Tao Rui woke up again, and the service of diluting emotions had been completed. He had no attachment to his previous life and was ready to take on new tasks.
He looked at the environment he was in. It was a small adobe house with a low roof and leaky windows. There was a set of tattered wooden tables and chairs next to the bed. There was a wooden box against the wall with a square kang table on top. He was lying on the kang, with only bedding and pillows.
The house was very simple and smelled damp and moldy.
Before he could think any further, a commotion erupted outside. A male voice shouted, "Old Third is a grown man. I'm going to push him out of trouble? Why am I so unconvinced? Let me go in and see. He's not done with it. Two eggs a day, why isn't he going to heaven?"
The middle-aged woman yelled at him from the doorway, "Keep your voice down! You're giving Third Brother a headache! I'm telling you, Big Brother, stop making such a fuss! You pushed Third Brother's head against a rock, and he bled so much! Are you sorry for feeding him a few eggs?"
"Is it about the eggs? This is the first time he's made excuses to slack off. I just forced him to go to work, and now he's using this trick. Is he kidding me?"
"What did you say? Are you saying your mom and I are stupid? We were fooled by him!"
The man snorted coldly, "Mom, are you helping the third brother?"
Another woman angrily said, "Mom, you're biased. Tao Fu and I do all the housework, and you never say a word in our favor. Tao Rui pretends to be sick every other day and uses smooth talk to coax you guys, and you still think he's good. What kind of life are you living? I can't stand it anymore. Let's split up!"
"You! You're talking nonsense. When Tao Rui was sick, didn't I do his work? I did more work than you two combined. What's wrong with me being partial? The third child was born prematurely and sickly. I loved my son and was happy to help him with the work. How did that bother you? When did I ask you to work more? When was the distribution unfair? Even when it came to meat, I divided it among the people. Shouldn't I give him my piece? Did I steal yours?"
The middle-aged woman was not a weak person, and she immediately started to scold the two men. For a while, all that could be heard was her voice criticizing them, listing off one point after another, leaving the two men unable to refute. However, they insisted that the woman was biased and only treated Tao Rui well, and they could not come to a conclusion for a while.
Tao Rui felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. He reached out and touched it, only to find a large bump covered with a piece of cloth. It was probably caused by hitting a rock. Although he felt the couple outside weren't good people based on their voices, he was the one wearing the scumbag suit, so the original owner was definitely not a good person either. They were just as bad.
He turned over gently, preventing the injured area from touching the pillow, and calmed down to start sorting out the original owner's memories.
This time, the time was the end of the 1970s. Instead of the real world, it was a place called China. The country's overall progress was similar to reality, but this world wasn't too strict. For example, the original owner would find excuses to slack off. Although everyone in the team knew about his laziness, the team leader wouldn't publicly criticize him. After all, those who didn't work didn't get any work points.
So the original owner was like a gangster, often hanging out with bad friends, and was best at shirking responsibility and being sweet-talking.
The original owner was born prematurely during the most difficult years for the Tao family. She did not get much nutrition and was always thin and sickly, so Tao's mother Wu Xiufen felt more pain in her heart.
After the birth of her first and second children, her mother-in-law made her work every day, and she raised both children under her mother-in-law's care. She didn't feel close to them. After her mother-in-law died, she had Tao Rui, her third child, and she felt deeply sorry for the only child she had raised herself.
But the Tao family was actually quite poor, so her love was reflected in her care, not material favoritism. Farmers valued labor above all else; the eldest and second sons needed to work, and the sick third son needed to be nourished, so they simply divided everything equally. Since the third son couldn't work, she and her husband would finish their own work and then take care of the third son's. Since they were both tired, they naturally had to eat a lot, so the five of them shared equally.
Later, when the eldest and second sons got married and had children, Wu Xiufen continued the habit of dividing the property equally and never changed it. However, after dividing the property, she would often give her share of the good things to Tao Rui.
With more people comes more conflict. The eldest and second oldest felt Wu Xiufen was partial and were very dissatisfied with her. They also had no good face for Tao Rui. Tao Rui had his mother to pamper him and his parents to help him with the housework, so he didn't bother to pay attention to them. He just wandered around and had fun all day, which made him a cunning person. He wanted to use sweet words to coax any good things into his hands.
He had always cheated people out of things, got free food and drinks, and was shameless. He would flirt with lonely girls on the road, and when the girls got angry and scolded him, he would just go up to them and say dirty words. There was not a single girl in the team who didn't get annoyed by him.
