Xu Ping likely would have given in if he could have whined a little like a normal eight year old, or maybe complain about the bucket being too heavy for him.
But Xu Zheng didn’t. He didn’t know how to.
Even if he did, he wouldn’t. He was angry at his brother too, as much as Xu Ping was angry at him.
He dragged the bucket along, hitting it on each step as he came down, filling the stairwell with clanging.