Siheyuan: Buyers get rich from hunting

In Xu Damao's home, the atmosphere is in stark contrast to the warm and cheerful atmosphere of Liu Ping'an's home. Here, it seems to be shrouded by an invisible haze, filled with a suffocating sense of dullness and depression, and the air seems to be filled with heavy melancholy.

Xu Damao's father, the old man who had experienced the vicissitudes of life and whose face was full of traces of time, was now sitting quietly beside the antique, intricately carved eight-immortals table in the middle of the main room.

His eyes, which were once as bright as torches and as sharp as an eagle, were now shrouded in deep worry and endless troubles, and had lost their former luster.

In his slightly trembling hands, he tightly grasped a well-made, beautifully patterned teacup. The hot tea in the cup continued to give off wisps of mist, lingering around his fingertips, but he seemed to be completely immersed in his own thoughts. He never brought the cup of hot tea to his lips, even just a sip to ease the heaviness in his heart.

The old man's eyes were like two sharp arrows, shooting from time to time at Xu Damao who was standing aside with a complicated expression.

That look was filled with endless worry, deep confusion, and unspeakable pain and disappointment.

His eyes seemed to be silently questioning, trying to penetrate his son's seemingly calm appearance and explore his true inner thoughts.

Finally, Father Xu broke the suffocating silence. His voice was low and hoarse, as if it was squeezed out from the depths of his throat with difficulty. Every word was as heavy as carrying a thousand-pound burden, which made people feel nervous. "Da Mao, I heard a lot of gossip about what you did in that training class. Do you know how upset I was when I heard these words?"

After hearing this, Xu Damao's mouth corners involuntarily rose, revealing a smile full of disdain and contempt, with a bit of arrogance and conceit in that smile.

He looked indifferent and nonchalant, as if he didn't take his father's earnest words to heart at all. He even thought his father was making a fuss and being unreasonable.

"Dad, what are you talking about? How can you say that I am calculating against others? This is clearly a fair competition! In this highly competitive society, everyone is eager to stand out in the workplace and keep getting promoted, isn't it? I am just a little smarter than others and better at digging out and applying those potential rules. What's wrong with that?"

Xu Damao retorted with a look of disapproval, his tone full of self-justification and self-affirmation.

After hearing this, Mr. Xu's already tightly furrowed brows twisted into a deep knot that seemed like it could hold a chopstick.

He slowly placed the steaming teacup in his hand on the table, making a slight "pop" sound that was particularly harsh in the silent air.

Then, he raised his head and stared at his son with a pair of eyes full of reproach and disappointment, and his tone became more severe:

"Da Mao, you can't think like that! Our Xu family has always been honest and trustworthy, and has always acted in accordance with morality. If you act like this now, aren't you throwing away all the fine traditions passed down by our ancestors? Doing so will not only hurt the friendship between you and others, and make you lose those who really care about you, but will also make others look down on our entire Xu family! Do you know how important a person's reputation and credibility are? Once lost, it will never be recovered!"

However, facing his father's wise and earnest exhortations, Xu Damao seemed unusually indifferent, as if his father's words were like a breeze on his face, failing to stir up any waves in his heart.

He shrugged casually, a nonchalant smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. There was even a bit of contempt and disdain in that smile, as if he was mocking his father's "old-fashioned" thinking.

"Dad, you are so old-fashioned!" He spoke with a hint of impatience, and his voice was slightly raised. "In this materialistic society where the strong prey on the weak, only the truly strong can rule the world, and those losers are destined to become bandits and be trampled underfoot. So, for me, as long as I can get what I want in the end, I don't care what others think of me or how they evaluate me, let alone take it to heart!"

Looking at his son's cold and unwavering look, Father Xu felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart, making him feel indescribably suffocated and powerless.

Those eyes that were once as sharp as an eagle were now filled with deep worry and helplessness. He knew very well that his son had been very ambitious since he was young and would never admit defeat easily. He always had a strong desire to win and was determined to make a name for himself in life.

However, today, this originally positive and courageous spirit seems to have been distorted, gradually evolving into an obsession of extreme selfishness and self-interest. Looking at his son's gradually distorted face, Xu's father's heart was filled with endless pain and sorrow.

"Da Mao!"

Father Xu finally couldn't help but sighed heavily again. That sigh seemed to carry all the helplessness and worries of his life. "If you act like this, you will suffer a great loss sooner or later. You must know clearly that for a person, character is the most critical and important thing. If you lose your good character, even if you can obtain the supreme position and accumulate countless wealth, you will end up with nothing and a miserable end. You must know that human hearts are the most difficult to predict and guard against. Once you lose the trust and respect of others, it will be the biggest failure in your life!"

It’s a pity that Xu Damao seemed to be deaf to his father’s earnest advice, as if those words had never rang in his ears.

He stood up suddenly, his movements were somewhat rude and impatient, and he brushed off the dust on his body without a care. His eyes were full of confidence, and even had a hint of arrogance that was hard to ignore.

He seemed to have seen the glorious moment when he was at the pinnacle of his life, and those sermons on character, morality, etc., seemed to him to be nothing but insignificant trivialities.