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"Sister Four, you're still injured, how did you come over? Sit down."
Zi Clan stood up and said that she didn't really like Xiao Lihua either, but they didn't have deep conflicts. Xiao Lihua was just a bit cold and rough; if she wasn't provoked, she wouldn't trouble others. Naturally, Zi Clan wouldn't seek out that trouble.
Li Family glanced around and said sharply, "Sister Four, the food has already been sent to your room, and there was quite a lot. Why did you come over? Given what you caused today, you should be starving. You don't think you're still not full, do you? They say that injured people eat less, but why do you act like a bottomless pit?"
"Xiao, there's no more food left; you should go back! I see you have the strength now. Tomorrow it's your turn to cook; get up and do it, no slacking off! Otherwise, we'll send you back home! With a Daughter-in-law like you, we can hardly manage!"
Wang Clan slammed her chopsticks down on the table, putting on the airs of a mother-in-law. Xiao Lihua's words earlier in the afternoon had made her angry.
"I've already finished eating. I'm here to ask why every child has bread except my son?"
As soon as this was said, everyone looked at her in surprise because Xiao Lihua had given birth to Stone and Wood, yet she had never cared for the two children before and would never say 'my son.' Today’s fall had made her concerned about the children. However, her question also made half of the people feel awkward.
Wang Clan replied sternly, "Why? Isn't it because of you! You went out and spent one or two Silver, how much bread can that buy? You shouldn't have been given any food today! Now considering you're injured, we didn't starve you; your son eating less bread is saving for you! Do you have any objections? Then don't eat tomorrow!"
"Dad, let me ask you, if the family earns money and contributes to the public fund, shouldn't the family's expenses also come from there? Including for those who are sick or injured?" Xiao Lihua directly asked Xie Shengcai.
Hearing this question from Xiao Lihua, Xie Shengcai nodded awkwardly.
Xiao Lihua continued asking, "So is there a rule that someone who is injured or sick should go hungry? Should their child suffer hunger instead? Is there such a rule? I'm just asking if it has always been this way in our family and will continue to be so in the future? If that's the case, then I won't say another word! If not, then give my son's bread to him!"
Xie Shengcai was at a loss for words; this matter wasn't something he had caused. He didn't stop it but knew it wasn't right. Now being questioned by his Daughter-in-law, he didn't know how to defend himself and could only look at his Wife.
Wang Clan glared at Xiao Lihua, her nostrils flaring like a bellows.
The men were hesitant to speak; just as Li Family was about to say something, Xiao Lihua interrupted with: "If you speak up now, then don't get sick in the future; otherwise, just wait for your two sons to go hungry!" She was so angry that she fell silent.
At this moment, the Sister-in-law of the Fang Family spoke up, "Sister Four, getting sick or injured costs money from the public funds, but we also need to consider the situation. Others get sick or injured due to accidents, but your injury was somewhat self-inflicted. If you hadn't gone to trouble others or hit someone, how would you have ended up with a head injury? You caused such a scene; not only did you get hurt and spend a couple of Silver, but you also embarrassed our old Xie Family."
"Exactly, what Sister-in-law said makes sense. I don't even want to go out anymore; it's too embarrassing," added a member of the Li Family, looking disdainfully at Xiao Lihua.
The Fang Family continued, "To be honest, hiring a Physician for you and spending this Silver is all thanks to the kindness of Father-in-law and Mother-in-law. If it were someone else, they would have been driven mad by you long ago and wouldn’t care about your well-being. Now that you're recovering, even though you're injured, you haven't been deprived of your meals; they only let Stone and Wood eat one less piece of cake. This is already showing the goodness of Father-in-law and Mother-in-law. Blaming them now is really a bit excessive."
Hearing the Fang Family's words, the Wang Clan's expression improved significantly. The eldest Daughter-in-law felt that the Xie Shengcai's embarrassment had eased as well; it seemed to make sense.
Xiao Lihua's mother looked at the Fang Family and thought that this Sister-in-law was quite eloquent. Even unreasonable matters sounded reasonable when she spoke. She realized that this Sister-in-law appeared neutral in her reasoning but was actually siding with her in-laws, implying that she was in the wrong! Did she really think she was foolish? Trying to save on her son's rations and putting the blame on her. This whole family just watched those two small children go hungry for something that wasn't their fault and thought it was justified. What goodness? What nonsense!
"Fourth Brother's wife, quickly apologize to Parents; let's just let this matter go. Otherwise, if Parents get angry again, Fourth Brother won't spare you when he comes back," said a man at the table, who was from the Fang Family named Xie Youkang.
"Yes, sister-in-law, apologize quickly and go back home. You're still injured; if it gets worse, we don't have Silver to treat you again," added another man from the Li Family named Xie Youhe.
Xie Youtai sat there drinking the remaining thin porridge with his head down and said nothing.
Xiao Lihua smirked slightly and said, "Why should I apologize? Didn't you say that the one or two Silver spent on treating my injury doesn't count as public funds? If that's the case, then I didn't spend any public Silver at all! So why should my meals be cut? Why should my son's meals be cut? Don't act like I owe you anything; since that one or two Silver needs to be returned, then I owe you nothing! You can't cut my son's food! They are still so small; if they don't eat enough, they'll starve! Why do you come after me instead of targeting the little ones? Truly kind-hearted! Such a family indeed!"
