Chapter 650 Change 5
Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang walked slowly on the way back to the courtyard, frowning as they walked, thinking about something in their hearts. They knew very well that they had a bad quarrel with the old man because of the halving of their salary, but life was really tight. They had to calculate a lot to buy something with the pitiful money they had every month. This couldn't go on. So they thought that they had to find a particularly suitable time to have a good talk with the old man when they went back this time. Even if they couldn't get such a big request of halving their salary to be met, they had to try to get more pocket money. They couldn't live so tight all the time. They had to think twice before improving their lives and buying some small items they liked. How aggrieved it was.
Liu Guangqi and Liu Guangfu walked quietly beside them, listening to the Yan brothers' calculations, occasionally interjecting and helping out with ideas. Liu Guangqi scratched his head, thought for a while and said, "Why not wait until the old man is in a good mood, for example, when he comes home from work and is very happy, or when there is a happy event at home, then maybe he will be more willing to give up." Liu Guangfu also nodded and agreed, "Yes, brother, what you said makes sense, and you have to speak nicely, tell the old man your plans and let him know that you are not the kind of people who spend money recklessly."
Unconsciously, they returned to the courtyard. As soon as they entered the familiar courtyard, they saw the old man of the Yan family sitting on the old stone bench in the courtyard, holding a pipe in his hand, smoking slowly, with a slightly frowned brow. It seemed that he was still sulking about the quarrel with his sons before. The lingering smoke slowly rose around him, making him look more serious.
The third aunt was busy hanging some clothes in a corner of the yard at the time. When she looked up and saw the children coming back, her heart skipped a beat, fearing that they would have a conflict with the old man over this matter again, making the old man even more unhappy. So she quickly winked at them, her eyes full of hints, telling them not to provoke the old man again, just to keep quiet today and not to mention the issue of salary handover.
But Yan Jiecheng has been holding this matter in his heart, like a big rock pressing down on him, heavy. He feels that if he doesn't say it today, he may not have a chance in the future. He gritted his teeth and walked forward. He cleared his throat first, and the sound was particularly clear in the slightly quiet yard. Then he said in a cautious and expectant tone: "Dad, when we went out to eat today, we thought about it carefully and seriously. Can you give us some slack and let us pay less of our monthly salary? Don't worry, we are not the kind of people who don't know how to spend money recklessly. We promise not to spend recklessly. We just want to be a little more relaxed in our daily life, have some extra money on hand, and occasionally buy some daily necessities. Is it okay with you?"
When the old man heard this, his face darkened instantly, and he subconsciously knocked the pipe in his hand heavily on the stone table. The "bang bang" sound echoed in the yard, as if he was venting his dissatisfaction at the moment. He stared with his eyes, revealing an unquestionable majesty, and said loudly: "Humph, you still dare to mention this matter, why do I ask you to hand over your salary? Isn't it to save it for you? You will need money to start a family and build a career in the future. You are so good, just thinking about spending money freely, how can that be a good thing. I work so hard and save money, all for your sake, why don't you understand my painstaking efforts?"
Yan Jiefang was watching the old man's angry look from the side, feeling a little scared, but he didn't want to give up just like that, so he hurriedly put on a flattering smile and said, "Dad, you're right, we all understand your painstaking efforts, your life has not been easy, and you're doing it for our own good, we all know that. But we've grown up now, and we do have some plans of our own. Besides, you're so strict that sometimes we even have to think twice before going out for dinner with friends, which is too embarrassing in front of friends. You don't want us to be laughed at by others because of this when we're out, so you should feel sorry for us."
The old man snorted coldly, his voice full of disdain, and said with a curled mouth: "Face? Face can be eaten, you just have never suffered, you don't know that money is hard to come by, and you just know how to spend it recklessly. When I was your age, I didn't have the spare money to go out for a meal, I was lucky enough to have a full stomach. Now that you have a better life, you start to care about these useless things. You really don't know how to appreciate the blessings you have."
At this time, other neighbors who were busy or resting in the yard heard the noise here and gathered around. Everyone began to persuade them. Some neighbors said to the old man sincerely: "Old Yan, I think you are really too strict. The children are all grown up now, and they should have some money to spend. Otherwise, they will feel very unhappy. It is normal for them to buy something they like occasionally and go out to get together with friends." Other neighbors stood on the side of the old man and said to the Yan brothers earnestly: "Children, you have to understand your old man's painstaking efforts. He did this for your own good. He wanted to save more money for you so that you can live a more stable life in the future. Don't let him down." The yard was very lively for a while, with various voices intertwined, and everyone was trying to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere.
Liu Guangqi and Liu Guangfu stood quietly by the side, watching the stalemate in front of them. Both of them frowned slightly, their lips moved, but they swallowed back the words that were on the tip of their tongues. It was really hard to say anything more. Liu Guangqi's mind was in a mess at the moment, and he couldn't help but think of the bad things that happened during his blind dates. Recalling the previous blind dates, either the enthusiasm in the girl's eyes faded instantly when she heard about his not-so-high salary, and there was no follow-up; or the two people's interests and hobbies did not match at all, and the whole blind date was very awkward, and in the end it all ended in nothing. All these things, one by one, were like heavy stones, pressing on his heart, making him feel helpless and annoyed.