He bullies the weak and fears the strong. The son of the family at the end of the village is a fool. He has been bullying the fool behind people's backs since he was a child, throwing stones at him and pouring cold water on him. Then when he meets a stronger person, he lowers his head and acts like a coward, or goes home to ask his family for help.
But he is a bully at home. He shows off his power at home, which he cannot show outside. He never listens to reason with his brother and sister-in-law, and is more arrogant than anyone else. He often talks about his premature birth and thinks that they should all give in to him.
This time, the original owner was pursuing an educated youth who was working for others. The eldest brother Tao Fu caught hold of the evidence and discussed with his wife that they should either force Tao Rui to work or separate and live on their own, refusing to support the original owner no matter what.
Of course, the original owner refused. He was supported by his parents, not his brother and sister-in-law. Although the family hadn't split up, he felt that the extra food he ate was given by his mother, and it was none of his brother and sister-in-law's business. The two brothers argued and came to blows. The original owner was indeed frail, while Tao Fu was a strong worker. With a sudden push, he sent the original owner stumbling, hitting a rock and bleeding.
The original plot begins here, with the original owner succumbing to the old family. Tao Fu caused him to bleed and bullied his younger brother; he owed him a lifetime debt. He began to suffer from frequent headaches and dizziness. The doctor at the clinic couldn't see anything and couldn't guarantee he was okay. After all, hitting the head is no small matter. The town hospital couldn't find anything either, so they just told him to rest.
The original owner took advantage of his eldest brother, demanding a share of any goodies he had, or else he'd make a scene. He felt his eldest brother owed him something, and even at his wedding, he made a scene, forcing his eldest brother to compensate him with new tables and chairs, a new cabinet, new bedding, and new clothes. He had a very splendid wedding in the brigade.
The girl he married was the educated youth he helped with housework, named Su Jiahui.
Su Jiahui came from the provincial capital and had been looking forward to returning to the city. However, her grandmother, the only close person in the family, had passed away. Her remaining brother and sister-in-law had no affection for her at all. They still thought that because she was beautiful, they wanted to find someone to marry her off so that they could get them a good job.
This gave the original owner an opportunity, and he spent all day trying to please her, using sweet words to coax her into helping Su Jiahui with her work. Although Su Jiahui had heard that the original owner had a bad reputation, seeing is believing after all. The original owner was the only one who was "genuinely" kind to her, and she was moved.
The original owner, a scammer, renovated the house and successfully married Su Jiahui home.
But after marrying her, he no longer cared. He was a male chauvinist at heart. Whenever he and Su Jiahui had a conflict, he would mention his mother. He was like a mama's boy. He did nothing at home and waited for his wife and mother to serve him. When the original owner was happy, he spoke sweetly, but when he was unhappy, he spoke coldly. Su Jiahui only then discovered his true colors, but it was too late. She was pregnant.
The following year, the national college entrance examination was reinstated, and Su Jiahui naturally wanted to take it. However, the original owner wouldn't let her, simply telling her to take good care of her pregnancy. Su Jiahui persuaded the original owner, who only agreed to let her try, only to be unhappy with the constant strife at home. Who would have thought that Su Jiahui would actually pass the exam? And even get into a very good university.
The original owner knew he was from a humble background and couldn't do anything right, so how could he let such a beautiful wife run away? He secretly tore up Su Jiahui's admission letter and refused to let her go. He also threatened that if Su Jiahui dared to go, he would go to their school every day to make trouble and see if she could study well.
Su Jiahui didn't want her child to be fatherless before birth, so she had to compromise. She was unwilling to retake the exam the following year, but due to the demands of caring for her children and the household, she wasn't able to study well and failed. Gradually, she became disillusioned and gave up the idea, focusing on living a good life and encouraging the original owner to improve herself.
But the original owner was so lazy and gluttonous, how could he possibly be ambitious? He found inspiration in the boss and Su Jiahui, and started to act like a boss, demanding things from the family. If they didn't give it to him, he would make a scene. Who doesn't live without a scene?
The second son, Tao Xin, married a girl from the town early on. He used his father-in-law's connections to get a job as a worker in a factory and lived in his father-in-law's house, only coming back during the Chinese New Year.
The original owner shamelessly went to town to visit his second brother, finding all sorts of excuses to stay the night at his second brother's house, even sleeping on the floor. He would eat the best food at his second brother's house and even take it home for Su Jiahui. If Tao Xin chased him away, he would talk to the neighbors and say that his second brother and his wife wouldn't let him come.
