Chapter 25 I’m scolding you, did you hear me?
Xu Yu reached out and grabbed the straps of the backpack, saying expressionlessly, "Why am I here?"
After he said that, he exerted force with his hands and hung the backpack full of mud on his shoulders.
Sang Zhixia suddenly found herself empty-handed, and it was a little funny to see him dressed as if he had been chased after as soon as he entered the house.
"Actually, I'm not sinking. I just..."
"How much do you plan to take back?"
Xu Yu took the small basket from Xu Mingxu's hand, which was almost like a decoration, and said solemnly, "How much more do you need?"
Sang Zhixia was stunned for a moment when she was interrupted, and subconsciously said, "I estimate that it will be enough to carry it for another two days. Grandfather and Mingxu are helping."
Xu Mingxu's presence is negligible, but the old man still puts in a lot of effort.
It’s enough to get some of it back for now.
Xu Yu hummed an emotionless sound, then took Xu Mingxu's hand and said, "Let's go. Mom is waiting at home."
Sang Zhixia moved her lips as if wanting to say something but couldn't utter a word. She could only follow Xu Yu home silently.
When they arrived, the old man just came out of the backyard.
He waited until Xu Yu had poured all the mud into the designated area before he said, "Tomorrow I'll ask your second aunt and the others to come out and help. It should be almost done in a couple of days."
Xu Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead and frowned, saying, "You and Zhizhi have old ailments, why bother with all this effort? You can just do something easy, and I'll take care of this when I get back."
The old man had been carrying mud for several trips and was not feeling well at all, but when he heard what Xu Yu said, he couldn't help laughing.
"Boy, are you looking down on me? I'm not so old that I can't move!"
He patted Xu Yu's dusty shoulder in a reprimanding manner, hiding the sigh welling up in his eyes and said, "By the way, why did you come back so early today?"
How many people are left?
Xu Yu put the backpack in the corner and said with a smile, "I finished it early and went to mix some medicine for Zhizhi. Second Uncle and the others may need a while."
Xu Minghui was a scholar. He could only carry half a load of water, and moving bricks was also very difficult.
It wouldn't be of much use if Uncle Xu brought people with him. It would probably take some time to complete the work.
The old man guessed that the corners of his mouth had drooped invisibly, and after a long while he said, "It's all ruined, the joints between the bones are all rotten."
The Xu family started out as military generals. Both Xu Yu's father and Xu Yu himself started learning martial arts at the age of three and five, and they never stopped practicing for more than ten years.
But when it came to Uncle Xu's generation, the old lady firmly opposed the next generation to follow the path of a military general, and insisted on forcing her descendants to learn literature.
It would have sounded nice for scholars and gentlemen to say this when their families were at their peak, but now scholars cannot even afford two buckets of well water for food and drink.
The descendants of the Xu family are no longer allowed to enter officialdom, so what is the use of all their knowledge of poetry and books?
What’s even more infuriating is that these people haven’t learned anything from their studies!
The old man looked unhappy, but Xu Yu said nothing after hearing it.
It’s okay to listen to some words, but it’s not okay to talk too much.
As long as the old man is gone, it will not be his turn to make decisions in this family. He knows his limits.
He wiped his hands and went out, and happened to see Aunt Xu busy cooking.
Sang Zhixia would occasionally give some pointers from the side, but he would just talk and not get involved.
Seeing the chaos on the stove, Second Aunt Xu couldn't help but say, "It's obvious that Third Aunt doesn't know how to do it. What's the point of you saying it?"
"If you have time to talk, why don't you just do it directly?"
Aunt Xu looked uncomfortable because of what she said. Sang Zhixia snorted and lowered her head to continue picking vegetables.
"It's normal for Aunt San to feel uncomfortable the first time she does it, but she'll get used to it after a few times. Why should I bother causing trouble for her now?"
"Besides, no one is born knowing everything. Didn't Second Aunt carry the water back and forth several times before she was able to do it safely today?"
Never fight for work that is not yours.
She really doesn't need this opportunity to show off.
Second Aunt Xu's face turned purple from being squeezed by her. Just as her lips were smacking, she heard Xu Mingyang say, "Mom, Dad and brother are back!"
Compared with the embarrassment of the previous few days, today's embarrassment is just one more person involved.
Xu Minghui, who usually managed to maintain a gentlemanly demeanor at home, was visibly distressed. As soon as he entered the house, he was scolded by his uncle, "What's the point of bringing you along? Not only did you not help, but you also broke so many bricks. Tomorrow I have to move more to justify your mistake today!"
Xu Minghui lowered his head dejectedly and said nothing.
Uncle Xu couldn't bear it any longer and said, "Second brother, why are you taking your anger out on the child?"
"Minghui is only sixteen, he..."
"What happened to Sixteen?"
The hard work over the past few days has made Uncle Xu extremely irritable.
He opened his mouth and said, "There are many young men of twelve or thirteen working in the brick kiln, but who can't do it better than him?"
Originally, I wanted to enjoy the blessing of my son, but in the end I was dragged down by him!
Second Aunt Xu felt so distressed that Xu Minghui, who seemed like a different person, was pulled by her husband. When she heard her husband's scolding, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Second Master, how can Minghui compare to those country boys? He is just..."
"Then how could Xu Yu do it?"
Second Uncle Xu said angrily, "Xu Yu was the Crown Prince before! Why didn't he say he couldn't stand it?!"
