Chapter 50
After staring at him for a few seconds, Han Hong finally remembered who this person was.
Isn't this the little rascal who came to help them harvest rice and then stumbled upon his brother's bed in the middle of the night?
Actually, after he failed to catch the little rascal that time and the boy escaped, he had been on tenterhooks ever since. He was afraid that Han Shuo would be infatuated with this delicate-skinned little rascal and do something outrageous.
Fortunately, things were calm before Han Shuo took the college entrance exam.
Although Han Hong was an honest and law-abiding countryman, he wasn't an unenlightened parent. The fact that Han Shuo brought the boy home today after so much time had passed suggests that the two were still on good terms.
Now that Han Shuo has graduated from high school and is about to go to university, he is an adult. Therefore, Han Hong couldn't say anything more.
However, to be honest, Han Hong was not very satisfied with this Xiao Meng.
After all, he could let bygones be bygones, but Xiao Meng's character was questionable. What decent seme would sneak into a virgin uke's bed in the middle of the night?
So he was neither angry nor happy at the moment. He just nodded somewhat awkwardly after Meng Yuxiu finished greeting him, but his mood was undoubtedly affected to some extent on such a wonderful day.
But she couldn't resist the fact that her own younger brother liked her.
At this point, Han Hong still thought the two were continuing their relationship behind his back, so he could only helplessly say to his younger brother, "So the news you're trying to tell me is that you two are back together again, right?"
Meng Yuxiu's heart jumped into his throat, and he secretly glanced at Han Shuo.
Han Shuo spoke stiffly, "Uh, well... it's not that news..."
Han Hong asked, "What news is that?"
Han Shuo swallowed hard, and Meng Yuxiu noticed that his voice sounded weak.
"Hey bro, when you hear this later... don't get angry, okay? Let's talk about it calmly, okay?"
As soon as Han Shuo finished speaking, Han Hong's heart skipped a beat.
Especially when he saw Han Shuo stammering while speaking, and noticed that he and the little brat were looking away from each other, his parental intuition immediately kicked in.
Han Hong's first thought was, "Oh no! Something terrible has happened! I must have been distracted for a moment, and that damn brat has ruined his brother!"
Han Hong had originally planned to turn a blind eye to Han Shuo bringing the brat back. But now, thinking about the brat's behavior, Han Hong flew into a rage.
When Meng Yuxiu saw Han Hong's angry expression, his eyelids twitched in surprise.
"You little brat! What did you do?!" Han Hong poked his finger directly at Meng Yuxiu's nose.
Meng Yuxiu instinctively wanted to take a step back, but he ultimately did not dodge. Instead, he gritted his teeth and stood firmly in place.
He met Han Hong's furious gaze and said, word by word, "Brother, I will take responsibility for Han Shuo and the child in his belly!"
"...?"
"What did you say?!" Upon hearing Meng Yuxiu's words, Han Hong felt as if he had been punched in the forehead, leaving him stunned on the spot.
He was even prepared for this brat to tell him that he and Han Shuo had already tasted forbidden fruit.
However, to his utter surprise, an even bigger bombshell struck, leaving him completely stunned and unable to react.
Han Hong suspected that there was something wrong with his ears, and also wondered if Han Shuo had brought the brat to amuse him on this happy day.
So he asked again, uncertainly, "What did you just say?"
Meng Yuxiu clenched his trembling fist, took a deep breath, and repeated, "Brother, don't worry, I'm not that kind of person. I will definitely take good care of Han Shuo and the child in his belly."
"!" Han Hong finally heard it clearly.
Like thunderclaps, it exploded in his head in an instant. He looked sharply at Han Shuo, then stared intently at Han Shuo's stomach.
"Is what he said true?! You're pregnant?!"
Seeing his brother's eyes widen like saucers, Han Shuo forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, "Uh..."
After receiving his brother's reply, Han Hong felt dizzy and fainted. If it weren't for the stairs next to him, he might have collapsed on the spot.
