Siheyuan: I am Banggeng's uncle

Chapter 821 The power of the people is immense!
Around 4 p.m., in the front yard of Yan Bugui's house at No. 95 Tongluoguxiang, Yan Jiefang looked at Yan Bugui lying on the bed and, thinking about the purpose of his return today, pretended to be concerned and asked Yan Bugui, "Dad! You just had surgery, why didn't you stay in the hospital to receive treatment? Why did you come back for no reason?"

Yan Bugui had been scheming his whole life, only to find that his children were all more cunning than he was, even surpassing him as their father. This also made Yan Bugui see his children's true nature clearly. So, in the two days since he returned home, he has been thinking about how to get some money from his children to support his wife and him in their old age.

Upon hearing Yan Jiefang's question and seeing Yan Jiefang's hypocritical expression, Yan Bugui retorted sarcastically, "Do you know how much it costs to stay in the hospital for a day? Will you pay for it, or will I pay for it myself? If you're willing to pay, then I'll go back to the hospital right now."

Hearing Yan Bugui's sarcasm, Yan Jiefang was not embarrassed. Instead, he replied hypocritically, "Dad! I'm just concerned about your health."

"You're concerned about my health, but when I was hospitalized, you didn't come to visit me, let alone take care of me. Now that I've been discharged and am resting at home, you suddenly seem concerned about me. I think you're like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—you're up to no good!"

Just as Yan Bugui had guessed, Yan Jiefang had taken leave to come home and visit Yan Bugui with a hidden purpose. Faced with Yan Bugui's sarcasm, Yan Jiefang felt his cheeks burning and said to Yan Bugui with a guilty look, "Dad! Look at what you're saying. Haven't you always been teaching us since we were little that you won't go poor from eating or dressing, but you will go poor if you don't plan ahead!"

“I just became a full-time employee at the factory not long ago, and my daily wage is 1.1 yuan. If I take leave to go to the hospital to take care of you, it means I will lose 1.1 yuan a day. My mother doesn’t have a job and is just sitting at home all day. Isn’t it the most appropriate thing for my mother to go to the hospital to take care of you?”

Hearing Yan Jiefang's self-righteous attitude, Yan Bugui felt annoyed and asked him irritably, "Yan Jiefang! The reason I educated you that way was to teach you to be thrifty and manage your household well, not to teach you how to scheme against your father."

When Yan Jiefang heard Yan Bugui's sarcasm, he did not feel guilty for having his thoughts exposed by Yan Bugui. Instead, he gave Yan Bugui a thumbs up and flattered him, saying, "Dad! When it comes to scheming in our family, if you say you are number one, no one dares to say they are number one. We siblings are just learning from you."

Yan Jiefang's words sounded like he was flattering Yan Bugui, but to Yan Bugui, they were incredibly grating, making him feel a fire burning inside him. He angrily cursed at Yan Jiefang, "Yan Jiefang! Why did I scheme? Wasn't it all to raise you and your siblings?"

"Everyone says raising children is for old age security, but when I got sick and was hospitalized, not one of you came to take care of me, let alone pay for my treatment. If I had known that I would raise a bunch of ungrateful wretches, I should have shot you all into the chamber pot back then."

Hearing Yan Bugui's outburst of curses, Yan Jiefang felt no shame. Instead, he argued back, "Dad! You've gone too far. I admit you've been fair and just to us four siblings all these years, but haven't you been scheming against us too? Otherwise, what parents would demand that their children pay for both food and lodging?" "Take our courtyard, for example. At Fatty Liu's house in the back, Guangfu has been beaten by Fatty Liu countless times since childhood, but at least Fatty Liu found them both jobs. In contrast, in our family, besides scheming to get the little money we earn from odd jobs, when have you ever thought about finding us siblings a job?"

“Can I be like Liu Haizhong? Liu Haizhong is at least a level seven forging worker in the steel rolling mill. Over the years, he has trained many apprentices, two of whom are now middle-level managers in the factory.” Yan Bugui was furious when he heard Yan Jiefang’s sarcasm and angrily retorted to Yan Jiefang.

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's rebuttal, Yan Jiefang not only did not feel guilty, but instead argued vehemently, saying, "Dad! Fatty Liu is a level seven worker in the factory, and you are a teacher at Hongxing Elementary School. Over the years, you have taught hundreds of times more students than Fatty Liu's apprentices. Are there no cadres among them?"

Having said that, Yan Jiefang, remembering the purpose of his return, didn't wait for Yan Bugui to refute him and directly changed the subject, saying to Yan Bugui, "Dad! I didn't come back to argue with you this time, but because I want to cooperate with you on a business deal. If it goes well, we can earn at least twice the principal, or even more."

Upon hearing Yan Jiefang's words and learning that Yan Jiefang wanted to discuss cooperation with him, Yan Bugui's previously angry face immediately showed a surprised expression. He stared at Yan Jiefang, who was standing by the bedside, with a puzzled look and asked curiously, "Yan Jiefang! What kind of business do you want to cooperate with me on?"

When Yan Jiefang heard Yan Bugui's question and saw the curious expression on Yan Bugui's face, he was secretly delighted and quickly explained to Yan Bugui, "Dad! Don't say I didn't think of you when I had good news for you. Here's what happened: the higher-ups are secretly searching for a treasure. Whoever finds this treasure can get a quota for changing their agricultural status to non-agricultural status, get a government grain ration, and also get a 10% commission. Divided among the people, each person can get at least 5,000 yuan."

Upon hearing the offer of five thousand yuan, Yan Bugui's face immediately showed a look of disdain, and he sneered, "Yan Jiefang! Are you out of your mind? The higher-ups are searching for treasure, would they ask ordinary people like you for help? And give you a commission of one-tenth of the treasure's value? Do you think that's possible?"

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's sarcasm, Yan Jiefang, recalling the information his friend had given him, immediately argued, "Dad! How can that be impossible? As the old saying goes, the power of the people is immense. The reason the higher-ups offered these conditions is to mobilize the people's power to help find this treasure. Moreover, I heard that this treasure contains yellow croaker that the Japanese didn't have time to transport after their defeat in the war, and it's said to weigh over a hundred tons."

Upon hearing Yan Jiefang's account, Yan Bugui's face showed a mixture of belief and doubt. He asked Yan Jiefang to confirm, "Jiefang! Are you sure this news is true?"

(End of this chapter)