Chapter 170: Heretical Path

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Heretical Path

The eldest brother’s family had benefited plenty from them in the past.

She never said she favored one son over the other, but her eldest daughter-in-law’s actions were just shameless.

As the eldest sister-in-law, Wu Xixi hadn’t even offered a simple, "Come over for a hot meal."

Her mother-in-law, Wei Guilan, had been the one to volunteer to cook for them.

And what does she do? She shows up with her son to mooch a meal.

They hadn’t prepared many dishes to begin with, and now two more mouths had suddenly appeared...

Wei Guilan’s face instantly fell.

The scrambled eggs with scallions, fresh from the wok, were still steaming.

The curds of egg were a tender yellow, the scallions a vibrant green. The aroma, mingled with cooking fumes, wafted straight into their noses.

But who was in the mood to enjoy the aroma now?

But they were already standing in the doorway. You couldn’t just shove them out, could you?

Li Tian already had one foot over the threshold, while the other dangled outside.

Wu Xixi leaned against the doorframe, an empty plastic bag in hand, her eyes glancing toward the stovetop.

"What brings you here now?"

Wu Xixi pursed her lips, her words laced with sarcasm.

"What else? We smelled something good cooking!"

As she spoke, she nudged Li Tian’s elbow hard.

"Look at your grandma. She sees you and is so scared you’ll take her food that she’s hiding it all away."

Her fingertip pressed into the crook of Li Tian’s elbow.

Li Tian immediately puffed out his chest, planted his hands on his hips, and yelled.

"Grandma! I want eggs! I’m your grandson, so of course I get the good stuff first!"

Wu Xixi nodded along, feeling incredibly pleased.

’Just as I’d expect from my own son, so quick with his words.’

’She thought of the neighbor’s mute son, who couldn’t even say "Mama" properly.’

SMACK!

A loud smack landed on the back of Li Tian’s head.

The force of the blow sent a rush of air past Li Tian’s ear, making it ring.

"Ever heard of ’respect your elders and care for the young’? Kong Rong was only seven when he offered the larger pears to his brothers. You’re nine. What have you been learning in school?"

Li Hanchen said as he walked past him.

A faded gray towel was draped over his shoulder.

Li Tian clutched his head and hid behind Wu Xixi, looking wronged.

"I haven’t learned that story!"

Li Hanchen crouched by the stove, looking up at him.

"You’re nine and you still haven’t learned that lesson in school?"

At his words, both mother and son fell silent.

Wu Xixi’s lips moved, but she said nothing.

Li Tian buried his face in her back, only his red-rimmed eyes visible.

It was because Li Tian had already been held back in the first grade for two years.

Wei Guilan reached out and lifted the pot lid. The steam that billowed out made her squint.

Li Hanchen turned his head to glare at his nephew. His tone was harsh, and he didn’t care whether Wu Xixi liked it or not.

"Then what makes you deserving of anything good?"

He stood up and slung the towel back over his shoulder, flicking water droplets onto the stove’s ceramic tiles.

"Would it even do you any good?"

"You should be grateful to get a bowl of plain noodles."

He reached over and opened a tin canister by the cutting board.

Inside was only half a dried chili, its color dulled with age.

"What was your aunt like when she was little? She went to class hungry, wore thin clothes in the winter, and had fingers so chapped they would bleed and scab over. She’d take one jar of pickled vegetables to school to last the whole week, and she still got into a university."

When he finished, he stared unblinkingly at Li Tian’s red earlobes, chapped from the cold.

Li Tian jutted out his chin defiantly.

"I’m a boy! I’m supposed to eat better!"

Those were the words Wu Xixi drilled into his head day after day.

Li Hanchen just grinned when he heard that.

"Who taught you that?"

"My mom!"

"Is your dad a man, then?"

Li Tian froze. He blinked a couple of times, then slowly shook his head.

"Your dad’s a man, so how come he isn’t eating fancy meals every day?"

"My dad... says he saves it for me."

"Just because you’re a boy?"

Li Tian’s throat bobbed. He was at a loss for words, completely stumped.

He whipped his head around to look at Wu Xixi, hoping she would jump in and rescue him.

