I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 224 Listen to your parents

Qin Fen and Zhang Yangwen helped Su Cheng clean up the house.

The landlord didn't make things difficult for Su Cheng; after a little hesitation, he helped Su Cheng get her deposit back.

"Young man, you're doing great as you are. Don't be so downcast all the time, okay?"

Faced with the advice of the old Beijing landlady, Su Cheng chuckled.

He heard it.

The landlord didn't return the deposit so readily because they cleaned the place.

The landlord was afraid that Su Cheng might do something drastic over such a small matter, or that it might become the last straw that broke the camel's back.

There have probably been a lot of disputes over deposits in recent years.

Su Cheng felt a little sad. It should be normal for factories to settle wages normally and for renters to get their deposits refunded normally.

Why does it have to escalate to the point of bloodshed?

The landlord was quite clever, or perhaps a little afraid of dying, so he adopted the principle of "the happy one yields" and readily refunded Su Cheng's deposit.

"Brother Cheng, where should we eat?" Qin Fen's stomach was already growling, but he still suggested, "How about we call Sister Li out to come along?"

Su Cheng hesitated after hearing this.

He wasn't sure if now was the right time, but he could try asking.

"Okay, I'll make a call and ask."

Qin Fen dialed Ye Li's number and invited her to have dinner together.

"Sister Li... um? Ah?"

"Oh, okay then."

Judging from Qin Fen's answer and expression, Ye Li did not agree.

Su Cheng had already guessed it.

Zhang Yangwen still asked, "How so?"

"Sister Li said she's not coming out; someone from her family has come."

Is someone coming home?
Su Cheng suddenly frowned and asked, "Did her father or her mother come?"

"It seems... Sister Li's parents are here."

Su Cheng: ???
……

……

A woman dressed in dark patterned clothing, who looked to be in her fifties, was wandering around the house.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Wenhua asked Ye Li, "Xiao Li, how come you rent such a big house all by yourself?"

"That must cost a lot of money in Jingzhou, right?"

Ye Li nodded blankly: "Yes, it's over two thousand a month."

Liu Wenhua was immediately shocked by the rent: "More than two thousand?! Back in our hometown, the monthly mortgage payment for a house is only a little over two thousand!"

Ye Li knew her mother would say that, so she didn't dare to tell her the real rent, which was actually 5,500 yuan.

Even so, this is considered a very cheap house in Jingzhou.

"If you ask me, you'd be better off renting a smaller one."

"You're not home during the day, you just come back to sleep."

"I think Xiao Li, you could rent out the other room, which would help you share some of the utility bills."

"Isn't that how all young people are these days? The people I see on short videos are all talking about sharing an apartment."

Ye Li patiently explained to her mother, "Mom, I don't like sharing an apartment with others. There are a lot of troubles when you share an apartment. I feel more comfortable living alone, and there won't be any conflicts."

"Anyway, I think the rent for this apartment is too expensive, and there's no elevator. It's such a hassle for your dad and me to come up here." Liu Wenhua pouted, her face looking very unhappy.

Sitting on the sofa, Ye Haijun's expression wasn't as unpleasant as Liu Wenhua's. Instead, he stopped Liu Wenhua, saying, "Alright, it's rented, so why are you making such a fuss!"

Ye Haijun was more concerned about Ye Li's income: "Xiao Li, how much do you earn a month now?"

Ye Li thought for a moment and replied, "Not high, maybe five or six thousand."

Upon hearing the salary figure, Liu Wenhua started chattering again: "How come it's still five or six thousand? That means half of your salary goes to rent! Isn't that just working for the landlord? How can you possibly save any money?"

Ye Li said impatiently, "Mom, don't I still transfer 1000 yuan to you every month?"

“What can you do with a thousand yuan? It’s only ten thousand yuan a year. Your brother’s tuition for high school was 7700 yuan per semester. Now that he’s in college, the tuition is even more expensive and the expenses are even greater.”

"You know that guy from our village? His son works in Beijing as a security guard. He makes six or seven thousand yuan a month, and he even gets room and board included. He doesn't have to spend a penny on food or lodging."

Ye Haijun glared at Liu Wenhua, who obediently shut her mouth and said no more.

"Xiao Li, you've been in Jingzhou for so long, have you visited your cousin-in-law even once?"

Ye Li's expression immediately softened.

Cousin-law.

