Little Bean sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She simply asked, "What about my older sister and second brother? Are they coming back with us?"
“No, we’re not going back,” Madam Qin said matter-of-factly. “Your eldest sister is capable; she can earn a living working in the shop, and she’s already engaged, so she’ll have a good life in the future. Your second brother isn’t bad either; if he passes the imperial examination this year, he might even try for the provincial examination next year or the year after. With the help of your third uncle and aunt, he can at least become a minor official, and he’ll also have a good life. It’s just that you’re not capable at all, which is why your father and I have to suffer with you for several years.”
At this point, Madam Qin sighed with great distress.
“Your third uncle and aunt are such good people. They take care of our family, give us a business and money to spend. They even found you a tutor to help you get an early education. Even the writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones you use are precious items that ordinary families would save up for years to afford. But you don’t know their value and you even complained about your third aunt. Now I have to suffer with you for a few years.”
She repeatedly said that she would suffer for several years, and finally Little Bean responded, asking in a daze, "Why only a few years of suffering?"
Qin was just waiting for him to ask this question, and immediately said, "Of course we will raise you until you are fifteen years old. Your father and I have fulfilled our responsibilities in raising you. After that, we will go back to your second brother and ask him to take care of us in our old age. We have gone through so many hard years with you, and we are going to go to your second brother to enjoy a few years of happiness."
Little Bean looked shocked: "Can't you take me with you?"
Madam Qin blinked, seemingly even more shocked than him: "When sons grow up, they have to separate from the family. In the future, your older brothers and sisters will have their own families. What's the point of taking you along?"
Finally, she added, "Not everyone in this world is as good as your third uncle and aunt. It's a favor if they help us now that they've become successful, but it's also their right not to. Everyone has their own life to live, so who can control you?"
Hearing her say this, Xiaodoudou was completely stunned. He had thought that his parents would be his safe haven for life. Moreover, when he went out with his parents, many people on the road said that he was lucky. His parents had so much wealth that he could live a comfortable life even if he sponged off them. So, he enjoyed everything with a clear conscience.
But now, his mother told him that those things were given to him by his third aunt and third uncle. Because he had offended his third aunt and little sister, his parents felt guilty and returned all the things they had given them.
Moreover, his parents were only willing to endure a few years of hardship with him. Once his second brother passed the imperial examination, they would abandon him to go and live a better life with his second brother, leaving him to fend for himself.
He always felt that his mother was just trying to scare him, but she brought him here, and he only managed to find a place to stay by giving away his only hairpin.
If Mother had good things, why would she have wronged herself by bringing him to live in a place like this?
Realizing that what his mother said was true, Xiaodoudou became scared. He still wanted to live the good life he used to have, and didn't want to fight with dogs for food outside every day, get bitten by dogs, or be beaten by beggars.
"Mom, shall we go back to Auntie and my sister? I know I was wrong. I apologize to Auntie and my sister and won't say anything out of line again..."
He knelt at Qin's feet, his body trembling, clearly terrified.
Qin hesitated for a moment, but quickly became firm again, saying with a bitter face, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. No one will always be good to you. Relying on anyone is not as good as relying on yourself, including your parents. Your parents will grow old and leave this world. The only person you can rely on is yourself."
“Originally, I wanted you to study and follow in the footsteps of your brothers, to pursue an official career. Even if you didn’t pursue an official career, knowing a few words and being able to do accounting would be enough to manage the family business in the future. But you don’t even want to learn to read, and you even broke the expensive calligraphy brush that your third aunt prepared for you. I knew then that you weren’t cut out for studying. Since you’re unwilling to use your brain, then you can only do some manual labor.”
"Tomorrow, your mother will take you outside to see where they can hire workers your age. You need to earn money to support us until your father comes back, understand?"
Little Bean felt utterly hopeless while listening to those things, but his eyes lit up instantly when he heard the last sentence: "When Dad comes back, will we be able to live a good life?"
Madam Qin nodded and said, "Yes, when your father comes back, you can do hard labor with him. It will be easier for him to take care of you, and you will suffer less... Sigh, that's all we parents can do."
Looking at her son's bitter face, Qin secretly chuckled to herself. This little devil! She'd been by her third brother's side for so many years, learning a lot about raising children. Besides, running a casino had made her realize that some people are just inherently despicable; without experiencing the hardships of life firsthand, no amount of talking would be of any use.
Clearly, her youngest son was the kind of person who believed in hardship and wanted to make him fully understand how miserable his life would be if he didn't study and learn to read.
Little Bean had no idea that his mother was putting on a show for him. He was so frightened that tears streamed down his face, but he knew there was no turning back. Even if he regretted it, he could only face it.
That night, Little Bean didn't sleep well at all. Every now and then, a mouse would run past his feet, and fleas would bite him all over, making him itchy. He didn't even feel sad anymore; he just looked around warily.
At this moment, he saw Qin Shi fast asleep and thought to himself that his mother was indeed exhausted, as she could sleep through such a commotion.
In fact, Qin had brought mosquito repellent powder given to her by Jiang Jiuniang. She applied a little bit to her body, and no snakes or insects dared to approach her, so she slept soundly.
As dawn broke, Xiaodoudou, who hadn't slept all night, had just fallen asleep when Qin woke her up, saying, "We should go out and find something to do, or we'll go hungry today."
Speaking of being hungry, Xiaodoudou suddenly remembered that she had only eaten the chicken she had snatched from the dog's mouth last night, which was not enough to fill her stomach. After a whole night, she was so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back. If she couldn't eat today, she would really starve.
He was listless after not sleeping all night and walked unsteadily. Qin saw this but said nothing. She took him along the street and asked each household if they needed help hiring.
He asked around all morning, but no shop was willing to hire him because he was illiterate, couldn't do accounting, and couldn't speak nicely. He was completely useless and was kicked out.
However, she didn't have to go hungry this morning because Qin found a job washing clothes for someone. The family was kind-hearted and gave each of them a steamed bun because they felt sorry for her and her son.
Little Bean finally saw food. After accepting the steamed bun, she immediately knelt down to thank the family. Qin Shi just watched without saying a word.
This series will be finished this month. Thank you all for your support.
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