While the Xu family was living in misery, the Zhang Chu family, who also lived in the backyard, were not having an easy time either. They had thought they had found a powerful backer, but that backer collapsed not long after.
At this moment, Zhang Chu finally understood a profound truth: it's better to rely on yourself than on others, because people leave when you rely on them, and mountains crumble when you try to rely on them.
Thinking about how he and Xu Damao had offended all the neighbors in the courtyard house during this period, Zhang Chu was filled with regret. He used to be able to eat meat regularly by following Wei Hua and the others, but now it wouldn't be so easy to hunt with them again.
Thinking about the foolish things I did, I wanted to slap myself a few times. I was supposed to be officially hired in two years, but now that seems like an indefinite wait?
The thought that he had become entangled in Li Huaide's corruption and bribery case because of Xu Damao made Zhang Chu's brows furrow deeply. He felt no gratitude towards Xu Damao, but instead endless resentment.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have been greedy for petty gains in the first place. Even if I were targeted like Sha Zhu for ten days or half a month, it wouldn't have affected my future. But now, half of my future is ruined.
Without a special reason, it's practically impossible for me to get a permanent position. Perhaps because of what Da Mao has done to Wei Hua and Sha Zhu lately, I'm afraid Wei Hua and Sha Zhu won't like me either, and asking them for help will likely be impossible.
The thought of squandering such a promising opportunity made Zhang Chu feel insecure. Even his parents began to have reservations about Xu Damao's family.
The Zhang and Xu families also developed a feud because of this incident. But the Xu family had no interest in these matters anymore; all they wanted now was to survive.
Wei Hua didn't concern himself with the Xu family's affairs, nor did he value the title of "Advanced Individual." The system had already retaliated against Xu Damao, so Wei Hua didn't pursue further retaliation.
Since it had already snowed, Wei Hua didn't go up the mountain to hunt anymore. Hunting in winter is much more difficult, and it would be unreasonable to catch prey as often as before.
The arrival of winter has made life even more difficult for the people living in the courtyard. The outdoor temperature has reached zero degrees Celsius, and whether they go out to work or beg, they have to endure the bitter cold.
Moreover, the temperature will continue to drop, making it even more difficult for them to find work. These people from the courtyard house have no choice but to go out and try their luck; if they can't find work, they'll rummage through garbage bins.
The three crippled members of the Yan family are now living a very miserable life. But the most miserable is the eldest aunt, whose headaches are getting worse because she hasn't taken her cancer medication for a long time. But given the Yan family's situation, where would they get the money to treat her?
Even knowing that the third aunt's cancer might be spreading, the three crippled men of the Yan family were helpless. Human selfishness was on full display at this moment.
Even though they had a few dozen yuan left at home, they didn't use it to buy medicine. Everyone knew that winter would get colder and colder, and saving money would become even more difficult. Having a few dozen yuan would help them get through the winter.
Once the money is completely spent, everyone in the Yan family will have to wait to die at home. Seeing her husband and son's attitude, the third aunt spends her days in tears at home.
By this time, the third aunt had long regretted marrying into the Yan family. If she had married someone else, her life would never have been so miserable. Perhaps due to extreme grief, the third aunt's condition continued to worsen.
Although the rest of the Yan family were also worried about their third aunt, there was nothing they could do. The one who regretted it the most was Yan Jiecheng. If he had known his mother would end up like this, he shouldn't have spent 800 yuan on the surgery in the first place.
It wasn't that Yan Jiecheng didn't want to save his mother. The real problem was that the Yan family couldn't afford that much money, and the subsequent expenses wouldn't be small either.
The others were also grieving for their mother. Everyone looked heartbroken, but only they themselves knew what they were truly thinking. In any case, apart from Yan Jiecheng who cried a few times, no one else had a tear in their eyes.
Finally, at the end of 1954, the third aunt could no longer hold on. She fainted at home and never woke up again.
After the passing of the third aunt, the people in the courtyard suddenly felt a sense of shared sorrow. Among them, the one who felt it most deeply was Gu Chunyan, Liu Haizhong's wife.
