Siheyuan: Domineering life

The supplies delivered by the shelters were also simple and basic.

The food consisted of nothing more than canned goods and long-lasting foods, which would normally be considered junk food. However, in the shelter, these were the best food available. Even Yang Jun's group only received a basket of vegetables and four apples, so you can imagine what kind of food the others were eating.

Since it's an exercise, we need to simulate harsh living conditions as much as possible. The planning should be based on material reserves and the production cycle of food and vegetables, in order to enable long-term underground living. All materials should be supplied in a unified and coordinated manner.

The supply of goods here is also standardized. Adults only receive six liang (300 grams) of food per person, and children only receive four liang (200 grams). This standard is definitely not enough under normal circumstances. Normally, an adult's food ration is about one jin (500 grams) per meal, but now the standard is only six liang (300 grams) per day. This is a state of being neither full nor starving. If this continues for a long time, people will go crazy from hunger.

But there's no other way. In order to cope with the harsh living environment in the future, everything must be done according to that environment. Even if you go hungry, you can only overcome it on your own.

"Sigh, this little bit of food isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap. Adults can manage, but what about the children?"

In the kitchen, the women looked at each other around the meager amount of food, each with a furrowed brow and a preoccupied expression.

Twenty catties of grain, three catties of vegetables, plus some canned food and ham sausages, and the rest is just firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea. Yang Jun is okay, at least he can get vegetables. No one else is allowed to cook for themselves. All the food is rationed. It is only because of Yang Jun's status that Xiao Wu makes an exception for him. Only his family is an exception. Yang Anguo, Ma Juzi and the others can only obediently go to the canteen to collect their pitiful rations.

"Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't even be enough for one meal, let alone a day's worth of rations," Yi Qiushui muttered to herself, frowning.

The other women also frowned upon hearing this.

"Old Yang, I don't want to live like this."

Yi Qiushui suddenly turned to look at Yang Jun and said angrily, "If I have to survive in such a lowly way, I would rather die with dignity up here."

The other women, upon hearing this, all echoed his sentiments.

“Exactly, life like this is too hard. I’d rather live a decent life on earth for one day than live a miserable life underground for the rest of my life,” said Huang Yani.

The other women also complained.

They were used to a good life and had never experienced such hardship. This kind of life, where they were neither full nor starving, was too torturous. Not to mention that they didn't like this kind of life, even Yang Jun would have a headache if he saw it.

Seeing the women's indignant expressions, Yang Jun had no choice but to harden his heart and say,
"Want to go out?"

"You can go out if you want, but you have to wait until the exercise is over. We can't let this exercise fail just because you can't stand these hardships, can we?"

Seeing that the women remained silent, Yang Jun paused slightly before continuing, "I know you all want to live with dignity, and you are not afraid of death, but have you thought about your children?"

"What parent wouldn't want their child to live?"

"Don't you understand that to live with dignity, you must first be alive?"

Upon hearing this, the women all lowered their heads in the face of Yang Jun's sharp gaze.

They just wanted to complain a bit, but they didn't expect to be criticized by Yang Jun. At this moment, none of them dared to look him in the eye.

"Old Yang, this is just a drill. Actually... the world is pretty good, it won't really come to that..." Yi
While others dared not speak, Yi Qiushui did; she couldn't help but speak her mind.

"Can you guarantee that day won't come?" Yang Jun's eyes became even sharper.

He glared at Yi Qiushui, feeling that this was not the time to undermine her, but rather to encourage everyone to get through this difficult period.

"I...who can guarantee that?"

After saying that, he muttered to himself, "I'm afraid you can't guarantee that either."

"Since you can't guarantee it, why are you talking so much nonsense?" Yang Jun glared at her.

Yi Qiushui shuddered in fright; she hadn't seen Yang Jun so angry in a long time.

The other women trembled at the sight. They thought to themselves, "Thank goodness it wasn't me who talked back to Yang Jun. If it were me, I'd probably get slapped across the face."

Seeing that Yi Qiushui remained silent, Yang Jun glanced at everyone and said, "I'll say it again, if anyone tries to back down now, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After saying that, he prepared to leave, but stopped halfway there without turning around. With his back turned, he said, "If you want to die, don't take the child with you."

