Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 801 Yan Jiecheng: I'm free!!!

"Happy New Year!"

Happy New Year! Happy New Year!

"Everything is fine, everything is fine!"

Early in the morning, Yan Jiecheng was refreshed and greeted his neighbors warmly.

"Jiecheng, you seem so happy, could it be that something good has happened?" a resident asked curiously.

"What good news is there? This is the New Year, and as the saying goes, a new year brings new beginnings. Who wouldn't be happy, right?" Yan Jiecheng laughed, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"makes sense."

Yan Jiecheng's unusual excitement led everyone to speculate.

"Hey, did you see that? Yan Jiecheng's acting weird today, like he's found a gold ingot?"

"Absolutely! He used to be such a quiet guy, he'd just nod at most when he saw people, but today he's all smiles, greeting everyone he meets. It's uncanny!"

"Something's definitely up! What great news could the Yan family possibly have? Old Yan is a shrewd businessman; he'll squeeze every last drop of profit from even the smallest advantage."

"Could it be that you've found someone? But I haven't heard anything about it."

"No, his eyes kept glancing towards the courtyard gate, like he was waiting for someone."

The courtyard was still the same courtyard, nothing seemed amiss, and all the familiar faces were there.

Even the deaf old lady is still alive.

Yan Jiecheng strolled around the courtyard, his eyes glancing at the hanging flower gate from time to time, as if waiting for someone to return.

Finally, a familiar figure pushed a bicycle in.

Yan Bugui pushed his bicycle, which was polished to a shine but couldn't hide its age.

Without even saying goodbye to everyone, he immediately went back.

"Father, you're back." Yan Jiecheng looked very happy.

This unusual enthusiasm, like a needle, pricked Yan Bugui, causing him to instinctively flinch.

Normally, if his son acted like this, his first thought would be, "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious!"—and he would be on high alert to deal with his son's "scheming."

But today, the situation is completely different.

Yan Bugui, on the contrary, was somewhat reluctant to see him.

"Hmm." Yan Bugui snorted through his nose, his face ashen, his eyes darting around, completely lacking his usual shrewdness and calculating nature.

Not only him, but also the third woman peeked out from behind the window, looking preoccupied and hesitant.

The two seemed to sense something and exchanged a glance.

Yan Jiecheng hurriedly said, "Dad, this has been dragging on for several days. Today is New Year's Day, and schools are closed. We should sort things out."

"It's not good to keep dragging this out. What's meant to happen will happen eventually."

Yan Jiecheng stared intently at his father, his tone resolute and unwavering.

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui knew that he had to give an explanation today no matter what. He sighed resignedly and nodded.

"Sigh~ Alright then."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiecheng couldn't help but smile and eagerly took the bicycle, saying, "Let me help you park it!"

After parking the car, Yan Jiecheng couldn't wait to go inside and close the door behind him.

The whole family gathered together.

"Go and bring the account books," Yan Bugui said, his voice dry and reluctant.

The three women nodded resignedly and turned to get the money. In the meantime, Yan Jiecheng rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a sum of money.

Not more, not less, exactly 10 yuan.

When the ledger was brought over, Yan Bugui opened it and found it filled with detailed and clear records of every payment made by Yan Jiecheng, as well as the remaining debts.

Records are kept for every month from September 1959 to November 1961, but December is missing, and now it's January 1962.

The November ledger now clearly shows the last outstanding debt—ten yuan!

"Dad, this is the money I owed last month!"

Yan Jiecheng could no longer contain himself. He placed the money in front of his father, his voice tinged with excitement.

The brand-new banknotes stood out conspicuously.

Yan Bugui stared intently at the ten yuan note, as if it were not money but a red-hot branding iron.

Looking at the money, and then at his son's face, which was trying hard to suppress his excitement, Yan Bugui really didn't want to accept it.

Once he takes the money, Yan Jie will no longer owe his family any money!

Yan Jiecheng saw that his father was not moving and was not in a hurry, so he just held it up.

Time seemed to freeze.

This story goes back to a few days ago, when he received his salary.

That day, after receiving his December salary, he couldn't wait to go home.

He couldn't wait to take out 10 yuan and give it to Yan Bugui.

"Dad, here's my money for this month!"

Yan Bugui was drinking water when he suddenly saw his son handing over the money so proactively and quickly that he almost choked.

"Wow! Did the sun really rise in the west today? Usually when you need to pay, your mother has to beg and plead with you three or four times before you reluctantly hand it over. Why are you so eager today?"

Hearing the commotion, the three aunties peeked out from the kitchen and chuckled, "You bet! Usually, paying money is like tearing flesh from his body, he pulls a long, drawn-out tantrum! But today, this is like a young woman getting married, the first time I've ever seen anything like it!"

