Chapter 101 Begging for Food

She covered her hands, looking aggrieved, and said, "Ah Chao, these wild persimmons that nobody wants by the roadside, am I... not even worthy of eating them?"

"If you don't know when you're full, how can you eat too many persimmons?"

The boy, not understanding the reason, looked at the little girl with confusion.

"Eating too much can cause indigestion and lead to...difficulty in defecation."

Upon hearing this, the boy's face immediately turned ashen. The tempting orange persimmons now appeared to him as ferocious beasts. He quickly got up and hid inside the house.

"You've got guts!"

"Xiaxia, are you hungry? Auntie will go to the kitchen to cook."

"Aunt Wu, I want to eat cold noodles, the kind with shredded meat."

"Okay, it'll be ready in a bit."

Delicious food is the best motivation, so the two sped up and finished peeling a basket of persimmons in ten minutes.

Jiang Chao, with a stern face, pulled out the painting master and apprentice, took out a ball of cotton thread, and taught them how to tie fruit stems.

The bunches of persimmons, resembling a curtain, hang on the bamboo clothes rack, looking quite delightful.

"Ouch, my back hurts so much, Little Butterfly, please massage it for me."

"Ha, my back is already giving out after just a short while. Feng, you need to drink more nourishing soup to replenish your kidneys!"

The boy's eyes widened instantly. He put his hands on his hips and said defiantly, "Hmph! My kidneys are in good shape... Ouch, that hurts, that hurts so much, little butterfly, be gentle."

"Big brother, did you twist your back if you got up too fast?"

At such a young age, the probability of him having back problems is probably not high.

"Yes, I got up too quickly. I need to go back to my room and lie down for a while."

As the boy was helped away, he gave Jiang Chao a defiant look.

After lying down in the room, Yunxia lifted her clothes and rubbed him for a long time until Aunt Wu called for dinner, then slapped him on the back.

"Hiss, little butterfly, you're murdering your own brother!"

"Dinner is ready. Aren't you going to eat in the main room?"

Upon hearing this, the boy kicked his leg and mumbled, "My back hurts, I can't get up. Little Butterfly, can you feed me?"

Jiang Chao, who had just reached the door, heard his words and immediately laughed in anger. He came in with a straight face and said in a low voice, "Hey, you surnamed Feng, shall I feed you?"

"It's not impossible!" After saying that, he crawled into the quilt, only revealing the back of his frizzy head.

Yunxia raised an eyebrow, pulled Jiang Chao away, quickly finished two bowls of rice, and then carried a bowl of cold noodles with shredded pork into the side bedroom.

The aroma of food drew the attention of the person in bed. The boy turned over, his bright eyes fixed on the large bowl in the little girl's hand.

"I added three big spoonfuls of meat! Get up!"

"No, you feed me!"

With a wide grin, as if enduring pain, Yunxia, ​​a master of drama, picked up a noodle and fed the boy in an affected manner, which the boy seemed to enjoy.

"Don't you have hands? Needing a girl to feed you? Aren't you ashamed?"

"Teacher, let my sister feed me, I'm so embarrassed!"

He pulled the blanket over himself for added security, thinking, "Hmph, I'm a patient!"

"Lingling, are you feeling unwell? Should we go to the hospital?" The group gathered on the side of the bed, which caught Wu Lifang's attention. Hearing what he said, she asked anxiously.

"Godmother, I'm fine, I just twisted my back."

"A twisted back is a serious matter, lie down immediately!"

"But I... haven't eaten yet!"

Upon hearing this, Yunxia immediately picked up a large clump of noodles and stuffed it into his mouth, thinking to herself, "Young man, can you shut up? There's a limit to faking illness."

Yes, she had already discovered that Feng Jingling was faking illness. He was screaming in pain even before the acupoints were pressed. However, she was in a good mood today and was happy to play along with his act.

But Wu Lifang clearly took it seriously; the worry and sorrow in her eyes were almost overflowing. The boy felt extremely guilty, puffed out his cheeks, got out of bed and jumped around a few times to show that he was fine.

