Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback

CHAPTER 115: The 1980s Villain’s Biological Mother (8)

　　The next morning, by the time Mu Shuhui woke up, the sun was already well above the horizon.

　　The two children sleeping beside her were gone. As she got out of bed and slipped on her shoes, she called toward the yard, “Er Ya?”

　　“Mom, I'm here!”

　　The little girl's voice drifted in from outside.

　　After getting dressed and casually tying up her hair, Mu Shuhui stepped into the courtyard.

　　Er Ya was feeding the chickens, while smoke curled lazily from the kitchen chimney.

　　Mu Shuhui walked over and peeked inside, only to find Wang Chaoyang busy cooking breakfast.

　　Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, his face heated up slightly. Putting on a calm front, he asked, “What?”

　　Such an awkward little kid.

　　Mu Shuhui smiled. “Just checking on what you're up to. Thanks for working so hard, Chaoyang. What's for breakfast?”

　　Still not used to his mother's newfound affection, Wang Chaoyang stirred the large pot as he replied, “Corn grits porridge. And I found three eggs in the chicken coop.”

　　Mu Shuhui nodded approvingly. “Sounds great. Our Chaoyang is really capable.”

　　With his back still turned to her, he muttered quietly, “It's not ready yet. I'll call you when breakfast's done.”

　　“Alright. Mom will be out in the yard with your sister. If you need any help, just call me.”

　　“Mm.”

　　Seeing that his tone was far less prickly than yesterday, Mu Shuhui smiled and headed outside.

　　Four and a half year old Er Ya was already surprisingly skilled at chores. She was mixing bran with wild vegetables to feed the chickens, and by the time Mu Shuhui came out, she was almost done.

　　The little girl picked up the wooden bucket to rinse it out, but Mu Shuhui quickly walked over, took it from her, and set it aside.

　　“Mom!” Er Ya cried in alarm. “It has to be cleaned, or Grandma will scold us.”

　　“It’s just a bucket for feeding chickens. No need to fuss over it. Your grandparents won't be back for now. Later, Mom's going to stew one of the hens so you two can have a good meal and build up your strength.”

　　With that, Mu Shuhui led the little girl off to wash up.

　　Er Ya was stunned.

　　The hens were supposed to lay eggs. How could they eat one?

　　Seeing the look of disbelief on her face, Mu Shuhui smiled and gently tapped the tip of her nose.

　　“Be good. It's only one chicken. Your health is far more important. One day, Mom will take you and your brother away from this place. You'll be able to eat whatever you want, and I'll send both of you to school too. No more hateful people pointing fingers at you. Er Ya, you won't have to be afraid of anyone ever again.”

　　Er Ya stared blankly at her mother as tears gathered in her bright eyes.

　　“Mom... can Brother and I really both go to school?”

　　Her older cousin from the eldest uncle's family got to attend school, but she and her brother never could.

　　Grandma always said they were jinxes, and that schools didn't accept children who brought bad luck.

　　Seeing the little girl cry made Mu Shuhui's heart melt. She hugged Er Ya close.

　　“Of course you can. Not only can you go to school, you'll make friends there too. You'll wear pretty clothes, eat snacks, play with toys, learn to read and write, and discover your own dreams. And no matter what happens, Mom will always be your strongest support.”

　　Just thinking about this sweet, well behaved child, who in the original story would grow up lonely and numb to the world before being beaten to death with a hammer, made her chest ache. It had been such a cruel end.

　　Mu Shuhui gently stroked Er Ya's head.

　　“Be good. From today on, you don't have to be afraid anymore. Mom will protect you.”

　　The little girl wrapped her tiny arms around her mother in return. Her eyes were red and damp with tears as she whispered, “Mm. As long as Mom's here, Er Ya isn't scared.”

　　Everything happening in the yard could be seen and heard from the kitchen.

　　Wang Chaoyang quietly wiped the corner of his eye and stared at his mother's back, his fingers curling ever so slightly.

　　He was willing to believe her this one time.

　　But if all that awaited him was abandonment again...

　　Then he would never forgive her for the rest of his life.

　　After breakfast, Mu Shuhui began preparing the chicken.

　　The two children helped clean it, but she soon claimed she could handle the cooking herself. She stuffed them full of snacks and sent them back to the room to rest.

　　Then she slipped into the kitchen, only to duck into her household space, where she used its modern cooking equipment to split the chicken in half.

　　One half she braised in savory sauce, while the other she coated in honey and roasted.

　　Every so often she peeked back outside to check on the children. Just as expected, they stayed quietly in the room without causing any trouble.

