Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 225

Zhao Yongbo is exceptionally clever; his timing was impeccable. Zhao Da'e would give him full marks for this move.

Of course, who can blame them when Zhao Yongbo is the beloved grandson of Wang Guixiang and Zhao Tingxu? If it were Zhao Da'e, he probably wouldn't even have a chance to explain; Wang Guixiang would just drag him over and give him a beating... As for Zhao Tingxu, although he wouldn't actually beat his granddaughter, he certainly wouldn't say a kind word to her.

If you compare yourself to others, Zhao Da'e will probably be furious.

However, Zhao Tingxu was the one who was furious.

Zhao Tingxu's breathing was noticeably uneven, and his rhythm was off.

Although Zhao Tiegang had been drinking, seeing Zhao Tingxu's state immediately sobered him up: "Dad, Dad, come inside. Don't be angry, don't be angry, it's all my fault. I'll teach this kid a lesson later."

Wang Guixiang was also frightened and immediately pulled Zhao Tingxu into the house, patting him on the back to help him catch his breath: "Old man, don't get so angry. It's not worth it... Come inside and rest for a while, come inside and calm down."

The two men pushed Zhao Tingxu into the room, and then he sat on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Zhao Tingxu was still breathing heavily, as if he might fall ill at any moment, and his face turned red.

"Call your second brother over, something's going to happen to your father!" Wang Guixiang shouted.

Zhao Tiegang was about to leave when Zhao Tingxu grabbed him, saying, "It's alright. Make some tea."

Zhao Tiegang went to make tea. Zhao Tingxu's hands were trembling, and Zhao Tiegang's hands were also trembling.

Seeing Zhao Tiegang's useless appearance, Zhao Tingxu slapped him hard across the face.

Snapped.

"What kind of thing did you give birth to?"

Zhao Tiegang's face swelled up instantly, and the handprint was particularly noticeable.

It must be said that the Zhao brothers are relatively filial, though perhaps they were forced to be so by Zhao Tingxu's constant suppression. Even after being slapped hard across the face, Zhao Tiegang still said, "Dad, don't be angry. If you're unhappy about anything, just hit me."

Wang Guixiang, standing nearby, also told Zhao Tingxu to calm down, saying it was all the children's fault.

Saying things like "the child is young and doesn't understand."

Liu Xiaochun also awkwardly said that what could a child who is just over four years old understand? Maybe he was possessed by a god of poverty and hunger and his mind was confused, which is why he made such a stupid mistake.

Yes, Zhao Yongbo is still a child...

As an elder, it's not worth getting angry with a child, is it?

That's what he said, but Zhao Tingxu was furious. It wasn't that he was disappointed in his grandson, but rather that he had genuinely wanted to raise a good grandson who would amount to something, but the story had ended before it even began—Zhao Yongbo had started going astray at just four years old…

Zhao Tingxu was filled with countless emotions: frustration, regret, and exhaustion.

Zhao Tingxu knew he couldn't drink any more wine, so he took a moment to recover. He drank a few sips of tea, let out a long sigh, and managed to keep himself from dying of anger.

If it weren't for the people who persuaded him, Zhao Tingxu might have really suffered a brain hemorrhage from anger.

Although Zhao Tingxu hasn't suffered a brain hemorrhage yet, he still feels vaguely unwell. His head is throbbing.

Zhao Tingxu liked Zhao Yongbo's grandson. He was good-looking, quite like Zhao Tiegang when he was young. But he was so unruly; what would become of him when he grew up?

Moreover, Zhao Yongbo smashed all the vats in the old house. The water vat is gone, the sauerkraut vat is gone, the pickled vegetable vat is gone, and a few days ago he even smashed the pot…

"Gangzi, this is your son, you have to do something about him."

In rural areas, it's customary to discipline children in public and wives in private. So, when Zhao Tingxu had something to say about Zhao Yongbo, he immediately remarked, "If this child isn't properly disciplined, he'll end up getting into fights and causing trouble everywhere."

Zhao Tiegang was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Then I'll take good care of it later."

Zhao Tiegang said that, but he had never cared for the child and didn't know how. Zhang Cuilan would definitely not agree to hitting the child.

However, Zhao Tiegang felt that trying to reason with Zhao Yongbo without giving him a beating was somewhat superfluous. If reason could be applied, there would be no war, right?

Just then, Zhao Yongbo came in and said, "Grandpa, my mom even appeared in my dream..."

Zhao Tie had just been slapped across the face by Zhao Tingxu and had nowhere to vent his anger, so he cursed, "What kind of dream is your mother having? You little brat, you've been getting more and more disrespectful lately. I don't know who you learned it from, you're really getting too big for your britches. Last night you secretly smashed your grandfather's water vat, and your grandfather didn't beat you up. Today you smashed the sauerkraut vat and the pickled vegetable vat too. Are you going to set the house on fire tomorrow?"

