Chapter 281: Argument
Although Xiao Luo went on cleaning on the second floor, the content of their conversation still went into his ears with not even a single letter being dropped. Regarding this, he only laughed it off. It couldn’t set off even the slightest ripple in his heart. This was the way the older generation in the countryside thought. What’s more, they were his uncles and aunties. He wouldn’t bother to argue with them. As long as they were happy, he’d let them talk. However, his life belonged to him. It was up to him to decide how should he live it.
His grandmother felt sorry for him. When she saw the people wagging their tongues outside, she ran out and asked them to go away as far as they could and stop spouting gibberish at her door.
“If you’re too bored, go and clear your fields. Stop talking nonsense at other people’s doors. Aren’t you afraid that the Heavens will punish you to become mutes for the rest of your life?”
“Dengfeng, we aren’t talking badly about Xiao Luo,” the dark-skinned woman said with a face full of displeasure. “We are just concerned about his most important affair in life. Is it really nice for you to curse us like that?”
“My grandson is a fine-looking man,” his grandmother said. “He is also very capable in his career. You don’t need to worry about his business!”
She was done with it. Her neighbors were constantly asking about whether her grandson, Xiao Luo, had a target of when he would get married and subsequently had some sarcastic remarks. This wasn’t just concerning behavior. It was straight out mockery. These people were ridiculing Xiao Luo right in front of him. She was unable to tolerate any of it.
“Ye-ye-yeah, fine-looking he his, finer than everyone else,” the dark-skinned woman with a temper coldly said. “But it turns out that he can’t even find a wife.”
Everybody aside from Aunt Taoxiu revealed a smile of varying degrees on their faces. They yearned to watch a drama unfold. They were simply too bored. It just so happened that something like that could relieve them from their boredom and become a topic of discussion during their leisure time.
Xiao Luo’s grandmother got so angry that her face turned red. She pointed at the dark-skinned woman and angrily said, “An Yuan, you can’t even discipline your own son. He drinks, gambles, goes whoring, and was even locked up in the police station a few times. What right do you have to talk about my grandson?”
When An Yuan, who had dark skin, heard that, she immediately fumed up. Her face became ashen. She looked even darker.
She stared at her in rage. “What a fine son you have as well. He smashed all his belongings into the ravines hoping for gold to grow out from that pile of mud. He has been busy as a dog all year round, but I didn’t see him earning any significant amount of money. Meanwhile, your grandson, well, he’s already not little, but not to mention a wife, he doesn’t even have a target. No matter how useless my son is, he got himself a fine wife and bore a fine son. So, what has your family achieved? If word spreads, everyone will laugh at your family for being incapable of marrying a granddaughter-in-law into your doors.”
Incapable of marrying a granddaughter-in-law into our doors?
Xiao Luo’s grandmother felt as wronged as she could have ever felt when such a label was being slammed upon her family.
“You vicious woman, you… You…”
His grandmother was so upset that her chest was thumping up and down. She was unable to breathe smoothly.
When Xiao Luo’s grandfather saw this, he hurried forward and patted her back to straighten out her breathing. Although he didn’t usually like to speak, now that his beloved wife was p.i.s.sed off to such an extent, he couldn’t just stand by. He shouted at An Yuan, “Leave! Don’t stand at our door! You are not welcome here!”
“Lianfa, be reasonable,” An Yuan dignifiedly said. “We didn’t say anything bad. We were only expressing our concern for Xiao Luo, and Dengfeng came out cursing at us. Tell me, what kind of logic is this?”
“Yeah, Uncle Lianfa, Aunt Dengfeng went overboard this time,” a scrawny middle-aged man echoed.
“Xiao Luo is our grandchild. There’s no need for you to concern yourselves about him. If you simply gossip about him again, do not blame me for disowning you!” Although his grandfather was old, he still had a tough character.
An Yuan put her hands on her waist and sneered, “Lianfa, that isn’t a nice thing to say. After all, we Xiaos are one big family. If you put things so harshly, aren’t you afraid that n.o.body will give you a hand if something were to happen to your family in the future?”
