Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 68: Ledgers Conceal Heartache, Food Coupons Break Family Ties

As autumn deepened in Beijing in September, the morning mist had not yet dissipated when the sound of running water came from the public tap in the Hongxing Courtyard. Lin Chen was carrying freshly bought tofu home when he saw the chimney of Yan Bugui's house in the front yard emitting intermittent wisps of smoke, mixed with the suppressed arguing of Yan Jiecheng, piercing the morning tranquility like a fine needle.

"Dad, those are winter food coupons sent back from Northeast China by Liberation! He was eating frozen potatoes at the border outpost and saved them to nourish Mom. How could you keep them?" Yan Jiecheng's voice trembled as it drifted out through the half-open wooden door, startling a few sparrows pecking at food under the eaves.

"What do you mean, 'yours' and 'mine'? He ate my food, wore my clothes, and grew up in my environment. Sending him some grain coupons to pay off the debt is only natural!" Yan Bugui's voice still carried the stereotypical rigidity of an arithmetic teacher. "It's clearly written in the ledger: in 1957, when he entered junior high school, I bought him an eraser for three cents; in 1960, during the difficult times, I gave him an extra half a cornbread, equivalent to one tael of grain coupons… This debt should have been settled long ago!"

Lin Chen stopped in his tracks. The tofu in his hand still smelled warm and fragrant, but a chill ran through him. A few days ago, he went to the neighborhood office and happened to run into the postman delivering registered mail. He had personally seen the envelope sent by Yan Jiefang, which was addressed to "30 jin of grain coupons" and addressed to Aunt Yan. He never expected that these grain coupons would become a bargaining chip to "pay off debts" as soon as they reached Yan Bugui's hands.

"That's my brother's filial piety! Not a debt!" Yan Jiecheng raised his voice. "Mother has been coughing and can't sleep these past few days. She wanted to buy some rock sugar stewed pears, but you wouldn't spend a single penny. Now, you're even trying to scheme against Jiefang's filial piety!"

"Can filial piety feed you? Can it pay off debts?" Yan Bugui's slamming of the table was particularly jarring. "How much do I make as a teacher? Do you think it's easy to support four of you? Now that you've grown up, have you forgotten who raised you? This account book is the proof, not a single penny can be wrong!"

Just as Lin Chen was about to step forward, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Liu Haizhong, who had just returned from his morning exercise. The old blacksmith was wearing faded work clothes and clutching a small cloth bag containing breakfast for Liu Guangtian—two steamed buns. Hearing the commotion at the Yan family's house, he curled his lip and said, "Old Yan, is he settling accounts with his son again? He's more attached to that tattered account book than to his own son."

No sooner had he said that than the door to the Yan family's house creaked open, and Yan Jiecheng rushed out with red eyes. When he saw Lin Chen and Liu Haizhong, he paused, his face filled with shame and anger. He was carrying a bulging envelope in his arms, obviously a letter he had just received from home, the edges of which were crumpled from being gripped so tightly.

"Jiecheng, what's wrong?" Liu Haizhong stepped forward and shoved a steamed bun into his hand. "Let's talk this out. It's not worth getting angry with your father."

Yan Jiecheng took the steamed bun but didn't eat it. He gritted his teeth and said, "Master Liu, please tell me the truth! My brother was serving in the army in Northeast China after liberation. He hasn't been home for three years. This time, he sent back thirty catties of grain coupons, saying it was for my mother to improve her health. But my father just withheld it, saying it was to offset the 'debt of raising' my brother owed him when he was a child. He even showed me the account book, and he even included half a steamed bun in it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Bugui emerged from the house with his hands behind his back. He was wearing a crisply starched blue cotton jacket, and his hair was neatly combed, making him look every bit the schoolteacher. Seeing the crowd gathered at the gate, he cleared his throat and said, "What's all the noise about? Don't you know that family scandals shouldn't be aired in public? I'm disciplining my own son; what right do outsiders have to interfere?"

