Chapter 13

Zhao Xiaoshu felt helpless. Which child did not wish for their mother to be gentle and amiable? Those who had never received love would yearn for such feelings even more. However, he did not know how to respond because he had never received it before.

“It’s great that you’re fine. Your second brother and I are here to take you home today. You don’t have to be an apprentice anymore.” Meng Yao removed a piece of paper from her pocket. It was the one she had given Zhao Xiaoshu with her signature when she sent him to the carpenter’s shop.

Meng Yao had returned to the carpenter’s shop after beating up the carpenter, and after talking to the carpenter’s wife, Meng Yao obtained the contract without much effort.

When Meng Yao was leaving, Ya’er came out to send her off and even apologized to her, saying that she shouldn’t have lied. Ya’er saw her father beat Zhao Xiaoshu up and put him into a sack. The carpenter said that if this matter spread, he would also put Ya’er in a sack.

“My mother is sick, so I can’t leave her alone, Ma’am. Will you treat Zhao Xiaoshu well when you take him home?” Ya’er felt guilty and uneasy.

“Don’t worry. Xiaoshu is my son, and I will treat him well,” Meng Yao said as she patted Ya’er’s head. “Your father won’t be able to hurt you for a while, but he’ll heal one day, so you and your mother need to discuss a different living situation, okay?”

“W-What should we do?” It seemed like Ya’er was asking herself.

“Help your father learn from his mistakes, or you can leave him,” Meng Yao said.

After all, this was someone else’s family matter, and Meng Yao had no right to interfere. Moreover, they were not related. Even if Meng Yao had taught the carpenter a lesson once, she could not possibly keep an eye on him forever.

Ya’er and her mother had to be independent.

“W-We’re going home?” Zhao Xiaoshu mumbled, “Can I honestly go home?”

“Of course, you can. That’s your home. You can go back if you want to,” Meng Yao said gently. “What happened to you was my fault. I suffered a great sin, and my body got injured when I birthed you. I could not bear it and blamed you. That’s why I was so hateful toward you in the past.”

“Don’t worry. It won’t happen again. I will make it up to you,” Meng Yao said sincerely.

Meng Yao thought that Zhao Xiaoshu would be touched. However, he sneered, “Did you find another place to throw me, Mother? Just like when you sent me to the carpenter shop to become an apprentice?”

Ying Luo’s predecessor had tricked Zhao Xiaoshu into becoming an apprentice at the carpenter’s shop.

“N-No, I only wanted you to suffer a little. I never expected the carpenter to be so cruel,” Meng Yao helplessly explained.

“Yes, he is cruel and vicious. But how would he have dared if it wasn’t for your hatred toward me? The carpenter would say that you don’t care about me and that you wouldn’t even feel sorry if he beat me to death. He also said you would thank him for getting rid of a burden like me.” Zhao Xiaoshu stared at Meng Yao expressionlessly and said coldly.

That d*mned carpenter would insult Zhao Xiaoshu and slander him. Meng Yao felt regretful for showing mercy to the carpenter. Such a person deserved to die.

Zhao Dahe stood up immediately. With a darkened expression, he dashed forward without a word.

“Hey, where are you going, Dahe?” Meng Yao asked.

“I’m going to beat that f*cker up! He hit my brother! Even I never touched Xiaoshu! He doesn’t have the right to touch my brother!” Zhao Dahe’s eyes were red and looked no different from a deranged beast.

Zhao Dahe’s reaction surprised Meng Yao.

After all, Zhao Dahe had never been close to his siblings. Perhaps, this was what Meng Yao had taught him. Only the Zhaos could hurt each other, no one else.

“Come back here, Dahe,” Meng Yao said calmly.

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“Mother, how can you bear this?” Zhao Dahe was confused.

“Of course, I can’t. I’ve already gone to vent my anger.” Meng Yao’s expression was calm. “I just regret not killing him. That’s why I broke one of his arms and one of his legs. I should’ve broken all his limbs.”

Zhao Dahe was dumbfounded. “Mother, what did you just say?”

“I said, hurry up and pack so we can go home. Mr. Niu is still waiting for us at the town entrance,” Meng Yao said.

Even after Zhao Dahe got on the oxcart, he was still in a daze. Zhao Xiaoshu was also stunned as he wondered if his mother truly avenged him.

The carpenter made a living with his skills, but Meng Yao broke his hand. There was nothing the carpenter could do to earn money now.

“Xiaoshu, you would have died if it weren’t for your mother’s insistence on coming to town to find you,” Mr. Niu sighed. “A mother is always connected to her children. Your mother had a vision that you ended up in a graveyard.”

Zhao Xiaoshu raised his head to look at Meng Yao as she forced a smile.

‘My mother dreamt I got thrown into a graveyard, so she rushed over to rescue me? Zhao Xiaoshu did not know how to describe his inner feelings. Perhaps, his mother sincerely wanted to take him home.

As Meng Yao said, she regretted what she did before. Zhao Xiaoshu wondered if he should believe his mother. He lowered his head and thought, ‘No, I can’t believe her so quickly.’

Meng Yao sighed. It seemed there was still a long way to go before she could warm Zhao Xiaoshu up. It would take time for Zhao Xiaoshu to start believing in Meng Yao. She knew she could not be impatient. Nonetheless, she at least brought Zhao Xiaoshu home.

‘If Xiaoshu doesn’t leave home, he won’t turn evil when he grows up, right?’

Meng Yao was confident she could use her love to nurture Zhao Xiaoshu after spending more time with him.

Meanwhile, Ya’er finally understood why Zhao Xiaoshu’s mother said that her father would not be able to hit her for a while.

The carpenter was lucky that the townsfolk brought him back to his shop. He had a broken wrist, a broken leg, and various injuries throughout his body. He couldn’t even stand up, let alone hit someone.

“Why aren’t you calling a doctor over?! I’m hurting so much!” The carpenter thundered.

Ya’er instinctively lifted her feet and was about to walk away. However, she slowed down at the door. She contemplated calling for a doctor because if she did not, her father would have to lie in bed for the rest of his life, unable to lay his hands on anyone else.

When Ya’er thought of how she would survive without income, she remembered that her father’s first apprentice’s skills could rival his. It was a pity that Ya’er’s father had manipulated him into signing a contract, so he could not leave the carpenter’s shop. In any case, the apprentice was the one doing all the work that he usually took on.

Ya’er stopped completely, turned around, and went to the backyard.

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She was willing to return the indenture to her father’s first disciple when he grew up. At that time, it would be up to him to leave or stay. Moreover, she was willing to share some of the shop’s earnings with him.

Ya’er revealed a sweet smile when she exited the backyard. She felt hopeful for the future. She went to the Hundred Herb Hall shortly after. However, she did not go there to get a doctor for her father but her mother.

Previously, Ya’er’s father refused to treat her mother, but now, Ya’er could finally do it. Her mother would make a speedy recovery if the doctor performed well.

Ya’er reported her family’s name when she entered the Hundred Herb Hall. The doctor’s face darkened, and he said he was unwilling to make a house call.

Ya’er was anxious and asked why, and the doctor said he despised her father. Ya’er silently rolled up her sleeves, revealing her bruised arms. “He hits my mother and me every day. We’re not on the same side as him. Please, Doctor. I beg you to check on my mother.”