kingnovel Chapter 159 Is it Daddy?
Chapter 159 Is it Daddy?
By the time Li Xiaonuan and the others had finished taking care of the two children, it was already noon. The men sent by Prince Jing had already searched the chili field. Combined with the clues provided by the victims at the scene, the two children's answer was:
The perpetrators were two adults and two children. Judging from the footprints, it should have been a man and a woman with children who did it.
Everyone present knew whose child it was. The real focus, however, was the remaining man and woman. Prince Jing's men said the two were in their prime.
Li Xiaonuan stood in the dilapidated courtyard, looking at the wooden gate that remained tightly closed, her brows furrowed deeply.
The unique spiciness of fresh chili peppers was emanating from it continuously.
After telling Prince Jing's men to wait at the Li family's house, Li Xiaonuan turned and went inside.
Inside the room, the two children were fast asleep. The burning pain had subsided, and their breathing had returned to normal. Having each drunk a bowl of minced meat porridge earlier, their little faces still held a look of contentment.
"Grandpa Song, are you really planning to protect those two? Look at Da Bao and Er Bao, they're so young, and they've already been raised like this. If they get older, how will you control them? How much time do you have left to take care of them and protect them?" Li Xiaonuan asked, looking at Old Song who was sitting silently in the corner.
Old Song pulled his hands out of his sleeves, and his head, which was bent low to his chest, moved slightly. Li Xiaonuan knew he was looking back at her, but because of his back, he couldn't lift his head.
"Xiao Nuan, Grandpa knows they did something wrong. But they only did it for me and the two children, that's why they misunderstood. Why don't you talk to the villagers and ask them to forgive them this time? Just this once, okay?" The old, weak voice was filled with a deep despair.
Li Xiaonuan continued to appeal to his emotions: "Grandpa Song, Da Bao and Er Bao's parents are already good-for-nothings. Do you want them to be just as good-for-nothings? How many more years do you have left to raise them? After you pass away, Da Bao and Er Bao might be sold off immediately. You know Uncle Song. If he abandons Da Bao and Er Bao, how will the two children survive? What if they're even worse and just sell the two children off?"
Old Song's hands, which were resting on his knees, twitched slightly. He leaned back a little and raised his head slightly. Only then did Li Xiaonuan see his dark face, etched with deep wrinkles. On that aged and sorrowful face, two lines of tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.
Li Xiaonuan pressed on: "Grandpa Song, have you forgotten how you got to this point? Have you forgotten how Da Bao and Er Bao were abandoned at your stall? I believe that if Da Bao and Er Bao really went back to Uncle Song's side, they would be sold off immediately."
"Grandpa Song, do you believe Xiaonuan? Xiaonuan thinks that some people need to be taught when they need to be. If someone does something wrong and deserves punishment, you shouldn't be soft-hearted. Do you know the saying 'praise to death'? Uncle Song and Grandma Song were 'praise to death' by Grandpa Song."
"If Grandpa Song still can't recognize his mistakes by now, what right do you have to raise Da Bao and Er Bao in the future? Da Bao and Er Bao are still children, and it's still time for them to be properly taught. Grandpa Song, think about it yourself."
“Xiao Nuan, Grandpa knows what to do. Grandpa made mistakes before, but he won’t do it again. For Da Bao and Er Bao’s sake, Grandpa will no longer protect those two good-for-nothings.” Old Song’s cloudy eyes looked at the two children on the bed with unwavering determination.
“Now that Grandpa has figured it out, I’ll send someone to do it. Grandpa, don’t blame me for being heartless, it’s just that Uncle Song and the others did something unethical. When Da Bao and Er Bao wake up, Grandpa will have a good talk with them, and they will understand. After all, they’ve depended on you for many years.” After saying that, Li Xiaonuan got up and left.
As soon as she stepped out, several muffled groans came from behind the tightly closed door. Li Xiaonuan glanced at the room and went straight home. The people who had been gathered outside Old Song's courtyard followed behind her, asking for information.
"Folks, there are no unteachable children in this world, only bad parents. So, Da Bao and Er Bao did nothing wrong. I hope everyone will stop blaming Da Bao and Er Bao in the future. They are both pitiful children," Li Xiaonuan replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.
Although no one understood the meaning behind Li Xiaonuan's words, seeing her dark expression, they wisely chose not to ask further. It wasn't until Old Song's son and a woman with swollen, red eyes were taken away from the Song family that people understood the meaning behind Li Xiaonuan's words.
The small chili peppers that had been picked under cover of night were cleared out of the Song family's possession. After sorting, those that were edible were all sent to the Binzhirugui Restaurant. Because chili peppers were a fresh product, the initial price was set very high.
When the families who grew chili peppers received the money distributed by Li Xiaonuan, they were somewhat incredulous. They knew they could earn even more money like that once the remaining seedlings in the fields had grown well.
In the past few days, the chili seedlings in the field have been propped up and mostly cleared away. The damaged seedlings were buried on the spot and used as green manure. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the seedlings gradually grow lush again.
"Luckily, our land is far from the village, otherwise it would have been ruined too," said Madam Su as soon as she returned after seeing off the people who came to collect their money.
Li Xiaonuan, however, was not optimistic: "Mom, it's precisely because our land is far from the village that it's more dangerous. Think about it, we planted ten acres of chili peppers, and everyone would be envious. Although our chili peppers are fine now, who knows, they might be ruined by someone else tomorrow or the day after."
"Xiao Nuan, why don't we hire someone to watch the land? Otherwise, how can we live with this constant worry?" The old lady suggested to Li Xiao Nuan without hesitation.
“Grandma, to be honest, chili peppers are just a condiment. Once they're widely used, there won't be much of a market for them. So, it's not worth it to hire people to watch over the land for just ten acres of chili peppers. Anyway, there are people in the village who patrol the area at night these days. Why don't we give them some benefits and have them come and check on our fields while they're at it?” Li Xiaonuan said, sharing her idea.
Su and Li's father exchanged a glance and both nodded. Li's father said, "Xiao Nuan's idea is good. Anyway, the night patrols are done in shifts, and our family needs to send someone too. From now on, I'll go with them on patrol every night, and let them check on our fields while we're at it. As for the benefits, Xiao Nuan can prepare a midnight snack for us every night."
The matter was decided happily.
However, something else was still on Li Xiaonuan's mind, so she went out to Old Zhou Village. The courtyard was still overgrown with weeds, and the main gate was still loose and crooked. Li Xiaonuan called out, "Dabao, Erbao. Are you home?"
With a creak, Da Bao's shiny black head popped out. The moment he saw Li Xiaonuan, a smile spread across Da Bao's thin face.
"Sister Xiaonuan, what brings you here?" As Da Bao called out, another little head peeked out from inside the door.
"Is that Daddy? Brother, is Daddy back? Daddy said he was going to take us away, why isn't he back yet?" A childish voice rang out, making Li Xiaonuan freeze on the spot.
How was she supposed to explain this to a little child? Should she just say that their father had taken them and their brother to do something bad and they had been taken away by the authorities?
"Erbao, Daddy won't come back to take us away. You forgot, Daddy abandoned us and left us with Grandpa. Don't mention Daddy anymore, your brother doesn't like hearing it." Eight-year-old Dabao knew more or less about the chili pepper incident.
His words immediately dispelled Li Xiaonuan's concerns.