At the same time, it suddenly dawned on him. No wonder Han Shuo had been listless like a sick chicken these past few days, no wonder he was so lazy and wanted to sleep all day long, no wonder he occasionally heard him retching outside the door.
At the time, he genuinely thought it was the pressure of the exam that made him sick. Now, thinking back, weren't Han Shuo's reactions exactly the same as when Han Ting's mother was pregnant with Han Ting?!
Then Han Hong thought about how he had raised Han Shuo from infancy, watching him grow into a tall and strong young man, and seeing him get into university with a bright future ahead of him, only to have this brat suddenly jump out and take a bite out of him.
Han Hong was so angry he was about to vomit blood.
"Brother..." Han Shuo called out tremblingly.
Han Hong looked at his younger brother, still finding it hard to believe the news.
He grabbed Han Shuo's arm and said, "Let's go!"
Where to?
"Go to the hospital! Check if you're pregnant!"
Han Hong glared fiercely at Meng Yuxiu, who dared not utter a sound beside him; he didn't have time to deal with the kid for the time being.
He had to take Han Shuo to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible to confirm the diagnosis, but he was so angry that he forgot that there was no hospital in town that could still perform the check-up at this time.
"Brother..." Han Shuo hurriedly grabbed him and said, "I've already checked..."
Han Hong stopped. "Where's the medical report?"
Han Shuo's eyes slowly turned to Meng Yuxiu, and Han Hong immediately glared at him as well.
"Oh, the form..." Meng Yuxiu hurriedly patted his pocket, pulled out the examination form, and didn't dare to move his body, only stretching his arm out as if it were ten miles long.
He looked at Han Hong, a stiff smile appearing on his lips, "Brother..."
Han Hong snatched the examination report from Meng Yuxiu's hand, and then glared at him fiercely.
Meng Yuxiu lowered his eyes, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Next, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu watched with bated breath as Han Hong's hand trembled violently as he held the examination report.
"What is Ren Chen?!"
Han Shuo forced a stiff smile and said, "It means pregnant..."
When it was finally confirmed that Han Shuo was pregnant, Han Hong felt his blood rush to his head, and he was so angry that his lips trembled.
The thought of his younger brother, whom he had raised so many years ago and who had even managed to get into university, being bullied like this almost gave him a heart attack.
He looked at Han Shuo and then at Meng Yuxiu with sudden agitation.
Then, he panted heavily as he quickly scanned the room.
Meng Yuxiu was instantly jolted awake, because Han Hong's familiar behavior seemed to take him back to that day.
Sure enough, Han Hong aimed at the fire tongs in the stove, and without saying a word, he grabbed the tongs and rushed over.
Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu were startled and took a step back, immediately tensing up and becoming alert.
"Brother!!" Han Shuo saw that his brother was so angry that he was coming towards him.
In a flash, he suddenly remembered that his brother had said he would beat his legs too, and he shouted anxiously, "Brother! I'm your brother!"
At that moment, Han Ting, who was standing nearby, saw his father rushing towards his uncle and screamed in fright, "Dad!!"
Han Hong would never harm his own brother; he was just so flustered that he couldn't even tell which way was which.
Seeing Han Shuo's terrified face, he shouted sternly, "Get out of here!"
Han Shuo quickly stepped aside, but the next second, he was horrified to see his brother rush towards Meng Yuxiu.
"Hey, brother! Don't do this!!" He hurriedly went over and pulled Han Hong's arm.
Meng Yuxiu's clenched fist dug his fingertips into his flesh, and his dark pupils trembled.
He swallowed hard, raising his eyes to meet the impending danger.
"Brother! Don't hit him!!"
"Get out of my way!!"
Han Shuo yelled at Meng Yuxiu, "What are you standing there for? Run! Do you really want my brother to break your legs?!"
Meng Yuxiu gritted his teeth and remained silent.
