At 1 p.m., I had finished delivering all the packages on my route, had lunch at home, and then rode my electric bike straight to Hutudao's house.
When I arrived at Hutudao's house, the front door was open, and I didn't stand on ceremony and just walked in.
As soon as I entered Hu Tudao's house, I found Hu Tudao kneeling on the ground, while his father, Hu Ergou, was sitting on the sofa, holding a broken broomstick in his hand.
Hu Tudao on the ground could only be described as miserable. Except for his face, his whole body was covered in injuries. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and there were red marks on his arms and calves.
"Oh, it's Changming. Have a seat." Hu Ergou said casually as he saw me walk in.
"Uncle Hu, what's going on?" I didn't sit down on the sofa, but pointed to Hu Tu and asked.
"Changming, I already know what happened last night," Hu Ergou said slowly, tossing aside the broken broomstick in his hand.
"Uncle Hu, it's not entirely Hu Tudao's fault." I didn't expect Hu Ergou to already know about last night's events. It seems Hu Tudao wanted his father to intervene, which is why he revealed it. I just didn't expect Hu Ergou to teach Hu Tudao a lesson. But this matter is also related to me, so I still spoke up for Hu Tudao.
"Hmph, who else can we blame but him? This kid never learns anything good and always tries to fool me. If this hadn't happened, I don't know how long he would have kept it from me." Hu Ergou snorted coldly, glared at Hu Tu, and cursed.
I don't know what Hu Tudao is hiding from Hu Ergou, but in this situation, I can't say anything, so I just stand aside and watch silently.
"Dad, I know I was wrong. I will study hard from now on," Hu Tudao said softly, his head bowed.
"You little brat, how many times have you promised me? You promised to study hard when I told you to, and when you didn't do well, I didn't say anything. You promised to find a good job, but look at what you've done! You formed cliques and even went to jail for theft. While you were in jail, you promised to be a good person when you got out, but look at you now! What can you do besides brag?" Hu Ergou glared at Hu Tudao and started cursing, spitting saliva all over the ground. The more he cursed, the angrier he became. He then picked up the broken broomstick from the ground and was about to continue beating Hu Tudao.
I couldn't stand there any longer, so I quickly stepped forward, grabbed the broom handle, and advised, "Uncle Hu, let it go, give him a chance. Actually, this is also my fault. I was possessed by something evil, and I went to Tu Dao to resolve it, which is why things turned out this way."
“Changming, you still don’t understand. This is very serious. Fortunately, what you encountered last night was just a ghost. If it had been something more powerful, the three of you might not have survived.” Hu Ergou finally stopped attacking Hu Tudao and said slowly, “I thought this brat had been with me for so long and should have learned something. I didn’t expect him to be unable to subdue even a small ghost and even wet his pants. He has completely disgraced me, Hu Ergou.”
I stood aside and was stunned when I heard this. How did Hu Ergou know that Hu Tudao had wet his pants? Logically speaking, even if Hu Tudao came back to ask his father for help, he wouldn't have told him about it. At most, he would have said that the evil spirit was too powerful and he couldn't control it.
Hu Ergou seemed to have noticed my confusion. He glared at Hu Tudao and said angrily, "This kid dares to lie to me when he comes back. If I hadn't called Feng Liu, I would still be in the dark. He's incompetent but loves to brag. He goes to brothels whenever he has a little money. It's infuriating!"
Upon hearing this, I suddenly realized what was going on and glanced apologetically at Hu Tudao. He had already reminded me to tell Tong Liu not to reveal his secret, and I had promised him. However, I got busy and forgot about it. In fact, even if I had told Tong Liu, if Hu Ergou had called Tong Liu, Tong Liu would still have told him. The reason was simple: Tong Liu and Hu Ergou's wife were related by marriage.
Hu Ergou's wife, Liu Xiuchuan, was a fierce woman. People from several nearby villages liked to call her Big Boat Granny. She was very good at arguing. She was very aggressive in the village, and even in the entire Liuluo Village Committee, almost no one dared to mess with her. Anyone who had argued with her knew that Big Boat Granny carried a big water bottle on her waist and was invincible. She would often force her opponents to go home and drink water like crazy.
Big Boat Granny was very protective of her own, especially of Hu Tudao, whom she doted on. Hu Ergou didn't want to discipline Hu Tudao for his mischievousness in previous years, but he dared not. Hitting him was definitely out of the question, scolding him was also out of the question, and even if he tried to persuade him with kind words, it would be a miracle if the rebellious Hu Tudao listened.
Liu Xiuchuan died of illness three years ago, when Hu Tudao was still inside the prison.
If Liu Xiuchuan were still alive, Hu Ergou would never have dared to lay a hand on Hu Tudao. I estimate that this was the first time Hu Ergou had ever attacked Hu Tudao.
I took out a cigarette and handed it to Hu Ergou, saying, "Uncle Hu, you've already hit him, don't be angry anymore. Tu Dao will change."
"Hmph, if he were as sensible as you, I wouldn't be so angry." Hu Ergou took the cigarette, lit it, and took a big drag.
"Dad, I promise I'll be good from now on. I'll never go to brothels again," Hu Tudao hurriedly began making various promises.
"Get up," Hu Ergou said slowly after finishing a cigarette.
Upon hearing this, Hu Tudao immediately stood up. He had only superficial injuries, similar to the time I was beaten by Ma Dajun and his son. With some medicine, they would heal in a day or two.
“If you don’t study hard in the future, you’ll be sent to work in a factory making snails, so as not to ruin my reputation. You’re lucky to have come back alive this time. If you had studied hard with me, how could a mere ghost have dared to mess with you?” Hu Ergou said to Hu Tu, still not giving him a good look, and continued to lecture him.
Actually, it's not hard for me to understand. After hearing what Hu Ergou said, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Huihui is just an ordinary ghost and doesn't want to harm people. Perhaps she's just playing tricks on us for fun. If it were like what Old Li said about Fang Lei, who takes a life all the time, then it would be a real problem.
"Dad, I know I was wrong. After this lesson, I will definitely study hard in the future," Hu Tudao said earnestly, patting his chest.
I'm immune to Hu Tudao's signature move. He always makes that promise, but what happened later?
I know it will be difficult for Hu Tudao to change in a short period of time. Some things are ingrained in his bones. It's already quite good that he doesn't do anything illegal.
"Clean up the floor and make me and Changming a pot of tea," Hu Ergou said, pointing to the broken broomsticks on the ground.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com