Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 335 Demolition Rumors
The rain in April comes at any time. Yan Jiekuang was thinking of taking the children back to the courtyard to visit their grandparents today. Ji Lian also planned to go with them, but when it rained, Yan Jiekuang backed out.

Yan Jiekuang picked up the phone in the study and called his mother. Yang Ruiping was unhappy. They had agreed to come here for dinner, but they didn't want to go in such a light rain. Yang Ruiping said, "Come over. Your father and your second brother have something to talk to you about."

Yan Jiekuang hung up the phone, looked at Ji Lian, smiled and said, "Okay, let's take a walk in the rain. By the way, bring the sea cucumber and abalone that my godmother gave me and cook them for dinner."

The young couple brought their child and held umbrellas to where the van was parked, then stepped on the accelerator and drove towards Yard No. 95.

When they arrived at the west wing, the children rushed to the backyard, because Yan Bugui had told them before that the mulberries in the glass house were about to ripen.

Yan Jiekuang and Ji Lian came to the central hall together. His mother was making dumplings with his second sister-in-law. Seeing the third son and his wife coming over, Yang Ruiping said, "We'll have dumplings for lunch and you cook dinner tonight. Let's get together."

Yang Ruiping then asked: "Where are the children?"

Yan Jiekuang said: "As soon as I entered the door, I ran to the glass room."

Yan Yanbugui, who was sitting nearby and drinking tea leisurely, suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Oh, my little ancestors, some of them are not yet ripe."

After saying that, he hurried out. Yang Ruiping laughed and said, "Who told him to show off everywhere?"

Yan Jiekuang sent the ingredients to the kitchen and soaked them first. Then he came back, poured himself a cup of tea, and picked up the newspaper to read.

After a while, Xixi took out a small box with mulberries in it, handed it to Yan Jiekuang, and said, "Dad, help me wash them, Xixi wants to eat them."

Yan Jiekuang put down the newspaper and took Xixi to the kitchen. He washed the mulberries for her and put them in a large bowl. Xixi held the bowl with both hands and said, "I'll eat with grandma and mom."

Yan Jiekuang was very curious as to why Xixi had come back. He went to the back garden and saw a row of children sitting on the corridor. Leading them were Yongchang, Yongxin and Shi Lei, with Dapang, Xiaopang, Shi Li and Xiaohai sitting next to them. They were all holding a bowl and eating, and their mouths were full of black.

Yan Jiekuang was amused and laughed out loud. The children looked at each other and also laughed out loud. Everyone was the same and no one made fun of anyone else.

Yan Bugui was also eating, but he was eating very carefully. Yan Jiekuang asked, "Why is it cooked so early?"

"It's probably because of the high temperature in the glass room. They matured prematurely. By the way, most of my vegetables were taken away by Xiaobao, just so you know." Yan Bugui said as he lit a cigarette.

Yan Jiekuang asked, "You came to me for this matter. Don't worry, it won't cost you any money."

Yan Bugui said: "No, the money has been given to me, I am concerned about other things."

Yan Jiekuang looked at his father in confusion, and Yan Bugui then said, "Someone wants to buy Mr. Ji's house and wants to know if it's for sale."

Yan Jiekuang said, "It doesn't matter whether you sell it or not. I don't need that house, and neither do you. However, it won't sell for much money now. The house will definitely appreciate in value in the future, so it's not appropriate to sell it now."

Yan Bugui said, "I think so too. It was Xu Damao who bought this room, and all the rooms in the east wing belong to him."

Yan Jiekuang was stunned and asked, "He has money? Is his leg healed?"

Yan Bugui said: "He has recovered well. If he doesn't run, you can't see that he is lame. I don't know if he has money, but his father asked me anyway."

Yan Jiekuang thought for a while and said, "It's up to you. If he offers more money, it's not impossible to sell it. How much is it per room now?"

Yan Bugui said, "You have two rooms, probably three to five thousand yuan."

Yan Jiekuang shook his head and said, "Forget it. Our family is not short of that little money. If he wants to rent it, we'll rent it to him. But forget about selling it."

Yan Bugui nodded and said, "Yeah, I think so too. I understand."

Yan Bugui and his son also returned to the central hall. The two of them sat and drank tea. Yan Jiekuang asked, "What did my second brother want to see me for?"

Yan Bugui said: "I don't know either. I asked him to call you, and he said he would ask you in person when you come."

Yan Jiekuang was drinking tea and reading the newspaper, while the children went to the main room in the backyard to watch TV. I heard it was a martial arts movie from Hong Kong.

At noon, Yang Ruiping prepared the meal. While cooking the dumplings, he asked Shi Xiaoya to go to the backyard and call the children. After a while, the dumplings were on the table. Yan Jiekuang asked his father if he wanted garlic. Yan Bugui nodded and said, "Bring the wine. Let's have a drink. Dumplings go well with wine. The more you drink, the better."

