Siheyuan: Domineering life

The exercise continued.

This is a brutal and realistic survival test under extreme conditions. Everyone inevitably faces the test and tempering. Everyone goes through an adaptation and torment process when they first take the test. The people of Taiping Town have experienced dozens of large and small drills over the years. They are already used to it. They also went through that torment. So they have long been adapted to the current living conditions.

On the contrary, Yang Jun and his group were participating in the exercise for the first time and had many difficulties adapting. The first thing they felt was that they were always hungry and their stomachs were constantly empty. That feeling was extremely agonizing. There were no extra supplies in the shelter. If you ate one more bite, someone else would eat one less bite. The supplies here were all rationed, and it was fair to everyone.

Yang Jun's family was in the same situation. Of course, Xiao Wu took good care of them, and they were given a little more supplies than others. Even so, the whole family was still hungry.

Everyone was starving, and their spirits were low. The children, who were usually playful, became quiet and tried to minimize unnecessary physical activity. They lay there muttering, "I'm hungry... I'm hungry..." The adults were the same, looking sickly and unable to muster any energy for anything.

Of all the shelters, Yang Jun and Yi Qiushui were probably in the best mental state. The two secretly hid in the study to eat, and when they came out after finishing their meal, no one noticed anything amiss.

“Dad, there are still many things waiting for me to deal with in Yanjing. I... I can’t stay here forever.”

After a day of hunger, Yang Chengdao, the son, couldn't bear it any longer and went to Yang Jun to ask to leave the shelter.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun slowly raised his head and glanced at him, but said nothing.

"Well... actually, my business isn't that important."

Seeing Yang Jun's murderous gaze, Yang Chengdao nervously changed the subject.

"Just pretend I just farted."

He came here to visit his father and relax, and also to take a vacation. Unexpectedly, he ran into an exercise and had to suffer here with everyone else.

Seeing the shift in his son's eyes, Yang Jun frowned.

In fact, he knew in his heart that most people and his son Yang Chengdao had the same idea. They all felt that they would never encounter extreme living conditions in their lives, and that setting up a shelter was making a mountain out of a molehill. Or to put it another way, even if they approved of the shelter, they felt that there should not be any drills, or at least not for such a long time.

Yang Jun pondered for a moment and said, "As the head of the family, I advise you to think twice before you speak. Hundreds of thousands of eyes are watching you."

Yang Chengdao nodded guiltily after hearing this.

“Dad, I know my identity and the heavy responsibility on my shoulders. This... there’s no one else here, I was just complaining.”

Complaining won't work either.

After Yang Jun finished speaking, he softened his tone, paused slightly, and continued, "You're not a child anymore. You're over thirty years old. You can't act like a spoiled child in front of me like before. The Yang family will be handed over to you in the future. I don't need to tell you how heavy the burden on your shoulders is. Other people can give up, rest, or act spoiled, but you can't."

"Since you accept this immense wealth and glory, you must bear the corresponding responsibilities. Rights and obligations, freedom and responsibility are all relative. You will only enjoy what you give. There is no such thing as enjoying without giving in this world..."

Yang Jun, as always, would tirelessly instill these ideas in his son, whether he wanted to or not. He knew his son didn't want to hear them, but as a father and the current head of the Yang family, he had to do it. He had to hand the Yang family over to his son; the lives of hundreds of Yang family members were in the hands of the future head of the family, and there could be no carelessness whatsoever.

"Chengdao, you are the most outstanding of all my children, without exception. Dad is proud of you. You are the hope of our Yang family. Your younger siblings are all counting on you to live their lives. You must shoulder the responsibility of being the eldest brother," Yang Jun said earnestly.

"Dad, I see."

This time, Yang Chengdao surprisingly did not show any impatience and even humbly admitted his mistake.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I shouldn't have said those things just now, and I shouldn't have backed down when faced with difficulties, nor should I have abandoned my family and run away alone."

Yang Chengdao said with shame, "It's all my fault, I was wrong."

"But Dad, don't worry, it won't happen again."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun sighed and patted his son's shoulder forcefully.

"Dad knows you're under a lot of pressure, and I understand. It's normal to complain and nag sometimes. But even if you nag, you absolutely can't let your guard down, okay?"

