Ch 13: The Unfilial Children Trembles in Fear (QT)

Dong Zhijie instinctively retorted,

“I wasn’t bragging…”

“If you weren’t bragging, why would the principal and brigade leader dismiss you? There aren’t many educated people in our brigade. Otherwise, with you not even finishing high school, how could you have become a teacher? Now that they’ve dismissed you, they’ll have to find someone else. How troublesome. What would they gain from that?”

Yun Xi looked him up and down.

“Don’t tell me they felt your character was bad and you weren’t worthy of teaching and educating people, so they dismissed you?”

For an instant, Dong Zhijie looked stunned.

Yun Xi had not returned to the brigade, so how did she know that was what the brigade leader had said?

Everyone saw his reaction and was even more stunned than he was.

Someone whispered,

“So he was dismissed because of poor character? Then why is he blaming Sister Li?”

Yun Xi did not give him a chance to speak and continued,

“How interesting. I hid all the way out here, yet this matter can still be blamed on me?

Ask everyone here, what bad things did I say about you?

I said that our personalities don’t match and that it’s better for everyone to live their own lives.

If other people feel the problem lies with you, shouldn’t you reflect on what you’ve done?

The way you lot keep running over every few days to cause trouble for me, why doesn’t everyone think I’m the problem?

Why doesn’t the unit dismiss me?

Is it true that you and your wife hid private savings?

Is it true that you secretly ate extra meals outside?

Have I said a single lie?

If I really were cold-blooded, I would tell everyone each and every thing you did from childhood to adulthood. Let’s see whether you’d still have the face to live as people!”

Dong Zhijie’s face shifted between blue and white.

He was a little smarter than his brothers and sister. Although Yun Xi did not say anything specific, her words were harsher than if she had. She left far too much room for people to imagine how despicable they were and how many excessive things they had done.

Without a specific incident, he had no way to refute it.

Other people’s impression of him would only worsen.

When had his mother become this clever?

And when had she become this cold?

She truly was leaving him no path to survival!

Yun Xi indeed did not give him even the slightest opportunity.

“I gave you a house. I arranged your marriage. I turned a blind eye when you hid private savings.

After the family was divided, you and your wife both had jobs and earned more. Among the brothers, you should have been the one living best, yet you borrowed money to build a new house.

Now you can’t repay the money. Isn’t that your own fault?

If you didn’t have the ability, why did you borrow so much money? Who were you expecting to repay it?

Don’t tell me you’re eyeing my little salary.

Also, weren’t you always saying how good your wife’s maiden family was? Didn’t you say they treated you so warmly, as though they regretted not meeting sooner?

It’s only been a few days since you failed to repay the money, and they’re already coming to collect debts at your door?

Your popularity is really poor.

Or is it that they never believed you had the ability to earn money in the first place?

I’m different.

As your mother, I absolutely trusted you.

Before, you were always saying that you were born in the wrong time, that your talent was unrecognized, and that you were different from the villagers.

I believe you.

You’d definitely find a better job and soar to the sky.

Even an old woman like me can do it. There’s no reason you can’t, right?

I believe in you.

Anything else?

If not, go back and work hard.

Strive properly.

You’re only in your twenties. Your life is still long. There must be countless opportunities ahead.”

The people around them burst out laughing.

Dong Zhijie heard many voices.

“He’s already in his twenties, and when something happens, he still comes looking for his mother. Has he not been weaned?”

“One look and you can tell he has no sense of his own limits. He doesn’t have the ability to earn money, but he has the heart to spend it. If someone like this becomes a teacher, what good can he teach? Don’t let the children grow up thinking borrowed money doesn’t need to be repaid.”

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to repay it. He wants his mom to repay it for him. Before, he was eyeing Sister Li’s coffin money. Now he’s eyeing her salary. He came here making trouble probably because he thought Sister Li was thin-skinned and would give him her job.”

“He doesn’t look like much, but he dreams big! Luckily, everyone can see clearly and knows what he’s planning at a glance. Their brigade leader was right to dismiss him. His character is bad. How could he be a teacher? Their village school chooses teachers way too casually.”

“There’s nothing they can do about that kind of village school. Everyone lacks education. They had no choice but to pick the tallest among the short ones.”

