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墨書 Inktalez
"Here, take this as my contribution," he said, handing a bulging envelope to the somewhat bewildered Ivan. "Do you know why your uncle scolded and hit you yesterday?"
Ivan thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know."
"I scolded and hit you because you're not living up to your potential!" Xu Li lit a cigarette and took a slow drag. "Look at yourself. You're still young, but do you have any of Xiao Qing's vitality? You either bury yourself in work or stay cooped up at home. Every time there's a gathering in the village, you sit at the children's table, speaking timidly. Can't you be a bit braver?"
The office fell into a brief silence. Ivan tightened his grip on the folder in his arms and mumbled, "If I say less, I can avoid getting hit. That works for me."
Victor turned to look at his eldest son, opening his mouth to speak but unable to find the words. Xu Li sighed and reached out to pat Ivan's head. "That's all in the past. Your father used to be wild, but look at him now. In our village, who would dare hit someone without reason? You're different now; you have Lana, Natasha, and Katyusha. Soon you'll have children of your own. With that kind of demeanor, how will your kids stand up for themselves?"
"I will protect them."
Ivan looked up and met Xu Li's gaze steadily. "I mean what I say!"
"But others don't believe it."
Xu Li patted his knee. "When others see you like this, they know you're easy to bully. As a man, you should wear your confidence on your face so others know not to mess with you. Otherwise, no one will fear you—not even those kids—and they will continue to bully your children. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Ivan nodded firmly, straightening his previously hunched back as he glanced between Xu Li and Victor. "I used to really hate you for what you said to Mom about me being with Tatyana."
"You saw that she didn't truly love me, so you didn't want to help me like the others did because you were afraid I'd lose my money to her. It shows that you still care about me, so I don't hate you anymore."
"But today, you shouldn't have hit me in front of so many people."
Ivan slowly stood up and looked at the silent Victor. "From now on, I'm going to live at Lana's place. I don't need your help with my kids; I'll figure out my wedding on my own. You should save your money for my younger siblings."
With that, he left the office. Victor slapped himself on the cheek in frustration. "What the hell is going on?"
"You only have yourself to blame," Xu Li said as he lit a cigarette for Victor. "You left him with too big of a shadow when he was young. By the time you quit drinking, how old would your second son be? The damage was done; Ivan never really had your concern. Speaking of which, you and your wife are something else—popping out kids one after another while neglecting the eldest. What do you expect from him?"
They silently smoked for a while until Victor finally stood up to leave. Xu Li spoke up casually, "You should keep an eye on your youngest; these two boys have been acting up at school according to Safna. Kids need discipline; otherwise, they'll end up lost."
"Yeah," Victor muttered as he left the office. When he reached the stairwell, he saw Lana in the large office across from him, wiping away tears as she used a wet tissue to clean blood from Ivan's nose. He sighed and headed downstairs.
As soon as he stepped out of the Cattle Shed, he was surrounded by Andreev and Valery. Valery shoved him and shouted, "You bastard, Old Russian! How dare you throw salt into the water? What were you thinking, huh?"
"Fuck you!"
Victor, who had been boiling with anger, exploded as soon as Valery pushed him. He got into a scuffle with Old Russian, but was quickly pulled apart by the others. Victor's eyes were filled with tears of rage as he shouted, "It's because of you guys spreading rumors everywhere that my boss doesn't even recognize me anymore! And you still come looking for me?"
After taking a couple of punches from Valery, he heard those words and glanced at Victor's tear-streaked face. Spitting out a mouthful of bloodied saliva, he pushed past the others and went to the stable to grab a horsewhip. He jumped into the car and floored the gas, heading home. There, he found Lafu sprawled on the bed, groaning. He gave him another beating, shouting, "This is what you get for running your mouth, you animal! Your mother raised you to be such a fool!"
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