Chapter 130 Sister, playing? Get lost!

"Sister, is something bothering you?"

Last night, Wen's mother suddenly received a call saying she was going to pick up her older brother and sister. Her grandparents even brought food with them. However, they didn't get back until very late. After her sister came back, she was unusually silent. When asked what was wrong, she wouldn't say. This morning, after going downstairs for breakfast, she immediately went back to her room to do her homework. This is not normal.

Bai Miaomiao was like this most of the time. When she didn't need to help take care of her younger siblings, she would stay in her room. But even in her room, she would never do her homework on Saturdays. She could only do her homework on Sundays. On Saturdays, she would usually do all kinds of crafts that she liked. Recently, she has been learning to crochet with her grandmother and has been doing her crafts in the living room. So she doesn't stay in her room all day anymore. Miaomiao thinks that her older sister is very abnormal.

Bai Miaomiao sat upright in front of her desk, holding a pen in her hand. Textbooks and workbooks were on the desk. She looked very serious, but in fact, she hadn't touched a pen for more than half an hour.

She was not only unhappy, she was also afraid, all because she had seen her second uncle again.

Bai Miaomiao both loathed and feared her second uncle.

Bai Miaomiao's grandparents had a total of four children: her father, her second uncle, and two aunts.

Grandpa passed away from illness at the age of forty-five. Grandma raised four children on her own, and life was always very poor. Everyone says that children from poor families mature early, but in Bai Miaomiao's opinion, none of the four children that Grandma raised in poverty were capable of managing the household. Dad was honest and dull, second uncle was lazy and gluttonous, and both aunts married early and lost their sense of self, living at the mercy of their husbands' families.

Although none of the four children were particularly outstanding, Bai Miaomiao's father learned to drive from a young age and later honestly drove a truck to earn a living. Her two aunts, whenever they came back, would constantly complain about their in-laws making things difficult for them and their husbands not helping them, always mentioning "my husband said..." But they were also trying to live their own lives. Only the second uncle and grandmother were always listing his numerous misdeeds.

When he was little, his father was sick and screaming in pain, and the whole family was heartbroken. He would come home from playing outside and ask, "Mom, why didn't you make dinner today?" He would recount how, after his father passed away, the family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat. They borrowed money to buy some rice, but he stole the last bit of rice and sold it cheaply to the corner store owner in exchange for cigarettes. He also stole the money his aunt had saved from sewing dolls for a toy factory for half a year to buy dresses, and he would drink beer with his cronies until they were completely drunk. He even stole the candy his aunt had bought with money she had collected bottles. And when the whole family went out to work and didn't come back until long after dark, he would eat every last grain of rice left for dinner, leaving the family to drink only boiled water to stave off hunger...

Later, after my two aunts got married, my father gradually accumulated some money from driving. My second uncle started asking my father for money, and my father not only gave him money but was also afraid of not giving him enough. My father drove day and night, while my second uncle played day and night. He even became the envy of everyone. He didn't have to work but had more money than he could spend. He was also generous, often spending money to treat others to meals and drinks, so there was always a group of people surrounding him and flattering him.

Later, Dad got married, and Mom took over managing him. Dad didn't give him much money openly anymore, but he would still give him some secretly. However, he had already established a generous image in public, and because of this, he was flattered to the point of losing his sense of self-worth. How could he live without money? So he started asking Grandma for money. Grandma had worked too hard when she was young and had accumulated a lot of health problems. She was no longer able to earn money. Dad gave her some money, but she would eventually run out. When he didn't get the money he wanted, he started cursing. He not only cursed Grandma, but also other people.

With her parents away most of the year, Bai Miaomiao and her siblings relied on their grandmother for care. Her second uncle also depended on her for food and lodging. The whole family depended on her, so they never separated. Whenever her second uncle couldn't get money or was upset outside, he would come home and yell at people. He was very tall and had a loud voice. When he yelled at her, Bai Miaomiao wasn't scared and continued eating. He would even grab her and shout that he would throw her off the balcony. Bai Miaomiao felt he was more terrifying than a devil.

