Chapter 12: Mother, having you is enough

She knows, she still helped Zhang Qiao and them!

Fang Hemiao felt extremely uneasy: "Mother, you're playing favorites!"

"Whoever is right, I'll help them."

Yang Clan's saying this made Fang Hemiao not too angry; she stormed back to her room without a word, and even slammed the door shut with a bang.

She glanced over and saw people still gathered here to watch the excitement.

Yang Clan dismissed the crowd, looked toward Qiao Sheng, and said: "Lianhua, today this matter is my eldest daughter-in-law's fault; I apologize to you on her behalf."

Zhang Qiao's mother-in-law is actually not bad.

Qiao Sheng thought, then spoke: "Aunt Yang, this matter has nothing to do with you; the wrongdoing Fang Clan, you don't need to apologize for her."

"She is my eldest daughter-in-law; how could it have nothing to do with me?"

Yang Clan said that, and Qiao Sheng didn't say anything more; she took the hoe and led Xiao Shitou away from their home.

They walked a distance.

Qiao Sheng stopped, looked at the silent Xiao Shitou, and said: "Xiao Shitou, don't take to heart what the Fang Clan said earlier; your birth parents certainly didn't abandon you on purpose."

"Could it be like that?"

Xiao Shitou asked softly.

Qiao Sheng said without hesitation: "No parents don't love their own children, and no parents would easily abandon their children unless absolutely necessary."

Xiao Shitou fell silent for a moment, then took Qiao Sheng's hand and said: "Mother, having you is enough for me."

If one were to say that they abandoned him back then out of sheer necessity,

then what about afterwards?

He is already over five years old, yet they never came to look for him.

"Alright, let's go."

Qiao Sheng took Xiao Shitou's hand and walked away.

Their previous vegetable plot was right beside the Mountain God Temple; now the plot has nothing but weeds.

Qiao Sheng picked up the hoe and got to work.

Xiao Shitou is diligent; of course he wouldn't just stand by—he came over to help Qiao Sheng work.

The vegetable plot is not large.

The mother and son cleared the weeds from the plot in no time.

Thinking about how she had bought so many seeds,

Qiao Sheng decided to clear a bit more wasteland.

This work lasted until dusk.

Using the thatched hut as an excuse, Qiao Sheng took the hoe into the space, quickly planted some vegetables, then exited the space with Xiao Shitou to return the hoe.

Although she still had a few coins left in her hand.

Qiao Sheng still gave Zhang Qiao two coins.

Zhang Qiao pushed it back: "Lianhua, we've been friends for so many years; your lives aren't easy either—I can't take your money, no, I cannot accept it."

"Take it; if you don't accept, I'll feel embarrassed to bother you again in the future."

Qiao Sheng shoved the money into Zhang Qiao's hand without giving her a chance to refuse.

Not waiting for her to refuse again.

Qiao Sheng took Xiao Shitou's hand and ran.

At that moment.

The sky had already darkened.

Fortunately, there was moonlight.

Otherwise, the mother and son might not even be able to see the path.

They returned to the Mountain God Temple.

Qiao Sheng lit a fire and, together with Xiao Shitou, started cooking dinner.

Now they lack everything; tonight they will have a simple meal—nothing but coarse rice porridge.

Qiao Sheng found it bland and tasteless.

Xiao Shitou, however, ate with a satisfied expression, even licking the bowl clean: "Mother, if we could eat coarse rice porridge every day, that would be wonderful."

Thinking of those picky eaters in modern times,

Such a Xiao Shitou inevitably made Qiao Sheng feel heartache.

Qiao Sheng said gently: "Don't worry, Mother will never let you suffer again; we'll eat coarse rice porridge every day from now on. When times improve, we'll eat white rice and meat every day."

"Mm."

Xiao Shitou nodded his head heavily.

Qiao Sheng thought and still gave him another serving: "We've been eating little before; we can't eat too much at once, or our stomachs will feel uncomfortable. Eat this portion and stop; save the rest for tomorrow morning."

(End of chapter)