I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

The Yan family's dinner was still cornbread with cornmeal porridge.

The mixed grain buns were about the size of an eight-qian wine cup, and the cornmeal porridge was barely better than plain water.

Yan Jiecheng immediately became unhappy, pointing to the cornbread on the plate:

"Dad, aren't you being a bit too ruthless? You can't find a smaller steamed bun in the entire city of Beijing! I've already paid my living expenses!"

Yan Bugui was in a bad mood because he had been completely defeated by Qin Huairu in the competition for Sha Zhu's leftovers. Hearing his eldest son's complaints and seeing that his other two sons also looked unhappy, he was struck by their complaints.

An unnamed rage surged within him. His face hardened, he glanced at Yan Jiefang and the others, then stared at Yan Jiecheng:

"This is all the food we have at home. Take it or leave it!"

Intimidated by his father's long-standing authority, and with the IOU and other leverage in his hands, Yan Jiecheng dared not utter a word and could only swallow his anger.

He picked up the cornmeal porridge in front of him, then grabbed his two small steamed buns, stood up, turned around, and plunged into the room where the three brothers slept.

Before leaving, he gave Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang a wink.

The others remained silent, eating with their heads down.

He probably doesn't realize that what he said today was too early.

Before long, he will see cornbread that looks similar to Shandong dates.

The steamed buns from the Yan family's house were different from those of other families in the courtyard.

It contains not only common coarse cornmeal, sweet potato flour, and cornmeal, but also sweet potato vine flour, dried wild vegetable flour, rice bran, and wheat bran from Zuojiazhuang and the wild to make it look more substantial.

I took a small bite of the edge, and my teeth were filled with crumbs; it was both green and bitter.

It was only barely swallowable when mixed with cornmeal porridge.

As for the irritation to the throat, that goes without saying.

It's not much better than swallowing a mouthful of sawdust!

Yan Jiefang could only manage a tiny bit before he couldn't take it anymore.

Yan Bugui chewed on his cornbread, then took a sip of thin porridge, swallowed it forcefully, and sighed.

"Hey~ Old Yang, your steamed buns are still the best! They're much chewier than the two-grain steamed buns we get at school for lunch! They're also filling, and most importantly, they're cheap! If I didn't have to rush to instruct the students at lunchtime, I would have come back for lunch and saved my family some money."

Hearing such shameless words, Yan Jiefang almost vomited!

Heizhima Hutong Elementary School is less than 500 meters away from our home. How many minutes would it take to walk back?

Yan Jiekuang always walks back to eat lunch by himself, don't you have time?

That almost made me laugh!

He picked up the bowl of thin porridge in front of him, lowered his head, and walked into the room, afraid that he might not be able to control his expression and burst out laughing.

Yan Jiekuang followed closely behind and went inside as well.

The three brothers gathered in a corner.

Yan Jiecheng took out three dark yellow steamed buns made from two different types of flour from his cloth bag and gave one to each of his two younger brothers.

This was a secret deal between the three brothers.

Since the eldest brother eats lunch at the factory canteen and has his own food coupons, he can buy authentic food at a low price.

In order to earn the little money his two younger brothers saved from collecting scraps, he came up with a plan.

She used her connections to bring food for her younger brothers.

Of course, the price was more than double what you'd pay elsewhere, and I had already prepaid and made a reservation a few days in advance!

The steamed buns made from the steel rolling mill weigh over two ounces and are quite substantial.

The price wasn't expensive either; one cost only 3 cents plus two ounces of grain coupons.

In Yan Jiecheng's opinion, what's wrong with making a little money from his younger brothers?

After all, you won't go broke from eating or dressing, but you will if you don't plan ahead!

The Yan family's famous saying, which resounds throughout the heavens and myriad realms, must not be forgotten.

The eldest and third brothers picked up the steamed buns made from the two-part flour mixture and started eating.

The rich aroma of corn fills the mouth, and the sweet taste of maltose after starch conversion coats the tongue, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

The wonderful taste almost made Yan Jiekuang swallow his tongue.

He swallowed the fist-sized steamed bun in just a few bites.

Yan Jiefang turned around and secretly put the cornbread away. He planned to keep it as a base and use it for a critical hit when the critical hit count refreshed next month.

If you're full at one meal and full at every other meal, anyone knows how to choose.

For him and Yan Jiekuang, buying an expensive steamed bun made with two kinds of flour was not easy.

Under the watchful eyes of Yan Bugui and his wife, both shrewd numbingers, saving money was incredibly difficult!

It took several years of collecting scraps to save up just a few cents to buy two steamed buns, and then he emptied his pockets in one go.

If I want to buy these kinds of steamed buns again, I'll have to save up all over again, and I don't know when that will be.

Unless you find a job after graduation, it's probably more likely that you'll earn your own money and buy food at the cafeteria.

Like other children, Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang just wanted to grow up quickly.

Little do they know, adults have more worries than children.

After drinking a large bowl of watery soup, Yan Jiekuang felt the urge to urinate.

He looked at his two older brothers:

"Big brother, second brother, are you going to the toilet?"

"Okay, let's go together."

Not long after, the three brothers entered the public restroom.

A pungent stench hit them, and the three of them quickly relieved themselves and left.

"Ring ring~"

The crisp sound of a bicycle bell came from behind me.

The group stopped and turned to look.

In the dim twilight, a long-faced young man rode his bicycle quickly toward them.

It's Xu Damao.

He swung his right leg back and stopped the car, stopping right next to the three people.

"Hey, have you three brothers eaten yet?"

The youngest, Yan Jiekuang, looked enviously at Xu Damao's bicycle and the cloth bag hanging from the handlebars, and replied:

"I've already eaten, Brother Da Mao. Where are you going to show a movie this time? Is it far?"

"This time, the movie is being shown near Tongzhou, which isn't exactly close."

Yan Jiecheng stared at the bicycle with shining eyes, licking his cheeks:

"It's still light out, Damao, can I borrow your bicycle to practice?"

Xu Damao glanced sideways:

"Yan Jiecheng, aren't you being a bit shameless? Didn't your dad buy a bicycle before the New Year? That bike is still parked under your eaves!"

Yan Jiecheng was speechless: "This..."

Xu Damao grinned:

"You're not going to get charged rent by that old man for using your own bicycle, are you? Haha..."

The three brothers remained silent.

"..."

Xu Damao patted Yan Jiecheng on the shoulder:

"I'm not going to waste any more time with you guys, I'm going home for dinner."

With that, he quickly walked away.

Who doesn't know this whole family is a bunch of shrewd schemers? They're a real pain in the ass, so it's best to stay away from them as soon as possible.

...

"Brother, you know perfectly well that our parents have already ruined our family's reputation, why humiliate yourself like this?"

Yan Jiekuang looked at Yan Jiecheng and complained in a low voice.

"I was just habitually trying to get a little something extra, wasn't I? Who knew that Sha Mao wouldn't give me any face at all? Besides, you won't go broke from eating or dressing, but you will if you don't know how to plan! Asking casually is nothing more than a waste of breath."

Yan Jiecheng made a sophistry.

Yan Jiekuang looked at his elder brother and felt that he was deeply poisoned and beyond saving, so he didn't bother to argue with him anymore.

Looking at his second brother, who hadn't said a word, he figured his poisoning wasn't too severe yet, and there might still be a chance of recovery.

Yan Jiefang stood aside, watching the two brothers, and thought to himself: Don't underestimate Yan Jiekuang just because he is young and has a very low presence in the original drama. I didn't expect him to be so sensible.

As for Yan Jiecheng, this guy is a complete copy of Yan Bugui, and he even surpasses his master!

Hopeless.