Song Tan's Notes

Lu Chuan's words are simply disrespectful.

Qin Yun swung the empty bucket around noisily: "I may not be as strong as you, and who can work out every day like you? But you're still a man, can't you be a little more objective?"

The empty buckets are leftover paint buckets from building the house. There are quite a few of them lined up in the house, and they're there whenever needed. Now they're perfect for carrying yellow mud.

Walking through the forest, the three of them protested as they shook the barrel together, the clanging of metal making a loud noise. Lu Chuan's smile became subtle.

"You don't think I'm being biased, do you?"

Given their condition—being out of breath after running 10km, how heavy is a bucket of mud? They probably have no idea how they're going to manage on such a rugged road downhill!

Qiaoqiao led the way, and seeing that her brother Lu Chuan was not trusted, she loudly declared, "I can carry two buckets!"

Moreover, he had two shovels hanging on each of his shoulders, holding the metal buckets.

Yunfeng's face flushed.

Nobody noticed that Qiaoqiao had taken the most. They should have at least taken their own shovels!

But now, as everyone was sweating more and more, and they had gradually made their way up the mountain, the unshielded sunlight shone down directly, and even their sun-protective clothing couldn't block out the scorching heat.

Besides, he was a bit rounder, and at that moment he awkwardly wiped the sweat from his forehead on his shoulder: "It's so hot!"

Lu Chuan, with a small fan hanging around his neck, stood to the side and laughed, "It's 37 degrees today, not bad... Come on, man, grab the shovel and give it your all."

The three glared at him: "How dare you watch Qiaoqiao work!"

Qiaoqiao asked, bewildered, "Why is my brother embarrassed?"

"Digging yellow mud is my job. It's your request, uncles, that I come to dig at noon."

“It has nothing to do with Brother Lu Chuan, of course he can choose not to do it.”

"Otherwise, I'll feel embarrassed to do anything in the future, and that would be too much of a hassle."

He may be small in stature, but he speaks volumes. His single sentence silenced everyone, except for Qin Yun, who grasped the key point:

“When I came last time, you promised you wouldn’t call me uncle. If you insist on calling me uncle, then I’ll call you Brother Lu Chuan’s nephew.”

"Oh." Qiao Qiao looked at him, then at He Kuang, then at Yun Feng, and finally back at Lu Chuan before saying with a hint of grievance, "Alright then, brother."

Qin Yun's blood pressure was about to spike!

They may not be as good-looking, as tall and straight, as charismatic, or as well-maintained as Lu Chuan, but surely it's not as aggrieved as calling him "brother"?
For a man, the most important thing is to take responsibility!

He slammed the shovel into the ground with a huff, stomped hard with his foot, and easily dug out a large shovelful of yellow mud.

He deftly shoveled the heavy yellow mud into the tin bucket, and the empty bucket wobbled slightly for a moment, which made Qin Yun even more confident.

This tin bucket, it won't take more than a few shovelfuls to fill it, just watch him!
He was working hard and diligently, and he was not far behind Yunfeng.

In the sweltering midday heat, the three old men were sweating profusely as they shoveled stones, and Qiaoqiao was working even harder than them, occasionally glancing at them a few more times...

Ugh!
Teacher Xin is right, adults can be really stubborn when they do something stupid.

Digging may seem like an easy job, but it depends on the circumstances.

For adults who are physically weak and don't exercise much, bending over and then suddenly lifting their heads up can easily cause blood to rush to their heads.

Especially when a shovel is inserted into the soil, it requires a sudden and forceful effort to lift it up.

The soil on the mountain cannot be easily dug up like the carefully cultivated sandy loam in the fields.

With the added effects of the scorching heat, Qin Yun felt dizzy after only scooping out a little more than half of the bucket.

No way!
He wondered: Surely my body isn't that weak? Thinking back to the last time I went running was six months ago, this apprehension turned into a slight anxiety.

No, I have to grit my teeth.

If it really fails, that would be incredibly embarrassing!

If he was like that, then those with a rounder build would also be panting heavily.

They climbed the mountain and took the shortcuts, which took quite a while. They weren't about to give up, but it was still a tough experience.

Only Yunfeng, because he has to go to work every day and has a regular life, usually gets some exercise, but even so, it's not pleasant to exert so much effort in the high temperature.

Lu Chuan watched as they gritted their teeth, none of them willing to give up easily. Then he looked at Qiao Qiao, who worked slowly—he was strong and could dig out a large chunk with one shovel. Although he wasn't fast, he was much more efficient than the others.

Forget it!

He thought to himself: They are brothers after all. I can't let them lose face in front of the children.

Right now, hand over the three bottles of Huoxiang Zhengqi Water that you have prepared:
"Come on, let's each have a drink first."

While Qin Yun was in a daze, he took the shovel from his hand.

Find a spot, tilt it slightly into the ground, then tighten your arms, use your waist to exert force, and you can dig out a large piece in a neat and smooth way.

But seeing the effortless ease with which he handled it, Qin Yun stuffed the Huoxiang Zhengqi Water into his pocket, and then, still not giving up, stomped on the ground again:
"Is there a trick to digging here too?"

Otherwise, how could the contrast be so stark?

Lu Chuan glanced at him with a smile, then sighed and said, "This morning, Dr. Guo said you were weak, had poor energy, and suffered from kidney deficiency, but you stubbornly refused to admit it."

Upon hearing this, He Kuangxian laughed from the side: "Oh dear, if I had known that so-and-so from last year wanted to be friends with you, I should have just done so... Once a man has kidney deficiency, he's much safer, right?"

Qin Yun was furious: "Aren't you afraid? If you're so capable, then don't prescribe the medicine."

Besides, they lack the ability.

Once a man is over thirty... oh dear! That's normal! At least he's much more normal digging in the mud!
Unlike Qin Yun, who has problems here and there, and whose fatty liver is more severe than theirs!

Lu Chuan listened to their commotion and thought they seemed to be in good spirits.

He piled the buckets up to the brim with his shovel, and the rest was just a little short, so he simply didn't move them.

Yunfeng didn't need help—he was just afraid of the heat, not that he couldn't do it.

I tried carrying it, and it was really inconvenient to walk with such a full bucket, let alone carry it down the mountain.

"What if it falls..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qiaoqiao cheerfully said:
"Uncle—brother, don't be afraid, it's alright. The grass here is thick, and the slope isn't steep, you won't get hurt."

It might hurt a little at most, or you might roll it around a couple of times, but it's really not going to break easily.

Yunfeng:......

"That's a good comforting thought, but what I'm afraid of is that this bucket of mud might get smashed again..."

"That's alright."

Qiaoqiao is very optimistic: "I can just come back and dig another bucket."

Yunfeng:......

While he wasn't as useless as Qin Yun, having to go back to work in the middle of the day sounded like a mockery of his robust physique! (End of Chapter)