Liu Haizhong and Yi Zhonghai, who had managed to control the courtyard house for so long, weren't stupid. In fact, they were quite clever.
It was obvious that his family's situation was no longer what it used to be. Liu Haizhong didn't realize it at first, mainly because he had been dominating the Liu family for too long.
Seeing that Gu Chunyan and Liu Guangqi had already finished their cornbread buns, Liu Haizhong's stomach also started growling.
People outside are starving, let alone those in prison. Liu Haizhong didn't eat anything that morning; he walked straight to the courtyard house after being released from prison.
Gu Chunyan and Liu Guangqi both heard it, but the Liu family was no longer the same as before. If there were good things, Gu Chunyan wouldn't have made cornbread for Liu Haizhong.
Knowing that Liu Haizhong hadn't eaten yet, Gu Chunyan could only run into the kitchen and make him a bowl of cornmeal porridge. This time, Liu Haizhong didn't throw a tantrum; instead, he obediently ate his meal.
While Gu Chunyan was in the kitchen cooking, Liu Haizhong had already inquired about his family's situation from his Crown Prince.
Liu Haizhong never expected that those two good-for-nothing guys from back then would both become workers now, while he and his eldest son would end up like this.
But the more Liu Haizhong acted this way, the more he resented Qin Huairu, blaming everything on her. After finishing his meal, he went to the central courtyard and kept staring at Qin Huairu there.
Although he really wanted to beat Qin Huairu up, Liu Haizhong had learned his lesson from the last time. Seeing his father watching over Qin Huairu's house, Liu Guangqi didn't go out to work. Instead, he earnestly explained the courtyard house to his father.
Liu Haizhong never expected that so many things would happen in the courtyard house in just a year and a half. In particular, the incident of Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady being struck by lightning made Liu Haizhong burst into laughter.
Liu Haizhong hadn't expected so many people to be struck by lightning while he was away. Thinking about their personalities, Liu Haizhong felt they deserved to be struck by lightning.
In Liu Haizhong's eyes, they all deserved it, but he himself shouldn't have been treated like that. Qin Huairu, that bitch, deserved to be taught a lesson.
Perhaps due to the hardships he endured in prison, Liu Haizhong did not stay at the Intermediate People's Court for very long. He left the court a little over an hour later.
As soon as he got home, Liu Haizhong lay down on the bed and took a nap, which lasted until after 5 p.m.
Perhaps because everyone had gone home from get off work, the courtyard was noisy, and the sound of people talking woke Liu Haizhong up.
Liu Haizhong, upon waking, didn't go back to sleep, having already slept for two or three hours. Wanting others to know he was back, he tidied his hair and then went outside.
After washing up, Liu Haizhong looked much more energetic than when he was first released from prison. However, Liu Haizhong overestimated his status in everyone's eyes; the people in the courtyard didn't take him seriously at all.
Apart from Yan Bugui and Xu Fugui greeting Liu Haizhong, no one else even bothered to say hello. At most, they simply nodded at him.
They were just nodding acquaintances, but in Liu Hai's eyes, it was utterly disrespectful. He used to be a respected figure in the courtyard house, and now that he was out of prison, these people should at least have greeted him. But instead, they just nodded at him.
This made Liu Haizhong extremely unhappy. He was sullen when he got home, and found fault with everyone and everything.
Perhaps he didn't understand his place, or perhaps for other reasons, Liu Haizhong suddenly went crazy again while eating.
Liu Haizhong still saw himself as he used to be, and the Liu brothers as the old Liu family brothers. Seeing that the two brothers didn't offer him any good food first, and instead started eating, he immediately slapped them.
At first, Liu Guangfu didn't react. It was his own fault for being young and unambitious in the past, so even after being slapped, he could only look at the others with great grievance. Liu Guangtian, however, was different; he was now a level-two fitter.
Being slapped for no reason, Liu Guangtian's good mood immediately exploded, and he slapped Liu Haizhong back.
