Chapter 46: The Pork Crackling Turmoil

Lao Si was helping out on the side; she worked regular shifts with her master and had a day and a half off every weekend.

Li Xiangqin scooped out a small portion of the freshly fried pork cracklings, sprinkled some salt on them, and handed them to Lao Si.

"Take these out to taste. They're very crispy and fragrant."

Lao Si pinched off a piece and held it directly to her mother's lips. "Mom, you taste it first."

"You child, making me pass a little bit of crackling back and forth. Just take it out and eat." Despite her words, Li Xiangqin opened her mouth and ate it. Since her daughter had proactively fed her, the flavor was delicious both in her mouth and in her heart.

Lao Si gave a giggle, popped a piece into her own mouth, and turned to carry the bowl into the living room.

"Lao Wu, Lao Liu, come eat some cracklings!"

Lao Wu was the first to burst out of his room. He grabbed a few handfuls, stuffed them into his mouth, chewed and swallowed, and then grabbed another handful, muttering discontentedly.

"So good... Fourth Sister really is Mom's favorite. She always gets the best stuff first."

Lao Si froze. Looking at the two remaining pieces in the bowl, she couldn't help but frown. "What nonsense are you talking? I only ate one piece. Lao Liu hasn't even eaten yet, and you've already snatched them all?"

"Who cares how much you ate? There's barely enough here to get stuck in your teeth."

Lao Wu shoved the handful into his mouth all at once. He glanced at the two pieces left in the bowl but didn't reach for them again.

When Lao Liu wandered over holding a martial arts novel, he saw the two pieces in the bowl and looked up at his two older sisters.

"Are you two so unkind to your younger siblings now? I'm the youngest in the family; shouldn't you leave more for me?"

Being questioned by her brother, Lao Si felt a bit embarrassed.

Lao Wu, however, didn't care at all. He gave a huff.

"The early bird gets the worm. It's your own fault for coming late. If you want to eat, ask Mom to scoop some more for you. You're a son in this house; Mom will definitely side with you anyway."

Li Xiangqin walked over wearing her apron. "I could hear you shouting from the kitchen. Is having something to eat still not enough to shut your mouth?"

Lao Liu held the bowl out to his mother. "Mom, Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister only left me two pieces. It's not enough to get stuck in my teeth. I'm not eating it."

"You little snitch. I didn't even eat many pieces. You should ask Fourth Sister why there's so little," Lao Wu said, casting a meaningful glance toward Lao Si.

"It was only two pounds of meat to begin with. How many cracklings could there be? You should be happy just to get a taste."

Li Xiangqin looked at Lao Wu, staring at her greasy claws.

"Look at your hands—they're so oily they're reflecting light. And you have the nerve to shift the blame? I filled less than half a bowl in total. I tasted one, Lao Si tasted one, and then I called you all out. You were clearly being greedy and wanting more; how can you have the face to complain that others are eating alone?"

"I didn't see how much Fourth Sister ate," Lao Wu muttered defiantly, glancing at her own hands.

Li Xiangqin grabbed her hand and held it up against Lao Si's hand for comparison.

"Open your eyes wide and look closely at your own claws, then look at Lao Si. She only has a bit of oil on her thumb and index finger. Do you still need to argue about who had more or less?"

Lao Wu looked at Lao Si's hands. Indeed, only her index finger and thumb were slightly oily. Then she looked at the oil in her own palm, which still had bits of residue, and suddenly felt sheepish.

"...It's been a long time since I've had meat. I just lost control for a moment."

"As soon as you see something delicious, you want to eat more and take more. Selfishness is selfishness; don't try to make excuses with me. There are only the three of you in this house right now. If you can't practice being considerate and loving toward one another, don't blame me for being ruthless. You should be glad you two aren't adults yet; I can't throw you out, but the law doesn't forbid a mother from hitting her children. If I accidentally hit you too hard and something happens to you, then that's just fate."

Li Xiangqin's face was cold as she looked at Lao Wu and Lao Liu. Neither of these rascals ever gave her peace of mind.

Don't be fooled by Lao Liu's current silence; who knows when he might cause a major disaster.

As for Lao Wu, this person was selfish to the bone. If she hadn't changed at all in a year, Li Xiangqin would marry her off as soon as she came of age to get her out of her sight.

Seeing their mother starting to fly into a rage again, Lao Wu and Lao Liu shrunk back, instantly becoming as timid as quails.

Lao Si, watching from the side with pity, reached out and pulled on Li Xiangqin's arm.

"Mom, don't be angry. Lao Wu and Lao Liu are still young. It's normal to be greedy for food; they'll be fine once they grow up."

"Fine, my foot! Selfishness is in the bones. If they aren't scolded and disciplined now, they'll only get worse when they grow up."

Li Xiangqin pulled her arm away and gave Lao Si a look of frustrated disappointment.

"And you—you lack a backbone. Whenever something happens, you just try to smooth things over. People like you end up pleasing no one in the end."

Lao Si's face flushed red, and she lowered her head, wringing her hands together.

"Mom, I... I..."

"I what? Now that you've started working, you need to learn to be firm. Take responsibility for your own actions, and don't take on things that aren't yours. With your soft personality, whether at home or outside, you're the type of person people will just trample underfoot."

Human nature is selfish; people instinctively pick on the "soft persimmons." Because soft targets are easy to squeeze and won't fight back even when they're crushed. Even if they realize you're unhappy, they won't care, because the cost of bullying you is negligible while the pleasure they gain is real. Why wouldn't they?

Lao Si looked up blankly. Seeing her mother's angry eyes, she bit her lip. Her mother was teaching her how to conduct herself in the world. She wasn't angry at all.

"Mom, I will work hard to change."

"Hmph. With your soft-hearted nature, by the time you actually change, who knows how much people will have trampled on you?" Li Xiangqin rolled her eyes, feeling utterly helpless.

It was her own fault for neglecting Lao Si too much in the past, which had led to this weak personality.

Though it would be hard to change, perhaps a few more scoldings would help.

If all else failed, she would grab her rolling pin and deal with all the "monsters and demons" around Lao Si, making them realize that even if her daughter was a softie, she had a formidable mother who wasn't to be trifled with.

Standing to the side, Lao Wu curled her lip and lowered her gaze. She had suspected her mother was biased toward Fourth Sister, and she was right.

When it came to scolding, her mother looked at her with nothing but disdain. But with Lao Si, there was both heartache and helplessness. It was uncomfortable to watch.

Li Xiangqin didn't miss the change in Lao Wu's expression and gave her a cold stare.

"Giving me a side-eye because you're dissatisfied? Lao Si keeps both of her younger brothers and sisters in her heart. When there's good food, she wants you to eat it; she rushes to do the laundry and cooking. In contrast, do either of you keep your Fourth Sister in your hearts?"

Confronted directly, the two of them pursed their lips silently, unable to answer.

Li Xiangqin patted Lao Si's arm, urging her to see reality.

"See? Even your own family is like this, let alone colleagues at work. Whether it's family or friends, relationships are reciprocal. Those who give endlessly without expecting anything in return are Buddhas! As a human being, if you only give without receiving, do you really want to be a sucker forever? Even if I am your mother, if I raise a few greedy, lazy, and ungrateful wolves, I will only pick up a stick and drive you out to fend for yourselves."

(End of Chapter)