Stepmother

Not Polite

This town was not particularly big or rich, it was just very popular among villagers and small officials. Since this town was close to some of the villages, more people came to sell and buy here. And since it was villagers who were doing business here, it was very cheap for small officials, and also easier for them to have control. But this town would be considered a successful one.

After walking all around town and getting to know some spots, Sun Baohai was a little hungry and decided to go to a stall and buy a bowl of noodles. He bought the vegetable one with no meat for five wen. It was the start of summer and the weather was very warm, as he sat in the shade he finally took a breather.

While he ate he remembered the faces of the kids. They ate some meat at Aunt Lin's house and have been talking about it non-stop. He earned quite a bit of money today and he would be stingy with it. After paying the noodle stall owner he made his way to the pork meat seller. When he got there he was very eye-catching. Among the middle-aged wives, he was very young and beautiful. When he got there all eyes were on him.

"First sister-in-law?" A gentle voice called. When Sun Baohai turned around he met the inquiring gazes of Mother Zhang and Li Ya.

"Madam Zhang, second sister-in-law," Sun Baohai curtly nodded before going to the stall.

"What do you want?" The butcher asked.

"I want two jin of pork belly," Sun Baohai responded, earning him the burning gazes of Mother Zhang and Li Ya.

"Here's your pork, your total is twenty-four wen," The butcher was very efficient. It only took him minutes to cut the meat.

"Thank you," Sun Baohai responded as he paid.

"Jinhai's wife, is there a party at your house?" Madam Zhang asked sharply, her eyes fixated on the meat in his hands.

"No, I bought it to enjoy," Sun Baohai didn't even bother arguing with them.

"Aren't you wasting too much money sister-in-law? You have four kids to take care of, you should be more prudent with your savings," Li Ya advised kindly.

"I've separated from your family so why does my expenditure matter to your family anymore? Plus aren't I the one taking care of my kids? You abandoned them remember? So get off your high horse and mind the business that pays you," Sun Baohai countered bluntly. People like these couldn't be taken care of politely, their heads would only grow. He didn't have time to engage in a battle of wits with someone who wasn't even the real mother of his husband, plus these people abused children, why should he entertain them?

"You! How can you be so unfilial!" Old Lady Zhang rebuked. She was shocked that the once timid and cowardly ger became so sharp.

"Old Lady don't just casually accuse people of such crime. I am not your daughter-in-law, therefore I don't have to be filial to you. Since you worry about me being so filial, I will make sure to burn incense for Mother when I get home." Sun Baohai tore her face down mercilessly.

"Sister-in-law how can you say that!" Li Ya hurriedly said, clearly shocked. Even though it was clear that Old Madam Zhang was the stepmother of Jinhai, nobody ever said so for fear of pissing off Old Madam Zhang and facing her wrath. The mention of the first Madam Zhang was taboo in the house and the village so how could this ger mention this in public?

"I don't have time to entertain you guys, my kids are hungry, so I need to get home." Sun Baohai replied before walking away, leaving Old Madam Zhang with a twisted face.

Sun Baohai couldn't care less about the Zhang family remembering the state of the kids when he crossed over. Their bodies were so skinny that you could actually count their bone. Their sunken cheeks, and underdeveloped bodies. Their bodies were covered in bruises and their hair was infested with lice. Their mental was so bad that whenever he raised his hand in the kid's presence they immediately flinched. Even after living with kids for some weeks now and treating them well, their reactions to certain actions still remained. So how could he treat these people politely? 

With a frown on his face, Sun Baohai boarded a carriage. Coincidently Old Madam Zhang and Li Ya also boarded the same carriage. During the whole ride, Old Madam Zhang was giving Sun Baohai a dirty look which Sun Baohai in turn ignored. After getting off the carriage, Sun Baohai immediately started walking towards the Lin's house. This had become a routine for him, and the villagers also knew this. They all had a good impression of this young ger who worked diligently and took care of four kids who didn't even belong to him. So over time the villagers became friendly to him and would strike up conversations from time to time.

Sun Baohai also had a good impression of the villagers and didn't mind exchanging a few words with them. After a few pleasant talks, he finally made it to Aunt Lin's house. After the kids knew that Sun Baohai was there they all ran out to him and called out 'Mommy' in a milky voice. Sun Baohai was shocked.  No matter how close they got, they had never been this sticky to him. Seeing how they were sticking to him and calling Mommy over and over again, Sun Baohai was sure something happened. He looked at Aunt Lin who sighed and then explained.

"The kids went to play at the Song's house with Lin Ning, but unfortunately they met Zhang Fu while playing, and he apparently said some nasty stuff about how you were just pretending and would eventually abandon them," Aunt Lin practically whispered the last part for fear that the kids heard it. Her voice was very gloomy when she explained it. She knew that kids wouldn't just say stuff like this, so there had to be an adult continuously badmouthing Jinhai's wife for Zhang Fu to be able to tell the kids stuff like this.

"Thank you for watching them Aunt Lin, I will make sure to talk to them when I get home," Sun Baohai also had the same thought train as Aunt Lin, which child would say these things if they didn't hear it from an adult?

{New mission triggered: No kids deserve such grievances. Confront the party at fault and let them know that the kids are loved and cherished.}

'Mission accepted'