Qin Huairu never expected that after all this time, she would become a member of the Jia family again. Not only had she not gained anything during this period, but she had also suffered many losses. She was beaten by the Liu family father and son for several months, only to return home slinking away in disgrace.
Had she known it would turn out this way, Qin Huairu wouldn't have put in so much effort. After returning to the Jia family, Qin Huairu finally behaved herself, and even if she had the inclination, she dared not spend any more money.
Yi Zhonghai's gaze then turned to the others. Wei Hua's house was temporarily untouchable because Yang Tao rarely went out. Yu Li, however, became Yi Zhonghai's target, as she was heavily pregnant and easier to deal with than Yang Tao.
While Yi Zhonghai was observing Yu Li and Yang Tao, a major event occurred in the Yan family. It turned out that Yan Bugui had always opposed Yan Jiecheng finding a wife. However, with the famine having lasted for over two years, Yan Bugui could no longer suppress Yan Jiecheng's restless heart.
Yan Bugui didn't know how long this situation would last, but after Yan Jiecheng's persistent pleading, Yan Bugui finally relented. Many people struggling to make ends meet nowadays hope to marry off their daughters. One less person means a much lighter burden on the family.
Finding a wife was quite easy for Yan Jiecheng. The Yan family wasn't as poor as it seemed; it's just that Yan Bugui was rather stingy. The Yan family were classified as small landlords; while they didn't have much money, it wasn't worse than Yi Zhonghai's original fortune. After all, Yi Zhonghai relied solely on his own efforts, while Yan Bugui was able to enjoy the fruits of others' labor.
Everyone assumed Yan Jiecheng's marriage would be quite simple. But they forgot that Yan Bugui was stingy to the core.
To everyone's surprise, when the matchmaker brought the girl to the blind date, Yan Bugui actually brought out a bowl of wild vegetables. It was already spring, but the situation was still unclear. To save food, Yan Bugui waited until the outside world showed signs of green before gathering a lot of wild vegetables.
We just dried the leftovers. I went out early this morning and brought out wild vegetables for lunch. The main dish was steamed buns with dried sweet potatoes.
If it were just that, it wouldn't be so bad, since everyone's life is tough. But Yan Bugui still couldn't change his personality at crucial moments. He even divided the pickled vegetables by the root during meals, which the matchmaker and the girl found unbearable.
Aside from the Yan family, no one else could stand Yan Bugui's personality. The matchmaker and the girl left the Yan family before even finishing their meal, which Yan Bugui found very regrettable.
“Yan Bugui, if you want to find a daughter-in-law in the future, then find someone else! With your family’s attitude, it’s impossible for you to find a daughter-in-law.”
"Jiecheng, I've already told you not to rush into finding a wife. Look at us now, we've just wasted two cornbread buns. I think we should postpone this matter."
“Dad, being stingy has its limits. Even my siblings and I are finding it hard to stand, let alone outsiders. Can’t you be a little more generous this time? This is your son’s wedding. Do you want me to never get married? I’m already 23 years old.”
“If I’m over 25, where am I going to find a wife? Look at Sha Zhu, even without his parents’ help, he’s about to have his second child. But look at me, I don’t even have a girlfriend yet. People shake their heads when they talk about my family.”
Upon hearing his son's words, Yan Bugui finally realized the seriousness of the matter.
"Isn't this a habit I've developed over the years? How about this, I'll find you another matchmaker. Next time a girl comes to visit, I promise I won't make this mistake again. You're already 23, it's time for you to find a wife."
Hearing his father's words, Yan Jiecheng had no other choice. Since his family were small landlords, the local government wouldn't assign him any work. He could only find odd jobs outside.
Yan Jiecheng has decided to buy some nice things for his next blind date. He can't let his father ruin his marriage any longer. If he delays any longer, he'll get too old, and the older he gets, the harder it will be to find a wife; all the good girls will have already been taken.
News of Yan Bugui driving the girl away spread quickly. Everyone was pointing fingers at him, making his already poor reputation even worse.
