This was the first time that the scumbag father, He Donglai, had been confronted by his second son, with Madam Wan standing nearby. He immediately felt humiliated: "You've gone too far!"

Xiao Wanshi never expected that He Zifeng, who was always submissive, would lose his temper: "Second son, how dare you talk to your father like that? You are so unfilial!" The label of unfilial piety was enough to make him feel terrified.

He Zifeng said, "I'm not filial?" He looked over, his eyes filled with coldness, and said, "Then what are filial people like? They all stay at home?" There was sarcasm in his words.

The scumbag father, He Donglai, was furious and raised his hand to hit He Zifeng.

He Zifeng wasn't afraid of him. How could someone who worked all year round be easily injured by an old coffin maker? He Zifeng's eyes, however, grew increasingly cold.

Just then, the four-year-old in his arms quickly hugged He Zifeng with his little hands, his eyes showing a bit of stubbornness, and said in a childish voice, "You can't hit Daddy." The little guy was so small, yet he still wanted to protect his father.

He Zifeng turned and handed the child to Qiu Yu, then felt a chill run down his spine—this scumbag father was trying to ambush him. He turned around and grabbed the child's wrist. With a sharp squeeze, he heard the child's scream.

The scumbag father is forty-five years old, so his physical condition is naturally not as good as He Zifeng's, who works every day.

He Zifeng didn't give him any face at all. With a forceful shove, the scumbag father staggered back two steps and sat directly on the ground!

Little Wan screamed, then rushed over, asking, "Husband, how are you?"

The scumbag father, He Donglai, was ashen-faced and speechless for a long time, his wrist feeling as if it had been broken. He slumped on the ground, wishing he could devour He Zifeng alive.

Unfortunately, He Zifeng had no intention of staying and waiting for his trial; he left home with his wife and children.

Leaving this place brought the couple an unprecedented sense of relief.

He Zifeng said, "Stay at your dilapidated house for a while, I'll go out and find something to eat." The dilapidated house he was referring to was where Qiu Yu lived before she got married. After years of wind and rain without any repairs, the roof of the house was almost falling off.

Qiu Yu's father was a hunter, and they used to live in the mountains. Later, her father was injured while hunting, so they moved down the mountain. The hunter needed constant medicine, and they sold everything they could. Before he died, the hunter arranged a marriage for Qiu Yu, and he passed away a few days after their wedding!

As soon as Qiuyu arrived to work here, she let the children go outside to play.

He Zifeng wanted to go up the mountain to pick something to eat.

They live near the mountains, and although there are wild beasts in the deep mountains, there are also wild fruits and vegetables.

Qiu Yu tidied up the house. Although it was small and dilapidated, the family was happier here than at the He family's old house.

He Zifeng looked at Qiu Yu and said, "I remember you like to eat stir-fried eggs with willow shoots. If we come across any this time, I'll pick some and bring them back."

Qiu Yu said, "I'll eat anything!"

He Zifeng hummed in agreement and left.

As soon as He Zifeng stepped out the door, he saw his third uncle and aunt outside. They were at odds with his scumbag father, He Donglai, and it was said that they had monopolized the braised pork back then. The two families were enemies. For many years, they hadn't spoken to each other when they met in the village.

My third uncle's two sons run a small business, making a little money. Last year, they even built a large brick house.

Uncle San asked Aunt San, "Second son, what's wrong? Did your dad scold you again?"

He Zifeng said, "I had heatstroke today and had to be carried back. My dad scolded me for trying to slack off." He never said anything like that before. This time, he'd changed his tune!

Uncle San had a fiery temper, and he immediately got angry: "In all my years in the village, I've never seen an elder act like this. You're so capable, and he's still not satisfied." He clearly lived in a brick house, but look at what He Zifeng was wearing—his clothes were patched and manicured in every way. He was always busy making soy sauce or chopping firewood, never having a moment's rest. Even hiring someone wouldn't be this exploitative; this uncle was trying to drive his own son to his death.

He Zifeng said, "I'll go up the mountain to get something for the children and Qiuyu to eat."

Even Auntie San couldn't quite believe what she was saying. What did this mean? They couldn't even afford to eat?

Uncle He said, "Come to my house for dinner today. Your mother is gone, but you can't treat the child like this. If you can't afford to raise him, you can become my son."

He Zifeng said, "Thank you, Third Uncle, but I still have to go up the mountain." He knew that his Third Uncle was just being polite; he could support his wife and children on his own.

The reason I told my third uncle and aunt was because my third aunt usually liked to gossip with people. If she knew something, the whole village would know how my scumbag father abused his own son in less than a day.

