Based on her observations over this period of time, her teacher's judgment was correct: traditional Chinese medicine alone could not cure his leg; a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine was necessary.
As she was thinking this, Zhang Sumei came out with money and a cloth bag, then slammed the money in front of Liu Shihua and said irritably, "You're all debt collectors, all you know how to do is ask me for money all day long!"
There's hardly any income at home right now, so please be careful with your spending. If this money and food aren't enough, there's nothing I can do; this is all we have.
It turned out that the cloth bag contained some sweet potatoes, which looked to weigh about seven or eight pounds.
Liu Shile raised an eyebrow. So, these sweet potatoes are their living expenses?
So, when they couldn't stop them from studying, they resorted to this method to control them?
Unfortunately, she wasn't afraid, and Liu Shihua was also confident because of the supplies in the cave, so she wasn't too concerned.
He silently accepted the money and food, wondering if he should go up the mountain early the next morning, otherwise the food would not be enough.
"Mom, I'm afraid this amount of food won't be enough. After all, there are two of us, and my second brother is still a young boy. No matter how much we try to save, it won't last a week."
Seeing this, Liu Shile wouldn't give Zhang Sumei a chance to doubt them, so she looked at her with a hint of surprise and worry on her face and said in a crisp voice.
Liu Weisong, a grown man, felt relieved when he saw his wife give the children money and food. But when he heard her say that, he subconsciously looked at the cloth bag.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the case. Not only were there no refined grains, but the quantity was also limited. This amount was definitely not enough to sustain the two children for a week.
"Sumei, give the children a little more, and a little more rice. This really isn't enough." So he spoke up. As the head of the family, how could he not know the situation at home?
He glanced at the two children with some guilt. If his leg hadn't been injured, he would have been able to save up more food rations before the children started school. Thinking of this, he subconsciously pounded his injured leg.
Liu Shile's senses are so sharp; even though his movements were small and under the table, she still felt them clearly.
She thought that whether her guess was right or wrong, her father's heart was sincere towards them, but even so, she did not look away.
Zhang Sumei was so angry that her breathing became rapid. She glared at Liu Shile and threw the cloth bag on the table. "This is all we have at home. Take it or leave it!"
After saying that, she didn't even glance at Liu Weisong again, picked up her rice and started eating it in big mouthfuls, eating so fiercely as if the food had offended her.
Seeing her like this, Liu Weisong hesitated several times before finally sighing and saying to Liu Shixi, "Shixi, see if there's anything left in the kitchen that you can take to your younger siblings, and get some for them."
Liu Shixi had been thinking about this matter, but she didn't want to bring it up in front of her unhappy mother. However, when she heard her father speak up, she went along with it.
"Let's see who dares to give all the stuff to them. What will happen to our whole family? Didn't you hear them say that we all need to replenish our nutrition?"
"Oh, you're all doing so well now, going through hunger to give them extra food so they can go to school. Don't you care about your health?"
At this point, she glanced at Liu Shihua, whose face was slightly flushed, and said, "You're all so old, I don't know why you insist on going to school. Can studying put food on the table?"
"No, Mom, I won't go to school anymore." Zhang Sumei was about to say something when she heard her most beloved son speak up.
She almost spat out a mouthful of blood. She wanted that brat and that brat to stop going to school, but she didn't want her lucky son to waste his time at home.
So for the first time, she glared at her lucky son and said, "You should be studying now, why aren't you studying? Your second brother and sister are too old, it would be a waste for them to study!"
Shiping, you must study hard from now on. Don't worry about not having enough to eat. As long as you study hard, Mom will go hungry herself to support your education. Only by learning more can you make a name for yourself when you grow up, understand?
"Mom is right. Don't worry, Mom. You and your second brother will study hard and take care of you when you're successful." Liu Shile was delighted to see this. This troublesome little girl is amazing, such a helpful wingman! So she quickly said.
Liu Shihua was a little stunned at first, since his mother's words didn't seem wrong, but he realized what his sister was saying as soon as he heard it.
So she nodded and earnestly promised, "Yes, Mom, don't worry, Lele and I will study hard and become successful so that we can take care of you both in the future."
As for the idea that the whole family supports one person's schooling, and then that successful person then supports the whole family with their wife and children, Liu Shile didn't mention it at all, only saying that he was filial to his parents.
She didn't mention it, and Liu Shihua, with her limited experience and limited knowledge, would know even less about these things. Therefore, all she talked about was being filial to her parents, nothing else.
Liu Weisong looked at Liu Shile, as if he were looking at her, but also as if he were looking at someone else through her.
Liu Shile noticed, but didn't change her expression at all. She still looked at Zhang Sumei with a faint smile, as if she wanted to hear what she had to say.
Zhang Sumei was so angry with them that her liver hurt, and she wanted to lose her temper, but she knew very well that now was not the time to lose her temper, otherwise it might cause her lucky son to have bad thoughts.
So she took a few deep breaths, suppressing her anger, and said with a forced smile, "Then I'll wait for you to be filial. If you're so capable, then don't ask the family for this or that!"
Although she suppressed her anger, she was still resentful, and so, as she spoke, she revealed her true purpose.
In short, she didn't want them to go to school. Even if they did go to school, she didn't want them to be well-fed, warmly dressed, and energetic when they studied.
“That’s not a bad idea. My second brother and I can see if we can find some part-time jobs in the county on weekends. If we can find some, the problem of food will be basically solved.”
Liu Shile didn't want to come back every week to see how her biased mother was showing favoritism. Her current strategy was to avoid seeing it altogether. If she could use this to achieve her goal of staying in the county, that would be fine too.
Liu Shihua wanted to say something when he heard this, but seeing the smile on his sister's face, he didn't dare to speak at this moment.
Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, Liu Shile nodded to herself. If her second brother were to start pulling her down now, she would take good care of him for a long time to come.
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