Chapter 57: Yan Butgui's Little Thoughts

Yan Butgui returned home and sat listlessly in a chair.

"Jiecheng, the bicycle is your loss, this money must be compensated by you," Yan Butgui said, looking at Yan Jiecheng with great heartache.

"Dad, how am I supposed to pay? Every month I earn that little money, you take it away for various reasons, I rarely have more than fifty cents on me, what do you want me to pay with?" Yan Jiecheng knew his father too well; after losing such a big item at home, he would definitely try to find a way to make up for the loss.

"You pay five yuan each month, a year's time is just enough."

"Dad, five yuan a month for a year is sixty, you bought the bicycle for only fifty-five, and you've ridden it for so long, why do I still have to pay sixty?"

"The extra five yuan is interest," Yan Jiecheng is definitely no match for Yan Butgui when it comes to settling accounts.

"Alright."

"Today's loss is too big; tomorrow I still have to go get a pair of glasses, which will cost several more yuan, and the game was confiscated by Director Wang," Yan Butgui felt it was a huge loss no matter how he thought about it.

"You haven't even counted the rest yet; your Third Elder's position was taken away and you were fined to clean the toilets," Third Aunt said from the side.

"Ah, my luck is terrible," Yan Butgui sighed.

Yi Zhonghai returned home also feeling resentful; he had nothing to say about himself, but now that he hadn't been selected as Household Manager, it had benefited Li Qiang, and now Li Qiang in this Siheyuan is someone no one dares to provoke. The more Yi Zhonghai thought about it, the angrier he became; the person who shares his thinking is Liu Haizhong. Originally he thought that if Yan Butgui were removed, he could control everything, but who knew Li Qiang would come up again, and crucially Li Qiang is still someone he dares not offend.

"Ah, how hard it is for me to want to be the top boss," Liu Haizhong muttered.

"If you ask me, this man is to blame for Old Yi; why did he bring up the Household Manager position for no reason?" Second Aunt also began to complain.

"Don't you understand what he means? He wants to regain his position," Liu Haizhong said, still very understanding of Yi Zhonghai.

"He doesn't even think about the relationship between Director Wang and Li Qiang; even if they really had to select a Household Manager, Director Wang would definitely let Li Qiang take the post—he was removed by Director Wang, how could Director Wang let him rise again? That would be slapping himself in the face," Second Aunt's analysis was still quite reasonable.

"I guess he was only thinking about the Household Manager position back then, how could he consider all that?" Liu Haizhong's statement was indeed true; Yi Zhonghai really hadn't considered all that.

The next day, at dawn Yan Butgui called Yan Jiecheng up; last night Yan Butgui had thought over half the night and finally decided to let Yan Jiecheng take him today to the place where the bicycle was lost, hoping to find it back.

"Head of the household, are you going to look for the bicycle today instead of going to work?" Third Aunt asked.

"How can you not distinguish priorities? Is the bicycle important or is work important?" Yan Butgui said dissatisfiedly.

"Then if you don't go to work, you still have to go to school to ask for leave; if the bicycle isn't found, the school might deduct your wages again, wouldn't that be even more of a loss?"

"Pah, pah, pah, saying unlucky things first thing in the morning; in a moment you go to school to ask for leave for me, someone like me doesn't even have the face to go to school," Yan Butgui said, pointing at his own face.

"Then you're not going to get glasses?"

"Just wear this old one for now, we'll talk about it later," Yan Butgui said, taking out an old pair of glasses with one leg wrapped in white tape; these glasses were only replaced by him because the prescription had become too low, otherwise his stingy nature would hardly make him change them easily.

"Alright."

The two of them arrived at the bus stop and took the first bus to Changping.

It took about an hour, and only then did the two arrive in Changping; after getting off the bus, Yan Jiecheng led Yan Butgui to the place where he had hidden the bicycle yesterday.

"The bicycle is hidden right here," Yan Jiecheng said, pointing at a small depression.

"How did I raise such a foolish fool? Hiding it in a place like this—it's a miracle it wasn't lost," Yan Butgui scolded, pointing at Yan Jiecheng; if it were summer with dense foliage in the shrubs, it could still be hidden, but this season it's really not easy to hide.

"This place usually sees few visitors; who would have thought it would get lost?" Yan Jiecheng defended.

The two of them searched nearby for a long time but didn't even find a trace of the bicycle.

"Dad, let's not hold onto hope; we should just go back," Yan Jiecheng said, having already developed a psychological shadow from being chased yesterday, he didn't dare stay long in this place.

"Jiecheng, since we've come all this way and haven't found the bicycle, take me to the place where you discovered the trap last night," Yan Butgui said softly.

"Dad, what are you planning?" Yan Jiecheng's heart rang with alarm after hearing Yan Butgui's words.

"Jiecheng, since we've come all this way and haven't found the bicycle, take me to the place where you discovered the trap last night," Yan Butgui said, he's quite calculative, he doesn't want to make the trip for nothing.

"Dad, what are you planning?" Yan Jiecheng's heart rang with alarm after hearing Yan Butgui's words.

"Yesterday was yesterday; today it's so early, there probably won't be anyone coming again," Yan Butgui said, as if he understood everything.

"Then I won't go either," Yan Jiecheng dared not take any more risks.

"Not going is fine; when we get home we'll just repay the bicycle money," Yan Butgui said solemnly.

"Didn't you say yesterday you'd pay it back in a year?"

"Yesterday was yesterday; today if you don't take me, you must pay it back today," Yan Butgui had Yan Jiecheng figured out completely.

"Alright," Yan Jiecheng said, knowing his father too well; if he has to go to class today, bringing him along, he could really force himself to repay the money.

Yan Butgui followed behind Yan Jiecheng as they headed up the mountain. The two walked a long time; although they occasionally spotted one or two traps, the traps contained no game.

"Dad, let's go back; if we go further we'll reach the deep mountains, where Jia Dongxu's father-in-law said there are wolf packs, telling us to absolutely not go in, it's too dangerous," Yan Jiecheng really didn't want to go further.

"We've already come this far; let's go a bit further and see," how could Yan Butgui just turn back like that?

"Then it's agreed, we'll just go a little further."

"Got it, a big young man acting like a woman, all hesitant and indecisive," Yan Butgui looked at Yan Jiecheng very dissatisfied.

The two of them wandered around the mountain for a morning, but also gained nothing.

"Jiecheng, do you see that as a mushroom?" Yan Butgui asked, pointing at a dead tree.

"It's a mushroom," Yan Jiecheng said, knowing his father's glasses have a low prescription, so he really can't see clearly far away.

"Then why don't you go pick it?"

"Oh," Yan Jiecheng replied and went over to pick the mushrooms.

Yan Butgui also began searching around; after all, it's deep in the mountains. Perhaps villagers rarely come to such places, so in a short time the two gathered quite a few mushrooms; Yan Butgui even took off his outer shirt, tied the sleeves shut, and barely managed to hold all these mushrooms.

Seeing the abundant harvest, Yan Butgui finally felt satisfied and brought Yan Jiecheng down the mountain.