While Qin Lian was away taking a bath, the three children sat around the table, quietly finishing the last of the noodles. Their faces lit up with joy as they chewed on the still-warm meat buns, unaware of the storm that was about to crash down on them.
Just then, the front door was slammed open with a loud thud.
"You little bastards! What the hell are you up to now? It smells delicious outside. Did your father bring something delicious again?!"
She mocked, already picturing herself stealing everything away for her own family.
Huang Zedong's shrill voice cut through the air like a knife as she entered the house, her eyes immediately fixing on the children sitting around the table.
She froze.
There they were, chewing happily, their small hands glistening with oil and meat juices. Her gaze shifted to the side, where bags of fresh groceries were stacked neatly on the wooden table.
Her eyes gleamed with greed. So many things. So much food.
But the moment she saw the meat buns in those filthy little hands, her expression darkened. Her lips curled in disgust, and her brows drew together in rage.
Meat? Eggs? These worthless rats dared to eat something like that without her permission?
She snapped.
Without warning, she lunged at Xu Wei like a crazed dog, yanking his arm so hard that he nearly toppled off the bench.
"You filthy little thief! Who gave you permission to touch this?! Meat? Eggs? Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
Her voice was sharp and venomous, each word dripping with hatred.
"You think you deserve this? You think you're little emperors just because I'm not home? I feed you every damn day, and this is how you repay me?"
The room fell silent. The children froze, their faces pale. The moment they had feared was here, it had finally come.
"Give it to me! Don't you know bastard children like you don't deserve food like this?" she snapped, eyes narrowing at the half-eaten meat bun. It made her even more angry.
"How dare you touch these things behind my back? Who gave you that kind of courage, huh? You think you can steal from me?!"
Xu Wei trembled as the woman suddenly lunged at him and snatched the food from his hand. The force of her grip made him stumble and fall from the chair.
He hit the ground hard, burst into tears, and sat there crying, frightened and helpless.
Xu Hao, too, was terrified. His eyes welled up, and he began crying loudly, making the scene even more heart-wrenching.
Xu Shen's hands clenched into fists. He glared at the woman, his eyes cold as he stood up from the chair.
"This is our house," he said, his voice sharp and unwavering. "How is this stealing? These buns were bought by our father for us. Since when did they belong to you?"
Huang Zedong sneered, amused by the little brat's rebellion. Until now, he had always been silent and obedient and never dared to talk back. And now he had the guts to question her?
"Father? Hah! Don't make me laugh," she scoffed.
"Just because you live under this roof, have you forgotten your place? You don't belong here! You're nothing but a burden on Xu Yinchen. No wonder that man is still single at twenty-nine." She sneered.
"Who would want to marry someone dragging along so many filthy leeches?"
Her voice grew shriller, louder, dripping with spite. "First, his shameless sister ran off with some city man and brought shame to her family."
"Now he's stuck raising her bastard children after her death. What a joke! What a damn sin!" She spat on the ground, her face contorted with rage.
Back then, she had her eye on Xu Yinchen.
He was handsome, had served in the military, and held a steady and respectable job. Most importantly, his parents died, and his sister was nowhere to be found. There was no in-laws family drama.
She'd been planning to marry her daughter to him. Everything had been going well until last year, when he returned from the military… with three brats in tow.
He had left his job and opened a pig farm to raise them. She didn't care about the job change as long as he had enough money.
But making her daughter become a stepmother to someone else's children?
Absolutely not!
That's why she agreed to take this job. Not to care for the children, but to torment them, drive them away. She thought they would run off long ago.
But no! They endured, clung to the house like leeches, draining everything from her dreams. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Her voice turned into a cold sneer.
"Do you even know what a characterless woman your mother was? She got herself knocked up before marriage. With you!"
"You were the reason she ran away with that city man and shamed her parents in front of the entire village!" she sneered coldly, jabbing a finger at Xu Shen's forehead.
"You should've died with them. But no! You're still here, breathing, leeching off others like a damn parasite. Don't you feel even a shred of shame?" she scoffed, glaring at Xu Shen as if he were nothing more than a roach crawling through her life.
Xu Shen's eyes darkened the moment he heard her words.
He had never spoken back, not when she shouted at him, not even when she beat him.
But the moment she smeared his mother's name, something inside him snapped.
He couldn't bear it.
"Don't insult my mother!" he shouted, using all his strength to shove her away.
"Ahhh!"
Caught off guard, Huang Zedong stumbled backward. Her back slammed hard against the wooden table before she collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.
She let out a shriek of pain, clutching her waist and hips. "Ah… my waist! You little devil!" she howled.
Little Xu Hao was terrified. Seeing the woman wailing and cursing on the floor, he burst into tears again.
Xu Wei stood frozen, staring at the scene in disbelief, too scared to move.
Even Xu Shen was shaken. He took a step back, his heart pounding, and panic rose in his chest.
What if she told their father? What if she really got them thrown out? Just as those thoughts raced through his mind, the woman's eyes turned vicious.
"You!! You little bastard. Trying to kill me now, are you? Today, I'll make sure your father throws you out of this house!" she spat through gritted teeth as she staggered to her feet.
She grabbed Xu Shen by the collar and hissed, "Since Xu Yinchen gave you so much freedom, I'll teach you a lesson as an elder. I know exactly how to deal with filthy brats like you!"
She raised her hand to strike him, and Xu Shen trembled, squeezing his eyes shut in fear, bracing for the pain.
But before Huang Zedong could slap him, someone grabbed her wrist. The grip was firm and cold.
Before she could react, the next second, she was spun around—
PAK!
A sharp slap cracked through the room.
Huang Zedong stood frozen, one hand on her cheek, eyes wide in disbelief.
Xu Shen, too, opened his eyes slowly when he heard the loud, crisp sound. But the pain he had braced for never came.
And then… he saw who stood behind her.