Reborn before the famine, kicking away the scumbag's family and living a carefree life.

59. Falling into the water

The son cried even louder.

Du Mei was furious and hit him even harder, making Xiao Bao cry so hard he could hardly breathe.

Du Mei not only beat her son, but also grabbed her two daughters and beat them.

"I told you to take good care of your younger brother, how did you do it? Why did you bring him back? Didn't I tell you to take him out to play? What are you doing back here?"

Cheng Xiao couldn't bear to watch any longer and grabbed Du Mei's hand.

"Enough! Why are you hitting the child? He's hungry too, what's wrong with giving him a bite to eat?"

"They do nothing all day long, as long as they don't starve, why would they need extra meals?"

That's no excuse for spilling the porridge!

"Did I do it on purpose? It was only because they were disobedient that I accidentally spilled the porridge."

"You can't hit a child like that! Xiao Bao is only two years old, what does he know!"

"You just spoil them! I'm only doing this so you can eat more, because you can't bring more food home."

“Now every household eats in the communal canteen. No matter how capable I am, I cannot break the rules and cook for myself.”

"If you're incompetent, you're incompetent. Why make excuses? They're all so annoying."

As Du Mei spoke, she turned and left the house.

Cheng Xiao watched Du Mei leave, and he knew that she had gone to see Qi Zhengyang again.

She only went to him before because her family was out of food, but now she can go whenever she wants.

Thinking back to what had just happened, he was still touched for a moment by her thoughtfulness and care for him.

However, things took a sudden turn; she instantly changed her attitude, spilling the porridge and scolding and hitting the child.

This is different from her usual way of doing things!

Previously, she would rather let him go hungry than let the child suffer any injustice.

Today, she would rather spill the porridge than give it to her child.

The reason given was to encourage him to eat more.

What's wrong with the child taking a bite?

Moreover, after she spilled the porridge on the ground, she trampled it into a mess.

Seeing their mother leave and their father's face darken, the three children discreetly withdrew and went outside to play.

Cheng Xiao was alone at home, but he was feeling uneasy and couldn't calm down for a long time. He felt that something was wrong.

Why is Du Mei acting so strangely today?

Why is she so harsh on the child? Is it just because she wants him to eat more? She's a woman who cheated on her husband and trampled on his dignity, yet she can still be so good to him.

Judging from her past attitudes toward him, she doesn't seem to care about him that much.

So, was she so eager to stop her child from eating that one bite of porridge today just so he could have one more bite?

Cheng Xiao was completely baffled. The image of Du Mei desperately stopping her son Xiao Bao from eating the porridge kept flashing through her mind. She would rather spill it than let her son eat it, and she would rather trample it into the mud than let the children eat it.

Is this a normal reaction for a mother?

Why is this happening?

Suddenly, in a flash, an idea popped into Cheng Xiao's mind.

That porridge is poisoned!

The porridge was prepared especially for him, so she was so nervous even when her son wanted to have a bite. Yes, her unusual behavior was nervousness.

Fearing the children might eat the poisoned porridge, she spilled it. Fearing the children might pick up and eat the spilled rice grains, she trampled the porridge into the mud.

Her sudden concern and thoughtfulness towards him wasn't out of a pang of conscience or a desire to make amends; rather, it was because she wanted to kill him.

What a vicious woman!

Cheng Xiao was startled and broke out in a cold sweat.

He tolerated her infidelity, but she couldn't bear to see him continue living.

She actually wanted him dead.

Cheng Xiao clenched her fists, and the veins on her temples bulged.

He's a man too; he has guts.

She wanted him dead because his presence was preventing the two of them from being together.

He wants to kill her.

But if I kill her, I'll have to pay with my own life. What about the child?

At that moment, a woman rushed into Cheng Xiao's house.

"Cheng Xiao, something terrible has happened! Your eldest daughter, second daughter, and little baby have all fallen into the village pond."

"What? What did you say?" Cheng Xiao couldn't believe her ears.

"All three of your children fell into the village pond."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiao swayed and almost fell to the ground, but the person who came quickly supported him.

He shook his head hard to clear his mind, then dashed out.

Cheng Xiao ran to the pond in one breath, where a crowd of onlookers had already gathered.

Cheng Xiao pushed through the crowd and saw two children lying by the pond, one was Da Ni, and the other was Er Ni.

When the onlookers saw Cheng Xiao, someone explained, "Cheng Xiao, all three of your children fell into the water. First, Xiao Bao fell in. Da Ni tried to pull him up, but she couldn't and fell in too. Then Er Ni tried to pull him up, but she fell in as well. Da Ni and Er Ni were rescued, but Xiao Bao hasn't been rescued yet. He's probably sunk to the bottom. None of us can swim! We're too scared to go in."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiao plunged into the water without saying a word.

He sank to the bottom of the water and quickly found Xiao Bao. He held the soft, cold, tiny child and floated to the surface.

"They're out, they're out! Quick, pull them up!"

Da Ni and Er Ni vomited some water and woke up. Someone took off their coat and wrapped the children in it.

But no matter how much they tried to wake Xiao Bao, he wouldn't wake up, and those who knew the situation shook their heads in disbelief.

"This child is probably not going to make it."

"Yes! He's stopped breathing."

"The pupils have dilated."

My body was ice cold.

But Cheng Xiao couldn't believe it. Just an hour ago, the child was perfectly fine. How could he just be gone like that?

He couldn't believe it; it was impossible. He carried the child upside down on his back and ran around frantically, thinking that if the child vomited out all the water in his stomach, the child would be fine.

But no matter how much he tried, the child didn't wake up.

Ultimately, due to hunger, exhaustion, and a sudden surge of anger, Cheng Xiao also collapsed.

He could faintly hear someone shouting.

"Cheng Xiao fainted, but where is Du Mei? Where is Du Mei? It's been so long, and with all this commotion, she hasn't shown up. Where did she go?"

Upon hearing the name Du Mei, Cheng Xiao struggled to open his eyes and get up.

The people around him helped him up.

"Don't be too sad that Xiao Bao is already like this. Luckily, Dani and Erni saved him."

Just an hour ago, Xiao Bao was beaten so badly by Du Mei for a bowl of porridge that he cried out in pain. Even when the child tried to pick up a grain of rice from the ground, Du Mei trampled him into the mud.

The poor child, it's all that prostitute Du Mei's fault.

Cheng Xiao got up from the ground and ran towards the village entrance like a madwoman.

"Cheng Xiao is so heartbroken that she has gone mad."

"Go and chase him away, don't let him do anything foolish."

Someone then ran after Cheng Xiao.