Fortunately, the Yan family didn't care about such empty fame. If Yan Bugui had cared, he wouldn't have gone so far. Now, everyone cares more about practical benefits. After this experience, when another matchmaker brought a girl to their house, Yan Bugui was much more restrained.
Having received advance notice, Yan Jiecheng unusually went out and got half a pound of flour and a palm-sized crucian carp. He even talked to the others about it for most of the day beforehand.
With half a pound of flour and a crucian carp to make a good impression, and thanks to prior communication, the Yan family managed to avoid any embarrassing situations this time.
In these difficult times, adding half a pound of flour to the cornmeal was already quite an achievement. Neither the matchmaker nor the girl said anything.
Everyone was eager to marry off their daughters, so Yan Bucheng's marriage didn't cause any major problems. Yan Jiecheng and Zhang Qiuju got their marriage certificate less than a week after they met.
Given the current situation, almost no one would throw a lavish banquet; aside from capitalists, no one has the means. Yan Jiecheng and Zhang Qiuju's wedding banquet consisted of only one fish and less than half a pound of meat. Yan Jiecheng paid for all of this himself.
Since the marriage, the conflicts within the Yan family have completely erupted. Even if the Yan family is wealthy, a person's personality is not so easily changed.
Everyone has their own way of doing things, and Zhang Qiuju's style clashed with that of the Yan family. Newly married Yan Jiecheng naturally sided with his wife, even though he had long been dissatisfied with the situation at home.
Seeing his wife and parents arguing, he naturally knew what to do. As a result, life in the Yan family became much more interesting, with Yan Jiecheng and his wife and Yan Bugui and his wife arguing every now and then.
Today it's about a few pieces of greens, tomorrow it'll be about a few drops of soy sauce. Either they're complaining about who picked up a couple more pieces of greens, or who ate a few extra spoonfuls of cornmeal porridge.
This further weakened the already thin kinship within the Yan family. No one could really help with the Yan family's affairs. After all, it was their family matter, and outsiders had no right to interfere.
You may seem like you're doing a good deed now, but in a couple of days, you might incur the wrath of the entire Yan family. At most, everyone will just treat the Yan family's affairs as entertainment.
Deep down, everyone knows that this kind of thing happens because life is tough these days. Otherwise, who would argue every day over such a small amount of money? It's just that the Yan family is relatively extreme.
Everyone seemed indifferent, as if it were none of their business. Perhaps only Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu were truly happy. Because the other residents of the courtyard no longer had to watch their family's misfortune unfold; finally, someone had drawn their attention.
But what happened next in the Yan family shocked everyone in the courtyard. Perhaps knowing that life was not easy for the family, Yan Bugui simply separated his eldest son from the family.
Originally, Yan Jiecheng didn't plan to separate the family, since he didn't have a formal job. But when Yan Bugui took out 1200 yuan, Yan Jiecheng didn't even utter a word. He packed a set of dishes and other things, and then rented a house in the neighboring courtyard with his wife.
He was classified as a small landlord, so the neighborhood committee couldn't possibly assign him a job. However, he could easily use the 1200 yuan to buy two jobs. Two jobs would only cost him a maximum of 700 or 800 yuan. If he and his wife both had jobs, they wouldn't have to live such a miserable life anymore.
Yan Jiecheng had calculated it carefully. Even if all the family property were divided into four parts, he would only receive about 1,500 yuan. His parents would definitely get two parts, so even if it were divided into five parts, it would still be less than 1,200 yuan. This also included his sister's dowry.
Even if the family splits up later, I'll only get a maximum of 1200 yuan. Being able to split up early is actually a good thing, since I don't need to earn money to support the family anymore. All the money I earn from now on is mine.
Yan Bugui had similar thoughts. Since he was already supporting the couple, it was better to separate the family property now. After all, the money would be theirs sooner or later. Once they separated, the children would be no longer his concern. This would save him the trouble of raising his grandchildren at great expense.
After the family split up, they are theoretically two separate households, but they are obligated to support him in his old age. No matter how you look at it, he's guaranteed to profit.
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