He glared at Second Aunt Xu angrily and said angrily, "They say loving mothers often spoil their children. I think it's you who's spoiled him!"
"A bunch of useless people! They can't help at all!"
He rushed into the house in a rage after yelling. Second Aunt Xu didn't dare to refute him. She just pulled Xu Minghui and kept gasping: "Son, come on, mother will take you to change your clothes, you..."
Xu Minghui suppressed his resentment and pushed her hand away, pretending to be calm and said, "I'll go by myself, mother, don't worry about me."
Seeing that neither her husband nor her son could convince her, Aunt Xu finally couldn't help but squat on the ground and covered her face and cried.
What the hell is this?
A thick shadow hung over the heads of the second branch's family. Sang Zhixia only made a subtle "tsk" sound when listening to the whole process.
Uncle Xu seems to be scolding Xu Minghui, but isn't he also indirectly criticizing others?
So what if I just cursed?
If you have the guts, just quit and say you’re quitting!
She curled her lips and turned her head to look into Xu Yu's eyes. Evil thoughts welled up from the bottom of her heart. She deliberately raised her eyebrows and mouthed: I'm scolding you, do you hear me?
Xu Yu lowered his eyes, raised the corners of his lips slightly, and said frankly: "Yes, I heard it."
Yes, I was scolding him.
Sang Zhixia pretended to be calm and looked away.
Xu Wenxiu, who only half understood what she heard, turned around in confusion: "What did you hear? What was it about?"
Xu Yu covered his mouth with his fist, coughed, and said, "Nothing."
"Zhizhi, where did you dig all those prickly ash? I'll go get some for Grandpa and my second brother."
Sang Zhixia was reluctant to use the medicine she bought for him, so she could only ask these two to use some natural medicine.
He dug up the herbs and arranged them, and soon it was time for dinner.
At the dinner table, the old man said directly: "Minghui doesn't need to follow your father to cause trouble tomorrow. Stay at home and help."
After scolding his son, Uncle Xu was still reluctant to help. Upon hearing this, he immediately frowned and said, "There's only cleaning work around the house. What's the point of him staying here?"
"Do I need to explain to you why?"
The old man said unhappily, "I think you are becoming more and more unruly as a father. You are even trying to point your hands and feet at me."
Uncle Xu was at a loss for words, so he could only swallow his anger and stare at the obviously watery rice in his bowl. He said with a dark face, "It's not enough to suffer outside, but the food is getting worse day by day. What is this made of? Is it edible for human beings?"
It was inevitable that Aunt Xu would make some mistakes when cooking for the first time. When he scolded her like that, her face turned pale and her eyes and eyebrows were filled with anxiety.
Uncle Xu couldn't stand his irritable behavior and said through gritted teeth, "Second brother, don't go too far!"
It’s okay to scold your own son, but why should others endure it when you want to vent your anger on everyone you catch?
Uncle Xu didn't expect that his usually weak third brother would dare to offend him. He immediately said angrily, "What do you mean? I can't even talk anymore, right?"
"Are you just talking?"
Uncle Xu, who was also filled with resentment, said with a dark face: "Everyone is suffering just to survive. Don't take your resentment out on others! No one is relying on you for support!"
"Old Third, are you deliberately going against me?"
"What I said is clearly the truth!"
Uncle Xu gritted his teeth and slammed the bowl down on the table. He said angrily, "It's come to this, why are you acting so arrogantly in front of me? Go out and see who else is willing to flatter you."
"If you hadn't been so sneaky and cunning, would Minghui have made such a mistake today? Would you have dragged me down so long to get home? I've clearly been misbehaving and doing things improperly, so what right do you have to point fingers at me? Do you think I can tolerate you forever?"
Uncle Xu was so angry that he stood up. The old lady finally lost her patience and shouted angrily: "Have you guys quarreled enough?!"
"Look at what you all look like! Is the dinner table a place for you to quarrel?!"
She carefully glanced at the old man's face, which was indistinguishable from joy or anger, and said through gritted teeth, "Old man is right. No one in life is free from suffering! Old man has already gone out to work, how can you still have the nerve to shirk responsibility?"
"Shut up, everyone! Sit down and eat!"
When those who were dissatisfied heard this, they all stopped and subconsciously turned their eyes to the silent old man.
The old man looked at his two sons, who were arguing fiercely, with a half-smile on his face, and said coldly: "Those who don't want to work don't have to work. Those who are content can just lie down at home and wait for me to earn money to support you."
"If you think making money is a pain, and living is a shame, then you don't have to go tomorrow!"
After he finished speaking, he put down his bowl and stood up and left the table. The rest of the people at the table looked at each other in confusion.
Sang Zhixia quickly ate up the remaining rice in the bowl and began to consciously light a fire to boil the medicine.
The Xu family is now like a pool of suppressed stagnant water, and it will explode sooner or later.
It would be better if the second and third houses had a quarrel, so that these people would not always think of venting their anger on the eldest house because they are of the same kin.
A faint green smoke rose from the small medicine pot. Xu Wenxiu took out the medicine bag that Xu Yu had given her earlier and said softly, "Xia Xia, this is the medicine Yu asked the doctor to replace for you. Take it back and remember to take it."
Sang Zhixia looked at the neatly wrapped small medicine bag in her hand, and a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes.
Did Xu Yu really go to prepare a prescription for her?
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