The women felt a jolt in their hearts, as if Yang Jun's words had struck their most vulnerable spot.

Yes, children are their biggest weakness. As parents, who wouldn't want their child to live a good life?

The women breathed a sigh of relief once Yang Jun had walked away.

Huang Yani deliberately ran to the kitchen door to glance at Yang Jun, and only after seeing him go upstairs did she turn back to the other women and say,

"We were just complaining, we didn't say we couldn't handle this kind of hardship, and he made a big deal out of it?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Qiushui rolled her eyes at her: "If you're so good at talking, why didn't you say it in front of him just now?"

Huang Yani chuckled upon hearing this, walked over, and put her arm around Yi Qiushui's arm, saying, "Look at what you're saying, sister. Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare to talk to Lao Yang like that."

"It has to be Sister Qiushui. You have a high seniority and a high position in Lao Yang's heart, which is why you can help us sisters with our troubles. We will always remember this kindness."

After saying that, he turned to the other women and asked, "Aren't we sisters?"

"Yes, it's all thanks to Sister Qiushui speaking up for us, otherwise we wouldn't have dared to make demands of Lao Yang."

"That's right, Sister Qiushui was the most beautiful when she spoke up for us and fought for our rights. We were all moved by her beauty."

Upon hearing this, Yi Qiushui rolled her eyes: "Stop trying to fool me. I can speak up for you, but why didn't you speak up for me when Lao Yang criticized me earlier?"

"us……"

"Alright, all you've got left is your mouth. I'm really impressed with you guys."

Yi Qiushui interrupted them, saying, "Stop talking nonsense and think about how to get through this day with these supplies."

Seeing the meager supplies laid out on the cutting board, the women frowned again.

About an hour later, Li Jingqiu went to the study to call Yang Jun for dinner.

The two of them came down quickly and arrived at the restaurant. They saw a room full of people sitting there with furrowed brows, looking at the meager amount of food on the table. He immediately understood what everyone was worried about.

Yang Jun glanced at the children, then sat down at the adults' table.

The food on the table was very simple: a plate of white steamed buns, two cans of meat, and two dishes of vegetables, one of bean sprouts stir-fried with shredded pork and the other of shredded potatoes. The children's table had the same food, but with a little more than the adults' table, clearly something the adults were saving for the children.

"Have a meal."

Yang Jun didn't want to say anything comforting. He knew that the more he said such things, the more dissatisfied everyone would become, so it was better to say nothing at all.

Without saying a word, he grabbed a steamed bun and started eating.

The steamed buns were much smaller than usual, less than half the size. He secretly weighed them in his hand; they were probably a little over an ounce. It seemed the women were still dividing the food according to the standard for three meals a day, since having something to eat was better than having nothing. Only after Yang Jun spoke did everyone begin to eat.

The staple food was all rationed, one steamed bun per person, and everyone took their own, no one dared to take more. As for the dishes on the table, these were junk foods that they usually looked down on, but now they were all highly sought after.

Especially at the children's table, they were all scrambling to eat, and in the blink of an eye, the dishes on the table were all gone. Some of the children who didn't get any even secretly shed tears.

Seeing this, the adults all felt sorry for their children.

Huang Yani winked at Yi Qiushui, glanced at the food on the table, then at the children at the next table, her eyes seeking her opinion.

Yi Qiushui pretended not to see it, and simply shook her head slightly, indicating that she should not do that.

She glanced furtively at Yang Jun, who was eating with his head down, and then shook her head at Huang Yani and the others again.

She knew Yang Jun well. If she shared the food with the children now, she would definitely be scolded. This was an exercise, a simulation of living in an extremely harsh environment. This was not something that would happen in a day or two; it was only the first day. If she saved the food for the children, what would happen in the future?
Besides, nobody knows how many days this exercise will last.

"I'm going to find Fifth Brother."

Yang Chengdao also felt sorry for his younger siblings, so he slammed his chopsticks on the table and was about to get up to find Xiao Wu.

Yang Chengdao made a move to get up and go find Xiao Wu, but his eyes remained fixed on Yang Jun. Seeing that Yang Jun showed no expression or movement, he spoke again.
"I'm going to find Fifth Brother."

Seeing that Yang Jun still didn't speak, he asked again, "I'm going to find Fifth Brother. Is anyone coming with me?"

