Chapter 371 - 196: Little Shitou Deals with Granny Hua (2)
Chapter 371 - 196: Little Shitou Deals with Granny Hua (2)
The two boys ran all the way to the gate of Little Shitou’s courtyard before finally stopping.
Gou Dan was utterly in awe of Little Shitou. His eyes were wide and shining as he said to Shi Tou, "Shi Tou, you’re a genius! That old hag really took a fall! Heh heh!"
Little Shitou glanced into his courtyard and saw that his dad was back. He quickly warned Gou Dan, "Don’t you say a word! Even if you hear people talking about her falling, just act normal and say it serves her right. Don’t you dare get cocky and show off! If you mess this up, I’m never playing with you again."
Gou Dan nodded his head like a chicken pecking at grain. "I won’t, of course I won’t," he said repeatedly. "If my mom found out, she’d probably scold me too."
Little Shitou dusted off his hands, straightened his clothes, and then said, as if nothing had happened, "Alright, go on home and eat. This afternoon, we’ll figure out a way to get Sun Jinshan’s wife."
Gou Dan nodded vigorously in excitement. "Yeah! I’ll think hard too. We’ve got to figure out how to get that hag. We can’t keep using the same trick."
Once Gou Dan had run off into the distance, Little Shitou skipped cheerfully into the courtyard.
Seeing his son return from outside, Zhao San called out, "Shi Tou, where have you been running wild now? Not practicing your writing, not staying home to play with your sister, just thinking about having fun."
Little Shitou curled his lip dismissively. "Writing, writing... how do you know I haven’t been writing, Dad? When I was practicing, who knows where you were, gossiping with someone. You come back and just assume I haven’t done my writing without even asking. Dad, have you practiced the characters I assigned you? You haven’t forgotten the ones I taught you yesterday, have you?"
Zhao San was struck dumb, staring at the boy, at a loss for words.
And wasn’t he just gossiping with people? It was the first month of the new year, so there wasn’t much to do. After breakfast, he had gone next door to Big Mouth Zhao’s house to chat with Changxing and the others while basking in the sun. He had only just gotten back.
He wasn’t actually trying to scold his son. He was just like any other father who, upon seeing his son, felt the need to put on an act and say a few words. Whether it was to maintain his paternal authority or to discipline the boy, it was just a habit.
But this kid Shi Tou was just too much. Every single time, he had a comeback that left his father speechless. Being a father to this extent was utterly humiliating.
He couldn’t help but regret it. ’How could I forget that he reads and writes every morning? Scolding him like this is just asking for embarrassment. This kid never lets you off the hook when he’s right, and he couldn’t care less if his dad loses face or not.’
The father and son stared at each other, eye to eye, for a moment. Then, a flash of inspiration struck Zhao San. "I’m going to clean the pigpen! It has to be kept clean, or the pigs will get sick." Then he turned and scurried away.
Shi Tou’s mother, who saw the whole scene from the kitchen, lowered her head and stifled her laughter for a long time.
Little Shitou watched his father’s retreating back, thinking irritably, ’Why is Dad just like Gou Dan, hating his studies so much? Gou Dan should be Dad’s son, not me. How am I not like Dad at all?’
If Zhao San knew what his son was thinking, he would probably faint from anger.
Later that evening, during dinner, Shi Tou’s mother said to Zhao San, "Something happened to Granny Hua. She took a nasty fall—broke her nose and knocked out her front teeth. Li Laoda is at home, furious and cursing up a storm!"
Zhao San asked, puzzled, "Why’s he cursing her for falling? It’s not like she did it on purpose."
Gloating, Shi Tou’s mother poked at her bowl with her chopsticks and laughed. "Instead of staying put at home, she went over to Sun Jinshan’s house to argue with Liu’er’s mother all morning. On her way back, she slipped and smashed her face on a rock. Li Laoda is furious about the cost of medicine. He’s yelling that she’s more trouble than she’s worth, that she can’t sit still at home and is always running over to other people’s houses. Says her feet get itchy if she doesn’t go out for three days."
Zhao San grinned. "Good that she fell. It’ll keep her from running all over the place for no reason. I just feel bad for Changming. He’s about to get married, and now his old mother is causing trouble again, making him spend money."
Shi Tou’s mother snorted. "If I were Li Laoda, I wouldn’t spend the money. What’s the big deal? It’s not like she’s going to die. A few missing teeth, a crooked nose, so what? If she thinks it’s ugly, it’s the perfect excuse for her to not go out and see people."
Zhao San let out a PUFF of laughter. "That’s true. With those gaps in her teeth, she probably won’t even dare to open her mouth to speak anymore."
Listening to his parents from the side, Little Shitou felt joy bubbling up inside him. He never expected the fall to have such a great result.
But he also knew he had caused big trouble. If anyone found out he was the one who made Granny Hua fall, he would surely be punished. His parents would have to spend money to go and formally apologize, and if his teacher found out, it would be even worse. So, he kept his mouth shut, thinking he needed to warn Gou Dan one more time. He absolutely couldn’t let him spill the beans.
The little boy was blooming with delight. He kept his head down, shoveling rice into his mouth, while peeking at his parents over the rim of his bowl. Seeing that they didn’t suspect anything strange about Granny Hua’s fall, he felt even happier.
As his parents chattered on, he stopped thinking about Granny Hua and turned his thoughts to how to get Liu’er’s mother. He had been thinking about it all afternoon but hadn’t come up with a good idea, which was why he hadn’t gone out with Gou Dan.
Noticing his son’s cheerful expression, Zhao San shot him a look. "You’re this happy that the old hag fell?" He knew his son disliked Granny Hua because of the incident with Juhua.
Little Shitou nodded emphatically. "Of course. It serves her right. That hag should fall a few more times, otherwise she’ll never learn her lesson."
Amused, Shi Tou’s mother gave her son a look. "Don’t go around saying that outside. If people hear you, they’ll say you’ve learned to read but not to have any manners."
Little Shitou quickly nodded hard at his mother, pushed his bowl away, and went to see his little sister.
Gou Dan had far less self-control than Little Shitou. When he heard that Granny Hua had broken her nose and knocked out her front teeth, he was so happy that he completely forgot Shi Tou’s warning. He immediately beamed and exclaimed, "Serves her right! That rock is really something else!"
Meizi shot him a harsh glare. "What’s so good about it? Now Changming will have to spend money again!"
She was especially protective of Li Changming’s money right now. The thought of this sudden disaster costing Changming a sum of silver made her heart ache. She couldn’t help but resent Granny Hua. ’How useless. She can’t even walk properly. How can someone manage to fall and break their nose? It’s unheard of.’
Seeing his sister’s furrowed brow, pouting red lips, and unhappy expression, Gou Dan realized with a jolt that he had let it slip. He nervously glanced at his family, but thankfully, no one had noticed he was talking about Shi Tou the boy, not the rock. He let out a long sigh of relief and didn’t dare to chime in again.
Gou Dan’s mother said in a low voice, "It’s good that she fell. So what if it costs a little silver? For one, it’ll teach her a lesson. For another, with her front teeth knocked out, let’s see if she still has the nerve to run all over the place. Whistling when she talks, and still going out to make a fool of herself?"
Hearing this, Meizi thought it made sense. Her brow unfurrowed and she asked, "Mom, should we go and check on her?"
Gou Dan’s mother said, "Don’t you worry about it. I’ll go take a look."
(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, you are welcome to support it with recommendation votes and monthly passes on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
novelnext