Xiao Luo’s grandparents were no match to their sharp-mouthed opponent. They were both instantly defeated.
Aunt Taoxiu stepped forward and said, “Alright, all of you should speak a few words less. All of these are trivial matters. Don’t let them ruin the harmony between us.”
“Hmph, if that were to happen, they are the ones who started it!” An Yuan turned her head away and yawned.
“Are you guys done? You may leave if you are. Our temple is small, and it can’t hold so many deities.”
Xiao Luo walked out of the house, drying his hands with a clean towel while Xiao Luo conveying his sentence. He had not wanted to get involved in these contemptible matters in the countryside. Given that so many people were bullying his grandparents, he couldn’t tolerate it.
An Yuan glared at him and asked, “Xiao Luo, what do you mean? Are you playing with words to scold your aunt?”
Xiao Luo faintly said, “No, of course. As the younger generation, how would I dare to foul-mouth an elder? It’s just that, don’t ever bully my grandpa and grandma. To whoever that bullies them, I don’t care whether you’re my uncle or aunty or whatnot, just get lost as far as you can!”
Doesn’t he have a temper? Of course, he did.
Does he have a good temper? Most certainly, but with the prerequisite that his bottom line was left intact. At home, his family was his bottom line.
The neighbors were all stunned. No one expected Xiao Luo to have such a forceful side.
In an enigmatic tone, An Yuan said, “Ai-yow, you grown up with some temper there. You are a good-for-nothing little b.a.s.t.a.r.d who can’t even find a wife. Who do you think you are showing that face of yours?”
Her words were very unpleasant and harsh. Everyone present knitted their eyebrows.
“An Yuan, that was too harsh. It’s almost the New Year. You shouldn’t be ridiculing someone like that.” Aunt Taoxiu always had a good relations.h.i.+p with Xiao Luo’s family. At this moment, she expressed her severe disdain toward An Yuan.
“Xiao Luo has been out there working hard for a whole year. It isn’t easy for him. The Luo Village is a big family, and we b.u.mp into each other regularly. You really shouldn’t be talking about Xiao Luo like that.”
“Every one of us watched Xiao Luo grow up. We all saw the incident that took place. Although Dingfeng had a huff, we are the younger generation compared to her. You ought to humor her. How could you pick a fight with her?”
“Yeah, An Yuan, I think you should apologize to Xiao Luo and Dengfeng.”
A few who had a better relations.h.i.+p with Xiao Luo’s family stood up to speak for Xiao Luo. Of course, some people remained neutral with “none of my business” hung up high above their heads.
“Apologize to them? No way!”
An Yuan was infuriated. She fiercely spat on the ground. “It is true that that little b.a.s.t.a.r.d has just come back, but does that mean he can give no respect to his elders and talk back to them as he likes?”
There was a scrawny middle-aged man by the name of Xiao Chaolai. He was brothers by blood with An Yuan’s husband, Xiao Chaofa. When it came to him, the proverb “help reason not to help dear” became “help dear not to help reason.” He stood up and reprimanded the crowd, “A little brat who is still wet behind his ears is being disrespectful toward his elders. Are you guys clear about who should be apologizing to who? If you haven’t figured it out, please try to smooth things over. In my point of view, we should have Xiao Luo apologize to my sister-in-law!”
“Xiao Chaolai, are you sure your brain is alright?” Xiao Luo’s grandfather shouted.
Xiao Chaolai flared up and roared, “Why are you yelling at me? Do you want to see who’s louder?” He calmed himself down chillingly said, “It has been almost seven years since your son went to work on some rotten farm, but he hasn’t achieved anything yet. As for your grandson, he’s almost becoming an old fart, but he hasn’t gotten himself a wife. Putting it in nicer terms, your grandson is picky. To put it in an unpleasant way, all of your family’s money was smashed into that pile of mud, and you have no money left for him to get a wife.”