CH 42

“Are you guys eating or what?!” Old Lady Han had been eavesdropping outside for a while. She was so angry that she shouted at the top of her voice.

Han Qingsong responded to her with a loud hum.

He placed the medicinal alcohol on the shelf of the wall, “You two bring the food here for your mother and brother.”

Erwang laughed exaggeratedly when he heard it, “Father, you don’t know the rules of our family. Our grandmother said, ‘if you won’t eat, then starve’, so what’s the point of bringing the food here?!”

Outside, the Old Lady Han was so angry that she asked someone to bring her a stick.

Han Qingsong, “Don’t be disrespectful.”

Erwang stuck out his tongue. He thought that it was fine if his father told his grandmother his exact words just now.

He took Maisui along with him and they ran out. When he got to the main room, he quickly asked his eldest aunt to scoop up some porridge. Taking two pancakes and a bowl of several dishes, they then brought it back to the East room.

Han Qingsong led the two children to the main room for dinner whereas Lin Lan relaxedly ate with Xiaowang.

After the meal, the Old Lady hurriedly sent all the children on their way— the older one went to look for cicadas and the younger ones went to bed. She was going to preside over the family meeting.

She shouted deliberately, “Whoever dares to eavesdrop outside, I’ll break their legs!”

Erwang was so frightened that he dragged Maisui and ran away.

The old lady presented the issue with her dramatic opening remarks, recalling the tough years they went through in the past, the difficulty of raising children, the agonizing suffering and pain they had to persevere through and so on.

In short, it was meant to evoke Han Qingsong’s distress and guilt towards his parents. After all, he hadn’t been home for many years as he had to serve in the army, so he wasn’t able to do much of his work as a filial son. According to the old lady’s words, he was the one lavishly living in camp without a trace of worry for his next meal.

Of course, she naturally left out an important part. When the rule mandated that someone from the family had to serve, the eldest son had to stay to keep things organized. The old lady’s second son was someone who practically perfected the art of sweet-talking, so she felt bad for him to go. In the end, there was no other option than to send the 17-year-old third son to the army.

And with that, she wouldn’t think about the fact that Han Qingsong had been graced by near-death situations many more times than he could count. She also didn’t know how many additional scars and injuries now decorated his body.

Most of all, she didn’t think about the fact that it was his hard-earned salary from the army that subsidized the entire family’s livinghood.

She only felt that she worked insanely hard to raise her son from a child to a man. Now that he was somewhat succeeding in life, he should spend his life repaying her efforts so she could enjoy a hassle-free life.

Children should give back to their parents endlessly and unconditionally, which also meant that, if she told him to do anything, he would have to adhere to it.

If she told him to annul the marriage, that’s exactly what he should do!

“Old Three, don’t you think I’m right? After so many years of you being away, me and your father have gotten weary and tired. Us old folks were always tended to by your eldest, second and youngest brother. I understand that you had to be away, so I’m not asking much from you work-wise. Without you at home, I also asked the others to tend to your wife and our kids a little more. Not trying to guilt-trip you, but I have been doting towards her and the kids. Instead, the dog tried to bite the hands that fed them!”