Because her family situation was somewhat similar to the Yan family's, none of her three sons treated her very well, not to mention Liu Haizhong.
Gu Chunyan saw a reflection of herself in the three older women. To avoid following in their footsteps, Gu Chunyan has now started saving for her retirement.
Gu Chunyan knew that if she didn't have some money, given Liu Haizhong's and her eldest son's personalities, they probably wouldn't take care of her. However, at the funeral of the third aunt, Gu Chunyan was the one who cried the most bitterly.
Given the state of the Yan family, there was no way to expect Yan Bugui and his son to give Third Aunt a proper burial. Third Aunt's funeral was extremely shabby; a simple thatched shed served as her coffin.
The reason for building the thatched shed was simply to collect the money given as gifts in the past. Even though each person didn't give much, Yan Bugui had given away quite a lot of money in the past. Moreover, Yan Bugui had taught many students. Even though they despised Yan Bugui's character, quite a few people still came to visit after the Third Aunt died.
After collecting the money from the wedding gifts, Yan Bugui didn't even prepare a meal. He placed the Third Aunt in a rectangular frame made of wooden planks and had Yan Jiefang drag her to the outskirts of the city. Then, the four of them, father and sons, worked together to bury her.
To ensure there was a place to pay respects, Yan Bugui had his three sons find the stones. They built a simple triangular tombstone, burned some paper money, and then took the four children back to the courtyard house.
The death of the third aunt did not significantly impact the Yan family's life; in fact, it allowed them to earn a few dozen yuan. However, the Yan family was now completely scattered.
With Auntie San around, the Yan family could still be called the Yan family. But once Auntie San died, the true nature of the Yan family was fully revealed, and the four children became more and more selfish than the last.
Upon returning to the courtyard house, they snatched the money from Yan Bugui's hands and divided it into five portions. Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiedi now knew to ask for money back.
If I didn't have any money, my father and two older brothers might not care about me at all.
After robbing a few dollars, the brother and sister began to plan for their future. They knew that the Yan family was completely finished, and if they didn't find a way to survive, they might starve to death.
Even though it was almost Chinese New Year, the brother and sister didn't stay in the courtyard house. Going outside at least offered a chance to try their luck and maybe get something. Staying in the courtyard house meant they would likely go hungry.
They begged and pleaded outside, hoping someone would take a liking to them. Whether it was an apprenticeship or something else, it was better than staying in the Yan family's household.
Yan Jiedi was not much older than Bang Geng, and being a young girl, she was more likely to evoke sympathy from others. Less than two days after she left, she caught the eye of a Peking Opera performer.
The old opera singer immediately took Yan Jiedi as his apprentice and even made her his child bride. Even being a child bride was better than starving in the courtyard.
She secretly returned to the courtyard house, packed a few clothes, and then followed the old opera singer. At the same time, she earnestly learned opera from him.
But Yan Jiekuang wasn't so lucky. He wandered around for several days, not only going hungry every day, but also being ignored by everyone.
If jobs were so easy to find, there wouldn't be so many people needing to go to the countryside. If Yan Jiekuang hadn't been so young, he probably would have been transferred to other places long ago.
Yan Jiekuang is not young anymore, and no one would adopt him. He's practically a grown man; he's already remembered everything he needs to remember, and no one would adopt a child that old.
When the four members of the Yan family learned that Yan Jiedi's belongings were missing, they were not alarmed. Since her things were gone, she must have left on her own.
If she was kidnapped, her belongings should still be at home. Nobody cares about this little burden.
Only Yan Bugui felt a deep sense of regret, after all, he had raised Yan Jiedi for over ten years. Now, before he had even recouped his investment, she was gone, leaving him somewhat resentful. Now that she was gone, finding her was virtually impossible. Yan Bugui could only sigh a few times towards the sky; no one knew what he was thinking.
Since Yan Jiedi left, the four members of the Yan family, father and sons, have even been eating separately. None of the three Yan brothers wanted to be taken advantage of by others.
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