Zhao Youcai's mood had just improved a little when he heard the word "Dad," and his expression instantly turned serious.
Zhao Jianfei stared at the table piled high with food, his eyes shining. Those huge bowls of meat looked even more delicious.
Zhao Jianfei believed he knew his father very well and that he would never really hold a grudge against his youngest son, whom he had doted on since childhood.
In addition, Zhao Youcai is concerned about his reputation. With so many guests around, even if he is still angry, he won't really bring up past grievances with him.
But what he didn't know was that the old man in front of him had long since changed his mind and was no longer the father he remembered.
The other members of the Zhao family watched this scene with their hearts in their throats.
Just when things were starting to look up, the youngest child came home. Given his father's usual behavior, would the whole family have to contribute to Zhao Jianfei's cause again?
Just as all the Zhao family members were feeling anxious and tormented, Zhao Youcai suddenly slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and slapped Zhao Jianfei across the face.
Fortunately, Zhao Jianfei dodged quickly, otherwise the slap would have landed squarely on him.
"Get out! I don't have a son like you!"
The distinguished guests were dumbfounded. No one expected that Zhao Youcai, whose mind was as cunning as a beehive, would have such an uncontrollable outburst of emotion.
Holding onto the chopsticks in their hands was awkward, but putting them down was also awkward; everyone's face was filled with dilemma.
Zhao Youcai gave a look to his second son, who was the most capable in the family, and then tossed his head toward the door.
The second brother, Zhao Jianjun, immediately understood. He excitedly walked up to Zhao Jianfei, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and dragged him toward the door.
"Second brother, I can't breathe! Let go, let go now!"
Zhao Jianjun wouldn't listen to him; who knew what this scheming younger brother might do next?
It's rare that the old man wasn't so foolish as to be blinded by his youngest son again. He had to seize the opportunity to get rid of this unruly youngest son from the Zhao family as quickly as possible.
Besides, so what if you really can't breathe?
He walks very fast. Even if there are only five or six seconds when he can only exhale and not inhale, he will let go as soon as he gets out of the door and he will be able to come back to life.
The fact that this guy has the energy to say such a long string of words shows he's faking it. Does that mean he's really a fool just because Zhao Jianjun is second in command?
After throwing the youngest child out the door, Zhao Jianjun slammed the door shut in front of the child and then locked it from the inside with a large padlock.
Anyway, our distinguished guests will be full for quite a while, so we can't let this unlucky thing sneak in.
The third brother, Zhao Jianhua, thought a bit more than Zhao Jianjun. In his view, the youngest brother was, after all, an intellectual, and would definitely be more popular when talking to these distinguished guests.
Having finally gotten the chance to show my face in front of so many distinguished guests whom I would never even dream of seeing on ordinary days, I must make the most of this opportunity to perform well.
If Lao Yao were here, would these people still look down on them, a bunch of genuine peasants?
It's true that they have a good relationship with their father, but if they want to be on good terms with him, they don't care which son it is.
No matter how annoying the youngest son is, in the eyes of outsiders he is still a member of the Zhao family, and is also Zhao Youcai's son.
Seeing that his father doesn't respect his youngest son at all, Zhao Jianhua is happier than anyone else.
Only Zhao Chunhua is still unable to process what's going on.
Dad always doted on his youngest child, so why is what's happening now so different from what I remember?
Zhao Chunhua suspects that she is still at the Sun family's house, but was just having a beautiful dream after being knocked unconscious and near death.
The second son's wife was even more frightened. She huddled in the kitchen and diligently tidied up the place, wiping things with a rag.
How could she not be afraid?
If a father-in-law can be so heartless to his youngest son whom he has doted on for so many years, what good can a daughter-in-law like her, who causes trouble without any limits, possibly expect?
Let's take a look at what her father-in-law has done recently. First, he sent her, his second daughter-in-law's, family to the jail, and then he sent Zhao Chunhua's husband's family to the jail as well.
These individuals specifically target troublemaking in-laws, and the key point is that they kill them all.
With such an overly efficient father-in-law, she's not sure if the next time he gets angry, after no troublesome in-laws have taken action, he'll send her straight to jail.
Looking at the other two sisters-in-law, who were sitting with Zhao Chunhua and the other men of the Zhao family eating the same food as the honored guests, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
These days, when a distinguished guest comes to a house, would the daughter-in-law not be busy serving guests, but instead sit quietly at another table eating?
When did the Zhao family's rules become so lax? Wasn't my father-in-law the most particular about rules and saving face?
Zhao Youcai didn't care about these trivial matters at all. In his opinion, at most, the cold dishes on the table were almost finished, and he could just call someone to the kitchen to bring out another plate of cold dishes.
The son and daughter-in-law sat at another table nearby, glancing at this table from time to time, just enough to refill the dishes and avoid leaving the plates empty.
We can't let our own people go hungry just to serve others a meal, can we?
He is the head of the household, not a slave owner from the old society, so he wouldn't do such a bullying thing.
As for why his second daughter-in-law didn't eat with them, Zhao Youcai didn't bother to ask. Maybe she wasn't hungry? Forcing her to eat and making her sick wouldn't be good.
Zhao Jianfei, standing outside the door, was furious.
He didn't want to get dirty climbing walls; his clothes were expensive. He couldn't bear the embarrassment of getting them covered in mud and dirt and having people see them.
The door panels had been replaced sometime earlier, and they were much thicker than when he left home.
He couldn't push it away, nor could he kick it open. There were constant noises coming from inside the yard, but the commotion he was making outside had absolutely no effect on the people inside.
Zhao Jianfei was puzzled. Where had all the villagers who usually watched the commotion at his doorstep gone? Why didn't a few of them come to help him get justice?
At least let his proud father, who couldn't bear the gossip from the villagers, go in and eat meat first.
Zhao Jianfei quickly calmed down.
Having witnessed his father's social circle since his return, he knew he had to humble himself and beg for forgiveness in order to secure his job.
The most important thing is to show that you really know you're wrong; the more pitiful you are, the more you can awaken the old father's love for his son.
Asking others for help is definitely not an option, as that would be tantamount to telling everyone that the old father is disrespectful and that it is clearly the old man who is in the wrong for bullying his youngest son, which would only make the old father angrier.
So when he goes home this time, he won't be able to eat meat, and he won't even be able to drink a drop of the greasy dishwater.
But how could he put on this grand show of begging for forgiveness all by himself at the gate?
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