"Educating your son? I think you're just scheming against him!" Liu Haizhong couldn't stand this kind of thing. Recalling his past attitude towards the Liu Guangtian brothers, he felt even worse. "Back then, I favored the eldest, Guangqi, and gave him all the family's wealth, and he ran away. Now I understand that family ties aren't just numbers on a ledger! Aren't you afraid of hurting your children's feelings by scheming like this?"

Yan Bugui's face darkened: "Master Liu, our situations are different. You're a worker, you can earn money as long as you're strong; I'm a teacher, my salary is fixed, and I have to support four children, how can I not be calculating? I'm doing all this for this family!" He turned to look at Yan Jiecheng, "I withheld twenty jin of the grain coupons your brother sent back to pay off the debt, and used the remaining ten jin to buy rock sugar for your mother, that's already more than enough."

"You've done everything you could?" Yan Jiecheng trembled with rage, pulling a letter from his pocket. "Look! My brother wrote that he only gets two meals a day at the outpost, and he saves his ration coupons by the last drop of his teeth. He's worried about Mother being cold in the winter and wants her to buy him something better to eat! And you, you just withheld two-thirds of it!"

More and more neighbors gathered around, and Qin Huairu from the Intermediate People's Court also came over with freshly washed clothes. Hearing this, she couldn't help but chime in, "Teacher Yan, it's not easy for the children out there. This filial piety is much more precious than food coupons. Last time, my son Jia Geng stole scrap metal in the workshop, and Director Lin didn't punish him. Instead, he took him to see Jia Dongxu's old workstation, saying that it's more reassuring to earn a living with your skills. Now Jia Geng knows that family affection can't be calculated."

Yan Bugui cared most about his reputation, and Qin Huairu's words made him feel somewhat embarrassed, but he still stubbornly insisted: "Widow Qin, what do you know? I'm teaching the children to be grateful! How much did it cost to pay for my junior high school education? How much did it cost to pay for my military service after liberation? These things need to be calculated, otherwise how will they know how hard I've worked?"

Lin Chen remained silent, only looking at Yan Bugui with a calm yet penetrating gaze: "Teacher Yan, I went to the street office a few days ago and happened to see your ledger for calculating the allocation of grain coupons. You remembered it even more clearly than the street officials. You calculated it so clearly, how come you never considered whether the kindness of raising children can be repaid with grain coupons?"

He paused, then took out a few grain coupons from his pocket and handed them to Yan Jiecheng: "These are my surplus grain coupons for this month, five jin. Take them and buy rock sugar for Aunt Yan. As for the grain coupons sent by Liberation, I think they should be given to Aunt Yan untouched so she can use them as she sees fit. After all, this is a son's filial piety to his mother, not a debt owed to the accountant."

When Yan Bugui saw Lin Chen hand over the grain coupons, his eyes involuntarily glanced at them, but then he straightened his face and said, "Director Lin, this is a family matter, it's none of your business. These are my own grain coupons, I can distribute them however I want."

"But those weren't your food coupons; they were given to Aunt Yan by the Liberation Army." Lin Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it left Yan Bugui speechless. "Teacher Yan, you're an arithmetic teacher, you can calculate addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but you can't understand people's hearts. You keep a detailed account of every expense in raising your children, feeling that they owe you; but what the children remember is the light you used to grade homework late into the night, the pens, ink, paper, and inkstones you saved up to buy for them. Did you record those in your account book?"

These words were like a key, unlocking the floodgates in Yan Jiecheng's heart. He wiped away his tears: "My dad really had a hard life back then. When I was in junior high, he tutored students every night to earn some eggs to supplement my nutrition. But ever since I started working, he's been keeping track of everything. Every month I send money back, he records it in a ledger, marking it 'repayment.' Now I'd rather live in the company dormitory than go home, just because I'm afraid of seeing that ledger!"

Yan Bugui's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but Yan Jiecheng's words silenced him. He subconsciously touched his chest, where his treasured account book was hidden, recording the family's income and expenditure over the decades, as well as his "kindness" to his children. But at this moment, those densely packed numbers suddenly felt like needles pricking him.

Just then, Aunt Yan came out of the house, carrying a chipped, rough porcelain bowl filled with a few pickled vegetable bits. Seeing the large crowd gathered at the gate, she sighed, "Old Yan, Jiecheng, stop arguing. I don't want the grain coupons sent by Liberation; keep them for the children. This old woman is fine with just some pickled vegetables."