Looking at the Yan brothers who were worried about money, their brows were furrowed, their faces were full of helplessness and frustration, they argued with the old man for more pocket money, but there was no progress. Liu Guangqi couldn't help but sigh deeply in his heart, secretly lamenting that life was really not easy, there were problems everywhere, as if there was no way to get around them, everyone was struggling in their own troubles, wanting to break free but seemed so powerless.
Just when everyone was talking and persuading, and the yard was noisy, suddenly, a loud voice broke the noisy atmosphere: "Hey, what are you arguing about? It's so lively." Everyone turned their heads and saw that it was an elder in the yard who had returned. This elder has always been highly respected in the yard. He is kind and warm-hearted. If anyone has any difficulties, he will take the initiative to help and give advice. He is also very fair in what he says and does, so everyone respects him in their hearts. Seeing him come back, they subconsciously quieted down a little and made way for him.
The elder walked forward with steady steps, first nodded and greeted the neighbors with a smile, then looked back and forth at the old man of the Yan family and the Yan brothers, still with a kind smile on his face, listening quietly to everyone talking about the general situation. After understanding the whole story, he frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then smiled and said to the old man of the Yan family: "Old Yan, you see, the children are now grown up, and they should have some money that they can freely dispose of. You are too strict, and the children must be unhappy. After a long time, they will feel so depressed. Why don't we set a rule for them? Every month, in addition to the normal part of the money handed over, you can give them more pocket money so that they can learn to manage their money themselves. This will give them some autonomy and let them learn how to arrange their expenses reasonably. If they don't listen and dare to spend money recklessly, then you can deduct the pocket money next time. In this way, the children will feel more comfortable, and you don't have to worry about them developing the habit of spending money recklessly. Don't you think this makes sense?"
After hearing what the elder said, the old man was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head and pondered for a while, as if he was weighing the pros and cons, repeatedly pondering the feasibility of this statement. After a long while, he slowly raised his head, and his expression eased a little. He felt that it did make sense, so he snorted and said, "Okay, for everyone's sake, let's give it a try. But you have to remember this, I'm doing this for your own good. If you dare to spend it recklessly, you won't be able to keep a penny in the future. Don't blame me for being ruthless then."
When Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang heard this, their eyes, which had been dim due to worry, brightened up instantly, and the gloom on their faces was swept away. They were overjoyed, just like two children who got their favorite toys. They nodded and agreed hurriedly, saying, "Thank you, Dad. Don't worry, we won't spend it recklessly and we will manage the money well." The two were so happy at this moment, thinking that they could finally relax a little, and they no longer had to live as cautiously as before. If they wanted to buy some daily necessities or go out with friends occasionally, they wouldn't have to think about it for a long time. The big stone in their hearts finally fell to the ground.
Liu Guangfu watched the happy faces of the Yan brothers and laughed too. With a somewhat amusing look on his face, he said jokingly: "That's good now. You don't have to be nervous when eating roast duck in the future. You can eat as much as you want. You've finally made it through." When everyone heard this, they were stunned at first, but then they all reacted and burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the yard, and the tense and depressing atmosphere before disappeared in an instant. The whole yard instantly became much more relaxed and cheerful, as if even the sunshine had become brighter. Everyone's face was filled with a relaxed and happy smile, as if all the troubles had drifted away into the sky with the laughter.
A few days passed slowly, and Liu Guangqi received another blind date arranged by his family. In fact, every time he faced such an occasion, Liu Guangqi felt like a little rabbit in his heart, up and down, not to mention how nervous he was. After all, the previous blind date experiences were like a wound that was difficult to heal, and it hurt him from time to time, making him almost have some psychological shadows about blind dates.
Fortunately, he has a group of caring friends around him. When Liu Guangqi thinks of the comforting words that the Yan brothers and his own brother Liu Guangfu had said to him before, those warm and encouraging words seem to have injected a power into his heart, allowing him to slowly muster up the courage, thinking that maybe this time, he will really meet the right girl who can walk through life with him.
With such a nervous and expectant mood, Liu Guangqi carefully packed himself up and went to the agreed meeting place. When he saw the girl for the first time, Liu Guangqi felt that his eyes lit up. The girl was graceful, with a gentle smile on her face, and the whole person exuded a generous and decent temperament, which made people feel good at seeing her. After the two of them simply greeted each other, they began to chat.
This time, Liu Guangqi was not like before. He was always worried that the girl would dislike his work not being good enough or his salary not being high enough, so every time they chatted, he would deliberately emphasize how hard he worked, trying to let the girl see his ambition, or carefully reveal his salary situation, but the results were often unsatisfactory. This time, Liu Guangqi completely changed his strategy, and he began to talk enthusiastically about the stories in the history books he loved to read. He talked about the magnificent dynasties in ancient times, the legendary deeds of heroes in the long river of history, and those little-known but interesting historical anecdotes. He told them vividly, as if he had brought the girl into the historical world full of mystery and charm.