Chapter 359 - 353_1
"Zhao Xing, you steal and still think you’re in the right? Apologize to Erhu immediately and return the stolen sweet potatoes," Zhao Dahuo said, his words seemingly aimed at smoothing things over. In truth, he too hoped that, for his sake, Zhao Erhu wouldn’t make a big fuss about this. Although his relationship with Wei Family and her son hadn’t been amicable in the past, they were still brothers, bound by blood. Erhu had already accepted Zhao Cheng and his wife, allowing them to work here, with Li Xiaomei managing affairs no less. Forgiving Zhao Xing as well wouldn’t be too much, but Zhao Dahuo had yet to understand the difference between them.
Zhao Xing somewhat understood Zhao Dahuo’s meaning, and so, seizing the opportunity to back down, he said, "Alright, I’ll listen to you and return them. It’s ridiculous to hold such grudges between brothers." There was even a hint of complaint in his voice.
Zhao Xing thought about the sweet potatoes at home that hadn’t been sold yet. Returning those would suffice. As for the silver coins earned from selling the sweet potatoes, he had no intention of giving them up. No one would know anyway. If Zhao Erhu asked, he would simply deny it adamantly, claiming he only stole on those two occasions. What could Zhao Erhu do to him then?
However, Zhao Xing had misjudged this time. Zhao Erhu harbored deep hatred for the Wei Family and her son. Zhao Cheng was an exception; firstly, because Wei Family favored her other two sons over him, and secondly, because Zhao Cheng’s nature wasn’t bad, and he hadn’t done anything too excessive. Zhao Xing was different; this kid was fundamentally rotten, full of bad ideas even from a young age. He had caused trouble for Erhu countless times and even got him beaten up a few. As he grew up, he didn’t stop scheming behind his back. Now that he had fallen into Erhu’s hands, there was no way he would let this youngster off easily.
"Returning what you stole from our house is a given. However, this doesn’t mean I’ll overlook the fact that you came to our house to steal. It’s too late at night to deal with this now. Let’s wait until tomorrow morning and ask the village chief over to decide how you should be dealt with."
"Erhu, we really shouldn’t trouble the village chief with this kind of matter. Zhao Xing is our brother after all. It’s embarrassing for us to have such things happening in the family. Let’s not blow this out of proportion," Zhao Dahuo said, not quite agreeing with the idea of getting the village chief involved.
"Big brother, don’t try to persuade me. These thieving incidents keep happening over and over. We can’t keep turning a blind eye. I’ve made up my mind about this, and your arguing is pointless. Besides, he doesn’t appreciate your kindness, nor does he regard you as his brother. Save your breath," Zhao Dahuo was being too sentimental about blood ties, often failing to distinguish right from wrong, which was something Zhao Erhu never really agreed with.
Hearing Zhao Erhu speak so firmly, Zhao Dahuo knew there was no room for negotiation and sighed without saying anything more.
The next morning, Zhao Erhu invited the village chief over bright and early. The chief hadn’t had any affinity for the Zhao Family’s old house for quite a while, especially for Wei Family and her sons. Dealing with the matter without any hesitation, he was very impartial in gathering the villagers at the ancestral hall, severely criticizing Zhao Xing, and even making him cough up the silver coins he got from selling the sweet potatoes, handing them over to Zhao Erhu. It was only then that the villagers truly realized how valuable sweet potatoes were.