BHBF Chapter 102.2

Boss, He’s Becoming a Father (Arc 6) Chapter 102.2: My Son is an Unparalleled Good Man (5)

Liu Guizhi quickly said, “There’s still a lot left in the pot. I’ll save it all for when you get hungry later.”

Shao Yu said, “You and Niu Niu eat what’s in the pot. Don’t save it for the next meal.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Guizhi was first delighted, then asked, “What about Dachun…”

Shao Yu said, “Don’t worry about him, he’s not hungry.”

Liu Guizhi nodded, collected the dirty bowl that Shao Yu had left uneaten, and went back to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Niu Niu was sipping her meat soup. When she saw her mother come in, she quickly handed her the bowl.

Liu Guizhi didn’t take it, but instead held the child and said, “Niu Niu, drink more. There’s more in the pot after you finish. You need to eat your fill so you can grow up quickly.”

There was still a lot left in the pot, and Niu Niu couldn’t finish it all by herself. Liu Guizhi originally wanted to save it for the next meal, but remembering Shao Yu’s words, she ended up serving herself all the remaining food.

She couldn’t remember how long it had been since she had tasted meat soup. The delicious flavor spread in her mouth, making her wish she could swallow her tongue.

“It tastes good,” Niu Niu whispered.

Liu Guizhi asked softly, “Does Niu Niu want to drink it often in the future?”

“Yes.”

Liu Guizhi said, “Then Niu Niu must be a good daughter to her grandfather, understand?”

Niu Niu nodded vigorously.

Shao Yu listened in the room for a while, then suddenly heard the noise outside stop. Looking out the window, he saw Shao Dachun resting.

“Guizhi, Guizhi!” Shao Yu called out.

Liu Guizhi quickly responded.

Shao Yu asked loudly, “Guizhi, look, why isn’t Dachun moving? Did he cut his hand?” Upon hearing such a loud noise, Shao Dachun immediately started moving again.

But Shao Yu’s voice didn’t stop: “Guizhi, did he chop for a long time? Why did he rest so soon?”

Liu Guizhi manages everything both inside and outside the house, so she has always been the one chopping firewood. Upon hearing this, she said, “No, he got tired after chopping just one bundle of firewood.”

“Do you need to rest after chopping so much firewood?”

“Need not.”

Shao Yu and Liu Guizhi asked questions and answered each other, which Shao Dachun outside heard clearly. The thought that he was not even as good as a woman made Shao Dachun feel ashamed.

Shao Dachun may have been skilled at chopping wood before, but after years of living a life of comfort at work, his strength has declined considerably.

Shao Yu said, “People can’t get by without practice. From now on, you should entrust him with tasks like chopping wood.”

But Liu Guizhi shook her head and said, “He usually doesn’t come home before mealtime. We urgently need firewood at home, so we can’t just wait for him to come back.”

Shao Yu said, “If he doesn’t come home before mealtime, then you shouldn’t cook for him.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Guizhi couldn’t help but glance at Shao Yu. She felt that not feeding her husband was going too far.

“I’m the elder, listen to me,” Shao Yu said.

Perhaps because Shao Yu had supported her so many times that day, Liu Guizhi could tell that Shao Yu was doing it for her own good, but she still couldn’t help but ask, “Father, why are you making things so difficult for him?”

After all, it’s extremely rare for a father to target his own son, so it’s no wonder Liu Guizhi had doubts.

Shao Yu sighed and said, “What father would want to make things difficult for his son? It’s all because this kid is so disappointing.”

“I’ve been bedridden for more than half a year, and I’ve come to realize that neither of my sons can be trusted.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Guizhi seemed to sense the heavy sorrow in Shao Yu’s heart.

Shao Yu continued, “My youngest son doesn’t care about me, but my eldest son does. However, he can’t even protect his own family, so I can hardly count on him. If it weren’t for Guizhi taking care of me, I’m afraid I would have died long ago.”

“You all think I don’t know anything when I’m sick, but I know everything in my heart. Many times I’ve thought about ending it all, but if no one is watching over your whole family, who knows what kind of trouble you might cause.”

When Liu Guizhi heard that her efforts had been pointed out by her father-in-law, she felt a pang of sadness.

Shao Yu said, “Spare the rod and spoil the child. I’m too weak to hit them anymore, so I can only do this to get them to their senses. If I can get them to their senses, your lives will be a little easier. That way, when I get to the afterlife, I’ll have something to say to your mother-in-law.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Guizhi thought of her mother-in-law. Unlike other old ladies in the countryside, her mother-in-law was particularly open-minded. Liu Guizhi had been married for many years without having children, but her mother-in-law never pressured her to have any.

When their mother-in-law was alive, both Shao Dachun and Shao Erchun were well-behaved because their mother kept them in check. At that time, Shao Dachun simply liked to help others, but he never went so far as to deplete the family’s wealth.

Shao Yu felt he had enough strength left, so he asked Liu Guizhi to help him get out of bed.

He has been bedridden for too long, and now he will need to undergo a period of rehabilitation before he can walk normally.

Shao Yu strolled leisurely into the yard and saw his unlucky son chopping wood, sweating profusely.”Are you tired?” Shao Yu asked softly.

Shao Dachun wiped the sweat from his forehead. Although he was very tired, he still forced himself to say, “Dad, I’m not tired. Look, I’ve finished chopping.”

Shao Yu nodded, but quickly said, “Now that you’ve finished chopping the firewood, go feed the chickens.”