This slap stunned everyone in the Liu family. Previously, Liu Haizhong was the head of the Liu family; whatever he wanted to do, no one dared to object.
It took Liu Haizhong quite a while to react. Once he did, he was furious. He overturned the dining table and grabbed a chair, ready to teach Liu Guangtian a lesson.
How can one show the power of the head of the family if this unfilial son is not properly taught a lesson?
Liu Guangtian, on the other hand, had the completely opposite idea. If he continued to be a coward, he would be exploited by them even more. Only by bravely standing up and resisting could he find a way out. Seeing Liu Haizhong take a batch of stools, Liu Guangtian didn't hesitate at all. He immediately grabbed a batch of stools and started fighting with Liu Haizhong.
Seeing Liu Guangtian resisting him with a stool, Liu Haixin's anger flared even more. He grabbed the stool and swung it at Liu. The two started fighting in the Liu family's kitchen.
One was 21 years old and in his prime, while the other had just been released from prison. They were simply not on the same level, and it wasn't long before Liu Haizhong was at a disadvantage.
Fortunately, Liu Guangtian hadn't lost his mind. No matter the circumstances, a son beating his father is a grave offense. Therefore, Liu Guangtian primarily focused on defense, and only dared to kick when he couldn't defend himself further.
But precisely because of this, Liu Haizhong gradually gained the upper hand. One was unrestrained, while the other was full of concerns. This caused Liu Guangtian to slowly fall into a disadvantageous position. In the end, Gu Chunyan couldn't stand it anymore and slapped Liu Haizhong on the back with a stool.
"How long are you going to go crazy? You've already ruined the Liu family, are you still not satisfied? Do you really want this family to fall apart?"
“If it weren’t for your volatile temper, how could our family have become like this? Guangtian and Guangfu work at the steel mill every day and eat well, so what? Didn’t you eat well every day when you worked at the steel mill?”
"You're no longer a level-six forging worker in the steel mill. You're now a convict. If this continues, you'll go to jail. When are you going to finally change your temper?"
"This family still depends on Guangtian and Guangfu. Are you planning to kick them both out? If they leave, I wonder what you'll do for the rest of your life?"
Gu Chunyan's sudden movement brought everyone to a standstill. And her words were like knives piercing Liu Haizhong's heart.
Even if Liu Haizhong didn't want to admit these things, reality was cruel, and no matter how unwilling he was, he had to face this harsh truth.
Seeing that Liu Haizhong had already put the stool down, Liu Guangtian didn't intend to continue. Since Liu Haizhong didn't treat him like a son, he would simply leave the courtyard house.
After talking with Yu Haitang for so long, Liu Guangtian is also preparing to get married. I came back today to talk about this, but there's no need to now.
After leaving the kitchen, Liu Guangtian returned to his room. Seeing his second brother leave, Liu Guangfu quickly followed. Liu Guangfu knew that only his second brother truly got along with him at home; as for the others, he decided to ignore them.
"Second brother, are you planning to leave?"
“Is there any point in staying at home? Haitang and I were originally planning to get married, and we were even going to ask for their opinions today, but I think we should just give up now. I’ll call a matchmaker to come over later. I’ll make my own decisions. Anyway, I’ve already met their parents, so having a matchmaker is just a formality.”
"Tomorrow I'll go out and look for a place. Once I find one, I'll decorate it a bit, get the marriage certificate with Haitang, and then move out. They can do whatever they want after that; it has nothing to do with me."
“If you don’t want to suffer in the courtyard, I advise you to move to the steel mill’s staff dormitory. It’s a bit crowded there, but you definitely won’t be bullied. If you continue to stay in the courtyard, who knows what might happen.”
Upon hearing Liu Guangtian's words, Liu Guangfu nodded.
"Second brother, there's nothing left for me to miss in this courtyard. Once you move out, I'll move to the steel mill's staff dormitory."
Neither of them expected that Liu Guangqi would overhear their conversation. When Liu Guangqi learned that they were both moving out, he immediately ran to Liu Haizhong's side and told him everything he had overheard.
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