Chapter 31: Oh, my back!

"Brother Xu, sister-in-law, both of you are eating here!"

As Guan Laoqi walked into the Xu's household, he had an embarrassed look on his face, as he thought that he had come at the wrong time. However, his eyes peeked at the dishes that were on the table and he didn't even blink when he saw them.

"Brother Qi, come have a seat and join us!" 

The meal at the Xu family was actually quite high-end.

This was because Eldest Xu and Second Xu had gone into the forest to chop wood this morning and come back with two wild chickens.

"Very well then, I will help myself to it. I just came back from the county, and I'm famished!" Guan Laoqi definitely wasn't polite about it.

When the Eldest Xu went to get a set of utensils for Guan Laoqi, Mr. Xu asked with a smile on his face, "Brother Qi, why were you in such a hurry? Did something happen?"

"Brother Xu, didn't you mention fixing the roads in the village to the Grand Master yesterday? This was why I went to the county today. They are already preparing for it! Brother Xu, what you've done for the village is major!" Guan Laoqi stared at Mr. Xu with an admirable look on his face. "I should treat you to a drink!"

"Don't, don't. That won't be necessary. I can't drink." Mr. Xu shook his head and waved his hand. "Brother Qi, I'm going to just tell you the truth. As people, once we grow old, our bodies turn really bad. I was in the woods yesterday, meaning to chop some wood to build a new hut. But then, oh, my back… Ever since last night, my back has been hurting..."

As he spoke, Mr. Xu started massaging his lower back.

"Brother Xu, are you okay? Do you want us to get you a doctor? The Grand Master has said that he wants you to be in charge of the road building."

"No, that's a bad idea!" Mr. Xu quickly waved his hand and said, "Brother Qi, I really can't do this anymore. I even woke up late in the afternoon today. If I'm lying about this, God shall punish me!"

"Brother Xu, please take that back!" Guan Laoqi was frightened by the things that Mr. Xu was saying.

Mr. Xu laughed. "It's okay, Brother Qi. As long as I haven't done anything wrong, I'm sure God will treat me kindly!"

Second Xu, who was sitting to the side, didn't dare utter a single word.

As for Mrs. Xu and her third daughter-in-law, both of them remained silent as well.

When Eldest Xu came out with a new set of utensils, Mr. Xu stopped the conversation and looked slightly stiff as he started having his lunch.

In the end, most of the dishes on the table went into Guan Laoqi's stomach.

As for the thought of drinking, Guan Laoqi could no longer ask for it, as the host already mentioned that he was unwell.

Well, of course, this was his own choice. Mr. Xu had been persuading him to drink and told Guan Laoqi to not be bothered by his condition. However, Guan Laoqi was not that thick-skinned and he should already be grateful to be able to enjoy this expensive meal.

　　...

When Guan Laoqi left, Mr. Xu immediately told his eldest son to close the doors and held a second family meeting.

As for Youngest Xu, who was studying in the county, his wife, Wang, would represent him.

"Let's discuss something!"

Mr. Xu looked at both his sons and all three of his daughters-in-law with a solemn face. "Our luck has been extraordinary recently. We even got wild chickens while going for a stroll in the woods. But when thinking about it further, this isn't really a good thing. Therefore, from now onwards, we must maintain a low-profile."

Mr. Xu turned and stared at Second Xu. "You, Second Xu, did you hear me? Do you know what a low-profile means?"