As he spoke, Zhao Mingyu raised his hand and fanned his nose. The expression on his face almost made Zhao Zhiyuan faint from anger.
"You…"
How could Zhao Zhiyuan tolerate being criticized by his son?
He glared at Zhao Mingyu while his chest was heaving with anger. He then reached out and snatched the feather duster from his wife's hand. Just as he was about to hit his son, he took a step forward and remembered that he was standing on one foot.
"You heartless little brat, how dare you say that? Look at how angry your father is. Alright, get lost and go into the house. Don't be an eyesore here."
Chen Guizhi wanted to laugh, but she didn't dare to do so in front of her son. Otherwise, this kid would really create more havoc. Hence, she restrained her laughter and walked over to pat Zhao Mingyu a few times. Then, she waved her hand in reprimand and disdain, signaling him to leave.
Zhao Mingyu nodded and looked at his father. He saw that the old man's darkened face had turned even darker.
He gestured with his chin. "If I go back to the house, then this old man…" What should he do?
Before he could finish speaking, he saw his nephews and nieces running in from outside. Zhao Mingyu quickly stopped talking.
His eldest sister and two brothers had been married for a few years. Each of them had at least two or three children. The oldest nephew was already six or seven years old and was becoming aware of things, while the youngest was only a few months old.
The older nephews and nieces especially liked to hear gossip and watch him make a fool of himself. Every time they saw the old man whacking him, the younger ones would watch in joy. As an uncle, he was becoming less and less authoritative in front of these brats.
Therefore, when he saw the little brats running in, he quickly stopped talking. He glanced at them and turned to return to his room.
Although he didn't have a good relationship with his two sisters-in-law and were even at odds with them, he treated his nephews and nieces quite well. Every time he came back with the wild animals he hunted, he would ask his mother to save a portion for the kids. As for his two brothers and sisters-in-law, he could only say sorry to them. If they wanted wild game, they could help themselves to the skin or feathers. If they wanted meat? Heh, they can dream on.
In fact, before his two brothers got married, the three of them got along quite well with their eldest sister. Even when the two sisters-in-law just married into the family, he treated them equally well. He often went into the mountains to hunt and would bring back his catch as extra food for the family.
Unfortunately, they got greedy and were not satisfied with what was given to them. Their appetites grew bigger and they even asked Zhao Mingyu to bring back more prey every time he hunted in the mountains, so that they could bring meat back for their brothers on the 1st and 15th of each month.
Even his parents were not agreeable to such an unreasonable request.
Since then, because of his refusal to provide them with the hunted meat, his sisters-in-law began to tell outsiders that their brother-in-law ate the most at every meal, but he was the laziest in the family.
If it was just once or twice, he could let them off the hook. However, they did not change and continued with their ways after he reminded them. In addition, his two brothers sided with their wives and blamed him for being unkind as a brother. Since that was the case, they couldn't blame him for falling out with them.
That was his temperament. He was easy to talk to when in a good mood—everything was negotiable. However, if someone crossed his bottom line, even if they were his siblings or sisters-in-law, he wouldn't hesitate to confront them.
In the past two to three years, his relationship with those two families had been deteriorating. Just because he didn't provide them with meat, they developed a deep resentment towards him.
But did he care about that?
Firstly, he didn't lack food. Secondly, he didn't lack money. He was living a life that was more comfortable than theirs. Why should he even care about what they think of him?
Therefore, they can go ahead and resent him. Without them around, he and his parents could enjoy a few more pieces of meat at each meal.
Fortunately, those brats had not been led astray by their mothers. Knowing that their uncle was a good man, they would come over to visit him every morning once they woke up.
…
At the educated youths dormitory.
Without the two troublemakers around, the atmosphere in the courtyard was noticeably lighter. The new and old educated youths have also become more familiar with each other, overcoming their initial unfamiliarity.
At this moment, Gu An'an was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen. It was just a few simple vegetable dishes, but after a quick stir-fry by her, the rich fragrance of the vegetables made everyone salivate.
The fragrance was absolutely delightful!
The dishes prepared by Gu An'an not only smelled delicious but also looked incredibly appetizing. Everyone was so captivated by the sight of the dishes laid out on the table that they couldn't take their eyes off them.
The fragrance of the dishes wafted into everyone's noses. The hunger in their stomachs had been awakened, and they were finding it hard to resist the waves of temptation.
Not long after, when Gu An'an came out of the kitchen with a bowl of vegetables, Song Hongxuan immediately asked, "Comrade Gu, are you done stir-frying the vegetables?" If they didn't start eating now, he would have a hard time controlling his drool.
A faint smile appeared on Gu An'an's face. "Yes, I'm done. This is the last dish."
Upon hearing this, Jiao Yu sniffed at the food and quickly said, "Let's start eating right away. If we continue looking at the spread, the cravings in my stomach will crawl out of my throat."
Hearing her words, Song Hongxuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Alright, everyone, gather around and take a seat. First of all, let us welcome Comrade Gu An'an and Comrade Jiao Yu. From now on, everyone will be fellow comrades. I hope that all of us can work together, help each other, and work towards a better life!"
After saying this, he picked up a bowl of tea and looked at everyone.
Seeing this, everyone stood up and picked up their bowls. They smiled and welcomed Gu An'an and Jiao Yu.
"Welcome to our big family, you two beautiful girls!"
"Comrade Gu, and Comrade Jiao, welcome! If you need our help in the future, just let us know!"
"…"
Gu An'an and Jiao Yu stood up at the same time and smiled politely at everyone. "Thank you, everyone. We are also very happy to be able to work alongside you as fellow comrades!"
"Come, cheers!"
Everyone placed their bowls in the middle and clinked them against the others. In an instant, the crisp sound of bowls clinking lifted everyone's spirits.
Everyone finished half a bowl of tea in one gulp!
"Come, come, come. It's time to eat. Everyone, hurry up and taste An'an's cooking. I'm not going to wait for you guys. When the first dish was served, I was already craving it." Jiao Yu smiled and called out to everyone. She picked up her chopsticks and picked up a piece of braised pork.
As soon as the meat entered her mouth, her eyes widened in shock.
"Oh my!"
The taste of the meat… was simply delectable.