WBSGVS Chapter 62 V2

Three-year-old San Bao, being a clever yet still childish little one, was already drooling. Excitedly, he said, “I want to eat! I want to eat!”

Da Bao smiled. “Alright, go watch her. If she sneaks any food, you start crying, got it?”

San Bao nodded vigorously. “Got it!”

Da Bao opened the door and let him out.

With a creak, Qing Li, who was in the kitchen cooking snake soup, heard the sound and looked outside. She saw a three-year-old child blinking his big eyes at her.

Their eyes met, and San Bao smiled wide, bouncing over.

Qing Li tilted her head and stood up.

Da Bao and Er Bao, peeking from the window, grinned smugly. Just as the villagers had said, this stepmother hadn’t yet settled in and wouldn’t dare do anything to them. Seeing San Bao, she would surely come over to greet him.

The gray-brown kitchen door slammed shut, blocking the view of the three children outside. The smile on the three-year-old Sanbao’s face faltered, and Daobao and Erbao were both stunned.

“She closed the door?” Daobao couldn’t believe it.

Erbao furrowed his brows. “Does she want to eat everything by herself?”

Daobao immediately became angry, ready to charge in, but was held back by the calm Erbao, who said, “Wait a bit. If she eats everything, then we’ll make a fuss. Otherwise, it’s pointless.”

Daobao stared at the kitchen door, stomping her feet in frustration. She regretted it deeply—how could she not be afraid of them, and instead, give them food?

“Big sis~” Sanbao came back, his face looking a little aggrieved.

He almost made it inside, but this stepmother just closed the door on him!

Daobao gave her little brother a hug and whispered, “Don’t worry, soon we’ll go and make a scene. She won’t be able to get away with it!”

“Mm!” Sanbao nodded vigorously, sucking on his finger and eagerly looking at the kitchen.

Qingli’s temperament was cold and aloof. While she usually smiled and seemed easy-going, she never tolerated mischief from troublemakers.

The original owner had brought her here at this time so she wouldn’t get entangled with these three children, and Qingli had no intention of paying them any attention.

In the 70s and 80s, spices were scarce, but snake meat was tender, and just cooking it would make the kitchen smell delicious. After a while, the soup had turned a cloudy white, though it was far from milky white.

Once the snake soup was done, Qingli set it aside to cool and picked up the only crab she had. It was a little small, but she’d treat it like a Michelin meal.

First, she peeled off the shell, cut the meat into two pieces, then quickly prepared it and dropped it into the oil pan.

“Splish!” The sizzling sound was clear.

Outside the kitchen, the three kids, who hadn’t eaten anything fancy, wiped their mouths, their eyes growing even more eager. Daobao and Sanbao both looked at Erbao. “Little bro, is it ready?”

“Brother, I want to eat!” Sanbao whined.

Erbao was anxious too, but he wasn’t sure if the food was ready yet.

Just then, the cooking sounds stopped, and the clanging of the spatula against the big iron pot took over. Erbao quickly said, “Wait a bit longer!”

Daobao and Sanbao, having barely suppressed their cravings, waited patiently. About a minute later, Erbao waved his hand, and the three of them rushed toward the kitchen, shouting in unison, “Stepmom, you’re eating everything by yourself!!!”

Qingli ignored them and continued eating.

The crab wasn’t big, the meat was sparse, and though she was making a braised dish, she had no soy sauce. It tasted okay. She finished it in a few bites and then picked up the snake soup, blowing on it before sipping it.

The warm, salty, and fragrant broth filled her mouth, and her eyes closed in contentment. The noise outside seemed to belong to a completely different world.

However, Qingli had no intention of actually eating everything by herself. After a couple of bites, she found the soup too hot, so she walked over, opened the door, and saw the three little devils glaring at her.

The moment the door opened, Daobao immediately pointed at the bowl on the kitchen counter, excited like she had discovered something new. She accused and threatened, “You’re eating everything by yourself! I’m going to tell my grandpa and dad!”

“She’s eating everything by herself!” Sanbao echoed, pouting as though Qingli had done something utterly unforgivable.

Erbao looked at her coldly, with a trace of malice in his eyes.

Qingli deliberately smiled at them, licked her lips, and proudly declared, “Yes, I’m eating everything by myself. I don’t even know who sent me this, but this braised crab is delicious…”

Her voice was filled with amusement, but the more the three children heard it, the hungrier they became. When they noticed the discarded crab shells on the floor, their eyes instantly turned red.

Daobao, furious, rushed forward, raising her fist, wanting to hit her. “Wow! You bad stepmom, you’re eating everything by yourself! This is mine! Give it back!”

Qingli’s face turned cold. She grabbed Daobao’s hand and twisted it.

“Ahh!” Daobao screamed in pain, startling Erbao and Sanbao, who immediately charged at Qingli, shouting, “Let go of our sister!”

Qingli stepped aside, kicked Daobao out of the way, and watched her fall with a thud. Then she grabbed Erbao and Sanbao and tossed them both out of the room.

Seeing the three children piled up in a heap, Qingli clapped her hands in satisfaction, looking down at them with a smile. “You think I can’t handle you? You’re both stupid and wicked!”

Her words were laced with mockery.

Even Daobao and Erbao, at eight and five years old, couldn’t hold back, crying loudly, “Wahhh—”

Sanbao, too, had already started crying.

It was too much. They’d been hit!

They’d been beaten by their stepmom!

Erbao’s face turned red with shame and anger. What infuriated him most was how powerless he was under Qingli’s grip. Seeing her so arrogant, his eyes flashed with determination. He wiped his tears, scrambled to his feet, and ran outside, shouting as he went, “Grandma!”

Daobao and Sanbao quickly realized what was happening and ran out after him, crying out miserably, “Grandpa and Grandma! Wahh, the stepmom hit us!”

The two families lived next door, so the noise wasn’t hard to hear.

However, it was common for people to be out in the fields at this hour, so no one had noticed the commotion. But once the three kids ran out to report the incident, it wouldn’t be long before the whole village knew.

Qingli shrugged, turned back to the kitchen, and sat down to enjoy the snake soup, which had cooled to the perfect temperature.

As she was eating, she could hear the three kids crying and a middle-aged woman trying to calm them down.

The voices grew louder, and soon Daobao’s sharp accusing voice rang out clearly, “Grandma, she really ate everything by herself, and she even hit us, Wahhh…”

Qingli came out of the kitchen, holding her bowl, smiling as she poured the remaining soup out into the ditch. Grinning, she said, “Oh, that’s right. I’m eating everything by myself, and I won’t give it to you!”

The middle-aged woman froze in shock.

The kids, who had stopped crying but were still sniffing, looked at the scene in disbelief. Their cries immediately flared up again. “Wahhh—”