TSWPF – Chapter 47 Ah Huang

The moment she heard Old Li’s name, Madam Liu instinctively wanted to let go, but Li Baozhu’s voice rang in her ear.

“Li Qingling, don’t always use Grandpa to scare Grandma. If it weren’t for you always running to Grandpa to complain, why would he treat Grandma badly? He used to always listen to her.”

Li Baozhu’s words were tactful and successfully stoked Madam Liu’s anger toward Li Qingling.

Indeed, the old man used to obey her, but now he threatened to divorce her from time to time.

It’s all Li Qingling’s fault. If it weren’t for her, the old man wouldn’t be like this.

This good-for-nothing troublemaker, always stirring up conflict… if she didn’t teach her a lesson today, she wouldn’t be a Liu!

“You have to give me that little chick! If you don’t, I’ll show everyone how unfilial you are!” Madam Liu glared at Li Qingling, her tone threatening.

Li Qingling’s eyes darkened slightly as they swept past the triumphant Li Baozhu. She hadn’t seen her in a while, and it seemed she’d grown a bit clever—she could now stir up trouble herself.

Li Qingling curled the corner of her mouth into a cold smile and returned her gaze to Madam Liu. “Grandma, are you really sure you want to make a scene here? Hm?” If she were afraid of Madam Liu, she wouldn’t be Li Qingling. “If I happen to mention the past, don’t blame me—I wouldn’t do it on purpose, you know.”

“You…” Madam Liu ground her teeth. To think that at this point, Li Qingling still dared to threaten her. She clearly didn’t take her seriously at all. “Are you even my granddaughter? Huh? What granddaughter threatens her own grandmother like this?” Li Qingling’s courage was growing, and so was her audacity.

Threatening her at every turn—it was infuriating.

Couldn’t Madam Liu say anything besides this?

Li Qingling pursed her lips in exasperation. “Grandma, have you ever really treated me like your granddaughter?” Relationships go both ways. If she, as a grandmother, didn’t treat her granddaughter well, why should she respect her grandmother? She’s not a saint, loving everyone equally. “Grandma, I think you should just let go. Everyone’s watching. If people see a grandmother snatching her granddaughter’s chick, the only one who’ll be embarrassed is you. And if Grandpa finds out, imagine how furious he’ll be. I’m not threatening you—just giving good advice. Whether you listen is up to you.”

Her gaze then turned to Li Baozhu, who was about to speak. Li Qingling said to her, “Baozhu, I advise you not to meddle in my relationship with Grandma. Think carefully—if it weren’t for your mother gossiping in Grandma’s ear, she wouldn’t have done so many foolish things, nor would she have been scolded by Grandpa.”

Stirring up conflict is nothing; if Li Baozhu could do it, Li Qingling could do it even better.

“Li Qingling, don’t try to slander my mother!” Thinking of Madam Lin, who had already been divorced, Li Baozhu’s face turned red with anger. If it weren’t for Li Qingling, her mother wouldn’t have been divorced. She blamed Li Qingling entirely.

Li Qingling shrugged her shoulders innocently. “Whether I slandered your mother or not, Grandma knows better than anyone.” Mentioning Madam Lin caused Madam Liu’s expression to soften slightly. Taking the opportunity, she gripped the chicken cage and used a bit of force to snatch it away.

Just then, Liu Zhimou returned, sitting on a bullock cart. Seeing Madam Liu and Li Baozhu, he quickly called out to Li Qingling.

He jumped down from the cart, hurried over to her side, subtly scanning her before asking, “Are you okay?”

Whenever Madam Liu appeared, nothing good ever happened.

Seeing him arrive, Li Qingling quietly exhaled in relief. She handed the two chicken cages to Liu Zhimou. With the chicks in his hands, would Madam Liu dare to snatch them again?

If she tried, one shout from Liu Zhimou and she’d be in serious trouble.

Liu Zhimou’s eyes glinted coldly at Madam Liu and Li Baozhu. Seeing them flinch and dare not advance, he finally lowered his gaze to Li Qingling and said gently, “Let’s go home.” With that, he picked up the two chicken cages and returned to the cart.

Li Qingling followed, taking Liu Zhimou’s extended hand and sitting on the cart.

Once she was seated safely, Liu Zhimou instructed the driver to start moving.