He Zifeng went up the mountain, taking a small mountain path. The wild vegetables on the main road had long since been picked clean. But this side hadn't been discovered yet, and luckily, he found quite a few willow shoots as soon as he passed by. There was also pigweed, which had rained the day before yesterday. And lots of wood ear mushrooms and other mushrooms. His harvest was quite plentiful; his bamboo basket was large, weighing at least thirty or forty pounds. On his way down the mountain, he happened to see some hikers.

These mountain runners have been doing this for generations, and they have some connections in supplying goods.

He Zifeng watched as they set animal traps.

He Zifeng, who often went up the mountain to chop firewood, recognized them. He said, "Quite a haul, huh?" He noticed that their cage contained three large rabbits, each weighing about nine pounds, and they all looked quite plump.

The runner laughed, "Hey, it's all hard-earned money." Then, noticing the basket of mushrooms on his back, he said, "Your mushrooms are pretty good." Mushrooms are among the most expensive mountain produce.

He Zifeng asked, "Will you accept it?" He had nothing at home right now and wanted to exchange it for money as soon as possible. Going to the county town would be a waste of time.

When he went up the mountain, he saw that the mushrooms he had picked were thick and fleshy, like little umbrellas, and of top quality. There were restaurants in the county that loved to serve stewed meat with these wild mushrooms. He said, "Buy them, two catties for one coin." He could resell them and make double the profit. Wild mushrooms were a delicacy, and city people loved to eat them.

He Zifeng agreed; it was more convenient for him to pay in cash than to go to the county. He earned twenty coins from forty catties of mushrooms. The wood ear mushrooms were also valuable. He paid two coins for two handfuls. As for wild vegetables, he wasn't interested and took them home to eat.

He Zifeng took the twenty-two coins, carried the bamboo basket, and returned down the mountain. He hid the twenty-two coins in the basket and went to the next village to exchange them for grain.

The grain in the nearby villages is all homegrown, and it's cheaper to buy it from them than from the grain store. He bought coarse grains, two coins a pound, and he bought five pounds. Eggs were two for one coin, and he bought four eggs. He had ten coins left. He spent four coins on two ounces of oil. He bought one coin worth of salt, wrapped it in oiled paper, and put it all into a basket. He covered it with wild vegetables, so nothing could be seen.

He Zifeng knew the way up the mountain like the back of his hand. He finished the whole trip in less than an hour.

As soon as he got back, he saw that the courtyard of the dilapidated house had been cleaned up. He Zifeng carried the bamboo basket inside.

He said to Qiuyu, "Let's have wild vegetable dumplings today."

Qiu Yu opened the bamboo basket and found wild vegetables on top, and surprisingly, a cloth bag filled with coarse grain flour underneath. There were also four eggs, and she had bought oil and salt as well.

Qiu Yu's eyes showed a hint of surprise: "Where did you get the money?"

He Zifeng whispered something in his ear, and then gave the remaining five copper coins to Qiu Yu: "Here, take it. I'll talk to Father about dividing the family property in a few days!"

Qiu Yu looked at He Zifeng in surprise.

He Zifeng noticed that the vat outside was still empty and said, "I'll go fetch water to clean the vat and fill it up." Since we're going to live a life, we should act like we're living a life.

Then He Zifeng went out again. Qiu Yu looked at the five coins in her palm and was also a little excited.

He Zifeng was used to hard work, so this little job was nothing to him.

Soon a tank of clear water was prepared.

When He Zifeng went outside, he saw his own child sitting on the small steps, looking at something.

Looking at the child, He Zifeng's heart softened, and he said, "Ranran, why don't you go play?"

Hearing his father's voice, Xiao Heran immediately ran over. A look of confusion crossed his eyes: "They won't play with me?"

The boy was very delicate, and the village children didn't like to take him with them when they went up the mountain or down the river.

He Zifeng held his son in his arms; he was so soft and squishy. He said, "Then Dad will play with you."

Xiao Heran's eyes lit up immediately, and she said in a soft and obedient voice, "Mm."

He Zifeng took the child and went up the mountain.

I had only walked a few steps when I saw the group of children there, picking small thorns and sticking them to their bodies. There were about ten children, the oldest of whom was only seven years old and named Gou'er.

Now, seeing He Zifeng holding little He Ran, everyone was stunned. There was even a hint of envy in their eyes; they had never been held by his father before.

He Zifeng had been through it all himself, so he naturally knew what kids liked. He took his son to try them all!