The second son and his wife were both workers. In that era, they had good jobs and they had to save face, so they had no choice but to keep him, as if they were raising an extra child.
The original owner's parents tried to control him, but they were completely helpless. Scolding and beating him were useless. The original owner had grown up and wasn't afraid at all. Sometimes he would even yell at the two elders. If they hit him, he would continue to cheat for years, bringing up old grudges at the slightest provocation. If his brother and sister-in-law scolded him, he would go to their workplace and cause a scene. He was so reckless that the rest of the family would avoid him if possible, lest they get into trouble.
When the family split up, the original owner sweetly said that he wanted to provide for his parents in their old age and that he would let the two elders live with him. Then, as a matter of course, he claimed the Tao family and asked the eldest son to move out. After a lot of fuss, he finally got what he wanted, because he said that the two elders would no longer need the eldest and second sons to take care of them.
But after just one year, he emptied the coffin money of the two elders and stopped supporting them. He scolded the eldest and second sons for being unfilial and asked them to take turns to take care of the elderly. As for the original statement that they didn't need to take care of the elderly, he scolded anyone who dared to bring it up as unfilial and unwilling to take care of the elderly.
The eldest brother was furious and said that he had drained the second elder's money. He then questioned the eldest brother, "What do the second elder have? The Tao family is not a wealthy family, what can they save? Do the second elders eat, drink and wear for free? He has supported them for a year, not only did he not get any benefits, but he is almost out of food."
Anyway, he was arrogant and no one could argue with him. After that, the eldest and second sons took turns to support the two elders. When it was the original owner's turn, he always had an excuse to not care about them, which really disappointed the two elders.
Wu Xiufen regretted spoiling her youngest son and repeatedly tried to discipline him, but was always rebuffed by him, leaving her exhausted. The eldest and second sons were unwilling to manage them, so she and Tao Guodong, the father of the Tao family, worked to support themselves. Even in their old age, they couldn't rest, and he died with regrets at just fifty.
Tao Guodong is in good health, but the original owner is justified in relying on his parents for support, under the pretext of visiting his father. If someone drives him away, he will say that he is hindering his filial piety.
No one in this family was particularly good, nor was anyone particularly bad; they all had selfish sides, though the original owner was the most selfish. The original owner's exceptional brilliance made them all seem kind.
The original owner would even snatch the meat that Su Jiahui bought for her son and eat it. He even went to prostitutes during the two years when the red-light district was popular. Whenever Su Jiahui quarreled with him, he would say how good he was to her back then, otherwise she would have been sold by her brother and sister-in-law.
He spent his days wandering around, defrauding people of their money and stealing their valuables. He thought he was clever, but he always lost money. He did business, speculated in stocks, and played cards, and eventually lost even his house and land.
People like him only bring negative influence to their son, who grew up to be a gangster, and no matter how Su Jiahui disciplined him, it was useless. In the end, Su Jiahui took her son back to the provincial capital to work. The original owner was still relying on his parents, taking whatever he could from his old father. Now that his father was gone, he relied on his eldest and second brothers, and when he couldn't rely on them, he made a fuss.
The eldest and second oldest sons no longer paid any attention to him, but his annoyance made it difficult for them to live peacefully. Occasionally, he would find Su Jiahui, or he would be in jail and have to ask Su Jiahui to bail him out, which made his life uneasy.
The original owner influenced so many people by himself that only the eldest and second sons' families were able to escape him. They were so deeply impressed by him that even the thought of him was disturbing. Meanwhile, the original owner's wife, children, and parents were all drained of their lifelong blood by him.
Tao Rui's mission this time is to treat his wife, children, and parents well, stop taking advantage of the eldest and second oldest children, stop cheating others, and stop bullying the weak.
Tao Rui was speechless after understanding the plot. What kind of peerless talent was this original owner? To be able to take unreasonableness to the extreme was truly remarkable. This family was truly unlucky to have the original owner.
However, the timing of his time travel was fortunate. The original owner was now at most a parasite, not yet taking advantage of the eldest and second eldest sons, nor marrying Su Jiahui. This mission, in essence, was to make him a good person and not do shameless things again. Of course, he had to make amends to those he had hurt.
