Chapter 26 Brother is bad, uncle is good
Seeing that her son was silent, Sun Panpan tightened her grip on his shoulders and asked tentatively, "Brother Chen?"
Xie Chen unconsciously took two steps back, a hint of resistance welling up in his eyes, "I won't..."
"It's okay!" Sun Panpan said hurriedly, forcing a smile. "Chen'er hasn't been around for two years, so it's understandable that he's a little estranged. How about this, I'll stay in the empty yard next door so you can get to know me better. It will be convenient for you to come visit me, okay?"
Xie Chen's frown relaxed a little, and he nodded gently, "But isn't the courtyard next door the Li family's? They've been gone from the village for a long time."
Hearing Xie Chen's agreement, Sun Panpan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled again. "Mom had already asked when she came here. The yard next door has been vacant for a long time. The Li family had already asked the head of the village to rent it out. Mom came at the right time. After receiving the letter, she directly obtained the deed."
"Come on, stay with mom for a while." Sun Panpan took his little hand, a loving look on her face, completely forgetting that she had a daughter. "Cui..." Xie Chen was dragged by her, looking back every few steps as he walked towards the Li family courtyard. He wanted to call his sister, but found that she was curled up in her stepmother's arms, not even looking at him.
Xie Suzhou's face turned completely black, and his hands hanging by his side were clenched into fists, as if he was trying his best to suppress his emotions.
The next moment, a white hand gently brushed against his throbbing fist.
The light in Xie Suzhou's eyes flickered, and he lowered his eyes towards Su Cheng.
"Everyone has their own destiny. Although Xie Chen is young, he also has the right to choose his own life." Su Cheng smiled softly, "If he wants to leave, don't stop him."
"You're always thinking about taking care of everyone at home and taking all the bad things on yourself. You should relax a little. If you think about so many things every day, your head will be in a mess."
Xie Suzhou frowned and slowly closed his eyes. His body seemed to be pressed down by an invisible mountain, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Close relatives passed away one after another, his third brother was sick and frail, his fourth brother was away from home all year round, and his nephews and nieces were still young. The burden of the family almost fell on Xie Suzhou.
He suddenly became the pillar of the family from the second son, playing the role of both father and mother. This not only affected his future, but also hindered his marriage. At the age of twenty-two, he had never even held a girl's hand.
Although he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar at a young age and was also supported by a noble man, he could have risen to a high position with just a little effort. However, Xie Suzhou kept waiting for the sake of his family.
"...never mind." Xie Suzhou said softly, his long eyelashes drooping, making it impossible to tell the emotion in his eyes, "Let him be."
After saying that, Xie Suzhou turned and walked towards the kitchen. Su Cheng took a look and felt that his usually straight spine was slightly bent.
Xie Cuicui shook the corner of Su Cheng's clothes and whispered, "Mom, what happened to Second Uncle?"
"Your second uncle is tired, let him have a good rest." Su Cheng looked down at the little girl's face, which had obviously gained some weight, smiled, and said softly, "Remember, your second uncle is the hardest-working person in the family. He is always worried about us, so no matter what happens, you must not make him sad."
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, enough for several people in the yard to hear clearly.
Xie Jinyu's body stiffened, not knowing what she was thinking.
"I've remembered everything my mother said." Xie Cuicui nodded heavily, looking obedient and lovely. "Second Uncle loves Cuicui, and Cuicui must love Second Uncle too."
Su Cheng smiled even more happily, "Good boy, you are really smart."
"So, brother makes Second Uncle sad, so we don't want him anymore."
Su Cheng was startled, then couldn't help laughing. He stretched out his finger and gently tapped her nose. "Little brat, who taught you to draw inferences like this?"
Xie Cuicui pursed her lips and smiled, but her heart became more and more determined about this idea.
The elder brother bullies the uncle, the elder brother is bad and the uncle is good.
"Mr. Du, I'm sorry to have made you laugh." Su Cheng smiled apologetically at Du Heng, and said softly, "Can you take my uncle's pulse?"
Du Heng snorted coldly, "He's very world-weary and doesn't want me to see it..."
