Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

Zhou Guifang's face instantly darkened, turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

She pointed at Yang Ya, her voice shrill and sharp:

"You little brat! What do you know?! Who gives you the right to interrupt adults?!"

"You have absolutely no manners! I wonder how you'll ever get married! What kind of girl is as disrespectful as you?!"

That's a really harsh statement.

Yang Ya was stunned, and her eyes instantly reddened.

She had never been scolded like this in her entire life. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she bit her lip hard to keep herself from crying out, but her shoulders were already trembling.

Yang Fan's fire suddenly shot up to the top of his head.

He had originally thought that with his father present, he could at least leave some room for maneuver.

But now—

To hell with the room for maneuver.

Yang Fan stood up, his voice icy cold, "Please watch your tone. My sister is none of your business to lecture her."

He pulled Yang Ya behind him to protect her, his gaze piercing straight at Zhou Guifang:

"Is she wrong? Don't you know how much 300,000 is? Why should I lend it to you?"

He took a step forward and said, enunciating each word clearly, "I'm putting this right here today—don't tell me I don't have money, even if I did, I wouldn't lend it. Not a single penny!"

Zhou Guifang exploded.

She slapped her thigh and jumped up, her voice shrill and piercing:

"Yang Fan! You ungrateful little devil! Are you even speaking human language?! Huh?!"

She pointed at Yang Fan's nose, her finger trembling: "You borrowed 200,000 from the third brother's family when they were dirt poor! We are your own uncle and aunt! Lei Zi is your own cousin! What's wrong with borrowing 300,000?"

"Do you think we'd renege on our debt?"

Yang Lei chimed in with a sullen face, "That's right! Yang Fan, you think you're all grown up now, and you don't even recognize your own family anymore, huh?"

"We're brothers, bound by blood! How can you do this?"

"Brothers?" Yang Fan laughed, a cold, sarcastic laugh. "Yang Lei, now you know we're brothers?"

He stared at Yang Lei, his eyes like knives:

"Then let me ask you—how did my dad, your second uncle, treat you?"

"From childhood to adulthood, in which year has he ever given you less New Year's money than you have?"

"You were expelled from junior high for fighting. Was it my dad who went to the school to plead for you?"

"You didn't have enough for the down payment on your first car, did my dad secretly slip you five thousand yuan?"

Yang Lei opened his mouth, his face turning a deep purplish-red, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Yang Fan turned to Zhou Guifang: "Auntie, what about you? Did you give my sister and me even a penny?"

"My sister got into university, and the whole village gave her a gift, except for your family, who pretended not to know!"

"During those difficult years when my family was struggling, I asked you for two thousand yuan to tide me over. What did you say? 'We can't even afford to eat ourselves'—and then you bought Yang Lei a pair of sneakers that cost over a thousand yuan!"

Zhou Guifang was speechless, her face turning pale: "You...you're bringing up old grievances!"

"Old grudges?" Yang Fan's voice suddenly rose. "Fine, let's talk about new ones!"

He suddenly pointed at Yang Lei: "This summer, you, Yang Lei, threw a banquet and invited everyone in the village, even the dogs at the village entrance barked! But you didn't invite our family at all! My parents waited at home all night, and didn't dare to call even once to ask! Is this how you treat people?!"

The moment those words were shouted, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Yang Jianguo lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly.

Wang Xiuying turned her face away, her eyes reddening.

That was the deepest thorn in their hearts.

Yang Jianye lost face and shouted angrily, "Yang Fan! Don't you have any manners?! That's your brother! How dare you talk to him like that!"

"My brother?" Yang Fan turned his head sharply to look at him. "Uncle, what about you? What have you, as the eldest brother and uncle, done?"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving: "And another thing, I rode in Yang Lei's car back from the city, and he demanded three hundred yuan for the fare! My own cousin, and he wanted three hundred yuan from me!"

"You're talking to me about rules now? About family ties?!"

Yang Lei, enraged, retorted, "That...that's because gas is expensive! Don't you know how high gas prices are now?!"

"Fuck your gas money!" Yang Fan completely lost his temper.

"Do you think no one can see through your little scheme? You just look down on our family, thinking we're poor and don't deserve to ride in your Cadillac!"

His gaze swept over his uncle's family, whose faces were ashen, and every word he uttered was so sharp it could spark.

"Now that I have some money, do you realize I'm a relative?"

"Too late! Let me tell you, I'd rather throw this money into the water and let it splash, or burn it for warmth, than lend a single penny to snobs and ingrates like you!"

"Get out! Get out of here right now! You're not welcome in our house anymore! This is the end for both our families!"

"Yang Fan!!!" Yang Jianye trembled with rage, slamming his hand on the table so hard that the teacup jumped.

"You've gone too far! You bastard! How dare you speak to your elders like that?! You deserve a beating!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand, about to rush over and hit someone.

