Chapter 34: None Of You Are Easy To Manage

Zhao Xiaoyun, the sixth daughter of the Zhao family, hid in a corner, watching her mother and elder sisters being scolded by her father. She felt quite pleased; they deserved it for always bullying her.

Thinking about it made her smile. Just as Zhao Xiaomei turned around and saw her, trouble brewed. Without hesitation, Zhao Xiaomei marched forward and kicked Zhao Xiaoyun, scolding, “If you hadn’t come back and said you saw Luo Qiao carrying a basket from the commune, we wouldn’t have gone to Luo Qiao’s house. It’s all because of you causing trouble. You’re still laughing here; I’ll teach you a lesson, troublemaker!”

Zhao Xiaoyun swiftly ran behind her father, Zhao Pulin, and said, “Second sister, I just told mom that I saw Luo Qiao coming back from the commune with a basket. I didn’t say anything wrong. It’s clearly your own greed. Now you want to blame me.”

She began to cry as she spoke.

Zhao Pulin, feeling annoyed, shouted, “Everyone, shut up! None of you are easy to manage.”

After saying that, he walked towards the gate, thinking about what his wife had just said. He headed to his eldest brother’s house first. He needed to inform him about the situation and discuss what to do next.

As the head of the household left, Zhao Xiaoyun quickly followed, not wanting to stay behind to be her second sister and mother’s punching bag.

Zhao Pulin arrived at his eldest brother’s house, where Zhao Changlin greeted him upon seeing his younger brother, quickly asking his daughter Zhao Xiaoli to bring a bowl of water.

Zhao Changlin had also heard about today’s events. His own wife had just scolded his younger sister-in-law for leading their nieces astray, always trying to take advantage without learning anything good. They even escalated to become a robbery.

Though he hadn’t said much, he disapproved of his younger sister-in-law and nieces’ actions. Moreover, he had heard that even the commune’s cadres had seen it. If they let Luo Qiao off the hook, he feared she might end up in jail now.

Zhao Xiaoli brought the water over. “Second Uncle, here’s your water.”

After handing over the water, Zhao Xiaoli went into the kitchen to assist her mother.

Zhao Xiaoli glanced at her uncle outside and asked her mother, who was picking vegetables, “Mom, why did Uncle come to find Dad?”

Zhao’s elder sister-in-law, Liu Fang, with vegetables in her hands, replied, “What else? Today’s incident must be another bad idea from your second aunt. Your uncle came to discuss and seek advice from your dad.”

“Don’t mind them. Quickly wash these wild vegetables that you’ve picked. Your younger brother will be back from school soon.”

Zhao Xiaoli carried the picked vegetables out of the courtyard, fetched water from the water jar, and began cleaning the vegetables. In reality, she had been listening to her father and uncle’s conversation the whole time.

After taking the last drag of his cigarette, Zhao Pulin spoke solemnly, “Big brother, Suhua suggested that we should go to Grandpa tonight and have our Zhao family visit Luo Qiao to make her relent.”

Zhao Changlin glanced at his unreliable younger brother and said, “Today’s incident has caused quite a stir, especially with the presence of the commune cadres. It’s a wonder you came up with this solution.”

After sighing, he continued, “It’s not just me saying this; your wife and those girls of yours need some discipline. Otherwise, who knows what trouble they might cause in the future.”

Zhao Pulin replied, “I understand, big brother. Should we go see Grandpa about this matter today?”

Zhao Changlin nodded, “I’ll accompany you. Let’s see what Grandpa has to say.”

As they stepped out of the courtyard, they ran into the captain Gao Jiefang and the accountant Sun Guichang. Gao Jiefang said, “It’s good we met you. We’re here to pick up that ten kilograms of cornmeal.”

Zhao Pulin wiped his face and sighed, “Alright, I’ll go with you to fetch it.”

Deep down, it was quite painful for him.