"How could you do this to me? If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was completely useless in this family, just eating and doing nothing all day, and you even kept it from me."
No, even if I can't work anymore, you won't even give me a bite to eat?
Then what have I been doing raising you? Feeding dogs all these years?
Yang Chunhua has been a widow for so many years. If she didn't have a bad temper, she would have been devoured by outsiders long ago. She only refrained from cursing him earlier because she was too heartbroken. Now, she has been pushed to the edge and stood up, pointing her finger at his nose and cursing him.
"Back then, when your father left, so many people told me to abandon you and find another man to live an easier life. It was your mother who saved every last grain of rice to raise you."
You used to say such nice things, that you'd let me enjoy life when I grew up, but now I'm stuck at home like a maid, doing this and that, and I don't even get a proper meal. What have I been doing raising you all these years for?
Chen Wei looked somewhat embarrassed as his mother pointed her finger at him and began to verbally abuse him. He wanted her to stop, worried about what the neighbors would think if word got out.
"...Okay, Mom, don't be angry. When did I ever eat alone? I'm the only one with a salary to support the three of us, so I definitely have to be careful with every penny."
This family is arguing again, and the neighbors outside who are cooking are all listening intently.
There's a minor argument every three days and a major argument every five days, making this building quite lively.
"You dare say you don't have any? Fine, the little money you give me every month has to go into buying food and vegetables for you all, and you still complain to me that there's no meat at home? You think you can eat meat with that pittance? Dream on!"
Chen Wei shrank back and squatted down silently after being scolded. Yang Chunhua's voice grew louder and louder, and the anger she had been building up over the past few days almost set the house on fire.
Under this barrage of questions, "How could you do this to me?", Chen Wei's tone grew increasingly subdued.
"...Mom, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. My son is still young, and if he doesn't have enough to eat at home, he won't grow tall. That's why I bought him some food."
I didn't mean to withhold it from you, it was just a little bit. Next time, I promise I'll give you everything.
"Pah! Next time? You already don't like me at home. If I can't work anymore, you'll just dump me in some remote mountain forest to fend for myself. How can I expect anything from you?!"
When Guan Lian arrived with her people, she found a lot of people standing in the stairwell of their building, all craning their necks to get closer to their door. No one dared to speak, afraid of disturbing the argument inside, and they would exchange glances from time to time.
"Hey? Ah Lian, what brings you here?"
While everyone was enjoying the spectacle, they heard from Yang Chunhua that Chen Wei was eating alone while his mother only drank rice gruel. They were still marveling at how he used to be so filial, and now he could actually do something like this.
Upon seeing Guan Lian, everyone stopped talking.
As soon as Guan Lian arrived at the building, her brows furrowed. Her heart felt as if it were being suffocated by a wet cloth, heavy and suffocating. She took a few deep breaths and looked at her former neighbors.
"I came here to see you, young master?"
"They're arguing inside. Wait a minute. I bet you've never seen a mother and son argue in all these years you've lived in this house. This is a good opportunity to watch the show."
"Chen Wei used to be a filial son, but now he's caused this mess and he's not afraid of being laughed at. Yang Chunhua hasn't been having an easy time lately. Chen Wei used to give her all his salary, but now he's supposedly only giving her a few yuan a month. Not only does he not have money to gamble, but he's also very stingy when it comes to buying groceries and cooking."
"Serves her right. She's enjoyed so many years of good fortune; she deserves to experience some hardship too."
Guan Lian felt a little pleased, but not much. She didn't want to stay here any longer and just wanted to take Xiaosheng away as soon as possible. She wondered how the child had been doing these past few days.
The arguing inside showed no signs of abating, and he couldn't very well break in at this point, so he could only endure it and wait outside for a while.
"Wait a moment, I'm not inside."
Chen Junsheng's stomach was growling with hunger. He knew he would be glared at by his grandmother if he stayed home, so after washing the pots at noon, he quickly tried to sneak out. He stayed outside all day and was so hungry that he was unsteady on his feet and could barely stand. He thought that his father would be back at this time and he would have something to eat.
He quickly started walking upstairs, only to find the stairwell full of people. He pursed his lips and stood there. Finally, someone noticed him, and Guan Lian immediately looked over as well.
"...This humble student?"
Most of the clothes from home had been taken away, and when he came back with his father this time, he only had the clothes he was wearing. After staying at home for so long, the clothes were no longer presentable, so he had no choice but to change into a piece of Chen Wei's old clothes that had been altered to a smaller size.
Adding to the fact that he had been outside in the cold all day and hadn't eaten, Guan Lian felt extremely sorry for him when she saw him and immediately took two steps forward to grab his hand.
"Why are your hands so cold? Have you eaten yet?"
After all, he was just an 8-year-old child. He had been glared at by Yang Chunhua and had encountered a lot of things that day. As soon as he saw his mother, he immediately burst into tears of grievance. Guan Lian quickly pulled him into her arms.
"Come with Mom first, there's food at your grandparents' house."
No matter what, the child has to stay with her. Even if they argue later, they can argue again tomorrow.
After saying that, she was about to pull him away. At this moment, Chen Wei, who was scolded, felt embarrassed. His mother was also angry and dared not argue back. He could only open the door to get some fresh air. As a result, he saw that the room was full of people. Upon closer inspection, he saw Guan Lian!
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