Chapter 273: A Younger Brother Who Can't Even Heat Up His Own Rice

Mou Nainai wept as she applied the ointment: "You really are stubborn, why didn't you run away?"

Mou Lili said: "He gave me life and raised me, let him beat me; if he beats me to death, my debt will be paid off."

"Your debt was paid off long ago; I would rather you never returned to this home again."

Mou Nainai had actually favored boys over girls in her earlier years, but after realizing that it was her granddaughter who paid for and put in the effort every time she fell ill, she began to feel heartache for Mou Lili.

Mou Lili said: "If there really comes a day when my heart dies, then I won't come back."

After chatting for a while, Mou Lili fell into a drowsy sleep.

In the middle of the night, she suddenly heard the sound of "thump-thump" knocking on the door outside; Mou Lili opened her eyes, but when she heard the voice outside calling to open the door, she closed them again.

Mou Nainai also woke up; she braced her old waist, wanting to get up to open the door, but was stopped by Mou Lili: "Nai, don't go."

Mou Nainai said: "If I don't open it, he'll just keep knocking, and the neighbors will have complaints again tomorrow."

"Let Mom and Dad go open it, they're the ones who spoiled their good son," Mou Lili said.

Mou Nainai had no choice but to sit on the bed.

After a good while, Mou Mu came down grumbling: "You old bag of bones, sleeping so soundly, didn't you hear the knocking outside for so long? Don't let someone come to complain again tomorrow."

Mou Nainai sighed on the bed.

She was already used to being snapped at like this by her daughter-in-law.

Before long, the door outside closed, and Mou Mu complained: "Why are you drinking again? And you didn't even bring your keys."

Mou Dafu roared: "None of your business!"

"You are my son, shouldn't I care about you?"

"You care about me? Have you saved up enough for the bride price? You promised to buy me a house, did you buy it for me?" Mou Dafu roared.

Mou Mu immediately felt guilty; as she closed the door, she said: "Isn't Mom trying to find a way? If it really doesn't work, we'll just sell this place."

"If you sell it, where will you live?"

"Go out and rent a place."

"Crazy," Mou Dafu said, storming in angrily.

Then came a series of heavy footsteps going upstairs, followed by a "bang" of a closing door.

The next day, early morning.

After Mou Lili got up, she washed up under the faucet in the courtyard.

Grandma had already gotten up and was helping sell steamed buns at the storefront.

A bun shop requires getting up early; Mou Fu and Mou Mu got up at four o'clock, working from dawn till dusk, only for all the money they earned to be given to their son.

When Mou Lili was young, she often helped with kneading and rolling the dough, but later she stopped helping out; for one, she wasn't used to doing this kind of work, and for another, it was meaningless.

The wounds on her body still ached.

The bun shop was busy in the morning, but after 10 o'clock, there were fewer people; during this time, Mou Nainai had to come back to cook, all by her trembling self.

Mou Lili went to help Grandma cook.

Past 11 o'clock, lunch was ready; Mou Fu and Mou Mu returned to the courtyard to eat, and Mou Mu went to call their son, Mou Dafu.

Mou Dafu was very irritable and said he wouldn't eat, so Mou Mu set aside some food for him.

She went to get an insulated lunch box and scooped more than half of the meat from the table into it.

Seeing this, Mou Lili hurriedly put a few chopsticks of meat into Grandma's bowl.

After eating, Mou Fu and Mou Mu went back to sell buns; it was 12 o'clock, and some workers getting off their shifts would come to buy buns, along with students from nearby.

Mou Dafu didn't come down until after one o'clock.

After coming down, he saw Mou Lili, but he didn't even offer a greeting.

Under his parents' influence, the way he looked at his older sister was also extremely base, as if a noble person were looking at a servant girl.

And Mou Lili was naturally used to it.

Mou Dafu opened the lunch box and took a bite of the rice; the rice was already cold, so he shouted outside: "Mom!"

"What is it, what is it?" Mou Mu hurried in.

"The rice is cold, how do you expect me to eat this?"

"Then tell your sister to heat it up for you," Mou Mu said.

"I'm not asking her," Mou Dafu knew Mou Lili wouldn't indulge him.

Mou Mu then started scolding again: "Didn't you see your brother's rice is cold? Why didn't you help him heat it up?"

Mou Lili said: "How old is he? He can't even heat up his own rice?"

"He has never done this kind of work before!"

"Who is born knowing how to do this kind of work? Do you really want to serve him for your whole lives? When you die one day, who will serve him?" Mou Lili didn't hold back her tongue in the slightest.

If Mou Mu didn't still have to sell buns outside, she would have loved to pick up a broom and give Mou Lili a beating.

When Ling Feng walked in, this was exactly the scene he saw.

Looking at Mou Lili, who still had wounds on her skin, the mother who was biased to the point of absurdity, the good-for-nothing younger brother, and the helpless Mou Nainai, Ling Feng finally realized that such families truly existed in this society.

It was truly his first time encountering such a suffocating family.

After Mou Mu finished heating the rice, she turned around and saw Ling Feng; she was stunned for a moment, then asked: "Who are you?"

Mou Lili also saw Ling Feng at this moment, and she felt very surprised: "What are you doing here?"

Seeing that Mou Lili knew him, Mou Mu couldn't help but get curious and asked again: "Are you looking for A-Li?"

Ling Feng nodded: "I am A-Li's friend."

Mou Mu immediately asked sensitively: "Boyfriend?"

Then she began to size Ling Feng up from head to toe.

Ling Feng had been a bit dejected these days; he was someone who had even been to a monk's temple, so he couldn't be bothered to dress up at all.

In the past, he wore designer brands, had his hair meticulously styled, and shaved his beard every day.

But now, he hadn't shaved for two days, and he was wearing an ordinary T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and carrying a black duffel bag. Although he was handsome, at first glance, he looked like a construction foreman.

Mou Mu thought to herself: One look and you can tell he has no money.

A rich person should be like Zhang Chao—obese, with a big belly, and a thick gold chain hanging around his neck; that was the appearance of someone blessed and wealthy.

Without waiting for Ling Feng to answer, Mou Lili went up and said, "He's not my boyfriend, just an ordinary friend."

Since guests had arrived, Mou Mu said, "Then you entertain your friend yourself, Lili; I still have to go out and be busy for a while."

Ling Feng nodded politely, and then he came inside.

Mou Lili moved a stool for him, let him sit down in the courtyard, and then asked, "How did you find my house?"

Ling Feng said, "As long as you have the heart to look, you can naturally find it."

"What did you come here for?"

"I was bored, so I just came to see you."

"How did you get here?"

"I took the bullet train."

In the courtyard, Mou Dafu was still eating; he stole glances at the situation over here while he ate, wanting to know if Ling Feng was his sister's boyfriend.

However, looking at them, they really didn't seem very close.

They should still be in the pursuit stage.

Ling Feng looked at the red marks on Mou Lili's hands and legs again and asked, "You're already this old, why do your parents still hit you?"

Mou Lili retorted, "Do they stop hitting you just because you're old?"

"My family never hits their children."

"There are children in my family who are never hit, too, but unfortunately, that's not me." After saying this, she glanced at Mou Dafu.