"A few days ago, those creditors didn't they come to our house and carry off a lot of things? This morning Big Brother went to get quite a bit back. Oh right—and our TV, Big Brother got that back too."
Ge Yuzhu explained cheerfully to Xu Tonglu.
Xu Tonglu's expression was hard to hide his shock.
He looked at the sacks of unhusked rice and white rice by the wall, then went into the master bedroom to check the returned television. When he came back out, he heard the quacking of an old duck from the chicken coop. He couldn't help but bend down to look inside, seeing three chickens and one duck added. Frowning, he turned back to Xu Tongdao.
"Why didn't you call me to go with you for something like this? And those people took way more rice, grain, chickens, and ducks than this, didn't they? Which households haven't you gone to yet? This afternoon we'll go together!"
Xu Tongdao paused his chopsticks, glanced at him, and said calmly, "This is all that could be recovered."
"Why?"
Xu Tonglu raised his voice, his brow knitting tighter.
Xu Tongdao continued eating and ignored him.
Seeing this, Ge Yuzhu hurriedly stepped in to explain. "Second Brother, that day was such chaos, with so many people coming to carry things off. How could we clearly remember who took what, or how much? And even if we remembered, we didn't have any evidence. If they refuse to admit it, there's nothing we can do. Big Brother being able to get this much back is already very good."
Xu Tonglu: "…"
After a moment of silence, Xu Tonglu darkened his face and went into the kitchen.
Not long after, he came back with a bowl of rice and sat down to eat.
Ge Yuzhu also returned to the table.
For a while, the three of them ate in silence.
After a moment, Xu Tongdao finished his meal.
He put down his chopsticks, picked up the enamel mug on the table, took two sips of water, then set it down. Looking at his younger brother Xu Tonglu across from him and his sister Ge Yuzhu at his right, he spoke evenly.
"Our dad probably isn't coming back. As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like the father. From now on, you two need to listen to me. Do you hear me?"
As soon as he spoke, Ge Yuzhu stopped eating.
When he finished, Xu Tonglu also put down his chopsticks, lifted his head, and shot Xu Tongdao a disdainful sideways glance. His tone was equally contemptuous.
"Give me a break! You're only one year older than me, and you're talking about 'eldest brother like father'? Besides, how can you be so sure Dad won't come back? Maybe he'll be back in a few days."
Ge Yuzhu looked at her eldest brother, then at her second brother, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
Xu Tongdao didn't look at her. He only stared at Xu Tonglu, who was openly challenging his authority, and said coldly, "Even if I'm only older than you by one day, I'm still your elder brother. If you don't listen, I'll beat you."
"You wouldn't dare!"
Xu Tonglu craned his neck and pushed back.
Xu Tongdao stared at him coldly. Xu Tonglu returned the stare without yielding an inch.
Xu Tongdao clenched his teeth inwardly, suppressing the urge to beat the brat on the spot. It wasn't that he was afraid he couldn't beat his brother—he knew Xu Tonglu's unruly temperament. He was afraid that if he beat him now, once he let go, the kid would run away from home.
Running away was something others might not dare to do, but Xu Tonglu just might.
"You'll find out whether I dare or not."
Xu Tongdao left those words behind, stood up, went to the chicken coop, and took out the old duck that still had its legs tied. He carried it to the back kitchen to slaughter it.
Xu Tonglu snorted coldly, looking unconvinced and defiant.
…
Killing a duck was second nature to Xu Tongdao.
In his previous life, after his father disappeared and never returned, he entered society early. Cooking, washing clothes, cleaning—he did everything himself.
Whenever he came home during holidays and his mother wanted to kill a chicken or duck, he was always the one holding the knife.
Not to mention that later on, he even worked as a cook for several years.
In the kitchen, he casually set the duck on the ground, took a porcelain bowl, scooped half a bowl of clean water from the water jar, added a bit of fine salt, then took the cleaver and stirred the water with the tip of the blade until the salt dissolved.
This half bowl of salted water was for catching the duck blood.
When duck blood mixed with salted water and was left to sit for about half an hour, it would partially coagulate.
Later, pouring it into boiling water and cooking it briefly would turn it into blood tofu.
He knew all of this inside out.
After placing the bowl and cleaver on the stove, he took a gourd ladle, scooped water from the jar into the pot, covered it, then went to the stove mouth to light the fire and prepare boiling water.
Plucking duck feathers required hot water.
As he did all this, his mind wandered.
Killing and stewing a duck posed no difficulty for him. He could do it on instinct. What occupied his thoughts was what to do next—what path to take to make life for this family steadily better.
Before his rebirth, he'd never amounted to much. He hadn't studied much either. Now that he was reborn, he didn't think he was qualified to enter any lofty, high-end industries.
Not only because he didn't understand them, but also because his family was poor and lacked capital.
But having been given a second chance at life, if he were to simply take an ordinary job, earn a fixed wage, support his younger siblings' schooling, and support his mother, he felt that would be a waste of this inexplicable rebirth.
He knew that many nouveau riche weren't particularly educated either.
The reason they made their fortunes was often because they seized the right opportunity.
In his previous life, he had never seized such opportunities—nor had he been able to see them.
But now he was reborn.
He knew better than anyone which industries would make money in the decades to come.
So he knew where the opportunities lay.
If nothing else, when the real estate industry exploded, as long as he bought several properties early while prices were low, he'd be set for life.
This was the simplest path to wealth he knew.
But right now, it would still be several years before real estate took off.
More importantly, his family was too poor.
With a gambling father, his family had already been poorer than most households in the village. Now that his father had disappeared, even their only laborer who earned money was gone.
So his most urgent task was to make money—quickly.
Otherwise, even if he knew that the real estate industry would skyrocket in a few years, he wouldn't have the funds to participate.
Skillfully lighting the stove and feeding dry firewood into the firebox, footsteps sounded at the kitchen doorway.
"Big Brother, I'll help you…"
It was Ge Yuzhu's voice.
Xu Tongdao glanced at her, patted the ash from his hands, stood up, picked up the porcelain bowl and cleaver from the stove, and walked toward the old duck that was quacking on the ground.
"Alright. You hold the duck—grab its legs and wings."
"Okay!"
His sister was very obedient. She bent down, lifted the duck by its legs, and grabbed its wings with her other hand. Xu Tongdao set the bowl of salted water on the ground, laid the cleaver across the rim, pinched the duck's head with one hand, and deftly plucked a tuft of feathers from its neck. Then he picked up the cleaver and casually instructed, "Lift it higher."
"Okay!"
She immediately raised the duck higher.
Xu Tongdao took the cleaver and sliced cleanly across the exposed part of the duck's neck. Dark red blood immediately poured into the salted water in the bowl.
The dying duck struggled violently, but it was already futile.
Before long, little blood flowed from the cut neck anymore.
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup