Chapter 5, Grandfather has returned

I have indeed fallen into a deep pit

Alas, it has already been the fourth day, yet there is still no news? I fear that the old gentleman is in grave danger.

Before the words had left his mouth, he was kicked in the backside by someone. "It is your old man, you big-headed ghost!"

"Rest assured, big brother, it won't happen," Zhao Shouzheng mumbled while chewing on pickled vegetables. "This radish is quite crunchy; let's pickle some more tomorrow"

Zhao Hao blankly caught the empty bowl, and he finally understood that the peculiar origins of the Zhao family were right here

Fool, can't you see they are deceiving you? Such matters have always been shared among everyone; how can it be reasonable for only my family to bear the cost? You are even worse than a child

They require one hundred thousand taels, and I sold all my possessions, but I could only raise half. Zhao Shouye replied honestly, "There are still fifty thousand taels left. I intended to borrow the rest, but that little brat Zhao Hao messed it up.

In the vast courtyard, only two pairs of fathers and sons remain

Who, if not his father, is the esteemed third-rank official Zhao Liben?

"Did I not want you to come out earlier?" Zhao Shouye could only cover his head and dodge, calling out with a heart full of grievances: "You have no idea how urgent the situation was at that time! It was as if failing to pay immediately would result in you being subjected to a severe punishment..."

Just protect him! When the old man is killed by the two of you, he will surely come back as a ghost to settle the score with you! In order to live a few more years, the uncle decided not to stoop to the level of this father and son. As he stood up to get another bowl, he thought to himself: Why don't we wear mourning clothes tomorrow, carry a coffin to the Duzhiyuan, and cause a scene to see if they will release him.

However, Zhao Liben was furious, repeatedly slapping the top of Zhao Shouye's head with great force, cursing angrily:

After the porridge was ready, the four members of the Zhao family each took a bowl and squatted side by side under the corridor, drinking it up with slurping sounds by the light of the stove's fire

"Eating for free and still complaining about it! What you are using now is the official rice of this officer." Zhao Shouye, however, remained unmoved, glancing at him and saying, "You only know how to stand by and enjoy the fruits of others' labor, yet you still have so much to say."

After filling his stomach with some hot porridge, Uncle once again had the strength to sigh and lament

"Brother, please add more rice." Zhao Shouzheng saw that his elder brother had only added two handfuls of rice, so he stopped the grain bag and couldn't help but voice his request

Uh, good

"Have you heard what people are saying? Your nephew is a dog; what about you, elder brother?" Now it was Zhao Shouzheng's turn to be displeased

"I have been hungry for these days, can't my stomach make a sound?" Zhao Liben, with an unblushing face, huffed and glared, saying: "What are you still dawdling for? Serve me some rice!"

It is indeed tragic; the matriarch of the Zhao family has long since passed away. Zhao Shouye, on the other hand, still has his wife alive, but when trouble arose at home, he took his young daughter back to her maternal family.

"They care about me only to get you to pay. You paid, yet they still want me to stay for the New Year?" Zhao Liben looked at the vast, darkened courtyard and couldn't help but shiver in distress, asking, "How did it come to this? How much did they force you to pay?"

Zhao Xian was seen squatting in front of the stove, expressionless as he added firewood to the stove.

... ...

What surprised him was that his uncle and father, these two brothers, surprisingly had a remarkably strong psychological resilience. Just two or three days had passed, and they were already eating and drinking as usual, showing no signs of collapse. It is unclear from whom they inherited such strong genes.

"Get lost!" Zhao Shouye angrily poured another handful of rice into the pot, which finally made Zhao Shouzheng obediently fall silent

You are not as good as my son" Zhao Shouzheng looked at his elder brother with satisfaction

You foolish pig! Are you trying to drive me to my grave? I have a department above me, and a left minister as well; just adding thirty thousand taels would suffice. And you added another twenty thousand? I have worked hard my entire life, only for you, the prodigal child, to squander it all!