Shao Dachun was stunned for a moment, but he had already learned his lesson and dared not order Liu Guizhi around in front of Shao Yu. Instead, he obediently went to feed the chickens.

After feeding the chickens, Shao Dachun thought he could rest for a while, but Shao Yu strolled over to him again and asked him as usual if he was tired. After receiving a “not tired” answer, Shao Yu said lightly, “Then you should wash your clothes.”

Shao Dachun immediately said, “How can I, a man, wash clothes, including women’s clothes?”

“How can you, a man, let your wife support you, and for so many years?” Shao Yu replied.

Whenever this matter is brought up, Shao Dachun is always in the wrong, so he can only go and wash that pile of dirty clothes again.

There was a well in the Shao family’s courtyard. Shao Dachun drew several buckets of water and his back ached from the effort. But Shao Yu was watching him closely, so Shao Dachun could only sit there obediently and wash clothes while bending over.

The more he washed, the more his back ached, and with Shao Yu standing beside him, he couldn’t slack off.

As Shao Yu walked, he asked Liu Guizhi, “Why are there so many dirty clothes? Do you have this many every day?”

Although Liu Guizhi didn’t understand what Shao Yu meant, she still answered honestly, “Today is relatively few. When it’s time to wash the sheets and blankets, that’s when it’s really a lot.”

Shao Yu asked Shao Dachun, “Are you tired?”

Shao Dachun was really tired at this point. Hearing this, he nodded and said, “Dad, my back hurts a little.”

He thought he would get some understanding from his father, but to his surprise, Shao Yu only said, “You’re tired and in pain, that’s normal.”

“Father?” Shao Dachun asked, puzzled.

Shao Yu said, “Your wife does these things every day, and you’ve only done them once. What’s there to complain about?”

Upon hearing this, Shao Dachun was taken aback, but quickly turned to Liu Guizhi beside him and said, “Guizhi, you’ve worked hard.”

After so many years of hard work, this was the first time Liu Guizhi had heard Shao Dachun say such a thing, and her heart ached.

The couple were enjoying a rare moment of tenderness when Shao Yu suddenly spoiled the mood, saying, “You need to use a little force, otherwise the dirt won’t come off.”

Shao Dachun held his breath and scrubbed vigorously.

Shao Yu added, “Did you not eat, or are you just naturally weak? You’ve been rubbing for so long and it doesn’t seem to be working.”

Hearing Shao Yu’s words, Shao Dachun exerted even more force, feeling as if he was using every ounce of strength he had. Perhaps because of the excessive force, the patched garment was accidentally torn open.

It was Liu Guizhi’s clothes that were torn. The emotion she felt vanished, replaced by heartache. She even couldn’t help but complain, “You need to use technique when you exert force. How can you just use brute force?”

Shao Dachun felt humiliated being lectured by his wife and father, and could only say, “This dress is ruined, I’ll buy you a new one.”

Liu Guizhi’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. She knew perfectly well whether Shao Dachun had the money to compensate her or not.

“Give me the money first,” Shao Yu said.

Shao Dachun immediately replied, “I’ll pay you when I get my salary; I don’t have the money right now.”

Liu Guizhi wanted to say forget it, but Shao Yu said, “Sell your bicycle.”

“No way, how am I supposed to get to and from get off work without a bicycle?” Shao Dachun retorted.

Liu Guizhi also had some objections. After all, the bicycle and the sewing machine were the only two major items in their household. Once they were sold, they didn’t know when they would be able to buy them again.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to sell,” Shao Yu said.

Shao Dachun breathed a sigh of relief.

Shao Yu continued, “The bicycle is for Guizhi to use; you can walk to and from get off work from now on.”

“It’s so far, how can I possibly walk that far?” Shao Dachun said.

Shao Yu raised an eyebrow and said, “When you were thinking about selling your wife’s sewing machine, did you ever consider how Guizhi would support the family without it?”

Shao Dachun immediately lowered his head.

Liu Guizhi wanted to say that she didn’t need a bicycle, but Shao Yu said, “You’ll need a bicycle in a couple of days.”

Since his own father had said so, Shao Dachun couldn’t refuse at all, so he could only lower his head and continue washing clothes.

After what felt like an ordeal, he finally managed to wash and hang all the clothes up. He felt completely exhausted, but just as he was about to sit down and catch his breath, Shao Yu spoke up again.

“Sweep the floor and wipe the table clean,” Shao Yu said.

Shao Dachun casually touched the table and said, “Dad, the table isn’t dirty, and the floor isn’t dirty either.”

Shao Yu reached into a nook or cranny completely out of sight, and after pulling out a handful of dust, said, “The house is this dirty, and you still don’t think it’s dirty?”

Shao Dachun: …

“Clean the whole place thoroughly, making sure there isn’t a single dusty corner left,” Shao Yu instructed.

Shao Dachun was so tired that he couldn’t help but glance at Liu Guizhi.

Liu Guizhi also said, “I didn’t clean the house properly. Dad, Dachun is tired too, let me do it.”

Shao Yu glared and said, “I just want to live in the place my son cleans!”

Shao Dachun said, “Dad, doesn’t it matter who cleans it?”

Shao Yu glared at him and said, “You don’t want to clean? Fine, from now on, I won’t eat or sleep, and I’ll just let you wear me out to death.”

After Shao Yu finished speaking, he found a place to sit down and closed his eyes as if waiting to die.

This sight made Shao Dachun anxious, and he said, “Dad, what are you doing now? I’ll clean it, I’ll go clean it right away!”

Although Shao Dachun was exhausted, he still picked up the broom and slowly began to sweep.