"You little brat, stop right there! I swear I'll break both your legs!"
"Ma, let's talk this out. A gentleman uses words, not... ouch!"
Seeing Shen Lang keep running, Huang Qionghua hurled her broom with all her might at her precious son.
"Big Brother, I hate to say it, but you don't even know how to beg for mercy. Ma is a woman, not a gentleman."
Glancing at the heartwarming domestic scene in the courtyard, the younger sister Shen Ling shook her head helplessly.
It was both pathetic and funny.
Ever since their father passed away, their mother had played the role of both father and mother, working herself to the bone to raise the two children.
Shen Ling felt deeply for her mother.
From a very young age, she had helped Huang Qionghua with the housework and done whatever she could.
Yet her older brother Shen Lang was a worry.
He was never home for more than two days at a time.
Every time he came back, it was because he had gotten into trouble outside.
Beat first, ask questions later—it had practically become the traditional way her mother and older brother communicated.
As one of the standout young women of the fishing village, Huang Qionghua was not only quick-witted and nimble-handed since childhood, but also a rare beauty.
Even after becoming a widow, matchmakers still lined up at her doorstep.
Some came with kind advice, others with coercion and bribes.
Without exception, Huang Qionghua chased every single one of them away.
She always said women hold up half the sky and could live just fine without a man.
The real reason behind it, however, was something clever little Shen Ling understood better than anyone.
Her mother was afraid that if she remarried with two children, the man's family would mistreat Shen Lang and Shen Ling.
After all, throughout the surrounding villages, there were far too many stories of stepfathers and stepmothers abusing their stepchildren.
She had heard that in the neighboring village, a stepfather had beaten his young stepson so badly while drunk that the boy was still lying in the hospital.
Watching her mother and older brother chase each other around the courtyard, Shen Ling set the dishes she had just plated onto the table and called out, "Ma, close the courtyard gate and my brother won't be able to run away!"
Hearing her daughter's suggestion, Huang Qionghua said with gratification, "That's my sensible girl. Shen Lang, you little rascal, think you can run? Wait till I shut this gate, and we'll see how I thrash you!"
"Little sister, you really know how to throw your big brother under the bus!"
"Serve you right! Who asked you to tick off our mother?"
Shen Ling made a funny face toward the courtyard and called out, "Ma, the last dish is almost ready. You'd better hurry up and discipline my brother—the old uncle in the village said you shouldn't scold your kids right before a meal."
Seeing that her mother really was closing the courtyard gate, Shen Lang realized he had completely run out of options and wailed pathetically, "Ma, what is this beating even for today? That Lin Xiaoyu girl and I are completely innocent! Don't listen to those gossiping busybodies in the village."
"I'm hitting you today for one reason only! It's bad enough that you usually hang out with a bunch of no-good scoundrels, but those were all men you messed with. This time you actually robbed a woman's money—are you even human anymore?!"
"Do you have any idea what kind of situation Lin Xiaoyu's family is in? It's more than ten times harder than ours! How on earth did I end up with an unprincipled wretch like you who robs her money?"
Huang Qionghua angrily picked the broom back up.
Fishing villages weren't that big.
The slightest ripple of gossip could spread like wildfire within an hour.
That morning, Huang Qionghua had gone out to help mend fishing nets.
Suddenly, she heard that Lin Xiaoyu had boarded their family's fishing boat.
Right after that, Shen Lang had rushed over looking murderous.
Everyone around was saying Lin Xiaoyu was bound to be violated this time.
To that, Huang Qionghua had scoffed.
She knew her own son.
Shen Lang might not be a saint, but he would never stoop to bullying a woman.
The fishing boat was the only keepsake their late father had left the family.
Shen Lang guarded that boat with his very life.
If he heard someone touching his boat, that was the only reason he would look so fierce.
According to Huang Qionghua's guess, Shen Lang would at most chase Lin Xiaoyu off the boat and curse at her a bit.
There was no way he would ever violate Lin Xiaoyu.
