"I don't know where he's gone to do that annoying thing again. I'm not sure when he'll be back, or where to look for him. If you're not in a hurry and don't mind, young lady, why don't you come inside and wait for him?" the old woman said cautiously.
Upon hearing this, Tian Shu looked up at the sky, pondering whether he should find a good inn first. He then looked at Hong Xiaoduo, wanting to see what she was planning to do.
But then she stepped inside, replying as she went, "Grandpa, I'm not in a hurry. If you don't want to bother me, I'll just wait for him here."
As they spoke, they arrived in the courtyard and stood before the old man.
"Then, please sit and wait." The old man didn't expect her to actually enter the courtyard. He turned around and looked around, his gaze landing on the two chairs by the door.
"Please have a seat, sir. I'll hang these clothes up for you first," Hong Xiaoduo said as she walked towards the wooden basin.
Tian Shu strode in and insisted on doing it, saying, "I'll do it. You all sit down and talk."
Little Grey is clever and understands human nature, so there's no need to tie it up; it can just wait outside the gate.
"How can I let you do all this?" The old man wanted to call them guests, but then he realized that it was inappropriate for him to address them as guests.
Hong Xiaoduo helped the old man up by the arm and said, "It's alright, come on, let's sit down and chat." She walked to the chair.
After the two sat down, they watched as Tian Shu quickly hung up the clothes. Then they picked up the broom that had fallen to the ground and put it aside. They went to the water vat, lifted the lid and looked inside. Then they went to the wall and neatly arranged the chopped but scattered firewood.
Although the old man was only one-eyed, he could see clearly that these two really weren't here because of that good-for-nothing son.
"Young lady, you look unfamiliar. You're probably not from around here, are you? I'm not afraid to tell you, but all these years, because of my rascal son, no one else has ever come into this courtyard."
Even if there are any outside the courtyard, they only come when he's not home, specifically to scold and berate his wife for giving birth to a troublesome child. The old man finished speaking and sighed helplessly.
Hearing what the old man said, Hong Xiaoduo finally asked, "Having a son like this, your life must be tough, right?"
"Well, how should I put it? He was also dragged down by me. It's my fault, I'm a useless old woman," the old woman said with great remorse.
Seeing that Hong Xiaoduo was very puzzled, the old man thought for a moment and said, "It has been said since ancient times that a loving mother often spoils her son, but that is not the case for us, mother and son."
His father had a shop and did some small business. We were doing well back then. When I was seven months pregnant with him, his father was robbed while delivering goods and lost his life. After he was born, my son and I depended on each other for survival. Our uncles and aunts bullied us, a widow and orphan, and were envious of our shop and land.
He made things difficult for me and tried to force me to remarry, but when that failed, I vented all my resentment on him. Left with no other choice, I sold my shop and land to someone else at a low price and moved here with him.
However, I was too naive. A widow with a young child will have a hard time anywhere; she will always be bullied.
The child was driven to desperation and fiercely resisted, only to discover that when he became aggressive and shameless, those who had previously bullied us were actually afraid.
After that, he understood a principle: although being a bad person and doing wicked things may make people hate and avoid you, you will no longer be bullied by others.
No matter how I disciplined him, he was determined to be a scoundrel. I beat his back until it was raw and bleeding, and he fainted from the pain. When he woke up, he still wouldn't admit his mistakes.
He cried and asked me, "Why should I be bullied by others?" I was speechless. The old man became emotional as he recounted the past.
Hong Xiaoduo was also surprised to find out that things were like this, and hesitated whether to ask her about the Pang family's affairs...
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