As Zhao Tiegang cursed, he reached out and grabbed Zhao Yongbo, pulling him down by the buttocks and slapping him twice...

pop~

pop~

Zhao Yongbo's personality is very similar to Zhang Cuilan's. After being hit, his eyes instantly turned red, and he immediately opened his mouth and bit Zhao Tiegang.

Zhao Tiegang winced in pain, grabbed Zhao Yongbo by the neck with one hand, and lifted him up: "You little bastard, I'll beat you to death today..."

Zhao Tiegang's outburst immediately enraged Wang Guixiang, who quickly pulled Zhao Yongbo into her arms and yelled, "Zhao Tiegang, you bastard! What did my grandson do wrong? Even if he did, it's not your place to hit him..."

Zhao Tingxu also nudged Zhao Tiegang: "Gangzi, what are you doing? I was just saying, why did you actually hit me?"

Zhao Tiegang looked completely bewildered: ? ? ?

Wasn't it Zhao Tingxu who told me to take care of the kids? Now he's blaming me? I'm caught in the middle, no one's happy!

Regardless of whether Zhao Tiegang was confused or not, Zhao Tingxu's anger subsided upon seeing Zhao Yongbo being beaten; instead, he felt a vague sense of bewilderment. Zhao Tingxu was different from Wang Guixiang; Wang Guixiang was simply clueless, but Zhao Tingxu did have some sense, albeit not much…

Zhao Tingxu's suggestion that Zhao Tiegang teach Zhao Yongbo a lesson later was just a lip service. He didn't really mean it; he meant teaching Zhao Yongbo a lesson later, not now.

Liu Xiaochun is still here. It was so hard to get him back for a meal, and now that he's beaten up Zhao Yongbo, if Liu Xiaochun goes back and tells Zhang Cuilan, she'll have even more excuses not to go home.

These days, many daughters-in-law go back to their parents' homes. It usually ends up causing trouble, and they have to be invited back three or five times. And if things go wrong, the parents-in-law not only have to apologize, but most importantly, they have to give money.

Being a parent-in-law is not easy.

Zhang Cuilan's family situation was truly appalling.

Why didn't Zhao Tingxu care when Zhao Tiegang wasn't working? Because Zhao Tingxu knew that no matter how hard Zhao Tiegang worked, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

His sympathy for Zhao Tiegang stemmed primarily from the fact that Zhao Tiegang had a son. If Zhao Tiegang didn't have a son, Zhao Tingxu wouldn't feel sorry for him.

Zhang Cuilan's family was exceptionally poor. When other daughters-in-law returned to their parents' homes, like Zhao Da'e's mother, Zhao Tingxu felt at ease. After all, although Zhao Da'e's mother's family was poor, they could still survive. Once she returned home, her brother and sister-in-law wouldn't let her stay for long. Sooner or later, Zhao Da'e's mother would be forced to return as well.

Moreover, in Zhao Tingxu's eyes, Zhao Da'e's mother had only had a minor conflict with her in-laws, a conflict that had essentially been resolved. Zhao Da'e's sister hadn't been given away, and Cheng Jinxiang hadn't lost her own flesh and blood. Even if the Zhao family had acted wrongly, at least the outcome wasn't too bad. After some time, Cheng Jinxiang had had her fill of fuss and returned.

However, Zhang Cuilan's return to her parents' home was less of an accident and more of a deliberate act. Even if the Zhao family built a new house, would Zhang Cuilan still come back?

What Zhang Cuilan sought was probably not a house, but money.

Her brothers were all grown up and still single. Getting married would cost money, and Zhao Tingxu certainly didn't want to give money to outsiders.

At this point, having beaten Zhao Yongbo, Zhang Cuilan had even more reason not to come back.

That's why Zhao Tingxu was a little angry.

"Gangzi, it's all over now. I'm not angry anymore. Yongbo is still a child. What kind of grandparents would scold a child? Come on, have some meat..."

Each of them had their own thoughts, which resulted in Zhao Yongbo not only not being beaten, but also being carried to the table by Zhao Tingxu and having a meal.

Zhao Da'e waited outside the courtyard for a long time, but didn't see any fighting in the east room of the old house. Zhao Da'e clearly heard the sound of the sauerkraut jar breaking, but after a while, nothing happened.

Zhao Da'e was questioning his existence: Holy crap! Is this favoritism to this extent?

If I had smashed this, Zhao Tingxu would have burned me alive!

Zhao Yongbo smashed this, and nothing happened to him?!

Such hypocritical grandparents are truly disappointing!

Zhao Da'e won't be able to watch the excitement, but he's achieved his goal; at worst, he can go down and whisper some rumors to the eldest son of the Zhao family...

Zhao Da'e: Damn it, I can't do good deeds, but I can do bad deeds too!

Wearing a fox fur hat and scarf, Zhao Da'e swayed leisurely until he arrived at the door of his uncle Zhao Tiebao's house.

Zhao Tiebao is thirty-six or thirty-seven years old this year. He has a son named Zhao Yongze, who is the eldest brother in the Zhao family. Zhao Yongze is sixteen or seventeen years old and is in junior high school.

