Zhao Hao chatted with his uncle in a random manner. Zhao Xian sat quietly beside him, saying nothing.

In Zhao Hao's memory, he became taciturn after his family suffered a disaster, but it was not to the extent that he could not say more than three sentences in an entire afternoon.

Looking at Zhao Shouye again, she had clearly told him that her father was imprisoned in the Imperial College and would not be home until dark, but he insisted on waiting for Zhao Shouzheng to come back.

If it's a deep brotherly love, then why is he always absent-minded?

Zhao Hao watched Zhao Shouye twisting his butt in annoyance and was really worried that he would break the bench.

He felt that the atmosphere was a bit weird, so he just asked directly: "It's the same if you tell me if you have something to say."

Zhao Shouye looked at him, moved his lips a few times, shook his head and said, "Let's wait for your father to come back."

"Okay, then let's just have dinner here." Zhao Hao looked at the dim sky and said he went to buy some food, thus escaping from this extremely torturous environment.

Before leaving home, he went to Gao the ironsmith's place, chatted with him for a while, and ate some fried pumpkin seeds. Thinking that Zhao Shouzheng would be back soon, he slowly went to the tavern on the street, bought some meat dishes, and ordered two kilograms of liquor, and did not forget to bring a portion to Gao the ironsmith's house.

While he was arguing with Gao the blacksmith, he saw Zhao Shouzheng carrying a cloth book bag and hurriedly walking into the alley before it got completely dark.

"Father." Zhao Hao took advantage of the situation to get rid of Gao the blacksmith and followed Zhao Shouzheng.

"Hey, son." Zhao Shouzheng was overjoyed when he saw the wine and meat in his hands. He put his school bag under his armpit and reached out to tear a chicken leg to fill his stomach. "You're starving to death!"

"No, my uncle is here." Zhao Hao quickly moved aside.

"Really? He still has a conscience and hasn't forgotten me, his brother." Zhao Shouzheng was overjoyed when he heard that. Regardless of being hungry, he ran into the yard excitedly.

After all, the two brothers were born from the same mother and have lived in the same family for more than 30 years. The bond between them, which is thicker than blood, cannot be faked.

~~

Zhao Shouye and Zhao Xian were in the yard, waiting for Zhao Hao to come back but he didn't.

"Father, I'm afraid my brother has escaped." Zhao Xian said gloomily, "Why don't we go back?"

"How can I go back? Will anything good happen to me if I go back?" Zhao Shouye let out a depressed breath, stood up and rubbed his sore butt.

"Brother, why didn't you tell me in advance so I could wait for you at home!"

At this time, Zhao Shouzheng walked happily into the yard.

Zhao Shouye was slightly relieved and said with a wry smile: "I was just passing by and came here on a whim with nothing in my hands..."

"We are brothers, why are you being polite? Come on, Zhao Xian, help Zhao Hao set the table. Your father and I want to have a drink."

Zhao Shou was in high spirits and didn't notice anything unusual about his elder brother. Of course, even if he wasn't in high spirits, he probably wouldn't have noticed anything wrong with his expression.

Candles were lit in the room, dishes were placed on the table, and the four members of the Zhao family sat down to eat and drink.

"Come on, this is our first reunion, why don't you two have a drink together!"

Seeing that this guy not only broke the rules again but also wanted to drag him into it, Zhao Hao rolled his eyes secretly but didn't say anything.

Zhao Shouzheng poured wine for his brother, picked up the glass and smiled brightly.

The more he acted like this, the gloomier Zhao Shouye became. He reluctantly drank a few glasses with Zhao Shouzheng, and seemed to want to say something but stopped himself several times.

Zhao Hao couldn't stand his uncle's indecisiveness, so he took the lead and said, "Father, uncle has been waiting for you all afternoon, but he didn't even tell me what happened when I asked him."

"Brother, you are being too polite. Zhao Hao is the head of my family now. If you have any problem, just tell him. I don't make the decision." Zhao Shouzheng's face turned pink from drinking and he still didn't understand the situation clearly.

"Really?" Zhao Shouye looked at Zhao Hao in surprise, and then looked at his brother with envy. Before, he always thought that Zhao Shouzheng was heartless and only knew how to sit back and enjoy what was ready, which was ridiculous, but now he envied him instead.