If Shen Lang actually dared to do something like that, Huang Qionghua would be the first person not to spare him!
"Ma, are you talking about these things? Good heavens, you've seriously wronged me."
Shen Lang was too smart not to realize immediately that his mother had misunderstood him.
He hurriedly set the net bag in his hand on the ground and raised his right hand.
"Ma, the Heavenly Empress is my witness! Your son got these things by going out to sea and trading for them, and I bought them specially to show my filial piety to you and Little Sis. I didn't rob anyone!"
"The money to buy all this—you really didn't steal it?"
Hearing her precious son ask the Heavenly Empress to bear witness, the anger on Huang Qionghua's face faded by more than half.
Of all things in the world, the Heavenly Empress was supreme.
No one would dare lie in front of Her Ladyship.
Even if it was her own son, Huang Qionghua would smash his teeth in if he lied.
"This is milk powder to nourish your health, chocolates I bought for Little Sis, creamy white rabbit candies, and all this stuff—even if I robbed Lin Xiaoyu's entire family, they probably couldn't scrape together twenty yuan."
To prove his innocence, Shen Lang pulled everything out of the net bag in one go.
He explained the price of each item one by one.
"Chocolate!"
While they were talking, Shen Ling appeared outside, staring eagerly at the things Shen Lang had laid out on the ground.
"Little Sis, see that? Genuine Tianjin-brand chocolates."
"And look, I even brought you White Rabbit creamy candies. Pop one in your mouth, and mmm—so sweet your teeth will fall out."
Shen Lang picked up a box of chocolate and pointed at the place of origin printed on the wrapper.
Then he gave Shen Ling a subtle wink.
"You little minx, if you want to eat chocolate and candies, you'd better help your big brother get out of this mess first."
"Message received!"
Shen Ling beamed brightly, grabbed Huang Qionghua's arm, and said sweetly, "Ma, it's not easy for my brother to finally act like a decent human being for once, so stop being mad at him."
"Brother, hurry up and come over here and hand the rest of the money to our mother."
"..."
Dark lines crossed Shen Lang's forehead.
She happily took his treats while still making fun of him.
She really was his own biological sister.
"Ma, this is the money left over. I used to be clueless and made you angry every day, giving you nothing but headaches. From now on, just watch my actions."
Shen Lang handed all the remaining money from his purchases to Huang Qionghua.
It came to a total of 34.4 yuan.
Then he began to recount how he had taken Lin Xiaoyu to the mudflats to harvest seafood and run into a wealthy boss in town.
"Here it comes, Ma, Sis! Taste the taro and braised pork ribs I made."
Over an hour later, a large steaming bowl of Minnan's famous dish was served to the table by Shen Lang.
"Delicious! Big Brother, when did you learn how to cook? How come I didn't know?"
Shen Ling picked up a piece of rib for her expressionless mother, then popped a piece of taro into her mouth.
Rich, fragrant, soft, and waxy—it was ridiculously good.
Shen Lang grinned impishly. "What are you talking about? Who says you're the only clever little cook in the house while your big brother can only sit around waiting to die? I'm not boasting, but aside from giving birth, your big brother can do anything."
"You brat, watch out or the wind will twist your tongue."
Huang Qionghua tasted a piece of the pork rib with its glistening fat.
Frankly speaking, the culinary skill was genuinely impressive.
Even Huang Qionghua herself might not have been able to make taro and braised pork ribs taste this good.
Unusually, the younger sister didn't bicker back with Shen Lang.
Though Huang Qionghua didn't say anything out loud, the joy in her eyes was impossible to hide.
The Heavenly Empress had truly manifested her spirit.
Her prodigal son was finally starting to turn over a new leaf.
"Xiaoling, don't eat the milk candies and chocolates just yet. I need to use them as an offering to the deities."
"!!!"
Shen Lang and Shen Ling exchanged wide-eyed stares.
Using foreign luxuries like creamy candies and chocolates to make offerings to the gods?
What on earth was Huang Qionghua thinking?