"It's nothing." Even if something was wrong, Gao Dongxing couldn't bring himself to speak at this moment. After all, being thrown out like an object was already embarrassing enough. If he cried out in pain now, he would be even more ashamed to face anyone, especially since there were familiar faces standing next to him who had traveled to the countryside with him before.

Si Cheng ignored the mother and son standing outside the courtyard gate and turned around to close the gate.

"You'd better take him and leave now. If you two keep going on like this, I won't do anything to you, but I won't be so polite to him." As he said this, Si Cheng stared intently at Gao Dongxing, making Gao Dongxing shudder involuntarily.

Gao Shuzhen was about to say something, but Gao Dongxing stopped her. She was still shaken by the look Si Cheng had given her earlier. During their time in Baijia Village, she had heard bits and pieces of his exploits, especially about how he could chop off a bandit leader's hand with a single stroke. Although they were half-brothers, they had no real affection for each other because of their mother's neglect over the years.

Don't be fooled by his tough talk; he chickens out the moment the other party starts fighting, and forget about the little schemes he had with his mother and son.

It seems that what they discussed before is impossible to achieve. Now they are just thinking about getting some supplies and will make other plans later.

He pulled his mother aside, and the two whispered in each other's ears for a while.

Seeing that they were plotting something, Si Cheng simply turned around, went inside to get a lock, and locked the door from the outside. Just as he was about to leave, Gao Shuzhen called him back.

"Since you promised to take care of me in my old age, then give me all the things for my old age now, and I will never come looking for you again."

"It's too late. Come back to me when you can't move anymore." Si Cheng said and walked straight ahead.

"Stop right there! I'm out of rice to cook now. Are you just going to watch me starve to death?"

"So how much do you plan to ask for?" Si Cheng asked without turning his head.

“From now on, you will give me 2,000 catties of rice and 400 catties of oil every year, and you will also send me 50 catties of meat every month.” Gao Shuzhen had inquired about the various harvests in Gaojia Village during this period and did not think that asking for so much was excessive.

“I wouldn’t spend that much even if I raised ten pigs, and besides, I can’t do what you’re saying.” After saying this, Si Cheng left without turning back, no matter how much she called after him.

"That brat, how dare he say that to me? I raised him, what an ingrate! He said he'd take care of me in my old age, but he can't even part with this little thing."

The people nearby understood what was going on. So Si Cheng was the gullible son they had been talking about, the one his family had mentioned countless times along the way.

Since joining Pinghe Village, they had learned a bit about Si Cheng from the other villagers; he was a pitiful person. His parents divorced when he was young, and he was unloved by both his father and mother. It was a miracle that he had such upright values. Only after finding Yun Qi of the Yun family did he feel the warmth of home.

Hearing the Gao family mother and son's request, I was quite surprised. You know, even in the face of disaster, many children would not be able to meet the above conditions.

"You think your demands are too high? Besides, you're even younger than me. I'm still working in the fields, and you're asking a younger person for retirement, and you're making outrageous demands! Your demands could support a whole family!" Aunt Wu was now brimming with energy. Since coming to Pinghe Village, she felt she had rediscovered meaning in life, working in the fields and raising livestock with her son every day, living a very fulfilling life. Seeing Gao Shuzhen, who was even younger than herself, making such outrageous demands for retirement, she couldn't help but scold her.

"Gao boy, with your mother's conditions, is she planning to support your family? Is she planning to exploit her half-brother to become a landlord?" Aunt Liu didn't miss Gao Dongxing whispering with his mother. In her opinion, this boy was full of bad intentions.

"He said he would take care of my mother in her old age; my mother was just stating her request." Gao Dongxing wouldn't admit it at this point.

“The cost of retirement is too high. With your circumstances, how many people can afford it? Besides, you’re not perfectly healthy, so even if you need someone to support you in your old age, it will be a joint responsibility between the two brothers.” After saying this, Aunt Huang held her daughter tightly with one hand. She really had to find out carefully when her daughter was looking for a partner. If it was someone who was all show and no substance, it could ruin her life.

"What's it to you? This is our family matter." Gao Shuzhen felt uncomfortable seeing their contemptuous looks. She knew that her demands were a bit high, but wasn't it just a matter of raising prices and haggling endlessly?

People don't know her mentality, otherwise they would be even more speechless. What kind of mother is this?

"Young man Gao! Now that you're in the countryside, as long as you work hard, you can live a pretty good life. Instead of wasting your time here, you might as well go back and put all your energy into it. In time, you'll make a living." Aunt Wu advised him kindly, considering that they had all come to the countryside together.

"If you don't know, don't spout nonsense here." After saying that, Gao Dongxing turned around and led his mother to the back mountain to find his uncle. They couldn't leave empty-handed after coming all this way.

Watching the mother and son walk away, Aunt Huang said to her daughter, "You must be careful when choosing a partner, don't just look at appearances. This tall guy may look decent, but his character is really terrible."

"Mom, what are you saying? We've only been in Pinghe Village for a short time. Let's focus on getting by first and not think about such things." Huang Xinyun was at her wits' end with her mother. She had told her many times that she wasn't in a hurry to find a partner, but because there were so many weddings in the village lately, her mother always felt that all the good sons-in-law had been snatched away by others.

"Acheng doesn't know how he ended up with such a mother and brothers. Luckily, they weren't assigned to our village back then, otherwise dealing with people like that every day would be really depressing."

"Two perfectly healthy people, running around here demanding exorbitant prices." The group sighed as they walked back.

Si Cheng returned to the construction site to continue helping dig the pit, but the others, seeing his grim expression, dared not approach him to inquire. However, their expressions clearly indicated that Gao Liang's actions in taking him away were not for good. Everyone looked at Liu Fengya, who shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

Yunqi had been helping out in the backyard and was unaware of these events. Yunqi's mother's first reaction was to run to her second uncle's house to find her husband. By the time they returned after leaving the child at their second uncle's house, the gate was locked, and there was no one in sight.