Normally, such teasing from his parents would have made Yan Jiecheng blush with embarrassment, feeling like he had lost face.

But today is different!
He felt a sense of exhilaration and confidence, completely immune to his parents' teasing, and even responded cheerfully:
"Hehe, Dad, Mom, things are different now! Hurry up and bring out our family account books!"

"I also want to see just how many mountains I still have to move to pay off this 'famine' debt to my family?"

Neither of them suspected anything, simply thinking that their son must have encountered something happy today and was in a good mood.

The three women then turned around and went to get the account book.

Yan Bugui took it and habitually turned to the latest page.

When I opened the November debt list, I was instantly stunned.

"Ten yuan?! How can it be so little?"

Yan Bugui was stunned, thinking he was seeing things or that the account was wrong, since it was always 15 yuan in the past.

He immediately checked the previous accounts: "October, 10 yuan; September, also 10 yuan."

Going back further, in August and before that, it was always fifteen dollars!
Yan Bugui's heart sank!
After confirming the amount several times, Yan Jiecheng was finally able to pay off his debt of 400 yuan, as he was only short 10 yuan.

He paid off the 400 yuan debt he owed his family for the sales job.

Seeing his father's astonished expression, Yan Jiecheng felt a surge of pride and satisfaction!

Logically speaking, Yan Jiecheng should have finished paying the last bill in November, but he wanted to commemorate the hard work of the past two years with a good omen.

He started planning in September, paying 5 yuan less each month, and managed to endure it until the end of 1961.

It's all to make a good start to 62!
He wanted to personally bring this arduous debt repayment journey to a brilliant close!
"Dad! Money!" Yan Jiecheng looked at his father, who was stunned, and reminded him again, his voice loud and clear.

Hearing the sound, Yan Bugui finally came to his senses and looked at the 10 yuan in front of him.

Now it was his turn to hesitate.

Receiving this money meant that Yan Jiecheng had paid off his family's debts and would no longer have to bear any more debts.

But the power of habit is terrifying.

Every time Yan Jiecheng handed over money, it replenished the family's savings, which visibly increased each month.

But once Yan Jiecheng's money is gone, and he has to take care of the family's food, drink, and daily needs on his own, the speed at which the money "fills up" will drop by dozens of times.

At 5 yuan per person, Yan Bugui now only receives 30 yuan in salary and subsidies, so he has nothing left.
Of course, the whole family would eat together, so it was impossible to spend the full amount. Besides, the three aunts were also doing odd jobs to earn money.

But no matter how much money the two of them saved, it wasn't as much as Yan Jiecheng's.

Yan Jiecheng is now in a difficult situation.

If he accepts it, Yan Jiecheng will no longer owe his family any money, and his future salary will be his own, without having to hand over a single penny!

But how could Yan Jiecheng possibly agree to this!
"Ouch!" "My stomach hurts so much!"

"No, no, I need to go to the outhouse!"

"We'll talk about it later!"

Before he finished speaking, he actually clutched his stomach and dashed out of the main room.

This sudden "abdominal pain escape" left Yan Jiecheng and the Third Aunt stunned.

Using this as an excuse, Yan Bugui could also think of what to do.
But finding a solution isn't so easy.

When he returned, Yan Jiecheng took out money again.

"This isn't urgent; we can talk about it when we have time."

Yan Bugui used the tactic of delaying.

Yan Jiecheng naturally understood what he meant, but he was afraid that his father would play tricks on him, so he would bring it up every time he came home from get off work.

Taking advantage of the night before he went to sleep, Yan Bugui, having no other choice, asked the Third Aunt for help.

"Honey, what should we do about this?"

"Sigh~" The third aunt also looked worried. "We've been paying for so long, and now that they've suddenly stopped paying, I don't know what to do?"

The two thought about it for several days but couldn't come up with a solution, so they could only keep putting it off.

The next few days became a silent tug-of-war between Yan Jiecheng and Yan Bugui.

As soon as Yan Jiecheng got home from get off work, the first thing he did was take out the ten yuan and chase after his father to "settle the debt."

Yan Bugui tried every trick in the book to avoid him: he would say he had a headache and needed to go to bed early, or that he had something to do at school and would come back late, or he would simply hide at his neighbor's house to play chess and chat until very late before sneaking back.

After several days, Yan Bugui was exhausted by his son's pressure and could not eat or sleep.

Closer to home.

Leaving it unresolved is not a good thing; the matter must eventually be resolved.

"it is good!"

Yan Bugui suddenly closed his eyes, then opened them again, as if he had used all his strength to squeeze out the word from his throat.

Yan Bugui accepted the 10 yuan.

Seeing his father accept the gift, Yan Jie couldn't help but beam with joy.

