Ji Xinhe huffed coldly, "My bullock cart isn’t for public use."
Ji Xiulan and Lady Ding already planned to go to town to buy some groceries since their household supplies were running low. The Ji family consumed goods relatively faster, especially food. Ji Xiaobao refused to eat without meat, monopolising every piece of each meal.
Lady Ding saw Ji Xinhe’s bullock cart from afar and she angrily turned her head away, not wanting to give it another glance.
However, Ji Xiaobao kept pulling her towards the cart, insisting, "I want to ride the bullock cart, I want to ride the bullock cart, I don’t want to walk!"
Ji Xinhe acted as if she hadn’t seen them. Without her saying anything, Mu Houchu leisurely drove the bullock cart past them, openly ignoring the mother and son.
With Ji Xiaobao making such a fuss, Lady Ding thought their cart would at least have to stop for a moment. If they didn’t greet them, they should at least take a second look. Yet, who would have thought that Ji Xinhe would openly pretend to not see her!
Lady Ding was so furious she was close to cursing loudly.
"Are you blind or just heartless?! Can’t you see us?" Lady Ding raged on.
Only then did Ji Xinhe "suddenly" turn to look at Lady Ding, feigning surprise. "Oh, what’s wrong?"
Lady Ding was so angry she almost spat blood. Still, she swallowed her anger and scolded Ji Xinhe, "What’s wrong? Your brother is crying so hard, yet you didn’t even consider giving him a lift? Instead, you just went past us without a care in the world. Yet, people with questionable character you are more than happy to pull onto your cart. How could the Ji family raise an unfilial daughter like you!"
At these words, both Zheng Xiaocui and Hong Qin turned red. What did she mean by "people with questionable character"?
With a faint heart, Zheng Xiaocui wanted to make a suggestion to Ji Xinhe to get off the cart and walk instead.
However, Ji Xinhe grabbed her hand and sneered at Lady Ding, "Who’s my brother? I only have one brother, Ji Xiaobei. If you’re so capable, why don’t you buy a bullock cart and send your son to town? Why are you wasting your time talking nonsense with us? I can put whoever I want in my cart."
"You!" Lady Ding was extremely pissed off. After pointing a finger at Ji Xinhe for a while, she finally spat out, "You heartless scoundrel! The Ji family has wasted so much effort raising you!"
However, Ji Xinhe smirked, her voice filled with mockery, "Whether or not the Ji family raised me for nothing is not for a remarried wife like you to determine, is it? I don’t know if the crime of being an ’unfilial daughter’ I bear is greater than the crime of a wife who has squandered her husband’s family fortune. If you have the energy to pick fights with me, you might as well think more about how to save and earn money. When my father’s meager land is sold out, I’ll be interested to see what you’re going to use to fill your stomach."
Having said that, she huffed coldly, turned away without looking back, and the bullock cart slowly left them behind.
Lady Ding was so enraged she wanted to throw a stone at them, but considering Ji Xinhe’s aggressive demeanor, this girl would definitely not let her off if she dared to.
Ji Xiulan stomped her foot, annoyed, "A lousy bullock cart, as if I fancied it!? It would be beneath my dignity to even ride in it!"
Ji Xiulan always viewed herself as a future official’s wife.
Ignoring everything, Ji Xiaobao cried and made a fuss, "I’m not walking, I want to ride the bullock cart, I don’t care! I’m not walking! I’m too tired, I’m not walking!"
Lady Ding always spoiled this child. Seeing him crying so pitifully, her anger faded and she could only coax him, "Alright, alright. We’ll walk just a bit more, and we don’t care for their cart."
However, Ji Xiaobao started to punch and kick her violently, "No! Why does Ji Xiaobei get a ride and I have to walk?! I’m not walking! I won’t move!"
Lady Ding was at a loss and turned to Ji Xiulan, "Carry him."
Ji Xiulan’s eyes widened, "Why should I?! I can’t possibly carry him! If you want to carry him, you do it yourself!"
Lady Ding sighed irritably, "What’s wrong with carrying him for a bit? What, have I been raising you for nothing? I am an old woman, how am I supposed to carry him? He is your own brother, can’t you even bear to carry him a little bit?"
Actually, Lady Ding was also annoyed at Ji Xiulan. She had painstakingly raised her daughter, expecting her to someday become a Madam to an officer and bring the family good fortune. Who knew that she couldn’t manage to hold onto any man, and now that Gao Zhiru has left, her dreams have been shattered. The key point is that Ji Xiulan’s reputation has been ruined. Who will she marry? She’s completely useless!
Thinking this, Lady Ding couldn’t help but feel angry. Her gaze towards Ji Xiulan started to become hostile.
"I...", Ji Xiulan looked extremely wronged.
Ji Xiaobao simply climbed onto her back, "Still not walking yet! You are so slow, so slow, I want to be faster than their bullock cart!"
——
Ji Xinhe’s bullock cart had already left them far behind. Only then did she apologize to Zheng Xiaocui and Hong Qin, "I am really sorry, she seems to have been quite vicious with her words."
She referred to ’her,’ unwilling to call her ’mother,’ showing her disgust.
"It’s okay. We don’t take it to heart," Hong Qin laughed off casually.
Zheng Xiaocui also nodded in agreement. "I’m not angry." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Ji Xinhe noticed the basket in Zheng Xiaocui’s hand and couldn’t help but look at it more intently, "Are all these embroidery pieces your own work?"
"Aren’t they?" exclaimed Hong Qin. "Xiao Cui’s work is simply impeccable! She’s the most talented girl in our village. We might work around here and send some pieces to the embroidery studio, but they only accept Xiao Cui’s work. The studios won’t even look at the work of other village girls!"
"You’re exaggerating," Zheng Xiaocui responded modestly.
Ji Xinhe picked up a handkerchief to examine closely. "Indeed, the embroidery is excellent."
It was a pair of mandarin ducks, looking extremely lifelike.
Looking at the mandarin ducks, Ji Xinhe inexplicably thought about the pair of cotton shoes she had given them last time. On the surface of Xiaobei’s shoes, a lively tiger was specially embroidered. It seemed just as beautiful as this.
Ji Xinhe couldn’t help raising her eyes to look at Zheng Xiaocui again, casting a doubtful glance at her.
As Hong Qin said, the girl in their village with the best embroidery skills is Zheng Xiaocui.
Feeling her gaze, Zheng Xiaocui blushed and quickly took the handkerchief from her hand. "You can stop looking. It’s just my little handicraft hobby, it’s not for public display."
Ji Xinhe deliberately said, "Ah, this handkerchief is truly well-embroidered. It’s just such a pity that my embroidery skills are so poor. Up to now, I haven’t been able to create a single decent piece for my brothers’ socks. And now that winter is approaching, I really don’t know what to do."
Xiaobei blinked and innocently said, "But we already made..."
Ji Xinhe stuffed a steamed bun into Xiaobei’s mouth, laughing with squinted eyes, "Xiaobei is a good boy, if you’re hungry, eat the bun."
"But I..."
"Hmm?" Ji Xinhe raised her eyebrows.
Xiaobei obediently started to chew on the bun, "I am a bit hungry."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
