Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 28 - 27: Filial Sons

Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Filial Sons
After dinner, Liu Zhong sent Da Lang and his siblings back home and took a look at Liu Ji’s condition on the way.
Seeing him covered with a brand new cotton quilt and drinking thick white rice porridge, Liu Zhong felt like he had worried for nothing.
Did Old Three save a deity’s life in a past life? Despite being in this state, someone is still giving him good food and drink.
Seeing Liu Ji moaning miserably, Liu Zhong gritted his teeth with anger.
People really can’t compare to each other; it’s infuriating!
Outside the house, he spoke kindly to Qin Yao, offering them help anytime they needed at the old house, then went home.
Da Lang and his siblings brought back a bowl of food, half of which was meat.
After setting the food down, Da Lang peeked at his father inside. Seeing him still breathing, he came back out.
Four little kids squatted in front of Qin Yao, surrounding her, asking what she caught up in the mountains, where she went, and whether the meat was tasty.
Seeing Qin Yao with a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth, Si Niang immediately reached out her soft little hand to remove the grain, her eyes shining brightly, completely focused on Mother.
Inside, Liu Ji waited and waited, but no sign of Second Lang, Sanlang, or Si Niang coming in to check on him.
Hearing the intimate conversation outside between the siblings and Qin Yao, Liu Ji opened his eyes wide in disbelief. In just a few days, Qin Yao seemed to have won over everyone’s hearts.
Due to being injured, or maybe furious, his chest felt tight, he was short of breath, and dizzy, Liu Ji drifted into sleep.
Upon waking up, the morning light was bright, and his bladder felt like it would explode.
Liu Ji weakly called, "Da Lang, Da Lang..."
The door squeaked open from outside, and four small figures walked in like a string of sugar-coated haws.
Dazzling sunlight flooded into the room, bringing brightness to the dim space.
Seeing these kids in new outfits, Liu Ji almost didn’t recognize them.
Last night, Qin Yao boiled several pots of hot water, washing the siblings from head to toe, then dressed them in the secondhand clothes she bought.
Though the clothes and shoes were old, they were cleaned and scented with a faint fragrance of soap before being sold.
Qin Yao gave each child a hairband, tying their hair up, and specially braided two small pigtails for Si Niang, which hung adorably on either side of her head.
Liu Ji could tell the clothes and shoes were a bit large for the siblings, but they were made of sturdy cotton, much better than the ragged hemp garments before.
Da Lang walked forward, picked up the chamber pot from under the bed, "Dad, do you need to pee?"
Liu Ji suppressed his envy and nodded.
Da Lang instructed Si Niang to leave the room, then helped Liu Ji off the bed to relieve himself.
Feeling relieved, Liu Ji lay back down on the bed.
Da Lang went to the sloped back room to empty the chamber pot, then returned to wash his hands and clean the pot before putting it neatly back under the bed.
When had Liu Ji ever seen the kids at home be so meticulous?
In the past, they’d lick snot off their lips with their tongues. Now, they even wash their hands after emptying a chamber pot for their father?
"Where’s your stepmother?" Liu Ji probed. Since waking up, he hadn’t heard a peep from that vile woman and wondered where she went.
Da Lang opened the door fully, letting fresh air and sunlight in, and replied, "She went to Lower River Village."
"What for? How long has she been gone?"
"Not sure." Da Lang shook his head, unsure, and said, "She left early, probably an hour."
Liu Ji examined the familiar yet unfamiliar room.
It had been too dark to see clearly last night; he now realized the house had changed.
Six bags of grain were piled under the wall by the bed, and a low table stood on the open space at the foot, with a neat stack of bowls. Though still the ratty cottage, the items were clean, and no foul odor lingered; instead, a scent of rice hung in the air.
Liu Ji touched his stomach, and Da Lang immediately asked, "Dad, are you hungry?"
Liu Ji nodded eagerly, remembering the white rice porridge he ate last night and couldn’t help salivating.
Da Lang told him to wait, went outside to the stove, scooped out warm meat porridge, and brought it to Liu Ji.
Yesterday’s white rice porridge with sugar already seemed extravagant to Liu Ji, but he hadn’t expected today’s porridge to include chunks of meat.
"Good heavens! What sort of life are you living with your mother? This spendthrift woman, with a bit of silver, just squanders it without a thought to saving." Liu Ji complained while sitting up, delightedly reaching for the bowl, but upon looking up, he saw Da Lang and his siblings standing by the bed, gazing at him wistfully.
Si Niang grumbled, "Dad, I’m going to tell Mother you spoke badly of her!"
Sanlang, her little shadow, followed suit, shouting, "Tell Aunt!"
Liu Ji quickly imagined Qin Yao’s ruthless image of holding a knife to Lin Erbao’s neck, shivered, and quickly said:
"No, no! Dad was kidding. You, Sanlang and Si Niang, listen well; don’t tell your stepmother, or Dad won’t survive."
Sanlang and Si Niang, fearing their father might not survive, nodded in agreement.
Second Lang glanced at his father, knowing he was just bluffing kids, then remembered the meat porridge their stepmother distributed in the morning, licked his lips, and tugged on his brother’s shirt.
Seeing his siblings looking at the porridge with longing, Da Lang’s heart softened. He coaxed them, "Each takes one more sip, just one sip; Aunt said eating too much causes a bloated stomach, don’t be greedy."
So, Liu Ji watched in shock as Second Lang and the other filial kids gathered, each sipping the meat porridge, leaving only half a bowl before handing it to him.
With a face full of piety, Da Lang added, "Dad, drink slowly."
Liu Ji was left speechless with trembling lips.
Though a plan hatched as his eyes shifted.
He took the porridge bowl, gulped it down until it was clean, tossed the empty bowl to Da Lang, gestured for his siblings to come closer, and with a fatherly demeanor, concernedly asked:
"While Dad wasn’t home, did you suffer? Tell Dad if you’ve been wronged; once Dad recovers, I’ll stand up for you."
Second Lang shook his head, unfamiliar with subtlety, simply said, "No."
Sanlang and his sister held hands, and they earnestly shouted, "With Stepmother, there’s meat to eat."
Da Lang glanced at his father’s petrified expression, turned his head away, curling his lips with restrained amusement, but quickly composed himself, turned solemn again, waved them out.
"Dad, it’s time to change your medicine." Da Lang reminded.
Holding his wounded heart, Liu Ji appreciatively watched Da Lang measure herbal medicine for him, moved, saying:
"Son, Dad always knew you were the most filial."
Da Lang didn’t reply, mixed the medication into the paste, climbed onto the bed, helped his father replace the face medicine.
After finishing, he took a small stool and sat at the door, watching his siblings play with stones.
Liu Ji couldn’t help but ask, "Da Lang, why sit at the door? Come inside and keep Dad company."
"No, Aunt told us to guard the house."
Guard the house?
Liu Ji sneered, what was there to guard in this dilapidated place?
No, wait, that vile woman brought back so much grain and valuable things, we must watch carefully to prevent theft.
We are family; these possessions also belong to him.
"Yes, we must watch closely," Liu Ji agreed.
Da Lang glanced at his docile father, looked toward the road by the river, guarding the house waiting for stepmother’s return.