Chapter 866: Has There Been Any Discipline Left in This House?

Li Ye and Wen Leyu returned home to Fuyoujie with the children; as soon as they stepped through the front gate, the door to the small reception room in the front courtyard’s opposite wing opened.

Grandma Wu Juying stood at the threshold, face stern, nodding toward Li Ye to come inside and speak.

Li Ye’s expression hardened; he handed the two children to Wen Leyu and followed his grandmother into the reception room.

“What’s wrong, Grandma? Is there some big matter you need to discuss with me?”

“Hmph, it’s not a big matter—but then again, it’s not small either.”

Wu Juying snorted: “Bourgeois decadence has crept into this house. As head of the family, you need to step in and put a stop to it.”

"I've got Grandpa and you here—how am I the head of this family?"

Li Ye found it amusing inside, but seeing his grandmother’s sour expression, he paused, then asked earnestly: “Grandma, don’t be angry—tell me what this decadence is all about?”

Wu Juying turned her gaze toward the inner courtyard: “You kindly sent Xiao Ying to Hong Kong to study, but instead of learning good things, she picked up mahjong—during the New Year, she’s gathering people at home to play cards.”

“What’s the difference between this and the old landlord class? Are we about to see Hu Han San return?”

Only then did Li Ye focus on the front courtyard—he could faintly hear the clatter of mahjong tiles and the bickering of his two sisters.

“Pong, three dots~”

“Chow, six bamboos~”

“Second sister, didn’t you just play a six bamboo? Why are you playing another one?”

“Exactly—I won’t let you win! You’ve already taken two yuan and sixty fen; you’ve stolen all my lucky money.”

“.”

Listening to Fu Yiruo and Li Ying argue, Li Ye muttered: “Grandma, playing mahjong isn’t always gambling. In Hong Kong, it’s a normal pastime.”

“Xiao Ying and her mother are strangers there—they play mahjong with neighbors just like our old ladies chatting. Small stakes are harmless—if they’re only betting ten or twenty fen, it’s no big deal.”

Mahjong was indeed wildly popular in Hong Kong, with many amusing stories circulating about it.

For instance, a Hong Kong businessman had three wives and concubines; his home was constantly noisy, and they’d call him at work to settle disputes, driving him mad.

Eventually, he sought advice from a wise man, who gave him a brilliant idea—marry a fourth concubine.

The businessman didn’t understand, but since he was already “afflicted,” he immediately took a fourth wife.

Instantly, peace returned—because the four women formed a mahjong table, all their scheming went onto the tiles, and even arguments had limits, or else the table would collapse.

But upon hearing Li Ye’s explanation, Grandma Wu Juying sneered: “Are you going to judge by how much they’re betting? So ten fen isn’t money, is it?”

“A bunch of men passed out drunk while women sit around a table playing cards—is there any discipline left in this house?”

“No no no, there’s discipline! I’ll go check right away—I’ll stop it immediately!”

Li Ye couldn’t risk angering an old guerrilla fighter; he hurried toward the front courtyard, fearing he’d be accused of ideological deviation if he stayed longer.

But when Li Ye pushed open the door to the west wing, he understood why his grandmother hadn’t immediately crushed the “gambling” scene.

Because the dealer was Fu Guiru, with Han Chunmei, Li Ying, and Fu Yiruo playing, while his aunt Li Mingxiang, sister Li Yue, younger sister Li Juan, and Zhao Meiwen watched from the side.

【Are you all teaming up to get back at Grandma?】

If it were just Han Chunmei and Li Ying playing for small stakes, Wu Juying would’ve already overturned the table. Even if Fu Yiruo had started it, Wu Juying would’ve scolded her—after all, she held “bloodline authority.”

But when the old lady Fu Guiru leads? Hehehe~

Fu Guiru, still drawing tiles, asked: “Li Ye, why are you back so early? Didn’t your mother-in-law make dinner?”

Li Ye smiled: “Of course she made dinner! The kids just fell asleep, so we came back. Otherwise, they’d have been wailing in the car—we couldn’t even drive properly.”

“If they cried in the car, it’s because you didn’t feed them right. When I took Xiao Bao and Xiao Dou out, they loved riding in the car. Self-draw, I win~! Pay up, pay up, pay up~”

As Fu Guiru spoke to Li Ye, she drew the eight wan and won.

Fu Yiruo reluctantly handed her two fen, pouting.

Little Li Ying paid up while praising: “Auntie, you play mahjong so well.”

Han Chunmei quickly paid and stood: “It’s almost four—let me go cook. Xiao Ye, you take my place for a bit.”

But as Han Chunmei rose, Fu Guiru said: “Sit down. Tonight, let the kids make dinner. Mingxiang, take Xiao Juan’s spot. Li Ye, go get your grandma to replace Xiao Ruo.”

“.”

Li Ye blinked, half-laughing: “Mom, you want me to get Grandma to come play mahjong?”

Fu Guiru lifted her eyelids: “Of course! Your grandma wanted to play too—she’s been sulking because no one invited her.”

Li Ye: “@￥#@%%……&*%#”

【Mom, are you slandering the moral character of an old guerrilla fighter?】

“Go get her! What, are you still this big and waiting for elders to cook for you?”

“Alright alright, I’m going!”

Li Ye couldn’t defy his mother Fu Guiru, so he turned to find another person he couldn’t defy—Grandma Wu Juying.

But Li Ye was quick-witted; by the time he walked from the back courtyard to the front, he’d already crafted the perfect excuse.

“Grandma, I went to check—you’ve misunderstood my mother and Xiao Ying. They’re trying to improve family harmony by playing mahjong, since they feel awkward around my mother.”

“Oh? Did your mother say that—or did you make it up?”

“.”

Wu Juying stared calmly at Li Ye, waiting for her grandson’s explanation.

Li Ye grinned: “Grandma, don’t care who said it—just go play a few hands and see if family relations have improved.”

Wu Juying’s gaze turned suspicious: “You want me to play mahjong? Are you trying to drag me into this? Or is this a sugar-coated bomb?”

“Hehe, just test the water for us! If it’s truly decadent, we’ll ban mahjong forever. But if it helps family bonds, a little play won’t hurt.”

Wu Juying’s eyes narrowed, her lips curled slightly, and she stood up to walk out.

“Fine. I’ll see what these two mothers have brought back.”

“.”

Watching his grandmother’s brisk steps, Li Ye suddenly understood.

When she said the house had “no discipline,” she wasn’t really angry about the mahjong—she was just jealous her daughters-in-law played without inviting her, leaving her alone to cook.

Thinking of modern daughters-in-law who never lift a hand to cook, waiting for their mothers-in-law to do everything, Li Ye guessed her true feelings.

Twenty minutes later, while busy in the kitchen, Li Ye heard his grandmother’s cheerful voice.

“I win! Pure suit! Pay up, pay up!”

“Mom, it’s just a few fen—do you really care?” “I don’t have change.”

“No change? I’ll give you change. Is this about money?”

Li Ye couldn’t help laughing.

The Li family’s 1988 Spring Festival was far livelier and warmer than any before.