Chapter 53: Lao Er Branches Out

“Second Brother, what are you planning to do? Just tell me,” Mo Haoyue patted Mo Lao Er’s back and asked.

“I want to split off and live separately, but I don’t know…” Mo Lao Er said, unsure how to express himself.

Mo Haoyue: “Second Brother, are you worried about not having enough to eat or live on? I’ll figure something out for you, but you have to think carefully, are you really sure you want to split the family?”

Mo Lao Er nodded without hesitation, “Even if I starve myself after splitting the family, I won’t let my wife and children starve. I have to split up. If we don’t split up, your second sister-in-law…”

Mo Haoyue looked at his second brother’s tear-filled eyes, unable to understand why their mother was so partial. Second Brother was her own son, and the most filial of all the children, yet he was driven to this point.

No wonder Mi Xia didn’t forgive his mother when he was away.

Mo Haoyue’s heart ached, feeling a sense of empathy. “Second Brother, leave it to me. Since you’re determined to split the family, I’ll definitely help you with it. I’ll take care of your housing and food as well.”

Mo Lao Er crouched down, clutching his head. “Fourth Brother, thank you.”

“Second Brother, what are you saying? We’re brothers,” Mo Haoyue patted Mo Lao Er’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Lao Si, your father and I have packed up. Where are you?” Xu Cuihua’s loud voice rang out from outside.

“Second Brother, I’ll go out first. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Mom and Dad about this when I get back.”

After saying this, Mo Haoyue walked out of the room with heavy steps. Seeing his parents’ beaming faces, he sneered, but his expression remained unchanged.

“Why did you come out of Lao Er’s room? What did Lao Er call you for? You’re always causing trouble,” Xu Cuihua glared fiercely at Mo Haoyue who had just left the room.

“Mom, why are you scolding Second Brother? Can’t brothers just talk?”

Mo Haoyue had joined the army at the age of 16 and rarely came home, so he didn’t know much about what was going on at home.

Xu Cuihua dared not do anything to Mo Haoyue, so she angrily went over and grabbed Mo Lao Er’s ear. Seeing this, Mo Haoyue quickly used a clever move to remove Xu Cuihua’s hand from Mo Lao Er’s ear.

Mo Lao Er looked at Xu Cuihua with a hurt expression. “Mom, for so many years, I’ve never asked you why First Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law don’t have to do housework, while my wife and Fourth Sister-in-law work day and night. They finish the fieldwork and still have to do housework when they get home.”

“I, a grown man, won’t say anything. I do whatever Mom asks me to do, but…”

Before Mo Lao Er could finish, Xu Cuihua was about to start scolding, but OLd Man Mo was afraid that Xu Cuihua would mention Mi Xia again, so he quickly grabbed her arm and twisted it hard.

“Lao Si is still here,” OLd Man Mo whispered in Xu Cuihua’s ear.

Xu Cuihua let out an “Ow!”, OLd Man Mo awkwardly glanced at Mo Haoyue, then said to Mo Lao Er, “Lao Er, this is your mother’s fault. I’ll personally watch over her from now on, and this won’t happen again.”

Mo Lao Er stood silently in place, and OLd Man Mo couldn’t help but get angry, but with Mo Haoyue still around, he could only suppress his anger.

The atmosphere became tense. After a while, Mo Lao Er finally spoke, “Dad, Mom, our family wants to split off and live separately.”

Xu Cuihua’s face turned livid with anger, her body trembling. “Good, you ungrateful wretch! I raised you with so much hardship, and this is how you treat me? You’ve forgotten your mother now that you have a wife!”

“I should have strangled you when you were born! It’s a curse! I’d rather be dead!” Xu Cuihua yelled while sitting on the ground and slapping her legs.

In the past, when Mo Lao Er angered Xu Cuihua, she would do this. Within a minute, Mo Lao Er would help her up and apologize, but this time, he didn’t move after waiting for a long time.

Seeing that Mo Lao Er didn’t move, Xu Cuihua got up herself. “Fine, Lao Er, you want to split up, right? Let’s do it today.”

“Don’t take anything. Get out with your wife and children!”

“Mom!” Mo Haoyue narrowed his eyes at Xu Cuihua.

Xu Cuihua said weakly, “How else should we split? He got married, raised children, all of which cost money, didn’t I pay for it all?”

“Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law get up before dawn to work. Why don’t you say that you should give them the grain they deserve? They don’t need the house, but they should get more grain, or more money.”

If they continued to live together, even if his mother didn’t make them work, she would still speak sarcastically. It was better to let Second Brother’s family move out.

Mo Lao Er looked gratefully at Mo Haoyue. He silently remembered this. Although he couldn’t help Fourth Brother now, in the future, as long as Fourth Brother asked, he would do anything, even risk his life.

Xu Cuihua secretly tugged at OLd Man Mo’s sleeve.

“Fine, since you want to live separately, then let’s do it as Lao Si said. Go call the village chief,” OLd Man Mo sighed.

Ignoring the pain in his ear, Mo Lao Er went to find the village chief.

Because Mo Haoyue was there, Xu Cuihua didn’t cause any trouble, and the family split up smoothly, but Mo Lao Er had to give his parents filial piety every year.

“Second Brother, you and Second Sister-in-law should pack your bags. I’ll be back from the county town.” Mo Haoyue instructed.

“Fourth Brother, thank you,” Mo Lao Er said, his voice choked with emotion.

OLd Man Mo didn’t want to let Lao Er’s family leave. His wife didn’t realize it, but he knew that the eldest and third sons were all smooth-talking and unreliable.

Only Lao Er and Lao Si were dependable and filial, yet his wife had offended both of them. OLd Man Mo sighed helplessly.

This matter delayed their schedule, and it was already 11 am.

Mo Haoyue hired an ox-cart and took his parents to the county town. Even though they hurried, they still arrived after lunch.

As soon as Xu Cuihua saw Liu Baoguo and Wang Fen, she was shocked by their attire. These two people looked rich and powerful.

She stared at them, her eyes gleaming, as if she saw piles of money. Even OLd Man Mo couldn’t stand it anymore and pushed Xu Cuihua.

“Sorry, something came up at home,” OLd Man Mo had a smile that Mo Haoyue had never seen before.

“It’s okay, have a seat. Order whatever you want,” Liu Baoguo said politely.

Xu Cuihua’s eyes lit up, and she smiled even more sincerely. She had never eaten at a state-run restaurant in her life. She didn’t expect her first time to be a feast.

“No, no, you guys order,” Xu Cuihua said, but her eyes never left the menu.

Liu Baoguo saw Xu Cuihua’s reaction and understood. He politely said, “I don’t know what you like, you can choose.”

Xu Cuihua had heard that the seafood at the state-run restaurant was delicious, but she had never been able to afford it. Now that someone was treating her, she had to eat her fill.

Xu Cuihua took the menu and said: I want this, this, and this. One crab for each of us, four bowls of shredded pork noodles, and a bowl of braised pork, quickly.

As soon as Xu Cuihua finished speaking, the waiter asked, “Waste is shameful, can you finish so much?”

At this time, the state-run restaurants had guaranteed food quality, with virtually no shoddy goods or short weight. Every portion was full.

…