Yang Ruiping said: "I am greedy, and it has something to do with my life."

A few people were laughing secretly on the side. Yan Jiekuang came back with a wine glass and garlic, sat next to his father, and they each poured a glass.

The family was eating dumplings when they heard a knock on the door. Shi Xiaoya ran to open the door and saw that it was Yi Zhonghai. He was a rare guest, so she quickly let him in and shouted, "Dad, it's Uncle Yi."

Yan Bugui walked to the door and said, "This is a rare guest. Come in, Lao Yi. It's great. Let's have a drink together."

Yi Zhonghai originally wanted to refuse, but Yan Bugui pulled him to his side, and Shi Xiaoya brought him bowls, chopsticks and cups.

Yan Jiekuang poured a glass for Yi Zhonghai and said, "Uncle Yi, have a drink with my dad. It's been a while since you two have had a drink together, right?"

Yan Bugui said: "Yes, the last time was at He Xiao's wedding."

When Yang Ruiping saw this, he took the children to the backyard to eat. Several girls also went. The children were very happy because they could eat while watching TV.

After drinking for a while, Yi Zhonghai told Yan Jiekuang the purpose of his visit. Only then did Yan Jiekuang know what Yi Zhonghai came for.

It turned out that someone on the inside had leaked the news that this area was going to be relocated, and that not only would they be given resettlement housing, but they would also receive a large sum of relocation fees. The news sounded very certain, so Yi Zhonghai thought of Yan Bugui after hearing it. After all, Yan Bugui knew a lot of people in this area.

Yan Bugui was stunned after hearing this. He looked at Yan Jiekuang and said, "No wonder the Xu family wants to buy my house. So this is the reason."

When Yi Zhonghai heard this, he asked, "What's going on?"

Yan Bugui told Yi Zhonghai about the Xu family's plan to buy a house, and Yi Zhonghai said, "This Xu family is really calculating."

Yan Jiekuang thought for a moment and said, "This is a bit unreliable. It's unlikely that this place will be demolished. I think you should wait and see. If there are too many rumors, someone will come forward."

Yan Bugui nodded and said, "I think San'er is right. Lao Yi, you see, apart from our courtyard, there are no other houses here. They are all former residences of celebrities. Do you think they can be demolished?"

Yi Zhonghai thought for a moment and said, "Well, that makes sense. I think we should wait and see."

Yan Bugui clinked glasses with Yi Zhonghai, and Yan Bugui asked, "How is your apprentice? Is he back?" Yi Zhonghai sighed and said, "Only Jia Xiaobao lives in this house. It seems that he wants to renovate it and may get married. Jia Dongxu has been avoiding me."

Yan Jiekuang lit a cigarette and asked, "I think you should have a good talk with Brother Zhuzi. Besides, I don't think you need to be in a hurry."

Yi Zhonghai took a sip of wine and said, "San'er, you don't know, I'm already 68 years old, how much longer do I have? How can I not be anxious?"

Yan Jiekuang handed Yi Zhonghai a cigarette and said, "Your pension is high. If you can't afford it, you can find a reliable nanny to take care of your daily life. As for your affairs after death, don't worry. Brother Zhuzi didn't say it, but he will definitely take care of you."

Yi Zhonghai heard it and asked, "Really?"

Yan Jiekuang said, "If you don't believe me, just talk to Brother Zhuzi. Judging from Brother Zhuzi's personality, he has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. The reason why he keeps avoiding me is probably because he is concerned about his father-in-law. But I don't think it's a big problem."

Yi Zhonghai smoked a cigarette and thought carefully. Yan Bugui also said, "Well, I also think that Zhuzi can't ignore you, but he just doesn't say it."

Yi Zhonghai suddenly seemed to have figured something out, and his mood instantly improved. He picked up his glass of wine and started drinking with Yan Bugui. Yan Jiekuang left the table after a while and went to the backyard to watch TV.

In the afternoon, Yan Jiekuang entered the kitchen and began to prepare the ingredients. When it was almost evening, Yan Jiekuang began to cook, and Shi Xiaoya and Ji Lian began to set the table and prepare dishes.

The first to come back were the old family of four. Yan Jiecheng asked Yan Bugui, "Dad, do we have enough wine?"

Yan Bugui said: "There are still two bottles of Lianhua Bai and a box of beer at home. They have been kept in the warehouse."

Yan Jiecheng took out the beer, put it in a large basin, cooled it with well water, then went out to the opposite door and bought two more bottles of Lianhua Bai.

Yan Jiekuang had already started cooking. There were four cold dishes: fried yellow rice, mixed shredded vegetables, fried cucumber and braised beef. Then there were three fresh vegetables, braised fish, pot-fried tofu, stir-fried pork slices, braised abalone, stir-fried sea cucumber with scallions, stewed chicken with mushrooms, dry-pot beef and a West Lake beef soup, a total of twelve dishes.

