Chapter 173: The Little Fool in the Group Favorite Story – 16

“Xie Hui, you’re finally back. I’ve been waiting here for a long time.”

When Xie Hui walked over, he could clearly see that the Old Madam’s hair had turned even whiter. Unlike last time, she didn’t barge in aggressively. Instead, she stood patiently at the gate, waiting for him to return.

“What do you want?”

Xie Hui didn’t open the gate. He had no intention of inviting the Old Madam in for a chat.

“Xie Hui, I… I know you still have some silver. He’s your younger brother, after all. Are you really going to just stand by and watch him die?”

Xie Hui reached out and covered his son’s ears, pulling him into his arms to block out the other ear as well.

Though Ning Ning looked confused, he obediently stayed still and leaned against his father.

“Mother, looks like you’ve gotten a bit smarter. Yes, I do plan to just stand by and watch. Not only that, I’m even happy enough to hire a few people to come beat drums and set off firecrackers.”

The original host had never dared to speak so harshly in front of his mother, but Xie Hui was different. These words came out without the slightest hesitation or guilt.

“He’s your brother! Even if you hate me and your father for what happened before, you can’t just let your brother suffer like this…”

Seeing her tears fall, the smile on Xie Hui’s lips only deepened.

“I don’t have a brother who bullied my son along with his niece. If you’re here because you can’t afford a coffin for him, I might be willing to spare a few coins.”

With that, Xie Hui led his son around the Old Madam and walked straight into the courtyard.

An old woman, begging bitterly to save her child, might have been a touching sight.

Unfortunately, she had never spared even a sliver of that motherly love for the original host.

They’d brought this on themselves. Xie Hui had no sympathy.

“What do you want for dinner, Ning Ning?”

Once inside the courtyard, Xie Hui pushed all other thoughts aside. He smiled gently and asked his little one with patience.

“Papa, bamboo shoots. Shoots…”

Hearing that, Xie Hui knew this little glutton was thinking about the dried bamboo shoots the Village Chief had given them.

“Alright, we’ll have the dried bamboo shoots then.”

Xie Hui didn’t pay attention to the Old Madam outside. He didn’t even know when she had left.

Now that the strange thing on Xie Kangli had lost its effect, the Old Madam had returned to being more or less normal. Though still selfish and self-serving, she was no longer as overbearing as before.

While tending the fire, Xie Hui couldn’t help but think that if they’d shown even a little kindness to Ning Ning back then, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

Even after taking Ning Ning to Mu City, Xie Hui still had plenty of silver left.

He had money. He just didn’t want to give it to them.

At first, Xie Hui had thought this not-so-bright child might never have a chance at education. But now that Ning Ning was slowly returning to normal, he wanted to send him to school.

It was a bit late in the year, but if they waited until spring, Ning Ning’s age would be just right.

Xie Hui didn’t go out of his way to keep up with the Xie family’s affairs. But every time he went to the Village Chief for something, the old man would bring them up.

The Old Madam had come by several more times. Now that she was back to normal, her youngest son was clearly the only one she truly cared about.

At first, Xie Hui responded with sarcasm. Later, he couldn’t even be bothered. He just released the rooster.

After all, that rooster had eaten plenty of bugs thanks to his son. It was time it earned its keep by dealing with the unreasonable Old Madam.

When things weren’t too busy in the fields, Xie Hui planted some seeds to see if he could grow anything.

But it seemed he really didn’t have a knack for it. Even the few that sprouted ended up dying before they could grow properly.

After several failed attempts, Xie Hui gave up and decided to find another path.

Since the original host had some woodworking skills, Xie Hui figured he’d work hard and hone that craft. If he could make quality pieces, they’d still be able to live a decent life.

Once he made that decision, he informed the Village Chief.

Many people had tried to make use of those fields, but most gave up quickly. So the Village Chief wasn’t surprised at all by Xie Hui’s decision.

As for the youngest Xie brother’s leg, it had worsened because they didn’t have the money to continue treatment. All the silver they’d spent before had gone to waste.

If the treatment had worked, it might have been worth it.

But now, the money was gone and the leg was still crippled. Naturally, Xie Hui’s eldest brother and his wife had complaints.

The Old Madam tried to comfort them, saying that once the autumn harvest came in, they’d have silver again. After paying off their debts, maybe they could even save a little.

Unfortunately, reality hit them hard.

Hoping for returns without putting in the effort was nothing but a fantasy.

Xie Hui had tended his crops diligently, and the harvest was quite good. Even after paying taxes, he still had plenty left.

