Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 388 - 205: Outbreak (Part 2)

One of the wives pursed her lips and said, "Isn’t it obvious? They probably have a full meal one day and starve the next. Just look at the shoes on Changming and his father’s feet. Tsk tsk, what a sorry sight. Outside of winter, they never take off their straw sandals."

Huai Zi’s mother glanced at Li Laoda’s courtyard, thinking to herself, ’That woman is just shameless. To neglect her own children like that, is she even human?’ She couldn’t be bothered to watch any longer. She still had to go home and mend clothes for Zhang Yang, so she turned and left.

Cheng felt that this couldn’t go on, so she carefully tried to smooth things over. "My dear in-law, let’s talk inside. Perhaps Changming’s mother was just hungry and thought she’d eat this pancake first, then make more for Changming later."

Hearing this, Granny Hua wanted to pull Cheng into a hug and give her a few kisses. ’Isn’t that exactly what I was thinking!’ Her plan had been to eat the pancake and then make some dough drops to supplement the meal. She never intended to let her son go hungry.

But Meizi wasn’t having any of it.

She cried for a little while, then stopped paying attention to the two mothers arguing. She went off on her own to knead more dough and fry another pancake. ’Changming will be back any minute. There isn’t enough food in the pot, so I’d better hurry and make some more.’

While she was busy, she heard what Cheng said and immediately retorted, "We all ate at noon. Everyone got a big piece of pancake; I portioned it out for each person so no one was missed. The one in the pot was specifically left for Changming."

As soon as Gou Dan’s mother heard this, she understood—portioning food out per person was a tradition in her own family. She had originally been afraid that Meizi was giving Li Changming special treatment, so she hadn’t dared to be too harsh. After all, no matter how awful Granny Hua was, she was still his mother. A mother eating a piece of her son’s pancake wasn’t a terrible crime, no matter how you spun it.

But now, hearing Meizi’s words, she realized the old woman was just plain greedy. It wasn’t enough that she’d already eaten her fill; she had also stolen the portion left for her son. An incredible rage surged within her.

So it turned out her long tirade had just been her using the situation as a pretext.

"Look at that, just look at that! She’d already eaten, and then she ate her son’s portion too. Aiyo! In all my years, I’ve never seen a mother who cares so little for her own child—" She clapped her hands together and began to wail, her voice drawn out in a sing-song manner.

Cheng could only listen helplessly. Seeing more and more people gathering at the courtyard gate, she looked at Granny Hua in exasperation. She felt the woman was utterly hopeless, doing nothing but bringing shame upon Changming and his brother.

Seeing that she couldn’t placate Gou Dan’s mother, she composed herself to try and persuade Meizi to go out and bring her mother inside. ’If this scene continues, isn’t it the Old Li Family that will be shamed?’

Just then, Li Changming and Li Changxing returned, carrying a fishing net and with fish baskets on their backs. When he saw the crowd of wives and old women at the gate, Li Changming’s heart sank. ’Don’t tell me Meizi and Mother got into a fight?’ he thought.

Li Changxing also had a bad feeling. He said to him, "It can’t be that Aunt is being foolish again, can it?"

Li Changming’s lips were pressed into a tight line. He ignored his cousin and the other women, pushed through the crowd, and hurried into the courtyard. He saw Gou Dan’s mother standing in the middle of it, clapping her hands and stomping her feet as she yelled. He quickly cut her off, asking, "Mother, what are you doing? Where’s Meizi?"

Meizi had just finished frying a new pancake in the kitchen. When she heard Li Changming’s voice, her heart leaped with joy. She rushed out and called to him happily, "Changming!"

Beaming, she came down the steps, went to his side, and took his arm. Only then did her anxious heart finally settle.

Though she’d never heard of anyone drowning while casting nets for fish, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy and worry about him whenever he was out. Seeing him back now, she finally felt at ease.

Li Changming was already worried about her, which was why he’d asked where she was first. But when he saw her, he noticed the obvious signs that she had been crying. His heart tightened. He quickly took her hand and asked hesitantly, "Meizi, you..."

He didn’t dare to confirm his suspicion. After worrying for so many days, it seemed his mother had finally upset Meizi enough to make her cry. Otherwise, Gou Dan’s mother wouldn’t have stormed over to stand in their courtyard and curse at his family.

His heart ached with both tenderness for his wife and anguish over the situation. He felt for Meizi, who had been wronged before she’d even had a chance to enjoy a good life with him. And he was tormented by the question of how he ended up with a mother like this!

Meizi, however, wasn’t thinking about all that. She was just happy to see Li Changming back. When she turned her head and saw the fish basket filled with a shimmering, silvery mass of fish, she broke into a wide, delighted smile.

’Look,’ she thought, ’Changming is out hoeing the fields and catching fish, while I’m at home washing clothes, cooking meals, and feeding the pigs and chickens. We each have our own work—the man works outside, the woman manages the home. What a wonderful way to live! How could anyone eat the food left for Changming? Even if you have to go hungry yourself, you must make sure the man who works hard outside is fed properly.’

Seeing that Li Changming had returned, Gou Dan’s mother found it difficult to continue her tirade—she had to give her son-in-law some face, after all. Besides, she was very satisfied to see how obviously affectionate the young couple was. She stopped shouting and gestured for them to go inside.

Once they were all seated, and after Li Changxing had dispersed the crowd outside, Li Changming listened as Gou Dan’s mother and Meizi recounted what had happened. He couldn’t help but lament inwardly, ’The two of them are making such a huge deal out of this, but they don’t know that this kind of thing used to be common in our house. My mother would eat anything without hesitation; she never had to resort to stealing!’

But of course, he couldn’t say that out loud right now.

Now that Meizi was part of the family, everything was different. Hadn’t his mother already changed a great deal? Moreover, the fact that Meizi had cried so hard simply because his mother ate a pancake meant for him filled him with a bittersweet feeling. When had anyone ever cherished him so deeply?

He was silent for a moment, then turned to the pitifully weeping Granny Hua and said, "Mother! You are my mother. If you want a pancake, you can wait for me to come back and tell me. I would give you mine even if it meant I went without. But for you to eat it in secret... that’s just not right. Or, you could have just told Meizi and me that you like these pancakes. We could have had Meizi fry some more tonight to satisfy your craving. That’s not a problem at all. We’re a family. If we start being secretive and sneaking around, won’t we just become a laughingstock?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)