The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
Just then, Zhao Qingtang happened to scroll through his sister-in-law’s friend’s social media feed. She had posted a picture of Zhao Xunyu’s cousin, Song Zhi Yuan.
He was well aware of Zhao Xunyu’s grandmother, Old Lady Chu Chunliu’s efforts to rectify Song Zhi Yuan.
When Song Zhi Yuan was about fourteen or fifteen, he’d been caught up in the trend of being a ‘shamate’ (a kind of flamboyant youth subculture in China), wearing a red watermelon-shaped hairdo, tight pants, and bean-shaped shoes. He always walked down the street with half of his body tilted as if he had suffered a stroke, and kept saying ‘Laozi‘. Throwing fists means ‘brotherhood’. His mother had shed many tears over this, but it was all in vain. It couldn’t stop the Jianghu passion of the social boy.
Until Chu Chunliu went to the city to visit her daughter. She encountered Song Zhi Yuan fighting in the street. Chu Chunliu, tall and strong, had served in the army in her youth and was used to physical labor. She stepped in and easily subdued the two scrawny fighters.
She didn’t go to her daughter’s house, but grabbed Song Zhi Yuan by the collar and took him back to the village. Song Zhi Yuan cursed on the way, but she didn’t say a word. When she got him home, she closed the door, grabbed a feather duster and gave him a good beating. Then she tied him up and shaved his watermelon haircut with a push-knife razor.
She ignored his struggles, not afraid to scratch him. But Song Zhi Yuan was afraid, and even before his grandmother threatened him, he stopped struggling. He watched helplessly as his glamorous hairstyle was replaced by that of a prisoner. Even the haircuts given to convicts were better than what he had…
Under Chu Chunliu’s military suppression, Song Zhi Yuan had no choice but to surrender.
Looking at the photo of the ordinary, sunny boy, no one would imagine that he had such a rebellious youth.
Zhao Qingtang had an idea. He felt that he could no longer indulge Zhao Xunyu, especially after his recent transgression, big or small. If he let it go without letting him suffer the consequences, Zhao Xunyu wouldn’t take it seriously and might offend again.
After a night of careful consideration, Zhao Qingtang decided to persuade Old Lady Chu to help discipline Zhao Xunyu. He also had to find the right words to convey to her the need for moderation. He wanted his son to realize his mistakes, learn a lesson, and that’s all. There was no need to use the same drastic measures that were used on Song Zhi Yuan to deal with Zhao Xunyu…
As soon as he mentioned this idea to Old Lady Chu, he was ruthlessly rejected. Old Lady Chu taunted him that he could handle mistresses and concubines, but couldn’t even discipline his only son. Zhao Qingtang secretly sighed, smilingly explained, humbled himself, and exaggerated the trouble Zhao Xunyu had caused. After repeated pleas and promises, Old Lady Chu finally gave in.
Zhao Qingtang was afraid that her methods would be too harsh. He added that he didn’t expect his son to change much, just to admit his mistake and become a little more restrained. He did not need to change his clothes or hairstyle, nor did he need to learn how to farm or cook, blah blah blah.
Old Lady Chu lost her patience and interrupted him.
“If you have your own ideas, then take him back and discipline him yourself.”
“… No, I mean you don’t have to spend too much time worrying about him. Most of the time it’s enough to leave him alone.”
He couldn’t control Zhao Xunyu, whose ability to throw tantrums and sell misery was at its peak, causing him more headaches than reciting a tight spell.
“Not a headache. He can eat or not, do you think I’ll coax him?”
***
Zhao Qingtang was still seething with anger towards Zhao Xunyu. He said that he’d caused a considerable mess and should spend two months at his grandmother’s house in the village to reflect on his actions. He found his son irritating just by looking at him. Zhao Xunyu didn’t resist. He didn’t think he was wrong, but he had indeed caused his father a lot of trouble.
Besides, he hadn’t spent more than a day with his grandmother in many years.
Since his mother’s death and his father’s remarriage, his grandmother had apparently cut off contact with them. When she returned to the village, she always stayed indoors, refusing to answer video calls or most phone calls except on holidays. The last time Zhao Xunyu saw her was when he visited his aunt’s house last year. He wanted to stay with his grandmother in the village for a few days before school started, but his grandmother coldly refused.
Over the years, his grandmother hadn’t been close to him, but he still remembered her holding him and giving him treats when he was a child. This was the person his mother loved the most, so he always wanted to be close to her.
When Zhao Xunyu was sent to the village, Zhao Qingtang naturally wanted to meet Old Lady Chu. Zhao Qingtang stayed there for two days. It was the first time he could stay in this house since his late wife passed away. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings, he felt quite emotional. The night before Zhao Qingtang left, Old Lady Chu asked him to confiscate Zhao Xunyu’s cell phone and not to leave him any pocket money. In front of Old Lady Chu’s majestic gaze, he didn’t dare to say a word.
Zhao Qingtang asked Zhao Xunyu for his mobile phone, but as soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Xunyu exploded. How can he live without a cell phone these days? Zhao Xunyu hid the phone and refused to let go. He asked what right his father had to confiscate it, saying he’d have to kill him first.
No matter how Zhao Qingtang tried to persuade him, Zhao Xunyu refused to let go.
Finally, Zhao Qingtang got angry and said with a stern face that this was a punishment for him. He went to the village to go through labor reform, not to be an ancestor. If he doesn’t listen to his grandmother and repent of his actions, as long as his grandmother calls to complain, he will have to live in a dormitory when he goes to college. He can’t expect his family to rent or buy him a house near school, or buy him that sports car he always wanted. His existing credit cards would be frozen, and his allowance would be cut in half.
Upon hearing this stern speech, Zhao Xunyu gave in. Although his father spoiled him, it wasn’t without limits. Zhao Qingtang usually indulged him, but if he stood his ground, Zhao Xunyu’s pleas, tantrums, and theatrics wouldn’t work.
After successfully confiscating the phone and making sure that Zhao Xunyu had no money, Zhao Qingtang retired triumphantly. He returned home early the next morning.
His Grandma wasn’t so heartless. She gave him an old-fashioned phone from an unknown era that could only make phone calls and didn’t even have a camera function. She also cruelly informed him that he would have to use the big red brick for the foreseeable future…
As for money, she said she would give him some to buy snacks once he started working.
Zhao Xunyu picked up the phone with mixed feelings.
After his father came home, he called the ‘brick’: “Your phone is with your grandmother. She asked me for your password. She said she’s going to log into all your social media accounts every day. If she finds out you’ve logged in from another device, she’ll call me. So don’t even think about secretly asking friends for help, unless you can memorize their phone numbers. Your cousin was also exiled, and I advise you to listen to your grandmother. Remember what I said.”
“…”
Then why did he feel that his grandmother was lonely and weak before? ? ?
After a long time, Zhao Xunyu remembered to protest righteously.
“Dad, how could you give my password to Grandma? No, how did you even know my password? You looked through my phone without my permission! Don’t you think this is too much? It’s a serious invasion of my privacy!”
“Your privacy? Privacy my @ss! Looking at that useless piece of junk phone of yours, I’d rather spend time talking to some of my more troublesome employees. At least they’re brave, resourceful, and intelligent, and they’re not wasting Laozi’s time.”
“What do you mean, old man? Are you insulting me? No matter what, I still get my genes from you. You think…”
“In short, reform yourself. If your grandmother calls to complain even once, you know what the consequences will be.”
Beep… beep… beep…