Siheyuan: Domineering life

Days passed by like flowing water.

Before we knew it, a month had passed, and on the last day of August, the heavy doors of the shelter finally opened again.

After the gate opened, a large, orderly stream of people emerged from inside. They did not crowd, nor did they show any anxiety or fatigue on their faces. It seemed that they were already used to this kind of exercise. The only ones who were probably anxious were Yang Jun's relatives and friends.

After all, this was their first time participating in such an exercise, and it lasted for a month. It was impossible for them not to feel anxious and tired. Life underground was definitely not as good as life on the ground, especially since they had been starving for almost half of the month.

As soon as they got to the ground, their first priority was to find food. They had all lost weight over the past month, but fortunately, they were still in good health and hadn't become emaciated from hunger.

"Brother, it's my treat. I'll take you to the best hotel for a banquet."

As soon as they got to the ground, Ma Juzi and Yang Anguo found Yang Jun and insisted on treating him to a feast.

In fact, Yang Jun could tell that they did this on purpose, wanting to express their dissatisfaction over the past month by hosting a banquet.

"Dining table?"

Yang Jun sneered, rolled his eyes at them, and said, "Everyone in Taiping Town just came up from underground. The restaurants aren't even open yet. Where are you going to have a feast?"

Ma Juzi and the others were taken aback by the question, and then said, "Then...then we'll treat you to a banquet at a grand hotel in the provincial capital. Anyway, it's a quick trip by plane."

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

Yang Jun tapped them a few times with his hand and said, "If you're unhappy with me, you can say so. Don't use such childish methods, or I'll look down on you."

"Brother, even if we're dissatisfied, we wouldn't dare to be dissatisfied with you."

Ma Juzi said with a smile, "Everyone's been starving for the past month, so I thought I'd treat you to something nice. I really didn't mean anything by it."

"Whatever you mean, I'm not going."

Seeing that Yang Anguo and the others wanted to say something more, Yang Jun raised his hand to interrupt them.

"I've already instructed the kitchen to prepare a feast. If you'd like to have a treat, you can stay. If not..."

Yang Jun pointed in the direction of the gate and said, "The gate is over there, get out of here."

"Hehe, we're not leaving."

Yang Anbang laughed and said, "Since you've prepared the banquet, there's no reason for us to go to such lengths, right, everyone?"

"Yes, we're having a feast at my brother's house today."

Everyone echoed in unison.

Afterwards, Yang Jun led them to the restaurant.

The date of the exercise was set in advance, so the supply convoy from Taiping Town was already waiting for the men the moment the shelter gates opened. Afterwards, everyone went to buy grain and vegetables. Yang Jun's family was no exception; they had already bought the grain and vegetables, and the cook was currently working hard to prepare the meal.

After a month of hunger, everyone's first thought upon reaching the surface was to replenish their stomachs with some nourishing food.

About half an hour later, the food was finally ready.

Yang Jun, Yang Anguo, Ma Juzi, Wang Zhi, and a group of men sat at a table. Before the food was served, the alcohol was brought out, and several of them couldn't wait any longer and started drinking straight from the bottle.

"Oh my, Zhaocai, look at the way you eat. What's the difference between you and a reincarnated starving ghost?" Yang Anguo joked.

Sun Zhaocai, who was originally a big and burly man, lost a lot of weight after a month of training. His chubby appearance became somewhat thin, and his fat face was so emaciated that he looked like a completely different person.

Before the food was even served, two bottles of beer had already been downed.

If it were in the past, he would have definitely retorted if Yang Anguo had mocked him like that, but today he didn't care at all. At this moment, nothing was more important than filling his stomach; his mind was entirely on the beer.

"Silly Zhu, why do you eat like that too?"

Seeing that Sun Zhaocai ignored him, Yang Anguo turned to look at Ding Erzhu.

Ding Erzhu didn't have time to pay attention to him; he was currently blowing on the bottle.

"Alright, you're no better than those two. Look at your behavior." Yang Jun rolled his eyes at him.

This guy is like the pot calling the kettle black; he'd already downed half a bottle of beer while he was mocking them.

"Hehe, we're just chatting idly, we've got nothing better to do anyway," Yang Anguo laughed.

"The food is here."

Just as everyone was chatting, the chef brought in the food.

"Stop being so formal, you've been starving for a month, start eating."