"You want to return that one or two Silver? You better mean it; don’t try to back out!"
As soon as the Li Family heard this, they immediately shouted. That Silver came from public funds, which meant she had a share in it. If there was one less Silver, she would naturally want to avoid losing that share.
Xiao Lihua thought to herself that Xie Youshun went out to work, and the Silver earned would eventually be confiscated. That one or two Silver would come from within, and the Xie Family members would have nothing to say about it; it would be unbearable for them.
The Fang Family said, "Even if you say you want to return that one or two Silver, your actions have already disgraced our Xie Family. It's only right to withhold a meal."
The Wang Clan said, "That's exactly the point. Our Xie Family has always had a good reputation, and you've ruined it."
Xiao Lihua replied dismissively, "My reputation has long been poor; it's not just because of today’s incident. If the Xie Family was affected, it would have happened long ago. Do you think you’ve always starved my son before this?!"
As Xiao Lihua spoke, her brows furrowed as she thought of the thin bodies of Stone and Wood. She felt that even if she had treated the two children poorly, they still ate meals together with everyone and shouldn't be so thin. She vaguely remembered that whenever she was unhappy, she would take her portion of food back to her room, but she had no memory of how the two children fared at the dining table. It was entirely possible that she had caused trouble outside and let the two children bear the punishment at the dining table!
"You actually do this! They are surnamed Xie!"
Xiao Lihua felt it was unlikely, but seeing those people’s flickering eyes and their guilty expressions made her furious. She felt as if she had stepped into a novel about farming families where the daughter-in-law's mistakes led to her grandchildren going hungry!
"The ones with the surname Xie are also your children. If you didn’t act this way, could they be implicated? Besides, weren't you indifferent before? Why are you pretending to be angry now? I think you’re not confused but looking for trouble!"
The Li Family said this was equivalent to an admission.
Hearing what the Li Family said, a fragment suddenly flashed through Xiao Lihua's mind: it was Wang Clan telling her that if she continued to stir up trouble, they wouldn’t let her eat. She glared and said that if they didn’t feed her, then no one should eat. The original Xiao Lihua frightened Wang Clan, who didn’t want to back down and threatened that if she ate Stone and Wood, she shouldn’t expect to eat anything else. As a result, Xiao Lihua didn’t care whether her two sons had food or not. Then, in order to show that her words were taken seriously and to maintain her authority as the head of the household, Wang Clan indeed starved the two children after Xiao Lihua made a mistake.
Thinking of this made Xiao Lihua's eyes redden. She looked at these people in front of her and thought that these were her family for this lifetime. She felt fortunate that on the first day of her rebirth, she realized what kind of people they were.
Xiao Lihua turned around and left, intending to go to the kitchen but stopped in her tracks. At that moment, her memory was particularly sharp; it reminded her that their household always cooked just enough for everyone with very little leftover. She stamped her foot and returned to her room, locking the door behind her as soon as she entered.
"Mother."
"Mother."
Little Stone and Little Wood were originally sitting on the kang when the door suddenly opened. Xiao Lihua rushed in with a stern face, startling them both. They thought to themselves, "Is Mother going to revert to her old self again?" Little Wood's mouth quivered as he wanted to cry but didn't dare to make a sound, his eyes brimming with tears. Little Stone also stiffened and leaned closer to his brother.
Upon seeing the children's expressions, Xiao Lihua realized she had frightened them. She softened her expression and said, "Mother is fine, don't be afraid." She sat down on the kang, feeling a bit dizzy. Closing her eyes, she thought to herself that she needed to take good care of her injuries; otherwise, it would be troublesome if there were any lasting effects.
Little Stone asked, "Mother, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Little Stone, tell me, did Mother used to reduce your meals whenever I made a mistake? Be honest." Xiao Lihua looked at Little Stone, wanting to confirm once more. Little Stone pressed his lips together and replied, "Mother, it's okay. We weren't hungry. I gave my portion to my brother, and I even took him to find food." Hearing this made Xiao Lihua's tears fall. She rushed over and hugged both children tightly, feeling how thin and small they were. It pained her deeply that her sons had to suffer like this!
At that moment, Xiao Lihua was furious with the Xie family and also with the original Xiao Lihua.
"Why didn't you tell your father?"
Xiao Lihua asked with concern, thinking that Xie Youshun must care for these two sons; if only he had known, things wouldn't have turned out this way. It seemed that in her memories, Xie Youshun was unaware of this situation. If he had known, he would surely have been angry. However, he had shown concern for the children's frailness but seemed to think that it was normal for rural children to be small and thin; perhaps he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
Little Stone said, "If we told Mother, we wouldn't have any food."
Xiao Lihua's body stiffened for a moment before she began to tremble violently. She cried uncontrollably, wondering what the original Xiao Lihua had missed out on. How fortunate she was to have these two wonderful children; it truly was a blessing from heaven. From now on, she would treat them well and make up for everything the original Xiao Lihua owed them.
Seeing Xiao Lihua cry made the two children scared and they began to cry as well. The three of them embraced each other in a painful weep until eventually Xiao Lihua stopped first. She wiped the children's tears but ended up making their faces even dirtier.
After crying for a while, Xiao Lihua felt too weak to fetch water to wash their faces. All she wanted was to lie down, so she pulled back the bedding and let the two children lie down with her. Soon enough, the three of them huddled together and fell asleep.
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