The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 124 - 123: Splashing Feces

That day, Little Chen and Xiao Yang finally heard the news from their playmates.

"Xiao Yang, my mom said your stepmom is going to have a little brother for you."

Xiao Yang and Little Chen both stared dumbfounded at Gou Dan. Xiao Yang blurted out anxiously, "You’re lying."

Er Dan puffed out his chest. "I’m not lying. I heard it from my mom. She said your stepmom is pregnant and will have a baby brother for you in a few months. Your dad’s happy as a mouse."

Gouzi, who was standing nearby, kicked him. "The expression is ’lost in bliss.’ The teacher just taught us."

Er Dan rubbed his backside and said dismissively, "Whatever. It means the same thing."

Xiao Yang looked at his older brother, his eyes red-rimmed. "Big Brother, is what Er Dan said true? Is Dad really going to give us a new little brother?"

Little Chen clenched his fists and told him, "Xiao Yang, didn’t I tell you? He doesn’t want Mom and us anymore. So he’s not our dad. I don’t care whose dad he’s going to be."

Xiao Yang started to sob. "But I want a dad—"

Little Chen lowered his head to hide the stinging in his eyes, then took Xiao Yang’s hand and led him home.

Early the next morning, the moment He Ze stepped outside, he was hit by a foul stench. He then saw that his front gate had been splashed with some unknown liquid. Getting any closer, the smell was eye-wateringly acrid.

His expression was grim as he stared at the feces on the gate, pacing back and forth in a fury.

He couldn’t help but curse, "Which bastard did this? Who did it? If you have any guts, come out and face me fair and square instead of pulling this disgusting crap."

Gu Yuwei came out of the house when she heard him. The stench that washed over her made her gag and dry heave. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Covering her mouth and nose, she yelled to He Ze, "What is that smell? It’s so foul!"

He Ze said furiously, "Some son of a bitch threw shit all over our front gate."

Gu Yuwei frowned. "Who did it?"

"If I knew who did it, I’d break their legs!" He Ze swore.

It was early in the morning and the street was empty, so no one answered him.

For the next two days, He Ze opened his door every morning to find a fresh layer of feces splattered on the gate. He and Gu Yuwei were so angry they finally stopped even trying to clean it up.

That night, He Ze decided not to sleep, muttering that he had to catch this person and see who was so shameless and dead-set on opposing them.

Before midnight, two figures could be seen in the distance, furtively approaching with a bucket of something.

But just as they splashed the feces onto He Ze’s gate once more, before they even had a chance to feel pleased, a flashlight beam shot out and landed right on their faces.

"Little Chen? Xiao Yang? It’s you?" He Ze’s face was a mask of fury. He looked from the filth on his gate to the bucket the boys were holding, and his anger surged.

Caught red-handed by his own father, Xiao Yang was terrified and quickly hid behind Little Chen. Little Chen spread his arms to shield his younger brother, his eyes darting nervously as he faced He Ze.

"What are you two doing?"

The two boys didn’t say a word, just stared at him stubbornly, their eyes filled with defiance.

This made He Ze so angry he felt like he was about to explode.

Soon, He Ze was dragging both of them to the old family house.

He Ze pointed an accusing finger at Gao Cuiyun. "Did you put them up to this? Throwing feces on my front gate... how could you be so vicious? We’re already divorced! My own father kicked me out of the house! What more do you want? You just can’t stand to see me doing well, can you?"

Gao Cuiyun’s face was beet red, though it was impossible to tell if it was from anger or shame. She stammered out an explanation, "I... I really didn’t know... The two of them went out in the middle of the night... they said they had to go pee..."

He Ze cut her off. "Who do you think you’re kidding? If you hadn’t taught them, would two children have thought of such a nasty trick? I’m their biological father! Is this how they’re supposed to act?"

Little Chen couldn’t stand hearing him talk to his mother like that. He declared loudly, "It was my idea! It has nothing to do with Mom!"

He Ze shoved him aside. "Get out of the way. I’ll deal with you in a minute."

Then he turned on Gao Cuiyun, shouting, "Can’t you discipline your own children? If you can’t handle them, then give them to me! I’ll take care of them, and you can get the hell back to the Gao Family!"

Gao Cuiyun was shaking with anger. "You’re still holding a grudge because Dad made you move out! Weren’t you the one who was willing to do anything to be with that slut? Are you regretting it now?"

"Bullshit! I’m sticking to the facts. This is my house, for one. And right now, I’m talking about the two children. They’ve been throwing feces on my door for several days in a row. They have to be taught a lesson."

Gao Cuiyu stared at him in disbelief. "Are you planning to hit them?"

He Ze jutted out his chin. "I’m their father. What’s wrong with me hitting them? They have no discipline at all. Who knows what kind of heinous things they’ll do in the future."

Little Chen let out a self-mocking laugh. "Go on, hit me. If you have the guts, then beat me to death today. If you don’t, then you’re nothing to me."

Xiao Yang burst into loud sobs, wailing, "Don’t hit my brother! I knew it! Now that you have a new baby, you don’t want us anymore! Now you want to beat us to death!"

He Ze’s face flushed. "What nonsense are you talking?" he snapped. "What does me having another child have to do with this?"

"What’s all this shouting for in the middle of the night? He Ze, why are you here?" Mr. He frowned as he glanced at Gao Cuiyun and Little Chen, both with red eyes, and at Xiao Yang, who was still sobbing.

He Ze pointed indignantly at the two children. "Dad, for three nights in a row, they’ve been throwing feces on my front gate. Tonight, I caught them red-handed. I was planning to teach them a lesson. They have no sense of discipline at all."

Mr. He glanced at the two boys. Little Chen lowered his head.

He turned to He Ze, his eyes narrowed. "And how exactly do you plan to ’teach them a lesson’? There’s a saying: ’When the top beam is crooked, the lower ones will be too.’ Why don’t you talk about your own behavior first? Little Chen and Xiao Yang are just kids. Who wasn’t mischievous at their age? Let me tell you something, you don’t get to make the rules in this family. As long as I, your old man, am still around, you can forget about punishing them. I never saw you bother to discipline them before, and you have even less right to do it now."

He Ze didn’t dare defy his father. ’What’s all this about a crooked top beam?’ he thought. ’Isn’t he insulting himself with that saying, too?’ But faced with his father’s menacing glare, He Ze still backed down.

"Dad, are you really just going to let these two little punks off the hook? They threw feces on my door for several days in a row! The stench is unbearable! What will the neighbors think of me?"

"What do you *want* people to think of you? Surely you don’t think you have any good reputation left to protect?"

He Ze was at a loss for words. "..."

"Dad, I—"

Mr. He waved him away. "Alright, that’s enough. It’s late. Are you going to let the rest of us sleep or not? Scram."

"Dad, what about the two of them—"

Mr. He raised his hand. "Are you leaving or not? If you don’t, I’ll beat you myself."

He Ze took two steps back, waving his hands helplessly. "I’m going, I’m going."