Chapter 174: The Little Fool in the Group Favorite Story – 17

After stepping into the courtyard, Xie Hui saw the little one staring up at him with wide, curious eyes. He walked over, crouched down, and gently ruffled the child’s hair.

After being patted by his father, Ning Ning leaned into his palm, rubbing against it like a kitten. His obedient and adorable demeanor softened Xie Hui’s heart.

“Next time you see Grandma, make sure to steer clear of her, alright?”

Xie Hui didn’t hesitate to assume the worst about the Old Madam of the Xie family.

He himself wouldn’t go soft, but he worried that little Ning Ning, still so young, might be taken advantage of.

Although Ning Ning didn’t quite understand why his father said that, he still nodded obediently.

“I understand, Daddy.”

“Good boy.”

This winter, the snow was heavy. Most villagers had little to do during the cold season, but Xie Hui had taken on two commissions to craft dowries. The pay was fair, and the clients had even delivered the lumber for him.

Perhaps influenced by the original host’s personality, Xie Hui felt uneasy whenever he had too much free time.

Since he couldn’t do much else, woodworking to earn some silver wasn’t a bad option. Come spring, he planned to send Ning Ning to school.

Letting him learn to read and write would be a significant expense.

Though it was the dead of winter, Xie Hui didn’t feel cold while working. Worried that Ning Ning might be chilly, he lit some charcoal and placed it under the eaves, right where he could see it with a glance.

He was deeply focused on his work and didn’t even notice when Ning Ning had toddled over. The little boy squatted in front of him, watching curiously.

“Hm? What are you looking at?”

Noticing his son beside him, Xie Hui put down his tools and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Daddy, this…”

Seeing how curious he was, Xie Hui patiently explained what he was doing. Watching Ning Ning nod with a look of half-understanding, he reminded him gently:

“Go play on the other side for now. I’m almost done with this. Once I finish, I’ll go make lunch for you.”

“Okay.”

The moment Ning Ning heard it had to do with food, he nodded eagerly and quickly stepped aside so he wouldn’t get in the way.

Every winter meal, Xie Hui habitually lit a stove, keeping the food warm on top of it.

The village chief’s eldest son often came by. With nothing to do at home during the winter, it was a rare time of leisure after a year of hard work.

Xie Hui often heard news about the Xie family from others. After hearing it so many times, he had grown numb to it.

Back when Old Man Xie was still around, the whole family had seemed harmonious.

Now, with everything in disarray, the entire village was quietly watching the show unfold.

“Xie Hui, my dad went to the county town a while back and heard from some traveling merchants that His Majesty plans to open up maritime trade. The ships have already been built.”

Xie Hui hadn’t been paying much attention to the village chief’s son’s chatter, but at this, he suddenly looked up.

“Oh? That’s great news.”

“And Aunt Wang’s son, the one who joined the army, sent a letter recently. He said their camp is selecting soldiers who can endure long voyages.”

Hearing this, Xie Hui couldn’t help but feel a spark of anticipation for the country’s future development.

As the weather grew colder, Xie Hui became less inclined to take on more work. He stayed home most days and decided to start teaching Ning Ning how to read.

Noticing Ning Ning’s interest in woodworking earlier, Xie Hui had taught him a few times. The boy had nimble hands and even carved patterns into the wood with surprising skill.

Xie Hui had always been patient with children, but when it came to teaching Ning Ning to read and write, he finally understood why so many parents lost their minds helping with homework.

Ning Ning sat there clutching a brush, looking up at his father with anxious eyes. He asked in a small, tentative voice:

“Daddy, am I stupid?”

“I always heard Grandma and Big Sister say I’m just a little fool.”

Xie Hui took a deep breath, suppressing the anger rising in his chest. Forcing a smile, he said softly:

“No, Ning Ning isn’t stupid at all. You’re already very smart.”

“It’s Daddy’s fault for not explaining it clearly. Come on, let’s go over it again.”

Xie Hui had always thought Ning Ning didn’t remember the past, but now, hearing him repeat those words so often, it was clear that wasn’t the case.

Rather than saying he’d been foolish back then, it was more like he’d been in a daze. Now that he was lucid, those memories had come back clearly.

Around the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Xie family—who hadn’t shown their faces in a long time—came knocking again, asking to borrow rice. Xie Hui had been making sweets for his little one when he caught sight of a familiar figure. He immediately put down what he was doing and walked out.

He blocked the man at the door, refusing to let him in.

“Second Brother, Mother’s so hungry she can’t even get out of bed. Are you really this heartless? She’s your mother, after all!”

Xie Hui stood there, a little relieved that earlier he had made Ning Ning stand in the corner to recite as punishment for a mistake.

