I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

"To relieve boredom!"

Yan Jiefang strode over to his third brother, reached out and pulled him up from the ground, his tone crisp and decisive:

"Stop wasting your energy here, come with me."

Yan Jiekuang suddenly looked up and saw his second brother's serious expression. His previously listless expression immediately relaxed, and he felt relieved. He quickly responded:

"Second Brother!"

The two brothers carried coarse cloth sacks and headed straight for the usual good place they came from.

Most of the people picking up slag at the coal yard are familiar faces. They know each other well, and everyone knows who is easy to get along with and who is not to be trifled with.

Upon seeing the tall and imposing Yan Jiefang approaching, the group of people who had been occupying good spots tactfully moved aside and made room for him.

Yan Jiefang possessed extraordinary strength. His small iron shovel moved up and down rapidly and steadily, clearing away a large pile of slag in no time.

Pieces of coal, half-burnt and shiny black, were revealed. Yan Jiekuang quickly bent down and deftly picked them up one by one, putting them into his cloth bag.

Many people watched from afar, their eyes filled with envy, but seeing Yan Jiefang's tense face, no one dared to take a step forward and could only stay in their positions obediently.

In just over twenty minutes, Yan Jiekuang's coarse cloth sack was filled to the brim with heavy coal nuggets.

"Let's grab the shovel and go back."

Yan Jiefang handed the shovel to his third brother, picked up the bulging cloth bag with one hand, and strode towards the courtyard.

During his journey, while Yan Jiekuang was looking down and not paying attention, he quietly put most of the coal nuggets in his bag into his personal space, leaving only a small amount in the bag.

Yan Jiekuang walked to the side, looking at his second brother who was outstanding in both skill and strength, and was filled with admiration. He secretly hoped that he could also develop such skills.

Before long, the two brothers stepped back into the courtyard.

Yan Bugui, the abacus expert guarding the door, spotted the contents of the bag at a glance, a hint of satisfaction flashing across his slightly narrowed eyes.

He quickly started calculating in his mind:

From now on, let the third brother go to the coal yard to pick up coal cinders every day. With the second brother's character, he will definitely not be able to bear seeing his younger brother suffer, and he will go to lend a hand when the time comes.

In this way, the coal for heating and cooking at home is secured, saving both money and coal coupons, thus saving a lot of household expenses.

Yan Jiefang dumped the remaining coal nuggets from the bag onto the coal pile in the corner of his house, then led Yan Jiekuang, who was covered in coal dust, to the pool in the middle courtyard to wash them off.

It was getting late, and the steel mill had already closed. I figured Sha Zhu should be heading back to the hospital by now.

If Qin Huairuo, the laundry maid, had already "refreshed" by the pool and was washing clothes, the sound of the wooden mallet rising and falling gently echoed in the courtyard.

A quick glance to the side revealed a dark figure standing by the window of the Jia family's house. The person was hidden inside, their eyes fixed on the central courtyard. It was none other than Jia Zhangshi.

Yan Jiefang has never been interested in the trivial matters and gossip of the elderly residents in the nursing home. As long as no one provokes him for no reason, he simply watches from the sidelines.

Just then, he heard voices coming from the front yard. He had exceptional hearing and heard them clearly.

"Shazhu, what good dishes did you bring back today? The aroma fills the whole yard! Why don't you ask your third aunt to heat them up for you? I also have a bottle of good wine hidden here, let's have a couple of drinks together."

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's voice, Sha Zhu laughed and joked back:

"Uncle, you should keep that water with the alcohol mixed in and drink it slowly. I'm going back to my room to eat now."

"Hey, hey, don't rush off, I haven't finished talking yet..."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Qin Huairu, who was squatting by the pool washing clothes, immediately stopped what she was doing, threw the clothes into the basin, wiped the water off her hands on her trousers, and hurried to the front yard.

Seeing this clearly from behind the window, Jia Zhangshi immediately crawled out of the house and followed closely behind.

Given her gluttony, the rich, oily dishes that Sha Zhu brought back from the factory must not have any mishaps.

Sure enough, in no time, the two aluminum lunchboxes that Sha Zhu brought back from the cafeteria ended up in Qin Huairu's hands.

She and Jia Zhangshi, who followed closely behind, huddled together, the rich aroma of meat filling their nostrils. Both of them beamed with joy as they walked briskly toward the Jia family home.

Shazhu followed behind, staring intently at the laundry maid's palace with a perverted look on his face.

He Yushui stood guard at her door, taking in the whole scene. She felt a pang of sadness and bitterness, but there was nothing she could do.

She knew in her heart that her brother had already been bewitched by the other woman!

On the other side, Yan Jiefang and his brother used the clear water in the pool to quickly wash the coal dust off their faces, arms, and hands with soap.

This bar of soap was purchased privately by Yan Jiefang, who usually kept it in his personal storage space for his own use.

Yan Jiefang glanced at He Yushui, and seeing that she hadn't noticed him, he didn't try to win her over. He called to his third brother, and together they turned and left the central courtyard.

As they passed through the moon gate, Yan Bugui, the abacus expert, was tiptoeing and peering into the central courtyard, looking utterly annoyed.

Yan Jiefang glanced at him and walked past him with Yan Jiekuang.

Yang Ruihua beckoned from the doorway of the east wing in the front yard:

"Stop staring at Lao Yan, come back and eat!"

At this moment, footsteps came from the courtyard gate, and Yi Zhonghai, the Moral Celestial Venerable, and Liu Haizhong, the filial son, walked into the front yard side by side.

Behind the two followed Jia Dongxu, who looked exhausted and dejected, as if he had been busy all day and was too tired to keep up.

Yan Jiefang, along with his younger brother Yan Jiekuang, walked straight through the moon gate without looking to either side and returned to their own house, not bothering to pay any attention to the people in the courtyard.

As soon as the two brothers left, Yan Bugui quickly put on a smile and went up to greet them:

"Grandpa, Grandpa, are you back from get off work?"

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong casually responded:

"I'm back."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai glanced in the direction Yan Jiefang had left, his expression serious and lecturing. He then turned to Yan Bugui and began to berate him:

"Uncle, your son Jiefang is a middle school student now, how come he doesn't know any manners or etiquette? When he sees the elders in the courtyard, he just turns around and leaves without even saying hello."

He adopted the airs of an old man in the courtyard and began to explain his reasoning in a serious and earnest manner:

"Students in the new era should develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and practically. They shouldn't just focus on academic performance and intelligence. Morality and manners are fundamental! You need to go back and discipline your child properly. You can't let him be so arrogant."

Liu Haizhong, standing to the side, quickly chimed in, adopting his most admired parenting philosophy, and solemnly added:

"Old Yi is right! 'Spare the rod and spoil the child.' If a child doesn't understand rules and lacks manners, it's because they've been disciplined too leniently. These kinds of problems need to be addressed with more discipline and discipline!"

Yan Bugui responded with a forced smile, but inwardly he was filled with disdain and contempt.

What a hypocrite! He spouts platitudes about morality and righteousness, yet he's full of selfish motives and acts out of favoritism. How dare he stand on his pedestal and lecture me on disciplining my children? Do you even have children?!

And your bangs are full of cluelessness, you don't know anything, what else can you do besides hitting children?

We have a long future ahead of us, let's wait and see.