Tao Rui heard Wu Xiufen and her sister-in-law Xiao Lizhen arguing outside, so he got up from the kang. He wasn't the original owner, so he had no intention of hitting on the boss.
He walked to the door and shouted to the woman's back, "Mom, stop arguing. It's just a small matter, and you're making fun of yourself."
The quarreling stopped abruptly. Xiao Lizhen was the first to react and sneered, "Mom, didn't you say that the third child was asleep? I think he's quite energetic and doesn't look like he's in trouble at all."
Wu Xiufen ignored him, stepped forward and touched Tao Rui's forehead, and asked worriedly: "Why did you get out of bed? The doctor said to stay in bed and rest. Did it bother you? Mom won't bother you anymore."
Tao Rui looked at the concern in Wu Xiufen's eyes and had to say that this mother really loved the original owner, but she had a limited vision and didn't know how to raise a child.
Tao Rui smiled at her and instantly integrated into the original role. "Mom, don't you know me? I never lie to you. I'm fine. When have I ever been in pain without telling you? I just have a slight pain in the back of my head right now. There's a big bump."
Wu Xiufen said angrily, "It's all because of your eldest brother's lack of respect for others. He's even grown up to the point of bullying his younger brother!"
Tao Fu sneered, "Mom, don't be unreasonable. The third child can help the educated youth with their work, so why can't he help his family with their work?"
Before Wu Xiufen could respond, he continued, "I know you want to say that you did the housework for him. So what? Doesn't that mean you're partial? You're happy to help him, so why don't you help me? He's your son, and I'm not? You picked me up?"
"Tao Fu! How can you talk to your mother like that?" Tao Guodong frowned and glared at him, then looked at Tao Rui and said, "Alright, as long as the third child is fine, why are you still arguing? Go back to your room and rest."
Tao Fu and Xiao Lizhen exchanged a glance, both unwilling to accept the situation. Their goal wasn't to argue, but to separate the family. It wasn't fair for the two old people to be together; they would definitely be better off if they separated.
As a son, Tao Fu couldn't say this, so only Xiao Lizhen could say it.
She said with a cold face, "Tao Rui dared to fight with Tao Fu today. He doesn't even look at him as his big brother. We don't have to make a fuss, but Tao Rui is too disappointing, isn't he? Dad, Mom, he's so old, but he still doesn't know anything. It's only a matter of time before he becomes a loser. He still wants to find a partner and get married. If you don't take care of him, how will he start a family in the future?"
Wu Xiufen glared at them. "You two are not done yet, are you? You are just planning to divide the family property. I'm telling you, no! We only have two little chickens, a few pots and pans, and a little rice. Divide it up, divide it up, what the hell! How are we going to live after we divide it up? You two took the pot away, are you trying to starve us two old people to death? If you want to divide it up, don't take anything and just get out!"
Tao Fu found a stool to sit on, and said, as if he was going to have a long conversation, "Mom, you are being unreasonable."
Tao Guodong said angrily, "Be reasonable. There's one of us, one for Tao Xin, one for Tao Rui, and we're the two old ones. How do you decide how to divide it? There's only one pot, who gets it? There's only one ladle, who gets it? There's only two chickens, who gets them? Who gets the thermos, the broom, and the lock? When we go to work, each of us gets so little. Do you think life will be easy?"
In this era, splitting up a family was rare. Labor was the most important thing, as was helping each other. Sharing resources was even more important. Splitting up a family made it difficult to live well, and having a small family was not a good thing. Therefore, the two elders could not understand their decision to split up the family. In their eyes, they did not think it harmed the eldest son's interests.
Tao Rui thought it was a good idea. It would save them from having to quarrel every day. He pondered the original owner's personality and said, "If they want to separate, let them do it. We can cook separately from now on. We can let them cook after we're done. Second brother doesn't need these in town, so don't count them for now. When we save up some money and tickets, we can buy a pot and share it with them."
Xiao Lizhen glanced at him, not believing he was sincere at all, and sneered: "The sun has risen from the west? Do you think I don't know what you are up to? You just think it's just right to divide it up, leaving us nothing, and you and your parents taking it all, right? You wish! Hasn't our family always been fair? Mom said everything should be divided equally, so let's divide it equally when we divide the family. One share for each family. If the third child is with parents, then he should be counted as a share. Divide everything into three parts, some get pots, some get basins, and some get bowls. Like the third child said, use it together first, and then make up for the lack when you have more. As for the two chickens, one for each family, and give the second child how many eggs he wants. Isn't that simple?"