"Old man, I was sorry for you just now."
Xie Jinyu, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stood up and bowed to admit his mistake. "It's my fault for being disrespectful. Please don't be so mean to a junior like me. If you can really cure this disease of mine, I will support you for the rest of your life."
Du Heng was stunned for a moment when he saw Xie Jinyu's sudden change of character. "Support me forever...really?"
"As long as I can live, I'm willing to do anything." Xie Jinyu said sincerely, "A man of honor, once he speaks, he can't take it back."
"You are someone who can judge the situation." Du Heng smiled a little more and said quietly, "Never mind, who made me care about Ah Cheng? Now that she has asked, there is no reason for me to refuse. Where is your room? I'll take your pulse."
Xie Jinyu seemed to have suddenly become a different person. She led Du Heng into her house very obediently.
-
next door
Xie Chen was forcibly dragged into the yard by Sun Panpan. When he entered the yard, he saw two people standing in the yard. The clothes they were wearing looked like those of servants in a wealthy family.
"Auntie, the black chicken soup is ready. Would you like to give it to the young master?"
The maid closest to the door stepped forward and spoke with a smile, her eyes fixed on Xie Chen, with a hint of emotion in her that he couldn't understand.
"Bring it up quickly, and bring some more cakes. It's already noon, and my son must be hungry." Sun Panpan waved her hand and pulled Xie Chen to sit in front of the table that had already been wiped clean. "Son, try the black chicken soup that mother brought you. It's very delicious."
Meeting her gaze, Xie Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He could only pull up the corners of his mouth and answer truthfully, "I've already eaten at home."
"What delicious food can the Xie family make for you?" Sun Panpan thought of the meal she had just seen, curled her lips in disdain, "Wild vegetables and wheat bran, if we eat this for too long, I'm afraid it will damage my son's throat."
Xie Chen lowered his head and quietly defended his family, "My stepmother's cooking is so delicious, I can always eat a bowl and a half every time. Besides, hasn't mother been eating such simple meals for many years?"
Sun Panpan's smile froze on her face. Just as she was about to lose her temper, she suddenly remembered something and forced a smile. "My son is right. It was mother who said the wrong thing."
Xie Chen slowly raised his eyes and tentatively asked, "Mom, where have you been these past two years? Why didn't you take Cuicui and me with you?"
Sun Panpan's eyes flashed with guilt, but her face was full of kindness. "Didn't mother tell you? In the past two years, mother has made some money outside, and now she has more money. So she wanted to take you to the county to live a good life."
Xie Chen stared at her and asked in a low voice, "What about your sister?"
Sun Panpan's smile faded. "Cui Jie'er is a girl. She should stay in the village obediently. When she grows up, I will find her a good family. You are different from her. You are a boy. You should stay by my side and be my support. I am rich now. You can go to any school you want. Eating refined rice and white flour every day is much better than here, isn't it?"
Xie Chen pursed his lips and said nothing more.
"Son, I think of you day and night." Sun Panpan touched his little face and smiled gently, "Wait a minute, I'll go into the house and get you the new clothes I embroidered for you. Although I don't know how much taller our brother Chen is than I remember, it's also a token of my love."
After saying that, Sun Panpan let go of her hand and hurried to the inner room.
Xie Chen felt extremely sad. The change in his mother was beyond his imagination.
He was not a fool, so he could naturally see that his mother disliked Cuicui.
He didn't want to leave home, but every time he thought of the hostility and ridicule of the children in the village, he wanted to stay with his mother for a while longer, so that outsiders could see that he was not an orphan.
Even if it was only half a day of warmth, he would feel sweet in his heart.
"I'm not being harsh, but Aunt Sun is so cruel. How could she kill her own son?"
A voice came from the small kitchen behind him. The Li family had not been inhabited for a long time, and the yard was empty and old, so any slight sound would be amplified.
Xie Chen was stunned for a moment, then stood up as if possessed by a ghost, and walked to the kitchen stiffly like a puppet.
I put my ear to the crack in the door and heard the same sound again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
