Xia Pu was about the same age as Xia Hong, and he was covered in dust and dirt while working on the construction site.
Song Liyun disliked him not because he was dirty, but because of his darting eyes and his nonchalant attitude.
With a blade of grass dangling from the corner of his mouth, his shoulders slumped, and his hands fiddling with the end of his belt, he followed Song Erlang into the house.
As soon as Xia Pu entered, he saw a young woman wearing a rabbit-patterned headband sitting on the heated kang bed by the window.
He knew that this was the young mistress of the Wuda tribe, a junior member of his cousin's family.
Xia Pu spat out the grass stems he had chewed until they were foaming, stared intently at the unmoving Song Liyun, and grinned, "Niece, why don't you show some courtesy?"
Niece?
Song Liyun frowned and looked at him coldly: "You are Xia Pu?"
Song Erlang, startled, grabbed Xia Pu's arm and said, "You should still call her 'Young Madam,' don't do this..."
Xia Pu slapped away the hand that was tugging at his clothes: "Brother Erlang, what are you saying? You and De Kui are the young mistress's uncles, my cousin is her aunt, so of course I am her uncle. We are all relatives, so it's more intimate to call her niece."
Song Erlang's rough, dark face flushed red. He knew in his heart that Song Liyun calling him Uncle Erlang was just a polite way of putting it.
I didn't take good care of Daping and his two siblings in the past, and I'm ashamed to be an elder.
Especially the Xia family, who are now only related by marriage, are starting to take advantage of us.
Upon hearing Xia Pu mention relatives, the coldness on Song Liyun's face suddenly disappeared. She smiled and said to Song Erlang, "Uncle Xia is right. Third Aunt is his cousin, so I am his junior."
"That's right, niece. Your uncle helped you repair the house. He worked hard for half a month. Today, I'm giving you a welcome feast. Do you have any good wine to satisfy your uncle's cravings?" Xia Pu didn't sit on the stool, but shamelessly sat on the warm kang next to Song Liyun.
Song Liyun stood up, avoiding Xia Pu's gaze that seemed to want to bore a hole through her, and said to Song Erlang, who was anxiously scratching his head beside him, "Uncle Erlang, please tell the construction workers that they are off today, and the kitchen will prepare some good food for them."
Song Erlang readily agreed and pulled Xia Pu, who was still trying to back out, away.
Xia Pu looked unhappy and took a plate of crispy peanuts from the kang table before leaving.
In the afternoon, everyone in Mida City stopped working and rested, and everyone received stewed meat and white cakes to welcome the young mistress.
In the dining hall of the outer courtyard of the city lord's mansion, Xia Pu was overjoyed. As the uncle of the host family, he sat in the main seat with Song Erlang.
Unfortunately, this was only prepared for the foremen among the migrant workers, and he was somewhat dissatisfied that he wasn't at the same table as his niece, Song Liyun.
Xia Pu ate the beef with gusto, praising its deliciousness: "The grasslands are the best! In the Wu Dynasty, eating beef would get you punished by the government, but here you can eat as much as you want."
"Song Erlang, I'm telling you, from now on, have your niece send a sheep to Songfeng County every month as a token of respect for both our families."
Song Erlang, holding his breath, said, "Sheep are also money. I work to earn money. I can't do something like asking for things for no reason!"
Xia Pu, gnawing on a large bone, mumbled, "If you're too embarrassed to say it, I, as your uncle, will go and tell them. There are also several aunts and cousins in the family, as well as your brother's father-in-law. They should all try the riverside sheep here."
Song Erlang threw down his chopsticks; he couldn't eat anymore.
I must go back and make it clear to De Kui that the woman he married is not a wife, but a bloodsucking leech.
In just half a day, Song Erlang had made up his mind that if De Kui did not sever ties with the Xia family, he would go back and demand a separation of the family, even if he was scolded.
Even this honest man got anxious.
The Xia family is a menace; who knows how big a hole they'll create.
He could tolerate the Xia family pestering his family, but now it seems they're going to target Xiaoyun and the others.
It hasn't been easy for Xiaoyun and her two siblings to get to where they are now. They lost their bloodsucking second uncle, and then another uncle suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Hearing Xia Pu's shameless words, Qin Huai coldly said, "What shamelessness! They're relatives who are not even remotely related, yet they still cling to each other just because they smell something."
Xia Pu was feeling quite pleased with himself when he heard Qin Huai humiliate him to his face. He immediately flew into a rage, threw the bone in his hand at Qin Huai's face, and said aggressively, "What? Song Liyun is my cousin's niece, so I am her rightful uncle. What right do you, an outsider, have to talk to me like that?"
Although Xia Pu had only been working here for a month, he and Qin Huai already harbored deep resentment.
Since last year, Qin Huai has been in charge of the foreman position. He has been doing his job conscientiously and managing the staff has been stable. Zhao Tingduo trusts him quite a bit.
Xia Pu saw that he had a lot of authority on the construction site, so he was naturally dissatisfied. Relying on his relationship with the Song family, he started to oppose Qin Huai.
When they first arrived, there were even group fights. When the soldiers of the Lei Battalion saw that the Song family was involved, they were intimidated by Xia Pu and did not interfere.
It was only after Zhao Tingduo came over and punished both sides that there was no open conflict.
Now that Song Liyun has arrived, Xia Pu seems to have found his backer, and his arrogance has returned. He throws a bone at Qin Huai's face and makes a scene.
Qin Huai used to have to put up with him out of respect for Song Erlang, but he had already met Song Liyun at noon and figured out that the young mistress wouldn't tolerate this troublemaker. He couldn't stand him anymore, so he jumped up and punched him in the face: "I'll beat you to death, you rotten person who takes advantage of every opportunity!"
Caught off guard, Xia Pu was slapped across the face, his nose bleeding profusely.
The soup in the bowl on the table spilled all over Xia Pu. He didn't get up to fight back, but just lay on the ground groaning and yelling, "You, Qin Huai, want to die? I'm going to let my niece get justice."
He wanted to show Song Liyun his pathetic state, drive away Qin Huai, and let him take sole power.
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