Zhou Laosi ran home in one breath, but when he entered the courtyard, he saw Zhou Laoer brewing medicine in the small kitchen. This afternoon, Zhou Laoer walked to town to get medicine for his son. He hadn't returned when Zhou Laosi went out, but seeing him brewing medicine now, he guessed that Zhou Laoer had just arrived home not long ago.
Zhou Lao Er had indeed just returned. He was busy brewing medicine as soon as he got back and didn't even have time to eat. His family had also received a few pounds of wild boar meat, which had already been stewed. No one in the family had eaten yet; they were just waiting for him to come back so they could eat together.
Hearing the sound of the gate opening, Zhou Lao Er turned around and looked back. Zhou Lao Si immediately hid the pork he had brought back behind his back, as if afraid that he would be snatched away.
It was a subconscious action, but after realizing it, he walked into the house as if nothing had happened, and even glared at Zhou Lao Er as he passed by.
"Believe it or not, I'll gouge your eyes out!" Zhou Lao Er was already in a bad mood after a long day, and his temper immediately flared up when his younger brother glared at him.
"Second brother, I didn't do anything to you today, did I? Why are you acting so crazy?" Zhou Laosi was furious. In the past, it was always him and his third brother who would provoke others, but now, even his most honest second brother dared to talk back to him.
"What could I possibly be going crazy about? Just walk, why are you glaring at me like that? Do you think I'm easy to bully?"
As the night deepened, Zhou Lao Er's face grew increasingly gloomy. Perhaps the past year had been too much for him to bear. His only son had been lying in bed half-dead, and the money they had earned from medicine and medical treatment had been used up. All the hardships had finally made him lose his temper.
It probably started about half a year ago. At that time, Zhou Laoda's family left Yegou Village without telling the people in the old house where they were going. Zhou Lao Er was anxious and felt that with his elder brother's family gone, his family had no hope of survival.
His older brother used to tell him that he had to stand up for himself, otherwise no matter how much others helped him, it would be useless. He hadn't thought much about it before, but after his older brother passed away, he started to think about it carefully.
Then he realized that his elder brother must have thought he was too weak. When the family divided the property, his elder brother had to step in. His son almost fell to his death, but his elder brother brought out wild ginseng to save him. The food stall at the town dock was also given to the second branch of the family by his sister-in-law's sister.
Now that his elder brother has left, he won't tell him where he's going or when he'll be back. His elder brother must think he's useless and can't be relied on, which is why he's become estranged from him.
After pondering for two days, Zhou Lao Er made up his mind and seemed to have changed completely. His wife, Chen Caocao, could clearly feel that her husband was different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.
When they returned to the village, the rice was being harvested, and the couple went to the fields to check on the rice.
As soon as they got home, their third and fourth brothers came up to them and started making sarcastic remarks, even trying to take the things they had brought back. In the past, Chen Caocao would scare her two brothers-in-law away with a kitchen knife.
Before Chen Caocao could make a move, Zhou Lao Er grabbed a wooden stick and beat his two younger brothers until they cried for their parents. The beating only stopped when the two elders came out to stop them.
No matter how much the two elders cursed, Zhou Lao Er kept a gloomy face. When he got fed up, he suddenly roared fiercely, "I've had enough of these two bastards. They're either trying to provoke us with their words or trying to steal the benefits from the second wife's family. I'm telling you this today: if they do it again, I'll beat them until they behave."
Sigh, look how far they've driven them, the couple has been driven crazy, hasn't it?
The two elderly people burst into tears and cursed their second son, saying he was inhuman, unfilial, disregarded his brothers, an ingrate, and heartless. They threatened to take him to the authorities the next day.
"If you dare to sue, I'll cripple the third and fourth brothers first. Don't blame me for being ruthless then. You've all forced us into this situation. Our family is already in such a state. At worst, we'll all die together and be done with it." These were words that Chen Caocao used to say, but now that Zhou Lao Er is saying them, they carry an even deeper meaning.
It is said that a dog that bites does not bark, and the two elderly people in the Zhou family were also afraid. They were afraid that their honest and simple-minded second son might do something foolish, so they dared not cause any more trouble. They repeatedly told their two youngest sons to behave themselves and not to go near their second son.
"Your eldest brother just left without even saying goodbye. He really doesn't consider us family anymore. Now, your second brother seems to have lost his mind. He's suffered too much trauma; a mentally unstable person would even commit murder."
"Stay away from your second brother from now on. Don't go near him unless it's absolutely necessary. What if he suddenly pulls out a knife and kills you two brothers? We old folks won't be able to save you then," Old Mrs. Zhou earnestly advised.
Zhou Laosan and Zhou Laosi were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. They were also very afraid of dying. Since then, they have restrained themselves a lot and dared not have any more ideas about the second wife. However, as time went by, they forgot the pain of the past and began to provoke the honest Zhou Laoer intentionally or unintentionally again.
When Zhou Lao Er is in a good mood, he pretends not to see them and ignores them. But when he's in a bad mood, he's not so easy to talk to. Like today, Zhou Lao Si just happened to run into a bullet.
Upon meeting Zhou Lao Er's sinister gaze, Zhou Lao Si instinctively shivered, quickened his pace, and ran into the house, loudly calling out to his parents, wife, third brother, and sister-in-law, and even to the children.
So frightened was he that he called his whole family before Zhou Laosi felt a little more at ease.
He only ever bullied his own people. I was such a blockhead before, letting those two good-for-nothings keep me from even daring to breathe. If he had been more assertive back then, he wouldn't have ended up ruining his son so badly.
He resented his two younger brothers, his parents, but how could he not resent himself as well?
He knew his own personality; he wasn't as tactful as his older brother. In the past, he would do whatever his parents said without daring to utter a word. Now, if he wasn't pushed too far, he would probably still be the same as before.
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