After proudly finishing his speech, He Shitou didn't forget to ask, "Where's my sister? I don't see her, or Wanzi, or my dad..."

How strange, why is no one home today?

Zhao Xiaolu then said, "Something happened at Zhao Dagou's house, and everyone went to check on it."

"Something happened? What happened?" He Shitou didn't even know who Zhao Dagou was.

Zhao Xiaohe, however, had an idea: "Was it Big Dog or Second Dog? Did my dad go too?"

Zhao Xiaolu listened to a few words hastily and said uncertainly, "It seems like they all have them. Why don't you go and take a look and you'll know?"

She didn't want to join in the village's commotion, which is why she volunteered to stay and take care of Xiaomingzhu.

He Shitou and Zhao Xiaohe exchanged a glance and walked outside together.

He Shitou had just stepped out of the courtyard when he turned back, took the money bag from his waist, and stuffed it into Zhao Xiaolu's hand. "Here, this is the money from today's sales. Keep it safe."

Sixty copper coins, they still carry some weight.

Every day, trivial matters happen in the village, and the most speechless one has to be Chief Zhao.

If he had free time, he could uphold justice. But these days he's busy supervising the construction of the house.

Therefore, Zhao Tingzhang was somewhat unwilling to be forcibly dragged here by Liu Shi to uphold justice today.

Not only did it delay his supervision of the project, but the Liu family's situation was simply too complicated.

The area in front of Liu's house was surrounded by elderly women from the village who came to watch the spectacle. The children couldn't understand what was going on, but they just thought it was fun to be in a crowd.

Moreover, several luxurious carriages were parked in front of Liu's house.

"I don't know what kind of rich people have come from our village this year. Who are these people?"

"Who are those three young masters in the courtyard? They are quite handsome."

"Hmph, what's really handsome isn't his face, but the money pouch at his waist."

The onlookers gossiped and joked, and the jokes about the Liu family were truly endless.

Zhao Tingzhang sat on a stool in the courtyard, which Liu had specially brought.

Even though she was a mother-in-law, Liu's eyes were red from crying. At this point, even if she wanted to save face, she probably couldn't.

"Chief, you must give me justice! These rich young masters treat us ordinary people like dirt..." Liu said, and then started crying again.

Zhao Tingzhang was immediately at a loss. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't cry. You need to tell me what's going on."

He was dragged here in a daze, without even hearing the whole story.

Zhao Dagou stood to the side, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, as if he was trying his best to hold back.

Zhao Ergou stood silently next to Zhao Dagou with a gloomy expression.

"Let's talk about Er Gou first. What happened this time?" Zhao Tingzhang asked.

His intuition told him that Er Gou's problem might be easier to solve than Da Gou's.

Liu stopped crying and sobbed, "It's all because he went to the city to fool around! Now he's gotten someone pregnant, and they want me to pay them back! Ten taels of silver, even if I lose my life, it's not worth it."

Speaking of Zhao Ergou, Liu looked disappointed.

How could she have raised such a good-for-nothing son who goes to prostitutes at such a young age?

She's completely lost face because of this damned son!

The more Liu thought about it, the angrier she became. In the end, she couldn't hold back and slapped Zhao Ergou twice, then punched him twice.

"So, what are you going to do about this mess you've made? People are going to report you to the authorities!"

Cheng Fang, Lu Yu, and Li Kelan, three wealthy young men, stood aside and listened to this, completely puzzled.

They frequented Rouge Alley. What's wrong with young people drinking and carousing?

Cheng Fang said somewhat jokingly, "Brother Gou, don't be afraid. The women in Rouge Alley are very knowledgeable about matters between men and women. Maybe that woman is lying to you. They make a living from this, how could they get pregnant so easily?"

"But what I don't understand is, your family is so poor, and you have no money, so why is that woman clinging to you like this?"

Zhao Ergou glared at his own mother with venomous hatred, his heart burning with resentment.

If only, if only the woman in front of him wasn't his own mother!

Even Zhao Ergou, who was usually taciturn, could not suppress his frustration at this moment.

"Mother, all you ever do is beat me! From the time I was little until now, you've beaten me for the slightest thing that doesn't go my way. Do you see any good spot on my body?!"

Liu felt no remorse whatsoever for her violent parenting style. She looked at Zhao Ergou in disbelief, tears welling in her eyes.

"You say I hit you? Yes, as your own mother, do you think I wanted to hit you? Do you even know how much trouble you cause! When has your good-for-nothing father ever disciplined you? I raised you two brothers single-handedly..."

In the end, Liu also felt wronged.

What did she get in return for marrying Zhao San? How easy was it for her to raise two children alone?

Zhao Ergou was very resentful, but at this point he didn't want to argue anymore.

Seeing that Zhao Ergou ignored him, Cheng Fang persisted in asking, "Brother Gou, tell me, what's so charming about you?"

Standing to the side, Cheng Taotao couldn't help but speak up, "What charm? It's just because he's putting on a show, insisting on telling that girl he's some rich young master."

Cheng Taotao's tone was full of disdain, "Otherwise, do you think that girl could cling to him? I think that girl is blind, she can't even see how shoddy this is..."

Zhao Ergou has always kept his affairs in the city very secret, and the reason they've been exposed now is entirely because of Cheng Taotao.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!