A child craving meat could hardly bear it. Upon hearing this, he scurried to the kitchen, gazing longingly at the stewing wild chicken.
He inhaled repeatedly, his mouth watering, "Mother, it smells so good, so good! This wild chicken must be delicious."
Hearing his soft yet anxious words, Tao Lengshuang detested the original owner even more and decided to treat this child better from now on.
"Xiao Feng, Mother promises you, in the future, we will have more and more meat to eat, and Xiao Feng will grow tall, as tall as Father, okay?"
Xiao Feng nodded heavily, affectionately hugging his mother, feeling extremely happy and content, "Xiao Feng wants to grow as tall and strong as Father, to protect Mother."
"Then you must eat a lot later."
Tao Lengshuang smiled gently, raising her hand to stroke Xiao Feng's head.
Xiao Feng, thinking she was about to hit him, instinctively flinched.
This scene was precisely what Mo Lingxi saw when he came to check on Xiao Feng.
His gaze sharpened, and he strode in with three quick steps, grabbing Tao Lengshuang's hand.
Then, he forcefully threw her onto a pile of firewood.
With a 'bang', many pieces of firewood snapped.
"If you dare to touch even a single hair of Xiao Feng again, I'll make you pay!"
Hearing Mo Lingxi's fierce, murderous voice, Tao Lengshuang's scalp tingled.
The pain all over her body reminded her that the fierce man before her had genuinely intended to kill her.
"I just wanted to pat Xiao Feng's head, I didn't want to hit him."
She bared her teeth and stood up, trying her best to make her expression less ferocious, "I have changed. I will not hit Xiao Feng again."
Mo Lingxi and Xiao Feng did not believe her words. One looked at her with a mocking and disgusted expression, while the other looked at her timidly and with disbelief.
This scene deeply frustrated Tao Lengshuang. It was one thing for the elder not to like her, but for the younger one to not believe her either.
It was all the original owner's doing.
"Xiao Feng."
She half-crouched down, looking at Xiao Feng with gentle affection, "Mother promises, I won't hit you again, and I will be a good mother to you."
Xiao Feng timidly hugged Mo Lingxi's leg, wanting to believe but not daring to, his large eyes filled with longing and hope, "Really?"
Tao Lengshuang nodded heavily. Just as she was about to say "yes," she heard Mo Lingxi's cold words.
"Xiao Feng, when pigs can climb trees, you can believe her."
Tao Lengshuang gritted her teeth, the fat on her face jiggling. She really wanted to punch this man, but she was no match for him.
"Xiao Feng, give Mother another chance, okay?" she asked Xiao Feng with a smile, extending a finger.
Xiao Feng hid behind Mo Lingxi, his voice trembling, "Does Mother want something from me?"
Every time Mother smiled at him, it was either to use him or to use him to get something from Father.
Tao Lengshuang didn't understand for a moment and then felt Mo Lingxi's knife-like cold gaze, making her shiver.
"Xiao Feng, let's go back inside." Mo Lingxi took Xiao Feng's hand and led him back into the house.
Tao Lengshuang clutched her aching heart and sighed deeply. She could do without her husband, but she couldn't do without her child.
She had to find a way to mend her relationship with Xiao Feng, to stop the child from thinking of her this way.
Moreover, she had to lose weight and work hard to support the family, to give Xiao Feng a good future.
She took her own pulse and examined herself carefully, learning that this body had an easily-fattening constitution.
The kind that gained weight even from drinking water.
No wonder the original owner had become so fat in such a poor place like Shilipo.
This constitution made it difficult to lose weight, and she couldn't eat and drink as she pleased.
"What suffering!"
Tao Lengshuang painfully pinched her brow. A life without being able to eat and drink heartily was truly suffering.
But to lose weight, she had to create a strict diet plan and strive to slim down as soon as possible.
However, smelling the fragrant wild chicken soup, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva, rub her rumbling stomach, and felt like crying without tears.
...
Half an hour later, Tao Lengshuang finished preparing dinner and called out loudly, "Dinner is served."
She placed the wild chicken soup and noodles on the simple table in the house, serving a large bowl to each of them, and gave Xiao Feng two chicken legs and a good portion of chicken.
"Didn't Xiao Feng say he wanted to grow as tall as Father? You must eat more then." She smiled at Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng was flattered and looked at her with a hint of alarm, instinctively shrinking closer to Mo Lingxi, "Okay."
"Stop messing around and behave yourself." Mo Lingxi glanced coldly at Tao Lengshuang, gesturing for Xiao Feng to eat more.
In the past, when there was good food, Tao Lengshuang either sent it back to her maiden family or ate it all by herself, never caring about him and Xiao Feng.
Perhaps, this was one of her tactics.
Tao Lengshuang was a bit afraid of him. Hearing this, she picked up a bowl with a large chip missing and took a sip of the soup.
There weren't many dishes at home, only this fragrant chicken soup noodles, not even a speck of scallion, but it was very delicious.
She ate one bowl of chicken soup noodles and dared not eat any more, only watching Mo Lingxi and Xiao Feng eat bowl after bowl until all the chicken soup was gone.
"Mother ate so little?" Xiao Feng asked curiously and confusedly.
In the past, Mother ate the most, and she was especially fierce.
Tao Lengshuang wanted to stroke her son's head but was afraid of being hit by Mo Lingxi, so she could only suppress the urge, "Mother needs to lose weight."
"When Mother loses weight, no one will call Xiao Feng's mother an ugly fat pig anymore."
Adults and children in the village all cursed the original owner as an ugly fat pig, and Xiao Feng was also cursed.
The original owner paid no attention to these things, only caring about where to steal and pilfer. But she cared.
Women are all lovers of beauty.
Xiao Feng was extremely surprised, his round eyes wide as he looked at Tao Lengshuang, as if he didn't recognize her. Mother seemed truly different.
"Tao Lengshuang, come out." A嚣张跋扈 (arrogant and domineering) female voice suddenly came from the courtyard.
Upon hearing this, Mo Lingxi frowned, and Xiao Feng was even more frightened, running into Mo Lingxi's arms and curling up.
Tao Lengshuang noticed, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.
She glanced towards the door; the person who had arrived was the original owner's second sister, Tao Fangfang.
Mo Lingxi's gaze fell on Tao Lengshuang with indifferent mockery. Seeing her sitting calmly, he tightened his grip on Xiao Feng. Tao Fangfang's arrival was a perfect opportunity to test Tao Lengshuang again.
At this moment, a dark shadow appeared at the door.
Tao Fangfang's plump figure blocked the doorway, casting the entire room into much deeper shadow.
"Tao Lengshuang, Mo Lingxi is back. Where are the prey? Mother is waiting to cook." She narrowed her eyes, looking down at Tao Lengshuang.
This brat actually didn't send the prey over today, forcing her to make this trip from afar.
"No, my own family can barely make ends meet, how could I have any extra prey for you?" Tao Lengshuang said coldly.
Tao Fangfang was startled.