The old man, Dou Guomin, upon learning what his grandson had done, was so furious he was grinding his teeth.
"Are you all just blowing my words away like wind? Now that I'm old, my words mean nothing, right?"
When the old man threw a tantrum, no one dared to make a sound. After all, the old man was the most authoritative figure in the family.
Dou Jianhua and the others stood there blankly, not daring to move. After all, with the old man in a rage, offending Mr. Zhang would be truly troublesome.
They had finally managed to gain some favor with Mr. Zhang. If they lost that favor, all their previous efforts would be in vain.
"What did the hospital say?"
Dou Jianhua quickly stepped forward.
"Bruised bone and fracture. A few months of rest and there won't be any major problems!"
Dou Guomin said, "Since there are no major problems, then have Chunlan come see me!"
"Yes, Father!"
The festive New Year atmosphere was ruined by this family. No one present dared to show any emotion.
Only after the old man left did everyone else heave a sigh of relief.
"This Tangshan, I always said he was a troublemaker. He angered the old man, and he won't have a good ending!"
"The old man's words must be obeyed, whether you believe them or not. That family is probably going to suffer now."
"You all need to be careful, understand?"
The younger generation nodded repeatedly. They didn't want to end up like Tangshan, not only injured but likely facing more severe punishment later!
Finally, it was time for lunch.
Dou Guomin repeatedly apologized. Of course, Zhang Pingfan didn't take it to heart. He encountered such situations often enough. After all, having grown up in an orphanage, he was no stranger to being looked at differently.
"It's nothing serious, I didn't take it to heart at all. However, that fellow named Tangshan really deserved a beating. It's good that he was beaten enough to remember. If he doesn't, he won't know how he dies in the future!"
Dou Guomin's expression changed drastically.
"Mr. Zhang, he's still a child. Please don't hold it against him. I promise it won't happen again!"
Zhang Pingfan nodded. Everyone else also lowered their heads. Seeing the situation, this Mr. Zhang was probably someone formidable.
Judging by the old man's expression, this fellow would definitely keep his word. If that were the case, then he was truly someone not to be trifled with.
In the afternoon, Dou Chunlan leisurely brought her son back to the Dou family.
She deliberately wrapped her son up like a "zongzi" (a sticky rice dumpling).
After all, he was her nephew. Seeing him like this, her father wouldn't blame her.
In reality, the old man was sitting in his study, his face grim.
He had expected his daughter to bring his grandson back before lunch to apologize at the table, but they hadn't shown up at all.
Now, they were arriving so late. Dou Guomin's temper was about to boil over.
As soon as Dou Chunlan pushed open the door, she saw her father's grim expression and had a bad premonition.
"Dad, I'm here! Xiao Shan, come in!"
As mother and son entered, Dou Guomin could no longer suppress his anger.
He stepped forward and slapped Dou Chunlan.
"Slap!"
Being slapped by her own father for no apparent reason, Dou Chunlan felt incredibly wronged.
Tang Shan was also stunned. What was going on?
"Grandpa, what are you doing?"
Dou Guomin pointed at Tang Shan and said, "You brat, shut up! Because of you, my months of hard work were almost wasted."
Tears streamed down Dou Chunlan's face as she looked at her father, feeling wronged.
"Dad, why are you hitting me for an outsider?"
"Outsider? Even if he's an outsider now, he'll be my grandson-in-law in the future. And you didn't come back before lunch, where were you? Don't tell me he was seriously injured. I know his injuries well enough!"
"Dad, why? Why are you protecting an outsider and making us treat him with respect!"
"Why? Because he killed that high-level demon slave who invaded our Blue Star!"
At this moment, Dou Chunlan and Tang Shan's eyes widened, completely disbelieving that the mysterious person who had caused such a stir online was actually this Mr. Zhang in their family, Dou Youyou's boyfriend.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Tang Shan said with disbelief.
Dou Guomin: "Heh, with your limited knowledge, you spend all your time in the company of women. What else can you do? People like him are not to be offended by our Dou family. Figure out a way to apologize to Mr. Zhang yourself. Also, from today onwards, your family's profit-sharing ratio will be reduced by 50% for three consecutive years!"
"Ah, Dad, you can't do this! Reducing it by 50% for three years, how will our family survive?"
Dou Guomin sneered.
"Then it will be reduced by 80% for three years. If you say one more word, you will be kicked out of the Dou family from today onwards, and I will pretend to have no daughter like you!"
Dou Chunlan felt as if struck by lightning.
She never imagined that her father would treat his own daughter like this for someone like that.
Dou Guomin didn't dare. He truly didn't dare to offend Zhang Pingfan.
Having witnessed Zhang Pingfan's power, in his eyes, he himself was not even an ant.
"Get out!"
Dou Chunlan had initially wanted to appeal to their family ties, but now it seemed that not only could she not appeal to their familial bond, but if she stayed any longer, she might even lose her status as a daughter.
Dou Chunlan left with a sense of dejection.
"Ah, don't worry. It's just an 80% reduction, we have plenty of money, why should we be afraid?"
Du Chunlan was now frantic. Not to mention 80%, even a 50% reduction would be devastating for them.
"Shut up! Take off all the bandages on your hands, and now, immediately, come with me to buy gifts and apologize!"
"Why? I'm just telling the truth!"
"Slap!!"
Another slap landed on Tang Shan's face.
"Because I'm your mother, and because of what your grandfather said, we might not even have a house tomorrow, do you believe me? From today onwards, your car is confiscated, all your credit card supplementary cards are frozen, and you'll only have 10,000 yuan in pocket money each month!"
Tang Shan was stunned.
"Mom, how am I supposed to live like this? 10,000 a month? That's not even enough for one meal!"
"Then don't eat. Starve!"
Saying this, Dou Chunlan hurried away. She needed to find her fifth brother, Dou Jianhua, to beg him for help.
Dou Jianhua was smoking a cigarette in the corridor, looking troubled.
"Elder sister, I truly can't help with this matter. You don't know, but when you weren't here, everyone was afraid to even make a sound during dinner. You should know how angry Dad was. You were supposed to come back for lunch, where did you go?"
"I... I wasn't..."
"Forget it, no need to explain. You can only find Mr. Zhang for this matter. Of course, finding Youyou is also an option. At least in my understanding, Mr. Zhang listens to Youyou quite a bit!"
"Okay, then I'll find Youyou. Brother, you must also help me. With an 80% reduction in our share, our family truly can't bear it!"
"I know. Dad's actions are indeed a bit excessive. Perhaps he's still angry."
"Okay, thank you, fifth brother!"