Siheyuan: Yan Jiekuang's carefree life

After leaving the alley, Yan Jiekuang had not walked for long when he saw Xu Damao riding a bicycle towards him. Yan Jiekuang stopped and called out, "Brother Damao!"

"Hey! Jie Kuang! When did you come back?!" Xu Damao stopped his bicycle and asked.

Yan Jiekuang replied, "I've been back for a few days. I'll leave after my wife has given birth and is out of confinement."

"Oh my?! I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, you are going to be a father too. Congratulations!" After saying that, Xu Damao looked at Yan Jiekuang and asked, "Where are you going?!"

Yan Jiekuang replied: "Jie Di is back, I'm going to buy a roast duck."

"Okay! Go buy it! I'll go back to the factory first. I'll treat you to a drink when I'm available!" After saying that, Xu Damao rode away on his bicycle.

Yan Jiekuang looked at Xu Damao's back and thought of Lou Xiao'e unconsciously. He smiled knowingly and said to himself, "Xu Damao, you should thank me. Otherwise, you would have ended up with nothing."

Early Sunday morning, Yan Jiefang returned with his wife and children. Yan Jiekuang helped the third aunt in the kitchen to prepare meals for the family. Yan Jiefang played chess with Yan Bugui. Yan Jiedi and Yan Jiefang's wife chatted with Su Zihui in the house.

After the game was over, when Yan Jiefang and Yan Bugui were re-setting up their chess pieces, Yan Jiefang said, "Dad, my eldest brother's family has been very busy these past two days!"

Yan Bugui replied: "Whether his family is lively or not, what does it have to do with me?!"

Yan Jiefang was stunned for a moment, looked at Yan Bugui, and said, "Dad, are you really not going to care about him?!"

Yan Bugui smiled and replied: "He is already such a grown-up. How can I control him?! Even if I want to control him, he has to be willing to let me control him."

Yan Jiefang said: "According to the current situation, my elder brother and sister-in-law will probably not live long."

Yan Bugui replied: "It doesn't matter to me whether they live long or not. I used to think Yu Li was a good girl. Now it seems that I was wrong. This woman is not someone who can live a good life. It's better for Yan Jiecheng to break up with her as soon as possible."

Yan Jiefang didn't know how to respond. He could only play chess with Yan Bugui. Yan Jiekuang, who was in the kitchen, listened to the conversation between his father and his second brother and couldn't help asking, "Mom, wasn't Yu Li very good when she first got married?! How come she has become like this now?!"

The third aunt replied, "Who knows?! It may have something to do with your eldest brother not being home all the time. Anyway, your father and I don't know anything about their affairs. It's just hard for the two children."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Mom, I plan to go back to the Northeast tomorrow to complete Xiaohui's procedures in the Northeast. This way, she won't have to go to the Northeast after she finishes her confinement."

The third aunt thought for a moment and said, "You go! Xiaohui will be fine with me and your father taking care of her."

"Hey!" Yan Jiekuang responded and continued cutting vegetables.

After lunch, Yan Jiedi went back to her room to read. Yan Jiefang's wife took the children to Yan Jiefang's old room to sleep. Su Zihui also went back to her room. Yan Bugui and the third aunt sat in the main room to rest. The brothers Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiefang were washing dishes in the kitchen.

While washing Yan Jiefang, he asked, "Jie Kuang, your sister-in-law has been transferred back. Do you want me to find you a job? You can come back with your sister-in-law."

Yan Jiekuang asked with a smile: "Second brother, is it so easy to find a job?! If it were easy, the educated youth would have returned long ago."

Yan Jiefang thought about it and agreed, "That's true."

Yan Jiekuang said, "On the day I first came back, my eldest brother and his wife came back and made a scene. Later they were kicked out by our father."

Yan Jiefang replied: "I know about this. Yu Li's family is having a quarrel with my eldest brother right now!"

Yan Jiekuang said: "So Yu Li isn't like this either?!"

Yan Jiefang replied with a smile: "It wasn't like that originally. But Yu Li's mother brainwashed Yu Li! Anyway, Yu Li is now completely different from when she first married into our family. But I heard that Yan Jiecheng seems to have someone else outside. Yu Li also knew about it, and she arrested him twice. But she didn't catch anyone either."

Yan Jiekuang laughed and said, "Yan Jiecheng is such a coward, and he still dares to look for women outside?! Are you kidding?!"

Yan Jiefang said: "I couldn't do it at first. But I was lucky and encountered it twice. The woman seemed to be a flight attendant in the same group with Yan Jie."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Second brother, I find that you are underemployed working at the Power Supply Bureau."

Yan Jiefang reacted at this time and said with a smile: "You are still as good as before!"

Yan Jiekuang smiled and didn't say much, but just quickened the speed of washing the dishes.

In a blink of an eye, a week had passed. Yan Jiekuang had just stepped into the Qingshan Brigade. He happened to meet Gao Junsong who was returning from the sugar factory. Yan Jiekuang called out, "Uncle Captain!"

Gao Junsong was stunned for a moment and asked, "Xiao Yan, why are you back?! Are you alone?! Where's your wife?!"

Yan Jiekuang said, "Captain, I came back to help Xiaohui with the paperwork. My father has retired, and asked Xiaohui to take over his job. The paperwork in Sijiu City has been completed, and the only thing left is the paperwork here."

"Let's go! Go to the brigade headquarters and I'll give you a certificate!" Gao Junsong turned around and walked towards the brigade headquarters. Yan Jiekuang immediately followed him.

"Uncle secretary, uncle accountant!" Yan Jiekuang followed Gao Junsong into the brigade office and saw Tian Dazhuang and Wu Haiwang were there. Yan Jiekuang took the initiative to greet the two and then passed out cigarettes. Tian Dazhuang asked, "Xiao Yan, didn't you go back to Sijiucheng with Xiao Su to visit relatives? Why are you back?!"

Yan Jiekuang repeated to the two what he had just said to Gao Junsong. Tian Dazhuang said, "This is a good thing! But it will only make you suffer."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Uncle Secretary, you are wrong. Our brigade is so good, why would you let me suffer?!"

"That's true!" Tian Dazhuang echoed, saying, "Xiao Yan, our commune has set up a sugar factory. They gave our team several recruitment quotas. Why don't you go work in the sugar factory?!"

Yan Jiekuang said, "Uncle Secretary, I appreciate your kindness. But I don't want this quota. I'm not being polite. I really don't want it. And I suggest that you don't give the recruitment quota to the educated youth this time. I'm not trying to steal their talent. I'm really considering it for our brigade."

After Gao Junsong and the other two heard what Yan Jiekuang said, they looked at each other unconsciously. Wu Haiwang asked, "Xiao Yan, did you hear any rumors?!"

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said, "I did hear some rumors. But I can't tell you the specific situation. But in two years, you will understand."

"Since you don't want to talk, we won't ask." Gao Junsong handed the certificate and letter of introduction to Yan Jiekuang and said, "Tomorrow, take these things and the transfer order from Sijiucheng to the Youth League Office of the commune to complete the remaining procedures. Then go to the Public Security Bureau to handle the transfer of Xiao Su's household registration."

"Thank you, Uncle Captain!" Yan Jiekuang took the certificate and the letter of introduction, looked at them, and after confirming that there was no problem, he put them in his bag and said, "Uncle Captain, you also need to write me a letter of introduction. I will go back to Sijiu City directly after I finish the formalities tomorrow. I will come back after Xiaohui gives birth to the baby."