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

In the evening, the Yan family sat around a low table for dinner.

There were only a few bowls of bland wild vegetable soup on the table, accompanied by shriveled cornbread buns, no bigger than walnuts, which were coarse, hard, and difficult to swallow.

Yan Jiecheng munched on his cornbread, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and teased in a low voice:

"If we're talking about shameful things, it has to be the Second Uncle's family."

Liu Guangtian gave up a perfectly good life and insisted on working at the crematorium. Now the whole alley is talking about their family, and Liu Haizhong can't even hold his head up high when he goes out.

With such unpalatable food, only Yang Ruihua was somewhat interested in listening; Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang didn't care at all.

Life is hard enough as it is, who has the time to care about other people's gossip?

Besides, the news has already spread far and wide, as if no one has ever heard of it.

Yan Bugui had no interest whatsoever; in his eyes, only money mattered.

He put down the cornbread in his hand and his gaze fell directly on Yan Jiefang. He then began to talk about what he had seen a few days ago.

"Jiefang, I saw it clearly a few days ago. He Yushui specifically returned the money to you at the gate of the courtyard. There must have been at least one yuan, right?"

His tone was interrogative, and his eyes were full of calculation.

"Where did this money come from? You need to explain this to your family."

Now that you can earn money privately, you should know how to take care of your family and use the money to supplement your household expenses.

Alternatively, you could contribute a fixed amount each month as retirement money for your mother and me; it's our duty as children.

Yang Ruihua, standing to the side, immediately echoed this sentiment, her brows furrowing:

"That's right. Your family worked hard to raise you. You should think of your family when you have some income. Don't learn from your brother and hide money from your family. Your mind is all crooked."

The two sang in unison, pressing closer and closer.

Yan Jiecheng stopped chewing and immediately protested:

"Mom, I've started working now, isn't it reasonable for me to have some savings on the side? Otherwise, how will I find a wife and cover social obligations?"

In addition, when he heard that his second brother actually had a dollar, he immediately thought of how to earn it back using two kinds of steamed buns, just like before.

One yuan is not a small amount. Could he raise the price of the two-ingredient steamed buns?

Yan Jiekuang, sitting on the other side, was so angry that his cheeks turned red and his hands were clenched tightly together.

He felt resentful and frustrated. His parents were always scheming against his older brother and making things difficult for him in every way. They were not at all like parents.

My second brother is still studying!

This dollar was most likely obtained by exchanging that silver dollar.

I finally got a dollar and it got swindled!

My parents are completely obsessed with money!

Yan Jiefang remained silent, his gaze falling on the small steamed bun in his hand, then sweeping over his third brother's thin and frail figure, a surge of irritation rising in his heart.

Yan Bugui and his wife are selfish and mean-spirited, exploiting their family in every way. Their faces are like toads crawling on the back of your feet; although they are not harmful, they are disgusting and annoying.

After enduring for months, what I got in return was not understanding, but further scheming!

He had to make his point clear and establish the rules.

He slowly raised his eyes, his expression calm, but his gaze carried a chilling coldness.

"Are you determined to nitpick about my affairs and keep interfering?"

Just as Yan Bugui was about to reprimand him with a stern face, Yan Jiefang continued:

"If you really push me too hard, then after I graduate from junior high school, I'll go work at the East Suburb Crematorium and become a colleague of Liu Guangtian."

"By then, before the Liu family's laughingstock has even died down, our Yan family will become the talk of the alley, everyone pointing and whispering. Let's see how you'll still care about your reputation then."

One sentence instantly changed the expressions of Yan Bugui and Yang Ruihua. The two men froze, unable to utter another word urging for the money.

Yan Jiefang did not stop there; his voice remained steady, but its intimidating power grew stronger.

"Don't treat me like a fool. I know everything about the family's monthly income, savings, your frequent lateness and early departures from work, and your selling flower pots outside."

Leave room for maneuver in your actions; don't go too far.

He leaned forward slightly, raised the cornbread in his hand, and then slammed it onto the table with a 'bang,' shattering it into countless crumbs.

"From today onwards, the meals at home must be improved, at least to the average standard of a traditional courtyard house. We can no longer fool people with this kind of food day after day."

If you can't do that, or if you still want to interfere in my private affairs and scheme against my money, then I will go directly to the neighborhood committee to find Director Li.

"If we lay all these family matters bare, our Yan family will be thrown into turmoil and torn apart, and no one will benefit."

Finally, he swept his cold gaze over the two of them and said, word by word:

That's all I have to say. Don't say I didn't warn you!

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Yan Bugui's lips trembled, filled with both anger and fear. The fake smile on his face gradually disappeared, and the imposing manner of the patriarch was completely gone.

Yang Ruihua hung his head, no longer daring to speak up in support.

She was just a housewife who usually listened to her husband, Yan Bugui, so she was naturally at a loss in this situation.

Yan Jiecheng's smile froze completely, and he abandoned his desire to watch the spectacle.

The second child is usually unassuming at home, I never expected him to have such a temper!

Now he's only worried about whether he can continue making steamed buns with two kinds of flour.

Yan Jiekuang's tense expression slowly relaxed, and his eyes were full of approval as he looked at his second brother.

Second Brother's ideas are still as sound as ever!

Dinner ended hastily in this oppressive atmosphere, and the situation in the Yan family, which was usually controlled by the parents, was cracked at this moment.

Back in his room, Yan Bugui was still thinking about this matter. The root of it all was Liu Guangtian!

Who told him to have nothing better to do than go and work at the crematorium?

They set a really bad precedent.

These teenagers will be harder to manage in the future.

If pushed too far, they will rebel by threatening to work at the crematorium.

At this moment, Yan Bugui had no idea that Liu Guangtian's idea to go to the crematorium was actually his son's idea!

If he and Liu Haizhong found out about this, wouldn't they be furious?

Fortunately, they each faced different opponents. Given Liu Haizhong's intellect or Yan Bugui's cunning, they probably wouldn't know what was going on for a long time.

Unless Liu Guangtian and his brother let it slip.

But Liu Guangtian is away from home most of the year and only occasionally returns to the courtyard to see his younger brother.

Although Liu Guangfu was young, he was also very tight-lipped.

There shouldn't be any problems in the short term.

Even if they accidentally let it slip later, Yan Jiefang will be able to handle it calmly and won't care about it at all.

He's thinking about something else now.