W Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Chu Tiand (Chu Tiāncì)

Cao Manyue watched as the young man rushed towards her, her smile instantly vanishing, replaced by a chilling dread.

She had given birth to three children.

The first was a boy, who was favored by his grandparents from the moment he was born and was named Tiand (Tiāncì).

The elderly couple doted on him immensely, insisting on raising him themselves.

Every day, except for when he was nursing or sleeping at night, she, as his mother, barely got to see him.

The child was the most restless at night, and Chu Youtian, not wanting to be disturbed, moved to another room to sleep.

Cao Manyue, exhausted from working during the day, still had to coax the child to sleep at night.

Since it was the only time she could spend a longer period with her child, she endured the hardship, no matter how tired or sleep-deprived she was.

Finally, she managed to bring the child out, and he could sleep well at night on his own.

However, the child’s grandmother took him away, claiming she was not raising him properly, and kept him in her own room. She only got to see him during mealtimes in the morning and evening.

From then on, Cao Manyue felt her son growing more and more distant from her.

When Chu Tiand was three years old, he suffered from a stomachache due to eating cold food.

The family was in a panic, and Chu Tai, pointing at Cao Manyue who had just returned from the fields, scolded her for not raising the child well.

The Chu family had few descendants. Chu Youtian had only one brother named Chu Youbao, who had also married and his wife was just pregnant.

The head of the family, Chu Dayun, had slipped and fallen on a rainy day and needed to rest in bed.

Chu Tai, using the excuse of taking care of the child and her husband, no longer went to the fields.

Chu Youtian was lazy and gluttonous, and in the few years since he got married, no one had seen him work in the fields.

The second brother, Chu Youbao, was quite diligent and went to the fields with Cao Manyue every day.

But before long, he was kept at home by his sister-in-law and not allowed to go out.

The reason was that rumors had spread in the village that the sister-in-law was seducing her brother-in-law, and the two were being intimate in the fields.

These rumors were, of course, not to be taken seriously, but Huang Sanni, upon hearing them, felt as if her heart was being fried in oil.

Because the sister-in-law did have some beauty, much more than her.

In rural families, whether women or ge’ers were pregnant or had just given birth, they still had to work.

Otherwise, there would be nothing to eat.

Huang Sanni felt very tired, so she went to tell Chu Tai that she was not feeling well.

Although she was scolded, she was able to stay at home and not work.

Since it was impossible for her to go to the fields, she kept Chu Youbao from going to the fields.

As a result, all the work in the fields fell on Cao Manyue.

She dragged her exhausted body home, with no water to drink or food to eat.

There was only abuse and condemnation.

Cao Manyue cried as she fed the child medicine, but because the medicine was so bitter, the child resisted strongly and spilled a lot.

Cao Manyue had no choice but to force it down.

Seeing the child crying bitterly, Cao Manyue felt heartbroken.

She was about to comfort the child, saying she would buy him malt sugar in a few days, when she heard her son’s tender voice, full of anger, shouting, “You useless cheap thing, you will die badly!”

At that moment, Cao Manyue felt as if she had been struck on the head, her whole body stiffened, her ears were buzzing, and her mind went blank…

These were the words that Chu Tai and Chu Youtian often used to scold her.

Cao Manyue knew that the child was being influenced, and she wanted to straighten him out, but as soon as she tried to discipline the child, the Chu elders would intervene.

They would hold the child, cooing and coaxing him.

Chu Youtian had even beaten her several times, calling her a vicious woman for tormenting his son.

And the child grew to hate her even more, refusing to look at her or call her mother.

When she was beaten by Chu Youtian, he would stand by and clap his hands, shouting, “Serves you right! Who told you to discipline me! Dad, get revenge for me!”

Later, Cao Manyue stopped caring.

The whole family treated her like an enemy, and the child himself thought that way, so she couldn’t manage anymore.

She became pregnant again.

This time, she was determined to take care of the child herself.

