He hadn't felt this kind of pure care in a long time, which made him happier than eating meat ten times over.
"No need to thank me," Jiang Nuan said weakly, rubbing her forehead. "Xiao Si, help Xiao Pang take a bath. Find him some of your clothes to wear first, and I'll make you a new one later."
Seeing this, Huang Xiaosi was a little worried. "Mother, please rest. I know."
Madam Xie came over and helped Jiang Nuan. "Mother, let me help you back to your room to rest. I will take care of these arrangements, so please don't worry."
"Okay, I'm going back to my room to sleep. Don't call me for dinner. Remember to take some of the food to your grandparents."
Her head felt increasingly heavy, and Jiang Nuan's attention became somewhat scattered. As soon as she lay down on the bed, she closed her eyes, blinked, and her heavy, even breathing came out.
After tucking Jiang Nuan in and closing the window, Xie Shi quietly withdrew.
When Huang Lao Er returned, he smelled the sour, rotten odor in the yard and turned his face away in disgust. "Brother, what's going on? Why does it smell so bad?"
Old Huang was cleaning up the mess on the ground, holding his breath and not saying a word until he finished cleaning and washed his hands before explaining:
"The child from Uncle Jiu's family ate Guanyin clay, and his stomach swelled up really high. His mother was afraid that he wouldn't make it through, so she tried to make him vomit."
"He ate Guanyin clay?" Huang Lao Er's face showed great shock. "Doesn't the clan care? Doesn't the clan give him five catties of mixed grains every month? How could he eat Guanyin clay?"
“So what if it’s five catties of mixed grains?” Old Huang shook his head. “A half-grown kid can’t guard things at all.”
“Sigh, this child is pitiful,” Huang Lao Er shook his head, then a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, “Brother, do you think that after Mother left with Father six years ago, we might end up like Uncle Jiu’s son?”
"Probably not," Old Huang said uncertainly. "Without Mother, our family will definitely have a harder time, but we won't have to eat clay."
Uncle Jiu's family only had one son, and his parents-in-law passed away early, leaving no one to protect him. Our grandparents were still alive, and my eldest uncle was the village chief, so even if we became orphans, no one would dare to bully us.
But that's all.
Having figured all this out, Huang Laoda's admiration for Jiang Nuan grew even stronger. He looked at his younger brother warily, "Mother is fine, so don't talk nonsense. What if your words come true?"
“Brother,” Huang Lao Er rubbed his nose, “I understand, I won’t talk nonsense anymore. Where’s Mother? Where is she? I’ll give her today’s wages.”
"I'll give it to you tomorrow," Huang Laoda explained. "Mom is tired from cooking today and is already resting in bed."
"Mother can actually cook?" Huang Lao Er was a little dazed. "This is the first time Mother has ever cooked."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Huang Laoda glared at his younger brother. "Our mother has always been a very good cook. Grandpa and Grandma both said that no one in the family can compare to her. She can't cook because she's not in good health."
At this point, Old Huang's eyes flickered. "Mom said she was feeling much better, but she collapsed from exhaustion after cooking just one meal. No, I need to talk to my wife and make sure she keeps a close eye on Mom from now on. We can't let her do any more chores."
"Big brother, you haven't told us what Mother did yet!" Huang Lao Er shouted as he watched Huang Lao Da's figure disappear.
"Go to the kitchen and see for yourself." A moment later, Old Huang's impatient voice came.
In Huang Xiaosi's room, after Fatty finished showering, the two whispered to each other.
"Fatty, are you feeling any better?" Huang Xiaosi asked, feeling a little guilty. "Why didn't you tell me you had nothing to eat?"
The fat man lay on Huang Xiaosi's bed, his eyes half-closed in enjoyment. "Why should I tell you? The food at your house is rationed; there's not even enough for you."
“Then I won’t let you eat Guanyin clay,” Huang Xiaosi said, a little scared, gripping the fat man’s hand tightly. “You were so close to death. If Mother hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known you were going through such a hard time.”
Upon hearing this, the fat man's face showed bitterness. He closed his eyes and tried to hold back his tears. "This is nothing. I have no house and no land. In two years, when the clan's support stops, it will be even harder than this."
Since his parents passed away, his life has been nothing but suffering. Like a fly in autumn, he struggles but sees no hope.
“Fatty, you still have me,” Huang Xiaosi’s eyes were a little sore. “Don’t worry, as long as your brother has something to eat, he won’t let you go hungry. I’ll go and beg Mom to let you stay. I’ll share half of the bed with you and half of the food with you. Neither of us will starve to death.”
After a pause, Huang Xiaosi continued, "My mother is really good. Although she is fierce and likes to hit and scold people, and she always yells at me to do chores, she loves her children the most and will definitely not abandon you."
The fat man was deeply moved by the scene described by Huang Xiaosi, but he still firmly shook his head, "No need, Fifth Aunt is just a clan aunt, she has no reason to support me."
His father's cousins were unwilling to support him, let alone his aunt from another branch of the family. No one had enough food, and having more mouths to feed meant more burdens. He couldn't cause trouble for Xiao Si.
Even though he longed for it deep down.
"Why wouldn't there be a reason?" Huang Xiaosi sneered angrily. "Have you forgotten that we're sworn brothers?"
“I haven’t forgotten,” a smile appeared in the fat man’s eyes, “That sworn brotherhood doesn’t count, we’re not brothers yet.”
"Why doesn't it count?" Huang Xiaosi glared angrily at the fat man. "Are you trying to go back on your word?"
"No, it's okay to follow someone else." The fat man rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"Then why, tell me?" Huang Xiaosi sat up with his hands on his hips, looking like he wouldn't let the fat man off the hook until he got an explanation.
The fat man glanced at him, coughed lightly, and then spoke, "Who uses white radishes as incense to worship heaven and earth?"
“What’s the difference?” Huang Xiaosi complained. “They’re all just individual strands anyway.”
"There's a huge difference. You can light incense, but can you light radishes?"
“Radishes are edible,” Huang Xiaosi retorted. “They’re the same once you eat them. I’ve already eaten your radish, so you can only be my brother from now on. You have to accept it whether you want to or not.”
"How can that be the same?" The fat man buried his head in the blanket in frustration. "Anyway, that time doesn't count."
“If you acknowledge our sworn brotherhood, I’ll give you half of my mother,” Huang Xiaosi tempted, squinting his eyes. “My mother is wonderful. She taught me to read, and if you become her son, she’ll definitely teach you too. She won’t let you go cold or hungry, and she won’t let you be bullied.”
These words made the fat man even more agitated. "Shut up, I don't want to talk to you."
If he continued, he wouldn't be able to hold on any longer.
He only has one brother, Xiao Si, and Xiao Si's family has been so good to him; he can't hurt anyone.
A man like him, a jinx, is a curse to any family that raises him.
Although he thought this way, Huang Xiaosi's words kept echoing in his ears, like a devil constantly tempting him to fall.
"I don't want to tell you yet!"
Despite his good intentions, the fat man didn't appreciate them, and Huang Xiaosi got angry, stomped off the bed, snorted coldly, and left.
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