CH 10

Chapter 10 – Don’t You Recognize Me?

“Deal.  As long as it’s enough to raise the children.  Thank you for your care over the past year.”

The prices offered by Renxin Medical Hall were fair and they did not deliberately suppress the prices.

“Those are kind words.  The amount of silver taels we made with your support is not small either.  Let’s continue to have more business dealings in the future.”

He stroked his goatee with a grin.

“Then I’ll take my leave first, the village’s ox cart is still waiting for us.  I’ll collect the money for this batch of medicinal herbs on my next trip to the city……..”

Li Jing’er, who was worried she would not be able to make it out of the city in time, put her youngest daughter into the empty bamboo basket.  Then she bent her knees slightly and hoisted the basket together with the child on her back.

“Do you make a living by selling medicinal herbs?”

Just as she was about to leave, a tall dark shadow shrouded her head.  Only when she looked up did she see the person blocking her way.

“Anything the matter?”

“Do you make a living by selling medicinal herbs?”  He repeated.

What has it to do with you?  Are you the God of Evolution who manages the entire universe?

“No, I catch snakes.”

“Catch snakes?!”  He was dumbfounded.

“Poisonous snakes.”  Snakes fetch a lot of money.

“Poisonous snakes?”  His face turned pale and seemed to show pain and guilt.

“Can you let me pass?  I’m in a hurry.”

If she does not reach the village before the sky turns dark, the way up the mountain would become very difficult and at the same time, she also has three children with her.

“Aren’t you afraid?  Snakes are poisonous.”

Lord Baihu, who was around the age of 24 to 25, was behaving abnormally by blocking the way and talking a lot more than usual.

“How can people who couldn’t survive anymore be afraid of poisonous snakes?  Do you know how devastating was the disaster that I encountered a year ago?  Life was extremely miserable.”

If she had not left, the Xiao Family, who was only concerned about gains and ignored morality, would have sold them both, mother and child.  At that time, the Xiao Family’s Third Son had already found a ready buyer.

Fortunately, the Xiao Family was not harmonious and each of them plotted their own plans.  Although they may look in harmony, they were actually at odds.  Mother Wu just wanted to chase her away so that she could get the second son’s compensation for herself while the eldest son of the Xiao Family was waiting to have a share of the money.  They were so focused on the money that she was given the chance to find a way out and made the proposal to leave.

For the sake of money, Mother Wu and Lao Da* could not wait to agree, thinking that without her they could openly take everything from her.  However, they did not know that Lao San was so angry that his face turned green.  He was just short of pointing his finger at the noses of his mother and brother to curse……..Short-sighted!  The great opportunity to make money has been ruined by you!

(Lao Da means the eldest son and Lao San means the third son.)

Upon hearing her words, the man’s expression darkened.

“You have suffered…….”

“This Lord, I really don’t have time to chat with you.  If I can’t reach the ox cart in time, I and my children will have to return to the village on foot and the journey is a bit far for my children.”

Li Jing’er did not show him a good expression.  Hugging one arm around each child, she protected them under her arms like wings.

A mother hen protecting its family would never allow its chicks to be taken away by the big eagle that flies in circles high in the sky.  It will resist with all its might and use its beak to peck at the eagle!

“You…….”

Don’t you recognize me?

Before the Baihu could say anything, a heavy arm rested on his shoulder and hook him by his neck in a brotherly way.

“You’re talking a lot today!  I normally see you clam up like a shell and refuse to open your mouth.  Why are you bullying others now?  They’re in a hurry to leave so why are you blocking their way?  Hurry up and make way, otherwise, beware that this Division Chief finds fault with you.”

Chen Dasheng winked and joked and was a little puzzled by his brother’s abnormal behavior.

“Lord Chen, this is a private matter.”  The man replied abruptly.

“Can private matters be settled in public?!  You can’t have taken a liking to other people’s widows, can you?”

The face is acceptable, but the figure……..er, is still eye-catching…….

“She’s not a widow.”  The man replied angrily.

Chen Dasheng lowered his voice in surprise.

“A woman whose husband is dead is not considered a widow?  Can it be she had gotten married again, the second time?  Your taste is indeed weird, preferring those who are married……..”

“Her husband isn’t dead.”

Which bastard said he is dead?

“How do you know?”  Chen Dasheng cast a sideways glance at him.

Is it a good thing for her husband to be dead?  He even dug up her old wound to make her embarrassed!

“I am……..”

“My Lord, don’t go too far.  Even clay figurines will have a little anger.”

When she saw her sleeves were caught, Li Jing’er had the urge to throw a hundred bumblebees on his head.

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Seeing that this matter had nothing to do with her, she turned around to leave.  Unexpectedly, as soon as she put her foot forward, a hand reached out to hold her back, and even if she wanted to leave, she could not.

This is simply an act of a bully!  She is not acquainted with him, so what right does he have to prevent her from leaving?  And it looked as if he wanted to explain something to her.

She had once won the women’s free kickboxing championship.  Perhaps it should be used on him.

A tiger that doesn’t show its power will be taken as a domesticated cat and be teased.

“Xiao Erlang*, let go of your hand.  Don’t forget the strict military discipline.”

(Xiao Erlang means Second Xiao and is a casual appellation.)

