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

Yan Jiefang looked down on Yan Bugui, this old man, and wouldn't even call him "Dad."

A person who is petty and calculating, who exploits and schemes against even the smallest things in front of their family, is narrow-minded and selfish, and is destined to have a bad end.

Yan Jiefang has endured this long not out of fear of the other party, but because of the prevailing social norms and he doesn't want to be labeled as unfilial, which would affect his education and life.

Fortunately, after the previous confrontation at the dinner table, Yan Bugui temporarily compromised.

They had no choice but to reluctantly compromise and quietly raise the family's food standards, finally freeing the family from years of semi-starvation.

But old habits die hard.

I'm amazed to see such an excellent manuscript.

His eyes lit up, and he instantly started plotting, wondering if he could get a share of the profits from his son's creative work.

He leaned closer, cleared his throat with a pretentious air, pushed up his thick glasses, and adopted the demeanor of a well-read elder:

"Second son, I think your manuscript is rather poorly written, with quite a few flaws. Should I ask your dad to polish it for you?"

As he spoke, he began to boast, his face beaming with pride:

"I also studied at a private school for several years in my early years!"

If it weren't for the later reform of the education system, with my foundation, I could have easily become a student in the preliminary examination, and I might even have been able to pass the county-level examination!

You probably have some idea of ​​what a scholar's level is; they are absolutely the cream of the crop!

As he spoke, he gave a thumbs-up.

Yan Jiefang didn't even bother to look at him. He reached out and snatched the manuscript back, carefully putting it away without giving him any chance.

It's a waste of breath to say anything more to this greedy and hypocritical old man.

After putting away the manuscript, he turned and walked out of the courtyard in the blink of an eye, heading straight towards Shichahai without stopping at all.

Yan Bugui stood frozen in place, watching his son's departing figure, his face filled with disappointment and regret.

He felt a pang of heartache at the thought of missing out on at least ten yuan of income, having missed such a good opportunity to make money.

Outsiders only know that he is stingy and loves money, but they don't know that he once had the idea of ​​submitting articles for publication.

He had tried submitting his manuscripts many times before, but they all disappeared without a trace, and he wasted more than a dollar on postage.

It made him feel bad for a long time, and he never wasted his energy again.

After seeing his son's manuscript today, his long-dormant thoughts were rekindled, and a vague sense of ambition began to emerge.

But when he thought about the 8-cent postage fee, which would add up to a considerable expense, he immediately gave up the idea of ​​trying it out.

He quickly figured it out in his mind: rather than spending money and effort himself, which would most likely be in vain, it would be more reliable to wait for Yan Jiefang to receive the royalties and then persuade him to use the money to subsidize the family and improve their meals.

...

As we entered the first ten days of July, temperatures in 49 cities became increasingly hot and unbearable.

Even under the shade of trees along the Shichahai coast, the sweltering heat of midsummer cannot be suppressed; the outdoor humidity is so intense that it is almost impossible to breathe.

During this period, Yan Jiefang spent most of his daytime hours in the two public libraries.

Although there was no air conditioning at this time, the high ceilings and ceiling fans made reading inside the 49 City Library a complete enjoyment compared to outside!

Yan Jiefang really enjoys staying here.

Quiet, solemn, and filled with the aroma of books, there was no arguing or noise.

Without having to deal with the trivialities of the courtyard house or the scheming and infighting among family members, one can completely immerse oneself in reading, researching, polishing manuscripts, and improving skills.

Of course, he's not the only one who likes this place.

There are ten reading rooms here, which can accommodate 600 people at the same time, and they are almost always full.

If you arrive late, there might not even be a place to sit.

Fortunately, he had space, so if there were no seats, he could just take out a small stool and find a corner to sit in.

As long as he doesn't bother others, the administrator won't kick him out.

No matter where you go, if you go too often, you'll encounter ghosts.

For example, Yan Jiefang saw a "familiar face" in the reading room.

However, this acquaintance comes from the movie "Blood Romance"—Zhou Xiaobai.

Based on the original film's timeline, Zhou Xiaobai should be quite young at this point, at most around ten years old. (Add a few years to the age)

She shouldn't be here, but she is.

Fortunately, Yan Jiefang is not part of the "many children, many blessings" system, otherwise he would definitely have attributed this unreasonable phenomenon to the system itself.

Zhou Xiaobai is a well-connected son of a high-ranking official; his father was a founding general.

People from two different worlds are like Yan Jiefang, the descendant of a small business owner.

He knows his place and wouldn't try to get close to her.

Yan Jiefang has always been self-aware and has no intention of currying favor. After glancing at the crowd, he looked away and focused his attention on his own affairs.

In his spare time, Yan Jiefang occasionally thinks about his future spouse.

Looking at the original Siheyuan storyline, it seems that only He Yushui and Qin Jingru are female characters of similar age and well-known.

But he was quite familiar with He Yushui and knew that she only wanted to escape the courtyard house, so there was basically no chance for the two of them.

She's not the only woman in the world, so Yan Jiefang naturally wouldn't go to great lengths to force her and cause chaos.

He might even get into a fight with Sha Zhu.

Yan Jiefang's goal is simply to live peacefully until after 2025; he has no intention of causing any trouble or wasting his time.

If he hadn't met anyone else good, he thought Qin Jingru was pretty good too.

Some readers might think that Qin Jingru is a country girl, uncultured, greedy, easily deceived, and has nothing in common with Yan Jiefang.

It has a lot of drawbacks.

Honestly, Yan Jiefang didn't care about these shortcomings at all.

For him, who came from the future, having witnessed the diversity of races and various martial arts styles, Qin Jingru was definitely a top-tier wife candidate in his future life.

After all, she was relatively simple, honest, family-oriented, and down-to-earth, without too many hidden agendas. In any era, she would be considered a good match for a family.

Moreover, he knew in his heart that, given his experience and understanding, it was difficult to find people with whom he could truly share a common language in this era.

Even if she were to encounter another female time traveler, with different experiences, mindset, and pursuits, they might not be able to share anything in common.

If he were to encounter a female protagonist from a popular female-oriented novel, he would stay as far away as possible!

Instead of demanding an unattainable soulmate, it's better to find a down-to-earth, stable person who is genuinely committed to a simple life and spend your life with them.