Chapter 4: An Unjust Brother and a Partial Mother—Don’t Even Dream of Taking a Piece of Me

Outside came the voice of Chu Long, Chu Feng’s elder brother.

Gazing at the stir-fried wild vegetables with pork tenderloin before him, Chu Feng’s expression darkened.

Even now, he had no clear understanding of the original family of the body he now inhabited.

He had only crossed over a few days ago.

His memories were filled with the original family’s neglect and indifference toward him.

Chu Feng knew the reason was nothing more than the preference for sons over daughters.

But no matter the reason, Chu Feng simply wished for this small household to remain undisturbed by anyone.

An innocent man should not be blamed, but possessing something valuable invites trouble.

This was a time of famine.

The townsfolk barely had enough to eat.

The villagers endured hunger nine times a day.

Countless people went to bed with empty stomachs.

They were on the verge of eating each other’s children.

If others found out that Chu Feng’s family had a wild boar, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Chu Feng glanced at the cleaver on the ground, his mind flashing with countless thoughts.

Until a pair of hands rested on his shoulders.

Zhou Xiaoxiao’s large eyes looked up at Chu Feng.

In the next moment, Chu Feng calmed himself.

“It seems it’s big brother and mother… what should we do?”

Zhou Xiaoxiao appeared anxious, seemingly afraid of the so-called big brother and mother.

“It’s okay,” Chu Feng reassured her.

He stood and opened the door, looking out into the courtyard.

“Why are you shouting? Shut up!”

A woman’s scolding voice came from outside.

Chu Feng’s mother, Wei Xiaoxia, appeared before him.

She was a woman in her forties, looking capable and sharp.

She walked into the yard with Chu Long.

Then they stopped in the courtyard, seemingly unwilling to enter the house.

As long as they didn’t enter the room, everything could be negotiated.

After all, the butchered pork was right here.

Chu Feng’s home was at the foot of the mountains.

It was on the very edge of the village.

The closest residence was that of his elder brother, Chu Long.

But even so, it was still several dozen meters away.

One could say that Chu Feng’s house was somewhat distant from the village.

So after dark, when Chu Feng cut the pork, he was a bit reckless.

He thought no one would find out.

He never expected Chu Long and their mother to come here.

If they really entered the room, Chu Feng wouldn’t know what to do.

No matter how poorly his brother and mother treated him in his memories,

he could never bring himself to kill them to keep them silent.

Chu Long wore a cotton-padded jacket.

It looked unclean, as if it had been worn for decades.

Still, such a garment was valuable in ancient times.

Only the wealthy and noble could afford cotton clothing.

Commoners rarely owned such luxuries.

This showed how much Wei Xiaoxia favored her eldest son.

“Mother, something’s off—that’s the smell of meat!”

Chu Long sniffed around like a dog, then his face filled with greed.

Since the famine began, every household started rationing their grain.

One meal a day was barely enough to avoid starvation.

Let alone eating meat.

Wei Xiaoxia asked, “You have meat in your home?”

Chu Feng did not hide the truth.

The scent of meat filled the courtyard, and the bloodstains had not even been concealed.

Anyone with eyes could see it.

“That’s right, we found it on the mountain.”

“Found it on the mountain? You filthy bastard, where could you be so lucky? I don’t believe it.”

Chu Long sneered.

Chu Feng did not bother responding.

Whether or not Chu Long believed him was none of his concern.

But the unmistakable aroma of meat was real.

So was the saliva forming in Chu Long and Wei Xiaoxia’s mouths.

“Your big brother’s child was just born, and his wife has no milk. I gave half to your big brother,” Wei Xiaoxia said bluntly.

Hearing this, Chu Feng only sneered coldly. “Half? Mother, what about the grain share for Xiaoxiao and me?”

The village did not divide households.

Even though they lived in separate houses, the fields were not divided.

Chu Feng had his own land.

Every year, he had a harvest.

After paying taxes and grain tribute, Chu Feng was entitled to his family’s share of grain.

But those grains were all hoarded by the original parents.

When it came to distribution, they only gave him a single portion.

“Your sister-in-law has struggled for years to conceive. She has no milk and there is hardly any food at home. Your family still has some old grain to hold on a bit longer, so I gave it to your big brother,” Wei Xiaoxia said with righteous certainty.

Hearing this, Chu Feng’s heart grew colder.

He never imagined his mother could speak so matter-of-factly.

“We still have old grain? If we did, would Miao Miao be starving like that? Would Xiaoxiao be so malnourished? Mother, how can you lie with your eyes wide open?”

Chu Feng stood up, grabbed the cleaver, and took a few steps forward.

Wei Xiaoxia and Chu Long frowned. Something was off with Chu Feng’s demeanor.

When had he ever dared speak to them like this before?

“Come, look at my house again, mother. This is the house you gave me!”

Hearing this, Wei Xiaoxia looked toward Chu Feng’s house.

It was a small wooden structure.

There were no windows.

The main room and bedroom had many gaps of varying sizes.

Now all the cracks were stuffed tightly with straw.

The courtyard fence was barely standing—almost nothing left intact.

To be honest, no one in the village would want to live in such a house.

“Mother, you gave my grain to big brother. When it came to distributing houses, you gave me the smallest, most dilapidated, and worst one. When I entrusted Miao Miao to your care, you fed big brother’s child bread and gave mine water? Now you want half of my meat for nothing—why?”

This was what Chu Feng couldn’t tolerate.

Not giving him grain, giving him the worst house—these he could endure.

But abusing his child? How could a parent stand for that?

Wei Xiaoxia said coldly, “A losing bet, what else can I do with her? Letting her eat is already generous. But your big brother’s child is our Chu family bloodline. Now your sister-in-law has just given birth to a boy. We came here today to send you back. The snow is coming soon, plant the winter wheat, and next year you’ll be able to support your two big nephews.”

“So, you came just to make me work for big brother’s family? Your big brother’s boys are human, but my Miao Miao is a girl, so she’s not?”

“Of course! A losing bet—she’s not one of us Chu family!”

“Mother, you are a woman too.”

“Your mother is Chu family! Will your daughter be Chu family in the future?”

Wei Xiaoxia spoke with righteous authority.

Chu Feng fell silent.

Sometimes, some matters just couldn’t be discussed with these ancient people.

“Hurry and bring out your meat for your big brother to take away!”

With that, Wei Xiaoxia tried to enter the house, wanting to see what kind of meat Chu Feng had.

She did not expect her dull-witted second son to be so lucky as to find meat on the mountain.

Before she could take a step forward, there was a bang.

The cleaver in Chu Feng’s hand was suddenly thrust down in front of Wei Xiaoxia.

In that instant, Wei Xiaoxia’s face paled.

Chu Long shouted anxiously, “Chu Feng, what do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to kill your mother and brother?”