Seeing Liu Zhimou and Li Qingling leave, Li Baozhu muttered in dissatisfaction, “Grandma, did you see that? That cart is loaded with goods! Li Qingling is so heartless—buying all that stuff and not thinking of showing respect to you and Grandpa.” If it weren’t for Liu Zhimou’s intimidating gaze, she would’ve run over to check exactly what Li Qingling had bought.

It seemed true that she had made a lot of money selling at the market. “Grandma, look at how much Li Qingling bought—she really earned a lot.”

Madam Liu obviously thought the same. She came to town today after hearing rumors that Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou were doing well with their stall. She wanted to see if it was true and, if so, figure out a way to take over the stall herself.

But she didn’t expect to meet Li Qingling at the doorstep. It seemed she wasn’t going to the market at all—what a wasted trip.

“Let’s go home,” Madam Liu said, turning away angrily. She came to town only to see Li Qingling’s stall and ended up irritated instead.

Li Baozhu looked at the town in front of her. “Grandma, aren’t we going to at least take a look around?” She had come all this way just to buy a small flower. Now they were leaving without even entering town—how frustrating!

Madam Liu scolded her. “Look around for what? If it weren’t for you dawdling, I wouldn’t have wasted this trip.” She had left all her chores behind to come to town—it wasn’t easy. “Hurry up and walk, go back and do your work! You think food grows on its own?” She walked quickly, scolding as she went.

Li Baozhu, weighed down by her plump body, struggled to keep up, nearly collapsing. She regretted following Grandma—next time she’d just go with the villagers.

But she didn’t dare complain. Madam Liu’s mood was bad; any complaints would result in more scolding.

Meanwhile, Li Qingling had a completely different experience. She and Liu Zhimou returned home on the cart, paid the fare, and unloaded the goods.

The children at home eagerly gathered around the two cages of chicks, reaching out to play with them.

Even the little tiger came over to join, wide-eyed at the chicks.

Little Tiger had been raised at the Liu household for a month and had grown noticeably, likely due to the special elixir in its milk, making its fur soft and its growth rapid.

Liu Zhirou affectionately patted Little Tiger’s head. “Ah Huang, don’t scare the chicks.”

Ah Huang nudged Liu Zhirou with its head, making her giggle, before running over to Li Qingling to snuggle.

Perhaps because of the elixir, Ah Huang was the most affectionate toward Li Qingling, even following her to sleep at the Li household at night.

Li Qingling, realizing the house was simple and sometimes unsafe at night, accepted Ah Huang sleeping with her for safety.

She squatted and hugged Ah Huang. “Ah Huang, were you good today? You didn’t scare the mother sheep, did you? I’m telling you, if you want to keep drinking milk, don’t scare the mothers. If you do, there’ll be none left for you, understand?” Initially, Little Tiger would run to the backyard, circling the mother sheep and scaring them, reducing their milk.

Once she knew, she warned Little Tiger not to scare the mothers.

Little Tiger would behave that day but be mischievous again the next. She had to warn it daily.

She hoped constant reminders would help it remember.

Little Tiger, unsure if it understood, pressed its large head into her arms, rubbing back and forth.

Li Qingling played with it briefly. Just as she was about to stand, Little Tiger’s ears twitched. Before she could react, it ran into the house.

Moments later, Li Qingning’s cries rang out.

Liu Zhimou laughed. “Ah Huang can not only guard the house, but also act as a little nanny.” He hadn’t expected Ah Huang to fully integrate into the family like one of them.

Still, they had to hide it from the villagers. Even if Ah Huang hadn’t harmed anyone, its presence would frighten them.

He repeatedly instructed the children not to let Ah Huang outside—it might not return if it did.

The children nodded, understanding the seriousness, keeping Ah Huang indoors.

Li Qingling smiled, telling Li Qingfeng to quickly bring the baby out. If he was slow, Ah Huang might take her again.

Last time, that’s exactly what happened: the baby cried, they didn’t hear, and Ah Huang carried her out of the room.

They were shocked, but the baby was delighted, laughing.

Li Qingfeng ran inside and saw Ah Huang about to climb onto the bed. He called to it, grabbed the baby, and warned Ah Huang not to carry her again—she might get hurt.

Ah Huang innocently let go of the bed, tail wagging, and followed them out.