Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Chapter 588 Disbelieving in Heaven, Disbelieving in Earth

Hu Bingwei!

Zhao the rich man trembled violently, clenched his fist, and, not caring to say anything more, immediately pushed the two children into the hole, then laid out the straw mat, making everything on the kang look normal.

"His father!" Zhao the rich man's wife was so frightened that her face turned pale and her voice trembled.

Zhao the Rich squeezed his wife's hand and said, "Old woman, we've eaten all the good food and dressed all the finest clothes in our lives, and enjoyed all the blessings we've had! Isn't the point of living all this time to raise children? Today, for the sake of our two children, we'll have to hold on a little longer!"

"Yes! Father, as long as the two children can live well, I will do my best to hold on!" Zhao's wife gradually calmed down, and the anxiety and fear on her face slowly faded away.

Zhao the rich man nodded, slowly got up, walked to the door, and looked out through the crack.

Inside the courtyard, a dozen or so people had already gathered, led by Hu Bingwei. He sat astride a tall horse, a large knife in his hand, a sinister grin on his face. Beside him on horseback sat a lean man with a gloomy face, blood still dripping from his knife.

"Father, I'm calling you Father one more time, that's giving you enough face! Ha, still not coming out? Are you scared? You can be cowardly too! Since you won't come out, I'll have to go in and ask you to come!" Hu Bingwei dismounted, picked up his knife, and approached the door step by step.

Zhao the rich man took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and flung open the door with a whoosh.

When Hu Bingwei saw Zhao the Rich finally come out, a smug smile appeared on his face. He said, "Oh, Dad, you've finally decided to come out? What, you've gotten too old and your guard has dropped? Where's that spirit you had back then, threatening to wipe me out? Haha, fortunes change, you've been smug your whole life, but this is your day!"

Zhao the Rich looked coldly at Hu Bingwei, his voice calm but trembling slightly: "Hu Bingwei, didn't I treat you well back then? I treated you like my own son, gave you good food and drink, and put you in charge of the family business! How did you repay me? You cheated my daughter, harmed my son, and didn't even spare your own daughter. Are you even human?!"

Hu Bingwei sneered, "Heh, you treat me like your own son? You old bastard, put your hand on your heart and think about those words carefully. Do you think it's appropriate for you to say that? What is a live-in son-in-law? A live-in son-in-law is a dog that is inferior to others! It was clearly your daughter who insisted on marrying him, but you want me to live with you!"

Do you know how heartbreaking it is to be a live-in son-in-law? Hmph, everyone says your Zhao family ancestors received a great-great-grandfather's reward, with several cartloads of gold! Ha, don't even mention that gold, let alone silver. Where have you kept all the silver you've earned every year? Have you ever told me? Have you ever treated me like a human being?

I'm a son-in-law who married into your family. In your eyes, I'm nothing more than an outsider, a lackey working for your Zhao family. If that's the case, then I should at least get something out of this life! Have you ever considered what I'm getting out of selling myself to your Zhao family?

"Hmph, we agreed that the entire Zhao family would be passed down to me, and what happened? Your wife gave birth to Zhao Yuanbao, and you went back on your word! What am I then? The biggest joke in Ningping County!"

Zhao the Richman stared at Hu Bingwei, his blood boiling. He took two deep breaths to keep from fainting. He truly regretted not stopping his daughter from falling for this ungrateful wretch!

Hu Bingwei continued to mock and ridicule: "Since you promised not to give it to me, then I'll come and get it myself! The wheat harvest has just been completed, and I heard that the harvest in Ningping County has been excellent these past two years. Our grain storage should be full by now, right?"

"You haven't lived in the county for the past two years, so you've probably brought all your silver ingots and gold nuggets to the manor, haven't you? Look, I've even invited General Ma, the renowned King of the Northwest, to come and make sure he cleans this manor spotless!"

"You! Hu Bingwei, what goes around comes around. You'll get your comeuppance sooner or later!" Zhao the rich man's wife couldn't help but shout.

Hu Bingwei was no longer the Zhao family's fifth son-in-law who still possessed some scholarly air. Now, he was filled with malice, like a rat crawling out of a ditch.

He laughed loudly, "Hehe, I stopped believing in heaven and earth a long time ago, I only believe in myself! Retribution? Do you really think there is retribution in this world? Look at you rich people, in a world where people are starving, you are all fat and bloated, what retribution have you suffered! And look at those officials in the court, they are all greedy and corrupt, each of them has taken several lives, what retribution have they suffered!"

Looking at his once-good son-in-law, Zhao the wealthy man gritted his teeth, his mouth instantly filling with the taste of blood. He truly hadn't expected that the previously refined Hu Bingwei would turn out to be such a person. He hated himself for not seeing through him earlier, but alas, it was all too late.

It's not impossible for Hu Bingwei to seek revenge. But now that this scoundrel has invited the bandit king Ma Chenfang, not only will his Zhao family suffer, but many people in Ningping County will likely be implicated as well.

Ma Chenfang is treacherous, cunning, ruthless, lewd, and greedy, but he usually only runs rampant in the Ganzhou and Suzhou areas and has never set foot on the territory of Qingzhou Prefecture. The fact that he traveled all the way to Ningping County this time is a mystery; one wonders what great benefits Hu Bingwei promised him.

Ma Chenfang had been observing Zhao the Rich with interest when she suddenly heard a few barks from afar. She quickly urged, "Hu Bingwei, if you want to catch up with your father-in-law, you can go down there and keep him company. Now, stop talking nonsense and don't delay the brothers' work. We need to get back to Bacunyuan before dawn!"

"General Ma, yes, yes, yes!" Hu Bingwei hurriedly bowed and nodded.

After saying that, he waved to the bandits behind him and shouted, "Come on, brothers, go and rob every house! All the gold, silver, jewels, and grain you find are yours. As for the survivors, leave none alive, especially the boys!"

"Brothers, loot! Loot everything! Slaughter everyone!" The bandits behind Hu Bingwei immediately grabbed their knives and ran toward the house behind Zhao the Rich.

Hu Bingwei dragged his knife, walking step by step toward Zhao the Rich. Zhao the Rich closed his eyes, silently praying, "Yuanbao, you must escape..."