He shook his head, "A deal is a deal, I did indeed damage your car, this money is compensation for you, no need to return it to me."
Zhao Deli wanted to say something, but Zhao Shusheng was already waving his hand, "Deli, since Brother Zhou has said so, just accept it."
Zhao Shusheng knew well that Zhou Wang didn’t want to leave any room for gossip, but he glanced at Zhou Wang’s expression, and even though the two brothers successively apologized, Zhou Wang actually hadn’t made any clear statement.
After a brief thought, Zhao Shusheng understood. He smiled and chided Zhao Dezhu, "How is it that after so many years you haven’t made any progress at all? Entering a temple, you still don’t know which way to bow when worshiping?"
Zhao Dezhu was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized. He pulled Zhao Deli and came before Zhou Wang’s grandmother. Then, amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, he knelt down with a "thud."
"Aunt Gao, our family hasn’t behaved properly all these years, and if there have been any places where we’ve upset you, please forgive us."
The eldest brother knelt, so Zhao Deli had no choice but to quickly follow with a kowtow.
Zhou Wang’s grandmother was at a loss, quickly getting up to pull the two of them, "Oh, Dezhu, Xiao Er, get up quickly, the ground is dirty, the ground is dirty..."
Hearing Zhou Wang’s grandmother call him "Dezhu," and looking at her aged face, Zhao Dezhu was genuinely moved.
In their childhood days of poverty, Zhao Dezhu wasn’t above taking advantage of Zhou Wang’s grandmother by asking for handouts, and suddenly recalling it now, Zhao Dezhu could vaguely remember the taste of "soy sauce rice"...
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Zhao Dezhu didn’t let others see his eyes suddenly turning red. He just silently lowered his head again...
Come on, big brother, again?
With everyone watching, Zhao Deli felt a bit embarrassed, considering he was already in his forties, but there was no choice, as his big brother was kowtowing, he could only follow with another.
With persuasion from Zhao Guihua and others, the two finally stood up.
It was only then that Zhou Wang’s grandmother sighed and said, "Alright, alright, let bygones be bygones, let’s all live well from now on..."
When Zhou Wang’s grandmother said this, it was equivalent to forgiving Zhao Laosan’s family.
With the talk opened up, the atmosphere became harmonious again. Under Zhao Shusheng’s intentional guidance, several daughters-in-law from Zhao Laosan’s family quickly bonded with Zhou Wang’s aunts.
Much to the surprise of his little uncle Zhao Guilin, Zhao Dezhu even pulled him aside to talk about fruit farming, offering to introduce him to a reliable wholesaler...
The grudges that lasted for over a decade seemed to vanish in an instant, under the light of a lamp and a few cups of rustic wine.
Looking at the warm atmosphere in the courtyard, anyone unaware might have thought the two families were not just neighbors but as familiar as in-laws...
As for the toilet that initially sparked the dispute, nobody mentioned it at all.
In the eyes of the little uncle and others, it seemed unimportant. Over these years, were they really fighting over the land?
No, they were just fighting for their pride.
Now that their pride was restored, it even felt somewhat dreamlike. How come they hadn’t realized before that the grudge wasn’t as big as imagined...
And for Zhao Laosan’s family, there was no need to mention it, because they would be taking it down overnight...
Zhao Shusheng and others didn’t disturb for too long. After sitting and chatting a bit, he stood up to bid farewell.
It was only then that Zhao Shusheng seemed to suddenly remember something, patting his own head, "Look at my memory!"
Saying this, Zhao Shusheng turned to Zhou Wang’s grandmother, "Aunt Gao, today is your birthday, I didn’t prepare much, so let me offer this red envelope and wish you health and longevity!"
Faced with Zhao Shusheng’s congratulations and the red envelope he handed over, Zhao Guihua and the other children felt a sense of honor.
Regardless of the reasons, among so many elders in Zhaozhuang, how many could receive a personal congratulation from Zhao Shusheng?
Zhou Wang’s grandmother couldn’t help showing a faint smile, but still tried to decline the red envelope.
With Zhao Shusheng insisting, the grandmother unconsciously glanced towards Zhou Wang. Seeing that the red envelope’s thickness seemed ordinary, Zhou Wang knew that Zhao Shusheng was being moderate, so he nodded and smiled,
"Grandma, Mr. Zhao means well, just accept it."
"Alright, Mr. Zhao, come over for dinner tomorrow..."
Only then did the grandmother happily accept the red envelope.
Face-to-face, Zhao Laosan’s family showed nothing, but after Zhou Wang escorted Zhao Shusheng and the others out, the sharp-eyed aunt saw the red envelope left on the seat, and immediately let out a gasp.
...
Everyone else fell behind, while Zhou Wang walked alongside Zhao Shusheng along the riverbank.
Zhou Wang didn’t intend to walk so far, but he could tell Zhao Shusheng still had something to say to him.
"Mr. Zhao, what’s the matter?"
At least on the surface, Zhao Shusheng appeared to be quite forthright, so Zhou Wang didn’t beat around the bush, opting for the least exhausting way of communication... getting straight to the point.
"People from the town were supposed to come today, but I wasn’t sure if you, lil’ brother, would like dealing with them, so I turned them down first."
Zhao Shusheng laughed.
"In that case, big brother, you didn’t do anything wrong; I’m indeed not interested..."
Zhou Wang was first taken aback, then asked, "What was their purpose in coming?"
"To put it bluntly, it was just to cozy up to you, and it involved some promotional and evaluation issues... Don’t look at me like that, brother. It wasn’t on purpose that I disclosed anything about your stuff. It was because at the time, someone from the town was also following up on the contract, mainly because my driver had a big mouth and said a few words, so then..."
Zhao Shusheng spread his hands helplessly.