"Godmother, I was just teasing the little butterfly, please don't take it seriously!"

"You silly child, are you faking illness to scare people? Don't do that again!"

"Oh no, he's really sick!"

Jiang Chao, his face grim, snatched the noodles and forced the boy to sit down. "If your back hurts, don't move around. Open your mouth, I'll feed you!"

The husky, driven by its survival instincts, had no choice but to comply to avoid being beaten.

Then, the group witnessed the 'force-feeding' method of feeding the boy, who sometimes had to swallow before he could chew, because another lump of noodles was eyeing him covetously.

Ugh, their eating manners are too unseemly. I can't bear to watch anymore. I pulled Aunt Wu and An'an out of the bedroom.

The boy was tormented for a full 10 minutes. He secretly kicked the cold noodles with shredded pork off the menu, his wet eyes looking pitifully at Jiang Chao.

"If this happens again, the punishment won't be so lenient!"

Upon hearing this, the boy shook his head vigorously, "There will never be a next time."

After saying that, he collapsed onto the bed, utterly dejected. He didn't even know when Jiang Chao left.

The next day, at 8:30 p.m., the group left the shop carrying fruit. Just as they reached the alley entrance, they heard from a busybody neighbor that the Wang family had been waiting at the door all day.

"Aunt Wu, it looks like we're about to have a tough fight. You should stay in the back for a bit."

"How can adults hide while children rush ahead? You all hide behind me. In broad daylight, do you think the Wang family would dare to lay a hand on anyone?"

Xiao Jiang'an gripped his mother's hand tightly, saying with worry and fear, "Mom, maybe we shouldn't go back yet, and should call the police."

"An'an, don't be afraid. Wang Dali is imprisoned. The rest are all old, weak, women and children. They can't beat us."

After saying that, he picked out a few long, hard branches from the pile of firewood in the corner and distributed them to the group. Then, with his head held high, he walked proudly and arrogantly into the alley.

"Holy crap, Little Butterfly is about to unleash a powerful attack!"

"Hey, in a fight, how can we let a girl be at the front?"

Even Xiao Jiang'an was given a wooden stick as long as he was. With the stick in his hand, he felt safe and sound. He imitated Sister Yunxia, ​​holding his head high and taking small, quick steps.

Unexpectedly, the Wang family didn't come to cause trouble, but instead... knelt down and begged for mercy?

"Tianci's mom, what are you doing?"

The fat woman grabbed Wu Lifang, pleading for mercy, but a deep hatred flashed in her eyes from time to time.

Seeing that Aunt Wu was struggling, Yunxia stepped forward and separated the two. "Aunt Li, Uncle Wu is being held in jail for more than just robbery. Have you forgotten about gambling too?"

According to her, it's as if Wang Dali could be released just by the Jiang family writing a letter of forgiveness!

Gambling? Li Cuihua's eyes narrowed, and she turned to look at the old woman. The old woman guiltily turned her head away and muttered, "What man doesn't play mahjong for fun? It's only 50 cents or a dollar, how can that be considered gambling?"

"It's 5 yuan a game, and I heard they owe four or five hundred!"

"You little girl are so insensible, how could you..."

"Five yuan? Good heavens, my monthly salary is only 30 yuan, and he squanders it like this. How are we going to pay off four or five hundred yuan in debt?"

Old Mrs. Li glanced at him impatiently and said, "The boss has been arrested, what's there to say? Yun girl, the Wang family at least raised you for a year. According to seniority, you should call me grandma. For the sake of the relationship between the Yun and Wang families, write a letter of understanding, the kind that the supermarket owner signs and agrees to."

"Ha, Grandma? What grandma in the world would convert her granddaughter's food, clothing, shelter, and transportation into equivalent values ​​and write them down in a notebook as a basis for asking for money later? The Wang family has supported me for a year, and when have I not worked? When have I eaten the same food as you? Even in heavy snow, I was forced to go out and collect coal briquettes, while your own grandchildren were sleeping soundly in bed!"