The startled Chen Dasheng hastily persuaded as he did not wish his comrade to be punished for disturbing the common people.

“Don’t meddle in this matter.  Let me handle it myself.”

He would not shirk his responsibility…….he owed her.

When Li Jing’er heard the word ‘Xiao’, she felt uneasy and similar to a cat, all the hairs on her body stood up.  It was especially so when the word ‘Er’ was mentioned and the feeling of repulsion rose from the bottom of her heart.  The relationship between her and the Xiao Family had long been severed and she did not want to come into contact with another person with the surname Xiao again.

“You want to deal with it?………  Donkey, we are General Rong’s soldiers and were just dispatched to Sanhe Guard Base.  If you cause trouble at this juncture, where do you want the General to put his face?”

The first thing they should do upon arrival is to consolidate their position.

Chen Dasheng, who noticed that the situation was not good, set aside his previous sloppy tone and said sternly.

He is related to General Chen Rong and is a son from a collateral branch of the General’s family.  In terms of seniority, he should call the General……‘Paternal Uncle’.

“Hurry up and let go of my mother!  Don’t pull her sleeves anymore or I’ll bite you!”

Shuangming, whose lips had turned white, was baring his teeth like an enraged little leopard.

With a resolute gaze, the man looked down at the angry child and said.  “You’re not your mother’s child, who is your father?………”

Before he could finish speaking, he was bitten.

“I am my mother’s child!  I am!  I am!  I’ll bite you to death…….”

He is a bad guy, a big bad guy!  He wants to take my mother away!

“Shuangming, let go!”

Li Jing’er’s chest was burning with anger.  She would not tolerate anyone hurting her children.

“Mother……”

Shuangming called out with tears streaming down his face.  He hugged his mother’s thigh and cried continuously and his cries made everyone who heard him feel sad.

“Be good……..didn’t Mother tell you before that you’re not to believe what strangers tell you?  Did you forget the story of the big wild wolf?”

Little Red Riding Hood was deceived and the big wild wolf swallowed her.

He sobbed and wiped away the tears with the back of his hand.  Even at such a young age, he wanted to pretend to be a man.

“Mother, you gave birth to me, didn’t you?  You are my mother.”

“Whether I am your mother or not, who else can be clearer than me?  Are you calling Mother a fake?  If Mother is not your mother, then can your mother be Granny Hu whose teeth had all fallen off?”

She did not give a direct answer and fooled her naive son again.  Little children are so very easy to coax.  Pick up something that they wish to hear and they will be hooked to it.

“Mother……”  He smiled through the tears.

“Be good and wait for Mother with Shuangzhen at the side.  Let Mother ‘settle’ this small matter first.”

Some things can be tolerated but some things can’t be endured.  This bullying is overboard!

“Alright.”

Mother is angry.

Shuangming held Shuangzhen’s hand and stood beside the shopkeeper.

“Jing……..”

*Pa*

“Ah!………  Painful!”   Chen Dasheng cried in a soft voice.

The people watching the play were more involved than the people acting in the play.  Upon seeing the hand print on the face that had turned red, Chen Dasheng felt he had also been slapped and it was so painful that his teeth ached.

“Why did you slap me?”  The man showed a stunned expression.

“You dare to ask me why?  How old are you and yet you didn’t show any mercy to a child!  Today he calls me Mother, so I am his Mother.  No one can hurt my child in front of me and whoever dares to touch a hair on him, I’ll fight with him!”

She is a lioness who protects her cubs and hunches her back in a posture that is ready to bite anyone’s throat.

With a solemn expression, he asked.  “Did you marry again?”

No one could see that his palms were sweating and he was so nervous that he did not dare to breathe deeply.

Li Jing’er said coldly.  “Once was enough to ruin me, do you think I would be stupid twice?”

When the man heard, he smiled.  “If the child calls you Mother, then you can raise him as your child.  He is very protective of you and in the future, he won’t turn out to be too bad.”

“That’s my family’s business and it has nothing to do with you.”

The more she listened, the more uneasy she felt.  It was like her family would be taken over by him from now on.

“What if I tell you it has something to do with me?”

His eyes turned gentle and when he smiled, his white teeth gleamed.  He seemed to be enveloped in the warm spring breeze and blooming flowers.

Li Jing’er spat out the words.  “I’ll say that you’re crazy.  Madman, please stay far away from us.  It’s your family’s business if you’re crazy but don’t implicate innocent people.”

“My family is your family.”  This hint should be clear enough.

My family is your family……Family Mart Convenience Store……..this advertisement suddenly popped into her mind.

Her heart felt suffocated.

“Lord Chen, the brain of your soldier is damaged.  You’d better feed him dung water to see if it can be repaired.  It doesn’t matter if he is mad but he shouldn’t be so mad as to spray dung everywhere.”

*Cough*

“Xiao Erlang, don’t blow up this matter.  Where do you not find grass under the sky?  If you want women, let this Brother find you one.”

This is too embarrassing!

He was too embarrassed to admit that this person is his subordinate and after being without a woman for too long, he had become sick.

With clear eyes, Xiao Jingfeng flicked Chen Dasheng’s hands away and said quietly like a willow swaying by the river.

“Jing Niang*, can you really not recognize me?”

(Niang means young lady, young woman, madam, wife, or mother.)