Chapter 219 Born a Bad Seed
After cursing Xu Laosan, Xu Chenglin started cursing Xu Huaining.
I don't know how he came up with those words, he kept cursing for ages without repeating them.
Sheng An was amazed by the skill of cursing and silently took out his notebook to write it down, knowing he might need it someday.
After Xu Chenglin finished cursing in one breath, he met his daughter-in-law's bright little eyes and suddenly choked up.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he launched into a tirade about Xu Huaining's past transgressions, spitting as he spoke:
“When you were little, my son and I would go back to the village to visit your grandparents. Every time, you would either bump your head or fall into the water. At first, I thought it was just your own carelessness, but later you told me, and I realized that it was that kid who was up to no good!”
Xu Chenglin grew angrier as he spoke, his fists clenching so tightly they cracked: "That little beast was only three years old back then. I thought he was just a child and didn't know any better, but now I realize he was born a bad seed, just like his father!"
Back then, the Xu family was poor and had a large population. By the time of Xu Chenglin's generation, they often suffered from hunger and could not get enough to eat. They had to fight for every extra bite they wanted.
How do I snatch it?
Naturally, they were vying for their parents' affection, hoping that their parents would give them a bigger bite when the food was served.
The extra mouthful was taken from the mouths of the other brothers and sisters.
As the least favored child in the Xu family, Xu Chenglin's only daily rations were always taken by Xu Laosi, who would squeeze a mouthful into his own bowl.
In order to squeeze more food out of him, Xu Laosi began to scheme against him.
They either falsely accused him of stealing eggs or falsely accused him of being lazy and not working, taking credit for the fruits of his hard work.
At first, he was always the one being bullied and taken advantage of by Xu Laosi, until he learned martial arts from the hunter master and beat Xu Laosi so badly that he dared not plot against him.
Thinking back on his childhood, Xu Chenglin grew increasingly disgusted with Xu Laosi and his son, and he also showed no kindness to his son, Xu Jinnian.
"That little bastard dared to ruin your future, you should be ruthless and cripple his hands and feet so that he can never take the imperial examinations again!"
According to the regulations of the Great Wei Dynasty, disabled people were not allowed to take the imperial examinations or enter officialdom.
Xu Jinnian humbly admitted his mistake: "Father is right, it was I who was not decisive enough."
Xu Chenglin sighed and waved his hand: "Forget it, forget it. This kid has a powerful backer. If he keeps pestering you, it'll be a big problem!"
Xu Jinnian had this concern, which is why he didn't completely cripple Xu Huaining, lest Xu Huaining, in desperation, drag him down with him.
Seeing the father and son, one breaking a person's leg and the other complaining that breaking a leg wasn't enough, the simple, kind-hearted, and unsophisticated Grandpa and Grandma Sheng trembled with fear and dared not utter a word.
Taking advantage of the father and son's inattention, Grandma Sheng lowered her voice and asked her granddaughter, "Tell me the truth, Jin Nian didn't lay a hand on you, did he?"
Sheng An was both amused and exasperated, and replied in a low voice, "No, he didn't lay a finger on your granddaughter."
Sheng An felt relieved and looked at her grandson-in-law with satisfaction again: "Jin Nian is good in this respect, he doesn't beat his wife."
Sheng An: "..."
Women in this era are too subservient and have too low expectations of their husbands; not beating their wives has become a virtue.
At noon, a sumptuous meal was delivered from the front kitchen, all of which were Baoxiu's specialties.
After the family finished lunch happily, Grandpa Sheng and the others went back to their shop to continue their work, while Sheng An, carrying gifts, went to the Zhang family with Xu Jinnian.
The Zhang family was unaware that the couple had returned. When they saw them appear at their doorstep, the whole family came out to greet them.
Last year, Zhang Erkui and Zhang Xiaokui got married one after the other, and at the beginning of the year, they welcomed their big baby boy. The family of eleven now lives together, making them quite a large family.
The original house wasn't big enough, so Xu Cuilian bought the neighboring yard, converted it into a larger space, and now she can accommodate a few more of her grandchildren.
Looking at her handsome and seemingly more aristocratic nephew, Xu Cuilian smiled broadly, grabbing one of the young couple's hands in each:
"When did you get home? You could have just sent someone to let us know. There was no need for you to come all the way here in person!"
Xu Jinnian said gently, "You and your uncle are elders, so it is only proper etiquette for us to visit you before returning home."
Seeing that her nephew was now a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and that his attitude towards her was the same as before, Xu Cuilian felt even more comforted: "Alright, alright, your aunt misspoke. Come in and sit down, your aunt will make you some sweet soup!"
Sheng An quickly stopped her, saying, "We've already eaten, Auntie, there's no need to trouble yourself."
Xu Cuilian ignored her and rolled up her sleeves to go to the kitchen to cook sweet soup herself: "Sweet soup doesn't fill you up, so please cook less and drink less."
Before the couple could refuse again, she rushed into the kitchen, pulling her two daughters-in-law to help, leaving Zhang Zhaodi, the eldest daughter-in-law, to entertain Sheng An.
Zhang Zhaodi's belly was already very big, like a large watermelon stuffed inside her clothes, looking even bigger than when she was pregnant with Yu Bao.
Seeing her best friend walking with her toes barely visible, Sheng An couldn't help but feel alarmed: "Did you find a midwife to take a look?"
Zhang Zhaodi gently stroked her belly, soothing the restless little one inside: "I've checked, the baby's position is correct, you don't need to worry."
Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
As she spoke, she reached out and touched Zhang Zhaodi's belly through her clothes, clearly feeling the little one moving around inside, and even being able to touch the protruding hands and feet.
After chatting about the baby in her belly for a while, Yu Bao came over and hugged Sheng An's leg, asking for a hug.
Sheng An picked up Yu Bao and put him on her lap, pinched his cute little face, took out a bag of black sesame peanut candy from the gifts she brought, opened it and handed a piece to the little guy.
Yu Bao, like a little rabbit, held the candy in both hands and nibbled on it, her cheeks puffing out – it was so cute!
Sheng An was itching to see him, so she leaned over and pressed her face against his: "Our little fish is so cute!"
Zhang Erkui's wife, Fang Yuying, walked in carrying a bowl of sweet soup and happened to see this scene. She couldn't help but smile and say, "Since you like children so much, why don't you have one yourself as soon as possible?"
The moment those words were spoken, the harmonious atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.
Zhang Erkui glanced quickly at his cousin and his wife's expressions, glared at his wife, and snapped, "The child is awake, go back to your room and look after the child!"
Butcher Zhang's face was also unpleasant; he was very dissatisfied with his second daughter-in-law for speaking without thinking.
Zhang Da Kui and Zhang Xiao Kui shrank back, not daring to utter a sound, and quietly observed their cousin and his wife's expressions.
Xu Jinnian's expression remained unchanged, but a barely perceptible chill flickered in his eyes, which then turned into worry and heartache when he looked at Sheng An opposite him.
Sheng An didn't pay attention to Fang Yuying's words and smiled to ease the atmosphere in the room: "Yuying is right, I really should have a child."
This cousin's wife is very straightforward; she says whatever comes to mind, and it's not that she's being sarcastic or mocking her for not being able to have children.
Sure enough, Fang Yuying, who was slow to react, realized she had said the wrong thing, and her face immediately turned pale, almost bursting into tears:
"Cousin-in-law, I... I was just talking nonsense. Just pretend I was farting, please don't take it to heart!"
Seeing that she was so frightened that she could barely hold the tray, Sheng An put down the fish, got up, took the tray, and placed it on the table, saying in a joking tone, "Don't be afraid, I don't eat people."
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