Chapter Fifty-Eight We...we didn't mean to upset her.
When Zhong Chengren saw his mother's attitude, he realized she was really angry and shrank back in fear.
"Mom! Mom! What are you doing! Let's talk this out!"
"Speak properly?" Zhang Chunxue laughed angrily. "I have nothing to say to someone like you!"
The iron pliers whistled as they swung towards Zhong Chengren.
"Ouch—" Zhong Chengren jumped up after being hit.
"Let me tell you, Zhong Chengren!" Zhang Chunxue shouted as she hit him, "If you dare to act tough or throw a tantrum in this house, get out of here!"
"If you're so capable, go and flirt with that vixen outside! See if she can stand your pathetic attitude!"
"If you dare bully Mingli again, I'll break your legs!"
Zhong Chengren screamed as the iron pliers lashed him, and he ran away with his head in his hands, but he didn't dare to go far.
He knew that his mother was truly furious this time.
After a few blows, Zhang Chunxue got tired and, panting heavily, threw the iron pliers on the ground.
Zhong Chengren clutched his arm, wincing in pain, but dared not even breathe loudly. He stood obediently in the corner, head down, looking like a defeated rooster.
The air in the kitchen seemed to freeze, with only Zhong Chengren's suppressed gasps and Zhang Chunxue's heavy breathing remaining.
Song Xingzhi watched all of this calmly without saying a word.
Zhou Mingli quietly tugged at Zhong Xiaoxiao's sleeve, signaling her to keep quiet.
Zhang Chunxue exhaled a heavy breath, as if trying to expel all the pent-up emotions from her chest.
She glared at Zhong Chengren in the corner, her eyes full of warning.
Then, she turned around, forcing a somewhat helpless smile, and said to Song Xingzhi, "Secretary Song, I'm sorry you had to see this. My children are good-for-nothings; it's all my fault for not disciplining them properly."
As she spoke, she picked up the cleaver again and began to chop the tofu on the cutting board with a "thump, thump, thump," but with much more force than before.
Song Xingzhi quickly said, "The child is growing up and is indeed a bit unruly... This is not your fault."
Zhou Mingli quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Mom, let me do it."
Zhang Chunxue didn't refuse, handed her the kitchen knife, and went to the stove to add water to the pot to start cooking.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of food again.
The grass carp that Zhong Chengfa brought back was cleaned by Zhang Chunxue and marinated with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine.
Zhou Mingli bought braised pig's head meat, cut it into slices, and arranged them on a plate, glistening with oil.
I cut the freshly bought soft tofu into cubes, preparing to make a home-style tofu dish.
The bean sprouts were also trimmed and washed thoroughly.
In addition to the two main dishes that Song Xingzhi brought earlier, as well as the stir-fried cured pork with dried radish and stir-fried eggs with chili that Zhang Chunxue had prepared beforehand, the table was filled with food.
Zhang Chunxue said, "Don't stand, Secretary Song, please take a seat!"
"Xiaoxiao, go and call your two older brothers over for dinner!"
Zhong Chengyi and Zhong Chengfa had been too frightened to show their faces by the earlier commotion, but when they heard the summons, they reluctantly entered the main room.
Zhong Chengren also lowered his head, moved from the corner to the dining table, found the last seat, and sat down without saying a word.
Once the food was served, Zhang Chunxue poured Song Xingzhi a full glass of wine.
"Secretary Song, thank you so much for today. I'd like to toast you with this glass!"
Song Xingzhi smiled and raised his wine glass: "Sister Chunxue, you're too kind. It's nothing I should do."
The two clinked glasses and drank.
Zhong Chengren's eyes darted around, probably feeling that he had lost face earlier and wanted to make up for it.
He suddenly picked up his wine bowl, stood up, and said to Song Xingzhi in a feignedly magnanimous manner, "Secretary Song! You found my wife's job, and I, Zhong Chengren, will remember this favor! This bowl of wine is for you! You must do me the honor of drinking it!"
Song Xingzhi, who was holding a rice bowl and had just picked up a piece of braised pig's head with his chopsticks, paused slightly upon hearing this.
He looked up at Zhong Chengren, his face expressionless, and said calmly, "I appreciate your kind intentions, but I can't hold my liquor, so I won't drink."
Zhong Chengren's bold expression froze instantly.
He held the wine bowl, his hand hovering in mid-air, his face flushed red.
"Secretary Song, what...what do you mean by this?"
"I offered you a toast out of kindness, and you won't even give me that much face?"
"Are you looking down on me, Zhong Chengren?"
Song Xingzhi frowned almost imperceptibly.
Before he could even speak, Zhang Chunxue's suppressed anger suddenly flared up again!
"Bang!" She slammed her hand on the table, making the bowls and chopsticks jump.
"Zhong Chengren! Who do you think you are! Just because you offer a toast doesn't mean people have to drink it! How dare you!"
Zhang Chunxue pointed her finger at his nose and cursed, "I think you're really trying to test my limits again and again! If you don't want to eat this meal, get out of here right now! Stop getting in everyone's way!"
Zhong Chengren was scolded mercilessly, his face turning red, then white, then pale again.
He felt his face burning, as if his mother had publicly ripped off his dignity, thrown it on the ground, and stomped on it.
But with Zhang Chunxue's murderous gaze, he dared not argue with her anymore.
After hesitating for a while, he reluctantly put down his wine bowl and tried to save face: "I...I just...I just wanted to thank Secretary Song...If you don't want to drink, you don't have to, Mom, why are you so angry..."
After saying that, he lowered his head, picked up his chopsticks, and silently ate the rice in his bowl, not daring to utter another sound.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was extremely awkward.
Zhang Chunxue took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down.
She turned to Song Xingzhi, her face apologetic: "Secretary Song, I'm so sorry to have made you laugh. My three good-for-nothing sons are just like that; they're not fit for a proper meal."
Song Xingzhi put down his chopsticks, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
He looked at Zhang Chunxue, his voice low but carrying a comforting power: "Sister Chunxue, you've had it tough too."
A simple sentence, yet it was like a key that suddenly unlocked a long-sealed gate in Zhang Chunxue's heart.
All the hardships, grievances, and difficulties of these past years suddenly welled up in my heart.
Zhang Chunxue couldn't hold back her tears; they suddenly stung, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She quickly lowered her head, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and said in a muffled voice, "Thank you for your trouble, Secretary Song."
Song Xingzhi shifted his gaze from Zhang Chunxue and slowly swept it over the three Zhong brothers.
"Sincerity, perseverance, action, and benevolence."
His three sons instinctively looked up at him, somewhat puzzled.
Song Xingzhi slowly said, "Your mother raised you brothers all by herself with great difficulty. It wasn't easy."
"She not only has to worry about your food and clothing, but also find you wives and help you establish a family and career."
“Especially Chengfa and Chengren, you both have families now, you should be more filial to her and understand her difficulties, instead of making her angry every other day like this.”
Zhong Chengyi and Zhong Chengren both lowered their heads, their faces showing some shame.
Only Zhong Chengfa moved his lips slightly and muttered softly, "We...we didn't mean to upset her, it's just...it's just that Mom gets angry easily..."
Although the sound was soft, it was exceptionally clear on the quiet dining table.
Zhang Chunxue's icy gaze swept over them in a flash, like two poisoned knives.
Zhong Chengfa shrank back, immediately falling silent, not even daring to move his chopsticks.
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