Back then, he still held back a little for the child’s sake, choosing his words carefully.

But now that the little one wasn’t around, he could speak freely without restraint.

“Yes, I am this heartless. I don’t see her as my mother. That house was built with the silver I earned. What in that home wasn’t provided by me?”

Eldest Brother Xie flushed with embarrassment at those words but still tried to argue.

“Back then, didn’t we all help out too?”

“Helped out? Who was the one who always complained of headaches after just a bit of fieldwork? Who got kicked out of the job for stealing?”

Under Xie Hui’s biting gaze, Eldest Brother Xie lowered his head more and more. After a long pause, he finally muttered:

“I—I was just young and foolish back then. I know I was wrong. I’ll make it up to you. But right now, are you really going to let her starve to death?”

“Mother can’t even stand up anymore.”

Seeing the man put on a show of being the dutiful son, Xie Hui rolled his eyes and sneered.

“If you really cared about her starving in bed, would you be here begging me for food?”

“You’re her son too! Even if we’ve split the family, does that mean we’ve severed the blood ties between us?”

Eldest Brother Xie kept trying to argue, especially after catching the scent of food wafting from inside. His stomach growled loudly in response.

“When we were dividing the family, you sure didn’t act like this just to save a few taels of silver.”

Xie Hui was getting tired of their endless pestering. They were like flies—harmless, maybe, but unbearably annoying.

“If you’d gone to the village to borrow food from someone else, you’d have eaten by now. But you came all the way out here to find me—clearly hoping you wouldn’t have to pay it back later, right?”

The client’s lack of affection for his mother didn’t surprise Xie Hui in the slightest.

His wife, his son, and the unfair treatment he himself had endured—every injustice was laid out in plain sight. None of it could be faked.

And yet the man standing before him, the eldest son whom the Old Madam had always doted on, could still be scheming even as his own mother lay starving in bed, too weak to get up.

For a moment, Xie Hui couldn’t even tell who was more pitiful.

“Even if you died right in front of me, I wouldn’t spare you another glance.”

With that, Xie Hui shut the door.

He turned around, ready to get back to making snacks for his son, only to see that the little rascal, who was supposed to be standing in the corner reciting his lessons as punishment, had now curled up with his book in his arms, his head bobbing up and down like he was about to fall asleep.

Xie Hui stood there quietly, watching Ning Ning nod off like a little chick pecking at rice. Eventually, the boy leaned against the wall, then slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor, dozing off.

With a sigh, Xie Hui walked over and gently nudged his shoulder.

Startled, Ning Ning jerked his head up. When he saw it was his father, he shot to his feet, standing ramrod straight and stammering nervously in defense.

“Daddy, I… I…”

Xie Hui had been ready to scold him, face stern and words sharp. But seeing the little guy trembling in fear, he couldn’t bring himself to go through with it.

He reached out to smooth his son’s messy hair, but the moment his hand moved, Ning Ning suddenly wrapped his arms around his head.

“Daddy, don’t hit me… I’m scared…”

Back when the boy had trouble speaking, Xie Hui had worried about him constantly. Now that he was quick-witted and sharp-tongued, Xie Hui was often so angry his veins popped.

“Come here!”

“…Okay.”

Ning Ning obediently picked up the book he’d dropped when covering his head and placed it on the nearby table, then followed behind his father out of the room.

Xie Hui didn’t believe in using violence to solve problems, especially not with his own child who was still learning right from wrong.

So he simply brought Ning Ning with him into the kitchen, took down the cured meat he’d bought earlier from the county town, and placed it in a pot with some water before lighting the fire.

In the cold of winter, just boiling a bit of cured meat in water was enough to fill the air with a mouthwatering aroma.

At first, Ning Ning sat on a small stool, secretly relieved that his father hadn’t launched into one of his long-winded lectures.

But as the smell of the meat began to spread, he couldn’t help but stand up and crane his neck toward the pot, swallowing hard, his little hands clenched together in longing.

The cured meat, marbled with just the right balance of fat and lean, was cooked through. Xie Hui took it out and sliced it thinly with a knife. Each cut released a bit of fragrant oil.

As his father busied himself with the meat, the little troublemaker who’d been too scared to speak finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Daddy, I don’t like spicy food.”

Xie Hui, well aware of his little glutton’s tricks, glanced up at him with a cool expression and replied in a low voice:

“This isn’t for you. You slacked off after making a mistake. You’re having porridge for lunch, with a side of pickled vegetables.”

Ning Ning’s eyes widened in shock. He stared at the delicious-smelling cured meat, then looked at the plain porridge cooking beside it. His eyes turned red with grievance.

“Wuuu…”