A daughter-in-law, here is a clear division of the family, no matter what the reason, it makes the two elders angry. Before Tao Rui can say anything, Tao Guodong said: "No division! Whoever wants to leave, get out, our Tao family will not divide the family!"
Tao Guodong's face looked quite scary. He snorted coldly and went back to the house.
Wu Xiufen got angry when she saw the eldest couple, and pushed Tao Rui into the house to rest.
Tao Rui glanced at the boss with regret. Why didn't he get any share? Little did he know that the boss took this look as a provocation and was furious.
Wu Xiufen helped Tao Rui onto the kang and covered him with a blanket before saying, "I'm here with your brother. Don't worry about it. Just take care of your injuries. Are you hungry? Mom will make you an egg and some noodles."
Noodles and eggs were good things in those days. On weekdays, being able to drink some porridge and eat some steamed bread was considered good. Tao Rui quickly grabbed Wu Xiufen and said, "Mom, if you make these for me, do you think they will quarrel again?"
"Just quarrel, am I afraid of them?"
Tao Rui held his head and said, "But when I hear people talking loudly, I get a headache, my head is buzzing, and I see double."
Wu Xiufen's expression suddenly changed. "What? How is this more serious? No, Mom will go borrow a cart and push you to the clinic."
Tao Rui waved his hand. "No, I'm fine with the quiet right now, but I can't stand loud noises. Mom, I'm really fine. No need for egg noodles, just give me a bowl of whatever you guys want. I'd rather eat less than listen to you guys quarreling. It's so annoying."
Wu Xiufen hesitated, and only nodded her agreement after seeing that he was indeed in better spirits. Then she angrily said, "This couple is really crazy about splitting up the family business. They don't even think about how many people will accuse them of being unfilial if they do it so early. I'm doing this for their own good, but they think I'm doing them a disservice, as if I'm taking advantage of them. It really makes me so angry!"
Tao Rui pulled her to sit down, massaged her shoulders, and said with a smile, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. If you get angry, it will make others happy. It's not worth it. If what they say is not nice, just treat it as their fart. It stinks, and we don't want to listen to it."
Wu Xiufen burst out laughing and patted him lightly, "You mischievous fellow, you're just talking nonsense."
Wu Xiufen stopped him from rubbing his shoulder, took a closer look at his wound, and sighed, "You, with your tiny body, how could you possibly beat your big brother? Why did you fight with him? He's forcing you to go to the fields, and if you can't resist, just go ahead. Then you can find Mom and she'll help you. Why bother pushing him around?"
"I'm angry, right? He said an elder brother is like a father, and my dad is still around, so who needs him as a father? Besides, can't we just talk it out? Why does he have to drag me along? And about me and Su Jiahui, she hasn't agreed to me yet, and he's talking nonsense there, ruining her reputation. What's wrong with him? How can I not be angry?"
"Okay, okay, let's not talk about the past. You just told me not to get angry. Don't get angry either, or your head will hurt again." Wu Xiufen shifted her attention to Su Jiahui and asked curiously, "So what does Su Zhiqing mean by that? Is he interested in you?"
Tao Rui hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said dejectedly, "Of course she won't like me. I'm neither good at literature nor martial arts, I'm not in good health, and I can't even earn a few work points. Which girl would like me?"
Wu Xiufen blamed herself when she heard this. "It's all because of Mom's poor health that you gave birth prematurely." She paused, then thought of her mother-in-law. If she hadn't insisted on her going to the fields with a big belly to plant rice, she wouldn't have had a premature birth. But now that her mother-in-law was dead, there was no point dwelling on this. She could only be nicer to Tao Rui.
Wu Xiufen held Tao Rui's hand and said, "If you really like that girl, tell her that if you two can't handle the work in the future, I'll help you. If you're too busy taking care of the children, I'll help you too. I can still do it..."
Tao Rui held her hand back and interrupted her, "Mom, you only think about helping me with work, but I feel sorry for you. How could I bear to let you work so hard? I've been helping Su Zhiqing with work these past few days and I've felt very tired, but it seems like I've become stronger. I think moving more might be good for my health. When I recover from my injuries, I'll go to work with you. Let's talk about getting married later. I heard that you can still do business in big cities now. Even if I can't work, I can find a way to make money with my intelligence. Then why would I have to worry about not being able to find a wife? Mom, just wait and enjoy your life, don't worry about it."