"Mom!" Yan Jiecheng rushed over and hugged his mother's shoulders. "I'll buy you rock sugar and meat! I got my salary this month, enough for us to have something nice to eat!"

Looking at his wife's gray hair and the shriveled pickled vegetables in the bowl, Yan Bugui suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He remembered how hard his wife had suffered with him when they were young, not even having a decent cotton-padded coat in the winter, yet she never complained. He withheld the food coupons, saying it was for the sake of the family, but the family had long since lost its warmth due to his meticulous accounting.

"Alright, give the grain coupons to your mother." Yan Bugui turned and went into the house, his voice a little hoarse. "I'll put the account book away; I won't keep track of things with you anymore." After a while, he came out with a stack of grain coupons and stuffed them into Aunt Yan's hand. "This is thirty jin sent by Liberation; it's all yours. Buy whatever you want; don't be stingy."

Looking at the grain coupons in her hand, Aunt Yan burst into tears: "Old Yan, if only you had done this sooner. It's not easy for the children out there. As their parents, we don't ask for anything in return, we just want them to be safe and sound."

The commotion subsided, and the neighbors gradually dispersed. Liu Haizhong patted Lin Chen on the shoulder: "You really have a way with words. You enlightened Lao Yan with just a few words. I used to think that a father had to put on airs like a patriarch, but now I understand that people's hearts aren't built on airs, but on sincerity."

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Master Liu, aren't you doing very well now? Guang Tian is about to participate in a skills competition, and your personal guidance is better than anything else."

As the two were talking, Yan Jiecheng walked over and bowed to Lin Chen: "Director Lin, thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't know how long my father would have continued his schemes. I will come home more often to visit and take good care of my parents."

Lin Chen helped him up: "This is what you should do. Family affection is like a steel billet in a blacksmith's hands; it needs to be carefully polished to become a useful object. Calculation is like cold water during quenching; if poured too quickly, it will only crack the steel billet."

That noon, there was a knock on Lin Chen's door. When he opened it, Yan Bugui stood there somewhat awkwardly, carrying a cloth bag. "Director Lin, I... I've come to bring you something." He opened the bag, revealing several yellowed arithmetic books. "These are the ones I used to use when I taught my students. They contain many problem-solving techniques. If you don't mind, you can take them and let the children take a look."

Lin Chen took the book, somewhat surprised. He knew Yan Bugui treasured these teaching materials most, and usually wouldn't even let his own children touch them. "Teacher Yan, thank you, these books are very precious."

Yan Bugui rubbed his hands together. "Director Lin, you were right yesterday. People's hearts aren't just numbers on a ledger. I was so foolish before, always thinking about how the children would repay me, forgetting that I raised them not for those food coupons and money." He paused, as if making a huge decision. "If there's any accounting work in the workshop in the future, just come to me. I won't charge you. Consider it... thank you for reminding me."

Lin Chen smiled: "Teacher Yan, if you really want to help, I happen to have something I'd like to ask you for help with. Our precision group is currently calculating the cost of improving the process, which involves a lot of data calculations. Your arithmetic skills are excellent, so it would be great if you could help oversee the process."

Yan Bugui's eyes lit up, and he immediately perked up: "No problem! I'll go to the workshop tomorrow and make sure I calculate it perfectly for you, down to the last penny!" His greatest pride in life was his arithmetic ability, and being able to use this skill in the right way made him happier than anything else.

The next morning, Yan Bugui arrived at the steel rolling mill's forging workshop carrying his abacus. He was wearing a brand-new blue cloth jacket, his hair neatly combed, and went straight to the precision group upon entering the workshop. Lin Chen handed him the cost accounting sheet, which he took, adjusted his glasses, and began rapidly working on his abacus.

Sunlight streamed through the workshop windows, illuminating Yan Bugui's focused face. He would sometimes furrow his brow in thought, sometimes scribble on paper; his earnest demeanor was a stark contrast to how he had calculated grain coupons at home yesterday. Liu Guangtian watched him and quietly said to Lin Chen, "Director Lin, I didn't expect Teacher Yan to be so good at accounting; he can calculate even faster than our group's clerk."