His pupils reflected the fire tongs, and he stared at the tongs getting closer and closer. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes tightly.
"I'll beat you to death, you little brat!!"
At that moment, Han Hong was as strong as an ox, and Han Shuo couldn't stop him. Han Hong's sharp tongs stabbed straight at Meng Yuxiu.
Han Shuo was so shocked that his heart trembled, but Meng Yuxiu remained standing still.
"Brother!!" Han Shuo was extremely anxious, so he simply hugged Han Hong tightly, as if he were tied up with ropes. "Are you trying to stab him to death?!"
"Let go of me!!" Han Shuo struggled against the arm that was tightly wrapped around him, while angrily continuing to use the fire tongs to lash out.
Han Shuo was about to give up and could only yell at Meng Yuxiu, "Damn it! Are you an idiot? Get out of here!"
"Or do you want your child to be born with a disabled father?!" Han Shuo was so anxious that he blurted out whatever came to mind.
Upon hearing this, Meng Yuxiu suddenly opened his eyes, as Han Shuo's words had a profound impact on him.
Han Shuo said he was the child's father...
Meng Yuxiu was deeply shocked, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
Han Shuo was still urging him on relentlessly, "Come on! If your leg is broken, how the hell are you going to go to work?! Do you expect me to go alone with my big belly?!"
Meng Yuxiu's pupils dilated and trembled, his thoughts gradually clearing. Han Shuo's words were like a wake-up call, bringing him back to his senses.
No, he can't have his legs broken. He can't let Han Shuo go to work alone while pregnant.
Also, if Han Shuo gives birth to the child and his leg becomes lame, he won't be able to hold the child, because walking up and down would probably make the child uncomfortable.
So when Han Hong's fire tongs struck again, he moved his leg.
Han Hong's fire tongs missed their target.
Han Hong saw the little brat dodge, lift his leg, and run out of the house in a flash.
Seeing this, Han Hong became even more furious. He grabbed the fire tongs and chased after them out the door.
"Brother! Don't chase after him!" Han Shuo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Meng Yuxiu had already run away. He calmly walked out of the house to try to persuade his brother.
The moment his foot stepped out of the threshold, he caught his breath again.
Outside the house was a veranda with two pillars. He noticed that Meng Yuxiu hadn't run far; instead, he was clinging to the pillars and standing behind them.
"Holy crap! Why haven't you run away yet?!"
Meng Yuxiu: "I'm worried..."
So Han Hong rushed up again, and what followed was Han Hong grabbing the fire tongs and cursing as he chased Meng Yuxiu around the pillar.
"I'm speechless! Hey bro! Stop hitting him!!" Han Shuo was truly exasperated, and could only step forward to try and stop Han Hong.
Han Ting couldn't stay inside, so he lifted his short legs and followed him out the door, then stood to the side and called out "Dad".
Meng Yuxiu was, after all, an eighteen-year-old young man, so his speed and agility were naturally beyond question. He nimbly darted from one end of the pillar to the other.
Just as Han Hong's fire tongs were about to hit him, he darted from one pillar to another.
He dodged while urgently shouting, "Brother!"
"Who's your brother?! I'm going to break your legs today, you little brat!!" Han Hong chased after him, panting and red-faced with anger, but for a moment he really had no way to deal with this clever little brat.
Han Hong was exhausted from chasing, so he stood there holding the fire tongs, catching his breath.
Meng Yuxiu took the opportunity to stand behind the pillar and adjust his breathing.
But before he could fully recover, Han Hong charged forward again.
Han Shuo was at a loss.
Meng Yuxiu was definitely not going to abandon him and run away, and his brother was definitely going to beat him until he was satisfied. If this continued, the two of them would probably be circling the pillar like the King of Qin until dawn.
He yelled at his brother, "Brother! If you keep hitting him, the villagers will see us, and then everyone will know what happened to our family!"
