My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 122: The Lively Yan Family

Parents who treat their children unfairly will cause resentment among their children. But in the Liu family, Liu Haizhong and his wife are not just unfairly treating each other, but one bowl is full of water while the other is empty.

Hearing this, Liu Guangtian felt even worse and couldn't help but say, "Mom and Dad, what era are we living in? Are you still planning a big banquet?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's anger flared up instantly. Pointing his finger at Liu Guangtian's nose, he scolded, "What do you know, you brat! Your brother's fiancée's family is a leader in a ministry. This is a matter of honor and glory for our Liu family! Besides, your brother's job was found by his father-in-law. If I don't make it respectable, won't his in-laws look down on him?"

The second aunt chimed in, adding fuel to the fire, "Guangtian, don't be so resentful. It's just that you and Guangfu aren't as easy to deal with as your older brother. If you two were even half as successful as Guangqi, your father and I would be content. If you feel it's unfair, find someone like your older brother, and when you get married, your father and I will definitely make it as grand as your brother's."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guangtian was speechless and dared not utter another word. Although he harbored deep resentment towards his parents' favoritism, in terms of academics and abilities, he and Liu Guangfu were indeed no match for Liu Guangqi.

The Yan family's front yard was the liveliest. Yan Fugui took out the braised chicken feet he had traded with Zhang Lei and began chopping off the feet one by one, placing them on a plate. Each chicken foot had four claws, but they were different sizes. There were six people in the family. Yan Fugui thought for a while, then took out the six longest claws and said, "Don't complain about the small amount; these days, being able to eat meat is already a blessing."

At this moment, Yan Jiefang stepped forward and asked, "Dad, how do we divide these six roots?"

Yan Jiekuang chimed in, "That's right, Dad. They're all different lengths, so you'll definitely lose out if you eat the smaller one."

Listening to the children's incessant chatter, Yan Fugui frowned, took out a small box, and said, "Stop talking nonsense! Now I'll number the chicken feet, and you can all come up and draw lots one by one. Whoever draws a number gets to eat that number."

Upon hearing this idea, the three aunties immediately praised, "Old Yan, it has to be you! This method is the fairest; what you eat depends entirely on luck."

Soon, the children took turns drawing lots. After everyone had drawn, they all sighed in disappointment, because no one had drawn the biggest one.

Yan Fugui chuckled and said, "It's not my fault, you just weren't lucky." As he spoke, he reached out and took out the slip of paper stuck to the inside of the box, which was the one that said "Number 1," and showed it to everyone.

When everyone saw that it really was number 1, they could only attribute it to their bad luck, and no one could say anything else.

Yan Fugui ate with a cheerful grin. Although the chicken feet weren't big, he ate them with great relish, as if they were the most delicious food in the world. No one knew that this so-called "fair lottery" was arranged by him from beginning to end, and the largest one was destined to be his from the start.

As everyone ate and chatted, the third aunt suddenly spoke up, looking at Yan Fugui and asking, "Old Yan, what was going on with Qin Huairu at the meeting today?"

Yan Fugui thought for a moment and said, "Qin Huairu has changed too much. There must be something fishy going on."

The three women nodded and said, "That's right. Didn't you three stewards already agree to target Jia Zhangshi together? Yi Zhonghai even gave each of you a dollar to help you deal with her. How could Qin Huairu go back on her word so easily?"

Yan Fugui thought for a moment and said, "It should be similar to what Zhu Zi said. I guess Qin Huairu was threatened by Jia Zhangshi."

Upon hearing the word "threat," the third aunt looked puzzled and asked, "What could Jia Zhangshi possibly have to threaten Qin Huairu with?"

At this moment, Yan Fugui thought for a moment and muttered, "Money and tickets, neither of those should be it."

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something, and he said, "Jia Zhangshi must have threatened Qin Huairu with the stick."

The three women were taken aback: "A sticky joke?"

Yan Fugui said with certainty, "Yes, it was Banggeng. Didn't you see how Banggeng followed Qin Huairu around at the end of the meeting, looking so reluctant to leave? It must have been Jia Zhangshi who used Banggeng to threaten Qin Huairu, making her afraid to tell the truth."

Hearing this, the third aunt was startled and said, "I never expected that this Jia Zhangshi would be so cunning."

At this moment, Yan Fugui thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "Something feels off."

The three women asked, "What's wrong?"

Yan Fugui said, "We've all lived in the same courtyard for over ten years. Who doesn't know what kind of person Jia Zhangshi is? If you're talking about Jia Zhangshi throwing tantrums, hitting people, or being a scoundrel, she's a master at it, but when it comes to playing mind games, Jia Zhangshi doesn't have that ability."

The third aunt thought for a moment and then asked, "Old Yan, are you saying that someone is giving Jia Zhangshi advice?"

Yan Fugui nodded and said, "That's possible."

Then the three aunts asked again, "Who can give the Jia family some advice? Given Jia Zhangshi's character..."

Yan Fugui shook his head, unable to figure it out.

Just then, the third aunt suddenly spoke up, "By the way, I saw Xu Damao come back today. Do you think it was Xu Damao who gave him the idea?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Fugui thought about it and realized it was quite possible. Xu Damao had been a wicked and cunning kid since he was young.

At this moment, Yan Fugui shook his head again and said, "Alright, whether it's Xu Damao or not, let's not get involved in this matter, as long as it doesn't involve us."

After saying that, Yan Fugui took another bite of the chicken foot, squinting his eyes as he enjoyed it, as if all the scheming and intrigue just now couldn't compare to the satisfying taste of this piece of meat.

The next morning, Zhang Lei was still asleep when Ye Shuqin woke him up. Seeing Ye Shuqin, Zhang Lei yawned and said, "Wife, what's wrong?"

Ye Shuqin looked at Zhang Lei and said, "Honey, get up quickly, Second Uncle is here."

At this moment, Zhang Lei asked in confusion, "Liu Haizhong? What's he doing here?"

Ye Shuqin said, "I don't know either, but I saw that he was carrying a bottle of wine, so I felt like he wanted to ask you for a favor."

After hearing Ye Shuqin's words, Zhang Lei quickly put on his clothes and came out. Sure enough, he saw Liu Haizhong standing in the yard with a bottle of wine.

Zhang Lei walked up to Liu Haizhong and said with a smile, "Second Uncle, what brings you to my house so early in the morning?"

Liu Haizhong looked at Zhang Lei and said with a smile, "Zhang Lei, since you're asking me so directly, then I won't beat around the bush either. I do have something I want to ask you for a favor."