Even worse, every time Uncle Bai Miaomiao and her siblings said they hated him after he finished cursing and left, their grandmother would defend him. Even though their grandmother was always the one who got the worst scolding, she would tell Bai Miaomiao and her siblings, "That's just the kind of person he is. He's been heartless since he was a child, but you shouldn't hate him. After all, he's your uncle. Your parents are busy, and the family depends on him."

Bai Mangmang couldn't understand how his family had benefited from him. He was always out playing, and when his family cooked and left him food, he complained that it wasn't enough. When he came home, he would rummage through all the drawers and cabinets, making a mess of the house. If no one washed his dirty clothes the next day, he would start cursing and saying things like, "What's the use of raising you?" It's unclear who is supporting whom.

Grandma's affection for her second uncle went far beyond that. When Bai Miaomiao was seven, her mother gave her five yuan a day as pocket money to buy snacks for school. Bai Miaomiao would spend one yuan on snacks for her younger siblings, and give the remaining four yuan to her grandmother. This was because her grandmother had always told her how hard her life had been and how pitiful she still was. Bai Miaomiao hoped that her grandmother could use the money to buy a new dress or secretly buy a bowl of beef noodles that she had been longing for but hadn't been able to afford. However, Bai Miaomiao witnessed her grandmother unhesitatingly give all the money she had saved from buying snacks to her second uncle, simply because her second uncle said, "Mom, I'm out of money. Give me some money to spend."

Bai Miaomiao once asked, "Second Uncle is an adult, why doesn't he go out and earn money? All he does is ask others for money every day?"

Grandma said he was uneducated and couldn't find a job. She said he looked so pitiful, sweating profusely in the heat when he went looking for work, and that your parents weren't home, so the family needed him. Bai Mangmang wanted to say: The family doesn't need him at all. Besides, your parents and aunts are uneducated, yet they can all find jobs. And Grandma, you yourself are uneducated, yet you've raised four children through your work!

There were many similar incidents. She couldn't understand why her grandmother would unconditionally tolerate her second uncle's behavior. Bai Miaomiao felt desperate.

Later, Bai Miaomiao's parents were in a car accident, and everyone was very sad. Only her second uncle became even more arrogant, thinking that he had finally become the head of the family. He always spoke arrogantly and scolded people at home, and no one could disobey him. When Bai Miaomiao said she wanted to eat chicken on her birthday, her grandmother killed the chicken that her aunt had given her and that she couldn't bear to kill. Her second uncle scolded everyone for ruining his family, and the whole neighborhood knew about it. The chicken was cooked in two bowls, and the larger bowl was left for him.

He slurped down a large bowl of chicken, threw the bowl and chopsticks on the table, and went around telling everyone that Bai Miaomiao and Bai Mangmang were greedy and naughty. The neighbors comforted him, saying, "Your older brother and sister-in-law are gone, leaving behind a bunch of kids who keep asking you for food. You must be having a hard time." He pretended to be earnest and proud, saying, "What can I do? They left me with these kids. If I don't take care of them, who will?"

Bai Miaomiao was disgusted by his hypocritical face.

What Bai Miaomiao found most objectionable about him was his strange behavior: he always stared at them silently.

Sometimes, when Bai Miaomiao was sleeping in her room with her younger siblings, he would come home in the middle of the night, slam the door open, and silently stare at them for ten minutes, sometimes as long as half an hour. If Bai Miaomiao locked the door, he would kick it until it opened. Sometimes, when Bai Miaomiao was cooking in the kitchen, he would come home and immediately go to the kitchen door, silently watching her every move. And when she was doing her homework… Whenever he came home, the first thing he would do was stare at everyone in the house for a while. At that time, Bai Miaomiao was still young and would often be happily playing with her toys when he suddenly stared at her. Bai Miaomiao would sit there motionless, her eyes filled with fear.

Bai Miaomiao didn't want to tell her younger sister about her second uncle. She had already taken her sister away. At that time, her sister was still young, and her memory might be blurry. She hoped that her sister would never think of this person again.