Then I watched as my father picked up the worn-out calligraphy brush on the table, dipped it in some cheap ink, and wrote three large characters in an almost tragically dramatic style below the December 1961 account:

It has been paid off.

Upon hearing these three large characters, Yan Jiecheng finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The moment those three words landed on the paper, Yan Jiecheng felt a surge of scalding heat rush from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!
"Hahaha~"

"It's all paid back, it's all paid back!"

Yan Jiecheng suddenly jumped up, waving his arms and legs like a child.

The emotions that have been building up inside me for over two years can finally be released!
Yan Bugui looked at his son's happy face, exchanged a glance with his third aunt, and both of them smiled.

These past few days haven't been wasted; the two of them have tried to come up with a solution.

After Yan Jiecheng had gone nearly mad, Yan Bugui finally spoke up: "Jiecheng! Although you have paid off the family's debts, but..."

"But you are still a member of the family, and I don't know if you acknowledge that?"

Yan Jiecheng guessed what kind of trouble his father was up to, and he wasn't wrong.

"Yes." He nodded.

Yan Bugui immediately seized the opportunity: "That's good. Look at your younger brother and sister, they're so small. There are six of us in the family, and the amount of food we need to eat every day and every month is not a small amount."

“Rationing alone won’t fill our stomachs. I have to go to the black market to buy grain every few days. You know how much grain costs on the black market.”

"With just my salary and subsidies, how could I possibly feed the whole family? Before, with your fifteen yuan, we weren't guaranteed a good meal every day, but at least no one went hungry, right? Now, with this money..."

"Now that you're not handing over your salary, and my salary and subsidies aren't enough, what will happen to the family's food?"

The words were left unsaid, but the meaning was self-evident.

If he doesn't pay, his family might not have enough to eat, especially his younger siblings.

As expected! Freedom comes at a price.

Sure enough! Things didn't go so smoothly as they dragged on.

He also guessed that things weren't so simple. Although there was a legitimate reason, he didn't feel quite right about it.

As for saying, "Don't you have savings at home? Why do you have to try and take my salary?" there's no need to say that.

A brief silence fell over the room; the air seemed to freeze.

Yan Bugui and the Third Aunt stared nervously at Yan Jiecheng, waiting for his reaction.

Looking at his younger siblings, Yan Jiecheng, as the eldest brother, ultimately showed responsibility.

"Okay, how much?"

Yan Bugui was secretly delighted, but kept a straight face and immediately gave the number he had already calculated: "Not much, seven yuan! Consider it your share of food, I won't take any more!"

He deliberately emphasized "not much" in an attempt to appear fair.

“Okay!” Yan Jiecheng didn’t even try to bargain with his father and agreed immediately.

If you remove 7 yuan, he has 15 yuan left.

Previously, 15 yuan was handed over, leaving 7 yuan.

Now the situation has reversed.

Yan Jiecheng was filled with emotion.

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui and his third aunt were stunned. They had expected at least some bargaining and were even prepared to be questioned about their savings by their son.

Their son's decisiveness caught them off guard, but was followed by a huge surprise.

But it's always best if things are agreed upon beforehand.

"Good! Good! Jiecheng, you're so sensible! You're just like an older brother!" Yan Bugui finally smiled and quickly called to the younger ones.

"You lot, hurry up and thank your big brother! From now on, we'll all depend on him for food!"

"Thank you, brother!" Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang reacted quickly and immediately expressed their gratitude loudly.

Yan Jiedi followed suit in her childish voice, saying, "Thank you, big brother!"

Yan Jiecheng waved his hand, his face expressionless: "It's nothing."

He watched as his father solemnly wrote down in the account book, "Starting from January 1962, the monthly living expenses will be seven yuan," and he was filled with mixed emotions.

"You little ones, why don't you thank your big brother!"

"Thank you, big brother!" the younger ones immediately expressed their gratitude.

Yan Jiedi was still young and didn't understand the intricacies of the situation; she only knew that her brother was the one who was able to feed her.

Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang understood better, knowing that their elder brother had sacrificed a great deal.

"It's nothing," Yan Jiecheng waved his hand.

Although it cost 7 yuan less, things turned out alright in the end.

"Finally~ it's over~"

The weight that had been pressing on Yan Jiecheng's heart for three years finally lifted, and the pressure on his shoulders was finally gone.

Finally, I can relax.

Finally, I can think about myself.

"Phew~" With a sigh of relief, Yan Jiecheng walked out of the house.

Looking at the sun outside, I felt it was so warm and dazzling.

After paying off his debts, Yan Jiecheng was completely transformed, both inside and out.

Yan Bugui and the three aunts looked at their son and felt that he had changed in an instant.

(End of this chapter)