"Well, brother, I'll just say it straight..."

After a while, Zhao Shouye calmed down and sighed, "I have to bow my head under someone's eaves now. Don't blame me if I tell you something."

"Didn't elder brother say to speak frankly? Why are you beating around the bush again?" Zhao Shouzheng finally felt the heaviness of his elder brother and looked at him with a frown.

"Oh, it's really hard to say, it's embarrassing." Zhao Shouye didn't dare to look at his brother, and said in a mosquito-like voice: "You know your sister-in-law. She actually wanted me to take back the money I gave you last time. I didn't agree, and she has already quarreled with me for several times. She said that if I don't take the money back today, she will go to my father-in-law to seek justice."

"Brother, living under someone else's roof is already hard to bear. I can't bring shame to the Zhao family in front of my father-in-law, can I?" Zhao Shouye looked at his brother with a shy face and said, "I know you are in a worse situation than me. I really don't want to ask you for help unless it is absolutely necessary. But I begged and begged for money, but I only got ten or so taels of silver."

"Huh?" Zhao Hao couldn't help but let out a light exclamation.

"Father also secretly gave Grandpa twenty taels." Zhao Xian, who was standing by, choked with tears in his eyes and said, "My mother wants it back as well."

"It's unreasonable, how can this be possible?!" Zhao Shouzheng was furious when he heard this, he threw the wine glass to the ground and spat fiercely: "Why is my sister-in-law so nice to make things difficult for me? It's ok to ask me for money, but she even asked for the money for the old man?!"

"The Qian family is extremely wealthy, does she really care about these ten or twenty taels?" Zhao Shouye said bitterly, taking a sip of his wine: "Isn't it because of those bad things back then that she has been holding a grudge? The old man has bullied her a lot over the years, and now she has found a chance to vent her anger..."

"It was clearly the Qian family who cheated first. Not only did they deceive my brother, but they also caused my father's career to fail!" Zhao Shouzheng's neck turned red and he was ready to argue with the Qian family.

Of course, he wouldn't really go. Even if a scholar met a soldier, he couldn't explain himself clearly. Not to mention meeting a shrew...

"Alas..." Zhao Shouye sighed, "It's been 20 or 30 years. I almost forgot about it. I didn't expect she still holds a grudge against me."

"As expected, women have the most vicious hearts. This woman should not be married!" Zhao Shouzheng slammed the table heavily and said to Zhao Hao, "Son, change another wine glass for your father."

Zhao Hao rolled his eyes secretly. There are only four wine glasses in total. Where can I find another one for you?

He pushed the glass of wine, which he had not drunk a drop from, in front of his father.

Zhao Shouzheng drank a few more cups of wine with his brother, and then he felt the same way: "I was also rejected a while ago. I didn't expect that my elder brother would do the same as me."

Zhao Hao couldn't help curling his lips when he heard this, thinking that Master Zhao had confessed himself...

But even he did not expect that his uncle, a sixth-rank official, although a low-ranking official, would end up in such a miserable state.

He and his son moved out of the south city and stayed away from the gossip circle of Nanjing. They no longer felt the impact of their father's dismissal from office.

But Zhao Shouye is still an official and is in the vortex. He has been suffering from the cold eyes of his superiors and colleagues these days, and he feels the pain deeply.

"Alas, our Zhao family is like a phoenix with feathers shed, worse than a chicken. Those who stepped on us before are now seeking justice and revenge." Zhao Shouye drank a sip of wine, wiped away his bitter tears and said, "Those who I helped before are now avoiding me."

"Brother, don't be discouraged!" Zhao Shouzheng snatched the wine pot from his brother's hand, and angrily said, "You are the hope of our Zhao family! Wasn't my father a poor scholar in the past? Now you are a sixth-rank official, why are you so unambitious?"

Zhao Shouye just kept shaking his head.

"When a man is poor, his ambition is short; when a horse is thin, his hair grows long. I don't have your ambition. Now I am just living a shameless life..."

Seeing his brother wilting like a frost-bitten eggplant, Zhao Shouzheng's eyes also turned red and he started to cry.

Zhao Hao couldn't bear to see Zhao Shouzheng like this, so he sighed inwardly, stood up and gave his father a wink.

ps. New Day Ball recommendation votes, please comment on the chapter~~Everyone please speak up~~~