Chapter 9 The Son of Sin

Grandma Ji instructed: "Huaizhi used to herd sheep after school every day. Don't do that anymore. He can cut grass with the other children."

"None of you three brothers should go out alone. You stay with your two older brothers, understand?"

Ji Huaizhi nodded.

"Didn't they catch the dog?" Er Ma's wife said loudly, worriedly to her two sons, "Then you two need to be careful. Don't go running around wildly during your holiday these two days, understand?"

Grandma Ji got angry just looking at her. Everyone else was telling the three children to be careful, but she just didn't know how to say anything.

"Why didn't we catch this dog? It's already bitten people, it'll definitely bite again in the future."

Ji Erma: "Anyway, just be careful with your own family."

Thinking about what they had just said about the hole in Li Laosi's neck, Er Ma's wife also felt a chill and pain in her neck.

It was only then that she remembered that she hadn't complained.

"Mom, you need to talk to this third kid. He actually dared to hit me and cut my neck until it bled."

"Children shouldn't be spoiled like this."

Ji Erma frowned, scolding the unruly child: "Really, you little brat, you laid a hand on your second aunt?"

But the mother and son reacted much more strongly when they heard that the neck had been cut and was bleeding; their hearts raced.

They thought that the matter had been exposed.

Or is he planning to harm his own family members?

Ji Dama's expression changed, as did Old Lady Ji's. She slammed the bowl and chopsticks on the table, startling everyone who looked over.

"No, I was flying Ultraman cards and I didn't mean to cut my aunt's neck. I didn't mean to."

The other two boys chimed in, "Yeah, it's a card."

"You must have gotten scratched by accident."

I breathed a sigh of relief; so that's how it was.

Ji Dama glared at Ji Huaizhi and cursed him for being disrespectful and hitting his second aunt.

Grandma Ji felt that her second son's wife was talking nonsense all the time, which almost made her sick again.

"Can you watch your mouth? What do you mean by 'I'll lay a hand on you and cut your neck'? Isn't that a scary thing to say?"

He tried to complain but ended up getting scolded instead; he tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead.

Er Ma's wife glared at him angrily.

"Who are you glaring at? What's wrong with kids playing around? Why are you targeting him?"

The two men remained silent, and they decided not to interrupt.

Ji Huaizhi served the rice and beans to Yu Man, and her eyes lit up when she took it and ate the meat underneath.

They ate even faster.

Er Ma's wife looked at the mother and son with suspicion. When did their relationship become so good?

"Are you happy that Li Laosi is dead?"

As Yu Man ate, her movements slowed down, and she finished the bowl of bean rice while shaking her shoulders. It was a bit too salty and bitter.

When there is a funeral in the village, everyone in the surrounding area will take the initiative to help.

Everyone had a white cloth wrapped around their heads.

The incident happened suddenly, and Li Laosi's death was somewhat undignified.

It's heartbreaking to hear someone die from being bitten by their own dog.

The person keeping watch on this night cannot sleep; they must play the suona and beat the drum all night long.

The discussion revolved around Li Laosi's life, with women surrounding his family members and offering words of comfort.

Ji Huaizhi stood in the mourning hall for a while.

"Huaizhi, what are you doing here?" Ji Jinping asked in confusion. "Where are your two cousins?"

“They were putting up cards behind the mourning hall,” Ji Huaizhi replied.

Is no one home?

Ji Huaizhi shook his head.

Ji Jinping is the eldest child in the Ji family. Their grandfathers are brothers. However, Ji Jinping's family is quite well-off and owns a sheep farm.

Their family was the worst off.

"Is the area behind the mourning hall a playground? Make them come out, or they'll get a beating again later."

"Okay." Ji Huaizhi called out to him as he was about to leave, "Where are you going?"

"Looking for a place to slack off, it's not busy here for now, it gets busy in the latter half of the night." Ji Jinping took a drag on a cigarette.

"Go and play with them, and tell them to stay away from the mourning hall."

Ji Huaizhi watched his older cousin's retreating figure.

He lowered his eyes in deep thought.

It was pitch black at night. Although the sun was scorching during the day, the wind at night was still quite chilly.

A hand found a key in a crevice in the nearby rocks.

After unlocking the door, push it open.

"Manman".

Yu Man inside was startled.

After closing the door, Ji Jinping walked in. This cave dwelling always smelled bad.

"Manman, it's been so long since I've seen you. Are you still angry with me?"

The man climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and said to himself, "I lost the phone number you gave me, and I've been too ashamed to come see you."

"Actually, I've always been thinking about you, but it's really inconvenient for me to come over."

"Manman".

“Like before.” In the darkness, the man stretched out his hand: “You come with me this time, and I’ll make the call for you. This time, I’ll make sure I remember the number perfectly.”

Yu Man huddled up, breathing heavily.

She misses her biological son terribly right now.

As long as he's there, these people won't dare to come.

"Squeak~" A beam of light shone in and shone on Ji Jinping's face, startling him so much that he quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

"who?"

The light was so bright I couldn't open my eyes.

When Ji Jinping saw that small figure, he didn't know whether to feel good or bad about his luck.

"Huai Zhi?"

“I…” Ji Jinping sighed, a perfectly measured look of pity on his face: “I’ve come to bring your mother some food.”

"She...is very pitiful."

As he spoke, he took out two eggs and two steamed buns made from oat flour that he had prepared beforehand.

"Don't tell your dad or the others about this, or you'll run into trouble."

"Really? Brother Jinping, you're so kind." Ji Huaizhi would have believed it if he hadn't seen the change in his lower body.

Thinking he believed her, Ji Jinping put down his things and said, "Your mother has had a hard life too, so don't look down on her."

"Just pretend I was never here."

Ji Huaizhi closed the door again when he came out: "Brother Jinping, I'll see you out."

Ji Jinping didn't refuse, which made him believe in himself even more.

It's just a bit of a pity that we had such a good opportunity today.

“Huaizhi, do you know about your mother’s situation?” Ji Jinping asked.

“I know, she’s a college student from the city who was trafficked here. Isn’t that common knowledge in the village?” Ji Huaizhi said coldly.

“When your mother first came, I visited your house. I should say, everyone in the village came to visit.” Ji Jinping sighed, “It’s a terrible situation, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

"Actually, this isn't the first time I've brought food to your mom."