When the women saw Yang Chengdao appear, they were secretly pleased, thinking that this would improve the children's living conditions, at least they would be able to eat their fill. However, when they saw that Yang Chengdao was all talk and no action, and that he kept his eyes fixed on Yang Jun, they knew that this time it was all for naught.

"Alright, Chengdao, stop wasting your energy. Sit down and eat in peace." Yi Qiushui sighed, indicating to Yang Chengdao that he shouldn't bother.

Seeing this, Yang Chengdao chuckled and said, "Hehe, I just wanted to lighten the mood since the atmosphere is so heavy."

In truth, he knew in his heart that his father would not let him go.

Of course, he himself knew that this door could not be opened. Once it was, all the rules set up in the shelter would be meaningless. Once the rules were broken, the shelter would certainly not be able to continue for long. What awaited them was predictable.

At this moment, Yang Jun tapped the bowl with his chopsticks.

"Don't forget that you will be the head of the family in the future, and the lives of the whole family are in your hands. You must be very careful with every word and action."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chengdao laughed and said, "Dad, I understand. I was just joking."

"Others can joke around, but you're the head of the household, you can't joke around."

"Yes, Dad, I was wrong." Yang Chengdao quickly admitted his mistake upon seeing this.

Yang Jun didn't say anything and continued eating.

He ate a steamed bun weighing about 50 grams in just a few bites, then drank the thin rice porridge in the bowl. He finished the meal in a little over a minute, which was the fastest meal he had ever eaten.

He only ate his own portion of food, leaving the other dishes on the table untouched.

"I'm stuffed."

After saying that, Yang Jun got up and left.

Not long after he left, he heard a commotion in the restaurant, with the occasional sounds of children scrambling for food. If he wasn't mistaken, the adults' table of food had definitely been given to the children.

He ignored all of that and went straight back to his study.

Upon arriving at the study, he first brewed a cup of tea, then sat down at his desk. With a thought, a steaming donkey meat sandwich suddenly appeared in his hand.

Looking at the fragrant donkey meat sandwich, Yang Jun's Adam's apple bobbed as he ate it in big mouthfuls.

It's been a long time since I've had donkey meat sandwiches. And let me tell you, they're quite delicious. It's as if the taste has taken me back twenty years. Twenty years ago, I was in my prime. Back then, I didn't have high demands for material things, and everything tasted good. Later, as life got better day by day, I got used to delicacies and gradually became indifferent to street food.

I tried street food again today, and I must say, it was quite delicious.

This exercise aimed to simulate extremely harsh living conditions as much as possible. Everyone in the shelter had to live in such an extreme environment, including his family.

He should have shared joys and sorrows with his family, and he had thought about using the resources in his space to ensure his family could live a life free from want, but he couldn't.

He has space, so everything is fine. There's no need for him to suffer. He has space, so he can live comfortably in any environment. But his family can't. He can't be with his family often. He has to train them to endure hardship so that they can survive in extreme environments in the future.

He did it for their own good.

After finishing a donkey meat sandwich, he still felt unsatisfied and was about to get another donkey meat sandwich when the study door suddenly opened.

Yi Qiushui walked straight up to him, crossed her arms, and looked at him with a mocking expression.

"Does it smell good?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun felt no guilt whatsoever; instead, he readily admitted it.

"fragrant."

As he spoke, he took a big bite of the donkey meat sandwich.

Yi Qiushui knew his secret and knew that he would definitely hide and eat secretly. The reason she didn't knock and come in was to catch him in the act.

Seeing that Yang Jun showed no remorse whatsoever, Yi Qiushui gritted her teeth in anger.

Looking at the fragrant donkey meat sandwich, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

She had only eaten half a steamed bun, saving the rest for the child, and now her stomach was growling with hunger.

"Are you sorry?"

"As a husband and a father, how can you do this...?"

Yang Jun suddenly handed him a donkey meat sandwich.

"Are you going to eat?"

"I...of course I ate it." Yi Qiushui took the donkey meat sandwich with a huff and said, "I'm not stupid, why shouldn't I eat it?"

"If you want to eat, then stop talking nonsense."

After saying that, Yang Jun added, "Just eat it yourself. Stop with your pathetic kindness. You'll only hurt them."

"I'll watch you eat." (End of Chapter)