Chapter 13 - 13: 11: Robbery and Plunder
Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family
Translator:Â 549690339
âThis is my motherâ¦â
Di Yelei looked hesitant and struggled.
âYour mother? Oh, I see. Should we go out and see?â
Liu Sisi understood. Di Yeleiâs birth mother had died when he was born, so the current mother must be his stepmother. No wonder she was being cursed at so harshly.
âIâll go out and have a look. If it takes too long, she might force her way in. You stay here and cook, and by the way, clean up this meat.â
Di Yeleiâs eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and he seemed quite helpless. He seemed to want to say something more, but ultimately didnât, and walked out of the kitchen.
Di Xuan, who had been playing with a fire poker over the stove, suddenly stood up and followed Di Yelei out.
On the contrary, the previously joyful Di Ying suddenly pounced into Liu Sisiâs arms, nervously whispering, âMom, itâs Grandma whoâs come. She must have come to snatch our meat. Every time Dad comes back from hunting, she comes to our door like thisâ¦â
Liu Sisi suddenly understood the key to the situation.
Well!
It turned out that there were too many freeloaders in this broken family!
No wonder, even if this family was dragging along two children, it shouldnât be in such a state of disrepair that it could only be described as a mess. It turned out that the money they earned went into other peopleâs pockets, which was not surprising!
Liu Sisiâs gaze turned to the game on the ground that she was tidying up, and she immediately made a plan in her heart.
Outside, Di Yelei opened the kitchen door and walked out. In the courtyard, Ms. Zhao was cursing enthusiastically.
Of the three sons left by the previous Ms. Fan, her least favorite was naturally Di Yelei. But somehow, this least favored third son managed to have a knack for hunting. Originally, he had married a bride with baggage, and she thought she had fulfilled her duty as a stepmother. But unexpectedly, this new wife would go up the hill to chop firewood when Di Yelei was not back from hunting. She accidentally fell from the hill, killing herself and her unborn child, and it cost a lot of silver to save her!
Every time she thought of this, her heart bled, because it was all about money! She immediately continued cursing, but then she saw the figure she always found disgusting.
âYouâve been hiding in there for so long, pretending to be dead, huh? You think that now that youâve grown up and set up your own separate household, you donât have to keep me as your foster mother in your heart anymore? Remember, I raised you from birth, taking care of you every step of the way from cleaning up your poop and peeâ¦â
Ms. Zhaoâs cursing was relentless, without pausing for breath, and she pointed at Di Yeleiâs forehead and let out a tirade of insults.
Di Yelei stood still in the same place, not uttering a word from beginning to end.
It wasnât until Ms. Zhao was tired of swearing that he finally spoke: âI heard you went into the mountains today? Did you catch any game? Your father said he didnât have an appetite and just wanted to have some game soup. I know you donât care about me, your foster mother, but heâs still your own father, after all. You wouldnât treat yourself to delicious food while letting your own father eat leftovers, would you?â
She was putting pressure on him with filial piety! Liu Sisi, hiding behind the kitchen door, was also annoyed.
This family was barely surviving on leftovers, yet some people still free-load! And not just once or twice! No wonder the family was so poor!
However, the other party actually used filial piety to pressure him, so itâs no wonder he had no choice but to back down!
After a long silence, Di Yeleiâs deep voice came, âMom, itâs not that Yelei isnât willing to give, but today, Yelei didnât get much game. Sisi just got married and caught a cold, and I was planning to use this time to replenish her.â
âReplenish? Replenish what? This shameless rat is better off being sold to a brothel, at least then you could recover the ten taels of silver for the dowry! Replenishing her, she doesnât even know if she deserves such good fortune!â
Zhaoâs mouth didnât have any kindness, mocking and sarcastic.
âMom, Sisi is a good person, you canât talk about her like that.â
Di Yelei, who has always played the victim, could not stand it anymore and retorted.
âOh, thatâs great! He really forgot about his parents after getting a wife!â
This statement immediately angered Zhao, who began to play the victim, âOh! Everyone, come and see! He got a wife and doesnât even want his own dad anymore! How are we supposed to live with them! A tiny child, Iâve been picking up after him until now, and this is how Iâm treatedâ¦â
âEnough! Iâll give it to you! Isnât it enough that Iâm giving you game?!â
Di Yelei angrily shouted, pushing open the door and walking straight into the kitchen, only to be met by Liu Sisiâs big watery eyes, causing him to freeze in place.
His lips moved, but in the end, he didnât say anything. With large strides, he moved towards the stove, picked up the half-skinned roe deer, and turned to walk towards the doorway.
Liu Sisi didnât call out to him. She just tightly hugged YingEr in her arms, motionless. After a short while, Di Yeleiâs deep voice was heard.
âHere! Today I only hunted around nearby and got only this one roe deer. You came before I could finish skinning it. Take it and make some soup for dad!â
Accepting the roe deer, Ms. Zhao briefly looked at it. The deer weighed about 8 catties, quite fat!
âOnly one? Are you trying to screw me? You only hunted one deer after entering the mountainsâ¦â
Ms. Zhao raised her voice, trying to get more out of Di Yelei. She also looked further inside, and apart from the deer skin on the ground, there was nothing left in the kitchen.
Di Yelei was also somewhat angry but dared not vent his anger on Ms. Zhao. However, his words became harsher.
âSisi has been sick in bed, and there are two young children in the family that need attention. Even if I, Di Yelei, am more capable, Iâve only been out for four hours. How much am I able to hunt? Are you going to make me pay with my life if I canât provide enough?â
âWatch your mouth when you talk!â
Ms. Zhao knew when to take a step back, but she wasnât going to let Di Yelei get carried away either: âGet it straight! This game is for your father to eat! The bad guy has become me, not me who wants to eat it! I raised you from birth, is this how you repay me? Let me tell you Di Yelei, you need to have a conscienceâ¦â
After another burst of rapid-fire words, Di Yelei couldnât even raise his head. It was only then that Ms. Zhao finally walked away victoriously, holding the fat roe deer.
Di Yeleiâs face was full of frustration. He had promised to cook for Sisi to restore her health, but his moment of weakness had led him to give it away. What was he to do?