"Father, when have we ever been high-profile about this?" Second Xu wondered as he looked at his father, his eyes wide.
"..."
Mr. Xu immediately got angry. He realised that he was being questioned by his second son and he did not have the answer for it.
"Second Xu, keep quiet and listen!" Eldest Xu said and kicked his younger brother. "Just listen to what father has to say!"
After getting kicked by his elder brother, Second Xu scratched his head curiously. "Big brother, why did you kick me? Did I say something wrong?"
Feeling wronged, he turned to his mother, Mrs. Xu, without hesitation and tried to seek justice. "Mother, please defend me!"
Mrs. Xu was speechless as well. "Good kick!"
No matter if it was Mr. Xu or Mrs. Xu, this second son of theirs would always manage to piss them off. You couldn't say that he's silly because he wasn't.
But there were times where Second Xu would mess up.
"What Father meant is that we can't have meat. You don't have to know why. Just do as you're told." Mrs. Xu couldn't be bothered to explain things to her son. It was just too tiring, which is why she didn't say anything extra and only told him what he should and shouldn't do.
"Father, Mother, perhaps both of you are worried that the other villagers might be envious and jealous of us?"
Second Xu was not as obedient as he used to be.
"Well, wouldn't that problem be resolved as long as we cook it in the forest? Mother, Big Brother, and I can go to the woods, hunt, and then cook the meat inside the forest. When it's done, we'll bring it back home. We can enjoy it once we heat it later in the afternoon. What do you think?"
Previously, when the daughters-in-law had heard Mrs. Xu say that they could no longer have meat on the table, their hearts sank.
But now upon hearing Second Xu's suggestions, all of their eyes shone with hope.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu were both shocked by this idea as well.
This idea…. Was it suggested by their second son, who had always been a little dumb?
"Father, Mother… Would it be possible? Please give us an answer!" Second Xu looked hopefully at his parents, his eyes pitiful.
He had no other choice. They had been having such scrumptious meals for the past few days and he had already gotten used to it. Now, having to suddenly stop it and return to only having salted vegetables and radish made Second Xu feel as if his future had turned bleak.
"It's possible." What else could Mrs. Xu say when she saw the pitiful look on her son's face?
Although she had been telling Mr. Xu that there was a limit to a human's luck, that was just what they'd assumed. When they first married, they were so poor and their sons were not able to enjoy such luxuries while growing up.
The only thing that they were asking for now was a few extra pieces of meat. This shouldn't have anything to do with luck, right?
Hence, the Xu family's second meeting came to an end.
After coming to an agreement, it was decided that both Xu brothers would be going into the woods to try their luck. If they were lucky enough to catch something, they would cook it in the woods first before returning to the village.
When the meeting ended, Eldest Xu went and said to Mr. Xu, "Father, if we have to prepare it in the woods, we'll need a pot. We would have to buy a new one."
"Buy it!" Mr. Xu said, waving his hands. "Go and get money from your mother."
"Father, we would also have to buy another set of condiments!"
"Buy them!"
Mr. Xu himself was also craving meat, which was why he approved all of Eldest Xu's requests.