Chapter 79
79 Separation
The three little ones did not want to warm themselves by the fire. They only wanted to hide.
This was the first time Su Jinniang had observed the three children up close. Just like their father, the closer they were, the better they looked.
It was just that they were quite naughty and always made the children in the village cry.
It must be that Fatty Su didn’t know how to raise them. If she were their mother-
She would teach them well.
“What are your names?” Su Jinniang asked softly.
The three of them said nothing.
It was not that Su Jinniang really did not know their names. She just wanted to tease them to speak. Wasn’t this the way to start an interaction between adults and children?
Seeing that they were silent, Su Jinniang was not discouraged. Instead, she continued to ask gently, “Which of you is Dahu, which is Erhu, and which is Xiaohu?”
The three of them remained silent.
Su Jinniang thought for a moment before turning around and entering the house. She secretly took a piece of candy from home, broke it into three small pieces, walked out, and handed it to them.
The Su family’s conditions in the village were not bad, but it was one thing for their family to eat such expensive things. It was rare for them to casually give them to the children in the village.
“Here,” she said, smiling.
She was good-looking and spoke gently. The children in the village liked her very much.
In addition, this was candy. There was no child who did not like candy.
She handed it forward again and said, “This is sweet. It’s delicious.”
Of course, the three little ones knew about candy. Niudan had used this to tempt them.
The three of them didn’t take it.
Su Jinniang asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it? Or is your father... not letting you eat it?”
“Dahu! Erhu! Xiaohu!”
Su Xiaoxiao’s cry came from ahead.
The three little ones’ eyes lit up. They decisively ran out of the alley.
Su Jinniang followed a few steps and saw the three of them pounce into Fatty Su’s arms like swallows. Their three little heads rubbed against Fatty Su.
“Where did you go to play? You’re sweating profusely,” Fatty Su said as she patted Dahu’s head.
Dahu raised his hand and pointed. “Over there, hide!”
“Erhu wants it too.” Erhu stretched his little head over.
“Xiaohu! Xiaohu!” It was very difficult for Xiao Hu to squeeze in between his two brothers!
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She touched everyone’s heads.
Dahu turned and pointed at the small of his back. “And here,” he said in a childish voice.
Su Xiaoxiao often touched their backs to see if they were sweating.
Su Xiaoxiao touched this and that in amusement.
The three children raised their chins proudly!
Su Xiaoxiao said, “You’re drenched in sweat. Hurry up and go back to change your clothes for dinner.”
The three of them nodded and skipped away with Su Xiaoxiao.
The three of them were like different people in front of Su Jinniang and the other villagers.
“Are you eating anything you shouldn’t have?” Su Xiaoxiao asked.
“No.” The three little ones shook their heads.
Su Jinniang watched them leave and clenched the candy in her hand.
Fatty Su was clearly targeting her and not allowing her to build a good relationship with Wei Ting’s three children.
Su Jinniang had really misunderstood Su Xiaoxiao. Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know that Su Jinniang had given the three little fellows candy. The reason she asked this was because the three little ones had eaten wild fruit at the back of the mountain with the older children in the village a few days ago.
The children in the village had eaten since they were young and were used to it. They did not feel any discomfort.
However, the three little fellows had a stomachache all night.
Ever since then, Su Xiaoxiao stopped letting them eat from elsewhere.
“Mother.”
The three little ones only noticed Su Xiaoxiao’s wrapped fingers.
Su Xiaoxiao nodded and said without changing her expression, “It’s for fun.”
The three little ones blinked cutely.
Fifteen minutes later, each child had two dumplings wrapped in their hands.
The three of them decisively went next door to look for Niudan to show off the fingers that their mother had wrapped for them!
Unfortunately, Niudan was not in the mood to fight with them today. The family was arguing again about the separation of his uncle and aunt. His grandfather, Liu Shan, was furious, and his grandmother had been scolding him all morning.
“I raised you up with great effort! In the end, this is how you repay me! I know that I’m not your biological mother! I don’t expect you to be filial to me! But you can’t curse me to death!”
“You two are killing me! Are you trying to curse me and your father to death?”
As Big Wu spoke, she started crying. “Has it been easy for me to be someone’s stepmother all these years? How have I let you down?”
How could it be right?
Did Big Wu really not remember how she had treated Liu Ping badly?
Cutting pig grass at the age of five, working in the fields at the age of six, sleeping in the cowshed in the middle of winter... When he was sick, she never invited a doctor. If not for Liu Ping’s luck, he would have died many times!
When Liu Ping went to town to do manual labor, he did not rest during the winter and summer. The hard-earned money fell into the hands of Big Wu.
So where did Big Wu get the cheek to say that she was right about Liu Ping?
“Did you instigate it?”
Seeing that Liu Ping was unwilling to let go, Big Wu immediately targeted Little Wu.
She walked over and gave Little Wu a big slap!
A crisp slap sounded in the central room.
The person who was slapped was not Little Wu, but Liu Ping, who rushed over to block her.
Liu Ping took the blow forcefully, and his face immediately swelled up.
Looking at the palm print on Liu Ping’s face, Big Wu was stunned.
Liu Shan, who was sitting in the chair, frowned fiercely.
“Husband, I...” Big Wu turned to look at Liu Shan and then at the stubborn Liu Ping. She wanted to say that she did not want to hit Liu Ping, but the atmosphere in the house was suddenly so oppressive that she could not speak.
No matter what, Liu Ping was the eldest son in the family. As his stepmother, she could think of ways to squeeze him, but she could not hit him.
“Kneel down, the two of you!” Liu Shan said to his son and daughter-in-law.
Liu Ping and Little Wu knelt down.
Liu Shan said seriously, “I’ll ask you one last time. Are you really going to split up?”
“Yes!” Liu Ping said.
“Brother! Sister-in-law! Don’t be rash!”
Madam He put down the spatula and came over from the kitchen. She said to Liu Ping and Little Wu, “It’s the new year. Why are you splitting up? Hurry up and apologize to Dad and Mom! Our family is harmonious. Stop fooling around! I know that Liu An was injured a while ago and can’t work in the fields. He’s a burden to you! Sister-in-law will apologize to you here! It won’t happen again!”
Madam He’s words were evasive.
How could the eldest branch only feel aggrieved in these few months? But she couldn’t say that the entire family had been squeezing the eldest branch, right?
Madam He did not want to split up. Although Liu Ping’s salary would not fall into her hands, Big Wu had always been biased towards the second branch and had spent a lot of money on Liu An and Niudan.
And because of her husband and son, she could more or less get some benefits.
In addition, if Sister-in-law left, who would do so much work at home?
She did not want to be exhausted!