WBSGVS Chapter 69 V1

Xiang Lifeng indeed had thoughts of trying to keep Du Qingli around, and his daughter’s vehement objections stirred a bit of guilt within him.

It was already unfair to have a nineteen-year-old girl marry him and become a stepmother. He’d heard from her mother that Du Qingli had initially treated all three children well, even sharing some meat with them.

Their biological mother probably wouldn’t want them eating meat every day, let alone being full.

And yet, his three children repaid her kindness with dead mice? Anyone in his shoes would be angry, not to mention how much Du Qingli’s father cared for her.

Of course, this anger only arose after he discovered the dead mice on his bed.

Zhang Cui was very busy and didn’t have much time to clean her son’s room; it was already commendable that she managed to tidy up the yard, which had been ransacked by the three kids.

The sight of those dead mice made Xiang Lifeng feel nauseated.

If he hadn’t already digested everything he had for breakfast, he might have thrown up.

This incident delayed him by another hour.

There was no way he could keep the bedding that had a dead mouse lying on it for days!

He burned everything, making sure the room was spotless before wiping away the dust, and changing into a fresh outfit, and only then did he feel somewhat presentable as he headed out.

When he arrived at Du Jia Village, he felt a bit anxious.

To his surprise, as he got closer, he unexpectedly bumped into Du Qingli, who was riding her bicycle, with a small gray-brown puppy in her basket.

They encountered each other on the road; Qingli had intended to pass by without stopping.

She thought everything that needed to be said had already been said, and with the bride price returned, there was no relationship left.

However, Xiang Lifeng was approaching her. Except for the initial moment of confusion when he first saw her—where he thought she seemed a bit prettier these days—he quickly realized she hadn’t noticed him and called out, “Qingli, it’s me!”

With a helpless smile, Qingli stopped her bike. The little puppy in her basket whimpered and stirred slightly before curling up and shivering.

Xiang Lifeng hurried over, his expression apologetic. “Qingli, I’m sorry. The kids at home bullied you.” He presented her with a ladies’ watch. “This is an apology gift; I hope you can accept my apology.”

A watch as a gift?

Qingli raised an eyebrow, smiled lightly, and shook her head. “Thank you, but it’s too precious; I can’t accept it.”

Xiang Lifeng’s smile faded, and he said with some frustration, “Actually, I think your decision was too hasty. I initially thought we could accept each other. Da Bao and the others were just playing pranks; once I teach them properly, they won’t dare do such things again.”

Qingli smiled slightly, shaking her head. “No thanks, I don’t want to teach them. But I will remind you of something.”

Xiang Lifeng’s expression changed subtly, disappointment flickering across his face, yet he looked at her earnestly.

Qingli continued, “Da Bao and Er Bao seem a bit misguided. I don’t know who told them this, but they harbor hostility towards their stepmother. Did your mother tell you that the snakes they brought into my room were venomous?”

“Venomous?!” Xiang Lifeng exclaimed, genuinely shocked.

He hadn’t expected that.

He thought the dead mice were already disgusting enough.

Xiang Lifeng’s face darkened as he rubbed his temples, and the thought of Da Bao, Er Bao, and San Bao’s attitudes only deepened his frustration.

But he had to put that aside. He took out the watch again. “I’m sorry. The kids crossed the line. Please accept this watch; it’s just a symbol of my apology. They should be apologizing to you.”

“Don’t need it; I wasn’t bitten,” Qingli waved her hand, her tone light yet with a hint of mischief. “Besides, I returned the favor; you should have seen the gift I prepared for you. That’s sufficient.”

Xiang Lifeng recalled what he had seen earlier, and his face turned green again as he forced a smile. “I saw it.”

Qingli laughed and got back on her bike. “Alright then, take care. I need to go home now; the puppy I just found is a bit scared.”

Xiang Lifeng nodded politely. “Goodbye.”

They parted ways, but Xiang Lifeng didn’t turn around immediately. Instead, he stood still, watching her figure shrink until it disappeared around the corner, sighing heavily before heading back.