"I know, Dad. Don't worry, I won't let you down," Yang Cheng said.

Afterwards, the father and son chatted for a while before Yang Chengdao left.

He hadn't been gone long when Wang Erwa arrived.

This guy had a stern face, looking like everyone owed him a hundred and fifty cents. When he saw Yang Jun, he didn't look at him with any respect.

"Humph!"

Wang Erwa snorted coldly, then took off his shoes and squatted on the chair.

He has maintained this habit for so many years, and even now that he is about to be buried, he still hasn't been able to break this bad habit.

"I advise you to save your energy, otherwise you'll be even hungrier." Yang Jun sat there, calmly sipping his tea.

"Damn old Yang, I get so angry just thinking about this. It's an exercise, fine, but why aren't we even fed?" Wang Erwa was so angry that his hair stood on end.

"Heh, you think this is on the ground? You can eat however you want?"

Yang Jun rolled his eyes at him and continued, "This is a drill. It's simulating the harshest survival conditions. How can it be a drill if you don't suffer a bit?"

"It's a shame you used to be a cadre; I never expected you to have such low awareness."

Wang Erwa rolled his eyes at what he was being told and snorted, "I'm already this old, what am I afraid of? I've enjoyed all kinds of blessings, so if I die, I die. If I had known I would hide underground like a rat and eke out a living, I would have preferred not to come down here."

"Hmph, are you tired of living? Don't you think about your wife and children?" Yang Jun rolled his eyes at him and said, "Think about your newborn child."

When the topic of children came up, Wang Erwa immediately deflated and couldn't utter a single word.

Three months ago, his wife Bai Jing gave birth to a baby girl. For him, who is nearly seventy years old, this was a shot in the arm, making his life as a venerable old man more colorful and fulfilling.

He had a daughter late in life and cherished her dearly. He did everything he could to give her all the good things in the world. He treated her like a precious gem, afraid she might fall from his hands or melt in his mouth.

He had come here with his wife and child for a vacation, hoping for a wonderful trip, but unexpectedly they ran into an exercise, and the whole family had to suffer along with them. The adults were okay, but the three-month-old baby was in trouble. Formula, diapers, and other such things were rare in the shelter. In addition, his wife, Bai Jing, did not have enough breast milk, and the baby cried from hunger every day. He had no other choice but to come to Yang Jun.

"I've lived this long, do I need you to teach me such a simple truth?"

Wang Erwa rolled his eyes, then took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, "I don't care, you have to get me milk powder and diapers."

After saying that, he added, "Don't forget, you're the child's godfather."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun said speechlessly, "If you want something, just say it. Why bother with all that complaining nonsense?"

After a slight pause, she continued, "You should ask Xiao Wu about this. Why are you asking me? I don't have a newborn baby at home, so where would I get formula and diapers?"

“I don’t care about any of that, I just want to ask you for it.” Wang Erwa said.

"I'm not your father, why should I spoil you?" Yang Jun said with a laugh.

“I am your father, you have an obligation to support me,” Wang Erwa retorted.

"I'm your grandfather... Speak of the devil and he appears."

Yang Jun was still cursing back when he saw Yang Chengwu walking towards them from afar.

Wang Erwa also saw Xiao Wu, and his eyes lit up, a smile immediately appearing on his face.

"Hey, Xiao Wu's here." Wang Erwa greeted him with a smile from afar.

Whether his precious daughter's formula and diapers can be provided depends entirely on Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and stared at him in astonishment.

"Did the sun rise in the west today? Why did Uncle Wang greet me first?"

In the past, Wang Erwa was his elder, and he was always the one who took the initiative to talk to him. Unexpectedly, today, the sun... no, there was no sun in the shelter. Unexpectedly, Wang Erwa took the initiative to greet him, and his smile was full of flattery.

Upon hearing this, Wang Erwa pretended to be angry and said, "What, can't your Uncle Wang greet you?"

Xiao Wu chuckled and said, "Sure, otherwise I'd say the sun rose in the west."

After saying that, he looked at Yang Jun and said, "Godfather, Uncle Wang isn't trying to trick me by being so helpful all of a sudden, is he?"

Yang Jun laughed and said, "You guessed right. That old bastard is the kind of person who won't do anything without a profit."