The crowd revealed expressions of terror, and Zhao Shouye disdainfully said: "Get away, the things you make are not even fit for pigs to eat"

In the midst of speaking, he noticed that Zhao Liben's face was ashen, and he hurriedly asked with concern: "Father, have you suffered a lot in there?"

... ...

Then you ate two large bowls the day before yesterday! Zhao Shouzheng exclaimed with wide eyes

Father, Grandfather has returned" Zhao Xian quietly reminded from the side

"Father, I am here to save you..." Zhao Shouye casually replied. Mid-sentence, he suddenly froze in place, a chill running down his spine, and with a trembling voice said: "Ghost..."

... ...

If it weren't inconvenient to squat on the ground, he would have definitely used both fists and feet to deal with his eldest son

The front rooms have all been locked, and the four individuals can only temporarily take refuge in the back room designated for the servants.

"Get lost." Zhao Shouye, feeling frustrated, ignored him and asked Zhao Liben in confusion, "Father, how did they let you out?"

How could it be just a few days since I left, and you have already fallen to such a state

Zhao Hao squatted there, staring blankly at the adults in the house, thinking to himself, what kind of people are these?

Before the words had left his mouth, a rumbling sound erupted all at once

Zhao Shouye ignored the glutton, glancing past him to glare at Zhao Hao and said: "How could I have lost my mind to listen to the nonsense of this little brat?"

The grandchildren turned their gaze towards Zhao Liben's belly in response to the sound.

"Listen, is this human language? A dog cannot spit out ivory!" Uncle could not help but angrily take a big bite of porridge

"What are you so proud of, you bookworm!" Zhao Liben shot a displeased glance at Zhao Shouzheng, but his expression gradually softened. After scolding his eldest son, he turned and patted Zhao Hao's shoulder, speaking gently:

Zhao Shouye covered his backside and turned around to see an irate old man standing at the door, still in the posture of raising his foot to kick.

"Then you rest, I will take care of it." Upon hearing this, Zhao Shouzheng rolled up his sleeves and was about to get up

If you really borrowed those fifty thousand taels, then grandfather would definitely not come back Zhao Hao curled his lips Although his uncle is a shadow official he has never eaten pork but he must have seen pigs run before right? How can he have no common sense about being an official at all

"Look, I was right to have you stay up a bit longer, wasn't I?" Zhao Shouzheng glanced at his elder brother, feeling quite pleased with his foresight

What, do you wish for me to die out there? Zhao Liben looked at his grandchildren squatting in the corridor with their bowls, appearing so pitiful, and his anger intensified. He glared at them fiercely and scolded:

In a moment, five generations of grandfather and grandson squatted under the corridor, continuing to slurp their porridge.

At this moment, the sky is darkening, and the flickering light in the kitchen of the back house indicates that the Zhao family is preparing their dinner

The current situation is vastly different from when he first arrived. However, Zhao Hao has already calmed down; after all, wealth and nobility are as fleeting as a bubble. He had not even fully grasped the situation before being cast down to the mortal realm. Having never truly possessed it, there is little sense of loss to speak of.

Do you wish to kill me? An angry voice echoed in his ear

Stealing another glance at his shadow on the ground, Zhao Shouye finally felt relieved and exclaimed, "Father, how have you returned?"

Good grandson, serve your grandfather another bowl

Zhao Shouye stood by the stove wearing an apron, skillfully adding rice and vegetable leaves into the large pot

Zhao Shouzheng and his son sat on the threshold with their arms crossed, eagerly awaiting.

If the master is treated this way, then naturally the servants, maids, and concubines have long been dismissed. Without servants to attend to them, one must handle everything by oneself.

Although the house has changed ownership, the buyer has graciously allowed the Zhao family to stay for a few more days

They have switched to two meals a day, with porridge served at every meal. The bowl of thin rice porridge they drank this morning has long since disappeared without a trace, having turned into urine. The father and son are both ravenously hungry, waiting for the meal to be served