"It's nothing much, just that Brother Yushan is getting better at bragging, nothing else," Liu Debao said.
Liu Jianhong also nodded, agreeing with his son. "Yushan is doing a pretty good job at work. As for bragging, it's not a major flaw. Young people always care about their reputation."
"I've also asked other people in the village. Besides this, although Yushan occasionally goes to the gambling house to join the fun, he hasn't actually gambled."
The gambling house he mentioned was different from the ones in the past. It was mostly for entertainment, and the winnings or losses usually wouldn't exceed two hundred yuan. It wasn't that people didn't want to bet bigger, but they were afraid of getting themselves locked up.
In the past, the police had a hard time managing these things in the village. When villagers gambled, apart from the casual games at the small supermarket, the high-stakes games were hidden in some villager's home. They were very concealed and hard to investigate.
It was different now. Anyone who dared to play a game with stakes over two hundred yuan in the village had to weigh the consequences first.
Perhaps someone would say, "The money I win or lose in gambling is my own, and it's all voluntary. What does it have to do with you? Why are you being so nosy?"
But the answer they received was always the same: "This rule was set by the Liu family's girl. If you have the guts, go talk to her about it."
As soon as these words were spoken, those hardcore gamblers would instantly chicken out. Thinking back to the dense crowd of men in black during the New Year, and how the Liu family's girl had dealt with her own biological father, those were readymade examples.
When she was ruthless, she even dared to send her own father to jail, let alone outsiders like them.
Since then, at least in their village, there had never been a gambling table with stakes over two hundred yuan again. When the villagers played cards or mahjong, they consciously kept the amounts under control and generally didn't go overboard.
Old Master Liu was actually afraid to hear bad things about his grandson from them, afraid of losing face.
Hearing that there were no major flaws now, his expression softened a bit, but he still snorted, "A leopard never changes its spots!"
Liu Yutong looked at Liu Yushan again. "Add anything you need to. Do you have anything else to say?"
Liu Yushan shivered and hurriedly said, "It's true! It's true! What Debao and my uncle said is all true! I've really been honestly doing cleaning work this past year. I haven't... haven't gambled a single cent since. I cut ties with those people a long time ago! I swear!"
"Also, I just have a loose tongue sometimes and like to brag a bit... Sister, I know I was wrong. I really have changed! Look at my hands, they're like this from working..." He pointed to the calluses on his hands, trying to gain some sympathy.
Liu Yutong pretty much had a good idea of the situation now. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.
"Is the salary from cleaning the trash enough for you to live on?"
Liu Yushan choked for a second and stammered, "It's... it's okay. If I'm frugal, it's enough."
In fact, it wasn't enough at all. His meager salary would be gone if he spent even a little freely, but he didn't dare say so.
"Have you asked Grandpa and Grandma for money again?" Liu Yutong asked once more.
"No! Absolutely not!"
Liu Yushan raised his hand to swear. "No matter how much of a jerk I am, I wouldn't dare ask Grandpa and Grandma for money! Look how old I am!"
This was actually the truth. Ever since Liu Yutong forced him to stay in their hometown for reform, he had never dared to reach out his hand to the two elders again. On one hand, he was afraid his sister would find out; on the other hand, he was a man after all, and his pitiful sense of pride would occasionally rear its head.
Hearing this, the oppressive aura around Liu Yutong slightly retracted. "It seems that you really have endured a lot of hardship this past year and have done some actual work."
"However, cleaning is just the most basic form of social labor. It's still far from truly reforming you."
Hearing this, Liu Yushan felt a bit of despair in his heart. It seemed his sister still had no intention of letting him off.
Liu Yutong changed the subject. "Starting tomorrow, Uncle, arrange for someone else in the village to take over the garbage cleaning work. You can hire a few more people. The salary will be on me."
Liu Jianhong nodded. "Alright! It's easy to hire people."
Although doing garbage cleaning was a bit tough, as long as the salary was good, the villagers would still fight to do it. Not to mention, it wouldn't be just Liu Yushan doing it all by himself like before.
However, when Liu Yushan heard this, not only was he not the least bit happy, but his vision went dark and he almost fainted.