Yang Jun waved his hand, signaling that dinner was ready.

Then, chopsticks flew across the table, and in less than a minute, the first eight dishes were gone.

Seeing this, Yang Jun sighed and then said to Luo Xiaojun, who was sitting by the door, "Xiaojun, tell the kitchen to bring another serving of the same food."

"Yes, uncle."

After receiving the order, Luo Xiaojun put down his chopsticks and went to the kitchen.

This is the scene here, and the same scene is in the large restaurant next door. A group of children are fighting for food like they're starving ghosts. Some of the children who didn't get any food are crying in desperation.

In fact, it wasn't just Yang Jun's family that was in this situation; the entire Taiping Town was in the same state, with every household experiencing the same scene.

At this time, probably 99% of the people in Taiping Town are eating.

When the second serving of food arrived, the situation improved considerably. People stopped scrambling to eat and became more refined, abandoning their previous wolfing-down manner. They slowed down their eating pace and began drinking and chatting.

"Old Yang, let's have a toast."

Wang Erwa raised his glass and clinked it with Yang Jun's.

After finishing his drink, Wang Erwa slammed the glass heavily on the table.

"Damn it, don't call me to any more drills."

"I've lived to this age, and I still have to suffer like this at the end. It's so frustrating."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun rolled his eyes at him and said, "You old bastard, have you ever thought about your wife and children? They haven't lived enough yet."

"I don't care, just don't bring me along on the next exercise, or I'll turn on you." - Wang Erwa

"Ha ha!"

Everyone burst into laughter after hearing this.

Wang Erwa wasn't the only one with this thought; everyone present thought the same way. Life is short, only a few decades, so we should enjoy it and not suffer like this.

In their hearts, they may never have thought that such a day would come, or they may not be afraid of the day coming; they just want to enjoy each day as it comes.

But Yang Jun is different from them. He is immortal and will live for a very long time. Moreover, he also has to consider the long-term plan of the Yang family. He cannot only see the present situation, but must see a hundred or a thousand years from now. He only hopes that if that day comes, his children and grandchildren will have a sliver of hope to live.

Seeing everyone complaining about the exercise, Yang Jun simply smiled and remained silent. People are different, and he couldn't expect others to think the same way he did. He wouldn't force anyone; he just needed to do his best.

"I plan to go back to Yanjing tomorrow. I don't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another second," Wang Erwa said.

"Old Wang, I'm going back too. Let's go together tomorrow," said Yang Anguo.

Wang Erwa's words drew agreement from the crowd, whose immediate thought was to leave this place as soon as possible and return to their comfortable home in Yanjing.

Apart from the guards Luo Xiaojun, Sun Zhaocai, and Ding Erzhu, everyone else said they would go back tomorrow, and if possible, they even thought about going back tonight.

"Brother, when are you planning to go back?"

Seeing that Yang Jun was hesitant to express his opinion, Ma Juzi asked.

Seeing this, everyone turned to look at Yang Jun.

Yang Jun picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and then said, "I'm not going back."

After a slight pause, he continued, "This is where I will retire. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be my final resting place."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned strange. Seeing that Yang Jun didn't seem to be joking, they began to take it seriously.

"Brother, is this really your plan? You really want to spend the rest of your life in this godforsaken place?" Yang Anguo asked.

"Yes."

Yang Jun nodded and said, "I've been planning this since the day I started building the shelter ten years ago."

"Besides, this place isn't as bad as you make it out to be. It's a beautiful, peaceful place with complete amenities, including a hospital, school, library, cinema, market, and more. It's no different from any other city, and..."

At this point, Yang Jun paused for a moment, and when he looked up again, his face became even more indifferent.

"Moreover, Chengdao is already capable of standing on his own, so I, as his father, must make way for him. If I continue to be here, he will never grow up, so..."

The rest of the words were left unsaid, but everyone understood what they meant.

"Of course... if you encounter difficulties in attaining enlightenment or if there is anything you can't solve, I, as your father, will step in when the time is right."

Wang Erwa nodded and said, "You're right, Lao Yang, you're doing the right thing. What parent doesn't think about their child?"

"However, I also admire you. Sitting in that position, you stepped down just like that. You really had the courage to do so. For your magnanimity, I'd like to toast you."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun smiled and picked up his wine glass, saying, "If we're talking about magnanimity, I'm not as good as you. Didn't you just quit like that back then?"