When the dishes were ready, Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiedi came back together. Yang Ruiping said jokingly, "You two are really good at rushing."

There were two large tables in total. Yang Ruiping did not sit at the adults' table, but went to the children's table, saying that he was having dinner with his children, who were younger.

Everyone gathered together, singing and laughing, talking to each other about their work, interesting things, and the demolition issue. Everyone thought it was impossible, even Yan Yongqing said it was impossible.

When they were eating, Yan Jiecheng stood up and said, "Everyone is here today. I want to report to you that our Yongqing will be getting married on November 1 this year. Now I am officially notifying everyone."

Yan Jiekuang was stunned when he heard this. Ji Lian asked, "Third brother, Yongqing is getting married, why do you look like that?"

Yan Jiekuang chuckled and said, "What a good day this year is the eleventh. Yongqing got married, Jia Dang also got married on that day, and I heard that the two brothers of the Chang family also got married on that day. What do you think we should do?"

Yang Ruiping said: "You are Yongqing's uncle, what else do you want to choose?"

Yan Jiekuang said, "Okay, but I have to go to Jia Dang's place anyway."

Ji Lian said, "Okay, there's enough time, there's no time to waste."

After the meal, Yan Jiefang dragged Yan Jiekuang to his room. Everyone knew that they were going to discuss serious matters.

After the two sat down, they lit up a cigarette, and Yan Jiekuang asked, "Are there any difficulties?"

Yan Jiefang smoked a cigarette, thought for a moment and said, "You are a smart man, do you think a person can disappear out of thin air?"

Yan Jiekuang thought about it, touched Yan Jiefang's forehead, and said, "You don't have a fever, why are you talking nonsense?"

Yan Jiefang said, "Stop joking, let's talk business. There was a missing person case a while ago in a design institute's family quarters. The quarters were under military control, with soldiers guarding the door and patrolling. But a woman disappeared after returning home. The next day, her husband reported his wife missing, but we checked with the soldiers under military control and found that the woman had never come out since she returned home the day before."

After hearing this, Yan Jiekuang understood a little and asked, "Did you search his house?"

Yan Jiefang was stunned and said, "Have you checked? That person just disappeared out of thin air. We checked several buildings and found nothing unusual."

Yan Jiekuang asked again: "How did her husband react?"

Yan Jiefang said: "We also suspected him, but everything was normal for him. Apart from going to work and coming home, buying groceries and cooking, there was nothing unusual. Oh, and he also had an eight-year-old daughter who he had to take care of."

Yan Jiekuang had a picture of the situation in the tube building in his mind. He thought for the time it took to smoke a cigarette and said, "You can check the water consumption of his family before and after the report. There may be unexpected surprises. However, the current technology is too backward. If the water consumption is abnormal, check the bathroom carefully."

Yan Jiefang thought about what Yan Jiekuang said, his eyes gradually widened, and he said, "You mean, he gave her to me."

Yan Jiefang shuddered all over and didn't dare to think further. He now didn't quite believe Yan Jiekuang's guess, but he still put on his clothes and walked out.

Yan Jiekuang strolled back to the backyard and saw the children watching TV. He took a quick glance and was attracted by it. It turned out to be a TV series adapted from Jin Yong's novel.

Yan Jiekuang also started watching while drinking tea. The children all watched intently. Even Yan Bugui stared at the TV motionlessly. Yang Ruiping saw that the whole family was fascinated by the TV, so he sighed and took Xixi, the only one who was not watching TV, to the courtyard.

It was already very late when the show was over, Yan Jiekuang asked, "Shi Lei, when were the previous ones broadcast? Which episode is this?"

Shi Lei said: "This is a rerun. There are three episodes in total. After this one is over, I don't know when it will be rerun again."

Yan Jiekuang picked up the phone and called Lou Xiao'e. After a few pleasantries, he said, "Sister Xiao'e, are there any videotapes of The Legend of the Condor Heroes for sale in Hong Kong?"

Lou Xiao'e chuckled and said, "How come you're obsessed with it? Okay, I'll buy you some, and also buy you a video recorder so you can watch it anytime."

Yan Jiekuang thanked him hurriedly, chatted for a few more words, and then hung up the phone. Turning around, he saw the guys, including Yan Jiecheng and Yan Bugui, all staring at him.

Yan Jiekuang said, "Wait a while, Sister Lou will mail it to me, along with other TV series."

The boys cheered. Yan Jiekuang was puzzled. After listening to what they said, he realized that due to various reasons, they had never seen the whole show.

Yan Jiekuang said, "Okay, wait, there are other films."

Yan Bugui nodded with satisfaction and said, "Finally, I have done something serious."

(End of this chapter)