Chapter 46: Gradually Becoming Double-minded
"You're stealing food!"
Qin Xiangsong's face wrinkled with anger. He waved his fist and hit Qin Feng, looking up with hatred in his eyes, "You don't give me meat to eat, and you hide here, secretly eating good things! I'm going back and tell mother! You're too much..." He ran away without looking back. Beibei pulled Qin Feng's clothes worriedly, "Big brother, what should we do?"
"Will Third Aunt blame us?"
Qin Feng rubbed Beibei's head, held her in his arms, gave her the remaining half bottle of milk, and said, "Don't be afraid, even if the sky falls, I have big brother to hold it up. That little devil can't make much trouble." He said this, but he still looked at Qin Xiangnuan with some worry, feeling a little annoyed. I should have hidden further away just now, why did he see me?
Qin Xiangsong ran to Qi with tears and snot running down his face.
Seeing her son gasping for breath, Qi hurriedly grabbed him and asked anxiously, "What's going on? Who bullied you? Mother will help you!" Qi gently patted Qin Xiangsong's buttocks and back, and waited until he calmed down a little before complaining incoherently. After listening to the whole story, Qi looked at the harmonious Qin family's first and second wives and gritted her teeth.
"You are a man, and you are in good health. How can you still indulge in your appetite in such a bad environment?"
Qin Wen was attracted by Qin Xiangsong's crying and heard the whole thing. He sat next to the mother and daughter, and taught them patiently, "You are Beibei's little brother. If you come across something delicious, you should give it to her first instead of just thinking about yourself. If there is enough food, cousin Feng and the others will definitely give it to you. You haven't been short of food these days. Right?"
Qin Xiangsong looked at Qin Wen thoughtfully, and his original emotions also eased a little.
Qi sneered beside them, "Nothing missing? What are those things? I'm afraid they're all unwanted, not all for Song'er to eat. Hard cakes! We haven't even been given any white flour buns these past two days. I thought the mansion didn't have enough supplies, but look, is that the case? If there weren't enough, how come Beibei had milk to drink? And Qin Feng had it too!"
"How old is Qin Feng already? If he knows how to be humble, shouldn't he give everything to our Song'er?"
Qi looked at Qin Wen, eyes full of resentment, and said with a tone of regret, "We always say we're family, regardless of closeness or distance. But what happens? It still depends on the close relationship. The second and first branches have always had a good relationship. Qin Feng has been like being raised in the eldest brother's home since he was a child. The second brother often accompanied the eldest brother on his campaigns, so he's considered a close confidant after all. He's always chatting and laughing with me, but he still cares about me at critical moments..."
"Two days ago, my second sister-in-law said she felt cold, and Qin Xiangnuan found some medicine for her."
Qi hammered her arm and looked at the silent Qin Wen. "How long have I been suffering from rheumatism? I've been traveling all the way and working hard, but who cares about me? It's all because you're useless and unlovable in your family. Mother doesn't even care about you. You studied because you hoped to make a living with the protection of your eldest brother's position in the court."
"What are you still reading now?"
"You've read so many books by the sages, but which one can give you an extra bite of meat? You're such a loser!"
Qi's words became increasingly harsh, and Qin Wen's expression grew increasingly grim. The relationship between them had previously been one of mutual respect, a woman married through a matchmaker's words, and even if she wasn't to his liking, he still had to treat her with respect and dignity. But ever since the General's Mansion fell into decline and he embarked on the road to exile, Qi's character had become increasingly apparent, something Qin Wen found unbearable.
"You always find trouble and problems with other people! Why don't you ever think about yourself?"
"Why is Nuannuan unwilling to share some food with you? Back in the Savage Valley, if they hadn't found a water source, we would have died of thirst. Why? Wasn't it you who gave all the water to Song'er so that he could take a bath? When you did those things, did you ever think about others?" Qin Wen was a scholar, and he always spoke in a gentle and elegant manner, but on this day, he finally couldn't bear it anymore and spoke loudly to Qi.
Qi hadn't expected him to act like this. She was stunned for a moment, then raised her finger and pointed at Qin Wen, saying, "Great! Now that things have come to this, you're blaming me! I'm doing this for Song'er's own good. Isn't he just my son? Isn't he your blood? Ultimately, I'm doing this for your Qin family! Did I eat all that? Qin Wen! You have no conscience!"
The quarrel between the two of them was so loud that the people around them could not sleep, and they woke up and gathered around.
Seeing Qin Wen, who was standing with his back to Qi, swishing his sleeves in anger, Qin Yi pulled him aside and said, "Third brother, you're not usually so impatient. Why are you quarreling with your sister-in-law now? In our general's mansion, unity is the most important thing right now. Lower your head and admit your mistake. The woman just wanted you to coax her, why are you taking it so seriously?"
"General's Mansion? Where is there a General's Mansion nowadays? Second brother, you don't have to persuade him. I can't live with him for a day."
Qi looked around, squatting on the ground, and pretending to cry, make a scene, or even commit suicide. She patted her chest, her eyes red, and looked at Old Madam Qin like she was throwing a tantrum. "Mother, let me ask you, how have I been as a daughter-in-law to your Qin family over the years? Have I done anything wrong? I also gave birth to Song'er for you, and I want to carry on the Qin Wen family line, but what about now? Do any of you treat me as a member of the mansion?"
The more Qi thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Qin Xiangsong seemed to realize that he had caused the situation to get out of hand. He sobbed for a few times before bursting into uncontrollable tears. It was a lively scene, with crying, quarreling, and complaining all around. Qin Xiangnuan, who already had a headache, was now furious. She immediately pushed aside the others, walked over to Qi, and shouted at him with a deep breath, "Stop quarreling."
"Aunt San, I know you've been wronged. Now that we've argued and scolded each other, there's no point in continuing."
Qin Xiangnuan raised her hand, rubbing her temples, staring at her stunned face and asking, "How do you want to resolve this? How can you calm down? As long as you tell us, the Qin family will naturally do their best to find a solution. Just put it on the table and discuss it. Don't bring up the past later."
"It's your turn to talk to me about this!"
Qi had no good attitude towards Qin Xiangnuan. She rolled her eyes and replied in a bad tone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
