Chapter 163: The Little Fool in the Group Favorite Story – Part 6

Although Xie Hui had noticed that the people working in the neighboring field were from the Xie Family, he pretended not to see them. He remained slightly vigilant, and when Xie Kangli came over to bring them water, he waved Ning Ning over to his side.

Even now, he clearly remembered the Client’s memories of the Old Madam proudly boasting to other old ladies in the village that her granddaughter, Lili, was not someone from their small village.

Their family was large, and they would never let Lili be like the village girls, exposed to the sun and wind, developing rough skin that made her look like a village girl.

Unexpectedly, after losing that hardworking and diligent old ox, Xie Kangli had to come out to deliver meals.

Xie Hui was quite annoyed by the Old Madam’s superior attitude. Working the land with one’s hands, enduring the sun and wind, had its own rugged beauty.

Ignoring the Old Madam’s words, he continued teaching his son how to catch loaches.

He watched as Ning Ning’s clumsy movements gradually became more adept until he finally caught his first loach.

The little hands tightly clenched the loach in his palm, his eyes wide with amazement.

“Ning Ning, you’re amazing.”

The Old Madam, tired from a day’s work, was already feeling uncomfortable.

She had expected that after she finished speaking, Xie Hui would rush over as he used to and help her with these tasks.

Unexpectedly, Xie Hui completely ignored her, which infuriated the Old Madam. She stopped working and walked over to them.

“Xie Hui! I’m talking to you, pretending not to hear, are you?”

Ning Ning, who had been earnestly catching loaches, trembled at the familiar voice of his grandmother.

Xie Hui noticed this and subtly shielded Ning Ning behind him. He tugged at the corners of his lips and replied:

“Mother, what you’re saying isn’t right. It’s not that I’m pretending not to hear; it’s that I don’t want to deal with you.”

The Old Madam’s anger from the first part of his response hadn’t subsided before Xie Hui’s latter words changed her expression.

“Can you really bear to see your elderly parents still working in the fields at their age?”

“Mother, have you forgotten? You signed the document during the family split. Should I go home and fetch it for you to have a good look?”

Back then, to give less money, the Old Madam had insisted that after the family split, they would sever ties with Xie Hui. Apart from what he earned himself, nothing from the family would be given to him, nor would he need to support them.

“I gave birth to you! Can a piece of paper make you no longer my son?”

Xie Hui heard the Old Madam playing the rogue, and just then, other villagers who had finished their day’s work and were heading home stopped to watch the scene.

Watching a spectacle is human nature, especially after a tiring day of farm work, when a little gossip serves as a relaxing diversion.

The Old Madam had thought that with so many people watching, Xie Hui would care about his reputation, even if he was angry. She already had a smug look on her face.

“Big brother, little brother, don’t you hear Mother talking to you? Your parents are so old, and you still let them work in the fields. How unfilial!”

The two brothers, who had been packing up to let Xie Hui work, were stunned by this sudden shift in topic.

The Old Madam, seeing Xie Hui trying to implicate her sons, became anxious.

“Xie Hui, I’m talking about you! Why are you dragging others into this?”

The village chief’s two sons, carrying hoes, passed by and, hearing the chatter, the elder son approached with a simple smile.

“Aunt Xie, are you looking to hire someone to help with your work? Xie Hui’s work can’t compare to ours. How much are you willing to pay? It would be better to hire us.”

Hearing about money, others also stepped forward to volunteer.

“Aunt Xie, if you wanted to hire help, you should have said so earlier. Don’t treat us like outsiders.”

Xie Hui watched as the Old Madam was surrounded. He held his son in one arm, letting Ning Ning carry the leaves with the loaches, and they walked along the field path. The setting sun stretched their shadows long.

The village chief’s sons exchanged a glance and went home, ignoring how others in the village were stirring up trouble with the Xie Family. They weren’t interested in that bit of money.

Although Xie Hui had once saved their family, they weren’t particularly close and rarely interacted, all due to the village chief’s wife’s instructions.

Most people in the village believed, as the Old Madam said, that Xie Kangli was a lucky star and would achieve great things in the future.

But the village chief’s wife didn’t believe it; she found it unsettling.

