Chapter 9: A Man Has to Be Tough on Himself

Old Yuan leisurely strolled around, and after finding a suitable big tree, Yuan Zhaodi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought if his father kept hovering around, he'd end up exhausted on the mountain today.

"Whew..."

"Big brother, I'm taking a break!"

Yuan Zhaodi dropped the axe in his hand, looked at the large blisters in his palms, and felt truly miserable.

"Got blisters?"

Yuan Pandi noticed Yuan Zhaodi's actions and laughed, his face beaming, "Little Four, I'm telling you, your physique needs some toughening up!"

"Big brother, are you serious?"

Yuan Zhaodi rolled his eyes.

"You think what I said is wrong?"

Yuan Pandi gave Yuan Zhaodi a glance, "Little Four, just because your big brother doesn't like to think too much doesn't mean I'm brainless."

"You're now an overseer at the docks, but can the little wages you earn really support a family?"

"With Mom and Dad around, we brothers won't separate, but when they're gone, we'll have to split up eventually."

"If you keep drifting along like this, you'll end up as a good-for-nothing gentleman."

"So, here's the question: are you a gentleman?"

Upon hearing this long lecture from his big brother, Yuan Zhaodi was a bit dumbfounded.

Alright, before this, he really had never thought his big brother had this kind of wisdom, seeing the issue so far ahead.

Yuan Zhaodi fell silent.

At that moment, he suddenly understood why his own father couldn't stand him.

The matters of yesterday, in his father's eyes, must have been seen the same way.

He couldn't rely on his parents for everything.

He was already a father himself; though he hadn't set up his own household yet, he should take responsibility for his share now.

"Big brother, thank you!"

Yuan Zhaodi figured it out and understood.

Who isn't a man?

Isn't it just about setting up a household?

He, Yuan Zhaodi, a real man!

Looking at the blisters on his hands, Yuan Zhaodi directly found a thorn from the jujube tree to prick them.

A man has to be a bit tough on himself.

Pricking the blisters didn't hurt, but when he gripped the axe again, the fiery pain almost made him grimace.

However, Yuan Zhaodi managed to endure it.

Although his pace in chopping trees was still not fast enough, his improvement was obvious.

"Little Four, you're a tough one!"

Seeing his brother's perseverance, Yuan Pandi was genuinely touched.

Back in his day, he was educated with his father's stick, yet even with the stick, it took him ages to change himself.

Looking at his little Four, goodness, this determination, no wonder he has a daughter!

Yuan Zhaodi heard his brother's praise and chuckled, "Big brother, do you think now that we in the Yuan Family have daughters, we should change our names?"

"Cut it out!"

Yuan Pandi glared at Yuan Zhaodi, "This matters, it's time to tell you!"

"Our Yuan Family has had a rough lot!"

Yuan Zhaodi then recounted the story of a fortune teller saying the Yuan Family's destiny was flawed, "This is something only the men in our Yuan Family know after having kids."

"Big brother, then, has our fate changed now?"

Hearing that Yuan Family men hadn't lived past sixty, Yuan Zhaodi got really uneasy, because their father was already fifty-one!

"I don't know!"

Yuan Pandi smiled wryly, "That wise man said that with daughters, the Yuan Family might have a chance to break this fate."

"So, we just have to wait and see, if Dad can live past sixty..."

"Big brother, Dad will definitely live past sixty!"

Yuan Zhaodi directly interrupted his big brother.