Of course, Zhao Yongze wasn't cut out for studying; his greatest talent was fighting.

And they especially enjoy it.

Other kids at least have a reason for fighting. Zhao Yongze fights only because he feels like it.

They often got into fights over a simple "What are you looking at?" or "What's it to you?" Of course, they were all just kids, so fighting was normal.

Zhao Tiebao got married relatively early and separated from his family early as well.

Zhao Tiebao is the eldest son in the Zhao family, followed by Zhao Da'e's aunts and then her father. Actually, Zhao Da'e's father, Zhao Tiesheng, is also in his thirties, but he married relatively late, which explains the significant age difference between Zhao Da'e and Zhao Tiebao's son, Zhao Yongze.

When Zhao Da'e arrived at Zhao Tiebao's house, he knocked loudly on the door: "Grandpa, Grandma. Are you home?"

Zhao Tiebao's yard was quite large. There was a low earthen wall on the east side of the house, while the west wall was relatively normal. There were also walls in the front and back.

The east wall has been a source of constant conflict and arguments with the neighbors, preventing it from being properly fixed. They even had a fight last year, so the project has been left unfinished.

There's a shed on the west side of the yard where bicycles are kept.

The house consists of four single-story rooms, which is considered quite good for a village.

This is also the main reason why the two remaining brothers in the Zhao family have been fighting amongst themselves and have always felt resentful.

Because Zhao Tingxu paid for the construction of these four bungalows. Moreover, Zhao Tiesheng and Zhao Tiegang were not young at that time, and they also contributed a lot of effort.

At the time, Zhao Tingxu had saved up for many years to build this house. This also explains why Zhao Tiesheng got married so late.

When Zhao Tiesheng got married, he was already twenty-six years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning). He was about to become a bachelor, and all of this was thanks to Zhao Tingxu.

Zhao Tingxu had spent almost all of the family's savings, even borrowing money to build this house. There was simply no money left to help his second and third sons get married.

It took several years to recover.

When Zhao Da'e saw the house, he was filled with emotion: In the Zhao family, Zhao Tiebao was also one of the ones who wronged Zhao Tingxu the most.

But Zhao Tiebao can't be blamed for this...

The Zhao family's history is particularly interesting, but I won't go into too much detail.

As soon as Zhao Da'e called out, someone came out from inside, and it was Zhao Tiebao.

There's also a small dog at home, not very big. This dog is also a puppy born to Xiao Bao, Zhao Da'e's dog, so Zhao Da'e isn't afraid of it, since she even held it when it was a puppy.

Seeing Zhao Tiebao come out, Zhao Da'e opened half the gate and went into the yard.

"The geese are here."

"I'm just wandering around aimlessly. Nothing much to do."

Zhao Tiebao ushered Zhao Da'e into the house.

The stove was burning hot, and the room was so warm that Zhao Da'e even felt a little hot.

It had been a long time since it had been this warm, and Zhao Da'e was still a little unaccustomed to it.

"It's too hot in this room, I can't stand it."

Zhao Tiebao added some more coal and said with a smile, "You'll have to take off your cotton-padded coat to fit in this room."

However, Zhao Da'e still wore it and didn't take off his hat.

It's hot, so be it. I won't be here for long anyway.

Zhao Tiebao and Zhao Tiesheng had an average relationship; after all, they were brothers and didn't have many financial disputes. So, their relationship wasn't particularly bad. Furthermore, the relationship between Zhao Daye and his uncle Zhao Tiebao wasn't exactly cold either.

"I won't take off my cotton-padded coat, or I'll catch a cold when I go out later." Zhao Da'e said, glancing at the head of the kang (a heated brick bed), where Zhao Tiebao's wife, Ji Ruxue, was sitting under a small quilt.

The two women exchanged a glance, and Ji Ruxue spoke first: "The goose is here... Come sit on the kang (heated brick bed)."

Zhao Da'e pouted: Old Ji is as pampered as ever.

Ji Ruxue in her previous life was just like this: uneducated and pampered.

Zhao Tiebao is now a privately-run teacher with a modest salary of 150 yuan a month. However, this 150 yuan is more than enough for living expenses in the countryside.

Zhao Tiebao doesn't own any land and doesn't need to farm much; he just grows some vegetables in and around his yard. He doesn't clear any wasteland or anything like that, so there's actually very little work to do at home.

Unlike those people at the Zhao family's old house, who refuse to do any work.

There really wasn't much work to do at Zhao Tiebao's house.

Besides a dog, the only other thing they kept at home was the flowers they kept on the windowsill during the winter. There was really no other work to do. Since there was no work, Ji Ruxue didn't need to do anything. Her main job was cooking…

She also mentioned that Zhao Da'e's older cousin, Zhao Yongze, was quite old, having entered junior high school at fifteen or sixteen. His children were also grown up, so she didn't need to coax them. Even if the children were naughty and got into fights, it was none of Ji Ruxue's business.

She was living a very comfortable life.