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Everyone has their own strengths. The key is to use those strengths in the right way. Teacher Yan's arithmetic skills can be very useful in our workshop."

At lunchtime, Sha Zhu came over with a lunchbox containing freshly stewed braised pork. "Director Lin, Teacher Yan, I heard that Teacher Yan is here to help with the accounts, so I specially stewed some extra meat for you to nourish yourselves." He is now a chef at the military region's guesthouse, and his life is getting better and better. His personality has also become much more cheerful than before.

Yan Bugui took the lunchbox, the aroma of braised pork warming his heart. He had lived a frugal life, rarely tasting such delicious meat. He picked up a piece and gave it to Liu Guangtian: "Guangtian, you're growing, eat more. Learn your skills from Director Lin, you'll definitely have a bright future."

Liu Guangtian paused for a moment, then nodded and began to eat heartily. Watching this, Liu Haizhong laughed and said, "Old Yan, if you had done this earlier, your children would have been close to you long ago."

Yan Bugui put down his chopsticks and sighed, "I was so foolish before. I always thought that you had to be calculating to get by. Now I understand that if everyone helps each other, life will be more enjoyable." He looked at the busy workers in the workshop, then at the accounting sheet in his hand, "It would be better if I could use my arithmetic skills for technological innovation in the workshop than anything else."

Lin Chen looked at the scene before him, his heart filled with emotion. This Red Star Courtyard was like a great melting pot, filled with scheming, conflicts, and arguments, but even more so with the warmth between people. Just like steel billets in a forging workshop, only after being tempered by the fire and hammered by the hammer can they finally become tough steel.

When Yan Bugui finished get off work in the afternoon, he found Lin Chen with the accounting sheet, his face full of pride: "Director Lin, I've finished the calculation! Your improved process is really amazing. It can save the workshop 87.3 yuan per month. If you calculate it for the whole year, that's 1,046.8 yuan! And that doesn't even include the extra benefits brought by the efficiency improvement."

Lin Chen took the accounting sheet and looked at it carefully. Sure enough, the calculations were clear and precise, with even the two decimal places clearly marked. "Teacher Yan, thank you for your hard work. This accounting sheet is very important to us. I will report it to Director Zhou at the workshop meeting next week, and I will definitely praise your contribution."

Yan Bugui waved his hand, a long-lost smile appearing on his face: "No need for praise, I'm just happy to be of help. If there's any accounting work in the workshop in the future, just let me know, I'll be there whenever you call."

That evening, the Yan family's home was filled with long-lost laughter. Aunt Yan used the grain coupons sent from Liberation Day to buy rock sugar and meat, stewing a pot of rock sugar pears and stir-frying a plate of braised pork. Yan Jiecheng also returned from his dormitory at work. The family sat around the table, eating the steaming food and chatting. Looking at the children's smiling faces, Yan Bugui suddenly felt that this was more precious than any number in the account book.

Lin Chen stood in his own yard, hearing laughter coming from the front yard, and felt a warmth in his heart. He opened the system panel, which displayed: "Side quest 'Resolving Family Conflicts' triggered, quest completion rate 100%, reward 8000 points, unlocked the 'Interpersonal Harmony' basic skill, which can increase the favorability of surrounding people."

He knew this was just a small episode in the story of the courtyard house. Yi Zhonghai's scheming continued, and Xu Damao's jealousy never dissipated, but more and more people began to understand that sincerity and kindness were the foundation for maintaining family ties and neighborly relations. Just like the forging process in a workshop, only by discarding those unnecessary impurities can the strongest steel be forged; the same is true of the human heart, only by letting go of calculations can one reap the most sincere emotions.

Moonlight spilled onto the bluestone path of the courtyard, casting long shadows on everyone. Lin Chen knew that more challenges awaited him in the future, but as long as he held fast to his original aspirations and faced them with sincerity and skill, no obstacle was insurmountable. And the story of this Red Star Courtyard would continue to be written amidst the warmth and resilience of everyday life.