WBSGVS Chapter 63 V1

The children were crying pitifully, and the middle-aged woman’s face looked just as bad. She spoke in a deep voice, “Oldest son’s house, if you want to eat, just eat. It’s not that we don’t let you, but what are you doing?!”

This woman was Zhang Cui, the mother of Xiang Lifeng.

Usually, matters between women are handled by women themselves; men don’t interfere. The grandfather of the three children was still working in the fields.

Dabao’s eyes were already red from crying. She regretted giving the snake to Qingli, hoping she could still get a bite. But her stepmother just dumped it out!

Qingli smiled sweetly and honestly repeated what had happened, “I ate it by myself. They got angry and tried to hit me, so I fought back. Then, they deliberately poured out the rest of the soup, refusing to let them eat. So, what are you planning to do?”

Zhang Cui: “???”

The three children were also stunned for a moment.

Was the stepmother really this bold? Wasn’t she just coaxing them before, trying not to upset them?

They could understand being hit since they had struck first. But now, in front of their grandmother, she still dared to act this way?

Zhang Cui was so angry that she laughed, her finger trembling as she pointed at her, shouting, “You still have the nerve to be in the right?!”

Qingli casually crossed her arms and leaned against the kitchen door, looking like a troublemaker. “Yes, I’m in the right. I made sure they had enough to eat at lunch. I was still hungry, so what was wrong if I ate some by myself? They’re making a big fuss over it! Fine, I won’t eat alone, but today’s meat was bought with my dowry money. If you have the guts, pay me back for the meat first!”

Zhang Cui froze for a moment, quickly suppressing her anger. She had specifically sent a small plate of meat to the neighbor’s house at lunch, and when she checked, the three grandkids had indeed eaten their fill.

At the time, she had even sighed to her husband, grateful that they had found such a good stepmother, someone who even pretended to be generous with meat for the kids. Not everyone would be willing to pretend in that way.

Thinking of this, Zhang Cui awkwardly smiled, “Isn’t it normal to feed the kids? When you’re old, they’ll take care of you!”

Qingli gave the three snot-faced children a disdainful look, then shifted her gaze away, shaking her head. “Please, they’re not even my real children. Just look at them—fed, and I’m still hungry. Now, when I try to eat something, they’re fighting me for it. Do you think they’ll take care of me when I’m old? If I eat even one more grain of rice, I bet we’ll fight!”

These three children were used to bullying the weak and fearing the strong. In her past life, the original owner had tolerated them, and they had only grown bolder, even resorting to harming an unborn child.

Did they think the original owner couldn’t fight back?

She hadn’t bothered to argue with them before.

Now, dealing with such ingrates, waiting for them to take care of her in her old age? It was better to wait for death!

Zhang Cui’s face darkened, but she knew she had acted hastily. She feared her son’s wife was bullying her grandchildren. As soon as she heard them call out, she rushed over. But this whole act was embarrassing. While they weren’t the most well-fed, they hadn’t lacked anything.

Was it worth fighting her stepmother over food?

She said impatiently, “Fine, you eat, you eat.” Then she turned away, saying loudly, “Come on, let’s go back to Grandma’s house and have some candy.”

The three children couldn’t understand why the stepmother, who was eating alone, hadn’t been taught a lesson, especially since they had been hit. If it just ended like this, they wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Dabao, feeling desperate, held onto Grandma’s hand. “No, no! I caught the snake and the crabs! Why should she get to eat them all?”

Zhang Cui widened her eyes and immediately turned toward her. “What’s going on, Oldest son’s house?”

There was a big difference between a child stealing food and an adult stealing food from a child.

Qingli sneered, pointing to the side of the kitchen where vegetables were washed, “The snake and the crabs, as well as a dead rat, were all found in my bed. I don’t know how it happened, but when I lifted the blanket, there they were. The snake even tried to bite me. Look, its skin’s still there. When I saw it, I was so scared that I hit my head, and I fainted for a while.”

Zhang Cui’s face twisted as she followed her finger to the spot, and her eyelids twitched.

When Qingli saw that Zhang Cui had noticed, she looked at the three children with a sarcastic smile. “I was wondering how a snake suddenly appeared. Turns out it was these three kids who sent it over. How did it end up in my bed? Would you like me to send you some too? Ten snakes each, how about that?”

“No, no!” Dabao immediately had an image of the snake in the blanket flashing in her mind and shuddered, shaking her head wildly. She ran to hide behind Zhang Cui.

Erbao also looked scared, shaking his head and stepping back.

Only Sanbao, the youngest, still didn’t understand the danger and clung to Zhang Cui’s leg. “Grandma, I want to eat snake!”

Zhang Cui’s face turned red. She smacked Sanbao and forced a smile. “Old Second’s kids don’t know any better. You, as the adult, should give them a break. When Second Son comes back, I’ll make sure to praise you to him.”

Qingli gave her a mocking look. “Oh, now you realize what’s going on? What happened to the kids? I’m my parents’ child too! Why should I let them off?”

Zhang Cui’s face darkened. Seeing that reasoning wasn’t getting her anywhere, she asked, “So what do you want? Are you going to catch ten snakes and send them to the kids’ beds? Do you have the guts to do that?”

