Chapter 190: Chapter 190 In a sorry plight Chapter 190: Chapter 190 In a sorry plight The sight of her children in such a wretched state tugged at Mo Yaner’s heartstrings. Her eyes moistened as she whispered, “Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, eat slowly. Grandmother has cooked a lot; there’s enough for both of you.”
They ate with such joy that Madam Xie’s worries dissipated, and the smile on her face could not be contained, “Yes, yes, eat slowly. If it’s not enough, grandmother will cook some more for you.”
The two little ones were famished. With such delicious food before them–something they hadn’t tasted in a long while since their father accrued gambling debts–they were used to nothing but doughy porridge or dark dense bread so tasteless their taste buds almost disappeared. Now, with delectable food in front of them, where was the space for minding others? They all but wished they could bury their heads in their bowls and not come up for air.
“Wife, you don’t know, we haven’t eaten anything from last night till now. They are really starving.” Li Feng gobbled up his food as he spoke, rice scattering all over, not just the kids were starving–he was close to starving to death himself.
“Once you’ve finished eating, get out of here immediately.”
Mo Yaner, facing her husband, could not suppress the anger in her voice; they were in this predicament because of this sorry excuse for a man.
Li Feng wanted to say more, but a glance from the corner of his eye showed him that Madam Xie and Xuexue were present, so he held his tongue and continued to wolf down his food.
Even though the mother-in-law’s house looked shabby, the food was good. It seemed this trip had been the right move, not only could he avoid the creditors, but their family would also have no worries about sustenance. Li Feng felt a rush of relief in his heart.
Madam Xie’s frown deepened with concern. What kind of life was her eldest daughter’s family living? She had thought her own days in the Mo family were hard enough, but she hadn’t imagined that her eldest daughter was enduring even harder times.
Indeed, the Mo family was considered above average in Mo Family Village, owning over thirty acres of farmland, so food and drink were not a worry. It was only because Old Lady Mo was both status-conscious and stingy, coupled with Madam Xie’s inability to bear a son, that Old Lady Mo took a disliking to Madam Xie and deliberately made life difficult for her.
After the meal, Mo Yaner was intent on sending Li Feng away, but he excused himself from leaving, claiming the children couldn’t bear to part with her.
Mo Yaner had no way to get rid of him, and in a fit of anger, she walked away, likely heading to the Mo family’s house.
Madam Xie adored her two little grandsons exceedingly. She took out Chuner’s snacks and filled their pockets so they could have something to enjoy.
The two little ‘buns’ gradually took to their sincerely caring grandmother and their gentle, amiable little auntie. They hesitated to return home, preferring this place over their own village. Not only did they get to eat white rice here, but most importantly, there were no people throwing stones at them or calling them little beggars.
“Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, let little auntie take you out to play.” With two new playmates at home, Chuner was the happiest.
“Where will we go? We are not familiar with this place,” asked Tuantuan.
“It’s not far, just at the doorstep. Let’s go, it’s fine; little auntie is here.” Chuner patted her chest in a grown-up manner, which looked quite comical. She wasn’t much taller than them but spoke with the tone of an elder.
Tuantuan and Yuanyuan exchanged glances and followed Chuner out of the house.
With her sister and brother-in-law not likely to leave anytime soon and no chores left to do at home, Xuexue dragged Big Bull out to catch loaches.
When they returned, they had a full bucket of loaches. Of course, Xuexue had secretly added another bucket to the space in the kitchen and quietly poured them out when no one was looking.
Madam Xie came over to help clean the loaches.
“Xuexue, where did you dig up these loaches? Since mom has some free time, I’ll go there tomorrow to help out.” Madam Xie was worried–the household was running out of food with her eldest daughter’s family staying, and so many mouths to feed. What was she to do?