“A real man should figure things out for himself. Before, when he had good food, he never thought to give Sister Li a single mouthful. Now that he can’t eat, he comes running to Sister Li to demand help. What kind of thing is that? And he calls himself an unrecognized talent? That’s an insult to the word talent.”

Dong Zhijie had deliberately chosen to make trouble when there were many people around. He wanted everyone to accuse Yun Xi of neglecting her children and lacking dignity as an elder. He wanted to put Yun Xi in a difficult position and force her to solve his problem.

Whether she helped repay his debts or helped him find a job, he would profit.

But he had never expected Yun Xi to say such things and for everyone to overwhelmingly support her.

He badly wanted to turn around and leave, but he really had fallen into difficulty and did not know what to do.

He could only endure the enormous humiliation, clench his fists, lower his head, and say,

“Mom, I was wrong. Now that your life is so good, I’m happy for you too.

Please help me this once.

Lend me some money so I can go back and repay my debts. I’ll definitely work hard and earn money to pay you back.”

Yun Xi said,

“I’ve spent all my money.”

Dong Zhijie abruptly raised his head.

“You spent it all? How is that possible?”

Yun Xi said matter-of-factly,

“In the city, even a vegetable leaf costs money. Of course expenses are high.

There are also relationships to maintain and daily necessities to buy.

For the past forty-five years, I never lived a good life. Now that I don’t know how many years I have left, shouldn’t I treat myself better?

You can’t bring money with you when you’re born, and you can’t take it with you when you die. Why keep it?”

Keep it for me!

Dong Zhijie screamed this sentence in his heart, but he could not say it aloud.

Yun Xi’s coworkers from the city government testified for her. During her trip to the provincial capital for training, she had spent all her money. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Later, every month after receiving her salary, she bought new clothes, bedsheets, or books. Her expenses truly were large.

Seeing that he would not gain any benefits, Dong Zhijie gritted his teeth and asked,

“Mom, have you made up your mind not to associate with us anymore? Just because back then Big Brother wanted you to buy him a job?”

Yun Xi was surprised.

“Why would you think that?

I don’t associate with any of you, of course because I don’t get along with any of you.

I don’t like you. There’s no need for me to associate with you, is there?

The law says parents must raise their children to adulthood. I did that properly.

In the future, I won’t need any of you to support me in old age either.

Doesn’t that mean there’s no need for much interaction?

I’m letting you live your own lives more easily.

Ask them how tiring it is to have elderly parents above and young children below.

I’m reducing your burden. Isn’t that good?”

The people nearby nodded one after another.

Almost all of them were workers in their twenties or thirties, precisely at the age where they had elderly parents above and young children below.

Most of their elders also did not have stable work. Their families relied on them to hold everything up. It truly was difficult and exhausting.

If their elders did not need them to provide for them, and they only had to take care of themselves and their children, life would be much easier.

Thinking about it this way, Yun Xi was truly very good to her children!

Some of them were still squeezed into one room with a whole large family, arguing all day over trivial matters until it nearly drove them mad.

Yun Xi had not only given each child a room, she had also divided the family early to reduce conflict. She did not point fingers at their lives, and she did not need them to support her in old age.

Where could one find such a good, sensible elder?

Dong Zhijie was tongue-tied.

He did not understand how things had turned into this.

Wasn’t he the one denouncing Yun Xi?

How had Yun Xi become a beloved elder in everyone’s eyes, while he became the target of everyone’s criticism?

Yun Xi then said strangely,

“If you lost your job, don’t you still have the new house you built?

Sell the house or use it to repay the debt.

Can a living person really be defeated by urine?

Once the debt is repaid, just live steadily and honestly from now on. Why worry so much?”

What could Dong Zhijie say?

That he could not bear to sell the house?

That he wanted Yun Xi’s money?

He could not say anything at all.

He fled in disgrace.

Only now did he finally understand why, after Dong Zhizhi returned from the city last time, she never again dared to come looking for Yun Xi.

Their mother had already changed.

She had become cold, clever, and sharp-tongued. They could no longer gain even the slightest upper hand.

If they did not come looking for Yun Xi, things were still all right.

But as long as they came to find her, their reputation would only grow worse.

