Rebirth in Famine: She Thrives by Lucky Space-Chapter 833: Hurt

When the three siblings arrived home, they found the house just as tidy as before.

"You two go wash up first, I’ll cook."

The brothers washed up in the yard. "Second brother, is there something we don’t know?"

"There should be. Hongling, did you see Mom sitting on the backseat of a stranger’s motorcycle?"

"Yeah, and Mom was smiling really happily." Hongling’s mood was a bit low.

Li Xue looked at the grain at home and still decided to make cornbread with today’s maize flour and cook potatoes at the bottom of the pot; this way, one pot would be enough for a meal.

She was distracted, thinking of how to tell her brothers about the divorce later. She had been undecided about whether to tell them, but after what she saw today, she had no choice.

The two brothers also came into the kitchen.

"Red Army, you peel the garlic, I’ll chop some pickles, and we’ll mix them with minced garlic later."

Hongling ran to fetch a bulb of garlic, and the brothers peeled it in the kitchen.

"Sis, what’s going on exactly?"

"It’s about the last time Dad came back, just a few days after we arrived.

Dad and Mom divorced. I haven’t told you all this time because I didn’t know how to say it."

"Divorce? Dad and Mom?" Red Army asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"It’s the conflicts all these years, but I think the most important thing was when Aunt said she wanted me to marry our cousin, Dad was angry."

The two brothers weren’t particularly close to Liang Caifeng, but thinking about their parents’ divorce still made them feel bad.

"Sis, does seeing Mom on that man’s backseat mean she’s married again?"

Li Xue shook her head. "I don’t know either."

"Let’s ask Dad when we get back." Hongling said with a frown.

Li Xue paused, "Hongling, wait until you see Dad in a good mood before asking, or it might upset him more."

"I know. I’m not stupid either."

Just then, the fragrance of food emanated from the pot.

Li Xue chopped pickles, added minced garlic, and drizzled a little sesame oil.

Then she scooped a bowl of soybean paste made by the second aunt and brought by the second uncle. Other families’ moms would always make soybean paste, but hers had always been made by Second Aunt since she could remember.

Red Army went outside to peel two big scallions. This habit had become his routine at Second Uncle’s house.

Second Aunt never slacks off on meals, even with stir-fries, there will always be soybean paste and pickles.

The three siblings sat silently at the dining table, eating.

No one spoke. Their hearts were heavy.

Hongling suddenly spoke, "Sis, don’t be sad, Mom never cared about us anyway."

Li Xue nodded, "This is Dad and Mom’s business, we shouldn’t interfere. If Mom is still single at sixty, we should take care of her. Dad asked us to decide if we want to care for Mom now."

Both nodded, "We understand."

Since they could remember, the four siblings had mostly been with Dad, while Mom felt like a guest at home.

After lunch, Red Army was responsible for cleaning the kitchen, Li Xue entered Dad’s room to remove the sheets, quilt cover, and pillowcases to wash.

She had been doing these chores since she was eight.

She went to her older brother and sister-in-law’s room too, taking out the sheets and quilt covers.

Hongling was responsible for boiling water for his sister; even if they couldn’t help much, Li Xue told them to go play but not for too long.

The two left unwillingly; they didn’t want to go out, but there was nothing to do at home.

Li Xue washed all the sheets and quilt covers in the house. With the wind and sun in the afternoon, they should be dry by evening.

She then prepared the cornbread, planning to make vegetable cakes for dinner with the cabbage at home.

Dad and the brother and sister-in-law went to work daily, so making meat dishes was unrealistic. She considered dumplings but since there was no meat at home, vegetable cakes it was.

She diligently wiped the furniture upstairs and downstairs.

These chores she often did before, so she didn’t find them difficult.

Red Army and Hongling left home but didn’t want to find their playmates. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Hongling, let’s go to Mom’s workplace and ask her what she thinks? And if she’s marrying again?"

"Second brother, will Dad be angry if we visit Mom?"

"He won’t. Don’t worry. If Dad was upset, he wouldn’t want us to take care of Mom when she’s old."

"Alright, let’s go see her."

The two brothers went to see Liang Caifeng. Seeing her two sons made her feel complicated.

"You two came back from the countryside?"

"Mom? Are you getting married again?"

Liang Caifeng hesitated for a moment but nodded, "Not yet, but I’m going to register tomorrow."

She assumed Li Yungui told them when he visited home.

The two brothers were disheartened; no matter how bad Mom was, she was still their mother, and marrying again would make her someone else’s mom.

Red Army pulled Hongling’s hand, wanting to leave.

"Red Army, you two wait."

They stopped but didn’t turn around.

"I’m marrying out of necessity; living alone is too hard, and the dormitory environment is hostile. I have no choice."

They listened but then walked away again.

"Red Army, Hongling."

Hongling turned back to his mom, "I saw you today, sitting so happily on someone’s bicycle backseat."

Liang Caifeng was embarrassed. She didn’t expect the kids to have seen her.

Red Army waited for his brother to finish speaking, then led him away.

The two walked quite a distance without knowing where to go next.

"Second brother, I’m not really that sad, honestly. I was never that close with Mom as a kid." Hongling said in tears.

"Hongling, don’t cry. We still have Dad and Second Uncle and Aunt, and Brother and Sister."

"Second brother."

"Alright, stop crying. Let’s go to school?"

Red Army felt sad too, but seeing his little brother like this, as the older one, he couldn’t join in crying.

They arrived at school and noticed it was especially quiet, with no sounds from outside.

"Second brother, is there no class now?"

Red Army shook his head; he wasn’t sure either.

The guard saw the two kids. "You took leave from school, why come here?"

"Grandpa Wang, isn’t there class at school?"

"There is, but now it’s self-study period."

The brothers exchanged glances, thinking it wasn’t as comfortable as staying in the village. What’s the point of self-study all the time without lessons from teachers?

"Second brother, let’s stop by the cooperative store, I promised Heizi and them to buy candies."

"Alright."

Li Yungui gave them work credits, especially Red Army, who had double shifts. All the money earned was given to them; though not much, the two children still had money now.