tired, and her heart softened.

"Okay, then you should go to bed early."

After saying that, she reluctantly got up from Yang Jun's lap and, as she walked to the door, gave him some more words of advice.

"Lock the door from the inside, and don't let anyone in."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun was both amused and exasperated. He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, as long as you don't bother me, no one will come in."

"Love you."

Nalan Qingyun winked at him a few times before leaving.

After finishing a cup of tea, Yang Jun got up to go to the bathroom to wash up and prepare for a rest.

As soon as I got up, I saw Yi Qiushui walk straight in.

She didn't even glance at Yang Jun, and went straight to the bathroom.

Yang Jun was stunned when he saw this.

Yi Qiushui hadn't come to see him for a long time, and today it was like the sun had risen in the west, which surprised him greatly.

"you……"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Before Yang Jun could speak, Yi Qiushui interrupted him.

"Although I don't need you, the first night in the new house must belong to me, and no one else can come."

After saying that, he raised his voice eight octaves and shouted out the window, "Go back to where you came from. Nobody should think about Old Yang tonight."

As soon as he finished speaking, a chattering sound came from outside, followed by the sound of footsteps moving away, and soon silence returned.

"they……"

Yang Jun stared out the window in astonishment, his mouth agape.

"What do you mean, 'them'?"

Yi Qiushui glared and said, "It's just me tonight, so they can forget about it."

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go wash up."

After saying that, she went straight in to prepare a bath for Yang Jun.

Yang Jun stood there, speechless for a long time.

"Are you alright with your old arms and legs?" Yang Jun muttered.

"What did you say?" Yi Qiushui's voice came from inside the bathroom.

"It's nothing, I'll be right in."

……

The next day, Yang Jun woke up feeling refreshed.

It seems that it gets light earlier in the south than in the north, and even the air smells sweeter there.

Yang Jun stood on the lawn in front of his yard, his body relaxed, his forehead at a 45-degree angle, his eyes closed, enjoying the mountain air and listening to the continuous birdsong. He felt as if he had been elevated.

"The air in the mountains smells so good."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone snorted coldly.

"You son of a bitch, Yang, since you know the air in the mountains smells good, why didn't you take me with you?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Yang Jun suddenly opened his eyes, and what came into view was a familiar face that made him feel at ease.

"Old Wang? When did you arrive?"

The person who came was none other than Wang Erwa, Yang Jun's best friend.

However, Wang Erwa is now an elderly man in his seventies. He is only two years older than Yang Jun. He looks very old, with white hair and beard, and even his back is hunched. He was already short, but now he is even shorter, looking just like a little old man.

Wang Erwa stood with his hands behind his back, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking at Yang Jun with a look of disgust.

"They say brothers share both hardship and happiness. I don't expect you to share the hardship, but why don't you include me when you're enjoying the good times?"

"Hey, you neighbor Wang, you're not my son, why should I take you along?"

Over the years, the two have become accustomed to this way of chatting, swearing and cursing. If they didn't use profanities, they wouldn't be true buddies.

"I'm your father, no, I'm your grandfather. Tell me, why don't you take me with you?"

After Wang Erwa finished speaking, he gestured to each other's appearance with his hands: "Look at you, you look like you're in your early twenties, and then look at me. People would believe you were my great-grandfather."

"I'm your grandpa, you son of a bitch, Old Wang."

The two argued for a while, then went to the fishing platform by the river to drink tea and chat. (End of Chapter)