　　When the dishes were finally ready and brought out, even she couldn't help swallowing. The free range village chicken was plump and meaty, with firm, juicy flesh so fragrant it made her mouth water.

　　Both the braised chicken and the honey roasted chicken turned out unbelievably delicious.

　　Carrying the large porcelain basin back into the room, Mu Shuhui watched as the two children stared at the meat, unconsciously swallowing. The rich aroma filled the air, leaving them completely transfixed.

　　“Go wash your hands outside, then come back and we'll eat.”

　　“Okay!”

　　Er Ya was the first to dash out happily.

　　Wang Chaoyang swallowed hard and hurried after her.

　　The village hen weighed over four pounds, so there was plenty of meat after it was cooked.

　　The children weren't picky at all. In fact, they deliberately avoided the drumsticks and wings, choosing only the smaller pieces instead.

　　Even so, their eyes sparkled with satisfaction.

　　“Mom, your chicken is sooo yummy,” Er Ya praised between bites.

　　Mu Shuhui broke off a big drumstick for each of them and said gently, “If you like it, then eat a little more. Just don't overstuff yourselves, or your tummies will hurt. I'll make it for you again another day.”

　　“Okay...”

　　In less than half an hour, the three of them had polished everything off.

　　The children's bellies were round and full, their faces glowing with happiness as they kept licking their lips.

　　They had never eaten anything this delicious in their lives.

　　Er Ya's bright eyes shone as she kept telling her mother how amazing she was. Wang Chaoyang was too embarrassed to say anything, but whenever he looked at Mu Shuhui, there was an unmistakable light in his eyes.

　　The children stopped eating as soon as they were full, but Mu Shuhui ate the most. Carrying around a body that weighed over 160 jin meant she had quite an appetite.

　　With their stomachs full and feeling pleasantly satisfied, the mother and her two children stretched out in the shade outside the courtyard to relax. Worried they might have overeaten, Mu Shuhui quietly dissolved a digestive tablet into some water and had them drink it.

　　Compared to the peaceful little family of three, the town clinic was in complete chaos.

　　The old Wang couple could not stay quiet even while hospitalized. They kept making a scene, demanding to see their daughter and insisting that she had stolen their money.

　　The village chief had stayed up with them all night and was already exhausted, yawning nonstop as he dealt with their complaints.

　　Yet by noon, there was still no sign of Wang Jun’s widow.

　　Hospitalization, IV drips, and medicine all cost money. The village chief could not keep paying out of his own pocket forever, so with no other choice, he sent someone to notify the eldest son of the Wang family.

　　The eldest son, Wang Zhuang, arrived that afternoon with his entire family in tow.

　　The moment he stepped through the door, he burst into loud, dramatic sobs as though his parents had already died.

　　“Dad, Mom! Your unfilial son only just found out you were hospitalized. Are you alright?”

　　His wife, Ma Ying, put on an equally convincing act, dabbing at fake tears as she led their two boys forward.

　　“Mom, Dad, Shuanzi and Zhuzi were so worried after hearing you were in the hospital that they cried the whole way here.”

　　Their mother discreetly pinched them, and only then did the boys let out reluctant little sobs before stepping forward.

　　“Grandpa, Grandma... are you okay?”

　　The old Wang couple were deeply touched. With tears streaming down their faces, they hugged their grandsons tightly.

　　“You two are the sensible ones. Unlike those two ungrateful little ingrates at home who don't care whether we live or die.”

　　The moment Wang Zhuang heard that, anger spread across his square face.

　　“The kids being clueless is one thing, but their mother is just as bad! She lives under our parents' roof and eats their food. Our family is already generous enough not to look down on her for being a widow, yet she won't even come lend a hand! She doesn't know the first thing about gratitude!”

　　“Exactly,” Ma Ying chimed in. “My younger sister-in-law is far too inconsiderate. Mom, Dad, don’t worry. Wang Zhuang and I will take care of you. Stay with us after you’re discharged. Shuanzi and Zhuzi will be good grandchildren and look after you both.”

　　Those carefully chosen words brought fresh tears to the old Wang couple's eyes.

　　“Eldest son, eldest daughter-in-law... We always knew the two of you were dependable and filial.”

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T/N: Hello, hello 🤗 I’m back... Sorry, some family matters came up, so I had to go on hiatus again. Thankfully, everything has finally settled down, and my dad is finally getting better and can even tend to his garden now. But yeah, he even visited his garden the day after having minor surgery. 😑 Thankfully, nothing happened after that. I’ll get back to translating again. 😘 

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