These words jolted Han Hong awake, and he immediately stopped chasing. If the villagers heard the commotion and came to join in the fun, that would be terrible! Han Shuo would probably be pointed at and gossiped about wherever he went.
Han Hong was still shaken on the spot. But after he calmed down a bit, he realized that even if he broke the brat's legs, the deed was done, and now was not the time to vent his anger. He had to make plans for Han Shuo.
“Brother…” Han Shuo walked up and carefully took the fire tongs from Han Hong’s hand while observing Han Hong’s expression.
Although Han Hong no longer intended to break the brat's legs, he couldn't swallow his anger anytime soon.
He thought for a moment, then glanced at Meng Yuxiu, who was still clinging to the pillar, looking terrified. He then turned to look at Han Shuo, who was trembling with fear.
Finally, he heaved his chest violently and exhaled.
He glared at Meng Yuxiu and asked, "Where do you live?"
Meng Yuxiu hurriedly replied, "Brother, my home is in Xiqiao Village, Baishan Town."
Han Hong grabbed Han Shuo's arm and said, "Let's go."
Han Shuo opened his eyes wide and asked, "Where to?"
"Go to that brat's house! Where else can we go?!" Han Hong cursed. "Let's go find his parents!"
Han Shuo's heart skipped a beat. To be honest, after learning about the ultimate mission in the novel, he only thought about going home and confessing to his brother; he hadn't really thought about anything else.
His brother is still angry, and things will probably turn chaotic again once this is over.
Han Shuo had just finished this matter and was too exhausted to face the other matter immediately. He needed to catch his breath before fighting again.
So he grabbed Han Hong's arm and said, "Brother, let's eat dinner first. You've already cooked dinner, and Tingting hasn't eaten yet. I'm hungry too."
Han Hong looked at Han Shuo, then glanced at his stomach. In the end, he said nothing and went into the house.
As soon as Han Hong left, Han Shuo hurried over to Meng Yuxiu's side, grabbed his hand, and touched his waist, asking, "How are you? Did my brother hurt you?"
"It's alright." Meng Yuxiu ignored where he had been hit, stared at the door, swallowed hard, and whispered to Han Shuo, "Aren't you going to fight anymore?"
"Let's stop fighting, let's stop fighting." Han Shuo patted his back to reassure him. "Come on, let's go back inside and eat."
Meng Yuxiu hesitated and asked, "Can I eat it too?"
"Nonsense! My brother is just a bit short-tempered when he gets angry, but he won't hit me again once he calms down. Let's go."
"Mm." Meng Yuxiu nodded.
"Let's go inside!"
"Okay." Meng Yuxiu then followed Han Shuo into the house.
Han Hong lifted the pot lid on the stove and, hearing the noise, gave Meng Yuxiu an annoyed look.
Meng Yuxiu pursed his lips, but he still walked over quickly.
"Brother, let me do it." Without waiting for Han Hong to say anything, he quickly grabbed a rag, put it in his hand, and then carried the bowls of food from the steamer to the table one by one.
Han Shuo raised an eyebrow, inwardly praising Meng Yuxiu, who was actually quite capable! Not bad, not bad!
After all the dishes were served, Meng Yuxiu served rice to everyone.
Han Hong saw it all, but he dismissed such a trick, given Meng Yuxiu's character.
He shook his head, took a bowl from the cupboard, cracked an egg, then beat it, added water, and steamed it in another pot.
Today, Han Shuo received his grades and prepared a feast. Seeing this, Han Shuo said to his brother, "Brother, there's already enough food, let's not make any more."
"Eat your food."
Han Shuo shut his mouth, gestured with his chin toward Meng Yuxiu, and whispered, "Eat quickly."
"Hmm." Meng Yuxiu secretly glanced at Han Hong, who was staring at him from the stove, and then picked up his chopsticks and bowl with a very small movement.
However, he ate this meal even more stiffly and quietly than when he ate biscuits in the car that afternoon.