"Old Yang, you son of a bitch, I never thought you thought I was like this," Wang Erwa said with a laugh.

Upon hearing this, Yang Chengwu shook his head, then sat down in the chair next to Yang Jun, keeping as far away from Wang Erwa as possible.

"Godfather is right. From the moment I walked in, I could tell you were planning to trick me."

Yang Chengwu paused slightly, then smiled and said, "I guess it must be related to my position as the chief commander of the exercise, right?"

When Wang Erwa realized his thoughts had been guessed, his old face flushed slightly, but for his daughter's sake, he had no choice but to swallow his pride.

"Xiao Wu, Uncle Wang won't hide it from you, there really is something he needs your help with."

“My little girl… your sister is only three months old, right? She’s at the age where she’s on formula, and your Aunt Wang isn’t in very good health…”

Upon hearing this, Yang Chengwu interrupted him with a smile, saying, "Uncle Wang, you're being too blunt. Just tell me directly if you need milk powder?"

"Yes!"

Wang Erwa readily admitted it, then added, "Not only do we need formula, but we also need diapers. This exercise was so sudden, we couldn't bring any of these things with us."

"Hey, it's just formula and diapers, why beat around the bush? Just say it directly." Xiao Wu.

"If he didn't go through all that trouble, he wouldn't be an old bastard," Yang Jun said with a laugh.

“You’re the bastard, your whole family are bastards,” Wang Erwa retorted.

"Hey, hey, hey... Uncle Wang, my surname is also Yang. Am I the bastard you're talking about?"

"You don't count, only your godfather is a bastard," Wang Erwa said with a fawning smile.

"Ha ha!"

After saying that, Yang Chengwu smiled and said, "Uncle Wang, the shelter already stores milk powder and diapers, which are prepared for babies. You can just ask the staff for them. You don't need to come to me specifically."

"Just find them?" Wang Erwa looked at him with a skeptical expression.

"It absolutely has to work."

"Okay, then I'll ask them directly next time, but you have to solve this for me this time."

"No problem, Uncle Wang, I'll have someone send it to you later."

"Thanks, Xiao Wu."

"Uncle Wang, you're too kind."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Yang Chengwu finally got down to business with Yang Jun.

"Godfather, let me report to you on the current situation at the shelter."

"Overall, the shelters are operating well, the public is in a very stable mood, and the supply of daily necessities is fully guaranteed. I plan to make this exercise last a little longer."

I'd like to ask for your opinion.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun said, "You are the commander-in-chief of this exercise. You don't need to consult me ​​on everything. You can make the decisions yourself."

"That's true, but I still need to ask for your advice, hehe."

At this moment, Wang Erwa interjected, "Xiao Wu, how long do you plan to keep this exercise going?"

"Um... The original plan was for five days, but after discussion and deliberation with a group of experts, we decided to extend it to ten days."

"Ten days?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Erwa immediately became anxious.

"If this takes this long, won't it drive people crazy?"

"Uncle Wang."

Yang Chengwu smiled and called out, then said earnestly, "Ten days is not long. Our longest exercise was a month. The reason we only exercised for ten days is because it was your first time, Godfather and the rest of you. Otherwise, I would have planned to exercise for twenty days."

"You're kidding me. If it really lasts twenty days, half the people here will probably starve to death."

"Uncle Wang, you're joking. The supplies here are enough to ensure the survival of the people here for thirty years. The situation you described won't happen," Yang Chengwu explained with a smile.

"With so many supplies, why are you being so stingy? We're starving and barely human."

"Uncle Wang, isn't this an exercise to simulate reality? Since it's an extreme environment, of course we're maximizing the use of resources."

Hearing what Xiao Wu said, Wang Erwa sighed.

In fact, he knew that Xiao Wu was right. To survive in extreme environments, one must maximize resources and live as long as possible.

"Hey."

Wang Erwa sighed.

After a while, he suddenly smiled and said to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, how about Uncle Wang discusses something with you?"

"Uncle Wang, please tell me. I'll agree to anything I can do." - Xiao Wu

"How about this, you secretly let me out, and I promise I won't tell anyone. I can't stand living down here for even a day."

Yang Chengwu: "..." (End of this chapter)