After ten months of hard pregnancy, she gave birth to twins, which should have been a joyous occasion.

But Chu Tai, seeing that the first one out was a girl, frowned.

The second one was a boy, and just as she was about to be happy, she noticed a bright red birthmark on his waist.

She was so angry that she didn’t even give the midwife the extra money for good luck, and she even scolded the midwife for being unlucky, saying she had lost her eldest grandson.

The midwife was also furious, having never seen such a family, and after scolding them, she left in anger.

The two children, just born, were met with rejection from the Chu elders.

But Cao Manyue was happy.

No one would come to snatch her children away.

If they didn’t like them, they didn’t like them, she liked them.

Cao Manyue poured all her affection into Xiaochun and Xiaoxia.

Every day, she carried one in front and one behind as she went to the fields.

The two children were very well-behaved, only making a sound when they were not feeling well, to draw attention. As long as Cao Manyue looked down at them, they would grin, stretching out their soft little hands, trying to touch their mother’s face.

Cao Manyue, looking at her cute and well-behaved children, felt her heart melt, and she was content.

People’s temperaments can be quite strange. When they have something, they do not cherish it, but after losing it, they become envious of others who possess it.

Chu Tiand noticed that his annoying mother no longer looked at him or cared about him, and her full attention was on those two “money-draining” children. He began to hate Xiaochun and Xiaoxia.

Chu Tiand believed that it was because of their existence that Cao Manyue no longer cared about or paid attention to him.

His way of venting his emotions was similar to that of Chu Youtian and Chu Tai, and even more cunning. Xiaochun and Xiaoxia often ended up with bruises all over their bodies.

Cao Manyue, upon finding out, could only be more vigilant against Chu Tiand.

When Xiaochun and Xiaoxia were three years old, Cao Manyue became pregnant again.

However, she was unable to carry the pregnancy to term, and at five months, she miscarried after being pushed down by Chu Tiand.

Cao Manyue still remembered that day, lying in a pool of blood, she saw the smug smile on Chu Tiand’s face.

He did it on purpose.

When Chu Tiand was born, Cao Manyue had not been able to properly recuperate.

Later, when she gave birth to Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, who were twins, it took a further toll on her body. Moreover, after the children were born, she was the only one taking care of them, and she also had to work in the fields, which caused her health to deteriorate even more.

This time, she had a miscarriage at a late stage of pregnancy, and the Chu family did not want to spend money on a doctor, planning to let Cao Manyue fend for herself.

It was Xiaochun, who, following her memory, dug out a silver-inlaid bracelet that Cao Manyue had once shown her.

She let Xiaoxia sit by the bed to watch over their mother, while she ran to the house of the aunt who had once given her malt sugar, begging her to help find a doctor to save her mother.

Xiaoxia cried as she watched over her mother, pleading with her not to die.

Xiaochun fell several times on her way to find help, her knees and palms scraped and stinging, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.

Fortunately, she made it in time, and Cao Manyue was pulled back from the brink of death.

The doctor said that it was lucky they had acted quickly, otherwise, even a divine immortal wouldn’t have been able to save her.

However, even though she was saved, her health was severely damaged.

If she took good care of herself, she might be able to have children again in a few years. If she neglected it, it would be difficult to have children in the future.

The Chu family didn’t even want to save her, let alone spend money on medicine for Cao Manyue.

After the doctor left, Chu Tai immediately turned the house upside down.

She suspected that Cao Manyue was hiding money.

The silver-inlaid bracelet was something Cao Manyue’s mother had secretly given her before she got married.

There was nothing else.

She had planned to save up and get a similar one, so that Xiaochun and Xiaoxia could each have one.

She never expected that it would end up being used for herself.

Not finding anything valuable, Chu Tai was furious. She cursed Cao Manyue, calling her a thief and a barren hen.

It was the Chu family who had given up on treating her, but in the end, it was twisted in Chu Tai’s mouth to make it seem like Cao Manyue couldn’t have children.

