Chapter 007: It's the Ji Family's Money

The noise outside was still quite loud,

Ji Dong had already been sent to work in the fields, and Xiao Bei was crying his heart out outside. Of course, no one was there to support him, and the scolding from Lady Ding was even more resounding.

"You didn't steal? Did you, perhaps, lay the chicken eggs in your hand? Give it to me immediately! As a child, you should study, but instead you've learned to sneak around and steal. Today you steal eggs, and tomorrow you would dare to steal silver. How could the Ji family produce a child like you!" Lady Ding's sharp voice seemed to split the air, loud enough to be heard for miles around, as if she couldn't wait for the whole village to know that Xiao Bei was a thief.

Xiao Bei could hardly catch his breath from sobbing, but he didn't have enough words to explain his grievances. He could only insist: "I didn't steal, I'm not a thief, the eggs are for my sister to eat, not for you!"

"Oh, so you only cry when you're hit?" Lady Ding strode over, raising her hand to slap Xiao Bei across the face.

As Xiao Bei saw Lady Ding approach, his eyes were full of fear. However, he refused to let go of the eggs in his arms, his little body trembling visibly.

Just as the slap was about to connect with Xiao Bei, Ji Xinhe quickly pulled him into her arms and dodged the hit. She stuck out her foot and tripped Lady Ding, who uttered a loud cry and fell face-first onto the ground.

"Xiao Bei, are you okay?" Ji Xinhe crouched on the ground and held Xiao Bei, wiping the tears off his face.

Such a small child, his face tear-streaked, feeling wronged, when he saw Ji Xinhe, he rushed into her arms sobbing: "Sister, I'm not a thief."

Ji Xinhe patted Xiao Bei's back: "Your sister knows you're not a thief. Your sister believes you."

Xiao Bei was always an honest child, he wouldn't dare to talk back, let alone steal something. From his rebellious stance this time, he must have felt deeply wronged. Yet, without asking any questions, Lady Ding insisted that Xiao Bei was the thief.

Lady Ding was extremely strict with everything in the house, especially the chicken eggs. She knew exactly how many there were. How could she not know if any were missing? Obviously, there were no eggs missing, but she still kept harping on about it.

Others might not know, but Ji Xinhe saw through her. What Lady Ding was after was merely the egg in Xiao Bei's hand!

"Oh my back! You little brat, you're really pushing the limit!" Lady Ding, rubbing her waist, got up from the ground.

Ji Xinhe blinked innocently: "Mother must be getting older, she can't even walk steadily and fell just like that?"

Only then did Xiao Bei remember Lady Ding, turned his head around in a daze, and was stunned for quite a while when he saw her lying on the ground.

Lady Ding stared rigidly and scolded: "You don't need to pretend to be sympathetic here! I see clearly now, you're all grown up and rebellious. The older one is pretending to be dying from a cut, and the younger one steals eggs into his house. Well done, you are really children of the same mother!"

Xiao Bei's eyes were red with anger: "Don't you dare insult my mother!"

Ji Xinhe pulled Xiao Bei back and then met Lady Ding's gaze: "Xiao Bei said he didn't steal the eggs. Shouldn't you at least ask for proof before you accuse him?"

"He was caught red-handed, and yet he still denies it! You two are probably in cahoots! Just now this brat asked me for an egg and I didn't give him, he turned around and stole one. He's at such a young age and already up to such mischief, see if I won't beat you to death today!" Lady Ding shouted.

It seemed that because Ji Xinhe stood up for him, Xiao Bei's backbone stiffened: "This egg was given to me by Gou Dan. I caught the fattest and largest cricket and exchanged it with him. You're the bad one, my sister is so badly injured and you wouldn't even give her an egg to eat!"

This egg, Ji Xiulan gets to eat one every day!

Ji Xinhe sneered: "If you doubt it, you can go ask Gou Dan. However, mother, what if it turns out you falsely accused Xiao Bei?"

Earlier, Xiao Bei really did ask for an egg. How could Lady Ding give it up? Such a valuable thing, should it be wasted on those wild kids?

Especially since today Ji Xinhe managed to catch her off guard, she hasn't figured out how to fix the problem with the pork, she would rather Ji Xinhe drop dead, and still wants to eat eggs? Ridiculous!

Then, seeing Xiao Bei with an egg in the kitchen, she knew he couldn't have stolen because she locked her eggs, but she was still upset, so she vented by accusing him of being a thief and taking the egg from him. Why should a brat like that deserve an egg?

Yet to see Ji Xinhe, who used to obediently do as she said, questioning her so harshly now.

Lady Ding's face alternately turned white and green. She seemed somewhat caught off guard by it. Those children she had suppressed suddenly learned to fight back. Xiao Bei always followed his sister's example and would not dare to talk back if his sister behaved well. Therefore, the key point was Ji Xinhe!

Could it be that this girl, who had suddenly changed her ways, had turned clever after falling and hitting her head?

Ji Xinhe faced Lady Ding's gaze. She didn't back down, she patted Xiao Bei's back: "Go, find Gou Dan. Let him testify for us, so people in the village won't think we're thieves!"

Lady Ding's face darkened, she immediately stopped Xiao Bei: "What now? You're not done? Everything you eat and drink in this house is given by me. Even if it's an egg given by Gou Dan, it belongs to the officials. Where does it come to you two brats to eat or drink however you please? This house will soon be ruined by you!"

Ji Xinhe sneered: "Mother, your words are really funny. This food and drink are all bought with the Ji family's money, where did mother give it from? Mother's surname is Ding, isn't it!"

"You!" Lady Ding was nearly furious to death: "Well, well, you've grown capable now, and your words have become sharper than ever!"

"What's going on? Why is there a dispute all of a sudden?" A man walked into the courtyard carrying a hoe, it was Ji Dashan who had just returned from the fields.

Seeing Ji Dashan returning, Lady Ding sat down on the ground, wiping her tears as she cried: "Oh, I can't take it anymore, I've worked my heart out for the Ji family these years, raising these children with hardship. Am I not trying my best? But in the end, they say I'm a Ding, not a Ji, and I'm not qualified to eat the family's eggs! It's true what they say about being a stepmother, I understand it today, I've raised a pack of ungrateful brats! I've wasted my life, the Ji family can't accommodate me, I might as well die!"

With Lady Ding causing such a scene, Ji Dashan's face turned grim, glaring at Ji Xinhe and Xiao Bei, he said: "What did you two do to upset your mother? What's this talk about her being a Ding and not a Ji? When she married in, she became a member of the Ji family. Have you two grown wings and started to make trouble?"