Just by hearing that title, you can tell they're distant relatives beyond the fifth degree of kinship!
Ye Li had heard her mother mention it several times when she was still in school.

Her great-uncle was among the first batch of students to be admitted to Jingzhou after the resumption of the college entrance examination, and he was assigned to work on the railway.

This great-uncle's family can be summed up in one sentence: three generations have worked in the railway system.

However, Ye Li had only heard of them and had never met them.

We have no contact information and don't know where they live.

Besides, what would she be doing there?
Are you trying to curry favor with someone?
People will definitely think that a distant relative from their hometown has come to stay with them.

They wouldn't kick her out, but they definitely wouldn't help her at all.

in other words.

There's no point in going.

A simple visit?

What difference does it make whether you go or not?
After hearing Ye Li say she hadn't been there, Liu Wenhua started again: "What? You've been in Jingzhou for so long, and you've never been there?"

"No."

“Look at you, child, you don’t know any manners.” Liu Wenhua sighed deeply. “Sigh… Your cousin-in-law has several houses in Jingzhou, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to let you stay in one of them.”

Ye Li: ???
What do you mean?
Isn't this just trying to curry favor with others and take advantage of them?
There are reasons why poor relatives are disliked!

Ye Li would never bring it up.

Let's not even talk about whether they'll let her share a room.

She didn't like living under someone else's roof.

"Stop it, don't mention it to me again."

Ye Li barely rested during the few days off she earned from fieldwork. She spent her time either accompanying the elderly couple to various places or taking them sightseeing. All her rest and recuperation time was devoted to serving them.

Until the last day of the holiday.

Ye Li thought she should quickly treat the elderly couple to a meal and then send them to the station to go back to their hometown.

Choosing a restaurant is a complex and difficult problem.

Because her parents were a very strange contradiction.

If they choose the right place, they'll say they're wasting money and that they don't need to eat at such a nice place.

If we choose the wrong restaurant, they'll definitely give us a hard time and might even tell our relatives and neighbors, "Oh, we old folks finally made it to the countryside, and all we got was a cheap, low-class restaurant."

No matter which option you choose, it's wrong; the difficulty is no less than handling a Class B case.

However, Ye Li has experience.

She chose a restaurant with a decent price-performance ratio and treated the elderly couple to dinner.

She didn't choose a particularly nicely decorated restaurant, but it wasn't particularly bad either; a meal there would cost around three or four hundred yuan.

"Mom, why aren't you eating? This fish has hardly any bones."

"Sigh... We don't even dare to eat this well at home..."

Ye Li's pent-up emotions exploded immediately upon hearing those words.

"Eat if you like, leave if you don't."

Why are you being so sarcastic?

"I'm treating you to dinner, why are you still making such comments?"

Liu Wenhua was startled by Ye Li and lowered her voice to the lowest level: "I was just saying."

Ye Haijun, standing to the side, remained unmoved, not uttering a single word, seemingly already accustomed to the argument between Liu Wenhua and Ye Li.

Ye Haijun took a sip of baijiu, then used black wooden chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth. "Xiao Li."

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"If you work harder at work, pay more attention to your surroundings, wipe the table for the boss, make some tea, and give them gifts during holidays, your salary definitely won't be so low."

Ye Li was speechless.

In Jingzhou, if wiping the table for the boss could lead to a raise or promotion, then the table would have been worn smooth long ago, and there would be no chance for her.

Moreover.

With her so proactive behavior, it's no wonder her colleagues are talking behind her back like she's a dog; rumors might even start circulating about her.

"We'll go buy some things later, and we'll visit your cousin-in-law tomorrow. You can come with us," Ye Haijun explained.

Ye Li nodded reluctantly.

Forget it.

Anyway, it's the last day.

Let them be there for the past.

Get rid of the old couple as soon as possible.

"Dad, have you bought your tickets? If not, I'll buy them for you."

"I haven't bought it yet, you don't need to," Ye Haijun declined.

"I'll buy it. I'll pick out a soft sleeper for you so you can get a good rest on the way back."

“Xiao Li, your dad and I aren’t leaving,” Liu Wenhua explained.

Ye Li was immediately stunned, and she looked at Ye Haijun.

Ye Haijun tacitly agreed with Liu Wenhua's words.

"Don't go?"

Ye Li didn't understand.

What does it mean when my parents say they won't leave?
"Your dad and I were bored at home, so we came to stay with you."

"Seek refuge?"

