"Father's handwriting has improved very quickly. It's clear that although he didn't continue with the imperial examinations, he hasn't fallen behind in other areas."
"Of course, I've always been a person who holds myself to high standards."
Xiao Lei covered his mouth and coughed softly twice to suppress his laughter.
Zhao Xiaoyu led people to hang red lanterns in the courtyard, trying to make the courtyard as festive as possible.
All the lanterns were very childlike; it was her son's first Chinese New Year, and she wanted to make him happy.
How's the child's new toy?
He's still young, so he can only make things that are visually appealing, or things like dolls.
Zhao Xiaoyu drew several designs and had them sewed into dolls.
"I've already finished three, and I should be able to sew them all today."
"Place the finished product by his bedside and check it carefully for any needles or anything like that."
"Yes, Master."
Zhao Xiaoyu looked up at the sky. She hadn't seen the sun for many days, only a chilly wind blowing.
"Tie the lanterns tighter, it's been windy lately."
This year is a very cold year; even without snow, the temperature is extremely low. The main problem is the strong wind; once it gets dark, all you can hear outside is the sound of the wind.
I heard that the oxcart business in the village is not good this year. People will probably only go out once at most, and they probably won't go out at all unless it's for the New Year to buy New Year's goods.
"Master, the wind is particularly strong this year."
"Yes, young masters, you should be extra careful on weekdays and make sure you are well covered up when you go out."
Children are most afraid of getting sick, as it's exhausting for both them and adults. However, her son is in good health, and she has always been very careful, leaving his food untouched except for milk.
"This servant understands."
New Year's Eve.
"Father, shall we go now?"
"Pretty much. This reunion dinner will probably have to be at your grandmother's house. But the Huangs have already cleaned the house very well."
The old lady loves lively gatherings. Yesterday, Ms. Huang said that she planned to set up two tables in her room, but only one table in the main room.
Therefore, the daughter and daughter-in-law probably won't be able to eat in the main room.
"Don't worry, today's reunion dinner won't be bad. The kitchen is ours."
The Song family remained silent. They were the kind of people who loved to eat; if it tasted bad, they could just go home and make it again.
They didn't want to share a room with his wife, fearing she would cause trouble.
"Dad, keep an eye on Grandma and don't let her cause trouble for us."
"Don't worry, she'll behave herself as long as I'm here."
When they arrived, they found the house was already full of people. Upon closer inspection, they realized that all the people sitting there were from the eldest uncle's family.
"The third brother is here. It's quite cold outside today, so hurry up and warm him up."
"Yeah, it's definitely quite windy."
Old Mrs. Sun only felt comfortable lying down in the winter. She could see everyone else huddled up, while she could lie comfortably on the warm kang (heated brick bed) without having to go out and not getting cold at all.
"Is it snowing outside?"
"No, it's just windy."
"The wind is really strong this year; it's so loud at night that I can't sleep. Why haven't my second brother's family arrived yet?"
Zhao Dawen recalled Wang's raised eyebrow to him the day before, "I'm afraid something's happened at home."
It seems that my mother doesn't know about Dazhu's injury, and they're pretending not to know either. Visiting a sick person requires buying things and spending money.
"What could possibly be wrong? It's the 30th of the month, do they really think they have to go to work in the fields? I think they just look down on this old woman."
No one in the room said a word, and no one offered an explanation for Zhao Dayong.
Huang and the others knew about Dazhuzi's situation, but they didn't tell the old lady. They were afraid that the old lady would get anxious and cause trouble for her master again, forcing her to help treat the illness.
Zhao Dayong's family arrived fifteen minutes later. After they got inside, they rested for a while. They weren't dressed very warmly, except for the little girl.
"Why are you all so late? Where's Dazhuzi?"
The old woman noticed immediately that someone was missing.
"Dazhu is injured and resting at home. It's so late because I have to take care of him and get him ready before I can go out."
Old Mrs. Sun still had a certain fondness for the large pillar.
"How did he get injured? What happened? Is he badly hurt?"
Zhao Dayong found it difficult to speak, as he had to bear his son's injury alone. Yesterday, he went to the Pan family to ask for money for medicine, but the Pan family, seeing that only he and Erzhuzi were there, didn't give him a kind look.
Not only did they not pay a single penny in compensation, they also said his son deserved it and that they would beat him up again if he caused trouble in the future.
The father and son were no match for the Pan family and had to return home empty-handed.
It was so shameful; just thinking about it made him feel incredibly embarrassed. It was the first time someone had been beaten half to death and hadn't even received any compensation. He felt utterly humiliated.
It's so sad to have no one to help them. Even if they get beaten up, they can only silently endure it. I'm afraid that anyone will dare to bully their family in the future.
Now he thinks it's good that Sanzhuzi has become a scoundrel. After the New Year, he will lead a group to the Pan family to demand money. Dazhuzi can't be beaten for nothing.
"I went to the Pan family to find Madam Pan and got beaten up."
Old Mrs. Sun was exasperated. "Why is he still going to see that little slut? She's already divorced him. Are all the good women in the world dead? Why does he have to keep bothering her?"
The thought of Pan filled her with displeasure. That woman was wicked; she had instigated Dazhu to divide the family property right after their marriage, and later she was very unfilial to her second son and his wife.
He doesn't visit her out of genuine filial piety; he just wants her things. Dazhu used to be such a well-behaved child, but she's completely corrupted him.
The divorce made his grandson lose face in the village. Why is he still thinking about her? Is he really that pathetic?
That little slut has some tricks up her sleeve; she's got her grandson completely under her thumb.
"They dare to hit people? Did you go to their house to demand justice? What right did they have to hit our Dazhu? Are they seriously injured?"
Why didn't the Huang family find out about such a big thing?
"It's definitely not a minor injury. He'll probably become a cripple. Mother, Dazhu is in a terrible state right now!"
Zhao Dayong lay on his mother's kang (a heated brick bed), unable to stop himself from sobbing softly. He was truly heartbroken and devastated, as his eldest son's medical treatment had cost a lot of money.
When he didn't have enough money, he even forced his eldest son to take out some of his own savings.
Old Mrs. Sun was heartbroken. "Eldest son, third son, you all go to the Pan family and demand justice for Dazhuzi."
Zhao Dawen waved his hands repeatedly, "Mother, no, no! You know all the men in our family are scholars. What can they do if they can't even kill a chicken? In the past, they could only get beaten."
You shouldn't have come to us with this. The third brother could handle it; with so many people in his family, twenty or thirty of them could easily kill the entire Pan family.
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