Chapter 984 No Connection
It's clear that Old Lady Tian put a lot of effort into preparing a feast to entertain Lin Yuesha and Luo Wang, the two gods of wealth who brought her money.
Even before summer arrives, Yingcheng is experiencing a food shortage, yet leafy greens have appeared on the dinner table. A few stalks of chives were added to the spicy stir-fried potato shreds as a garnish, and surprisingly, the taste was quite good.
The braised pork belly had an enticing color and was almost melt-in-your-mouth tender. Even a master chef like Lin Yuesha couldn't stop praising the dishes on the table.
The authentic farm-style dishes are full of aroma and flavor. After taking a bite of the cold-region rice, Lin Yuesha closed her eyes and felt a deep sense of happiness.
"The person who cooked this dish has excellent skills!"
The Prince of Luo ate a bowl of rice, but still felt unsatisfied.
Old Mrs. Tian wisely added, boasting, "My esteemed guest, I'm not bragging, but my second son's wife's cooking skills are famous throughout the surrounding villages!"
The second son's wife, Zhao, used to run a restaurant in town. It was an ordinary little restaurant, but she managed to turn it into a century-old brand. Her signature dish was braised pork with rice, which, when paired with a bowl of pickled cabbage soup, was absolutely unique in town.
"Oh, is that restaurant still open?"
Since he was in Yingcheng, the Prince of Luo expressed his desire to try it.
"Sigh, I couldn't keep doing this for more than ten years."
It was really bad luck. The restaurant was doing just fine, but then a short-lived person came along. After eating, that person suddenly died in the restaurant.
Sure enough, the Zhao family got into a murder case, sold off all their assets to save their lives, and Zhao's parents were filled with resentment, sighing all day long, and passed away a few years later.
The Zhao family fell into decline, and Zhao Shi became homeless and desperate. She planned to sell herself to a wealthy family as a cook, but Tian Dalei took advantage of the situation.
Grandma Tian was initially quite pleased with herself, but when it came to the topic of finding a bargain, she became vague. Lin Yuesha sensed that there was probably something else going on.
After the meal, it was soon time to light the lamps. Old Mrs. Tian served tea and water, and she became noticeably restless.
"My two distinguished guests, I'm going to the village entrance to see why my third son hasn't returned yet."
Old Mrs. Tian looked unwell, her heart filled with unease. The third son had always been easy to manipulate, but after severing ties, they had no contact with each other.
She spoke up, telling the third son to return to the Tian family. Surely the third son wouldn't be so ungrateful?
Grandma Tian hurriedly went out, and before she had gone far, she ran into Tian Daguang and Tian Dali. The two were a few meters apart and headed straight for the Tian family home.
"Mom, why did you go out?"
Tian Daguang stared wide-eyed.
"What are you saying? Why can't I go out?"
Grandma Tian was stunned by her son's questioning. When she came to her senses, she immediately scolded, "I told you to go and find the third son. You've been looking for hours. Our distinguished guest is getting impatient!"
Distinguished guests are like gods of wealth bringing money; how can we keep the gods of wealth waiting?
If it weren't for the insistence on handing it over to Tian Dali personally, Old Madam Tian would have asked him to leave long ago, without even needing to invite him for a meal.
This meal cost about a hundred coins, enough to feed the dozen or so members of the Tian family for almost half a month. Not only that, but the good japonica rice that Old Lady Tian had saved for her family was emptied after just one meal.
"Tian Daguang, explain to me why Old Lady Tian isn't dead?"
Tian Dali stopped, leaning on his cane, and asked with a cold expression.
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Tian exclaimed, "This unfilial son doesn't even call me 'mother' anymore, and he's even hoping for my early death! How outrageous!"
"I'm alive and well, so even if you die, I can't die!"
Faced with the curse, Old Lady Tian trembled with rage. If it weren't for the money paving the way, she would have charged into battle right now and fought Tian Dali to the death.
Oh dear, what a terrible thing to do! How could I have given birth to such a wolf cub!
When Old Lady Tian threw a tantrum, Tian Dali didn't even glance at her and turned away.
Today, Tian Daguang went up the mountain and persuaded him to come down and return to the Tian family.
How could someone who had already been kicked out of the Tian family be returned? Tian Dali naturally refused.
Given the Tian family's manner, they must have something to ask for; otherwise, they would never have thought of him.
Tian Dali lived alone in the mountains and had long been used to it; he didn't care about these treacherous relatives.
In the past, he always longed for family affection and was willing to give his all for the Tian family. Even if he was deceived, betrayed, and stabbed until he bled, Tian Dali always told himself that he was a member of the Tian family.
His mother was just biased; she didn't abandon him as her son.
After returning from the military camp, Tian Dali never harbored resentment towards anyone, yet he was disliked by the Tian family.
He went from finding it hard to accept it at first to being calm now. The Tian family wanted him dead, except for his nephew, Tian Wazi.
"Mother, now is not the time for idle talk."
Tian Daguang winked and gestured to his mother to restrain herself, saying that the third son was not the same as before and was not so easy to control.
No matter how much Tian Daguang pleaded, Tian Dali refused to step into the Tian family home again. In desperation, Tian Daguang had no choice but to lie and say that Old Lady Tian had passed away.
Even if they've severed ties, they were still mother and son, and the kindness of raising and nurturing her is greater than anything else. I hope Tian Dali will see Old Lady Tian off on her final journey.
"You can make excuses, but why not say your father died? Why bring me up?"
Grandma Tian is extremely superstitious, and she's still very upset about it.
There were other reasons why she disliked Tian Dali. After her difficult childbirth, a fortune teller passed through the village and said that Tian Dali was fighting with her for her life. If the mother and son had a good relationship, Old Lady Tian would surely die early.
"Mother, I shouldn't have talked nonsense, but there's nothing I can do about it."
Tian Daguang raised his hand high, then gently brought it down, giving himself a slap that was barely audible.
Considering the bigger picture, Old Lady Tian decided not to pursue the matter further. She stopped Tian Dali and said emotionally, "You've taken your mother's anger to heart!"
"Grandma Tian, we have severed our mother-son relationship."
Tian Dali stated this fact clearly, guessing that Old Lady Tian was about to start her performance again.
It was the same before. Old Lady Tian would say how pitiful and miserable she was, and Tian Dali would be soft-hearted and give all the money he earned to Old Lady Tian without keeping a single copper coin.
Before joining the army, Tian Dali went hunting in the mountains for a period of time. He caught a wild boar, but during the process, he was injured on the head and bled profusely. No one in his family cared. Instead, they discussed how much meat to keep and how much to sell.
Tian Dali wanted to hire a doctor, but Old Lady Tian said he was too precious and that he should just apply some wood ash to stop the bleeding. Why waste money?
He suffered a high fever for three days and three nights after that injury, and was almost thrown out wrapped in a straw mat.
At the time, I only felt wronged, but looking back now, it's truly ironic.
"Third son, your mother raised you with so much care, how hard was it? You just leave like that, going to live deep in the mountains, without even coming home to see me once. How heartless of you!"
Old Mrs. Tian rubbed her eyes, but there wasn't a single tear in them. If you looked closely, you could only see resentment and malice.
"When you used the excuse of dividing the family property to kick me out of the house, you hoped that I would never set foot in the Tian family again in my life. Old Mrs. Tian, have you forgotten?"
Tian Dali curled his lips into a smirk, his face becoming even more ferocious.
He had no further connection with the Tian family, and he had already repaid their kindness in raising him with his life.
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