Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

After hearing the plans of the eldest and second eldest brothers, Yan Jiekuang's first reaction was to refuse.

I've already agreed to give the two brothers two hundred yuan as compensation, but they still want to take my future salary. That's way too much to ask.

Besides, it's the brothers' duty to provide for their parents' retirement; why should I have to pay for it? He instinctively refused, saying, "No..."

"Why should I be the only one to pay for the retirement money you give to our parents..."

"Five yuan isn't much; you can save a little money each time."

"Even though you two have just been released from prison and it's hard to find work outside, it doesn't mean you can't find jobs..."

“Now, a lot of companies and factories are being established in Beijing every day, and many houses are under construction. As long as you are willing to work hard, it is not a problem to earn 30 or 40 yuan a month.”

“You live in a courtyard house, so you don’t have to pay rent. You only need to spend twenty yuan a month on food.”

"If I could find a job that provides meals, I would only need to spend about ten yuan a month on breakfast and dinner, and I could save all the rest of the money."

It's easy for you to contribute five yuan a month, so why should I have to pay for that? That's not fair.

Yan Jiecheng was certain he had his third brother, Yan Jiekuang, figured out today.

Faced with Yan Jiekuang's objection, he not only wasn't angry, but instead smiled and explained, "Third brother..."

"Do you think asking you to pay five dollars for us is harming you?"

"Let me tell you, asking you to pay these five dollars won't harm you; on the contrary, it's helping you."

“You used to give your family fifty yuan every month. Even if you help us pay five yuan, you will only need to give your family fifteen yuan every month, which means you can save thirty-five yuan every month.”

"But you definitely can't tell your father that you give him fifteen yuan a month for his retirement. Otherwise, you'll be labeled as unfilial, and your reputation will be ruined."

Even if you have a partner now, they won't easily marry you.

"So I have to go and talk to the second brother about this."

“My second brother and I just got out of prison. We’re not afraid of being labeled or gossiped about by the neighbors. But you’re different. You just found a partner and are about to get married. We absolutely cannot have any accidents happen.”

"Moreover……"

“Three years ago, your father paid your fine and watched helplessly as my second son and I went to jail for three years. No matter how much your father schemed, he must have felt some guilt towards us.”

"As long as my second son and I insist on doing this, even if Dad is very uncomfortable, he can only nod in agreement."

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

The third brother, Yan Jiekuang, wanted to keep both his money and his reputation... But there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Faced with Yan Jiecheng's analysis, Yan Jiekuang wanted to refute it, but he couldn't find a single reason to do so.

Moreover, Yan Jiecheng's words were not without reason. Although he had contributed ten yuan to his second and eldest sons, which added up to one hundred and twenty yuan a year, making him feel like he was being taken advantage of, compared to the fifty yuan he currently gives to his family each month, giving only fifteen yuan each month from now on would indeed save him a lot of money, and he would also preserve his reputation for filial piety, without affecting his relationship with his partner or marriage.

Thinking of this, Yan Jiekuang still felt some resistance, feeling that he had been outmaneuvered by the second and eldest brothers, but he still forced himself to nod: "Okay..."

"I've agreed to this..."

“But you two have to tell our parents about reducing our pension from fifty yuan to fifteen yuan. I definitely won’t interfere.”

"As long as my parents agree to reduce their pension to 15 yuan per month, I will agree to help you pay this amount."

Seeing Yan Jiekuang nod, the two brothers, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The three of them seemed to have forgotten their earlier argument and confrontation, and together they walked into the house where the Yan family had lived for decades.

Yan Fugui and his wife had already prepared dinner, with several dishes placed in the middle of the table, all of which were meat dishes that the Yan family rarely saw.

There was braised chicken and potatoes... large chunks of braised pork... stir-fried pork with shredded radish... and an egg drop soup... the meals during the New Year were never as plentiful as tonight's.

Yan Fugui was overjoyed and immediately invited his three sons to sit down, showing no trace of his previous stingy demeanor.

But this is understandable.

Previously, Yan Fugui and his wife had placed all their hopes for their retirement on their third son, Yan Jiekuang.
Unexpectedly, Yan Jiekuang was even more selfish than the eldest and second eldest brothers.

Less than six months after his release from prison, he began to have his own schemes, secretly saving money and even forcing himself, a retired teacher, to go out and collect scraps to earn money.

He thought more than once that he had chosen the wrong person to take care of in his old age, but there's no going back. No matter how much he regretted it, he could only look forward.

Now that the eldest and second eldest sons have been successfully released from prison, although it will be difficult for them to find particularly good jobs in the future because of their past imprisonment, their return home means that the eldest son has two more options for retirement. Unlike before, when he pinned all his hopes for retirement on the youngest son and didn't even have the courage to say a harsh word to him, fearing that he might anger the youngest son and leave without saying goodbye like the youngest son in the court, which would be terrible.

Now that my eldest and second eldest sons have been successfully released from prison and will continue to live at home, all my previous worries and anxieties are gone. I also have more options for retirement, and I no longer need to swallow my pride in front of my youngest son as before.

Under these circumstances, it would be difficult for Yan Fugui not to be happy.

In addition, as the eldest brother just said, after the two brothers are released from prison, he and his wife can no longer put all the pressure on the youngest brother's shoulders to support their parents' old age, just like before.

According to the eldest son, he will also contribute to the family's retirement funds in the future, just like the third son.

Even if each person only pays twenty yuan, the two of them together would pay forty yuan. Adding the fifty yuan the third child pays to the family each month, the total is ninety yuan.
In addition to the more than 20 yuan of pension I receive each month, I have an income of more than 100 yuan a month, so why would I bother picking up trash in the future?

The more Yan Fugui thought about it, the happier he became; his mouth was practically agape with excitement.

At the dinner table, he kept urging his two sons to eat, and even put several pieces of chicken on their plates. The three Yan brothers were quite surprised, thinking that Yan Fugui was sick, otherwise why would he do such an unusual thing?

In their memory, even during the Spring Festival, Yan Fugui would always have a stern face and carefully distribute the same amount of food to each family member in order to show his fairness and impartiality.

Not only did he not serve food to everyone today, but he also took the initiative to put food on his three sons' plates. That's so strange. (End of Chapter)