Meanwhile, Han Ting swayed from side to side as she ate, her eyes fixed on the stranger.
"Uncle."
Han Shuo: "What's wrong?"
Han Ting pointed at Meng Yuxiu, "Who is he?"
This is a really awkward question, especially in this situation.
Sure enough, the older brother over at the stove heard this and snorted again.
Han Shuo quickly served food to Han Ting and urged, "Why are you talking so much? Eat up."
Han Ting chuckled as he ate a bite of food, then asked Meng Yuxiu, "Who are you? Why did my father hit you?"
Meng Yuxiu: "..."
"Why are you talking so much, kid!" Han Hong finished steaming the egg custard and came over with the bowl.
Han Ting saw the steamed egg custard, sat on the stool, swung her legs, and exclaimed, "Steamed egg custard!"
Han Hong placed the bowl of steamed egg custard directly in front of Han Shuo, and then scooped out two spoonfuls for Han Ting.
"Brother, give it all to Tingting."
Han Hong said irritably, "If I tell you to eat, then eat!"
After saying that, he sat down on the stool and began to eat.
However, apart from the child at the table who was being unreasonable, the other three people at tonight's dinner felt extremely uncomfortable.
Han Shuo felt guilty towards his brother, and having been hungry all day, he just focused on eating.
Meng Yuxiu was like a pig that had stolen the cabbage that others had painstakingly raised, so he didn't dare to say a word, and didn't even dare to pick up any food. He just waited for Han Shuo to see that there was no food on his rice and pick it up for him.
Han Hong was even more upset. His mood fluctuated wildly. The thought of Han Shuo getting pregnant made him so angry that he wanted to grab his chopsticks and hit Meng Yuxiu on the head after eating a few bites of food. But since he had decided not to do it, he could only sigh incessantly.
Han Hong lost his appetite, so he put down his chopsticks and looked at the boy next to Han Shuo who was eating silently with his head down. He asked, "What are your plans?"
Han Shuo was taken aback and looked up at his brother.
Meng Yuxiu was taken aback. When he realized that Han Hong was talking to him, he immediately put down his chopsticks and sat up straight.
He thought for two seconds quickly and replied, "Brother, I plan to marry Han Shuo."
Han Shuo suddenly turned his head and stared at him, his lips twitching violently twice.
He hadn't expected Meng Yuxiu to say that, because Meng Yuxiu hadn't discussed it with him. Or rather, he never imagined that Meng Yuxiu would even have such an idea.
But Meng Yuxiu stared directly at Han Hong with a very serious and sincere expression, as if he were a young man who wanted to take on all the responsibilities.
Han Hong nodded slightly in satisfaction, but still said, "That makes more sense."
What do your parents do?
Meng Yuxiu: "They are all teachers."
Han Hong snorted heavily through his nostrils: "Your parents are both teachers, and you still did something like this!"
Meng Yuxiu gave an awkward twitch of his lips.
Han Shuo felt sorry that Meng Yuxiu was taking the blame all by himself, so he quickly chimed in, "No, brother, it's not entirely his fault. I also bear some responsibility for this."
"How dare you say that!" Han Hong immediately retorted. "I was hoping you would get good grades so I could take you to visit your parents' graves tomorrow."
"If your parents knew you did something like this, they'd be turning in their graves!"
Han Shuo immediately shut his mouth.
Han Hong then asked Meng Yuxiu, "Do your parents know about this?"
Meng Yuxiu shook his head.
"I'll come to your house after dinner, you know?"
Meng Yuxiu nodded repeatedly.
After finishing his meal, Han Hong was anxious and didn't bother to clean up the dishes.
He originally intended to leave Han Ting at home alone, but Han Ting was scared and kept crying, so he decided to bring her along.
Considering that it takes more than half an hour to travel from Xiaoshi Village to Xiqiao Village in Baishan Town, and that Han Shuo is now pregnant and unable to travel far, Han Hong specially asked Old Li, who drives a tractor in the village, to help give him a ride.