And after Cao Manyue was deemed “unable to bear children,” she became the scapegoat of the Chu family.

Chu Youtian beat her and Xiaochun and Xiaoxia more frequently and more severely.

Chu Tai also abused her with both words and blows, and all the dirty and hard work in the house fell to her.

Even Huang Sanni, who didn’t particularly like Cao Manyue, felt sorry for her.

Occasionally, she would help take care of Xiaochun and Xiaoxia.

When Xiaochun and Xiaoxia were five years old, Chu Youtian found someone outside.

He said she was pregnant, and if he didn’t marry her, her brother would come and kill him.

The man had been in jail before and had a menacing aura, and the Chu family, being the cowards they were, dared not disobey.

Moreover, Cao Manyue was “unable to bear children,” and now there was someone who could, so the Chu family was more than happy.

Divorce, how simple it was.

Chu Tai had actually given birth to four children, but she only kept the two older sons.

The other daughter and a son were sold off.

Cao Manyue knew that it was very difficult for a divorced woman to find a good family, and it was even more unlikely if she had children.

But she knew that as long as she didn’t take Xiaochun and Xiaoxia with her, the two children would eventually be sold off by the Chu family for money.

Even if she had to live alone for the rest of her life, even if it was difficult, she was determined to keep the two children with her.

Chu Tai was indeed thinking of letting Xiaochun and Xiaoxia stay for a few more years until they were worth more money before selling them.

But upon hearing that Cao Manyue wanted to take them away, she thought about it and agreed.

Little girls and ge’ers weren’t worth much when they were young; they were worth the most around the age of ten.

Now, Xiaochun and Xiaoxia were still too young, and raising them until they were worth more would cost the family a considerable amount in food and expenses. It would be better for Cao Manyue to take them away, as the money and grain saved would be a gain for the family.

The Chu family matriarch didn’t feel sorry about parting with the “money-draining” children, and she protected Chu Tiand, sternly warning, “Tiand is the root of our Chu family. Don’t you dare lay a hand on him again.”

Cao Manyue, holding the hands of her two children, didn’t look at Chu Tiand or the old lady, but simply turned and left.

Reflecting on the past, she didn’t blame Chu Tiand.

But she also couldn’t bring herself to love him anymore.

She might as well pretend she had never given birth to this child.

Cao Manyue thought she would never see Chu Tiand again.

But unexpectedly, they met again without any warning.

Shen Gui reacted quickly, blocking the young man who was about to knock Cao Manyue down.

He naturally heard the cry of “Mother.”

He also knew that besides Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, Cao Manyue had another son.

It was obvious who the thin, unkempt, and dirty-looking chubby boy was.

He was Chu Tiand, the son who had been left behind in the Chu family.

But how did he end up looking like a beggar who had been wandering for a long time?

The Chu family village was some distance from the town, so how did he end up here?

Chu Tiand was stopped, and he glared viciously at Shen Gui.

Then, as if remembering something, he changed his angry expression into a crying face and wailed at Cao Manyue, “Mother, don’t abandon me! I’m your only son. I’ll take care of you in your old age! Wah wah wah wah wah… Mother, take me with you, Mother.”

Cao Manyue felt a chill run through her body, and all the bad memories she had suppressed came rushing back.

Even Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, who had realized who the person was, hid behind Shen Gui and Cao Manyue, their bodies trembling slightly.

In the Chu family, the one they feared the most was actually Chu Tiand.

He had countless ways to torment them.

He would snatch their food, spit at them, pinch the flesh on the inside of their arms, stuff bugs into their mouths, and even burn them with a red-hot stick…

They would rather be beaten by their former father than be tortured by their older brother.

Sensing the unease of Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, Shen Gui turned to look at them.

Cao Manyue bent down and picked up Xiaochun directly, saying, “Husband, you take Xiaoxia, let’s quickly find Big Brother and his husband.”

