Chapter 16: A Mouthful of Food Isn’t Enough to Move Me This Much

Zhao Fengtian’s sixth sense warned him of a cold, ominous presence. He glanced over and immediately felt the intense, unkind gaze of Zhao Maizhou…

It startled him so much that he shivered.

Though his second brother seemed honest and kind-hearted, that slap was incredibly painful.

Being the second child in this family, much like Zhao Maizhou, he was also a child who was not favored by their mother. Their age difference was significant, and Zhao Fengtian’s childhood had been closely tied with Zhao Maizhou’s presence. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Zhao Maizhou played a large role in raising him.

This meant that Zhao Maizhou did not spare any effort when it came to teaching him lessons.

He feared that another person with skewed morals might emerge in the family—Zhao Jia Guo was already a disaster enough. If anyone else like that appeared, the family would be doomed.

Instinctively wanting to survive, Zhao Fengtian quickly changed the subject. He stood up as if to show his determination.

“Well, in that case, I think what second brother said makes sense. Mother, let’s just let sister-in-law stay at home. It doesn’t really change anything.”

Li  Xiaoxing, seeing both of them speak, also quietly chimed in, “Mother, let’s let Big Sister-in-law stay. It won’t hurt us; we’re not short on food.”

Wang  Miaomiao looked at the others with tears welling up in her eyes. She never expected them to stand up for her like this.

This gave her a glimmer of hope, and she didn’t want to give up. In an instant, she knelt down.

“Mother, I can work for the family. I promise I’ll eat less. Just let me stay, please.”

Chen Shuilian was taken aback. Why did she kneel down all of a sudden?

She didn’t even have time to react.

She nervously cleared her throat. “Ahem, get up and speak properly!”

Wang  Miaomiao remained kneeling, unmoving, and wouldn’t rise.

Chen Shuilian slapped the table sharply. ” Xiaoxing, help her up! What’s with all the crying and wailing? If someone didn’t know any better, they’d think I was bullying her! Besides, did I say I was kicking her out?”

Hearing this, Li Xiaoxing quickly went to help Wang  Miaomiao up. “Sister-in-law, get up! Mother isn’t kicking you out.”

“Thank you, Mother. Thank you so much.” The overwhelming relief hit Wang  Miaomiao like a wave, and the sensation of a huge light shining in the darkness made her want to cling to it desperately.

“Enough of this! I never said I was going to kick you out! You all have too much time on your hands, thinking about all these useless things. Why not use that energy to clean up around the house?”

Chen Shuilian, seeing that they were all overly worried, continued, “I said it in front of that unfilial son—if he dares to abandon this family for that woman, I’ll accept you as my daughter. I’m not just saying this for no reason. From today on, you’re my goddaughter. And from now on, all of you should stop calling her ‘sister-in-law.’ Just call her by her name directly, so no one will think she’s still tied to that beast!”

The three of them were stunned after hearing her words.

She’s gone mad. She’s really lost her mind.

How else could she say something like this?

Zhao Fengtian, being younger and not thinking as deeply, said joyfully, “Sister-in-law… Oh, no, I mean… Miao, that’s not right…”

Chen Shuilian interrupted him, “Since she’s now my goddaughter, and she’s older than your second brother, you all should just call her ‘older sister.’”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Zhao Fengtian quickly agreed. “Older sister, with what Mother just said, you can stay at home with peace of mind. From now on, you’re like my real sister.”

Zhao Maizhou also smiled and called out, “Older sister.”

Li  Xiaoxing, still adjusting, awkwardly said, “Older sister…”

Suddenly, “sister-in-law” became “older sister,” and with it, a change in status that she wasn’t quite used to.

Wang  Miaomiao quietly wiped away a tear. “Thank you, Mother. Thank you, second brother, second sister-in-law, thank you, little brother.”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Chen Shuilian instructed, “And from now on, don’t mention that unfilial son in front of me. He’s no longer part of this family. Even if he crawls back on his face, you don’t need me to step in—just throw him out yourselves. Understood?”

“Understood.” They all nodded in agreement.

Although they all thought that Chen Shuilian might change her mind later and forgive their elder brother, they didn’t dare to test her patience now.

“Good. Now, eat.” Chen Shuilian picked up the flatbreads from the table and started handing them out.

If she didn’t do this, these people, even if they weren’t full, clearly wouldn’t dare to take any more.

“Everyone’s got such big frames, how can you eat just this little? Eat up!”

“Thank you, Mother.” The others took their flatbreads, and another round of gratitude filled the room.

Chen Shuilian watched as the children ate with gusto, feeling an overwhelming sense of reflection. In her previous life, she had been blind and heartless, neglecting such a good group of children while stubbornly favoring her eldest son.

Look at them now. All she did was give each of them a flatbread, and they were all gazing at her with tears in their eyes, as if saying, “Mother is so good, we love her so much.”

“…”

After finishing his meal, Zhao Fengtian patted his stomach contentedly. This had been the most satisfying lunch in a long time. He was full. He had even said he didn’t want more, but Mother just kept giving him food.

Such a feeling, one he had never experienced before, was so good!

He thought to himself, if only Mother wouldn’t change her mind. Without Eldest Brother here, not only could they eat their fill, but even eggs could be on the table…

This life really seemed to have a bright future.

With that thought in mind, Zhao Fengtian, making sure Chen Shuilian wasn’t looking, quietly leaned over to Zhao Maizhou and whispered, “Second Brother, how long do you think it’ll be before Mother changes her mind?”

Zhao Maizhou thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I can’t guess.”

“Me neither. Everything that happened today feels like a dream. I never expected Mother would stop favoring Eldest Brother today,” Zhao Fengtian whispered conspiratorially. “I really hope Mother won’t regret this. That way, Eldest Brother won’t come back.”

Zhao Maizhou whispered back, “Keep your voice down, don’t let Mother hear.”

“I know, don’t scare me.”

Zhao Fengtian, feeling guilty, glanced over at Chen Shuilian to see if she was paying attention. When he saw she wasn’t, he let out a relieved sigh.

“Second Brother, do you think my wish will come true?”

“Who knows? Let’s take it one step at a time.”

“True, while Eldest Brother isn’t here, we can at least catch our breath.”

After saying this, the two brothers exchanged a glance, their unspoken words conveying all the past grievances they had silently endured.