Seeing him care about her was simply joyful, so why would Wu Xiufen say anything else? It was no wonder she doted on her youngest son. He would make her laugh, massage her shoulders and back, and promise to make a fortune so she could live a good life. Meanwhile, her other two sons, including their daughter-in-law, would only oppose her.
It's not like she hadn't thought about loving her two sons before, but they'd forgotten how they'd often ordered her around when they were little, having learned that from their grandmother. They'd never cared about her, so why should they blame her for caring about her youngest son? She didn't owe them anything, so they couldn't blame her.
The eldest and his wife hadn't split the family fortune, and both looked unhappy during the meal, saying nothing. This also put the two elders in a bad mood. However, Tao Rui ate inside, so he didn't have to face their sour faces.
Tao Rui wasn't too worried about the family division. In the original script, it was the eldest and his wife who insisted on the split, and it was successful. They had been working on it for a long time. All he had to do was to add fuel to the fire and persuade the two elders.
He took advantage of the nights to slowly cultivate. This era didn't have so many factories and cars polluting the environment. Plus, the scenery here was beautiful, and the spiritual energy was a bit richer than in the previous two worlds. He used the spiritual energy to nourish his wound, and finally felt the wound heal a little, and the pain was less.
He took his own pulse and carefully examined his physical condition, realizing that the original owner's body was indeed in need of nutrition. Premature birth and childhood malnutrition had ruined his foundation, leaving him in a state of serious weakness. Fortunately, he could absorb spiritual energy, and with daily nourishment, he would be able to heal his body, albeit slowly, within a year or two.
The most urgent task is to find ways to supplement nutrition and then find ways to make the family richer.
According to the original plot, the land will soon be distributed to individuals. That way, they won't have to go to work every day and will be able to do everything independently, which will give them a lot of freedom. However, for now, there is no better way, so he can only go to work.
Tao Rui stayed at home for three days. Since he didn't eat anything special, and the eldest brother's family had no reason to find fault with him, he remained silent and frustrated, as if he was about to explode at any time.
Thanks to the nourishment of spiritual energy, Tao Rui's wound has healed, with only a slightly noticeable lump remaining, but he no longer feels any pain.
So he went to work in the fields with the whole family, earning a few glances from his parents, who suspected he was up to some dirty trick or some sympathetic display. Hadn't they seen how his parents turned against him whenever he showed weakness? It was as if Tao Rui was being forced into silence.
The eldest couple became annoyed when they saw Tao Rui, and they also disliked the two elders. When they arrived at the field, they separated from them and started working from a distance.
Tao Rui imitated the movements of others, combined with the memories of the original owner, and slowly weeded. Wu Xiufen said worriedly, "Third brother, are you okay with this? You should go back and rest for a few days. Don't be so stubborn. Heal your wounds first."
Tao Rui smiled and said, "Mom, I'm really fine, don't worry. When have I ever been so strong?"
Wu Xiufen thought about it, and it wasn't. Every time she didn't notice her son was upset, he would hum and say it first. It seemed like Tao Rui was really good. Wu Xiufen worked next to him, keeping an eye on him, thinking that if she noticed he was upset, she would quickly send him back.
Tao Rui would not try to show off. He did not know how to do farm work, and the original owner was also a fake, so he started from the beginning and learned slowly as if he was experiencing a farm stay. He was not in a hurry at all, and he did not feel uncomfortable at all.
People around him would glance at him from time to time, and seeing his speed they thought he was slacking off. They felt that he was still the same as before, except that he used to be lazy at home, but this time he was lazy in the fields.
A sister-in-law nearby sneered, "Tao Rui, are you embroidering? Even older girls can embroider faster than you."
Tao Rui straightened up and wiped the sweat off his face. Seeing that several sisters-in-law nearby were laughing, he didn't get angry. Instead, he said with a smile, "Isn't it slow to learn at first? Not only are the older girls faster than me, but the younger ones are too. I might not be cut out for this. I can't find the trick, so I can't do as well as the sisters-in-law."
They were just joking around, but seeing how relaxed he was, they became interested and came over to him, saying, "You don't know how to do it? Let us teach you. It's a good time to take a break."
Tao Rui really asked them for advice. The villagers were actually very kind-hearted. If you asked them anything, unless they were busy or in a bad mood, they would have a lot to tell you. Tao Rui spent a long time learning from the sisters-in-law and his movements were actually a little faster. This made the sisters-in-law feel very accomplished and they kept praising Tao Rui for his rapid progress.