But over at the Xie family’s place, once the seeds were planted, no one really took care of the fields. Weeds grew taller than the crops.

In the end, they didn’t even have enough grain to pay their taxes.

In previous years, they could scrape by with some of their stored grain.

But this year, most of their reserves had been sold off to pay for the youngest brother’s treatment.

If they couldn’t pay their taxes, the authorities would send someone to take a family member to do hard labor in exchange.

Last time, when bad weather had prevented them from paying, it was Xie Hui who had been sent. He’d done three months of hard labor. Just thinking about it terrified Xie Hui’s eldest brother.

So before their parents could even bring it up, he spoke first.

“Father, Mother, we all know why we can’t pay the taxes this year. If it really comes to that, then let the youngest go. It’s because of him that our family ended up like this!”

After speaking, he sat down with a troubled expression.

They might be able to push someone else into doing the labor, but the lack of food was a real and pressing problem that couldn’t be ignored.

His wife scowled and immediately started blaming her in-laws.

“Why did you have to split the second brother off back then? Look at us now. If he were still with us…”

That one sentence echoed what everyone else was thinking.

If Xie Hui were still here, at least the fields wouldn’t be in such a mess.

Xie Hui might have been lacking in other areas, but when it came to farming, he was exceptionally skilled.

If worst came to worst… even if Xie Hui failed to take proper care of the crops, the one who’d end up doing the hard labor would definitely be him!

Xie Kangli hadn’t been married off by Old Madam in exchange for some bride price. She was far too headstrong. Back then, she held a pair of scissors in her hand and declared that if they dared to marry her off, she’d stab that wealthy merchant to death. The threat scared the man so badly that he returned the betrothal token that very night.

Though she hadn’t been married off, life at home was no better. In the village, girls her age were all used to helping out with household chores. Those who grew up doing it didn’t think much of it, but for someone like Xie Kangli, who had never lifted a finger before, every day felt like pure suffering.

Now, Old Madam firmly believed that the reason her youngest son’s leg hadn’t healed was entirely Xie Kangli’s fault.

If she had obediently agreed to the marriage and brought back some silver, how could her son’s leg have ended up crippled? Now he walked with a limp, dragging one foot behind the other.

In the past, Xie Kangli had been the envy of every girl in the village.

There wasn’t a single grandmother in the entire village who doted on her granddaughter the way Old Madam of the Xie Family did.

But now, Xie Kangli had become someone most people pitied. Everything inside and outside the house was her responsibility.

It took years to cultivate a pair of delicate, beautiful hands, but just under two months to wear them rough and raw.

When Xie Hui heard from others about Xie Kangli’s current situation, he simply smiled and brushed it off. Seeing her suffer like that, he felt relieved—at least he didn’t have to dirty his own hands.

When the Xie Family couldn’t even put food on the table, Old Madam went to seek out Xie Hui again.

After the autumn harvest had been brought in, the weather began to turn cold. No matter how many layers she wore, Old Madam still shivered from the chill. As she stood at the gate waiting for Xie Hui, many villagers passed by and saw her, but not a single one spared her any sympathy.

If their family had a son as hardworking and capable as Xie Hui, who would be willing to mistreat him? But Old Madam of the Xie Family had been dead set on ruining her son—and not just her son, she dragged her grandson down with him too.

Now that the family had split, everyone could see that Xie Hui’s life was getting better by the day.

Just a while ago, they’d even heard that Xie Hui was planning to send his child to school come spring.

Back when they were still living with the Xie Family, Ning Ning had been a little fool. But now, living separately with his father, the boy looked sharp and clever.

The villagers often gossiped behind their backs, saying maybe the feng shui of the Xie Family home was just bad.

By the time Xie Hui returned, it was already late. He and his son had just come back from the county town. When he saw Old Madam standing at the gate, a flicker of disgust flashed in his eyes.

“Mother, what are you doing here again?”

Old Madam was fuming inside. In her mind, no matter what, Xie Hui was still her son. What kind of son refused to support his own mother?

But now that she couldn’t even fill her stomach, she didn’t have the luxury of holding onto her pride. She had even completely forgotten about the agreement they’d signed, the one stating that Xie Hui would no longer be responsible for them.

“Xie Hui, at least give your mother some grain. You don’t really want to see me starve to death, do you?”

Xie Hui stepped around her and pushed open the courtyard gate, a warm, gentle smile on his face.

“Mother, do you remember what you said when Ning Ning told you he was starving? Let me return those same words to you now.”

“When you’ve starved to death, we’ll talk. Anyone about to die of hunger who eats even a single grain of rice is just wasting food.”