TSWPF -Chapter 109 Mean-Spirited

“Xiaoling, have you been staying here all this time?” Aunt Huang looked at Li Qingling standing at the courtyard gate, her tone full of surprise.

She looked her up and down — though a bit thinner than before, she still looked well. Unlike them — they came back looking like beggars.

Li Qingling saw how thin Aunt Huang had become, her body reduced almost to skin and bones, and she shook her head. “No, we went to hide in Song Mountain.” She paused, then added, “The soldiers of King Nanyan came to the village. My house was turned completely upside down. Luckily, we weren’t here… otherwise—”

Aunt Huang trembled at her words, immediately asking, “Did those bandits do anything to my house?”

If their home had been ruined too, what were they supposed to do now?

They had fled for months, exhausted in both body and mind. They had only come back hoping for some rest, never expecting to hear such terrible news.

“I only came back two or three days ago,” Li Qingling said apologetically, “I’ve been cleaning up the house and haven’t gone out to look yet. But… it’s probably been damaged too.” Those people weren’t human — of course, they would destroy everything.

Aunt Huang’s legs gave out at that, almost collapsing to the ground. Li Qingling quickly reached out to support her.

Aunt Huang slapped her thigh hard and wailed, “Those heaven-damned bastards! Not only did they make us flee from our homes, but they even dared to wreck our houses! Truly cursed creatures!”

Li Qingling could understand her pain. She gently patted Aunt Huang’s shoulder. “Aunt Huang, you’ve had a long journey. You should go home and take a look first. Maybe it’s not as bad as I said, hmm?”

Though she said that, she didn’t hold much hope. Once those soldiers came, it was impossible for them not to ransack the other houses.

Hearing Li Qingling’s comforting words, Aunt Huang nodded quickly. “You’re right, I’ll go see first. Heaven willing, our house will still be standing.”

She had walked several steps before suddenly remembering something. Turning back, she called out, “Xiaoling, the court has opened the granaries! They’re distributing rice in town — go queue up early and get some. Each person can get five dou of rice!”

If not for this decree, they would have starved even after returning home.

Thankfully, the emperor was a good ruler who cared for his people — he had opened the granaries right away to solve their hunger.

“Alright, thank you, Aunt Huang.”

After Aunt Huang left, Li Qingling closed the courtyard gate and walked into the study, where Liu Zhimou was teaching the children.

“I just saw Aunt Huang,” she said. “She told me the court has opened the granaries and people can collect rice in town. We should go too.”

Even though they still had food stored, they needed to keep up appearances.

If they didn’t go and others saw them eating well every day, suspicions would arise. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better to go and collect some grain like everyone else.

Liu Zhimou nodded, setting down his brush. He instructed the children to finish their assignments, and after making sure they understood, he stood up to leave.

“Aunt Huang said the rice is distributed per person — five dou each. Should we bring the children along?”

Hearing that, the children immediately put down their brushes and looked up at Liu Zhimou expectantly.

He thought for a moment before saying, “The two little sisters can stay home. The boys will come with us.” Then, worried the girls might protest, he added, “The road to town is far. You two wouldn’t be able to walk that long.”

The little ones fell quiet at once, nodding obediently. They knew their limits — walking that far would only make their siblings carry them in the end, so it was better to stay home and wait.

Seeing how sensible they were, Li Qingling smiled and ruffled their hair affectionately, praising them.

“Old man, you stay home with the little ones,” she said as she saw the old man walking toward the study. “We’ll go collect the rice.”

The old man looked puzzled. “Collect what rice?”

“The court opened the granaries. Everyone can get five dou per person. We’re going to get some too,” Li Qingling explained.

The old man nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll look after the little ones.”

With him at home, Li Qingling could rest easy. She handed out five cloth bags — one for each of them — and they set off for town.

On the way, they passed countless people — thin, ragged, and hollow-eyed. It was clear how much this disaster had destroyed lives, how many families had been scattered.

