Eating with His Younger Son

As Xiao Jing ting pours some cooked porridge for himself, he notices the little guy's eyes are already fixated on the bowl.

Xiao Jing ting goes on pours another bowl of porridge before waving at Xiao fan, asking him to come inside.

The man's invitation, however, make the little boy recoil in fear.

Xiao Jing ting shakes his head after seeing the boy's reaction. Although Xiao fan is mentally challenged from that fever, he still possesses the instinct for self-protection. The realization that the previous owner must have frequently beaten the boy frustrates Xiao Jing ting for traveling back too become someone who used to mistreat his own son.

The man puts the bowl on the table and starts eating. The door cracks open once again and there runs into Xiao fan who obviously has succumbed to his hunger.

Seeing the small boy's expecting look, Xiao Jing ting holds him up and push him on a chair by the table.

The sight of the boy's old and patched clothes brings a bit of pity and regret to Xiao Jing ting's heart. Xiao fan is just a little boy who is too young to care about anything else than fill his empty stomach.

After moving to this place, the previous Xiao would often come back home from outside with food and Xiao fan would run over to ask for something to eat. If she father was in a good mood that day, he would spare a part of the food to the boy, but if he happened to be in a foul mood, he would beat the boy instead. And most of the times, it was the second situation.

Xiao fan eyes sideways at the man with suspicion, and after making sure he means no harm. Seeing Xiao Jing ting acting normal, he immediately eats the whole thing up.

The door stirs again and Xiao Jing ting notices someone else is studying him behind it.

Xiao Jing ting lowers his head. that boy behind the door is Xiao dong, the young yet very smart older son. Xiao Jing ting keeps his head lowered, trying to act as normally as he can. The memory of the previous Xiao tells him that this world is very special, so he decides to try not be seen as an alien and risk getting burned to death.

After finishing eating, Xiao fan seems to have remembered something, so he bolts out of the room. A moment later, Xiao Jing ting hears the sound of the door across him being locked back up.

"Why on earth did you go him again?" Xiao dong bristles at his little brother.

Xiao fan raises his small head and answer with an innocent grin, "Because he got something delicious."

Xiao dong fumes, "Food, food! What else do you know? Dad left us bread when he went outside."

"But I don't like bread," Xiao fan replies with an upset look, holding his chin with his hands.

Xiao dong bites his lips as he finds himself agree with his brother. Although there is enough bread to fill their stomachs, it is indeed unpleasant to eat or swallow because it tastes just like sand.

"We're lucky enough to have food," Xiao dong sulks.

Realizing his brother is angry, Xiao fan lowers his head and pulls at his clothes nervously.

"Don't ever open this door without my permission. What if he barges in and takes things from us again?" Xiao dong warns the younger boy.

"I'II remember that," Xiao fan answers, nodding his head.

Since the two young boys shut their door, Xiao Jing ting has been listening to them talking the whole time outside. After traveling back to the previous Xiao's body, the man suddenly realizes his hearing has become a lot sharper because he has managed to hear every word the two boys said.

After being expelled to his place, the previous Xiao had, at one point, wished that his family would let him go back. So he kept spending hand over foot and after he wasted all his money, he thought of Xu Mu'an and started looting his room. Eventually, he robbed all the money his male wife had taken great pains to accumulate.

Xiao Jing ting rubs his forehead. Although none of those things was done by him per se, he still feels it is part of his life due to the memory of the previous man.

"Big brother, the steamed egg he made was really good," Xiao fan smacks his mouth, saying.

"A big spender like him will lose everything he has sooner or later. When that day come, we will all be in trouble," Xiao dong snaps.

"So, we will be left with no food?" Xiao fan asks, trying to understand what his brother said

The older boy responds with a nod, "Yes. We will be left with no food and no place to live. We will be on the streets."

The boy's answer immediately frightens Xiao fan to tears, "I don't want that!"

The younger boy's crying instantly fills Xiao Jing ting's heart with guilt and sadness all at once.

After returning to his own room, Xiao Jing ting starts checking whatever has been left of his belongings. When he first arrived here, he had twenty mu (1.33 hectares ) of farmland on the account book, including five mu of first-rate, six mu of medium-rate land and nine mu of lower-rate land. Now, he only has five mu of lower-rate farmland left.

Xiao Jing ting scratches his head, condemning the loser of a man for squandering nearly all his property and at the same time, lamenting the fact that fate seems to have let him travel back through time at the worst possible time.