Chapter 179 Division
After that, a period of peace and tranquility indeed followed.
Pipa stopped having nightmares.
No more strange people have appeared in the house.
And that cat—oh right, it's called Yuanxiao now—was secretly raised by Pipa without its parents' knowledge.
During the day, when her parents were home, Pipa would let Yuanxiao hide in her room.
Three meals a day are delivered to them on time.
Pipa wasn't really sure how many meals a day a cat should eat. Anyway, he just packed whatever he ate for Yuanxiao.
Pipa was very happy because she had made a new friend, which somewhat alleviated the loneliness caused by her mother's estrangement.
However, it seems that Yuanxiao doesn't always stay indoors.
On several occasions, when Pipa brought food into the house, Yuanxiao was not there.
I don't know where they went.
This made him very anxious, afraid that Yuanxiao would be discovered by the other villagers. If he was just chased away, that would be fine, but what if he got hurt or even died...
Even the slightest thought of this possibility makes Pipa feel incredibly distressed.
That afternoon, he would drag himself to his room every now and then to check if the food had been touched or if the water in the dishes had dried up.
He didn't even do much of the kind of skillful work that comes with practice, like twisting hemp rope.
He looked completely listless, and even his father, who usually didn't pay much attention to his son, could clearly see it.
"If you don't want to eat, then don't. Why are you acting like you're half-dead? Who are you trying to offend?"
Upon hearing this, Pipa's hand trembled, and she nearly dropped her rice bowl. This action further provoked the other party's extreme dissatisfaction.
"If I had known he was such a troublemaker, I would have preferred to have him killed at birth. What kind of coward is he, cowering like this!"
As the man spoke, he noticed his son, who was holding a rice bowl and looking at him rather bewilderedly. His expression grew increasingly disdainful: "What are you looking at? Trying to rebel?"
"No...no."
Pipa stammered and lowered his head, then heard his father coldly scold, "Then hurry up and eat!"
Upon hearing this, Pipa couldn't help but shudder and immediately buried her head in her rice.
But in reality, after such a fright and scolding, the loquat no longer felt hungry.
More than anything, it was an uncomfortable spasm that gradually turned into an urge to vomit as food was forced into the stomach.
But now he would never dare to spit out the loquat in front of his father.
He could only force himself to swallow the last grain of rice in his bowl before cautiously saying, "I'm full."
As he was speaking, he couldn't help but burp. He was immediately scolded for being a reincarnation of a starving ghost.
Pipa didn't say anything, just lowered her head and obediently accepted the scolding.
Even when I was finally allowed to leave the table with my bowl, I didn't relax. Instead, I walked a little further until I was sure I wouldn't be seen, and only then did I let out a long sigh of relief.
After drawing water from the well and washing the bowls and chopsticks, Pipa went into the kitchen and saw her mother busy at the stove.
If it were the old loquat, after suffering such an injustice, it would have long wanted to rush into the other person's arms for comfort.
However, things are different now.
Just now, Dad shouted so loudly. The kitchen and the main room are so close, and both doors were open. Mom must have heard it a long time ago.
But the other party didn't react at all.
Pipa softly called out "Mother," but only heard a lukewarm "hmm" from the other party, who didn't even bother to look up or spare a glance for her.
They were equally at a loss.
Compared to the fear his father instilled in him, Pipa was actually more concerned about his mother's attitude.
To put it bluntly, they were like strangers living under the same roof, completely unrelated to each other.
But in the past, Mother and Loquat were practically the two closest people in the world, relying on each other for survival until that day...
Perhaps the loquat's gaze was too intense, for the woman finally looked up at him, her tone so calm it was almost devoid of emotion.
"Is there something you need?" she asked, as if she were asking a stranger.
From what Pipa has seen these past few days, her mother speaks with much more warmth and affection to any villager she randomly picks up.
Pipa was hurt by the coldness and impatience in the other person's tone. She paused for a moment before shaking her head: "No...no."
“If you don’t have one, then get out. This isn’t a place for you,” Mother said again.
Pipa was puzzled. He looked around and made sure he wasn't in another place. It was still the familiar kitchen. How could it suddenly become a place he shouldn't be in?
After a while, seeing that the loquat showed no sign of leaving, the woman stopped what she was doing and looked at him with a hint of impatience.
"Is there anything else?" she asked.
Pipa knew she couldn't pretend nothing had happened anymore. After hesitating for a moment, she mustered her courage and said, "Mom, I feel like you're not the same as before."
"What's different?" the woman asked, staring into his eyes and enunciating each word clearly.
This was the first time Pipa had felt anything akin to oppression from the other person. She involuntarily shrank back.
Upon seeing this, the woman suddenly smiled, her gently raised lips seemingly unchanged from before.
"Why are you talking nonsense again?" the woman asked softly.
Seeing the familiar smile on the other person's face, Pipa's heart stirred slightly, and the word "mother" was already stuck in her throat, stirring restlessly.
Unfortunately, before he could actually say anything, the woman's gentle expression suddenly vanished. She was still smiling, but her expression held a hint of mockery and contempt.
"Why should I?" the woman chuckled. "Just because you're a little bastard? You think you're worthy of my smiling?"
These words were extremely harsh.
Even the most gossipy busybodies in the village had never said such hurtful things to Pipa's face.
Because they were still concerned about Pipa's father and didn't want to get into trouble because of it.
But the woman before him seemed to have no qualms, uttering venomous words clearly and slowly.
"A little bastard is a little bastard. Even his delusional behavior is exactly the same as your father, who deserves to be torn to pieces and go to hell. They are both equally disgusting."
Pipa was completely stunned.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe, until the dizziness from lack of oxygen forced him to open his mouth, like a foolish fish struggling to survive on a chopping board.
He felt like the whole world was spinning. Was the woman in front of him really his mother?
Over there, the woman who had just finished speaking relaxed her brows, as if she had finally exhaled a long-accumulated pent-up anger, and then looked at the loquat again with a contemptuous smile.
"You can't even handle it and you're about to cry?"
As the woman spoke, she reached out and wiped his cheek; the touch of her fingers was still warm and familiar. Her movements were gentle, but her words were incredibly cold.
"I'm still alive, what right do you have to cry? Tears become worthless if you shed too many. Save these tears, otherwise you won't be able to cry when the day of your funeral comes."
She paused for a moment and then said, "Unlike me, I've already cried all my tears. I'm just waiting for the day when I can have a good, hearty laugh."
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