My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 174: The Human Heart of Jealousy

As everyone watched Ye Youcai being knocked to the ground by Ye Jianjun, they no longer needed Ye Shouhe to say anything; everyone was already convinced that what Ye Youcai had said was true.

Seeing his eldest son Ye Jianjun's actions, Ye Shouhe was furious and roared, "Ye Jianjun, what are you doing?"

Ye Jianjun looked at his father, Ye Shouhe, and said, "Dad, who told him to slander you?"

Ye Shouhe angrily said, "Stop right there! I'll explain this clearly. What kind of behavior is this, resorting to violence? Apologize to Ye Youcai right now!"

Hearing his father's words, Ye Jianjun retorted indignantly, "Dad, he slandered you! On what grounds? Why should I apologize to him?"

Ye Shouhe looked at his eldest son, his eyes darkening, and said, "Because I'm the village chief!"

Zhang Lei, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, stepped forward and said, "Dad, let me say a few words."

When Ye Shouhe saw Zhang Lei step forward, he was taken aback: "Zhang Lei, you..."

Zhang Lei waved his hand and said, "Fellow villagers of Yejia Village, I am Zhang Lei. You should all have heard of me or seen me."

When everyone saw Zhang Lei step forward, they all looked at him with gratitude.

After all, he was the one who provided the grain and meat before.

Zhang Lei looked at everyone and said, "As you all know, the grain and meat we received before were all delivered by me through intermediaries. Although I didn't want to speak up before, I have to do so today."

"I can explain the job position that Ye Youcai mentioned earlier."

"As everyone probably knows, I married three sisters: Shuqin, Shuqi, and Shuhua. And I am also a native of Beijing."

"These six jobs were obtained through connections and given to my three older brothers and three sisters-in-law. They are not a benefit of your Ye Family Village; this is my personal arrangement."

Upon hearing Zhang Lei's words, Ye Youcai, who was standing nearby, hurriedly said, "I...I don't believe it!"

Zhang Lei looked at Ye Youcai and said coldly, "Whether you believe it or not is your problem. You should know that the fact that I can produce so much grain and meat proves that I have some connections in Beijing."

"I can tell you very clearly that these six job positions were obtained through the Lou family in Beijing. This information can be verified."

"As for the so-called welfare benefits for Ye Family Village, it's completely fabricated. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask other villages if such a thing exists. After all, if such a good thing existed, it wouldn't be limited to our village."

Upon hearing Zhang Lei's words, everyone began to whisper among themselves.

Someone said, "Yes, if that were the case, every village would probably have it."

Another person chimed in, "That's right, I've never heard of any other villages having such good job opportunities, and we're so far from Beijing."

Hearing everyone's words, Ye Youcai's face flushed red, and he forced himself to say, "That's not right either! Then why don't you give it to us? Why do you have to give it to them?"

Zhang Lei, seeing Ye Youcai pointing at Ye Jianjun, interrupted him directly and sneered, "Are you out of your mind? Those three are my brothers-in-law. What's wrong with me giving them to them? Who do you think you are?"

"If it weren't for the fact that I married the three sisters, Shuqin, Shuqi, and Shuhua, do you think I would have gone to such lengths to find so much grain and meat for your village? What do I care whether you live or die?"

Seeing Ye Youcai speechless, Zhang Lei continued, "I don't care what you think, there's nothing like what you're saying here. These jobs, and the food I provided before, were all obtained by me, Zhang Lei, through my own abilities. If you don't like it, you can get these things yourself; don't try to slander others."

At this moment, Ye Youcai was on the verge of collapse after Zhang Lei's words. He sat on the ground and suddenly burst into tears, crying, "Why...why is it so unfair? Why are we so much worse off than others?"

He looked at Zhang Lei and cried out, "Why did you have to come here? Why did you have to find jobs for them? Why couldn't you find one for me? My family is already so poor, why couldn't you lend a helping hand?"

Everyone fell silent as they watched Ye Youcai wailing and crying.

Zhang Lei walked over and kicked him, coldly saying, "Instead of crying, you should think about what you can do. What I have and who I give it to is my own business. Why should I give it to you? Who do you think you are? What do you think you are to me?"

"Just because you're pitiful doesn't mean I have to give it to you. There are millions of pitiful people in this world, how can I possibly take care of them all? If you want a better life, you have to work hard, strive, and do it yourself! What kind of man cries and whines like that?"

Seeing Ye Youcai still looking bewildered, Zhang Lei turned around, greeted Ye Shouhe, and led everyone away from Ye Family Village.

Ye Shouhe simply sighed, waved his hand, and urged everyone to go home, leaving Ye Youcai standing there dumbfounded, at a loss.

On the way, Ye Jianjun, Ye Jianlin, and Ye Jianjiang looked at Zhang Lei and quickly comforted him, saying, "Zhang Lei, don't take Ye Youcai seriously. That's just how he is. He's lazy and always thinking about taking shortcuts."

Zhang Lei shook his head and said, "Big brother, second brother, third brother, sigh, I didn't think much about it, I just felt that this era is too bitter."

Ye Jianjun looked at Zhang Lei, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "What you said earlier was quite good, wasn't it? People have to fight for themselves. No matter when, as long as you dare to fight and dare to take risks, you can get what you want, instead of always seeking help from others."

Ye Jianlin also stepped forward and said, "Yes, my dad often taught us that people must be self-reliant and independent."

Soon, everyone had their bags and belongings packed up and boarded the bus back to Beijing.

This time, Zhang Lei learned his lesson. He didn't eat anything for breakfast and sat on an empty stomach in the seat closest to the window.

Along the way, he finally recovered.

The group arrived excitedly at courtyard house number 95.

When Zhang Lei returned, the neighbors in the courtyard were all startled to see so many people.

Uncle Yan Fugui glanced at Zhang Lei and quickly asked, "Zhang Lei, what's going on here...?"

Zhang Lei said with a smile, "Our relatives have come. Behind us are my eldest brother, second brother, and third brother's families."

Upon hearing that so many relatives had come, Yan Fugui smiled awkwardly and said, "Hello, hello relatives."

Zhang Lei didn't pay any attention and just led everyone to the east courtyard.