"Mom, why did you suddenly decide to go to that woman's place today?"
Li Bai was truly furious. Today's humiliation had been particularly severe – being scolded in front of so many people left him burning with rage.
"It's all because of that little bitch, hiss—"
Zhu Darong's anger flared just thinking about it, and as she raised her voice, the movement pulled at the wounds on her face, making her gasp in pain.
Only when her rage subsided did the pain truly emerge. "Eating steamed buns without sharing even one with Zhenxing – how stingy can you get? I went to ask her for buns for Zhenxing, but who knew the woman wouldn't be home, along with those three little bastards!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. "Those three ungrateful brats, pah! Just wait until I catch them – I'll slap them silly when I do!"
Hearing it was because of Li Zhenxing again made Li Bai utterly frustrated.
"Was it sister-in-law who sent you again? Mom, can't you use your brain? Why do you do whatever she tells you? If she told you to eat shit, would you do that too! You're being used as a pawn, just look at all these injuries on you!"
"What do you mean! How dare you blame your own mother! You're so unfilial! So unfilial! If I'd known you'd turn out like this, I should have drowned you in the chamber pot back then!"
Li Song worked as an apprentice in town, leaving early and returning late every day, paying no attention to his wife and son. He kept egging his mother on, but when trouble arose, it was always Li Bai, as the eldest, who had to clean up the mess.
This resentment hadn't built up overnight.
Looking at his mother throwing a tantrum, he completely lost his patience and snorted heavily. "Mom, you'd better think about how you're going to explain this to Dad!"
After today's incident, the Village Chief was bound to mention it to his father. Even without exaggeration, it would be enough to ignite Old Man Li's anger.
The silent patriarch usually stayed out of household affairs, but he was extremely concerned about face.
Faced with such a humiliating situation, Zhu Darong swallowed nervously in fear.
She immediately grabbed her eldest son's sleeve. "Son, you have to help your mother! Your father's temper is so stubborn – he'll surely make my life miserable! This is all that little bitch's fault! Why doesn't that bitch just die! I've finally figured it out – that little bitch is a harbinger of bad luck! There hasn't been a single peaceful day since she came to our family!"
A flash of cruelty crossed Li Bai's eyes – he wouldn't let Shen Ning off either. It was time to teach her a proper lesson!
Having promised to make something delicious for the children at noon, Shen Ning naturally kept her word.
She spent 10 Points to exchange for a bag of chicken wings, 2 Points for a bottle of cola, 1 Point for ginger, and 3 Points for a bottle of cooking wine – totaling 16 Points spent, with 145 Points remaining.
She made two or three cuts on each chicken wing, placed them in a cold pot with water, added ginger slices and cooking wine, brought it to a boil over high heat, and skimmed off the scum.
After removing the blood from the chicken wings, she drained them, then heated oil in a pan, arranged the wings, and pan-fried them over low heat until both sides were golden brown.
She poured in the cola to stew, brought it to a boil over high heat, then reduced to low heat to simmer.
Finally, she added some salt for seasoning, reduced the sauce until thick, and then plated the dish.
Fortunately, the cola from the mall had no labels. Since the children had never encountered this drink before, she managed to get away with it.
After simply stir-frying some cabbage, lunch was ready.
The moment the enticingly fragrant Cola Chicken Wings were placed on the table, they captured everyone's attention.
Their mouths watered uncontrollably – they swallowed saliva repeatedly, completely captivated by the aroma.
"Come get your rice!"
Li Jianguo, Li Jianjun, and Li Xiaohua lined up to get their meals, making Shen Ning suddenly feel like a cafeteria lady serving food.
The scene was oddly amusing.
"I promised to make you something delicious. Try these chicken wings and see if you like them!"
The savory-sweet chicken wings with thick sauce were perfect with rice, especially suited to children's tastes. Each of them squinted their eyes in delight while eating.
"Niang Niang, these chicken wings are so delicious! I love them so much!"
The first to share their post-meal review was young Li Jianjun. Not only was he a little foodie, but he also had a basketful of sweet words. "Niang Niang's cooking is the best in the world!"
It had to be said, this made Shen Ning very happy.
Picking up her chopsticks, she gave him another wing. "Such a sweet talker! Here's another one as a reward."
Li Jianjun grinned widely, his eyes disappearing into slits. "Thank you, Niang Niang! Niang Niang is the best!"
She then picked up another wing and placed it in Li Jianguo's bowl. "This is for the very brave child today."
Li Jianguo smiled shyly. "Thank you, Niang Niang."
Finally, she gave one to Li Xiaohua. "Our Xiaohua needs to eat more to grow up quickly!"
Xiaohua's eyes sparkled. "Niang Niang is the best! Xiaohua will grow up fast!"
"After we finish eating, I'm going to town to look at houses. If I find a suitable one, I'll rent it first. Do you want to come with me?"
After what had just happened, she truly didn't dare leave the three children home alone.
Who knew if the Li family members would go back, brood over it, and come cause trouble again!
Not only was she the three children's guardian, but more importantly, these three children were her wealth gods. Whether their future would be comfortable depended on them!
Moreover, since she had already decided to move to town, she needed to act on it—sooner rather than later.
The village was too complicated. They had no support and had severely offended the Li family. As the Village Chief said, since they would inevitably cross paths, it would be hard to avoid trouble. Being a widow living in such a remote area, there would always be those with ill intentions.
You can't guard against thieves every single day. After some thought, she decided it would be better to change to a better environment.
Another point: moving to town would be convenient for both business and the children's schooling.
The decision to move to town couldn't be better.
"Niang Niang, we'll go with you."
Li Jianguo was also scared. He feared that once Niang Niang left, trouble would come again.
"Alright then, eat quickly. We'll set off right after."
The sooner they went to town, the sooner they could find a suitable house, and the sooner they could move!
Before going to town, she needed to upgrade the children's gear.
While the three children were washing dishes, she slipped into her room and opened the Points Mall.
Originally, she had planned to buy the children something with today's earnings, but when she went to the Gongxiaoshe, the prices were beyond what a pauper like her could afford.
A pair of sandals cost 4 yuan, ordinary rubber-soled sneakers cost 8 yuan—outfitting three children would be a significant expense. How much Xiangzao would she have to sell!
Fortunately, she found some options in the mall, and the prices were much more acceptable.
A pair of sneakers cost 20 Points, so three pairs would only be 60 Points. She was currently a Points tycoon and didn't hesitate to buy all three pairs.
She then grabbed three more pairs of socks at 2 Points each, instantly dropping her Points back to double digits—79 Points remaining.
Not bad, she could still accept that.
"Are you done washing up? If you are, all three of you come over—I have something good for you!"
The three children walked hand in hand into the main room, and their eyes were immediately drawn to the three pairs of sneakers placed on the bench.
[Ding! Li Jianguo's Affection Points +50!]
[Ding! Li Jianjun's Affection Points +50!]
[Ding! Li Xiaohua's Affection Points +50!]
Shen Ning: ???
An Affection Points explosion?