C10 Zhao Is so Pitiful!

Zhibing was upset with his dad because of this woman and stormed outside. A few kids saw Jiaojiao come back with his dad and started teasing him, saying he got kicked out by his stepmom. Angry, he got into a fight with those kids, and his grandma caught him.

Without asking what happened, his grandma began scolding him, saying he had a father but no mother to teach him. Before he could get mad, those little brats mentioned he'd have a mom to teach him soon because his dad had married a young stepmother.

His grandma immediately grabbed his ear and dragged him home. He wanted to resist and break free but was afraid people would say he didn't respect his elders. Even at seven, he vaguely understood the importance of reputation and started to protect his own.

But seeing Jiaojiao argue with his grandma, even if she didn't know who his grandma was, gave him a strange sense of satisfaction—finally, someone put that old woman in her place.

Jiaojiao gave him a push, and Zhibing went inside. Honestly, he wondered if his ear was still attached; he needed his dad to check it out.

His grandma, seeing Zhibing dare to walk away, forgot about Jiaojiao's earlier broom swipe and reached out to grab him: "You get back here..."

Jiaojiao didn't hesitate for a second, swinging the broom again at the old woman.

The old woman was so stunned she took several steps back, glaring at Jiaojiao from a distance, and shouted angrily, "Where did this little brat come from...?"

Jiaojiao sneered, "Who are you calling an old hag?"

"You!" the old woman blurted out.

Realizing she'd been tricked by Jiaojiao, she immediately stopped paying her any attention and yelled toward the main room, "Pengcheng, Pengcheng, get out here! Are you just going to stand by and watch this woman bully your mother? I'm telling you, Pengcheng, I won't agree to this woman being part of our family."

Inside, Pengcheng looked at his son, whose ear was red and slightly torn, his expression dark.

He had long known his mother didn't like his child because he hadn't married the niece of her relative as she wanted, but instead married a woman who had moved to the countryside. What he couldn't believe was that even after agreeing to pay ten dollars and provide ten pounds of grain each month after the family split, his mother still meddled in his affairs.

If his mother truly cared for him, why hadn't she spoken a word to him in a year? Why did she always turn away whenever she saw him and his son from afar?

Now that he's remarried, she's suddenly eager to play the doting mother. But does she really want to be a good mom, or is she just trying to make life difficult for his son?

For a moment, Pengcheng wondered if he was even part of the family, considering how much his mom seemed to dislike him. But then again, his square face was unmistakably a family trait.

Seeing Pengcheng stay silent, his mom sat down on the floor and started crying, mixing her tears with insults: "Pengcheng, you ungrateful child! I nearly died giving birth to you, and this is how you repay me? You're such a disappointment. I should have drowned you in the toilet instead of letting you live to spite me now..."

Jiaojiao was taken aback. Poor Pengcheng!

With a quick glance, Jiaojiao tossed aside the broom and rushed to help his mom up. She pouted a little, playfully scolding with a hint of regret in her voice, "Oh, so you're Pengcheng's mom! You know, we just got married, and he hasn't had the chance to tell me about everyone in the family."

"And really, why did you have to grab Zhibing's ear like that? I thought some old family enemy was here for revenge, using a six or seven-year-old as a hostage!"

Jiaojiao didn't give Zhibing's mom a chance to speak: "Oh, are you here to bring gifts for your new daughter-in-law? That's so thoughtful of you! But you really shouldn't have. You've brought so much that it's hard to carry! How about this, I'll come with you to your house to pick it up. You're getting on in years, and it's not right to trouble you with such things."

"Zhibing! Zhibing, come out here! Your grandma wants to give us something, so come with me to her house to get it. We can't let her kindness go unappreciated."