Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Liu Haizhong had mixed feelings after hearing this, and nodded to Yan Jiecheng:

"Thank you for your understanding."

Just as Liu Haizhong finished speaking, his wife suddenly let out a loud wails:

"Hahahaha, oh my god, the old man is finally dead, it's truly a blessing from heaven... mmm mmm."

Before she could finish speaking, her second son, Liu Guangtian, covered her mouth and said nervously, "Mom, you can't say that!"

Wang Guilian's joy hadn't faded when her son reminded her, and she nodded to him.

Liu Guangtian breathed a sigh of relief and released his hand from his mother's.

"Guangtian, Mom was just too happy and couldn't help it," Wang Guilian said in a low voice.

But none of the people present didn't hear it.

Yan Jiecheng was speechless for a moment...

Liu Haizhong and his two sons exchanged a helpless glance.

The third son, Liu Guangfu, was still young and didn't understand anything about the shady dealings. He just felt happy because his mother was happy, and even imitated her with a loud shout:

"Oh, finally, old man Deng is dead! God has opened his eyes!"

"This..." Yan Jiecheng quickly covered his mouth, afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back his laughter, thinking to himself, "This family is really filial."

Liu Guangtian is twelve years old this year, and looks like a little calf. He walked up to Yan Jiecheng and whispered:

"Brother Jiecheng, you didn't hear anything, right?"

"I..." Yan Jiecheng was about to say, "How could I not have heard? You all treat me like a human being."

But instead, he was met with four threatening looks, so he immediately changed his tone:

"Hehe, Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, Guangqi, and Guangtian, I didn't hear anything. Just pretend I wasn't here today."

"You guys pack your things and come out, there are other people waiting outside."

After saying that, he left.

At this moment, Liu Haizhong said to his wife in an annoyed tone:

"Hey Guilian, can you control your emotions? She's still my mother, no matter what. Calling her 'old hag' over and over again is really inappropriate if the neighbors hear it."

Wang Guilian rolled her eyes at this: "You were the one who pointed at your mother and called her an old hag back then, have you forgotten? Now you're bringing it up about me."

Liu Haizhong was a little embarrassed and waved his hand: "Alright, stop talking for now, hurry up and get out of here. If you can't cry, just put some garlic on your face."

Upon hearing this, the two brothers exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Dad, there's no need."

"Okay, let's go then."

The family then walked towards the gate with sad expressions.

The neighbors had already come out to see what was going on. After all, it was quite rare for someone to come and announce a death in the neighborhood, so they weren't afraid of getting bad luck from it.

Liu Haizhong's cousin and nephew were getting impatient waiting at the gate. Just then, before the person even arrived, the sound of crying could be heard.

"Waaah, Mom..." Liu Haizhong came out wiping away tears, and after seeing his cousin, he hugged him and collapsed onto him.

The two Liu brothers lowered their heads and pretended to be sad...

Wang Guilian stopped acting altogether and was now holding Liu Guangfu's hand with a big smile, as if she was overjoyed that her mother-in-law had died.

Liu Haifeng patted his younger cousin on the back: "Third brother, pack up and go home."

Liu Haizhong nodded. It was only right to go home for the funeral. No matter what conflicts there had been in the past, he still had to see his mother off.

So the group returned to the Liu family home first.

Liu Haifeng meant that his cousin's family should all go back for the funeral.

Wang Guilian refused to go back for the funeral because her third son, Liu Haifu, was still young.

Liu Haizhong didn't care; it was good that his wife wasn't going back, to avoid any trouble later.

The nephew, Liu Guanghui, wanted to say that this was not right, but his father, Liu Haifeng, stopped him.

Liu Haifeng and his son's task today was to announce the death. Whether his cousin's family went back or not was none of his business, nor should it be his responsibility.

After the family finished packing, Liu Haizhong went to find Yi Zhonghai.

"Old Yi, my mother has passed away. I need to go back to see her off. Could you ask for leave for me at the factory tomorrow?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded, quite appreciating Liu Haizhong's actions. When one's mother passes away, it's only natural for a son to see her off on her final journey.

