At the beginning, he took his seven younger siblings to join Yi Zhonghai.

The Yi family was filled with laughter and joy.

But the Jia family mother and son on the other side didn't feel good about it.

"Old Yi has lost his mind. He doesn't even know where these wild kids came from, but he treats this old man without a son like a treasure."

"Hmph, just you wait, there will be trouble later."

"Can that wild child handle his discipline? In the end, it'll be a complete mess."

"Look at those bastards, none of them are as pleasing to the eye as our Banggeng'er, our good grandson."

As Jia Zhangshi drilled holes in the shoe soles, she muttered some foul language under her breath.

"Mom, please say less. If my master hears this, how will our two families get along? Will I still be able to learn to be a fitter?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu frowned and said with dissatisfaction.

"I was just chatting at home. Was I wrong? It took more than a month to bring them back. I don't even know which bastard came from in some remote mountain village."

"Not to mention they don't even know if he's a member of the Yi family, yet they treat him like a treasure."

"Will Yi Zhonghai be able to take care of our family in the future? He won't need to rely on you for his old age anymore."

Madam Jia put down the insole, glanced at her son, continued cursing, and finally sighed helplessly.

"Then we can't afford to offend them even more. Now my master has hope, and there are eight of them."

"If we offend him, he can just kick me out and then he won't have to worry about our family anymore."

Jia Dongxu said seriously.

"We're not counting on him, we're counting on you to learn the skills quickly so that you can stand tall and carry on the family name of the Jia family."

Jia Zhangshi pursed her lips and encouraged her son.

"The way you're saying that, if not pointing fingers at him, then who are you pointing fingers at? He's watched us grow up since we were little, and we don't need to pay him any tribute when we learn a skill."

"The other apprentices in the factory have to offer their masters food, drinks, cigarettes, and alcohol every now and then, which costs them a lot of money."

Jia Dongxu said with dissatisfaction.

"Okay, okay, you're right, I was wrong, alright? I was still doing it for you, wasn't I?"

"Oh? Bang Geng is only three months old. Luckily, Qin Huairu has plenty of breast milk. Otherwise, our family wouldn't be able to afford milk powder, let alone formula. Our precious grandson would have suffered a lot."

"They're still young now, but what about later? When they grow up, everything costs money. If we had Yi Zhonghai to help us, our family would be much better off."

"Now look what's happened. He's brought a few bastards from the mountains to compete with us for food. Even if he remembers which way the Jia family's gate faces, it's as if he hasn't forgotten the kindness of your dead father."

Looking at the portrait of Old Jia hanging on the wall, Jia Zhangshi couldn't hide the resentment in her heart.

When I was young, I was a beautiful woman in the surrounding villages.

Which young man wouldn't be mesmerized by me?

I chose you after all my hard work, you damned, short-lived bastard.

I didn't enjoy anything.

She became a widow at a young age.

You bastard, you've probably been reincarnated by now.

In a few years, you'll probably be enjoying yourself with who knows which flower in your arms.

I don't know how long I'll have to endure this.

I haven't grown fingernails in years.

The laughter from the Yi family in the middle courtyard also reached the Yan family in the front courtyard.

"Honey, Old Yi brought back a few kids without a word. Don't you think it could be...?"

Holding her seven-month-old daughter in her arms, Yang Ruihua whispered her suspicions furtively.

"It doesn't seem like that. Didn't I tell you that day? It was the leader of those kids who called first. When the neighborhood committee was first established, someone even came to tell Lao Yi to answer the phone."

Yan Bugui shook his head and said without the slightest hesitation.

"That's true. But after all these years, we couldn't find him. Old Yi even went back to his hometown to look for him, but he still couldn't find him. How come we found him all of a sudden?"

Yang Ruihua nodded, then asked another question.

"Who can say for sure about fate? Maybe those little ones weren't meant to die, maybe the Yi family wasn't destined to perish."

"What a pity, we won't be able to get a free cigarette from Lao Yi anymore."

Yan Bugui touched the cigarettes in his pocket, feeling quite regretful.

Although it's now mostly stuffed with stuff.

However, there is a big difference between being full at one meal and being full at every meal.

"What does this have to do with cigarettes?"

Yang Ruihua asked, puzzled.

"It doesn't matter. Suddenly there are eight more kids in the family, all of them half-grown boys who will eat their fathers alive. The Yi family won't be able to be rich anymore. They might even be more frugal than us in the future."

"Otherwise, how could he support eight children, feeding them, taking care of their basic needs, sending them to school, and helping them get married and start their own families? All of these things cost money."

"Just watch, it won't be long before old Yi faces a famine."

Yan Bugui's lips curled into a shrewd, calculating smile.

"That's true, but it has nothing to do with us. How could he have the nerve to come to our house to borrow? I'd spit in his face."

Yang Ruihua said dismissively.

"Who can say for sure?"

"But there's one thing, Old Yi has to come and beg us for."

Yan Bugui raised his chin and said with considerable pride.

"What?"

Yang Ruihua's interest was piqued.

"When my child went to school, he generously gave me almost a whole pack of cigarettes. At the time, I was just happy about it, but now I've realized what he really meant."

Yan Bugui rubbed the cigarette case, his eyes behind his glasses narrowing habitually.

This was his subconscious action when he smelled money while doing business.

"Yes, you're the head of the household. You've got the calculations all right. Apart from the eldest, there are seven other kids. They all need you to take care of them so they can go to school."

"Before, Lao Yi had no children, and he was a mid-level worker in the steel rolling mill. The old couple couldn't ask anyone for anything. Apart from not having children, I never saw him bow his head."

"Now look what's happened! So many kids need to go to school, let's see if they'll beg us for help."

Yang Ruihua seemed to already see Yi Zhonghai groveling before her, and a big smile spread across her face.

"Well, I'll have the school assign all his kids to my class. Old Yi will have no choice but to back down."

"Of course, as teachers, we don't need to do anything special; we just want to have some fun."

"The child needs tutoring to improve their studies, so shouldn't they show some respect to their teacher?"

Yan Bugui looked like he had calculated everything perfectly, and his head started shaking unconsciously.

"That's right. Now our status is reversed with the Yi family. We don't need to ask anything of them, but they have to beg us."

"This time it was just half a pack of cigarettes that was embarrassing. Next time, if you don't have a whole carton, don't bother with him."

Yang Ruihua became more and more excited as she thought about it.

Poor little Yan Jiedi, who was drinking milk at the time.

They have no choice but to follow the path of making a living.

"Our family is happy, but there are one family, no, two families, who are going to cry."

Yan Bugui glanced in the direction of the Intermediate People's Court.

"That's right. If one family doesn't receive any more financial assistance, it will be difficult to find someone to take care of them."

"Tan Xiulian, that barren old hen, now has eight children to keep her occupied. She probably won't even have time to sleep, let alone take care of that deaf old lady in the backyard."

Yang Ruihua, who had slept with him for over ten years, understood his true meaning with just a glance.

"Hehe, I wonder how those two families will react. The compound is going to be lively from now on."

Yan Bugui chuckled happily.

I wonder what wonderful thing has come to mind.

He was so amused by what he saw.

He reached out and picked up the half-smoked cigarette on the table, its butt neatly trimmed, lit it with a match, and began to smoke with relish.