After one bowl of noodles and a meat bun, Qin Lian was full, and so was Xu Hao. She handed him a small meat bun, which he held with both hands and slowly nibbled on.
However, Xu Shen and Xu Wei, who had wolfed down their portions, were still staring at their empty bowls, their expressions conflicted.
Qin Lian chuckled. "Did you like it?"
The boys didn't reply, but their silent yearning was enough. Liking was an understatement. They had never eaten something so delicious before.
She smiled and gestured toward the kitchen. "If you're still hungry, there's more noodles in the pot. Get it yourselves."
"After eating, make sure to put away the dishes in the kitchen and clean the table. Alright? I'm going upstairs to take a bath and change my clothes." Without waiting for a response, she walked away, giving them space to eat in peace.
Her clothes had gotten dirty from all the cleaning earlier, and she wanted to change before doing anything else.
She had planned to change before breakfast, but she was worried the children wouldn't eat if she didn't sit with them, so she chose to eat first and freshen up later.
As soon as she left, Xu Shen and Xu Wei quickly got down from their chairs and rushed toward the kitchen.
They didn't realise it earlier, but seeing the kitchen now spotless, Xu Wei paused, wide-eyed. "Brother…That woman wasn't pretending. She really cleaned the whole kitchen."
"It looks huge and clean now. Have we ever seen it like this before?"
He glanced around again. "There aren't any spider webs or insects either…It's really clean."
Xu Shen didn't say anything. He simply filled his bowl with noodles, then added the remaining toppings straight from the serving bowls to his bowl and returned to the dining table.
While Qin Lian was away taking a bath, the three children sat around the table, quietly finishing the last of the noodles and buns.
Their faces lit up with joy as they chewed on the still-warm meat buns, unaware of the storm that was about to crash down on them.
Just then, the front door was slammed open with a loud thud.
BANG!
"You little bastards! What the hell are you up to now? It smells delicious outside. Did your father bring something delicious again?!"
The woman mocked, already picturing herself stealing everything away for her own family.
Huang Zedong's shrill voice cut through the air like a knife as she entered the house, her eyes immediately fixing on the children sitting around the round dining table.
She froze.
There they were, chewing happily on the meat buns, their small hands glistening with oil and meat juices. Her gaze shifted to the side, where bags of fresh groceries were stacked neatly on the wooden table.
It was more than she had ever bought!
Her eyes gleamed with greed. So many things. So much food.
But the moment she saw the meat buns in those filthy little hands, her expression darkened. Her lips curled in disgust, and her brows drew together in rage.
Meat? Eggs? These worthless rats dared to eat something like that without her permission?
Without warning, she lunged at Xu Wei like a crazed dog, yanking his arm so hard that he nearly toppled off the chair.
"You filthy little thief! Who gave you permission to touch these? Meat? Eggs? Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
Her voice was sharp and venomous, each word dripping with hatred.
"You think you deserve this? You think you're little emperors just because I'm not home? I feed you every damn day, and this is how you repay me?"
The room fell silent.
The children froze, their faces pale. The moment they had feared was here; it had finally come.
"Give it to me! Don't you know bastard children like you don't deserve food like this?" she snapped, eyes narrowing at the half-eaten meat bun.
The little one's grip was stronger than she had expected. It made her even angrier.
"How dare you touch these things behind my back? Who gave you that kind of courage, huh? You think you can steal from me?!"
Xu Wei trembled as the woman suddenly lunged at him and snatched the food from his hand. The force of her grip and constant pulling made him stumble and fall from the chair.
He hit the ground hard, burst into tears, and sat there crying, frightened and helpless.
The bun has not only been snatched but also fallen on the ground, in crumbles.
Xu Hao, too, was terrified. His eyes welled up, and he began crying loudly, making the scene even more heart-wrenching.
Xu Shen's hands clenched into fists. He glared at the woman, his eyes cold as he stood up from the chair.
"This is our house," he said, his voice sharp and unwavering. "How is this stealing? These buns were bought by our father for us. Since when did they belong to you?"
Huang Zedong sneered, amused by the little brat's rebellion. Until now, he had always been silent and obedient and never dared to talk back. And now he had the guts to question her?
"Father? Hah! Don't make me laugh," she scoffed.
"Just because you live under this roof, you've forgotten your place? You don't belong here. You're nothing but a burden on Xu Yinchen. No wonder that man is still single at the age of thirty." She sneered.
"Who would want to marry someone who is dragging along so many filthy leeches?"
Her voice grew sharp, louder, dripping with spite. "First, his shameless sister got pregnant without getting married and ran off with that city man, only to be abandoned by his family."
"She not only brought shame to the Xu Family, but also, even after her death, Xu Yinchen was stuck raising her bastard children. What a joke! What a damn sin!" She spat on the ground, her face contorted with rage.
Back then, she had her eye on Xu Yinchen. He was handsome, was serving in the military, and held a steady and respectable job. She didn't care about Xu Yinchen's family situation, as it was better for her.
His parents passed away soon after his sister ran away from home, bringing shame to the family, and he had no other family to take care of. He was earning well and even had a house, what else could she expect? Moreover, he was the most handsome man in the village.
She'd been planning to marry her daughter to him. Everything had been going well until last year, when his sister and her husband died in an accident, and Xu Yinchen returned from the military… with three bastards in tow.
He had left his job and opened a pig farm to raise them, as he couldn't go anywhere else to work.
She didn't care about the job change as long as he had enough money. But making her daughter become a stepmother to someone else's children?
Absolutely not!
That's why she agreed to take this job. Not to care for the children, but to torment them, drive them away. She thought they'd run off long ago.
But no, they endured, clung to the house like leeches, draining everything from her dreams. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Her voice turned into a cold sneer.
"Do you even know what a characterless woman your mother was? She got herself knocked up before marriage and got pregnant with a bastard. With you!" she sneered coldly, jabbing a finger at Xu Shen's forehead.
"You were the reason she ran away with that city man and shamed her parents in front of the entire village!"
"You should've died with them. But no! You're still here, breathing, leeching off others like a damn parasite. Don't you feel even a shred of shame?" she scoffed, glaring at Xu Shen as if he were nothing more than a roach crawling through her life.
Xu Shen's eyes darkened the moment he heard her words.
He had never talked back, not when she shouted at him, not even when she beat him.
But the moment she smeared his mother's name, something inside him snapped.
He couldn't bear it.
"Don't insult my mother!" he shouted and used all his strength to shove her away.
"Ahhh!"