"Fifty percent?!"
"So much money, and it's only 50%?!"
Niu Erbao's words were like a bombshell, causing an uproar among the crowd.
Everyone was shocked; they could hardly believe their ears. So much money, and that was only half of what they earned from selling fish for just one morning! How much would they have earned if they sold fish for a whole day?
The village chief was struck dumb, completely stunned. He stood there, his mind blank.
He never imagined Xu Kuo was so capable, earning so much money in just one morning! His regret and hatred for Tan Wang intensified. If it weren't for Tan Wang, he wouldn't have missed such a great opportunity to make money!
Zhang Guifang was dumbfounded. She stared blankly at the money on the ground, speechless for a long time. She never dreamed that this money was only half! She had thought she had gotten a great deal, but now it seemed like she had made a complete joke!
A wave of intense regret washed over Zhang Guifang, and she wished she could disappear into the ground. She knew she had truly offended Xu Kuo this time, and had completely ruined her family's chance to make a fortune!
“Xu Kuo…Brother Xu Kuo…I was wrong…I was really wrong…” Zhang Guifang seemed to suddenly come to her senses. She scrambled to Xu Kuo’s door, pounding on it and crying out in apology, “Please forgive me…I’ll never do it again…”
Xu Kuo and Jiang Xiuying sat inside, listening to the commotion outside, without even lifting their eyelids. They were leisurely eating their meal, with several side dishes and a bowl of steaming fish soup on the table.
Zhang Guifang pounded on the door for a long time, but Xu Kuo ignored her. She knew it was really hopeless this time. She sat down on the ground and started throwing a tantrum, wailing and screaming.
No matter how much she made a fuss, Xu Kuo's door remained tightly shut.
Finally, Zhang Guifang was exhausted from making a scene. She knew that continuing would be pointless, so she could only glare hatefully at Xu Kuo's front door and curse through gritted teeth, "Xu Kuo, you heartless bastard! You just wait! Sooner or later, you'll get your comeuppance!"
"Erbao, come home with your mother!" Zhang Guifang stood up after picking up the money and yelled at Niu Erbao. She was burning with anger, hating Xu Kuo, herself, and especially her good-for-nothing son.
Niu Erbao stood stubbornly in place, unmoved. He looked at Zhang Guifang, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger: "I'm not going back! Go back yourself!"
"You idiot! Have you been bewitched by Xu Kuo?!" Zhang Guifang was trembling with anger. She pointed at Niu Erbao's nose and yelled.
"I haven't forgotten! I know how good Master was to me." Niu Erbao didn't back down, his voice rising higher and higher, "Mother, wake up! Stop being so stubborn!"
"You...you..." Zhang Guifang was speechless, choked by Niu Erbao's words. She stomped her foot angrily, grabbed the money bag from the ground, turned around and left. "Fine! Fine! Fine! You're not leaving, are you? I'll pretend I never had a son like you!"
Niu Erbao watched Zhang Guifang's departing figure, a sharp pain shooting through his heart. He knew that an insurmountable chasm had formed between him and his mother. He turned around, looked at the tightly closed gate of Xu Kuo's house, and knelt down with a thud.
“Master, I know you’re still angry with me. It’s all my mother’s fault, and I apologize on her behalf! You can hit me, scold me, anything you want, as long as you can calm down…” Niu Erbao’s voice choked with sobs, thick with emotion. He knew that he had truly broken Xu Kuo’s heart this time.
Xu Kuo and Jiang Xiuying heard everything clearly inside the house. Jiang Xiuying felt a little sorry for him: "Husband, why don't you... forgive Erbao? He's a pitiful person too."
Xu Kuo sat in his chair, saying nothing. He was conflicted; on the one hand, he felt angry and disappointed by the actions of Zhang Guifang's family; on the other hand, he felt some sympathy for Niu Erbao.
Time passed second by second, and Niu Erbao remained kneeling outside the door, motionless, like a statue.
The next morning, Xu Kuo opened the door and immediately saw Niu Erbao kneeling at the entrance. His face was pale, his lips were cracked, and he was swaying precariously, as if he might collapse at any moment.
"Erbao!" Xu Kuo exclaimed and rushed over to help Niu Erbao up. He then noticed that Niu Erbao's leg was wrapped in thick bandages, and blood was seeping through the bandages.
"What are you doing? You have an injury on your leg, and you've been kneeling all night? Are you out of your mind?!" Xu Kuo was both anxious and angry, his voice trembling slightly.
Niu Erbao grinned, revealing a row of white teeth: "Master, you're not angry with me anymore?"
Xu Kuo's heart softened when he saw Niu Erbao's weak state. He sighed and helplessly rubbed his forehead, "You're already like this, why should I be angry?"
"Hehe..." Niu Erbao chuckled foolishly, just about to speak, when suddenly everything went black and he fell backward.
"Erbao! Erbao!" Xu Kuo's terrified cries shattered the morning's tranquility.
Xu Kuo quickly picked up Niu Erbao and rushed towards the village doctor's house like a madman. Zhang Guifang and a group of villagers heard the commotion and also rushed over.
After examining the leg, the village doctor looked up with a grave expression and shook his head regretfully: "This leg... I'm afraid it's ruined."
"What?!" Zhang Guifang was struck dumb. She knelt down with a thud and wailed, "My son! What sins have you committed! Xu Kuo, you heartless bastard! Give me back my son's leg! You're a monster!"
Xu Kuo's heart sank, a strong sense of guilt welling up inside him. He gripped the village doctor's hand tightly and asked anxiously, "Village doctor, is there really no other way? What if we take him to a big hospital? Can he be cured then?"
The village doctor shook his head: "It's no use. The injury is too severe. The nerves are all dead. It won't help no matter where you send him."
"Xu Kuo! Look what you've done!"
"Exactly! If it weren't for you, would Erbao have turned out like this?"
"You'll have to pay for Erbao's leg!"
...
The villagers criticized Xu Kuo incessantly, each one filled with righteous indignation, as if they wished they could devour him alive.
Just when Xu Kuo was in despair, a voice suddenly rang in his mind.
[Ding! The system has detected a strong desire in the host to save lives. After the system upgrade, the first chapter of "Ancient Acupuncture" will be awarded as a reward!]
Xu Kuo was stunned. He looked at the little over two thousand points in the system, which he had saved up for a long time, but now he had to use them for Niu Erbao.
"upgrade!"
Immediately afterwards, a massive amount of information flooded into Xu Kuo's mind, and he instantly grasped all the contents of the first chapter of "Ancient Acupuncture Methods," as if he had been immersed in this art for decades.
Xu Kuo was overjoyed. Looking at Niu Erbao lying unconscious on the bed, a glimmer of hope rekindled in his eyes. He took a deep breath, walked up to the village doctor, and said in a low voice, "Village doctor, could you please move aside?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