Unsettling enough that the entire Xie Family seemed to be led by her, making people feel uneasy.

In the village, there were uncles and aunts who doted on their elder brother’s children, but none were as excessive as the Xie Family, even surpassing their own children.

Doting is one thing, but how can it compare to one’s own flesh and blood? That alone was enough to raise suspicions.

Moreover, the Xie Family’s old man and Old Madam pampered Xie Kangli to the point where she did no work.

The village chief’s wife had seen families who doted on their daughters, but none as outrageous as the Xie Family.

There was a girl in their village whose parents doted on her. At the age of eight, they sent her to the county to learn embroidery from a seamstress after paying a fee.

In the village chief’s wife’s view, that was truly doting on a daughter.

Giving her a skill to rely on, so she could stand her ground even in her future husband’s family.

Moreover, letting her earn money with her skills before marriage to help the family, preventing any resentment from brothers.

The money spent would come back, giving the mother more confidence to prepare a dowry.

The Xie Family’s way, treating Xie Kangli like a pampered child, wasn’t doting at all.

If it weren’t for their family being ordinary farmers, the village chief’s wife would have thought it was like a tragic play.

No matter how much others liked her, it was useless. One must stand on their own to be truly stable.

And the way the Xie Family’s Old Madam gave all the good things to Xie Kangli, the village chief’s wife couldn’t understand.

Uneven distribution, even within a family, breeds discontent.

Especially since Xie Kangli was a girl. If she married off and strained family ties before marriage, even if her husband mistreated her, her family might not help.

If this isn’t unsettling, what is?

Now that Xie Hui had split from the family, the village chief’s wife felt at ease repaying the favor he had done for them.

Before, the village chief’s wife felt uneasy partly because she knew that even if she gave Xie Hui something, it wouldn’t reach him.

Their family, though well-off in the village, didn’t have resources to waste.

Giving to a benefactor was fine, but giving to other able-bodied members of the Xie Family was not something she was willing to do.

Xie Hui, seeing them, divided half of the loaches they caught in the afternoon with them.

The village chief’s sons instinctively wanted to refuse, while Ning Ning, though reluctant to part with what he had caught, remembered the treats they had given him before and didn’t stop them. However, he nervously picked at his hands.

In the end, as the refusal grew awkward and the village chief’s sons realized it was getting late, the elder son spoke up:

“Uncle Xie, please don’t make it hard for us. If we take this from you, our mother will definitely scold us tonight.”

With their words, Xie Hui didn’t insist further.

This matter was insignificant to the Client. He had joined the village search party to find someone and hadn’t thought much of it.

A casual act of kindness was met with such sincere gratitude.

Meanwhile, the closest family members’ greed seemed endless.

Back home, Xie Hui put down the hoe he was carrying.

Candles were too expensive, and their current life was too frugal. Although they had bought two, Xie Hui didn’t plan to light them.

In this world, the idea of Ning Ning studying was a distant dream.

For ordinary poor families, education was the best way out, but Ning Ning couldn’t even speak clearly, let alone read or write.

Xie Hui looked at the child standing obediently by his side, feeling a twinge of sadness.

Perhaps it was a common paternal instinct; he was prepared to care for his child for life, accepting that his son might be a little fool.

Yet, he couldn’t help but hold onto a sliver of hope, wondering… what if he got better?

Ning Ning stood there, gazing up at the moon, the spring air filled with a vibrant energy brought by the breeze.

Nearby was a small river, and a blend of floral scents created a unique fragrance.

The little fellow paid no mind to these things, tilting his head curiously at the glowing moon.

Moonlight reflected in his eyes, and though he had his challenges, those eyes were pure.

How could a child with such beautiful eyes be a fool?

Xie Hui watched his face, and Ning Ning, sensing his father’s gaze, gently tugged at his father’s clothes.

With a child so young, Xie Hui didn’t have much time for quiet reflection.

Squatting down, he ruffled Ning Ning’s hair. Before he could say anything, Ning Ning urged:

“Papa…”

“Hmm? Papa’s here. What’s wrong?”

Xie Hui was keen on encouraging Ning Ning to communicate, so he didn’t skimp on words.

“Eat, want to eat…”