Chapter 176

After such an earth-shattering event, the Red Star Courtyard was destined to have no peace tonight. The first to bear the brunt was the home of Yan Bugui, a man renowned for being a master of the abacus. He was calculated not only with outsiders but with his own family as well, holding them to strict accounts. This was evident from the fact that once Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang reached adulthood, they were required to hand over five yuan every month for their living expenses. Surprisingly, however, Yan Bugui did not favor sons over daughters; all members of the Yan family received an equal share of their food. With Yan Bugui around, although Yan Jiecheng and his brother were often hungry, they at least managed to scrape by without starving. But the situation was vastly different now. Without Yan Bugui’s salary, even if Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang picked up odd jobs, it would be of little help. In the past, the two brothers could at least scrape together eight or ten yuan a month, but given the current grim climate, there was no shortage of labor, and their wages had been repeatedly slashed. Even then, one needed connections just to secure a casual job. If Yan Bugui really couldn't get out, they truly had no idea how they would survive.