Chapter 009 Mom, You're Being Favoritistic

She'll show them how biased she is!

She will live her life however she wants; she will live as she pleases!

She was thinking wildly when, in her daze, she heard rustling sounds coming from the courtyard.

"Oh, who is it?"

"Dad, why are you sleeping here? Did Mom kick you out?"

"Shut up! What are you doing in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"I'm so hungry I can't sleep, so I'll cook some noodles."

"Second brother, I want some too."

"Second brother, I want one too!"

"Second brother, cook some for Dad too."

The kitchen lights were on, and the group secretly cooked noodles, served them in bowls, and ate them.

Complaints continued to rise, one after another: "Second brother, you've cooked the noodles into porridge, how are we supposed to eat this?"

"It's good enough to have something to eat. Just make do with this to appease your stomach. There will be something good to eat first thing tomorrow morning."

"I want to eat the scallion pancakes my sister-in-law makes..."

"Second brother, do you think Mom will give me the money tomorrow? I've already told Erniu that I'll treat her to soy milk first thing tomorrow morning..."

Li Banxia drifted off to sleep, and woke up the next day drenched in sweat.

Even with a fan on, it's still not enough to keep out the sweltering heat of July and August.

She went out to pump some water, poured in some hot water to make warm water, brought it inside and did a quick wash, then changed into her faded work clothes.

Li Banxia opened the wardrobe and frowned deeply when she saw that it was full of tattered clothes.

She almost forgot that 1988 was an exceptionally difficult year for her.

Su Youfu didn't bring any money home. She spent all her money on her two sons getting married, her youngest son who lived at school and could eat a whole cow in one meal, and her youngest daughter who was starting to care about her appearance.

She didn't buy a single new piece of clothing all year.

Not just this year, she hasn't bought new clothes for several years in a row.

Even her hair was cut by herself with scissors while looking in the mirror.

Li Banxia didn't want to make things so miserable this time.

She took the money and went out to buy breakfast. When she came back, the eldest son's wife was poking at the coal stove in the kitchen, preparing to cook. She was stunned when she saw her carrying breakfast back.

"Mom, are you buying food again?"

Li Banxia nodded, "I've already eaten. This is for you and the boss. Block the stove and take it back to your room to eat."

"Huh? Aren't you cooking? Dad and my little sister..."

Li Banxia frowned. "Don't worry about them. They won't starve if they miss a meal."

The eldest daughter-in-law wanted to say that they hadn't eaten dinner the night before, meaning they'd had two meals, but seeing her mother-in-law's bad expression, she didn't dare say anything more.

He obediently plugged up the stove that had just been poked open, accepted the breakfast, thanked them, and went back to their room.

When the others got up, they found that the breakfast Li Banxia had bought was still not for them, and they complained.

Su Hongmei burst into tears, "Mom, you're being unfair!"

"yes."

Li Banxia readily admitted, "Who told your sister-in-law to be so obedient, sensible, and well-behaved? She even risked her life to save me yesterday! From now on, anyone in this family who dares to disrespect your sister-in-law, I'll beat them up... Oh, and there's no food to eat yet!"

Su Lao Er, "..."

Damn it, he really angered Mom yesterday.

Su Laosan, "..."

Isn't that right?

They even admitted to being biased; how angry must they be?

The two brothers looked at each other without saying a word, but the back-and-forth eye contact between them was quite noisy.

"mom!"

Su Hongmei stopped crying, feeling that her mother was like a different person, not like her mother anymore.

When has she ever suffered such injustice at her mother's hands?

Li Banxia glanced at her, "Now you know how to call me Mom? Too late. When you realize your mistakes, sincerely apologize to your sister-in-law, and gain her forgiveness, then you'll be free from the curse of having no food."

The three siblings were dumbfounded.

"No! I won't!"

Su Hongmei stomped her foot, "If you don't give me food, I'll starve myself to death!"

"Do as you please."

Li Banxia glanced at her, then went back inside to get her handbag, preparing to go to work.

Saying something like "I'll starve to death if I don't eat" is only good for threatening your own mother.

In the past, she would definitely have bowed her head and admitted defeat.

After all, how can a daughter-in-law who has married into the family be as important as her own children?

Right?

But some things really have nothing to do with blood relations.

Given the circumstances of her losing her eldest grandson in her previous life, whenever her eldest son visits her, his wife always accompanies him. Whenever she has a headache, fever, or feels unwell, her eldest son's wife will quietly ask someone to buy medicine and supplements for her.

Whether they're biological children or not, so what!

Li Banxia choked up and exhaled.

Seeing that her mother still didn't care about her after she had said such harsh words, Su Hongmei was furious and embarrassed. She ran back to her room crying and ran away with her schoolbag.

Li Banxia didn't even lift her eyelids before pushing her bicycle out of the courtyard.

Su Lao Er and Su Lao San exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed. They watched as Li Banxia got on her bicycle, passed Su Hongmei, and left in a very decisive and efficient manner.

The two brothers' shoulders collapsed instantly.

Su Laosan complained to Su Laoer, "Second brother, I'm just a victim of you. What were you thinking? Cui Yuxia hasn't even married into the family yet, and you dare to agree to whatever she says! My sister-in-law's job only pays eighty-eight yuan a month. How dare she ask for that? No wonder Mom is angry."

"Are you looking for a beating? Yuxia and I are just about to get our marriage certificate. We're just waiting for jobs and the 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a specific type of equipment, such as a landscaping machine, a radio, and a bicycle). Mom had already agreed, but she was knocked unconscious by that accident, and after she woke up, she absolutely refused to agree!"

Su Lao Er scratched his head in frustration. Cui Yuxia was beautiful, and he had gone to great lengths to win her over as his girlfriend.

It was just one step away from success, but it stalled.

How is he supposed to explain this to people?

Su Laosan clicked his tongue, "Our Erniu is the best. She doesn't want anything, as long as I treat her well, she'll give me whatever dowry I want."

Su Lao Er glanced at Su Lao San with envy.

"Gurgle"

Both of their stomachs made a sound at the same time.

The two of them immediately wilted.

Old Su strolled out and saw the two brothers standing at the kitchen door, looking utterly dejected. He frowned and asked, "What are you doing? Where's your mother? Why isn't she cooking yet? What time is it?"

The two men stepped aside to let Old Man Su look at the empty kitchen.

Just then, Su the eldest and his wife came out with empty lunchboxes and went to the hand pump well to wash them.

Old Su called out loudly, "Dad!"

Old Su glared at him. "Did you go out to buy food? What about the rest?"

"...That's all. My mom bought enough for both of us. Dad, didn't you eat out?" Su asked back.

Old Su didn't have a single penny on him, so how could he buy food?

This Li Banxia is becoming more and more outrageous.

She got angry and wouldn't even feed him.

If he doesn't want to eat, he won't; he'll eat at the cafeteria for lunch.

Old Su stormed back into the house, intending to take his car keys to the factory, only to find they were missing. He went outside to check, and his bicycle was gone too.

Su Lao Er said, "Dad, Mom rode the bike away."

Old Su, [○｀Д′ ○]

He went to Boss Su's room, knocked on the door, and said, "Boss, give me some money."

“Dad, my eldest brother and sister-in-law left when you came in,” Su Laosan said.