As for Chu Tiand, Cao Manyue didn’t even glance at him.

Chu Tiand’s wailing words, she acted as if she hadn’t heard them.

She was now a daughter-in-law of the Shen family, and she only had Xiaochun and Xiaoxia.

Whatever her wife said, Shen Gui obeyed, picking up the trembling Xiaoxia and following Cao Manyue.

Chu Tiand was stunned. Why was it that his crying had no effect?

“Mother, wait for me!”

Chu Tiand chased after them, his face showing no trace of tears, but his crying was loud, attracting the attention of many passersby.

Quite a few people stopped to watch, pointing and whispering.

Cao Manyue couldn’t hear what they were saying, but being watched by so many people at once made her feel very uncomfortable.

“You’re mistaken. I only have two children,” Cao Manyue shouted back, not even looking at him as she hurried away with Xiaochun in her arms.

Shen Gui followed closely, glancing back at the still-following Chu Tiand, his brows furrowed, and his usually smiling face turning cold and stern.

His wife was the kindest and gentlest person, and for her to be so determined to disown her son, he must have done something truly bad to hurt her.

Ling Xing and the others bought eggs and two hens, and then went to Wu Dali’s place to buy the meat they needed.

After buying everything, they headed towards the city gate to pick up the things they had left at the shop.

When they arrived at the city gate, they found Shen Gui’s family already waiting there.

“Why are you back so early? We thought you would have gone for a stroll,” Ling Xing said as he got out of the carriage, handing out malt sugar to Xiaochun and Xiaoxia. “Here, take it and eat. Ah Yue and Xiao Wu have already eaten.”

With the permission of Cao Manyue, the two children reached out to take the malt sugar, whispering their thanks, “Thank you, Big Brother-in-law.”

Ling Xing smiled and stroked their heads, feeling puzzled.

When they parted, the two children were still in high spirits, but in a short while, they seemed to have become listless.

If it was just the children like this, it could be said that they were tired from walking too much.

But the expressions on the faces of Shen Gui and Cao Manyue were not good either.

Especially Cao Manyue, who looked tired and, moreover, seemed to be afraid.

Feeling a touch on his arm, Ling Xing looked at Shen Hui, who gestured for him to look in a certain direction.

A chubby, dirty-looking teenager was staring at them from not far away.

Cao Manyue, seeing that Ling Xing and the others had noticed Chu Tiand, said helplessly in a low voice, “That’s the Chu family’s son. I don’t know why he ended up like this on the streets. He saw me and has been following me, and I can’t get rid of him.”

From the words Chu Tiand shouted earlier, Cao Manyue guessed that something had happened in the Chu family, and he had no choice but to leave.

She didn’t know the specifics and didn’t want to inquire.

Ling Xing knew that Cao Manyue had been married before and had a son in the Chu family. Looking at Cao Manyue’s expression and reaction, the chubby teenager not far away was likely that child.

Having known Cao Manyue for a while, Ling Xing knew she was a very gentle person. For that child to make such a gentle person resolutely disown him, he must have done something truly bad to hurt her.

Shen Hui withdrew his gaze, “Since he’s unrelated, let’s go. Mother and Father are still waiting at home.”

Cao Manyue nodded, she also wanted to leave town as soon as possible to avoid Chu Tiand.

As the Shen family walked away, Chu Tiand’s eyes darted around, and he lifted his foot to follow them.

He knew that his mother’s current husband’s family was wealthy. They had come to town and bought so many things, including two chickens.

In the basket, out of sight, there were probably many more good things, all packed full.

Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, those two “money-draining” children, were even eating malt sugar. He hadn’t had any for a long time.

Chu Tiand knew that his mother had remarried into a family in Xiaoliucun, named Shen.

He left the city and, following the main road, asked for directions to Xiaoliucun, intending to find Cao Manyue.

The Shen family took a mountain path, which saved them nearly half an hour compared to the main road.

When they arrived home, they saw the Shen elders looking pleased.

