Liu Haizhong's house was in the east wing of the front courtyard, directly opposite Yan Bugui's house.
The house was only 30 square meters, divided into two rooms: one bedroom and one living room which also served as a kitchen.
Previously, his parents and sister slept in the bedroom, while he, his elder brother, and younger brother usually slept in the living room, tidying it up during the day.
At the beginning of the year, his elder brother got married, and his father re-partitioned the living room, creating a small space of a few square meters for his elder brother and sister-in-law, moving other miscellaneous items from the living room into the bedroom.
Even so, his elder brother and sister-in-law, being newlyweds, found it very inconvenient when they wanted privacy, and Xiao Man and his younger brother were forced to go out for an hour each time before returning.
When he arrived home, he pushed the door, but it didn't budge; it was locked from the inside.
Helpless, Xiao Man could only start knocking.
After a short while, a half-grown boy came out barefoot to open the door.
"Second Brother, you're back!"
The one who opened the door was the third child of the family, Lin Lei, 15 years old this year, in the second year of junior high, and his studies were equally a mess, just waiting to finish junior high before going out to work.
"Mm."
Xiao Man responded, about to say something else, when a not-too-loud, not-too-soft complaint came from inside the room, just audible to the two at the door.
"He never does anything proper, and even if he doesn't, he still makes everyone wait for him to rest!"
Lin Lei, who had originally wanted to chat with his second brother, immediately shrank his head upon hearing that voice and softly uttered two words: "Elder Sister-in-law!"
His elder brother, Lin Dong, had been honest and simple since childhood, a stark contrast to his other brothers. Because of this, his parents at home worried that he wouldn't be able to find a wife when he grew up.
But sometimes, things are hard to predict; Lin Dong, the same age as Yan Jiacheng, got married at the beginning of the year.
Of course, there was a reason.
Although Lin Dong's wife, Fang Zhaodi, grew up in the city, like the children of the Jia Family, she had a rural household registration, and her family also had several other mouths to feed.
These past two years, with food shortages, Fang Zhaodi's family was particularly struggling.
At this time, when a matchmaker mentioned Lin Dong's situation, Fang Zhaodi agreed without a second thought.
Although Lin Dong's family conditions weren't great, they all had urban household registrations and food rations.
Another point was that Lin Dong's father, Lin Shanhe, was a regular worker at the district's garbage station, earning over 40 yuan a month now.
Although his mother, Wang Xiuzhi, didn't have a job, she was healthy, and if they got married and had children later, there would be someone to help out.
At that time, when Lin Dong was preparing to get married, the Lin family had also worried, and among them, the former Xiao Man had been the most strongly opposed.
Firstly, he thought that these few years were difficult, and an extra person in the family meant an extra burden.
Secondly, the house was only so big, and if his elder brother got married, there wouldn't be enough space for him to marry later.
Speaking of which, the former Xiao Man was not a good person, and what's more, Fang Zhaodi, who married in later, found out about this.
Although Fang Zhaodi had a rural household registration, she had grown up in the city since childhood, with a fiery and selfish personality. After marrying in, she quickly gained control over Lin Dong.
Later, this woman began to gradually try to control the entire extended family, wanting to meddle in all matters, big and small.
In this way, there was a bit of an irreconcilable conflict between Fang Zhaodi and her brother-in-law, Xiao Man.
Part of the reason Xiao Man was willing to work outside was because of this.
During the time Xiao Man had transmigrated, he originally wanted family harmony and had changed his personality, but because Fang Zhaodi had such a strong opinion of him, conflicts inevitably arose every time they met.
At this moment, his parents and sister Lin Hui in the bedroom heard the commotion and came out.
Seeing Xiao Man's unpleasant expression, they worried that their short-tempered second son might lose his temper and explode, so they quickly began to persuade him.
"Son, just bear with it for now. Your elder sister-in-law just got pregnant, so don't take her seriously right now!"
Hearing his mother Wang Xiuzhi's words and seeing his father Lin Shanhe nodding beside her, Xiao Man knew in his heart that he would definitely have no status in this family from now on.
Nowadays, traditional concepts are deeply ingrained, and everyone values the eldest son and grandson. Not only do they favor the eldest, but also rely mainly on the eldest for things like elder care.
Thinking about Liu Haizhong's attitude towards his eldest son and his other children in the back courtyard made it clear.
Once his elder sister-in-law Fang Zhaodi truly gave birth to a son, and given this woman's fierce personality, one could imagine Xiao Man's future life.
Alas, a person in the martial world cannot help himself, even as a transmigrator, Xiao Man could not change these ridiculous things.
At this moment, his younger brother and sister had already seen the large crucian carp Xiao Man was carrying.
Both were children, in their growing years, and hadn't eaten meat for a long time. Seeing the fish, they chattered incessantly.
Inside the house, Fang Zhaodi was also listening to the commotion outside, and upon hearing about the fish, she ran out without hesitation.
"Where is it? Where's the crucian carp? Let me see!"
Fang Zhaodi immediately snatched the crucian carp from Lin Hui's hand, and when she saw how big it was, she smiled so widely her gums almost showed.
"Hehe, your sister-in-law just got pregnant, and you brought back such a big crucian carp. Not bad, you're sensible!"
His elder brother Lin Dong also came out, saw the crucian carp, and foolishly patted Xiao Man's shoulder.
During this time, influenced by his wife, Lin Dong also had strong opinions about his younger brother, who had always liked to mess around since childhood.
Xiao Man heard his elder brother say that and was too lazy to respond. This guy was destined to be completely dominated by his wife his whole life, despite his tall stature.
Seeing that his younger brother ignored him, Lin Dong awkwardly scratched his head, then walked over to Fang Zhaodi, smiling fawningly and saying, "Tomorrow, let Mom stew the fish to nourish your body."
Wang Xiuzhi was very unhappy with this eldest daughter-in-law who, having just married in, was already thinking of seizing power, but her nature was to endure, and her daughter-in-law's belly also held the future of the Lin family, so she could only continue to endure.
"Yes, I'll add more oil tomorrow, so the fish will be delicious."
Fang Zhaodi glanced at her in-laws, then at her husband, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "Mom, no need to bother!"
"No bother, no bother."
Wang Xiuzhi said, preparing to take the fish, but Fang Zhaodi dodged, smiling and saying, "Mom, my maiden family knows how to cook fish. I'll take it back tomorrow and let them cook it."
"You, this~"
Hearing this, Wang Xiuzhi immediately understood that her daughter-in-law intended to take the fish directly to her maiden home to eat; they here shouldn't even think about getting a taste of meat.
Even with the best temper, Wang Xiuzhi couldn't tolerate it anymore and was about to have a serious talk with her daughter-in-law, but her eldest son Lin Dong stopped her.
"Mom and Dad, just let Zhaodi go back. She hasn't been back for a few days!"
Lin Dong's words almost made a few people laugh. Ever since this daughter-in-law married in, she had been taking things from the house back to her maiden family every other day.
She never went back to her maiden family empty-handed; it was either a small bag of cornmeal or a few sweet potatoes. In short, it wouldn't be long before their home would be emptied.
Seeing that his elder sister-in-law had already created the atmosphere, Xiao Man prepared to add fuel to the fire.