“Look, these leaves have a sticky substance on them. After you pull them off and let them absorb the water, you can blow bubbles,” He Zifeng said.

Before he knew it, a lot of little tails were following behind him, including the group of unsupervised children.

After hearing what He Zifeng, an adult, said, they picked a few more to take back and play with.

Gouzi was the leader of this group. He said, "Uncle He, I'll take you to a good place."

He Zifeng carried his baby over, and little He Ran wrapped his arms around his father's neck, behaving very obediently.

The "secret place" the children were talking about was a clump of trees, where they discovered a raspberry bush. The red berries were sweet and sour. The berries on the lower branches had all been picked, leaving only the higher branches, but the children couldn't reach them.

The adults usually do their own thing and don't play along with their antics.

They happened to run into He Zifeng, who picked some for the children, and even scooped some up with his own clothes to take home. Little He Ran had never eaten this fruit before, and the little guy loved the sweet and sour raspberries.

Gouzi and the others were the happiest, saying there were sour fruits ahead that they could take them there. He Zifeng watched as they walked closer and closer to the deep mountains and said, "It's dangerous here. Don't come to such far places to play in the future."

"Got it, Uncle He!" Gouzi and the others said with smiles.

He Zifeng picked a sour fruit for little He Ran, holding him in his arms. Little He Ran took a bite and immediately wrinkled his face. He Zifeng couldn't help but smile at this. He led the children back, and little He Ran saw the little flowers on both sides of the road and said, "I want that little red flower."

He Zifeng picked a flower for the child, who played with it in his little hand. The little guy was so happy that he fiddled with the little red flower all the way.

The little guy was carried the whole time they arrived in the village. Women were washing clothes by the stream at the village entrance. Qiu Yu was among them. He washed some old clothes covered in dust in the dilapidated house by hand.

A group of women had also heard that the He family had scolded their son, who was suffering from heatstroke, while he was doing chores. They were all quite indignant.

A moment later, someone said, "Qiuyu, isn't that your man?"

Everyone quickly looked in the direction of the voice, and it really was He Zifeng.

Moreover, He Zifeng carried their child all the way back.

The village has a custom of holding grandchildren but not sons. Generally, men, in order to highlight their masculinity, will not only avoid holding children, but also rarely talk to them.

A woman who knew Qiu Yu well said, "Look, this father really dotes on his child. He's much better than my son."

“He Ran is obedient.”

Those present were all married and spoke without restraint, some even boldly saying, "You've been married to He Zifeng for several years now, and you only have one son. He cherishes children so much, don't you plan to have another one?"

Qiu Yu's face flushed slightly: "This... let me see."

The women around her laughed and said, "Oh, you're blushing. You've been married for several years now, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

"Do you think Qiu Yu is you? Having two babies in three years must have been quite a 'busy' job," someone joked.

The sister-in-law who was being teased laughed and said, "Say that again and I'll tear your mouth off."

A moment later, He Zifeng put the child down, and little He Ran ran over to show off his raspberries to his little daddy: "Try some." He was a generous child, and the little red wildflowers he had been admiring along the way were now being given to Qiu Yu as well.

Qiu Yu stroked her son's hair and took the little flower.

Little He Ran added from the side, "Daddy picked them."

Children speak without thinking, but the smiles of the women around them widened even more, admiring how affectionate the young couple was.

Qiu Yu said, "Go back and play first." In front of outsiders, he didn't even dare to look He Zifeng in the eye.

He Zifeng said, "You go back first, I'll wash these clothes." He had been doing chores since he was a child, and he knew how to do washing, mending, and cooking.

Qiu Yu nodded, then left with the child.

He Zifeng was efficiently washing clothes. The women around him had a good impression of him and started asking about what had happened. He Zifeng had never said anything before, but this time he didn't hide it from his scumbag father and his family, and told them everything that had happened over the years.

Everyone present was shocked.

The He family is utterly shameless. I've heard of parents being biased, but to this extent is truly rare. They treat their non-biological children better than their own.

The villagers whispered among themselves, and soon the He family found out.

This infuriated her scumbag father, He Donglai, and Madam Wan: "What an ingrate! If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have drowned him when he was born!"

Madam Wan was also angry, lamenting the loss of her "virtuous reputation" over the years. She said, "I think the second son doesn't have the brains to cause trouble for us; he must have been instigated by someone."

Upon hearing this, the scumbag father, He Donglai, frowned: "You mean Qiu Yu?"

Xiao Wan said, "No matter who it is, we have to let them know how powerful we are. I have an idea." Then she whispered in He Donglai's ear.