Xu Kuo's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Don't try this moral blackmail with me! You want the vegetables? Fine, but you have to pay me back every penny you were owed when you sold them. And I'll return the vegetables to you right away!"

"Money?!" Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun were speechless at the same time.

They had already used that money to buy fabric, snacks, and even to supplement their household expenses. Where would they get the money? Even if they sold everything they owned, they still couldn't raise it!

Seeing the two men's faces instantly turn guilty and ugly, Xu Kuo's sneer inwardly deepened.

Just as I expected.

"Can't come up with the money? Then get out of here! Don't get in my way!"

"You...you dare to kick us out?!" Xu Jianguo was furious. He gritted his teeth and sat down on the ground. "We're not leaving! If you don't give us back our vegetables today, my brother and I will die here!"

Xu Jianjun followed suit, saying, "That's right! We're not leaving! Let's see what you can do about it!"

"you……"

Just then, footsteps sounded from inside the house. Jiang Xiuying came out carrying a bowl of water. Seeing the scene in the courtyard, her expression immediately changed. She quickly walked to Xu Kuo's side, gently tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Husband, don't get angry with them. Let's talk it out..."

Xu Kuo turned around and gave Jiang Xiuying a reassuring look, indicating that she should relax. Then he turned his head and his gaze swept over the two people who were acting like idiots on the ground: "I'll ask you one last time, get out or not?"

"Hmph! I won't leave until I return the food!" Xu Jianguo retorted, his neck stiff.

"Okay." Xu Kuo nodded and said no more.

The next second, before Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun could react, Xu Kuo suddenly bent down, picked up one of them in each hand, and lifted the two adult men, each weighing over 100 pounds, as easily as if they were chicks!

"Ah! What are you doing! Let go of me!"

"Xu Kuo! You're insane! Let go!"

The two men were terrified and struggled desperately with their hands and feet, but Xu Kuo's arms were like iron clamps, completely immobile. They then realized with horror that their seemingly unassuming younger brother possessed such terrifying strength!

Xu Kuo remained expressionless, carrying the two struggling men, and walked a few steps to the courtyard gate, then swung his arm away!

"Bang!"

Ouch!

Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun were thrown violently onto the dirt road outside the yard, where they were dazed and confused, unable to get up for a long time.

"Xu Kuo! You damned ingrate! You treat your own brother like this! You'll die a horrible death!" Xu Jianguo, clutching his aching back, cursed and grimaced.

"He's utterly heartless! Everyone come and see! Xu Kuo has become rich and doesn't recognize people anymore! He's even started hitting people!" Xu Jianjun also started wailing, his voice shrill, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

The commotion and wailing had already alerted the neighbors. Many villagers gathered around, pointing and whispering.

Seeing that there were many people around, Xu Jianguo became even more excited. He pointed at Xu Kuo at the gate of the courtyard and cried to the villagers who were watching.

"Fellow villagers! You be the judge! This Xu Kuo took our vegetables a few days ago out of pity, pretending to be kind, but who knew he already knew the price was going to go up! He deliberately lied to us! Now my whole family has no vegetables to eat, and when we asked him for some, he not only refused but also beat us up! Where is justice?!"

Many villagers who had also sold their vegetables to Xu Kuo and were now filled with regret felt a sense of shared experience upon hearing this and joined in the commotion.

"Exactly! What Xu Kuo did was extremely unethical!"

"Knowing that prices are going to rise, why are you still charging people for vegetables? Isn't that ripping people off?"

"With vegetables so expensive these days, how are we supposed to survive?!"

"Xu Kuo! Give our vegetables back!"

Immediately, public sentiment was inflamed, and the blame was directed at Xu Kuo.

Xu Kuo stood at the gate of the courtyard, coldly watching this farce directed by his own brother, and observing the villagers whose expressions changed in an instant.

Only when the shouting and cursing outside the courtyard subsided slightly did he slowly speak, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Have you had enough?"

His gaze swept over the crowd, lingering particularly on the bewildered faces of Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun, before he announced, word by word:

"Just now, Secretary Wen from the town government agreed. From today onwards, I can decide how much to sell these vegetables for, how to sell them, who to sell them to, and who not to sell them to..."

"I, Xu Kuo, will make all the decisions!"

These words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere!

The entire scene fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop!

Secretary Wen agreed?! Xu Kuo has the power to set prices and sell products?! What... what does this mean?

The smugness and anger on Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun's faces froze instantly, replaced by terror and deep regret! They had just... just completely offended the only person who might have given them food?!

The two exchanged a glance and both saw the panic in each other's eyes.

“That… Third… Third Brother…” Xu Jianguo’s face instantly plastered with a fawning smile as he scrambled to get closer. “No… Comrade Xu Kuo! Look, we’re all family. Even if our bones are broken, our tendons are still connected…”

"Yes, yes!" Xu Jianjun, ignoring his own pain, hurriedly chimed in, "It was all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! You see... could you... spare some vegetables for my brother's family..."

Their change of attitude was so rapid it was astonishing.

Xu Kuo looked at the two obsequious faces on the ground, but his heart remained unmoved.

“Third…Third brother…” Xu Jianguo tried to get closer, “We’re family, brothers! Just now…it was all a misunderstanding! I was confused! Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against us…”

"Yes, yes!" Xu Jianjun scrambled to his feet, his face bruised and battered, but he paid no heed to the pain, his eyes filled with pleading.

"Xiao Kuo, look at our brothers, they have elderly parents to support and young children to raise, and they have no vegetables... how are they going to survive! Please have some compassion and spare some... no, sell some! Sell some to us! We'll pay you!"

The two of them sang in unison, adopting an extremely humble posture, a stark contrast to their previous arrogance and domineering behavior.

However, Xu Kuo simply watched their performance with indifference.

"roll!"

A single word, like a shard of ice in the dead of winter, struck their hearts hard.

“You…” Xu Jianguo’s smile froze.

"Xu Kuo! You really have no mercy at all?!" Xu Jianjun screamed, "We're your own brothers!"

"Mother! Mother! Come out and see!" Seeing that Xu Kuo was unmoved by reason, Xu Jianguo immediately started wailing at the top of his lungs towards the house, "Mother! Look at your good son! He's made a fortune and now he doesn't recognize us poor relatives anymore! He won't even leave us a bite to eat! He's trying to force us to our deaths! Mother—!"

A heart-wrenching cry echoed in the courtyard. Sure enough, the door creaked open, and the old woman came out. It was none other than Xu's mother, Ren Hongmei.

"mother!"

"mother!"

Xu Jianguo and Xu Jianjun, as if seeing a savior, scrambled to Ren Hongmei's feet, each grabbing one of her legs and weeping uncontrollably.