It's over! His sister wasn't even going to let him sweep the streets anymore! She was probably going to send him to jail too!
The only place of reform he could think of now, besides being a cleaner, was to get an iron rice bowl like his father and undergo a true, deep reform behind bars.
Just as Liu Yushan was about to beg for mercy, he heard Liu Yutong continue, "You will follow Debao from now on."
"Huh?" Liu Yushan and Liu Debao were both stunned at the same time.
Liu Debao pointed to his own nose. "Follow... follow me?"
"Yes."
Liu Yutong nodded. "I've contracted a lot of land to grow vegetables and grain. Debao manages all of this. From now on, you'll be his assistant and learn some proper skills. You have to do all the chores, moving goods, riding along with the deliveries, everything. You will do whatever Debao tells you to do. Your salary will be two thousand a month, which should be about enough for you to spend."
"Debao, I'm handing him over to you. You don't need to give him any special treatment on my account. Boss him around when needed, and teach him a lesson when necessary. If he slacks off, refuses to listen, or starts messing around with those people from his past again, tell me directly. Do you understand?"
Liu Debao said, "Understood. Don't worry, sister, I will definitely keep a close eye on Brother Yushan!"
He then looked at Liu Yushan. "Brother Yushan, see you at the vegetable greenhouse at six tomorrow morning. We need to deliver two trucks of vegetables to the supermarket. Make sure you aren't late."
Liu Yushan finally realized what was happening. He could finally take off that yellow work uniform.
Although it was a far cry from being the CEO he had bragged about, it was at least a good thing. In fact, it was a great thing!
At the very least, his sister had acknowledged him somewhat.
"Thank you! Thank you! Yutong, rest assured, your brother will work hard and won't embarrass you!"
"Let's eat!"
"Okay, okay, let's eat!"
Grandpa and Grandma didn't say much throughout the whole process; they mostly just listened.
They knew very well in their hearts that the only person who truly called the shots in this family was their granddaughter, Liu Yutong. Even if they had their own thoughts, as long as their granddaughter didn't relent, they would never say a word on behalf of their grandson.
Simply put, whether Liu Yushan lived or died was entirely up to their granddaughter.
After dinner, Liu Yushan, Debao, and the others left separately.
Liu Yushan still lived in his own old house. There was no room for him in Grandpa and Grandma's new house.
While Liu Yutong was helping her grandparents wash the dishes, she suddenly said, "If Liu Yushan can work hard and do well, I'll build a new house for him to marry a wife in the future."
Grandpa had mixed feelings upon hearing his granddaughter's words, but he remained stubborn. "You don't need to worry about him. Building a house and marrying a wife depends on his own abilities. If he can't get a wife, he can stay a bachelor for the rest of his life!"
Liu Yutong smiled and didn't say anything more.
However, when they chatted about other topics later, there were noticeably more smiles on Grandpa and Grandma's faces.
The bond between grandparents and grandchildren was no joke. Although their grandson had been a bit of a scoundrel in the past, deep down, they still hoped he could change for the better. They didn't expect him to be outstanding, but at least they wanted to be able to mention him without feeling too ashamed to speak.
That night, Liu Yutong and Yaya slept on the second floor. Lan Die and a few other female members of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society also stayed in the other two guest rooms on the second floor.
Grandpa and Grandma slept in the master bedroom on the first floor. It was not that they could not go upstairs, but rather that the elderly couple was used to living on the first floor and found it more convenient. Even though an elevator had been installed in the house, they still were not very keen on sleeping upstairs.
The next day.
By the time Liu Yutong and Yaya got up and washed up, Grandpa and Grandma had already prepared breakfast.
However, when they went downstairs to eat, they saw Grandma and some neighbors rushing frantically toward the village square, every one of them looking eager and impatient.
"Grandpa, what are Grandma and the others going to do?" Liu Yutong asked curiously.
"They are going to pick up some goods. They said it is free, so everyone went."
Grandpa urged, "Eat quickly. Once we finish, we will go get some too. If we are late, there won't be anything left to claim."
Hearing the word free, Liu Yutong could not help but feel a bad premonition. Why did this sound so much like the usual tricks used by those countryside scammers from her past life?
Could it be that swindlers had actually come to their village to run a scam?