On the other side, Da Bao and Er Bao, frightened by their biological father, had no choice but to return home by noon.

They were just too hungry.

They naturally headed to their grandparents’ house.

However, as they stealthily approached the yard, not seeing Xiang Lifeng’s figure, they were just about to relax and share a grin when Xiang Lifeng appeared at the entrance, holding a stick.

Close the door and beat the dog!

The two kids’ not-so-smart little minds recalled this saying often uttered by adults, and they immediately panicked and scattered in all directions.

Xiang Lifeng’s serious expression was particularly intimidating. Seeing his daughter and son run again, his face darkened further. He locked the yard gate and marched over with the stick.

Catching one, Xiang Lifeng swung the stick down onto her bottom, angry. “You think you’re clever! First the dead mice, and now you’re catching snakes? Do you believe I’ll throw you into a pile of snakes?”

“Thud—” the sound of the stick hitting flesh echoed.

The first to be caught, Da Bao, began to cry out, “Wah—” while desperately struggling, but she couldn’t escape Xiang Lifeng’s grip and could only be held down and struck.

Three swats each.

Xiang Lifeng didn’t hit too hard, but for a child, it was already quite painful.

Afterward, he released her. Da Bao lay on the ground, still, and nearby, her cousin from her uncle’s family, who had been fighting with her earlier, was laughing at her.

“Wahhh…” Da Bao was not only in pain this time but also felt the embarrassment and frustration of being humiliated.

Next up was Er Bao.

As soon as Xiang Lifeng grabbed him, Er Bao began to cry, as if he had already been beaten. “Wah wah wah…”

Zhang Cui, who had been trying to persuade him earlier, could no longer hold back and rushed forward to pull her grandson back. “Enough, enough! You’ve already punished Da Bao; that should be sufficient for Er Bao.”

Xiang Lifeng, keeping a straight face, ignored her and continued to punish Er Bao.

“Smack!” With just one hit, Er Bao cried out in pain, shouting, “Grandma! It hurts! Grandma…”

Zhang Cui’s heart ached for him; she couldn’t help but push her son away, cradling Er Bao in her arms, exclaiming, “That’s enough! You’ve been tough in the army, but now you come back and hit your son? The one who should be punished is you!”

Xiang Lifeng was at a loss for words. “Mom, what’s wrong with me? They did something wrong; I’m just trying to educate them!”

Zhang Cui scolded sharply, “You’ve been away from home for so long, and you’ve neglected them! They made a mistake, so you’re teaching them a lesson, but you’ve never actually taught them anything!”

Xiang Lifeng paused, his hand hovering in mid-air, ready to grab Er Bao again.

Zhang Cui didn’t realize how impactful her words were for her son. Seeing that he had stopped punishing Er Bao, she felt particularly relieved. In rural areas, most people favored sons over daughters, and she was no exception. She could endure a couple of hits on her granddaughter but couldn’t stand seeing her grandson cry.

She took him into her room, offered him some candy to console him, and whispered, “You mustn’t confront your stepmother anymore; if you make your dad angry, even grandma can’t save you.”

Er Bao sobbed, clinging tightly to her, feeling wronged. “Grandma, it hurts!”

“Alright, let grandma rub it for you, rub it for you.”

Outside, Xiang Lifeng stood frozen for a long time, wanting to ask his eldest daughter why she harbored such resentment towards her stepmother. But as he approached, Da Bao glared at him with resentment, pushing him away. “You bad dad! Get lost!”

At that moment, the yard door opened, and Da Bao took the opportunity to run outside.

Xiang Lifeng, feeling a headache coming on, quickly chased after her. The father-daughter duo tussled for a while before finally returning home. To truly pacify Da Bao, Xiang Lifeng had to promise her a lot.

In the end, Da Bao, with red eyes, asked, “Dad, can we not have a stepmother?”

Xiang Lifeng fell silent. “Can you first tell Dad who said that all stepmothers are bad?”