Chapter 11: When His Mother Caused a Scene, Chu Feng Responded Without Mercy

Wei Xiaoxia looked extremely angry. Her whole body was trembling. Her roar made everyone in the courtyard stop what they were doing. They all looked at her in confusion.

Wei Xiaoxia pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in directly. “How can you give food to these inferior people?” she demanded. “You’re a member of the Chu family! Everything you own belongs to the Chu family—how dare you dispose of the grain so casually?! How can you let go of resources that belong to the family? Chu Feng, I am very disappointed in you!”

She confronted Chu Feng with a rapid barrage of accusations, expecting him to be overwhelmed with shame. But the son who once cowered before her now stood expressionless, his tone calm and unruffled: “This is mine. I can give it to whoever I want.”

“You—” Before Wei Xiaoxia could continue, Du Dahai stepped forward impatiently. “Wei Xiaoxia, what do you mean? What does it matter if you’re Chu family or not? Aren’t you all villagers? Stop acting like you’re some noble clan.”

If it weren’t for the fact that Wei Xiaoxia was Chu Feng’s mother, Du Dahai would have slapped her. Inferior people, indeed. Did Wei Xiaoxia look noble? Or was Chu Long the one who looked superior? Such remarks left the others who had come to help with sour expressions.

Wang Wei, who had once been good friends with Chu Long, couldn’t help but speak up, “I don’t see how your Chu family is so noble. When you first fled here during the famine, didn’t you shamelessly take grain from every household? Have you ever returned that grain?”

Only then did Chu Feng realize that his family wasn’t originally from the village. They had fled a famine in his grandfather’s generation, arriving with a large family. Because there were so many of them, the village chief’s family accepted them.

At first, the Chu family behaved politely. But as time went on, their true nature revealed itself: arrogant, selfish, and unreasonable. Thus, the Chu family was not welcomed in the village. Even Chu Feng was disliked at first.

Wei Xiaoxia was fierce by nature, and Chu Long blindly followed her lead. Chu Feng was timid and incompetent, while the other Chu men acted like lords, doing nothing at home and expecting others to serve them. The villagers barely regarded these men at all.

This was why Du Dahai was so shocked when Chu Feng showed his hunting skills. Now, with the whole village helping, they began to see that Chu Feng was different from the Chu family they imagined. Some even started speaking up for him.

“Let’s not talk about whether we’re inferior people or not. Chu Feng has long separated from your family. When you divided the grain, you didn’t give him his due share. This month, he didn’t get any at all. Chu Feng risked so much hunting for this game—why does it belong to your Chu family?”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen such shameless people in my life.”

“Supporting your mother is filial duty, an obligation. But I’ve never heard that supporting a brother who only clings to his mother and a bunch of lazy lords who can’t do anything is an obligation.”

Wang Wei’s words hit the mark. Chu Long felt as if his closest friend had stabbed him in the chest. He glared fiercely at Wang Wei, but Wang Wei stood his ground. “What? Am I wrong?”

Rolling up his sleeves, Wang Wei stepped forward. Chu Long backed away instinctively, hiding behind Wei Xiaoxia.

“Hahaha, is this what you call noble? Hiding behind your mother when you’re scared? You two brothers are really different—one dares to risk curses and climb the mountain to hunt and feed his wife and children, while the other is a coward still dependent on his mother!”

Throughout this, Chu Feng barely spoke. He didn’t need to. The villagers saw everything he did and instinctively sided with the just. Wei Xiaoxia’s strong yet unreasonable behavior alienated her further. Even Wang Wei, who was close to Chu Long, now sided with Chu Feng.

Zhou Xiaoxiao and the other women finally finished making the two kilograms of flour into flatbreads—about twenty or thirty pieces. The breads were small, about the size of a palm. But when paired with a bowl of hot meat soup, the feeling of happiness soared.

“All right, everyone rest now and come eat,” Chu Feng called, completely ignoring Wei Xiaoxia and Chu Long.

Wang Wei had no time for further quarrels and eagerly took a flatbread, slurping the soup from his bowl. It had been a long time since they had eaten meat. Every day had been wild vegetables and dry grain soaked in water, only one meal a day. It was a blessing that no one had starved to death.

Some people, after eating half, quietly set their bowls aside, intending to bring the meat soup home for their families. Others devoured their soup and bread in just a few bites, eyes greedily watching others. Some ate slowly, tasting each bite while tears streamed down their faces.

Only Chu Feng’s family ate properly. When they reached the bones, they spat them to the side near Dumb Dumb’s feet. Dumb Dumb took the bones without looking at anyone and proudly returned to his kennel.

This scene deeply provoked Wei Xiaoxia and Chu Long. They stood awkwardly in the courtyard, unsure whether to stay or leave. Both clutched their stomachs, clearly hungry. The gurgling sounds were particularly harsh in the quiet courtyard.

“Stay and work for me. There’s still food in the pot. I’ll feed you now,” Chu Feng said to his mother and brother.

Hearing this, Wei Xiaoxia took a deep breath, feeling a wave of humiliation wash over her. “You want me to work for you? I’m your mother!”

Chu Feng scratched his head, realizing she had a point. How could a child ask a parent to work?

He then looked at Chu Long, who had been licking his lips repeatedly, eyes gleaming green as he watched the villagers eat nearby. Wang Wei seemed to taunt him deliberately, sitting closest to Chu Long while eating and slurping noisily, clearly enjoying the food.

“Mom, I’m hungry,” Chu Long tugged at Wei Xiaoxia’s sleeve, looking as pitiful as Chu Miaomiao. The villagers burst into laughter at the sight.

Wei Xiaoxia angrily swept her sleeve. “If you’re hungry, go home and eat. There are still buns at home.”

“But those buns are too rough, they hurt my throat. I want the meat soup,” Chu Long whined.

Seemingly provoked, Wei Xiaoxia finally lost her temper. She rushed forward, trying to snatch bowls from the villagers’ hands. “Stop eating! This is Chu family’s meat, Chu family’s soup! You inferior people have no right to eat it! You only eat if the Chu family grants it to you!”

But no villager paid her any mind. She was just a woman. Everyone had been starving for days and ate quickly. If Wei Xiaoxia dared approach, they would kick her away. Yet, they still feared she was Chu Feng’s mother and didn’t go too far.

After all the commotion, Wei Xiaoxia failed to snatch even a single bowl. Just as she prepared to continue causing a scene, Chu Feng stood before her again.

“Stay and work, and you’ll eat.”

“Keep causing trouble, and get out!”