He no longer dared say anything more to Yun Xi.

Their mother had also become capable, polished, and high above them.

She was like the proud city people in their memories, but even wealthier and more admired.

Yet they could not reach her at all.

It was like she had already flown into the sky like Chang’e. No matter how beautiful and wonderful she was, they could no longer reach her.

Everyone looked at Yun Xi sympathetically.

“Sister Li, you truly suffered all these years. Just one of them is already like this. I can’t imagine what all four must have been like.”

Yun Xi smiled.

“It’s all in the past. Why think about it?

As long as everyone doesn’t misunderstand me, that’s enough.

I did not abandon my family and children to live a good life by myself.

Back when I divided the family for them, the moment they heard they could make their own decisions, they were quite happy.

Otherwise, would the second son have built a new house?

Would the two younger ones have sold my room so quickly?

Would the eldest son’s boy have said he wanted to lock me in the pigsty and teach me a lesson?

Haha.

So we divided peacefully.

It’s only that once everyone relied on their own abilities, some lives turned out good and some bad. They’re just unwilling to accept it.”

Yun Xi sighed and shook her head.

“But no one can take care of someone else for an entire lifetime.

In the end, one’s life can only be lived well if one works hard and strives forward.

If they don’t want to work hard, then living an ordinary life without complaining is also fine.

It all depends on them.”

Originally, a small portion of the crowd had felt that since Yun Xi was living well, what was the harm in helping her children a little?

Now, after hearing this, what was there to help?

If Yun Xi’s life now had been worse than theirs, those ingrates would not have taken care of Yun Xi.

Perhaps they would even put on airs, waiting for Yun Xi to lower her head and apologize, then lock her into the pigsty to reflect properly.

Since back then they had happily divided the family and left Yun Xi no path of retreat, without worrying whether Yun Xi would be in danger or suffer hardship alone outside, they now had absolutely no qualification to ask Yun Xi for help.

Not the slightest qualification.

Now everyone not only sympathized with her, they also admired her greatly.

If they encountered something like this, perhaps they would cry every day and despair.

Yet Yun Xi seemed to have gained a new life. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She focused on improving herself, studied diligently, worked hard, and relied on herself to forge a splendid path.

She truly was an excellent example.

No wonder the mayor had asked Yun Xi to give them lectures.

They not only needed to listen to her study methods and theoretical knowledge, they also needed to learn from her personality and mindset.

For a moment, everyone felt that their own little worries were not worth mentioning.

Compared to Yun Xi’s affairs, they were not significant at all and could easily be overcome.

Many people figured things out, felt lighter, and solemnly thanked Yun Xi.

Once this matter spread, even more people wanted to listen to Yun Xi’s lectures.

Some even began calling her “Teacher Li,” raising her reputation to another level.

As for Dong Zhijie, he returned to the village in disgrace and began arranging to sell his house.

Only because it was newly built and the materials were good did someone become willing to buy it at a lowered price.

Dong Zhijie and his wife were furious and stifled, but the debt collectors were pressing them hard, so they could only sell it at a loss.

After repaying their debts, they had no money left at all.

The house they lived in was rented, and it even leaked when it rained.

One day, after they finished working in the fields, they returned home so tired that they did not even want to move.

Their child had no food to eat and cried from hunger.

Unfortunately, heavy rain began to fall.

They did not even have a proper place to rest.

Wang Xuefen held the child and looked at the basin on the kang catching rainwater. Crying, she said,

“If I’d known it would turn out like this, we should have treated Mom better before.

I’m only a daughter-in-law, so forget it, but you’re her biological son. How did you not know to be filial?”

The child cried,

“I’m hungry, I’m hungry! If you don’t give me food, when I grow up, I’ll secretly eat outside too and won’t give any to you!”

Dong Zhijie looked at the child in disbelief.

Suddenly, he thought of the day Yun Xi cursed his eldest brother, telling him to be careful, or one day his son would lock him in the pigsty.

Now his daughter had actually said something like this.

Had she seen them secretly cooking extra meals and not giving the old woman any, then learned it from them?

Teaching by words and example.

If they did not honor the old woman, would their own children also refuse to honor them in the future?

He squatted on the ground, held his head, and began to sob.

How had everything become like this?

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