Shirley watched him without a word. She wasn’t sure if she felt sorry for him or not; she only found his willfulness to be complicated. As she looked at her own son, whom she once could never teach properly, only half a year had passed and he had endured all the suffering and mockery. Now, he suddenly seed to rember that having a mother was a good thing. For so reason, though, every ti she saw him, she always rembered the footprints left on her body, and his cheerful encouragents, praising his beast of a father for hitting her so well, word by word.
She shivered unconsciously.
Dezi in front of her was wolfing down the cake. After he finished, he looked at her pleadingly and then started to cry again.
"Mom, can I, like my sisters, live with you too? At ho, I dare to do any chores now, and my grandparents are old, needing my help with everything. It’s fine when dad isn’t ho, but when he cos back, he beats . Look at my arms, my hands, and my head, all injured, all his doing. Grandparents try to protect but they get hit too. Wuuu, mom, won’t you take away, please?"
"Go back. I’ve said it before; I’ll only take care of your living expenses and tuition. Whatever you can achieve through your studies is up to you. When I divorced your dad, we agreed that you belong to the Xu Family, and your sisters belong to . Just treat what you just said as if I didn’t hear it. Next ti I see you, I can still give you sothing to eat, but otherwise, I won’t be involved with you."
Watching Shirley suddenly change her deanor, Dezi got frightened and took a couple of steps back.
"Wuuu, I was wrong, mom. I really was. It was grandma who’s always speaking ill of you. Wuuu, I have made a mistake. Wuuu, you’re my mom, can’t you forgive ? Wuuu, mom, I really realize my mistake now."
"Go back!"
Shirley gave him an indifferent glance and turned her head to walk towards the entrance of the village, but she felt a slight bitterness in her heart as she turned around.
Daqing and Erqing had suffered no less since they were young, but when they saw Wang Lianhua being beaten, despite being young, they bravely stood in front of their mother.
But Dezi? He cheered and was happy, even shouting for the abuser to hit harder.
Those words were like knives cutting into her heart. It was impossible for her to act as if nothing happened. She couldn’t get over it. Now that she had already managed to pay for Dezi’s tuition and living expenses, it was the utmost effort she could make. Anything else was beyond her ability without feeling sorry for herself, Daya, and Xiao Ya.
She had just reached the place where Uncle Guai stopped his ox cart, and right on her heels, Shen ng ca with a few children, all chattering and laughing, carrying a bunch of things in their hands.
"Did you go to Mr. Li’s house today?"
"Yes, brought so vegetables from ho, we’ll return after having lunch, don’t wait for us to co back this evening."
"Okay."
Apart from them, there were a few others heading to the county, including Aunt Hua. Seeing Shen ng and the others board the ox cart, she quickly bowed her head, not daring to move an inch.
Uncle Guai had waited quite a while without seeing Wu Xianglan coming.
"Ehh ~ Isn’t Xiang Lan coming to work today? Why hasn’t she shown up yet?"
"She isn’t off today, is she? She was still saying yesterday that their team leader was thinking of buying a couple of fashionable hair ornants to give away. She wouldn’t be not coming to work."
"Let’s wait a little longer."
Uncle Guai squatted down to smoke his old pipe, but no sooner had he finished speaking, soone began murmuring discontentedly.
"Uncle Guai, it’s ti to go, we can’t just not leave because of her, can we?"
"That’s right. It’s just going to work; she thinks she’s the Queen Mother, having everyone wait on her grand arrival."
"This isn’t just wasting our ti? I’ve got important things to deal with in the county today. If this gets delayed, what am I supposed to do? Uncle Guai, shouldn’t we just hurry and go without her?"
Uncle Guai didn’t even bother to acknowledge him and just kept on puffing away at his old pipe. So people were discontent, shooting Shen ng a glance, wondering what to think, but afraid of offending her, they quickly shut their mouths.
Who didn’t know about Shen ng’s brother marrying Uncle Guai’s youngest daughter? The wedding caused quite a stir throughout the entire village.
Five or six minutes later, Wu Xianglan ca running over with a kerchief wrapped around her head, which was indeed an eye-catching sight: a big green kerchief in the winter. When Shen ng saw her, she thought she looked like a hen wearing a green hat.
"Uncle Guai, let’s go, let’s go. Look at getting up late. I’m so sorry."
Shen ng and Shirley looked at each other. That voice didn’t sound like soone who simply woke up late, it clearly sounded like soone who had been crying. Sothing must have happened.
If the two of them could hear it, it ant that others could also tell.
"Hey, everyone has been waiting for you for a long ti. Next ti, try to be a bit earlier, okay?"
"In this scorching heat, Yong Qiang’s mom, why are you wrapping yourself up so thickly?" The person spoke and then reached out, "Yikes, why is the corner of your eye bruised? Did you have a fight with your husband?"
Wu Xianglan was soone who cared about face. Seeing soone tugging at her headscarf, she stood up sharply, adjusted her scarf, and then glared fiercely at her.
"What are you doing? Whether I fought with him or not, that’s our couple’s business. What’s it to you to be so happy about it? My husband is a damned good-for-nothing. What, did you have an affair with him too? Why else would you be so eager to see ?"
"You, what nonsense are you spouting? Can’t appreciate kindness, I see. Just asking you a question, who would have anything with your man? Take a look at what your husband is like. Would I fancy him? My husband is so many tis better than him."
"Yes, yes, your husband is great, riding on your face every day huffing and puffing. Who in the village doesn’t know about it? My Jiahe might not be a decent man, but at least he looks good. You think you’re too good for him, but even if you were naked, he wouldn’t glance at you, he’d kick you away like a dog gnawing on crap."
"Hey, do you want to fight? I genuinely ant well, and yet you’re getting angry. You’re still defending that worthless guy of yours. Go on, treasure him. That man of yours sneaking into old won’s beds, everybody laughs at you."
"Did he sneak into yours?"
"Wu Xianglan, if you keep on spouting this nonsense, then get off the cart. How would you expect to face the village with such talk? With a man like yours, who would want to be associated with him?"
"Did he sneak into your bed?"
"Ahh! I’ve had it with you!"
The two won started taking swings and talking trash at each other, and it looked like they were about to get into a physical fight. The old ox pulling the cart got so startled by the commotion that he started shifting around. Uncle Guai bellowed out from behind.
"If you’re going to ride, just ride; otherwise, get down quickly. You’ve spooked my old ox, now nobody gets to ride."
A shout from the old man proved to be very effective; the two won imdiately stopped bickering, but they continued to glare at each other like a pair of fighting roosters.
Ming Kai yelped, "Yo Xi~" and laid on Shen ng’s lap.
"So childish~"
Shen ng hurriedly covered his mouth and gave a sheepish smile to the two won. Great ancestors, one mustn’t make a peep when others are fighting – it’s too easy to beco an unintended target.
Reviews
All reviews (0)