Chapter 10

Gudong, a term in Northeastern dialect, means "sneaky and bad."

Actually, Zhao Youcai's nickname, Zhao Ernian, originated from his elder brother, Zhao Youfu.

Speaking of Zhao Youfu, Zhao Jun's uncle was also a pitiful man. He was not in good health from a young age, lacking the liveliness of a child, and always seemed listless. The neighbors all called him Zhao Nianba.

When the Zhao family had Zhao Youcai, he was in good health, but he was also listless in his childhood, not fond of moving or talking.

Seeing the two brothers in the Zhao family in this state, the villagers simply called Zhao Youfu Zhao Dian and Zhao Youcai Zhao Ernian.

Being listless was one thing, but when Zhao Youcai grew a bit older, the villagers discovered that this kid was not only listless but also bad, truly sneaky and bad.

There's an old saying in Northeast China: "A listless person has a sneaky heart."

This saying was true for Zhao Youcai.

Zhao Jun would never forget that in his previous life, during this hunting trip, he and Li Baoyu returned empty-handed.

When they got home, Li Baoyu was beaten severely by Li Dayong. As for Zhao Jun, apart from Wang Meilan slapping him a few times and scolding him, there was no further punishment.

However, Zhao Youcai did not say a harsh word. Instead, he showed concern for his son, checking if Zhao Jun was injured and comforting him by saying that he was still young and inexperienced, and it was normal to fail in hunting. He assured Zhao Jun that with more practice, he would surely become a good hunter.

The "kind and gentle" father's comfort brought great psychological relief to Zhao Jun.

But in the middle of the night, around one o'clock, Zhao Jun, who was sound asleep in his room, suddenly suffered a cruel beating.

At that moment, Zhao Jun, who was still dreaming, was instantly dazed from sleep and then from the beating. He had no resistance and nowhere to escape, and his pleas for mercy were in vain.

This beating was even more severe than what Li Baoyu endured, leaving Zhao Jun unable to get out of bed for two days.

What made Zhao Jun most angry was that the next morning, the "kind and gentle" old father came to his bedside, showing concern and care.

"Big son!" Suddenly, Zhao Youcai spoke.

"Dad, what is it?" Zhao Jun quickly put on a obedient look.

Zhao Youcai said, "You must be tired from running all day. Let your mother heat some water for you to soak your feet, and go to bed early."

"Finished." Zhao Jun felt a chill in his heart, thinking that the old listless man was still going to harm him.

However, Zhao Jun wanted to try one more time, so he responded, "Okay, Dad, I'll listen to you. I'll go to bed early and take some wild boar meat to my elder sister tomorrow morning."

Zhao Jun's elder sister, Zhao Chun, was already married and lived in Yongsheng Village to the west.

Yongsheng and Yong'an villages were only about ten miles apart, and a round trip wouldn't take much time.

But if Zhao Jun were to visit Zhao Chun, he couldn't go with a bruised face, could he?

"Oh!" Wang Meilan was delighted and said with a smile, "My big son knows how to care for others. Your elder sister is the best to you, and you should take some meat to her."

"Yes, yes." Seeing that his mother was fooled, Zhao Jun was secretly pleased and continued to act well, saying, "I heard that pig's trotters are good for lactation, so I specifically asked Baoyu to give me all four trotters."

Hearing this, Wang Meilan was even happier. She always favored Zhao Jun, but she had never neglected her three daughters, after all, they were all her children.

Now that her eldest daughter had just given birth, she was always thinking about her, but she couldn't always visit Zhao Chun because she couldn't leave the house.

"Okay, okay, then take all four trotters to your elder sister tomorrow, and bring her more meat."

"Alright!" Seeing that he was about to get away, Zhao Jun almost laughed out loud and quickly added, "I'll leave early tomorrow and want to see my nephew more."

"Okay, okay, I'll heat the water for you." Wang Meilan said and was about to get off the bed.

At this moment, Zhao Youcai, with a smile, suddenly spoke.

He said, "No need. I'll be off work early tomorrow and will return at noon. After lunch, I'll take them to Zhao Chun."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun felt a chill in his heart and said urgently, "Dad, you should rest at home after work. I can go."

Zhao Youcai looked at Zhao Jun and smiled, "Then let's go together."

Zhao Jun was speechless and reluctantly responded, then returned to his room.

Watching Zhao Jun's back disappear at the door, Zhao Youcai's smile grew wider, and he thought to himself, "The little brat is getting smarter."

Not long after Zhao Jun returned to his room, Wang Meilan came in with a basin and a towel, reminding him to rest early, and then left him alone in the room.

Indeed, as Zhao Youcai said, running in the mountains all day was tiring. Soaking his feet in hot water relieved his fatigue, and he felt sleepy immediately.

Zhao Jun disposed of the foot-washing water and hung the towel to dry in the yard. Then he returned to his room, closed the door, and propped a stool against it.

The stool was not to block the door but to serve as a warning.

After a tiring day, his eyelids were heavy, and he couldn't stay awake. Zhao Jun decided to go to bed early and stay awake in the middle of the night. If Zhao Youcai came in, he would jump out the window and run.

After everything was settled, Zhao Jun turned off the light, got into bed without taking off his clothes, and fell asleep within a couple of minutes.

Zhao Jun had been asleep for less than five minutes when Zhao Youcai, in the eastern room, put down his water cup and moved toward the bed.

"Going to the toilet?" Wang Meilan asked casually.

"No." Zhao Youcai said, "I'm going to check on our son."

"Huh?" Wang Meilan was surprised and asked curiously, "Don't you usually go in the middle of the night?"

"Ha ha..." Zhao Youcai chuckled, "Always going in the middle of the night, this kid has learned to be cautious. I'll discipline him early so he can sleep well."

"Okay." Wang Meilan gritted her teeth and said, "This brat deserves a beating! Don't let him run away."

It wasn't that Wang Meilan, with her thick eyebrows and big eyes, had betrayed the GM. It was mainly because Zhao Jun was too infuriating. If he wasn't properly disciplined, something serious might happen in the mountains one day, and the whole family would be in tears.

Zhao Youcai didn't respond, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He put on his shoes and headed for Zhao Jun's room.

Zhao Youcai, the head chef at the forest farm, had developed a strong body from years of chopping and cooking, especially his hand and arm strength.

If it came to arm wrestling, he was the best among the nearly a thousand people at the forest farm.

Standing outside Zhao Jun's door, he heard the snoring from the thin pine door. He controlled his strength and gently pushed the door, feeling something blocking it.

Zhao Youcai knew that the doors in their house were never locked, so it must be the stool the kid used to block the door.

"My son has grown up."

Zhao Youcai's face showed a satisfied smile. Suddenly, he used his strength and pushed the door hard, and the stool was pushed out as the door opened.

The sound of the door opening and the stool falling to the ground echoed simultaneously.

Zhao Jun was suddenly awakened. Although he had fallen asleep, he had only been asleep for about ten minutes and wasn't deeply asleep yet.

Could it be that Wang Meilan was looking for something in his room?

But seeing a shadow rushing toward him, Zhao Jun quickly got up and rushed to the window to push it open.

At this moment, Zhao Youcai had already pounced onto the bed and grabbed the back of Zhao Jun's shirt.

"Finished! I should have taken off my clothes." Zhao Jun, who had just pushed the window open, was pulled back onto the bed by Zhao Youcai. He quickly flipped over, grabbed the quilt under him, and tightly wrapped himself in it with both hands.

Puff!

Puff!

...

The room was filled with muffled sounds, the sound of Zhao Youcai's fists hitting the quilt.