Chapter 4

Hearing his father's question, Ye Yaodong slanted a glance at him, shook his leg, and said with a careless air, "Just because you don't know doesn't mean I don't know either! I haven't been wandering around outside all day for nothing!"

Ye Fu had intended to ask him a few serious questions, but hearing this made him furious. "Wandering around outside all day, and now you're getting cocky? You're a married man, yet you're never home, lazy and scattered, doing nothing. Who do you expect to support you? I'll beat you to death, you coffin-born wastrel..."

Growing angrier with every word, Ye Fu took off his shoe, held it in his hand, and stepped forward to strike him.

Ye Fu had already been upset about selling the large yellow croaker so cheaply, and now he finally had a chance to vent his frustration!

"Hey, hey, hey... why the sudden change of face? Weren't we having a reasonable conversation? What did I even say? Dad... Dad... let's talk this through calmly..."

It was the height of summer, and the smell wafting from the liberation shoes hit him squarely in the face, causing Ye Yaodong's expression to change drastically. Just because his own feet stank didn't mean he could tolerate smelling someone else's!

He scrambled to his feet in a panic to dodge. "Dad, what are you doing? At least grab a stick; what's the point of using a shoe?"

"If you have guts, don't dodge! All you do every day is provoke people. Even your grandson is better behaved than you. With a good life right in front of you, you spend all day messing around with a bunch of hooligans. How did I end up giving birth to such a coffin-born scoundrel!"

The two chased and dodged each other; the main hall was already small, and with so many people present, Ye Yaodong darted directly behind his mother.

"Mother, look at this! Early in the morning, and Dad is already acting drunk and crazy. What did I even say? Don't let him drink today..."

Unexpectedly, Ye Mu also turned around angrily and slapped him a few times. "Your father isn't wrong. You're never home day after day; you don't even know what's happening in this family. You have no proper demeanor all day long, idle and good-for-nothing. Just wait and see how you'll support your wife and children in the future..."

Facing a beating from both parents, Ye Yaodong couldn't hold out; he quickly lifted a wooden stool beside him to block the blows. "Stop hitting, stop hitting! Which family beats their son first thing in the morning? Can't we just talk this through properly? There are so many people in the room..."

Couldn't they leave him a little face?

He had pride too!

Fortunately, he had already chased the younger generation out; otherwise, this would have been utterly embarrassing!

In truth, everyone in the room was used to it; Ye Yaodong getting scolded and beaten was a common occurrence. It was just that, having suddenly returned from forty years in the future, he wasn't quite accustomed to his old father and mother scolding and hitting him.

He held up the stool to block blows in the main hall for a while, but then noticed his mother had picked up a broom made of bamboo strips. He quickly dropped the stool and ran out of the house.

If he didn't leave now, when would he? Better to avoid the storm for a while and return once his parents had calmed down.

However, the moment he ran outside, he collided with several nephews and nieces. The children, caught off guard, were knocked over and landed squarely on their bottoms. Even his grandmother was implicated; losing her balance, she sat down heavily.

This time, he was truly panicked and hurriedly helped his grandmother up.

"Grandma, are you alright? Where did you fall? Does it hurt?"

Although he was a bit of a rascal, he still had some conscience. The old lady doted on him the most, and seeing her fall, he forgot all about dodging.

Ye Fu and Ye Mu, chasing closely behind, saw this as well and showed no mercy. They slapped his buttocks and thighs directly with the sole of a shoe and the broom handle, scolding as they struck.

"You coffin-born scoundrel, can't you even watch where you're walking? I'll break your dog legs and see if you can still run!" Ye Fu slapped him a few times with his shoe but still felt unsatisfied; he snatched the stick from Ye Mu's hand and struck several hard blows.

Ye Fu's strength was nothing compared to Ye Mu's; after all, Ye Mu still loved her son and hadn't used much force when hitting him.

Ye Fu was different; he was genuinely furious and enraged. One strike of the stick on his leg made Ye Yaodong groan in pain.

How could the old lady bear to see her precious grandson being beaten? She quickly shielded him behind her. "What are you doing? What are you doing? Trying to hit me, are you? Have you gone mad? Oh my~ My son is trying to hit his own mother! Did you eat gunpowder for breakfast this morning?"

Ye Fu looked at the old lady with a headache; he hadn't even touched her. "Mother, how would I dare hit you? I'm trying to beat this little rascal. He's utterly useless, only good at provoking people, and he even knocked you over..."

"Dongzi just did it by accident; I don't even blame him. Who gave you the right to hit him? Put that broom away immediately and get inside. Have you no shame!"

Despite being eighty years old, the old lady appeared remarkably robust; her hearing was sharp, her eyesight clear, and when she scolded people, her voice was full of vigor!

Ye Fu was a filial son; seeing the old lady return, he knew he wouldn't be able to beat his son today. He glared fiercely at Ye Yaodong, threw the broom into the corner by the door, and went back inside.

"Don't be afraid; Grandma is here. Where does it hurt? Let me see."

As she spoke, the old lady reached to lift his pant leg, but he stretched out his hand to stop her. Supporting her arm, he grinned and said, "I'm fine. Did you hurt yourself when you fell just now? Is anything uncomfortable?"

"No, no, I'm perfectly fine..."

"Mother, Dongzi is twenty-five now; he's not a child anymore. He's already the father of two children. You can't keep spoiling him like this. He doesn't learn anything good all day, doesn't do any work, and is so hopeless..."

"How is he not learning anything good? Isn't he quite filial? How successful do you expect him to be? We are a rural family; as long as the children are safe and healthy, that's enough. Besides, Dongzi has never done anything sneaky or thievish. How has he brought shame upon you?"

Ye Yaodong felt deeply embarrassed; in the old lady's mouth, even not committing petty theft had become one of his virtues!

The old lady's expectations for him were truly low...

After so many years of saying the same thing dozens of times, Ye Mu was utterly exhausted; in the old lady's eyes, her third son was perfect in every way!

He had truly been spoiled rotten by the old lady!

The eldest and second sons were so diligent; it was infuriating. Casting a fierce glare at her third son, Ye Mu said nothing more.

Anyway, after so many years, whatever they said was useless.

A group of children picked up the corn and green-striped melons scattered on the ground and placed them into a bamboo basket.

Seeing that the old lady hadn't hurt herself anywhere and was still capable of shielding people, Ye Mu took the basket, peeled the corn, and put the green-striped melons back into the basket.

"Take these inside and tell your mother to wash them and cut them up for you to eat."

"Leave one for your Third Uncle; don't eat them all!" the old lady shouted, afraid that her great-grandchildren would eat all the sweet melons and leave none for her good grandson.

Ye Yaodong's heart was filled to the brim with his grandmother's love, and he felt somewhat moved.

He hadn't felt this way in decades; the sensation was wonderful.

Everyone thought he was flawed in every way; even his parents usually couldn't stand the sight of him. Only his grandmother had always doted on him the most, saving even a single bite of food for him. Suddenly, a complex mix of emotions surged within his heart.

"Let me help you inside. At your age, why are you still farming? What if you fall again? What would we do then?"

The old lady's wrinkled face crinkled into a smile. "How could I fall so easily? I'm in excellent health and can still work. Even if I couldn't, I could just order your father to hoe the fields and water the crops for me."

Ye Yaodong smiled.