Qingli replied coldly, “I can’t do that, but I can’t swallow this either. So, I’m done being a stepmother!”

We’re all first-time parents. Everyone is someone’s child, so why should a woman have to endure these unruly kids just because she’s a stepmother?

Stepchildren can be very destructive!

Qingli said it all so frankly.

The three children’s eyes lit up, exchanging glances. Their faces, smeared with tears and snot, now showed signs of glee. They stopped crying and just stared at the two, afraid things might change.

“What? You’re not going to be one anymore?” Zhang Cui was startled.

She panicked for a moment, but when she saw Qingli’s expression, she realized she was just venting. Still, she didn’t dare to push her too hard. A knowledgeable and beautiful daughter-in-law was hard to come by, and her son wasn’t one to casually agree to remarry. Besides, it was clear that Qingli’s background was excellent.

Zhang Cui tried to soften her tone, saying, “Look at you, it’s just a small matter, why make it sound so serious?”

“I think it’s very serious!” Qing Li said seriously. “I don’t want to argue with you, but as for being a stepmother, I don’t plan on continuing. Whoever wants to be one can be. The dowry you gave is with my grandmother; I didn’t accept it, nor did I want it. The food I’ve been giving these ungrateful wolves these past few days counts as my room and board.”

Zhang Cui was flustered. Seeing her heading to her room, she quickly followed, pulling her and trying to coax her, “Lao Er’s family, don’t throw a tantrum. Lao Er is just busy with the army. Once he gets a promotion, maybe the family can join him. At that point, being a military officer’s wife, you’ll have a glorious life…”

“No, I don’t want that,” Qing Li interrupted. “This is a trial marriage, not a formal one. Since it doesn’t work out, there’s no need to continue. Remember to come pick up the dowry.”

She pushed Zhang Cui away and entered the room, quickly closing the door and locking it. She started packing her things.

There was a dead mouse on the bed, but Qing Li didn’t touch it.

After all, the bed wasn’t hers; it was the original owner’s, and her things were still in the wardrobe, unused.

She didn’t have much, just clothes and shoes, but it filled up one big bag.

Zhang Cui was still outside knocking. Seeing that her daughter-in-law didn’t respond, she became even more anxious, her sweat dripping. She tried to persuade her, “In life, there are bound to be conflicts. The children are just getting to know you. They’re a bit scared. They did this because someone incited them.”

But despite her efforts, there was no response from inside, only the sound of Qing Li rummaging through the things. This made Zhang Cui even more anxious.

Finally, she couldn’t hold back her anger and dragged the three grandkids over. She said in a cold voice, “Kneel!”

“Grandma!” Daba and Erbao exclaimed in shock.

Zhang Cui shouted angrily, “Do you still have any reason for this? Who taught you to put a mouse and snake in your mom’s bed? Was it that gossiping woman from the village? Ugh, it makes me so angry! Kneel and apologize to your mom!”

“I won’t!” Daba said stubbornly. “She’s a bad stepmother! She hit us, and it’s better if she leaves!”

“Slap!” Zhang Cui slapped Daba on the back and pushed her down, forcing her to kneel. With a stern face, she said, “What are you saying? Do you not know why your mom hit you? Kneel!”

“Wuwuwu… I won’t!” Daba cried. She hadn’t expected Grandma to not stand with her. She felt wronged and upset, but she was unwilling to kneel to the stepmother. Her face turned red as she struggled.

Erbao saw this and rushed to help, pushing Zhang Cui away and pulling Daba to run. “Hurry, let’s go!”

Zhang Cui stumbled back but managed to steady herself. Her anger rose again. She shouted at the top of her lungs, “Come back!”

But the two children had already run away like rabbits, disappearing in a flash.

The door that had been tightly shut creaked open.

Zhang Cui was about to smile apologetically, but Qing Li, who seemed to have known everything that happened outside, wore a slight smile as she spoke, “How’s it going? Didn’t I tell you? They’re all ungrateful. No matter how kind you are to them, they don’t remember. The moment you’re bad to them, they remember it clearly. With such kids, spoiled by you, I can’t handle them!”

Seeing the bag on Qing Li’s shoulder, Zhang Cui’s heart sank. Even though hearing those words made her feel cold, she still didn’t relent. In her panic, she glanced down and saw the youngest, Sanbao, who hadn’t run away yet. She quickly pushed him in front of Qing Li and said, “Look, there’s still one left. Sanbao is the sweetest, and he’s young, so he’ll get used to you. In the future, he’ll treat you like his real mom.”

Sanbao blinked his eyes, though he didn’t speak, he was a bit cuter than the other two.

Qing Li smiled even more. “Are you sure that with these two older siblings, he’ll get used to you? I’m afraid it’ll be all for nothing.”

Zhang Cui was speechless. The performance of her two grandsons had already made it obvious that they were having a bad influence on Sanbao.

Qing Li walked around them and left with big strides.

Zhang Cui watched her leave without hesitation, feeling frustrated. She slapped her forehead in confusion. Not only had she lost a daughter-in-law in an instant, but Lao Er was also likely to have problems. On top of that, the two grandsons seemed to have grown up wrong, rejecting their stepmother so strongly!

This couldn’t be because of the family.

Who was talking bad behind her back? She would give them a piece of her mind!

Qing Li walked eastward.