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Chapter 82: Chapter 82: The Cat Weeps for the Mouse - Fake Compassion
"Brother, now that you’re married, you don’t care about me, your sister, at all. You would never have spoken to me like this before." Si Xiaohui’s eyes became red, and it looked like she was going to cry again.
After dad’s accident, the factory compensated us a bit, but that amount was hardly enough for the whole family to live on. With my elder brother studying and no one to work at home, life was tough. But I was comforted by the fact that my two brothers were always kind to me. They would save the best food for me. Although life was hard, I never felt wronged.
But now, ever since Tong Yao got married into our family, mom, my elder, and second brothers all scold me. They’ve shifted their love to Tong Yao. I’ve become the thorn in everyone’s eye.
What a world we live in!
Blood ties are nothing compared to an outsider.
Seeing the intense hatred in Si Xiaohui’s eyes, Si Chen expressed his helplessness, "If you can’t treat Yaoyao normally, we’ll reduce the number of times we visit."
"Are you giving up your family for her?" Si Xiaohui was furious. What had Tong Yao done to bewitch her elder brother?
"Don’t make a fuss. I’m your brother, not your future husband. I don’t have patience to indulge you." Si Chen was lackluster and taciturn by nature. He didn’t mind Si Xiaohui’s capriciousness before, but now she was becoming increasingly unreasonable. He wouldn’t indulge her. As the eldest, he wouldn’t hesitate to educate his sister when she needed it.
She was dumbfounded!
Tong Yao, who had been silent the entire time, almost clapped for Si Chen. She had not reacted when Si Xiaohui took her things earlier. She wanted to see how Si Chen reacted. He didn’t disappoint her at all.
At this point, Tong Yao was almost a fan of Si Chen, gazing at him admiringly. The heat in her eyes made Si Chen slightly uncomfortable.
In Si Xiaohui’s eyes, Tong Yao was reveling in her misery. Her elder brother had changed because of Tong Yao’s enchantment. But she didn’t dare to fight back. She had loved and feared Si Chen since childhood. It was a habit ingrained in her bones.
She said with tears in her eyes: "Brother, if you keep protecting her like this, you don’t have to find a job for me. I might as well go work with Xiulan. It’ll save you from having to see me."
Tong Yao paused munching on her seeds and casually warned, "Don’t be foolish. There aren’t any free lunches in this world. If you get scammed and sold off by Ma Xiulan, you won’t be able to find your way home even if you cried."
After all, Si Xiaohui was Si Chen’s sister. Even though they didn’t see eye to eye, Tong Yao didn’t want to watch Si Xiaohui walk into a trap.
"Drop the act of the compassionate cat."
Si Xiaohui glared at Tong Yao. Right then, Lin Fengying called her over to tend the fire. She turned around and walked out of the hall.
It was almost noon, the hottest time of the day. Sitting in front of the stove felt like being roasted on a fire. Si Xiaohui was flushed with heat. She couldn’t help but to persuade Lin Fengying to get Tong Yao to do some work, "Mom, why don’t you get Tong Yao to come over and make dumplings? When will you finish stuffing all these dumplings for the whole family all by yourself?"
Lin Fengying, who was kneading the dough, softly replied, "The kitchen is dirty and hot. Your sister-in-law is not used to it."
Si Xiaohui pouted and complained, "So it’s dirty and hot when she works, but not when I do? Am I made of iron? Who’s your real daughter? Why should we all serve Tong Yao?"
Hearing her daughter felt she was being partial, Lin Fengying felt helpless and said earnestly, "Xiaohui, you are my flesh and blood. I love you. I asked your brother and sister-in-law to come back this time just to help you find a job in the city. If you actually go to the city, I’ll feel more at ease knowing that your sister-in-law is there to look after you."
While Si Chen was often busy and didn’t have time to take care of Si Xiaohui. On the other hand, Tong Yao had more free time, and being a woman, it would be easier for her to connect with Si Xiaohui. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
"I can see they’re not really keen on finding me a job." Although she said that out loud, Si Xiaohui felt a bit better.
Although she insisted on going with Ma Xiulan, she didn’t really want to. Jiang City might be more prosperous, but it was a stranger place. For Si Xiaohui, who had never left her hometown, the idea of working so far away was terrifying.
Just as Lin Fengying was about to speak, Si Chen suddenly walked in from outside. Lin Fengying’s face stiffened, and she asked unnaturally, "Why are you here? It’s hot in the kitchen. You should go to the hall and rest. You don’t need to help here."
She didn’t know how much of their conversation her eldest son had overheard.
"I’ll roll out the dough." Si Chen scooped a ladle of water into the basin and squatted down to wash his hands.
Lin Fengying didn’t refuse him, given that she wanted to have a private word with Si Chen. She took out the kneaded dough from the basin and placed it on the board. Si Chen had washed his hands by then. The mother and son, one rolling the dough and the other shaping the dumplings, worked in harmony.
Si Chen worked silently. Although his movements seemed slow, he produced a lot. In no time, there were over a dozen wrappers piled up on the board.
Lin Fengying looked up at her eldest son and chuckled. "I remember the last time you helped me roll dough, it was when you received the acceptance letter from Medical University. We made dumplings to celebrate you getting into college. Time flies; it’s already been several years."
After her husband’s death, she worked hard to raise three children on her own. Even though her second son was just a farmer and not very accomplished, her eldest son’s success made it worth it. She was satisfied to have at least one successful child.
Since she married into Shanghe Village, her eldest son was the first in the village to go to college.
Her eldest son had indeed made her proud, giving her a respectable standing in the village.
Being a widow was never easy, but people’s attitude towards her changed when Si Chen got into college. Lin Fengying was very clear about this; that’s why she felt satisfied now.
If she had any lingering regrets, it was that her second son was still unmarried and her daughter had yet to find a good family.
Recalling the past. Si Chen’s deep, inklike eyes revealed a hint of remorse, "I’m sorry for being away all these years and neglecting the family. You’ve worked hard."
Lin Fengying shook her head, "As long as you three siblings live in harmony, I don’t feel it’s hard."
"We used to live in harmony. I don’t know about the future anymore." Si Xiaohui mumbled quietly.
Lin Fengying sighed and pleaded in her voice, "Xiaochen, you’ve accomplished a lot now. I don’t ask for anything more. I hope you can take care of your brother and sister. Boyi is not young anymore; it’s time for him to consider marriage. I’ve tried introducing him to some potential partners, but they all think our family conditions are not good..."
When she got to this point, Lin Fengying found it hard to go on. But when she thought about her younger son possibly remaining a bachelor without her eldest son’s help, she plucked up the courage to say, "Xiaochen, can you help Boyi?"
Like many parents, Lin Fengying meant well. But once her children’s living conditions began to diverge, she started to worry about the one who was worse off, hoping that the whole family could improve together.
