284 You Are My Brother (2/2)

Xiao Qiudong stopped and looked at him with a complicated look. He had not expected that Xiao Luo would defy his order. He always thought that he could be bossy toward Xiao Luo whenever he wanted.

”Xiao Luo, you have been serving dishes and tea for a while,” a man middle-aged man said. ”You haven't eaten anything, right? Get some food before you leave.”

Xiao Luo smiled and replied, ”It's alright Uncle Dizhang. I have an urgent case and need to leave right away.”

It was completely fine to not eat at this banquet. Xiao Luo had been interacting with Xiao Qiudong with all his heart. He had hoped to rekindle the friendship they had as kids. However, Qiudong's actions were like leaving him alone on the road during a rainy night. He had invited him to a banquet in celebration of the birth of his son, which turned out to be a joke. Instead, he was treated like a servant who needed to do all the chores. He was not even granted a sip of tea, let alone any food.

He suddenly realized he had done it wrong. He was wrong about treating Xiao Qiudong with honesty, which was returned with nothing from Xiao Qiudong. He even used the perfunctory way of dealing with things to handle him.

”Xiao Luo, you... Ugh...”

Xiao Qiudong wanted to say something but kept quiet. He let out a long sigh and said, ”Alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to help. I'm so selfish and didn't consider your feelings. I can understand that you're holding grudges. Could you please have some food before you go?”

Have some food before you go?

Xiao Luo smiled bitterly as he glanced at the banquet on the enormous field that was used to sundry the grains. Every table was a mess, and the dining was about to end. Many people were picking their teeth with toothpicks. What would it mean if sat down and dug in? Was he just a pig that cleaned up the junk or a stray dog that fed on leftovers?

Xiao Dizhang was the secretary of the Luo Village. He was a smart man with a quick mind. He had quickly understood the entire matter upon hearing Xiao Luo's words. Xiao Luo was probably unhappy with Xiao Qiudong's bossy attitude toward him, as well as him ordering him to serve food and tea. He wanted to leave with the excuse of having something else to take care of.

He seriously tried to persuade Xiao Luo by saying, ”Xiao Luo, you're so close to Qiudong, so don't fall into bad blood with such a small issue.”

”Uncle Dizhang, I'm not falling into bad blood with him. We're very close.” For once, Xiao Luo pretended their relationship was more than it was.

”If you're still close to him, have some food before you leave,” Xiao Dizhang said.

Xiao Qiudong excelled at seizing the opportunity. He had brought over two glasses of Chinese white wine. He spoke to Xiao Luo with a smiling face. ”Brother, I'm at fault today since I didn't consider your feelings. Come, let's have a toast and forget every unhappiness tonight!”

In Xiao Luo's eyes, regardless of how he viewed it, that smile was fake. By showing how he was being very reasonable and generous in front of the seniors, it smoothed the contrast of him being unbearable. Xiao Qiudong had already mastered the ability to trick people into corners. He could make one feel extremely enraged, yet one could not burst out due to the circumstances he had created. He was more than double-faced. His words were very different from his actions, which was also different from what he did de facto.

Xiao Luo decided to play along with this forced script and acted as an antagonist.

He smirked and replied, ”Fine. We shall do as you say but not this way.”

He grabbed a tube of horseradish and wasabi pastes from the table beside as he spoke. These were all new things that Xiao Qiudong had brought back with him. He squeezed out half a tube into Xiao Qiudong's glass and stirred it with a chopstick.

With a beaming smile, he said, ”We shall drink it this way, Donggua. You aren't against it, right?”

Xiao Qiudong's face changed a little. His eyes were wide open. He replied, ”Xiao Luo, do you actually think that this is meant for human consumption?”

”This is definitely meant for consumption. It is very helpful making one feel refreshed. Donggua, we're brothers, so I wouldn't harm you. Besides, horseradish and wasabi are great things. Is that what you told everyone before the banquet started? Didn't you say mixing them with soy sauce could greatly enhance a person's appetite?” Xiao Luo wore a bitter smile the entire time he spoke.