Siheyuan: A Family of Loyal and Brave People

The night was deep and covered the earth. Due to the hot weather, the gate of the courtyard was still open for ventilation and was not closed.

Yan Bugui and his family, who were guarding the front yard, were eating steamed buns with pickled vegetables.

As a teacher, Yan Bugui receives various subsidies and his income is not low, but he has always been stingy. Plus, he is planning to buy a bicycle recently, so his life is particularly tight.

Looking at the almost empty plate of pickles on the table, the eldest son Yan Jiefang glanced at his father and said quietly, "Dad, there haven't been any big expenses at home recently, so why are even the pickles..."

The steamed corn bread is dry, choking and tastes bland. It is really hard to eat without pickles.

"What do you know, little brat?

You won’t be poor if you have enough food and clothes, but you will be poor if you don’t plan well.

What’s wrong with a few less pickles? You won’t starve to death.

Did you know that He Yuzhu's family got a new bicycle today?

Look at other people, they know how to live and can even save money to buy a car.

You guys only know how to eat and not save money. When will our family be able to save enough money to buy a car?"

Speaking of this, Yan Bugui couldn't help but sigh.

Even a lousy cook has money to buy a bicycle. Yan Bugui is the manager and a well-educated person in the courtyard. It would be a disgrace if he didn't have a car.

"Dad, let's put things in perspective. If you don't have enough money, you can save it slowly. You can't skip meals just to buy a car."

The second son Yan Jiekuang muttered.

"Smelly boy..."

Yan Bugui was just about to scold the disobedient child when he suddenly heard the sound of a cane tapping the ground outside.

Having been a gatekeeper for many years, Yan Bugui had sharp ears and could tell something was wrong. He frowned and said, "It's not from our yard. Who is it that comes here so late at night?"

Having said that, Yan Bugui put down his chopsticks and planned to go out to find out what was going on.

As the gatekeeper, you can't let strangers come in and out casually. It will be troublesome if they are thieves.

As soon as the door opened, before Yan Bugui could look out, a foul odor hit him in the face.

Yan Bugui felt nauseous from the smell and almost vomited out the pickled vegetable steamed bun he had just eaten.

Covering my nose and looking carefully, I saw a man in tattered clothes, dishevelled hair and dirty face, holding a cane in one hand and holding something in the other, walking into the yard.

"Stop, beggar, where did you come from? How dare you come to our yard to beg for food? Get out of here right now!"

Yan Bugui just felt unlucky. A good dinner was ruined by beggars who sneaked in.

The beggar stopped, leaned his crutch against his body, and used one hand to push away the long hair that was covering his face, revealing his thin face. His pair of eyes that were almost bulging out stared at Yan Bugui, which was particularly creepy.

"Yan Bugui..."

A hoarse voice came, like a gust of cold wind, making Yan Bugui's hair tremble.

"who are you?!"

Yan Bugui was startled when his name was called, and asked in a deep voice.

"It's me... Jia Zhang... I'm back."

Jia Zhang stared and uttered a few words in a halting manner.

"Jia Zhang?!"

Yan Bugui looked horrified and asked, "Aren't you dead?"

Ever since Jia Zhang went crazy and left the courtyard last summer, everyone thought she was dead.

After all, he hasn't come back for several months. If he's not dead, he's missing. I probably won't see him again.

The neighbors gradually forgot about this shrew who was stirring up trouble in the courtyard.

I just didn't expect that she would come back one day.

"I'm not dead... I found it... I found it..."

Jia Zhang was breathing heavily, her voice became unusually excited, and at the same time she revealed a strange smile, which, combined with her haggard figure, looked particularly strange.

"I found Dongxu."

After hearing this, Yan Bugui was so frightened that he took a few steps back and held on to the door frame to steady himself. Only then did he realize that Jia Zhang was holding a cloth bag in her hand.

Just think about what's inside.

"You...your house has been taken back by the government and given to other people to live in.

There is no place for you in this yard, leave immediately."

Yan Bugui briefly explained what had happened in the past year, and his words were full of the meaning of keeping people at a distance.

Since you have already left the Siheyuan, it’s best not to come back.

Yan Bugui didn't want a crazy woman to return to the yard, and the neighbors didn't want Jia Zhang to disrupt their peaceful lives.

"No...impossible!"

Jia Zhang twisted her body, and the crutches on her body fell to the ground with a clang. She shouted excitedly: "The house belongs to my Jia family, the Jia family, and no one can take it away! I want to take Dongxu home, I want to take Dongxu home!"

A hoarse roar sounded in the front yard, attracting many neighbors to come out and watch.

Many people came over despite the stench and asked Yan Bugui, "Uncle, what's going on? Why did you let a beggar in?"

Some neighbors complained to Yan Bugui that he did not guard the door properly, allowing a troublemaker to come in and disturb everyone's peace.

However, before Yan Bugui could answer, Jia Zhang started to make a scene, holding the cloth bag in her hand, and angrily shouted at the neighbors who gathered around her, "You bunch of bad guys, I'm not a beggar, I'm Jia Zhang.

My home is right here, are you all blind?!"

The neighbors who came upon hearing the noise were all startled. Some of them looked at the woman's appearance in front of them in the dim light, trying to compare it with the Jia Zhang in their memories, while others ran to the central courtyard to report the situation to other neighbors.

When Jia Zhang came back, she started some important matters in the courtyard, so the first and second uncles had to come over.

“Hey, it does look a bit like it.”

Jia Zhang had lived in the courtyard for more than ten years. The old residents were all impressed and someone soon recognized her.

Yan Bugui looked at his noisy neighbors, his thoughts in a mess and he complained in his heart.

It would be easy if no one recognized Jia Zhang, but now that these words had come out, he couldn't just kick Jia Zhang out like a beggar.

There's going to be trouble in the yard next.

"Get out of the way, everyone, I want to go home, I want to take Dongxu home!"

Jia Zhang picked up the crutch on the ground, waved it to disperse the neighbors, and walked towards the central courtyard step by step.

The neighbors all stayed away for fear of being affected.

Yan Bugui had no choice but to lead a few neighbors to follow.

As the manager, it is my duty to supervise outsiders entering the hospital.

Yan Bugui could not ignore Jia Zhang's affairs.

Jia Zhang's legs seemed to be injured, and she couldn't walk very fast. By the time she reached the middle courtyard, all the neighbors in the courtyard had gathered around.

The other neighbors could stay away to avoid the stench, so Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong had no choice but to step forward and talk.

"Are you really my sister-in-law?"

"Yi Zhonghai, you old bastard!"

The moment Jia Zhang saw Yi Zhonghai, she became furious and was about to hit him on the head with her cane.

Fortunately, Yi Zhonghai was nimble and easily avoided it.

"Jia Zhang, what do you mean?"

They started fighting as soon as they met, and even though Yi Zhonghai had a good temper, he couldn't help it.

The unreasonable and shrewish person on the other side was undoubtedly Jia Zhang.

"Asshole, if it weren't for you, how could Dongxu lose his job? If he didn't lose his job, how could he join the army? If he didn't join the army, how could he die outside."