Han Hong was usually a kind and easy-going person in the village. Old Li immediately went to find the tractor's crank after finishing his meal.
And so, the family of three and Meng Yu got to repair the tractor.
Han Shuo, Han Hong, and Han Ting sat on one side of the tractor. Meng Yuxiu subconsciously wanted to sit next to Han Shuo, but was stopped in place by a look from Han Hong.
Considering that Lao Li was present, and fearing that Han Shuo's matter would be exposed, Han Hong could only lower his voice and say to Meng Yuxiu, "Sit across from me!"
Meng Yuxiu silently sat down on the other side of the tractor.
"Han Hong, what are you doing in Xiqiao Village so late?"
Han Hong immediately changed his expression, pretending to be nonchalant and smiling as he replied, "The exam results are out today, so my son Xiao Shuo went to school with his classmate to pick up his report card. His classmate is having dinner at home, so I'm bringing it to him now."
Old Li looked at the family on the tractor and laughed, "Your whole family is quite enthusiastic, coming out together."
Han Hong gave a dry laugh.
"Xiao Shuo, how did your exam go?"
Han Shuo: "The exam went alright."
Speaking of this, Han Hong's mood, which had almost collapsed today, finally brightened up a bit. He said happily, "My Xiao Shuo did well on the test! I was so worried today, I never expected him to get such good results..."
Han Hong couldn't stop talking about Han Shuo's grades, and chatted with Lao Li for a long time while sitting on the tractor. However, after they finished chatting, Lao Li started the tractor and saw Meng Yuxiu sitting opposite him, laughing with Han Shuo.
I feel so upset again.
"Grinning and joking." Han Hong shook his head, picked up Han Ting, and sat him on his lap.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered something.
Before dinner, he was both angry and anxious, and only looked at the test results, not even noticing the gestational age on the report. Now that he remembered, he asked Han Shuo, "How old is the baby?"
The tractor was making a lot of noise, and Meng Yuxiu didn't hear what Han Hong was saying. Han Shuo wanted to pretend he hadn't heard what Han Hong was saying, because he was worried that his brother would have a fit on the tractor.
But Han Hong pressed on, asking, "How old are you?"
Han Shuo pretended to be in a bad mood and made two "ah ah" sounds, but ultimately answered under his brother's angry glare: "One month..."
Han Hong suddenly lost his sense of time, and he did some mental calculations while sitting on the tractor. When he calculated that it would be a month, which meant that Han Shuo conceived in mid-May before the college entrance examination, he suddenly suffered another stroke.
He took off his shoes, grabbed them, and was about to bend over and give Meng Yuxiu a beating.
Meng Yuxiu was puzzled, but when he saw the shoes in Han Hong's hand, he reflexively shrank his shoulders and turned his face far away.
"Brother! There are outsiders here!!" Han Shuo hurriedly grabbed Han Hong's wrist upon seeing this.
Han Hong certainly didn't intend to actually beat Meng Yuxiu up on the tractor; he just felt so angry that he almost fainted if he didn't do something.
He put his shoes back on, grumbling and cursing.
The tractor traveled for more than half an hour through the dark road before arriving at Xiqiao Village.
Considering that his younger brother's matter needed to be kept low-key, Han Hong told Lao Li to park his tractor not far from the village entrance, and they could walk there themselves after getting off the tractor.
Old Li left, and Han Hong carried Han Ting, took Han Shuo with him, and let Meng Yuxiu walk ahead.
"Okay, bro."
However, when Meng Yuxiu led them to the entrance of Xiqiao Village and saw the lights on in the two-story cement building at the entrance, his body suddenly stiffened.
Because so many things had happened so quickly today, he only remembered that he had eaten dinner at Han Shuo's house when he saw the lights on in the distance, and that he hadn't told his parents. He also remembered that when he left, his father had asked his mother to cook more dishes for dinner...
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