Chapter 49 Is There Any Hope?
"Thank you, Lang..."
Xie Cuicui stared at her defensively, her body pressed against the door frame, "Do you know my father?"
"Of course." Yao Su'er placed her hands on her knees, leaned forward slightly, and scanned her face with her eyes, her lips curled up slightly. "Little girl, you'd better learn your lesson. From now on, you'll be staying by my side. If you continue to talk to me like this, don't blame me for turning ruthless."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xie Cuicui pursed her lips tightly. Although she was young, she was sensitive and could clearly sense the malice emanating from this woman. "I have a mother, why should I be raised by you?"
"Your eighteen-year-old stepmother?" Yao Su'er seemed to have thought of something ridiculous and laughed out loud. "What can a little girl like that know? She can't even support herself, and yet she's learning to be someone else's mother. When you were born, she was only thirteen years old."
"Don't talk about my mother!" When Xie Cuicui mentioned Su Cheng, she was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "No matter who you are, get out of my house!"
Yao Suer couldn't help laughing, not taking the little kid seriously at all. "You little brat, I've already said something nice to you, but you still insist on making things difficult for me. It's not up to you, a little girl, to decide whether I leave or not. I gave birth to your father's child, so I have a place in this family. You want to kick me out? Dream on!"
Xie Cuicui didn't believe what she said at all. She stiffened her neck and shouted, "You're talking nonsense! My father died a year ago. If you want to make up a story, you should go out and ask around!"
"shut up!"
Suddenly, an angry shout was heard in the yard. Just as Xie Cuicui turned around, she was slapped hard in the face. Her little body fell to the right and almost fell into the burning stove.
Xie Cuicui felt a buzzing in her left ear and could not hear clearly. Her left cheek quickly became red and swollen, and the slap left a burning pain. She slowly raised her head and saw Xie Song's expression of disgust and hatred.
"……father?"
"You evil creature, I'm not your father!" Xie Song was furious, but still not satisfied, he raised his foot to kick the little girl's thin body, "In broad daylight, you curse your own father to death, how could I raise an ungrateful person like you!"
"Xie Lang!" Yao Su'er's expression changed. She fluttered into Xie Song's arms, her eyes red. "No matter what, you can't hit the child!"
Xie Song glanced at the little man on the ground and said coldly, "Su'er is too kind. Who knows, she might get bullied in the future. This child was raised wrongly by her second and third uncles! With such a character, if she is kept by you, won't you be bullied every day?"
"As long as she's willing to call me mother, I'll be angry. As long as I teach her carefully, I can always change her bad temper." Yao Su'er shook her head and sighed, smiling smugly at the stunned Xie Cuicui. "It's just that this girl has a bad personality. I'm afraid she will lead our daughter astray. Zhao Zhao is only two months old. If she stays with her day and night, she will be influenced by her and will be difficult to educate when she grows up."
"You evil creature, you've been raised to be lawless!" Xie Song picked up a wooden shovel and smashed it hard at the little girl on the ground. "From now on, when you're in the Xie family, control your temper!"
Xie Cuicui subconsciously dodged, and the wooden shovel fell to the ground, breaking the long handle.
"You dare to hide!"
"Thank you, calm down..."
Xie Cuicui raised her head in a daze, and her father's ferocious face was reflected in her pupils, as if a wild beast on the mountain behind was roaring at her. She was distracted for a moment and couldn't figure out who was in front of her.
He had the same face as his father, but he did things that his father would never do to her.
The pain on her face clearly told her that this was not a dream.
Daddy came back, but died in my heart.
Xie Cuicui covered her face with her hands, tears rolling down the corners of her eyes. She casually wiped away her tears with her sleeves, not caring about her swollen cheeks. She propped herself up, pushed Yao Suer away, and ran out quickly.
"Asshole!" Xie Song subconsciously supported Jiao Niang and glared at the retreating villain fiercely. Only after Xie Cuicui disappeared did he turn his head to look at the woman in his arms, a flash of apology on his face. "Su'er, I'm sorry for you and for making you suffer."
"Xie Lang, don't blame yourself. The two children have been away from you for over a year, and they've been instigated to develop this temper. It's not your fault." Yao Su'er gently pressed her face against his chest and said softly, "I'm fine. As long as Xie Lang has me in his heart, I won't take it to heart no matter how hard it is."
Xie Song was silent for a long time before he whispered, "Now that both of our parents are dead, it's time for brothers to separate. Why don't we wait until I divorce Su Cheng, and then we can move out with Zhao Zhao and start our own family, where we won't be looked down upon by others."
"How can this be possible?" Yao Su'er refused without a second thought, a look of resentment on her face. "You said before that your second brother is the most promising person in the family. He passed the imperial examination at such a young age. How far is he from becoming an official in Beijing? If Mr. Xie splits up and leaves in a fit of anger, who will remember you when the Xie family rises to prominence in the future?"
"This..." Xie Song looked hesitant, as if he was considering her words.
"Xie Lang, don't act on impulse. If your second brother passes the exam, the Xie family will instantly rise from humble beginnings to a noble family, and we'll have to rely on him in the future." Yao Su'er rolled her eyes and whispered, "Besides, he comes from a peasant family with no one to support him. How would he have the money to study and take the exam? The only reason he became a scholar was because of my Xie Lang's tireless work in the fields."
"Su'er, what you said makes sense." Xie Song frowned and hugged the woman into his arms. "Fortunately, you are by my side, otherwise they would have taken advantage of me."
Yao Suer buried her head in his arms, and when she heard his words, the corners of her mouth rose slightly.
-
At the foot of the mountain
Du Heng sat cross-legged on the ground, feeling the man's pulse with his fingertips, with an unremovable worry between his brows.
"Old Du, my fourth brother..."
Xie Jinyu wanted to say something but stopped himself. Looking at his brother's pale face on the shoulder pole, he didn't even have the courage to ask.
Du Heng frowned and took the patient's pulse again and again without giving up. He finally let go after an incense stick had passed.
"Mr. Du..." Su Cheng didn't care about his foot injury and hurried over, his eyes full of anxiety, "How is Xie Ming?"
Du Heng looked at her, his lips moving, but he didn't know where to start. "He was poisoned."
Su Cheng was stunned and murmured, "Poisoned?"
"Madam, we went into the mountains to suppress the bandits yesterday. We originally captured everyone, but we missed one person. It was the bandit leader's wife. She attacked us from behind with an arrow. It's likely that the arrow was poisoned..."
The officer was so anxious that he kept scratching his head. Upon closer inspection, his face was even paler than the seriously injured Xie Ming. "That arrow was originally aimed at me. It was Brother Xie who saved my life. Scholar Xie, Madam, if you are angry, hit me. Even if you stab me with a knife, I won't complain!"
Su Cheng ignored him and just stared at Du Heng, his hand tightly grasping his sleeve. "Mr. Du, is there still hope?"
Du Heng couldn't bear to speak frankly, so he just shook his head and said, "On the way... it took too long."
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