"correct."

“I’m planning to find a cleaning job here, and your dad can work as a security guard.”

"So you weren't going for a walk yesterday afternoon, but instead went looking for jobs?"

"Yes, your dad and I specifically found jobs in the same place where you work, just so we could be closer to you."

“But your workplace is too far away, and it’s too much trouble to take the subway back and forth. Your dad and I almost got lost yesterday afternoon.”

At this moment, Ye Li didn't know what to say to describe her inner emotions.

My mom works as a cleaner.

My dad works as a security guard.

Still in Shengyue Building?

Does that mean her dad works as a doorman in the building, and her mom cleans inside?

Just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated.

The day they arrived, they said that the two-bedroom apartment she rented was a waste, but now they're saying they're not leaving and will stay at her place.
Are you guys here to be funny?

"Where's my brother? Aren't you going to take care of him?"

“Your brother is in college now, just transfer his living expenses to him every month.”

“Your brother’s living expenses are over two thousand a month now, and his tuition is tens of thousands a year. The family’s meager salary is simply not enough to cover the expenses. And your brother will have to get married later.”

“Your dad and I have been thinking about it. We’ll save up some money in Jingzhou these next few days. If the three of us work hard, we can get him a house back in our hometown in a few years.”

"When it comes time to get married, you have to give the bride price, and the gold jewelry alone costs a lot of money."

Ye Li chuckled.

She was so angry she laughed.

Ye Li's younger brother failed the high school entrance exam and went to a private high school, where the tuition was 15,000 yuan a year.

His college entrance exam results were also mediocre, and he ended up attending a private third-tier university.

Universities have more places to spend money, with expenses almost doubling.

Ye Li considered it for a moment.

If she hadn't gotten into the county's public high school back then, her family would have definitely sent her to a vocational school; they would never have let her attend an expensive private high school.

The main difference is that the tuition fees are several times higher.

Parents these days are smart too. Afraid of being accused of favoring boys over girls, they outwardly maintain a balance between their children and constantly say that they will sell everything they own to send their children to school.

但实际不然.

The elderly couple still held very traditional views, believing that their daughter, who would eventually marry out of the family, was not worth spending so much money to raise.

What her mother said was also very interesting.

What does it mean for the three of us to work hard?

Was all her efforts in Jingzhou for her younger brother to get married back in their hometown?

Stop talking nonsense!
Ye Li isn't afraid of being called selfish; that's just who she is.

Just like she told Su Cheng: no matter whether she earns 50,000 or 100,000, she won't tell her family.

If you mention it, things will go wrong.

The elderly couple refused to accept this. They stayed at home, reaping the benefits without lifting a finger, handing over all the responsibilities of the household to their daughter, who supported them.

It's not that Ye Li doesn't care at all; as the older sister, she can help out a little when her younger brother gets married or does anything else.

But it's impossible to expect her to fulfill all the responsibilities at home.

Everyone has their own family responsibilities and tasks.

As parents, it is your responsibility to give to your children.

You should exert as much force as you can, okay?
It's possible to work in Gyeongju.

But I can't stay at her place.

Just imagining the scene of the three of them living together, Ye Li could feel a strong sense of suffocation.

At that point, not only will work be affected, but even normal emotions will be impacted.

Ye Li firmly denied this.

Ye Haijun was displeased upon hearing this.

Although he hasn't said much these past few days, he has consistently maintained the same stance as Liu Wenhua.

"Xiao Li, what do you mean?"

"We raised you all these years, can't we even stay here with you for a while?"

"Is this a period of time? You're living here in years. I don't want to live with you."

Ye Haijun sighed, not even with his mouth, but with his nose: "How did I raise such an ungrateful wretch?"

Ye Li will not prove here whether she is the ingrate they are talking about.

It doesn't make any sense.

She couldn't persuade Ye Haijun and Liu Wenhua either.

They had their own set of outdated feudal standards.

Ye Li has her own standards.

As long as she meets her own standards of filial piety and has a clear conscience, that's enough.

"I just have one thing to say."

"If you insist on staying in Jingzhou, then there's no need to say more."

"I just paid a year's rent for the house, so you can live here."

"If you think it's too far, then find a place to stay yourselves."

"how about you?"

"I'm moving away; I'm not staying in Jingzhou anymore."

"You won't need to look for me anymore, and you won't be able to find me anyway."

(End of this chapter)