“She’s born! She’s born! Just now, Changming came to the house to pass on the message, saying that Yan’er had a big fat boy!”

Xu Youfang told Ling Xing and the others the news first, then began to arrange for the next day.

“Your father and I will go into the mountains tomorrow. The things we bought today, Mother will pack some to take, and the money will be reimbursed.”

Shen Yan’s safe delivery was indeed a joyous occasion. Even Cao Manyue’s worried expression was washed away, replaced by a smile.

Her third sister was a good person and had been very kind to her.

When she first got married, she was in poor health, and her third sister always told her to rest and did the work herself.

“Mother, I have nothing to do tomorrow. I’ll go with you to see Third Sister.”

She also had some copper coins in hand, which she planned to give to her third sister.

A woman who had just given birth needed nourishment, and having money in hand gave her the confidence to ask for food. It was also a token of her heart.

Xu Youfang smiled, “Okay, we’ll go first thing tomorrow morning.”

Eggs, pork, rice, and flour were all packed separately, so as to avoid forgetting anything the next morning in the rush. Xu Youfang didn’t take the hen, as there was plenty of chicken meat on the mountain.

At noon, the Shen family prepared to eat steamed rice, scrambled eggs, and braised beans.

The pickled radish was ready to eat, and Shen Hui took a bowl to the cellar to get some radish.

Xu Youfang, Cao Manyue, and Ling Xing were busy cutting vegetables and cooking in the kitchen.

Shen Chengshan and Shen Gui were working in the vegetable field.

The four children sat outside on small stools in a row.

Ling Xing had bought some mung bean cakes from the pastry shop and gave one to each of the children, who sat in the shade eating.

The mung bean cakes from the shop were much more delicate and sweeter than the ones Ling Xing had made before.

The mold was also nice-looking, with square embossed patterns.

Children prefer sweet things, and although adults might find the mung bean cakes too sweet, they were just right for the children.

With delicious food and being at home, surrounded by Ling Yue and Shen Lai, Xiaochun and Xiaoxia felt secure and ate the mung bean cakes slowly, their fearfulness from before having dissipated.

Suddenly, a person rushed into the courtyard. A chubby figure ran straight towards Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, and in no time, the mung bean cakes in the children’s hands were gone.

Chu Tiand snatched the mung bean cakes in a frenzied manner, and without pausing, he stuffed them into his mouth.

He had never eaten such exquisite cakes before!

His mother was really wealthy now, giving these two “money-draining” children such good things to eat.

“Wah wah wah wah wah…”

“Wah wah wah wah wah…”

The mung bean cakes in the hands of Xiaochun and Xiaoxia were snatched away by the person they feared, and they cried out in fright.

Shen Lai and Ling Yue, holding the uneaten mung bean cakes in their hands, immediately stood in front of Xiaochun and Xiaoxia.

“Second Brother!”

“Brother!”

The two of them called out to their elder brother. The three people in the kitchen heard the commotion and came out first. Shen Hui, hearing Xiao Wu’s voice, came out with a bowl in his hand.

Ling Xing saw the dirty Chu Tiand and frowned instinctively.

Ling Yue had walked too much that day and said his legs were sore. Ling Xing planned to observe him in the afternoon, and if he was still in pain, he would ask for leave from the private school the next day.

Fortunately, Xu Youfang was going into the mountains early in the morning, and he had to set up his stall at dawn, so it was not convenient for him to take Ling Yue.

The chubby teenager opposite Ling Yue was much taller and looked like a hot-tempered person. Ling Xing was really afraid that the teenager would get angry and push Ling Yue again, injuring his leg.

He and Cao Manyue almost simultaneously pulled the four children back, protecting them behind them.

Chu Tiand saw Cao Manyue and grinned, “Mom, I’ve come to find you. I want to live with you from now on. I don’t want Dad and Grandma anymore. Are you happy?”

Hearing this, Cao Manyue was almost in despair.