Tao Rui felt ashamed, thinking that in this world, appearances are everything. When this handsome man spoke so gently to them, they had forgotten his reputation for laziness and slacking off. Perhaps it was also because most people believed in "seeing is believing," like Su Jiahui. No matter what others said, they had never spent time with the original owner. Once they actually got to know her, they found her to be quite nice, so of course they stopped believing the rumors.
Tao Rui worked harmoniously with everyone for half a day and successfully earned some work points, but he was already exhausted and his back ached.
On the way back, he didn't want to say a word or lift a finger.
Xiao Lizhen glanced at him and said, "It looks like you're serious. You have to stick with it every day. Don't be so lazy that you'll feel uncomfortable after working for a day and then quit."
Tao Rui thought to himself, "I really don't want to do this anymore. There's no point in doing this." He simply said, "I can't do it for a whole day. Mom, I feel like I'm going to get a heat stroke. Let's make dinner quickly so I can get some sleep."
"What? Heatstroke? Hurry up, go home and lie down in the house." Wu Xiufen quickened her pace upon hearing this, took off her straw hat and stood beside him to fan him.
Xiao Lizhen curled her lips and glanced at Tao Fu. Tao Fu frowned and said, "Third brother, you're here again. What are you going to do in the future?"
Tao Rui replied, "We have to get through today before we can talk about the future, right? I'm so tired I'm about to collapse in the fields. What do you think I should do?"
Tao Guodong scolded, "What do you need to explain? Stop talking nonsense and go inside. I'll get you a bowl of cold water first."
Tao Guodong also cared for his sweet-talking youngest son. He not only poured him some cold water but also soaked a cloth in it and applied a cold compress. Tao Rui looked at his wrinkled father and whispered, "Dad, I'm not trying to be lazy. Everyone has different strengths, right? I'll bring you some water when I wake up this afternoon. I'll cook dinner tonight so you can eat when you get home. Plus, I can sweep the yard and feed the chickens at home..."
"Okay, it's better for you to be well." Tao Guodong thought he was hurt and felt the pain, and was afraid of his elder brother. He sighed and touched his head, "Your elder brother is just trying to scare you. Two brothers don't hold grudges overnight. I'll talk to him later, and he won't hit you again."
Tao Rui felt as if he had misunderstood something and said, "I'm growing up and will have to get married in the future, so I need to be of some use. Don't worry, Dad. I'll think about it. Even if I can't farm, I can do something else."
Tao Guodong laughed, "So you're thinking about your wife! Well, think about it, just do whatever you want to do. How do you know if it will work if you don't try?"
This was pure consolation. Tao Guodong had never considered what his youngest son could accomplish. Farmers valued hard work, and one needed to be strong. What could someone like Tao Rui, with his congenital deficiencies, accomplish?
Tao Rui didn't say much. He waited for them to rest at noon, then took their tools and went to the back mountain after they started work.
Hunting is allowed in this world at this time. There are pheasants, rabbits, wild boars and other animals in the mountains, and fish in the river. As long as you can catch them, they will belong to you. This is a good way.
However, after the famine, there were few small animals, making hunting difficult. If someone caught one, it was like winning the jackpot. Although some fish could be caught, they were small, worthless, and no one liked to eat them.
Tao Rui had previously run a farm stay. Although he didn't farm himself and didn't understand farm work, he had raised pheasants and rabbits. Because of running a farm stay, he also learned which wild game couldn't be eaten and which could be caught and raised.
He is currently not contributing anything at home and needs additional nutrition, so hunting is the best way to do it. We will decide on the next step when the time comes.
He first made a slingshot. There were few small animals in the mountains, but there were quite a few birds. However, they flew very fast, and most people couldn't catch them without knowing how to do it.
Tao Rui had good aim. He shot one at a time with his slingshot, and in a short while he had shot down seven or eight.
Although the bird he caught was small, it was meat. Moreover, according to his experience, the meat of this bird was very tender, delicious and nutritious. He could take it home and stew it into a soup, which was enough for the whole family.
After finding something, he slowly wandered through the forest, saying to the system, "Scan for rabbit tracks. I'll set a trap."
There is a pheasant nearby.
[Catch the rabbits first; they give birth quickly and are easy to raise.]
The system quickly scanned the rabbit's tracks. Tao Rui set a trap in the rabbit's activity area and waited for the rabbit to fall into the trap.
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