He knew his father had truly abandoned him this time.
Eldest Son Wang didn't say a word, only wiped his tears clean and looked deeply at his father.
Turning, he pulled open the courtyard gate, pushed through the crowd watching the commotion, and disappeared from Father Wang's line of sight in just a few steps.
The old ladies watching the commotion were startled by the sudden opening of the gate and had no time to prepare.
Su Jiaojiao even saw several old ladies with smiles still on their faces that hadn't been fully concealed, their expressions turning awkward and embarrassed as they looked at Father Wang.
Father Wang, perhaps feeling embarrassed by the attention, ignored the crying mother and son on the ground and walked into the house, closing the door with a loud bang.
"Hmm... this Eldest Son Wang was only brought back a few years ago? He's being driven out already? A bit regrettable," mused one old lady, shaking her head. "I wonder if we'll see the family's commotion again in the future. This also made her think back to her first encounter with Eldest Son Wang."
At that time, she was in middle school, planning to stay at her grandparents' house over the weekend after school on Friday.
That was when Eldest Son Wang suddenly stepped in front of her. Possibly seeing a young girl he could bully, he demanded she hand over all her money.
"No! I was robbed by a grown man in the strictly managed Military Compound!" she thought.
"Ha! This is the first time a rooster has laid an egg!" she chuckled.
"Alright!" Su Jiaojiao smiled innocently, agreeing. She stretched her hand into her green military-style shoulder bag, actually retrieving the God-Beating Whip from her Soul Space. As the name implied, it was a whip specifically for attacking divine senses.
She recalled her younger self with bright eyes, thinking it must have been six or seven hundred years ago. Besides being bullied by a small child in the courtyard as a child, this was her first robbery.
For that entire hour, even if he shouted, she wouldn't have lost.
Because pain to the extreme cannot be shouted out.
Afterwards, she watched the man, trembling like dried fish, being threatened by her with the whip: "If I hear anything about this outside, I'll lock you up and beat you. Understand?"
Seeing the fear, dread, and helplessness in his eyes... that was truly gratifying!
"Dad, let's go eat inside," Su Father called out, noticing there was no more commotion. He jumped down from the washstand first and stood below, waiting for her.
Su Jiaojiao also turned, standing at the washstand's edge and stamping her foot.
"Hey... Grandpa built this washstand so conveniently. Before, to watch a commotion, I'd have to run to get a long bench."
Seeing Su Father, who was now on the washstand, had misunderstood and grabbed Su Jiaojiao's waist, lifting her as he had when she was young. He ran around deliberately to tease her.
Though she was over a thousand years old, being carried like that made her feel a bit embarrassed. Still, she laughed "giggling" loudly.
Meanwhile, Old Master Su stood with his hands behind his back, a distance away. He had been standing there for some time, unsure if he was there to listen to the commotion from the other courtyard or to watch the father and daughter playing. A faint smile touched his stern face.
On one side, sorrow; on the other, laughter. Separated by a wall, two worlds!
"Dad, let's go inside to eat," Su Father called out as he carried Su Jiaojiao past Old Master Su.
"Hurry up and put her down! She's grown up now. What kind of behavior is this?" Old Master Wang demanded.
Father and daughter both had prominent front teeth, continuing to run and bounce towards the living room.
Su Grandmother, hearing the noise, stuck her head out of the kitchen and saw her son carrying his granddaughter. She laughed until her eyes watered. "Hey... these two are always this noisy."
"Mom, don't worry about them. They only get together and cause trouble when they're together. You think Old Wang should be looked for too? After all, he should find his parents eventually. Hmm..." Su Mother replied while scooping the stir-fried greens into the bowl.
"Grandma, I'm hungry!" Su Jiaojiao dropped Su Father, who was still catching his breath, and dashed to the kitchen door to peek inside.
"Yes! The stew has both braised chicken and braised rabbit, and Su Grandmother's soup is truly excellent."
So the Soul Space contained many rabbits and chickens, along with pigs, cattle, and sheep, all gathered in a small corner by Xiao Du. This was necessary because when collecting world fragments, they collected the creatures within them. Since there were demonic beasts, animals like these without spiritual awareness were their prey!
Seeing Old Master Su walking in, Su Jiaojiao had a sudden idea.
"Grandpa, today Dad is here. Why not bring out that wine jar you gave me earlier and share a cup with him?"
Old Master Su, just stepping over the threshold, heard this and turned pale. He barked angrily: "What important guest is he? Give him wine? I'll go get a cabbage!" He turned and walked away without looking back.
??? Left a bewildered Su Father staring?
But accepting his granddaughter's gaze, Su Father, following the principle of trusting despite not understanding, followed Old Master Su out.
To fetch the wine jar Su Jiaojiao mentioned.
When everyone sat at the table, Old Master Su received several coughs and glances from his son, prompting him to hurry and bring out the wine jar. Su Father tried to grab it but was ignored.
He avoided his son's hand, carefully placing the wine jar on the table. Bending down, he brought his nose close to the cork and took a deep breath. Though he smelled nothing, he smiled.
He only lightly pried open a small crack in the seal, and without Old Master Su bringing his nose close, the clear, rich aroma of wine already filled the air around everyone.
Su Father smelled the wine and his eyes lit up. He quickly grabbed the wine jar from his father-in-law's hands: "Dad! You didn't know? Because of the promotion, I ran for a long time myself. Besides, Father and I haven't had a drink together in a long time. It's just right today!" He smiled playfully, trying to snatch the wine jar.
Old Master Su, seeing he couldn't beat this young man, panicked. The wine would be gone if it reached his hands!
"Give me the jar! Give me the jar!" he demanded, holding it tightly with one hand while blocking his son's reaching hand.
"Let go! Let go!"