Cao Manyue was almost in despair. What had happened in the Chu family to make Chu Tiand run away? She looked at the crumbs of cake at the corner of Chu Tiand’s mouth and said angrily, “I told you I don’t know you. I only have two children, Xiaochun and Xiaoxia. Why are you still haunting me like a ghost? And you even snatched my children’s food to eat!”

Having lived in the Chu family for so many years, Chu Tiand had long learned how to act in order to get what he wanted from different people. Cao Manyue’s words were completely ignored by him.

He plopped himself down on the ground.

“Mom, I am the flesh that fell from your body. You carried me in your womb for ten months; how could you bear to abandon me like this?”

With that, he grabbed onto Cao Manyue’s leg and refused to let go.

“Mom, I will take care of you in your old age. I am your son; I will definitely be better than those two money-draining burdens. By the way, Mom, do you have any other sons now?”

Chu Tiand asked the last question while looking at Ling Yue.

The other child looked older than Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, so he couldn’t be his mother’s new child.

But that little one, he didn’t see a pregnancy mole either, so he didn’t know if it was a ge’er or a boy.

Judging by the age, it seemed like the child his mother might have later.

Cao Manyue’s head was spinning with confusion. She hadn’t seen Chu Tiand for more than two years, and he had turned into such a shameless, clingy pest.

At such a young age, his behavior was just like Chu Tai and his father.

Cao Manyue didn’t want to say another word to Chu Tiand and directly pulled his arm up, trying to get him out of the house.

Chu Tiand had eaten well when he was young, and the only hard times he had were when he was taking medicine.

He was strong and stubborn, clinging tightly to Cao Manyue and swaying back and forth.

Cao Manyue was pulled along as she turned, and Xu Youfang and Ling Xing wanted to help but couldn’t get a grip.

Ling Xing saw that Chu Tiand was about to bump into him, so he hurriedly stepped back, but he was still a step too slow.

There was a sudden tightness at his waist.

Ling Xing felt himself being lifted slightly, and when he landed, he had already avoided Chu Tiand’s collision.

The hand around his waist quickly let go, and Ling Xing turned his head to see only Shen Hui’s sharp and tense jawline.

He had one hand holding a bowl of pickles and the other lifting Chu Tiand by the collar, directly picking him up.

Because Shen Hui was so tall and strong, and his face was cold and full of anger, Chu Tiand, who was very sensitive to danger, didn’t dare to be reckless anymore and obediently let go, allowing himself to be picked up and then thrown out of the Shen family’s bamboo fence gate.

“Get lost! If I see you near my house again, I’ll throw you on the mountain to feed the wolves.”

Chu Tiand was so scared by Shen Hui’s icy stare that he shivered and scrambled away on all fours.

Anyway, he had managed to get a couple of mouthfuls of cake today, so it wasn’t a loss.

Shen Chengshan and Shen Gui returned from the vegetable field and heard about the incident with Chu Tiand.

Shen Chengshan said, “That child was able to chase his way to our house, so he probably won’t leave just like that. We need to go to the Chu family and ask what’s going on.”

The Chu family village was three hours away from Xiaoliucun, and it would be dark by the time they returned, which was not safe. They could only go early the next morning.

That way, they could get home while it was still light.

Cao Manyue said, “Mom, Dad, I won’t go to see Third Sister tomorrow. I’ll go to the Chu family village to ask about it.”

Xu Youfang nodded, “Okay, let Fourth Son go with you; otherwise, I won’t be at ease.”

Cao Manyue’s nose twitched, “Okay, Mom.”

Because he feared Shen Hui, Chu Tiand didn’t dare to approach the Shen family.

He wandered around Xiaoliucun aimlessly.

After asking around, he found out where the village chief’s house was and went to knock on the door.

Sun Shuiye opened the door and, seeing the person, thought he was a beggar and said disdainfully, “How unlucky. Go away, there’s nothing here.”

(To be continued)