Yang Cuihua seemed to think it was not enough and dragged Xu Duoyu and Xu Zhicheng in front of her to educate them.
"Did you hear that? In the future, you both must take good care of your sister. Do you think it's easy for her? For the two of you, she goes hungry without eating. If anyone dares to be unkind to her, your old mother will not let you off, even as a ghost."
Xu Duoyu was too young to understand what Yang Cuihua was saying, probably only aware that Mom wanted him and his brother to treat their sister well.
Xu Zhicheng wasn't too happy about listening, as in his mother's eyes, the sister could do no wrong.
However, he didn't dare to retort, fearing that he'd be thrown to the dogs.
Because Yang Cuihua would always scare them with the threat of being thrown to feed the dogs.
Xu Niannian felt a headache coming and covered her forehead with her hand, thinking the old lady was unbelievable, able to argue black was white.
To prevent her from scolding further, Xu Niannian quickly pulled her aside, "Mom, what are you talking about? There's no need to speak of ghosts. You're still young and bound to live a long and healthy life."
With the host's memories, Xu Niannian knew that once Yang Cuihua started scolding her sons, it wouldn't end in less than an hour.
If she didn't interrupt, her mother could continue the scolding until dinner time.
Yang Cuihua was immediately moved and, taking her daughter's hand, wiped away tears, "I always knew that in this family, only our Niannian cares about Mom the most."
"Look at the lot of you, who is as sensible as your sister?"
With the daughter's care close at hand, looking at her sons was increasingly irritating to the eye.
"Enough, enough, stop standing around. Those who have chores, go do them quickly. Zhiqiang, hurry up and cook, Zhicheng, go help your father chop firewood, and Duoyu, you shouldn't be idle either, help your brother out. Cook faster, your sister hasn't eaten all day, she must be starving."
After sending the three brothers away, Yang Cuihua turned back and, seeing the blood on her daughter's head, her heart ached again, "My poor Niannian…"
Xu Niannian, observing how Yang Cuihua commanded even the little Xu Duoyu to work but insisted that she should not, profoundly realized the vast difference in her mother's heart between daughters and sons.
She was curious why, while other families adored their sons, Yang Cuihua doted on her daughter instead.
Let alone in the ideologically feudal 1980s, even in later eras, there were more people favoring sons over daughters than vice versa.
"Mom, look at how young Duoyu is; should I help my younger brother out instead?"
"How could that be!" Yang Cuihua disapproved with a stern face, "My daughter, did you hurt your brain? How can you devalue yourself like that? Is the kitchen a place where you should be?"
Startled by her suddenly raised voice, Xu Niannian was stunned for a moment before she recovered and realized what her mother had said.
She couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth; why wasn't the kitchen a place for her? She wasn't some 'golden lump.'
No, that's wrong; in Yang Cuihua's heart, she was the 'golden lump.'
Xu Niannian still wanted to struggle a bit, "But Mom, Duoyu is still young. What if he gets hurt?"
"Hurt?" Yang Cuihua laughed, "What's there to do? If he gets hurt, we'll just let him heal."
Xu Niannian felt a bit dizzy with the response. If someone gets hurt, just heal them; it seemed like there was nothing wrong with that.
Ah, no, that's not the issue. The problem is why, knowing how easily Duoyu could get hurt due to his young age, she still made him work in the kitchen.
She almost got sidetracked by the old lady.
Perhaps noticing Xu Niannian's unusual behavior, Yang Cuihua asked suspiciously, "Niannian, what's wrong with you today? Why are you persistently speaking up for your brothers?"
Yang Cuihua was somewhat unhappy. Her daughter usually shared the same heart with her. Why was she suddenly so concerned about those little brats today?
She even let them eat the sugar water egg, not even considering how precious that was, not for those two little brats to consume.
Hearing Yang Cuihua's question, Xu Niannian's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly made up a lie, vaguely saying, "I had a bad dream."
"What dream?" Yang Cuihua asked.
Seeing Yang Cuihua so interested, Xu Niannian suddenly had a good idea.
She spoke with seeming significance, "I don't really remember the specifics, but I remember there was a person with a black face and a white face warning me, saying that if I wasn't nice to my brother, after I died, I would go down to the Eighteen Levels of Hell."
"Black and white face?" Yang Cuihua was startled; wasn't that the black and white Wuchang?
Good heavens, they say that people who have had a close brush with death can see those officials from below.
Yang Cuihua pondered. Her daughter had survived a great disaster; could it be that she actually went there and back?
No wonder her daughter let those two little brats have the sugared egg for lunch.
Seeing Yang Cuihua with a solemn expression, Xu Niannian tentatively asked, "Mom, do you think we should be nicer to my brother from now on?"
Yang Cuihua immediately answered, "Niannian, don't be afraid; even if it's the Eighteen Levels of Hell, your mom will block it for you. Anyone who dares bully my daughter, even if I'm dead, I'll go down and turn their world upside down."
Xu Niannian suddenly felt thunder rolling in the sky.
Why couldn't the old lady be more adaptable? Was she really her mother, to be so heartless toward her own son?
If Xu Zhiqiang didn't slightly resemble her, Xu Niannian would really suspect that her three brothers weren't born to Yang Cuihua.
"Mom, can't we just be a little nicer to brother?"
"I haven't been harsh to them; I haven't shortchanged them on food or drink," Yang Cuihua said.
Xu Niannian felt somewhat helpless; this was considered not being harsh? What would be considered harsh then?
If this woman wasn't the original mother, which is equivalent to her current mother, with her explosive temper, she really wanted to point at the old lady's nose and curse her out.
Unfortunately, reality is reality; there are no ifs, and Yang Cuihua was now her mother.
She couldn't help but be curious, "Mom, you see, other families cherish their sons, why are you so... to my brothers?"
Xu Niannian hadn't finished her sentence, because she really didn't know what word would be most appropriate to describe it.
Eventually unable to think of anything better, she squeezed out the somewhat euphemistic words "strict."
Hearing Xu Niannian ask this, Yang Cuihua's face lit up with pride.
"That's because they're foolish; your mom is different, my thinking is more advanced than theirs. Those old hags always say daughters are a losing venture, sons are the golden lump, but I don't see it that way."
She took Xu Niannian's hand, speaking very earnestly, "Sons, when they get married, not only have to give dowries to others, they also have to split our house with them. After a son gets a wife, he'll only listen to his wife; people always say 'marry a wife and forget one's mother.'"
"Daughters are different; they don't need their parents to prepare a house for marriage, and they can also get dowries. Tell me, who is really the losing venture?"
Xu Niannian was stunned by her words, thinking that the old lady seemed to make sense; upon careful consideration, it seemed to be the case.
Ah, spit, no, that's not right; how had she been brainwashed so quickly, in just a moment?
Children, how could they be described as a losing venture?
Could it be that the old lady doted on her because she wasn't a losing venture?
Obviously, that was impossible. Yang Cuihua was just saying that.
Given her love for her daughter, she wouldn't hesitate to give not just money but even her life.