"Is it because you were kept after school until very late yesterday, and your grandparents and Aunt Wen went to the school to argue with the teacher? Are you afraid that the teacher will scold you when you go to school next week?"

"No," Bai Miaomiao said, "Go play downstairs, I need to do my homework."

Bai Mangmang: "I'm not going to play, I'll stay here with you."

"Who needs you to keep me company? Don't disturb me while I'm doing my homework, get out of here," Bai Mangmang said coldly.

Bai Miaomiao recalled how she and her younger sister had searched everywhere under the scorching sun, asking and looking for directions for most of the day before finally finding the Women's Federation the teacher had mentioned. Thankfully, they had made it out. She suddenly felt like crying, but she didn't want her sister to see. "Let's go quickly, don't bother me here!"

"I don't want to," Bai Mangmang said. "You weren't actually doing your homework."

Bai Miaomiao almost couldn't hold back her tears.

...

On weekends when his older siblings weren't in school, Wen Xinglan didn't necessarily go digging in the dirt. He preferred to follow them around and play. But today, An Shisi and Wen Xingmou were playing on the slide and said he was in the way, so they chased him away. He then went to play with Wen Xinglin, but Wen Xinglin was feeding the chicks and wouldn't let him near.

Wen Xinglan felt a little wronged. He watched everyone having fun for a while with teary eyes, and suddenly remembered Bai Mangmang. Sister Mangmang loved playing with him the most! Sister Mangmang hadn't chased him away!

He called out to his sister everywhere, and Lou Lan said, "Are you looking for your sister Mangmang? She's probably doing her homework in her room and doesn't have time to play with you." Then she gave him a bottle of milk, saying, "Drink your milk and play by yourself."

So Wen Xinglan used all fours to climb up to the third floor, carrying the milk bottle, and wobbled to the door of Bai Mangmang's room. Peeking in, she saw that her older sister Bai Mangmang was indeed inside. Wen Xinglan flashed a big smile and said, "Sister, want to play?"

Her sister scolded her, and she even cried. Bai Mangmang was at a loss and had no interest in Wen Xinglan's invitation. She said coldly, "I'm not playing."

Wen Xinglan insisted on inviting him to "play."

Bai Mangmang got annoyed and yelled, "Get out!"

Wen Xinglan was stunned for a moment. After realizing what was happening, tears welled up in his big eyes. He stubbornly pouted and stood at the door for a while. Before Bai Mangmang would pay any more attention to him, he silently turned around and left with the baby bottle in his hand.

...

When An Fusheng came out of the kitchen, he saw Wen Xinglan and Afu sitting side by side from behind. If you looked closely, you could see that Wen Xinglan's back was twitching.

Huh? An Fusheng moved to the front of them. Wen Xinglan was crying sadly with her eyes covered. Her little hands were covered in black soot, and when she smeared it on her face, it was unbearable to look at.

An Fusheng wanted to find a tissue to wipe his drool, but couldn't find one after searching his pockets. So he just grabbed his bib and used it to wipe his drool: "What happened? You're crying more miserably than Meng Jiangnu?"

Wen Xinglan sobbed as she vividly imitated, "My sister said 'Get out'."

That's serious. An Fusheng had to offer his concern: "Did you go to play with your sister?"

Wen Xinglan shook her head: "Sister doesn't play."

An Fusheng: "Your sister might be busy. She'll come and play with you when she's done. You can play with Afu first."

"Wow, whose grandma is this? Give it to me, I want to drink it all in one gulp!" An Fusheng exaggeratedly tried to snatch the baby bottle that Wen Xinglan had placed between him and Afu.

Wen Xinglan quickly picked up the bottle, stuffed the nipple into her mouth and drank voraciously, then looked at An Fusheng with her big, bright eyes, feeling smug.

An Fusheng looked disappointed: "Oh dear, I was too slow and missed out! What a pity! Tell me quickly, is it good?"

"Grandma, it's delicious." Wen Xinglan smiled, her eyes crinkling.