Dou Douding Ding, being only five years old, didn't know what to do and felt a bit lost.
Zhao Xiaoshan chuckled proudly, "I'm not charging you anything. Your useless father will abandon you sooner or later, so what's the benefit of following him? I'm the most qualified to be the leader."
Xie Sui was furious. Were they bringing adult disputes into a children's squabble? He wanted to jump in and argue with him, calling *him* useless, and his whole family useless!
Dou Dou puffed out his little belly, quite assertively, "We have five, you have one. You're bossy and unreasonable. Who wants to play with you?"
"But he doesn't charge money."
Children were good at calculating. Even a penny was money. It could buy a piece of fruit candy. In those days, having even a penny of pocket money wasn't easy.
Dou Dou was at a loss. Ding Ding said, "How about we don't charge money either?"
"No, we still have to repay Dad's money. If we don't charge, when will we earn it back?"
Damn Zhao Xiaoshan, he had ruined their good deed.
"Dou Douding Ding, Dad's back."
The little fellows' eyes lit up. They rushed into his arms, "Daddy, hug!"
"Okay, Dad's hugging you. Keep up, don't let my precious ones get sunburnt."
The hangers-on: "..."
Damn it, he's really treating us like escorts!
When they got home, the grain was delivered to the room. Everyone was exhausted. They hadn't done such hard work in a long time. If they were willing to endure hardship, they wouldn't be drifting through life.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't prepare anything today. I'll personally treat you another day. You should go back now, we'll arrange something later!"
"Damn it, Xie Sui, are you playing me? I worked my butt off for you, and I didn't even get a sip of water. You want me to leave? No way."
One of them, named Hu Weiliang, finally lost it and grabbed Xie Sui, about to start a fight.
Lin Wanwan tensed up, quickly scooping up the children and taking them inside to avoid them getting hurt. She also worried about Xie Sui, why did he provoke these people?
"Let go!"
Xie Sui's playful smile vanished. He stared at Hu Weiliang coldly. His imposing and icy gaze startled Hu Weiliang, who involuntarily loosened his grip.
"Why should I work for you? Didn't I help you last year when you were harvesting corn? How many times have I treated you to drinks? You only know how to take advantage of me, but when it comes to doing some work, you want to act tough with me? And you dare to call yourselves brothers? Do you have brothers like this?"
Hu Weiliang was in the wrong. They had indeed taken a lot from Xie Sui. It was because he was more shameless and always found a way to get money.
"Now, get out of my house. From now on, we're done. I, Xie Sui, don't have friends like you."
Xie Sui had been prepared. It was time to burn bridges with these kinds of people. It was better to cut ties.
"Don't, don't be angry. We're all friends, why make things so ugly? We'll leave now. Xie Sui, calm down."
Someone named Yu Chengyang stepped in to mediate, pulling Hu Weiliang away and defusing the conflict.
"Damn it, they still wanted to bully me, the ungrateful bastards!"
Xie Sui straightened his collar. His imposing demeanor was somewhat unfamiliar to Lin Wanwan. The children, however, looked at him with admiration, "Dad is so amazing!"
As he turned, he put on his familiar smile, "Wife, I'm sorry, did I scare you? Am I, your man, imposing?"
"Hmph!"
Lin Wanwan didn't want to engage with him; it wasn't something to be proud of! However, being able to cut ties with those people meant he was truly changing for the better. Lin Wanwan's lips curved upward involuntarily.
"Dad, they're so many people, aren't you scared?"
"Of course I'm scared, but you can't show weakness. Son, remember this: when it comes to fighting, it's all about momentum. The strong fear the aggressive, and the aggressive fear those who have nothing to lose, right?"
"Xie Sui, do you want to die? How can you teach the children like this?"
Lin Wanwan was boiling water in the kitchen. Hearing him teach the children this way, she was so angry she wanted to hit him.
"Heh heh, I misspoke. No matter what, you should never fight. We should win people over with virtue and be civilized people. Now, let's talk about the frog business being snatched away. What are you going to do?"
"Alas..."
The two little boys sighed like adults. What could they do?
Ding Ding, the little clever one, suddenly leaned in and kissed him, "Dad, teach us. Our business was snatched away, we have no money, we can't repay Dad's money, and Dad also lost money."
"That's right, that's right. Dad will surely have a way."
Xie Sui laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying his sons' admiration. Life's glorious moments were nothing more than this.
Lin Wanwan also listened attentively, curious to know how Xie Sui would teach his sons.
"First, Zhao Xiaoshan only wants one tin frog. We can have five. Each child plays for a while, and within half a day, they'll start fighting. Zhao Xiaoshan won't be able to handle it, and resentment among his subordinates will be our opportunity.
Secondly, we can organize a competition and implement a membership system. Those who play ten times become core members. Members can participate in competitions with prizes ranging from one jiao to five fen. They can play and gain benefits, naturally becoming your most loyal partners.
Lastly, when it comes to partners, it's better to have quality over quantity. Just like Dad's friends, they're not truly good to me, they just want benefits. It's better to do without them.
"Yay! Dad is so amazing! Let's do it this way."
Xie Sui added, "The last and most important point is that your companions must benefit. If there's only input and no return, it won't last. I'll teach you a good way to make money, so your companions can earn money and have fun. If Zhao Xiaoshan snatches them away again, you won't be able to be the leader of the kids, and you'll just play in the mud at home."
"We can do it! What business is it? Dad is the best, tell us quickly."
"My shoulders are a bit sore..."
"I'll massage Dad's shoulders."
The two boys, one on each side, massaged Xie Sui's shoulders. "My legs are a bit sore."
They then huffed and puffed, pounding his legs. Lin Wanwan was speechless. He was truly like a big child. The moment he had a bit of proper behavior, he would immediately start acting up again.
"Ahem!"
Lin Wanwan coughed. Xie Sui immediately restrained himself and said, "Collect cicada shells. Every morning, you can find quite a few under the tree roots and behind the leaves. Two for one fen, and I'll help you sell them."
"Cicada shells? Those can be sold?"
"Yes, they are a medicinal ingredient and very valuable."
"Dad, how do you know so many things?"
Xie Sui replied, "From reading, of course. I read about it in books. But pay attention, you're not allowed to climb trees, and you're not allowed to get hurt."
"We want to read too, to be as amazing as Dad."
"Alright, you'll start elementary school at seven. For now, learn with Mom. When I sell these, I'll buy some picture books for you."
"Oh, that's great!"
"Let's cook. I've boiled the water. What do you want to eat?"
"How about some noodles? It's hot, so we'll rinse them with cold water, add some shredded carrots and cucumber, and mix it with meat sauce. It tastes delicious."
Xie Sui excitedly went to prepare lunch. Lin Wanwan took a sip of water. Her husband was considerate, and her sons were obedient and sensible. This kind of life was something she never dared to dream of before.