The moment Wu Xixi’s lips parted, Li Hanchen’s expression darkened.

"Being a boy means learning to take responsibility, to have some decency, to be able to support a family! It’s not a license to be a shameless freeloader, throw tantrums, and act like a brat!"

He paused, his tone growing even sterner.

"You’re almost ten. Can’t you tell right from wrong? Stop picking up such twisted ideas all day."

Wu Xixi’s face immediately darkened.

’Wasn’t that just a thinly veiled insult directed at her?’

Her chest heaved, and her fingers tightened around the hem of her shirt.

"Li Hanchen, what you’re saying sounds a little strange, don’t you think?"

Just as Li Hanchen opened his mouth to retort, Wei Guilan quickly interjected with a smile.

"Xixi, go call Li Yuan. The whole family’s eating here tonight!"

Wu Xixi shot Li Hanchen a glare, snorted, and stormed off with a flick of her arm.

Seeing his chance, Li Tian made a run for it, scurrying away right behind her.

Watching them go, Li Hanchen couldn’t help but mutter to Wei Guilan.

"How did that kid get so spoiled? Do his parents just watch and do nothing?"

"He’s not a little kid. He’s practically a teenager, and he still can’t listen to reason?"

Wei Guilan rubbed her temples.

"It’s not like you don’t know your sister-in-law’s temper. Back when Song Yao first joined the family, the two of them were like fire and gasoline whenever they met. Neither would back down."

"Your sister-in-law has thrown bowls, and Song Yao has flipped a table."

Li Hanchen immediately fell silent.

He knew better than anyone what Song Yao used to be like back then.

"Don’t worry about the stove for a minute. I’ll go chop some cured pork and grab some garlic shoots from the backyard. We still have to mix dough later, so dinner will probably be a little late."

Li Hanchen grabbed an apron hanging from a nail on the wall and draped it over his arm.

"Oh, is Song Yao’s stomach growling?"

Wei Guilan gestured with her chin toward the west room.

"Should I quickly make her a bowl of sweet egg drop soup to tide her over?"

Li Hanchen immediately stood up.

"You make the eggs, I’ll get the garlic shoots! Where’s the cured pork? I’ll cut it up."

He was already at the door as he asked, pushing open the wooden door to the main room.

"Xiao Ying and I are sleeping in the east room."

Li Hanchen nodded and stepped out.

Wei Guilan deftly scrubbed the wok clean and, with a splash, started boiling water for the eggs.

As soon as the water covered the bottom of the wok, she turned the heat to high, and blue flames WHOOSHED up to lick the wok’s underside.

As she passed through the main room, she grabbed the brown sugar canister, took off the lid, and gave it a sniff.

After confirming it wasn’t damp, she remembered to call into the house.

"Xiao Ying! Don’t just sit around, come to the kitchen! As soon as this sweet egg soup is ready, you’re taking it to your second sister-in-law!"

While stirring the gurgling water in the wok, she called out cheerfully to Song Yao, "Song Yao, have a couple of sweet eggs to tide you over! Your oldest brother and his wife will be here soon, so dinner will be a little while."

She scratched her head, looking a little sheepish.

In her heart, Song Yao really didn’t want to eat at the same table as Wu Xixi.

’But that’s my mother-in-law, and I’m her daughter-in-law. My mother-in-law is cooking; I can’t exactly bar people from her table, can I?’

Still, she added.

"Mom, it’s fine if it’s just us eating!"

But Wei Guilan paid her no mind, finishing cooking the eggs in a flash.

All three eggs went into the pot. She scooped two into a coarse porcelain bowl and had Li Ying take it to Song Yao in the main room.

The last one was left in the pot, specifically to placate Wu Xixi.

Li Yuan stood awkwardly in the kitchen doorway, holding two potatoes with clumps of dirt still clinging to their skins.

"Mom, I brought some vegetables... I was worried you might not have enough food."

"Xixi said you invited us over for dinner. I figured since we weren’t going to cook these tonight anyway, I might as well bring them."

"Just... consider it one more dish for the table."

He had actually wanted to bring some eggs, too.