Yang Fan didn't move an inch, just stared coldly at him: "Try touching me! Don't try to use your elder's authority on me. Do you even deserve to be called an elder?"

Yang Jianye's hand froze in mid-air.

Looking into Yang Fan's cold, fearless eyes, he felt a little scared for the first time.

Zhou Guifang quickly pulled her husband back, but her words were sharp: "Jianguo! Wang Xiuying! Look at this! Look at the good son you've raised!"

"Is this how you treat his own uncle and cousin?! Is there no justice left?!"

Yang Jianguo, who had been silent all along, finally raised his head.

He slowly stood up and walked to his elder brother. The two brothers stared at each other, one fuming with anger, the other expressionless.

"Boss" Yang Jianguo spoke, his voice hoarse and deep, yet exceptionally clear, "You guys go back."

Yang Jianye was taken aback: "Second brother, you..."

"Xiao Fan's words are harsh," Yang Jianguo interrupted him, "but he's right about one thing—let's call it a day for our two families."

He pointed to the carton of substandard milk on the table, his fingers trembling slightly:

"Did you come here today to borrow money, or to embarrass us?"

"Our family is poor, but not so poor that we need your charity for this food."

"Second brother! What do you mean?!" Zhou Guifang shrieked, "We meant well..."

"Kindness?" Yang Jianguo smiled, but it was a bitter smile.

"We all know what's going on. You know how your family has treated us all these years."

"I didn't say it before because I felt that we were brothers, so it wasn't a big deal."

"But now it seems that I was just being wishful."

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength: "From now on, our two families will live our own lives."

"You go your way, we'll go ours. Let's just pretend we're not related."

Yang Jianye was struck dumb, staring at his younger brother in disbelief: "Second brother...you...are you serious? You really want to cut ties with me for this little bit of money?!"

"It's not about the money." Yang Jianguo shook his head, his eyes filled with deep weariness and disappointment.

"It's because you've never treated us like brothers or family. Once your hearts are cold, they can't be warmed back up. You should leave."

Zhou Guifang completely broke down, pointing at Yang Jianguo's family and saying things she shouldn't have:

"Well, Yang Jianguo! Wang Xiuying! Your whole family are ungrateful! You think you're so great just because you have a few bucks?"

"Fine, let's cut ties! Who cares! Let's see how long you can be so smug! You have money but won't lend it to your own family, you deserve it..."

"Get out!" Yang Fan roared, pointing to the door. "If you don't leave, I'll grab a broom and kick you out!"

Yang Lei's face was extremely pale. He tugged at his mother, "Mom, stop talking! Let's go! They don't acknowledge our marriage, are we just going to stay?"

The family of three, looking disheveled and utterly humiliated by Yang Fan's cold gaze and Yang Jianguo's resolute attitude, slammed the door and left.

"Bang!"

The door was slammed shut, making the windows rattle.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Yang Ya finally couldn't hold back anymore, covered her face, and tears streamed through her fingers. Half of it was grievance, and the other half was exhaustion after the catharsis.

Wang Xiuying walked over, hugged her daughter, and gently patted her back, her own eyes reddening.

Yang Jianguo stood there, looking at the door panel that was still trembling slightly. His back was hunched, and he seemed to have aged several years in an instant.

He slowly walked back to the chair, sat down, covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders shrugged slightly.

This honest man, who valued brotherhood and believed in making money through harmony throughout his life, has today severed this family bond that had long existed in name only.

The stone that had been weighing on my heart for years was finally removed, leaving behind a bloody, empty hole.

Looking at his silent parents and crying sister, Yang Fan felt a turmoil in his heart.

There were embers of lingering anger, the satisfaction of tearing off the mask of civility, but more than anything, there was a profound sorrow and unwavering resolve.

He knew how difficult it was for his father to make this decision.

But this step must be taken.

If you keep doing this, this family will be like leeches, forever clinging to you, sucking your blood, and complaining that your blood is dirty.

"Dad," Yang Fan walked to his father's side, his voice softening, "It's a good thing to cut ties with this kind of relative."

Yang Jianguo lowered his hand, his eyes bloodshot.

He let out a long sigh, a sigh that seemed to express all the forbearance and helplessness of half a lifetime.

"Xiaoya," he said, his voice hoarse as he looked at his daughter, "Don't cry. It's not worth it for someone like that."

Yang Ya sobbed as she looked up, "Dad... I'm just angry... Why did they say those things about us..."

"They're shameless." Yang Jianguo wiped away his daughter's tears, his movements clumsy yet unusually gentle.

"From now on... it'll just be the four of us in our family. We'll close the door and live our own lives. Let outsiders... say whatever they want."

Wang Xiuying wiped her eyes and forced herself to cheer up: "Yes, Xiaoya, don't cry."

"Mom will make you some pork ribs tonight, we'll have a good meal."