Lady Chen was originally in a low mood, but when she heard her son Tang Xiao Yi's innocent words, she couldn't help but want to laugh and cry simultaneously. She hurriedly corrected, "You should say your older sister is fine, don't mention the word 'die' so casually, it's unlucky."
"Oh! I know now. The word 'die' is unlucky."
"Hush! Don't say such things carelessly." Tang Xiao Yi, being the elder brother, covered his mouth with his small hand and solemnly warned his sister.
"I didn't say it, it was brother who said it just now." Tang Xiaorou, the younger sister, was born just a bit later than her brother. Both of them were surprisingly about the same height, wearing clothes altered from adult sizes, making it hard to tell the difference between a boy and a girl when they stood together.
"You two go eat something now, I have a few words to say to your elder sister."
Feeling a pair of warm hands holding her own, Tang Wanwan pretended to get up, but Lady Chen pushed her back down. "A Wan, my good child, you suffered today. It's because of my incompetence that I couldn't protect you." As she spoke, Lady Chen's tears began to fall. The mask she wore before entering the door crumbled when she saw her daughter's ghostly pale face, and the tears started to drop again.
"Mother, why are you crying? See, I'm perfectly fine."
After speaking, Tang Wanwan mustered her strength and forced a smile at them. Even though her mouth was badly swollen, her attempt to smile unexpectedly amused Lady Chen, who had been ready to cry her heart out.
Tang Xiao Yi and Tang Xiaorou pointed at their sister's mouth and said, "Sister's mouth looks like a pig's snout."
"I'm just a little lazy pig, oink oink." Tang Wanwan put her hand by her mouth and shook her head from side to side, scrunching her facial expressions to make a clumsy face. She didn't want her family to sink into sadness, so she resorted to humor. Sure enough, seeing her exaggerated act, everyone laughed, and the gloomy atmosphere in the house lightened considerably.
"Is that how a pig looks?"
"Big sister's piggy face is so ugly!"
...
"Mother, don't worry, today is the last time they will bully us. In the future, I will train my body well, make it strong and healthy. I will also earn lots and lots of money so that you can all eat well, live in luxury, and never be bullied by anyone again."
Lady Chen noticed that her daughter seemed a bit different today, but at the end of the day, she was only fifteen years old, and perhaps she was just speaking childish dreams. After the enthusiasm of today, how to get through life remained the biggest issue before them.
Lady Chen always remembered how eight years ago, when she gave birth to the twins Tang Xiaorou and Tang Xiao Yi, it was her sister-in-law Mrs. Wang who called the midwife, saving her life just in time. Her husband used to say that he was raised by his sister-in-law and brother, and now his sister-in-law saved their kids and her life, so they owed a debt of gratitude and couldn't afford to be ungrateful or disobedient to them.
Little did she think that this act of gratitude would ruin the lives of their entire household. They became workhorses for that family for over ten years, and rather than appreciating it, they took everything for granted. From today, those days were over.
"Silly girl, you were too brave today, you almost frightened me to death. You must not do this again." Lady Chen seemed to be reprimanding her daughter, but in reality, her heart ached, and she couldn't bear to lay a finger on her daughter.
"Mother, don't worry, in the future, our family will stay together, and no matter how hard it gets, it will be better than begging others. Tomorrow, I'll go into the mountains; they say there's treasure everywhere. We'll gather some herbs, pick some wild fruits, and even if we have to eat wild vegetables, we'll get by."
Hearing the bold words coming from her daughter's mouth, Lady Chen's expression changed. Her daughter had never spoken like this before; she didn't even recognize a few characters, let alone herbs. Lady Chen said, "A Wan, it's okay to be poor, but one must be honest and not lie. Now that we have split from the family, let's live life properly. You manage the household, and outside I'll handle it. Even if it means taking more embroidery work."
Tang Wanwan knew she couldn't explain her money-making plans to her mother for the moment; she could only evade her mother's suspicion with words.
"Alright, with you here, Mother, I'm not afraid of anything." Tang Wanwan rarely had so much family, and it felt so warm with everyone gathered together. This feeling was quite novel, and crucially, she felt no aversion towards them. Previously, she was known for being aloof and not very sociable, but crossing into this new life, her personality seemed to have changed. Everything felt natural and connected with them by blood, perhaps this was what was called familial bond.
"Xiao Yi supports big sister."
"I'm like brother, I also support big sister." Two small, skinny hands tightly grasped her own. Tang Wanwan hugged her younger siblings tightly and lightly leaned her head against her mother's body. This was the first time she felt like a real fifteen-year-old girl, lying in her mother's warm embrace, holding her loved ones close.
Though she was cherished in her former family, she was held to strict standards, and her childhood was engulfed by textbooks. While other kids were cuddling with their parents, she was battling through piles of test questions. When others cast aside books to enjoy carefree weekends with family and friends, she was rushing from one class to another. Later, striving to rise above in Jin Luban, she turned into a complete workaholic. Finally reaching the position of the head, fate played jokes on her, sending her into this different family setting.
The scent of the sun filled her nostrils, dry and fragrant. Though Lady Chen's clothes had been washed numerous times, making the color fade slightly, the fabric still felt soft, warm, and comfortable to lie on. Even though her body and face were still in pain, Tang Wanwan felt a sense of tranquility in her heart unlike ever before.
Especially Lu Yujin, who despite his aloof appearance, showed genuine concern, treating her quite well.
This kind of pure friendship among children was something she yearned for, though it made her blush a little to admit. In her previous life, Tang Wanwan had never been in a romantic relationship or liked anyone. She was experiencing for the first time the feeling of being cared for.
Thinking about everything, except for the poverty, this family seemed otherwise pretty good. As for those troublesome relatives, she would handle them one by one.
Fortunately, Lu Yujin had given her a meat bun earlier, which helped restore her strength considerably. With the original owner's memories, she quickly grasped the family's situation. Complex as it might seem, it was also straightforward; ultimately, these so-called relatives were bullies who preyed on the weak.