"I...I'm not like you. I've been bewitched by a vixen."

Wang Erwa was furious at the mention of his ruthless ex-wife, Lina: "If I could do it all over again, I would definitely choose to have both the empire and the beauty."

"Heh, there's no going back in this world. You'll have to wait until your next life."

"Damn it, why didn't you stop me back then..."

"Didn't I stop you...?"

The two of them started arguing and ended up drinking a glass together. After putting down their glasses, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I've decided, I won't go back tomorrow, I'm going to stay and keep you company," Wang Erwa suddenly said.

"Aren't you afraid I might suddenly launch another exercise?" Yang Jun asked, squinting his eyes.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Doing another exercise right after it's over? Do you even think that's possible?"

Wang Erwa rolled his eyes at him and said, "Besides, you do your act, don't drag me into it, I don't know you."

"Ha ha!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Then, Yang Jun, holding his wine glass, glanced at everyone and asked, "Are you all going back tomorrow?"

Everyone shook their heads upon hearing this.

“Brother, you took this joke seriously. We’re not stupid. The exercise just ended and we’re having another one. Even if we don’t complain, the people in Taiping Town will definitely have something to say,” Ma Juzi said.

“Brother, you know what, I actually miss the days on the ground. Apart from not having enough to eat, everything else was great.” Wang Zhi.

"Yes, yes, we really miss the days down there. We don't usually have this many people at gatherings. Maybe it's only at times like this that we can all sit down and get together."

Everyone chatted amongst themselves, reminiscing about the days back then. At that time, everyone was carefree, free from the troubles of the outside world, and didn't have to worry about anything. They would gather together every day to chat and play cards, without any worries or anxieties.

But things are different now. After everyone got to the ground, their hearts had long since flown away from these 100,000 mountains. They all have families, careers, and businesses to manage and jobs to do. They can't possibly settle down here and enjoy life like Yang Jun and Wang Erwa.

The next day, at least half of the people who had come with him left, leaving only Yang Jun's family. None of the people who had said they would stay yesterday remained; they set off at dawn, running faster than anyone else. Even that old idiot Wang Erwa ran away.

Besides Yang Jun's family, there were only Luo Xiaojun, Sun Zhaocai, and Ding Erzhu left. As Yang Jun's bodyguards, they had to stay by his side at all times.

"Xiaojun."

That day, Yang Jun was fishing in his own pond when he started chatting with Luo Xiaojun.

Luo Xiaojun didn't speak, but looked at Yang Jun.

Since Yang Jun retired, there have been fewer things that required his attention and involvement, so he has started fishing with him. When they have free time, the two of them sit together and fish.

Over the years, he and Yang Jun have become more than just superiors and subordinates; they are friends, even confidants. If you were to ask who in the world understands Yang Jun better, probably no one would understand him better than Luo Xiaojun.

"Uncle Master."

Luo Xiaojun called out, which was his way of responding to him.

“Now that I’m retired, you don’t need to be by my side every day anymore. If you have something you like to do, you can do it now,” Yang Jun said.

"Uncle-Master, why did you suddenly bring this up?" Luo Xiaojun said, "I don't have anything to do. If I had to, it would be to be your bodyguard. That's all."

"I didn't mean anything by it, and don't overthink it. I just wanted to express my apology."

Yang Jun lay on the rattan chair, looked in his direction, and said, "You've been by my side for so many years, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, revolving around me. If it weren't for you as my right-hand man, I'm afraid my career wouldn't have been so smooth. I'm thinking that now that I'm retired, you have time too. If you have something you want to do, then go ahead and do it."

"Uncle-Master, I know what you want to say. What I really want to do is serve you well. Your affairs are my affairs."

She paused slightly, then continued, "Actually, I've always wanted to thank you, but I was afraid you'd think I was being sentimental..."

“If it weren’t for you, I would at most be a street thug, and I would never have the status and wealth I have now. All of this is a gift from you, and I am very grateful for it. Since I followed you, I have vowed to be loyal to you for the rest of my life and to share your burdens and difficulties, even if it costs me my life.”

"Xiaojun..."

Seeing that Yang Jun was about to say something, Luo Xiaojun interrupted, "Uncle-Master, don't say anything more. In this life, I will not recognize anyone but you."

"I've decided to follow you for the rest of my life." (End of Chapter)