Aside from Third Mistress, none of the five children supported this.
But Yan Bugui was, after all, the head of the household.
He said sternly, "That settles it. We're family, and a family can't be divided."
Third Mistress said, "Listen to your father. He's the one in charge."
Only when he saw that all five children had fallen silent did Yan Bugui finally feel pleased.
He thought that if he could use this meeting to establish his authority, then get Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li's wages handed over as well, that would be even better.
Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu took a turn around the alley before heading home.
The moment they entered, Liu Haizhong began scolding them.
"Day after day, neither of you acts like an adult! I told you to be back by ten, and you really waited until the clock struck ten? My meeting was over ages ago!"
Liu Guangtian said submissively, "Dad, we wouldn't dare disobey a word you said. We specifically watched the time at a classmate's house, then calculated our steps and walked back slowly."
The brothers really had counted the seconds in their heads and timed their return, terrified of being scolded by Father.
Yet they still got scolded despite coming back on time.
In Father's eyes, everything they did was wrong.
Meanwhile, their eldest brother, who was already married and living separately, could do no wrong.
"Liu Guangtian, are you questioning me?"
"H-How could I? Dad, tell us what you need."
"Hmph! If the courtyard holds a meeting about Lin Zhen in a few days, when it comes time to raise your hands and condemn him, the two of you are to stand against him. Got it?"
"Y-Yes, got it."
"You are not to breathe a word of this or tell anyone.