So he patted Liu Haizhong's shoulder to comfort him:

"Old Liu, please accept my condolences. Don't worry, I'll talk to the workshop foreman properly, and I'm sure the leaders will understand."

Liu Haizhong could tell that Yi Zhonghai was speaking from the heart, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Lao Yi. I'll treat you to a drink when I get back."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand politely: "We're all neighbors, it's only right."

Liu Haizhong took his two sons and set off for the countryside in a horse-drawn carriage driven by his cousin.

Liu Haizhong, a passerby, remained silent, his mind heavy as he recalled those unbearable past events.

His parents' favoritism and the bullying from his two older brothers made him feel suffocated.

This has also resulted in Liu Haizhong not returning to his hometown for almost ten years, because there's nowhere for him to live, so how could he possibly go back...

Liu Haizhong originally thought that his family would think more highly of him when he went back this time, but instead he was even more embarrassed.

I had just finished kowtowing with my two sons in front of my mother's memorial tablet when my father gave me a severe scolding as soon as I got up.

Adding to the distress were the brother and sister-in-law's offensive remarks, which made the father and his two sons extremely unhappy.

Liu Guangqi is known for his good temper, but in this situation, who could be good?

Liu Guangtian couldn't stand it, so he stood up and started yelling at his uncles. He was no good boy.

The result was that he was beaten up by several of his cousins, and Liu Haizhong and Liu Guangqi were also beaten up.

Liu Guangqi was stunned. He knew his family was very unruly, but he didn't expect them to be this rude.

"Third brother, so what if you're a worker? I look down on you." Liu Haizhong's eldest brother was extremely arrogant. Although he was dirt poor, the words he spoke were incredibly cocky.

Should we force him to bow down to his successful younger brother?

Impossible, absolutely impossible...

My bangs are freezing cold; he shouldn't have come back at all.

However, he wasn't a fool who could be easily manipulated. He said expressionlessly to his father, who sat in a chair watching him coldly:

"You two have always favored the eldest and second eldest since we were little. I, the third one, was adopted."

"But you gave birth to me, so at least you let me live. I don't complain. You don't have much wealth either. I really don't care about this little plot of land. I'll leave it to the eldest and second eldest sons."

"I have to say how right it was to find my own way to make a living back then. For the past ten years or so, I've had enough to eat and wear."

"I earn seventy or eighty yuan a month, and every day I eat pork or wheat flour, occasionally I can have roast duck. Life is so easy."

"Old Deng, remember to let me know when you leave, I'll come back and kowtow to you."

After finishing his sentence, Liu Haizhong turned and left with his sons. Feeling he hadn't said enough, he turned to his cousin Liu Haifeng and said:

"Brother Haifeng, I think your eldest son, Guanghui, is quite good. Take him to the city next spring, and I, as his uncle, will get him a job as a factory worker."

"What future can you have farming in your hometown?"

The moment Liu Haizhong said that, the whole room erupted in cheers.

His elder brother, Liu Hailong, said angrily, "Third brother, what are you bragging about? It's not that easy to become a worker in the city. A single job pays several hundred yuan."

His question was met with a furious rebuke from Liu Haizhong:

"I have that kind of ability. I'm loaded. I'd rather lose it all and feed it to my dogs than give it to you guys."

"You idiot, go back to farming your whole life, you son of a bitch!"

"Pah!" The Guangqi and Guangtian brothers also spat at Liu Hailong.

Liu Haifeng, meanwhile, happily led his son Liu Guanghui to harness the horse-drawn carriage.

As for continuing to hold funerals for my aunt?

What a mess! When the fight broke out, my aunt's mourning hall was completely destroyed.

We need to send my cousin back to the city as soon as possible; my son's future rests on his shoulders.

After Liu Haizhong and his son left, the Liu family fell into a struggle.

The second brother, Liu Haitao, criticized his eldest brother for being unfair, which offended the third brother terribly.

People are now reluctant to help their own family members even when they're helping their cousin's child.

Grandpa Liu's face was also very unpleasant. He envied his third son for eating meat and fish every day.

He might regret it, but there's no way he'll back down. Whatever, I'll just not eat meat. I'll stay hard, I'll stay hard until I die!