Chapter 39: The Courtyard

Yi Da Ma, I know you have the most solutions—what do you think we should do?

Yi Da Ma's face darkened instantly—I damn, I have no kids, what can I do?

Since Yang Qing said that, maybe he has a solution.

She swiftly pushed the matter aside.

Yang Qing said with a regretful expression.

The key is I've never raised a child and don't know how to handle it.

We can't just chase Bang Geng's grandma to the countryside, can we?

No, we can't.

Qin Huairu rejected it outright; she's already used to her mother-in-law, and without her, she's felt a bit isolated lately.

If there's a daughter-in-law who drives away her mother-in-law, am I still a person?

Yang Qing spread his hands.

You see, every family has its own difficult sutra—I have no idea either.

Otherwise, ask Second Aunt—I think Guangtian is quite obedient.

Second Aunt smoothly took over the conversation.

You've come to the right person asking me—my kids are obedient after we disciplined them.

I'm telling you, Qin Huairu, don't be soft on that brat—he needs frequent discipline.

If one beating doesn't work, two won't; if two don't, three won't.

Until he's beaten into submission.

As for food, the best must go to the head of the household first—that's the rule.

You give everything to your mother-in-law and Bang Geng—that won't do.

We need to set rules—give Dong Xu first; only when Dong Xu is full can he work well and earn money, and only then does a man have status.

When a man has status, he works energetically, can make decisions, and become the family's top beam.

How come your family lets Jia Zhangshi be the head?

Neither yin nor yang—the kid could never turn out well.

From now on, Bang Geng, you decide what he eats—if he dares to act up, you smack him with a big ear scrape.

See if he still has any bad habits.

Don't say it—if Second Aunt's methods were really learned by Qin Huairu, her family might actually improve.

But Yang Qing remains skeptical.

Qin Huairu has already gone astray—don't blame her later for turning to deviant ways; the root is here, she's already warped.

There's a saying: 'cleverness backfires'—that's exactly her.

Like Liang Ladi, who is straightforward, without all the scheming, she actually lives well.

And Qin Huairu has dragged her reputation across the myriad worlds—every day someone drags her out to whip her corpse.

In countless parallel worlds, Qin Huairu has been disciplined over and over.

But Liang Ladi is held up as a model, being fed again and again.

The entire siheyuan world exists because of her.

Qin Huairu objects to Er Da Ye beating the kids every day.

However, she supports Second Aunt's idea of establishing Dong Xu.

Also, regarding temperament, we can't let Bang Geng have his way—this kid is a bit lawless and ignorant.

Thank you, Second Aunt—I now know these.

San Da Ma, do you have any good ideas?

San Da Ma, seeing that Second Aunt had spoken, also opened her mouth.

If you ask me, managing a household just requires fairness.

In a family, there's no distinction between male and female—so everyone should eat and drink the same.

That way the family has no grudges.

When it's time to suffer, suffer a little—let them know every grain of rice is hard-won.

Only then will they learn to cherish.

We can't indulge every wish—too easy satisfaction saps motivation; sweets are okay if they study well, meat is okay if they rank high.

We must make them understand that to live well, they must strive on their own.

Yang Qing was astonished by San Da Ma's approach.

San Da Ye's family's principles, if not twisted, could truly become a model.

Too bad—because things are divided too clearly, the feelings have been worn out.

Money truly is a man's backbone—Yan Fu Gui, under pressure, pushed his schemes to the extreme, so even proper household management got twisted.

Qin Huairu feels she's learned again: fairness, that's needed, but the good things all go to Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng—she's long held a grudge.

She also agrees to suffer a little—can't let Bang Geng's mouth be spoiled.

Not being overindulged, this must be carried out together with not letting the kids' nature run wild.

Thank you, thank you, San Da Ma—this is incredibly useful.

Before, I raised the kids in a daze, only able to hand them over to my mother-in-law.

Now, hearing everyone's words, I've had an epiphany—I finally feel confident.

Thanks, everyone.

At the same time, I apologize again for the inconvenience my mother-in-law and Bang Geng have caused everyone.

I assure everyone that I will definitely educate the children well.

I will not let him do anything that harms the courtyard again.

Also, please supervise; as long as you catch Bang Geng doing something bad even once, I will definitely beat him up.

With Qin Huairu's words, everyone broke into smiles.

In this way, Jia Zhangshi was almost half ruined.

Just thinking about it already gets me fired up.

At the same time, I also grew wary of Yang Qing; this person is truly wicked.

In a few words, (they) sowed discord in the mother‑in‑law and daughter‑in‑law relationship.

The deaf old lady even kept looking back and forth at Qin Huairu and Yang Qing several times.

As Chen Hong and Yang Qing finished washing the clothes and blankets, the bustle in the courtyard died down.

Back in the courtyard, Chen Hong began pounding the cotton to make it fluffy again.

Is Jia Zhangshi worth you plotting this way?

Yang Qing nodded affirmatively.

Worth it. Have you heard? A single rat droppings can spoil a whole pot of soup.

If she were merely a shrew, that's fine, but this woman's shrewishness is only a surface act; what truly makes her hard to handle is her intellect.

Who knows when she'll stab you in the back.

Chen Hong lowered their voice.

So you plan to isolate her?

Yang Qing nodded.

I am merely going with the flow; she isolated herself.

Once she and Qin Huairu have mother‑in‑law/daughter‑in‑law discord, she will have no energy and will harm us.

Chen Hong asked, puzzled.

How can you be sure Qin Huairu will be at odds with Jia Zhangshi? You should know they used to be very good.

Yang Qing explained.

Because of Bang Geng, the things I said are all true.

Bang Geng is Qin Huairu's lifeline, the Jia Family's only male heir of the next generation; Qin Huairu has poured a great deal of hope into him.

Chen Hong was puzzled again.

How do you know this pregnancy isn't a boy?

Since Qin Huairu has no cravings, it's most likely a girl.

Chen Hong bit their lip and stared with wide eyes.

What you say makes a lot of sense; I actually don't know how to refute you.

By four in the afternoon, the clothes and blankets had already dried in the sun.

Chen Hong began threading the needle and stitching the blanket.

Yang Qing took the lead, looking like a husband in a husband‑and‑wife duet.

Only after night fell completely did they finish stitching the blanket.

Lying on the plump mattress, Yang Qing felt very happy.

They didn't know how many years they hadn't enjoyed this feeling.

Chen Hong also caressed the blanket lazily, causing Yang Qing to drool.