Natural disasters were something humans could never truly fight against.

Dahe’s heart ached deeply as he looked around. Before Xiaoling had taken him in, he had to scavenge for food every day. But there were too many like him — every scrap of food was fought over, often with blood spilled just to survive.

If not for Xiaoling and the others, he might have been one of the dead by now.

Xiaoling was his savior — his benefactor. That debt, he would never forget.

“Sister Xiaoling, thank you,” Liu Zhiyan suddenly said, stepping in front of her.

Li Qingling blinked, startled, before gently patting his head with a laugh. “Why are you suddenly thanking me out of nowhere? Silly boy.”

Liu Zhiyan’s face was serious. “If you hadn’t planned ahead, we’d have been like these people — wandering, starving, maybe dead. Seeing them now… it really hits me. We only survived because of you.”

Dahe chimed in, his speech much more refined after studying with Liu Zhimou. “Yes, Sister Xiaoling, your kindness — I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.”

Looking into their sincere eyes, Li Qingling felt warmth spread through her chest. All the hardships she had endured suddenly felt worth it.

“I should be thanking you too,” she said softly. “Without you all, I wouldn’t have made it this far either. We’re a family — supporting each other is what families do.”

If they had been calculating about everything, they could never have come this far together.

They all smiled at each other, and the heaviness in their hearts lightened a little.

Chatting and laughing, they finally reached town after about two hours.

The moment they arrived, they didn’t even need to ask — the long line of people told them exactly where the rice was being distributed.

To make sure, Li Qingling asked a woman nearby, “Excuse me, is this the line for the rice distribution?”

The woman glanced at her and nodded stiffly.

Li Qingling thanked her and waved for Liu Zhimou and the others to join her in line.

They had barely gotten into position when more people arrived — among them were Dahe’s parents.

At first, Dahe didn’t notice them. It was his father who recognized him and called out, “Dahe! You’re here for the rice too?”

Dahe turned at the sound. Seeing the bony, hunched man before him, he felt nothing — no anger, no sadness — only the cold indifference one feels toward a stranger.

“Mm.”

That was all he said — no other words.

The day his father and stepmother abandoned him and his sister, he had sworn to himself that he no longer had a father.

No real father would throw away his own children. The man didn’t deserve the title.

“Come stand with us,” his stepmother said sharply. “It’ll be easier to carry everything together after we get the rice.”

Her eyes swept over Dahe’s clean clothes, then down at her own ragged son, and bitterness filled her heart. “Looks like you’ve been living quite comfortably, huh? Guess you should thank me and your father for not taking you along to suffer!”

The past few months of fleeing had been a nightmare. She had truly believed she would die in a foreign land. And she’d thought those two brats at home would have starved long ago — yet here they were, looking healthy and well-fed.

“Yes,” Dahe said with a tight smile, fists clenching at his sides. “I’ll remember this great favor forever.”

If Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhimou hadn’t each grabbed one of his arms, he might have lunged at that shameless woman right there.

His stepmother tilted her chin proudly. “Of course.” Then, noticing someone missing, she frowned. “And where’s that useless girl Xiaoxi? Skipping out, is she? If she didn’t come to get her share, then she doesn’t get to eat later!”

Five dou of rice was precious now — she wouldn’t let even one dou slip away.

Not only Dahe, but even Li Qingling and the others looked visibly upset at her words.

Li Qingling placed a hand on Dahe’s shoulder. Her look said: If you can’t hold it in, we’ll help you.

Dahe understood. He forced a smile and shook his head — he could handle it.

“She doesn’t need to eat anymore,” Dahe said calmly, his eyes cold as they met his stepmother’s, then shifted to his father. “Father… you understand what I mean, don’t you?”

His father shuddered under that gaze, stammering, “W-what do you mean?”

Dahe’s lips curled into a faint, cruel smile. “I mean… Sister’s dead.”

His voice was chillingly steady. “Exactly as you both wanted, isn’t it?”