Chapter 1: The Xu Family in Qingshui Town (Revised)

Chapter 1: The Xu Family in Qingshui Town (Revised)

Clang!

Before Xu Zeli could recover from the shock, he heard a loud noise from the courtyard. A little girl with two buns on her head stumbled out of the small yard, her young voice wailing in a drawn-out cry: "Big Brother, Mother is about to give birth! Grandma wants you to go to the teahouse and ask Father to call for a midwife!"

Looking at Xiao Rou's round almond eyes, Xu Zeli felt as if he had been transported to another world. It was not an exaggeration, for just a moment ago, he had been on the execution platform.

"Big Brother!" Xu Zerou frantically clung to the orange tree in front of the courtyard, trying hard to call out to Xu Zeli.

At that moment, Xu Zeli truly came to his senses. He looked at the orange-hued evening sky. Yes, the youngest one had gone into labor late in the afternoon on the sixth day of the fifth month and gave birth three hours later. The whole process took less than an hour... Everyone said the youngest one was filial and doted on him, which resulted in him becoming someone who knew no bounds.

This led to the destruction of generations of the Xu family's legacy, and ultimately, their downfall.

Xu Zerou pounded the orange tree a few more times before Xu Zeli jumped down from it and dashed towards the teahouse on Dong Street...

Seeing her brother's disappearing back, Xu Zerou immediately darted into the courtyard and began boiling water under Grandma's instructions.

Children have quick feet, and from the old Xu family residence to the Qingshan Tea House on Dong Street, Xu Zeli only spent about fifteen minutes.

"Master Zeli, why are you here?" The waiter at the tea house hurried over to the panting Xu Zeli.

The Qingshan Tea House was established by Xu Zeli's eldest uncle after passing the imperial exams. After his eldest uncle became the magistrate of Dongping County, the tea house was entrusted to Xu Zeli's father for management.

Although the Qingshan Tea House was still nominally owned by Uncle Xu Songlin, the profits were managed by Xu Zeli's family. As Uncle Xu Songlin put it, since he couldn't be there to serve his mother, he could only make up for it with some money.

Xu Zeli didn't waste any time and said, "My mother is about to give birth. I need to find my father to call for a midwife!"

The waiter quickly called for the manager!

Within moments, a middle-aged man descended from the second floor of the tea house. He had a long face and resembled Xu Zeli by about fifty percent. Unlike Xu Zeli, who had healthy fair skin, this man had a pale complexion and seemed slightly unsteady.

Indeed, Xu Zeli's father, Xu Songshan, was not in good health; he had been a premature baby. Over the years, he had been carefully nurtured, and if not for the family's remaining assets, he might have passed away long ago.

"Father, Mother is about to give birth!" Xu Zeli rushed forward to support Xu Songshan.

He remembered that in his previous life, Father had even stumbled in excitement.

Sure enough, Xu Songshan's legs weakened, almost causing him to sit down... but Xu Zeli caught him in time.

"Qingtong, get the carriage ready and fetch the midwife," Xu Songshan urgently instructed the waiter.

Mother's due date was in mid-May, so this early labor threw the Xu family into a frenzy.

By the time Xu Zeli and the midwife arrived anxiously at the old Xu family residence, they heard the loud cries of a newborn from within the courtyard. The baby had just been born...

The scene was exactly the same as in his previous life.

Xu Zeli's eyes darkened, and a flash of killing intent crossed them.

Watching his father and the midwife hurry away, countless scenes flashed through Xu Zeli's mind.

After the youngest one reached adulthood, there wasn't a single peaceful day.

Initially, he only frequented brothels and drank heavily, but at that time, Xu Zeli had just passed the provincial exams and had little time to discipline him.

Later, when Xu Zeli passed the imperial exams, the youngest one became even more arrogant.

Relying on his and Uncle's status, he started harassing virtuous maidens, and for the sake of his own future, Xu Zeli had to clean up after him... hiring famous matchmakers to arrange marriages for the maidens he had harassed.

Thus, Xu Zeli had to spend time suppressing him.

Under Xu Zeli's daily supervision, the youngest one did indeed become more obedient...

Xu Zeli thought he had finally matured, but he was merely biding his time.

When Xu Zeli passed the palace exams at twenty-five and was chosen by the Minister of Justice as a son-in-law, the youngest one's true nature began to show.

First, he started lending money at exorbitant interest rates in Heluo County, making life miserable for the poor.

As Xu Zeli rose higher in his career, he found this too slow and began colluding with bandits...

Thinking about this, Xu Zeli sighed deeply. This youngest one was truly a disaster. While Xu Zeli had a smooth career, he never expected to be destroyed by this ungrateful younger brother.

Not only did he ruin Xu Zeli, but also his husband and father-in-law.

Speaking of his husband, Xu Zeli's expression turned somewhat strange, given how fierce he was... rare even in the Great Jing Dynasty. No wonder no one had come to propose marriage until his father-in-law arranged it.

Xu Zeli subconsciously rubbed his arm, remembering the many times he had been scratched to bleeding in his previous life.

Thinking about it, all he could hear was his fierce husband's laughter. They had been married for ten years and had twins... Xu Zeli's eyes moistened, perhaps he shouldn't involve them again in this life.

But the thought of his fierce husband growing old with someone else pierced his heart like needles.

"Big Brother! Big Brother!"

Xu Zerou bounced over to Xu Zeli, smiling sweetly: "Mother gave birth to a little brother!"

Seeing the smiling little girl, Xu Zeli felt a mix of emotions. She had been raised in innocence and joy... yet she ended up marrying the wrong person and suffered a tragic fate.

Less than three months after her wedding, she miscarried and was diagnosed with syphilis... eventually dying in despair.

That year, she was only twenty.

All of this was brought upon her by Zhou Shunqing, that beast!

And this beast was handpicked by Father and Mother.

Xu Zeli struggled to suppress his anger. It was all that bastard's fault for being such a good actor before the wedding!

This time, he would make sure to protect Xiao Rou and keep her away from that monster.

After Xiao Rou died, Father and Mother's hair turned white overnight.

He knew they were filled with guilt and regret.

Xu Zeli blinked and looked up, rubbing Xu Zerou's head. "Are you that happy?"

"Of course!" Xu Zerou smiled sweetly. "From today on, I'm not the youngest anymore. I'm a big sister! Big Brother, Father asked us to see the baby brother. Can we go in now?"

Xu Zeli's hand stiffened. He felt a strong aversion to this new brother and wasn't looking forward to it at all.

But seeing the eager look in the little girl's eyes, he had no choice but to follow her.

Xu Zeping lay in the soft embrace of the woman, still not fully understanding the situation. Feeling a chill all over, he struggled to open his eyes... In a daze, he saw a pair of cold, resentful eyes....