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墨書 Inktalez
"You are five years old this year, and you will be going to school next year. Make sure to study well!"
Small was exceptionally well-behaved among the children. Besides taking care of Xue Er, he would lend a hand whenever he saw the family busy with something. Xue Er was quite a handful herself, with a difficult temper and peculiar ways. If it weren't for Small, she would surely give everyone a headache. At this moment, Xia Muxin spoke with utmost seriousness, without a hint of jest.
The family had long regarded Small as one of their own and didn't mind spending a little on him. They all smiled knowingly, realizing that he was probably the only one capable of managing the little troublemaker that was Xue Er.
Ming Yi and the others looked at Xia Muxin with newfound respect. They were well aware of everything about Small and gradually understood that their own future children would definitely be sent to school. This thought filled them with excitement.
Small's bright black-and-white eyes were filled with disbelief. He had known the Summerwood Family since he was three, and for the past two years, this sister had always greeted him with a smile. Whether she wore tattered patched clothes or her current elegant attire, she brought him surprise after surprise. She was the one who introduced him to his first scallion pancakes; he could still vividly remember that taste. She made it possible for their family to have rice for the first time in a year, and she helped his grandmother afford medicine so that she no longer cried out in pain every day...
At three years old, it was from her that he first heard about going to school. Back then, he was too naive to understand. It wasn't until he saw Songzi Brother going to school that he realized attending school could lead to earning honors and repaying his benefactor. So every time Songzi Brother returned home, he would cling to him, begging him to teach him how to read and write. Now he could even write his own name and Xue Er's!
"Brother... mine, mine!"
However, no one expected that this simple statement from the Summerwood Family would upset Xue Er. She threw down the spoon in her hand, her large black eyes filled with reluctance and grievance. Small's round body leaned closer as she hugged his leg tightly, speaking in an adorably possessive manner.
This action made Aunt Xia and her husband blush. They prided themselves on good upbringing and kindness; how could they have raised such a thick-skinned child?
Xia Muxin exchanged a knowing smile with Shen Muhan, both unable to hide their amusement at the situation.
Small felt his face flush as well. Although he was only five years old, seeing how affectionate Xia Muxin and her husband were with each other—and how Brother Iron Tree treated Sister Ermiao—made him inexplicably shy despite not fully understanding what it all meant.
After finishing their meal, Er Dan Ge arrived, primarily looking for Muxin, which surprised her.
"Er Dan Ge, what's wrong? It's getting late," Xia Muxin said as she noticed his awkward demeanor and wondered if something had happened. She exchanged a glance with Shen Muhan before asking.
"Um..." Er Dan scratched the back of his head awkwardly, struggling to find the words for quite some time without saying anything coherent. This made Xia Muxin frown deeply. Seeing a grown man blush for no apparent reason left Shen Muhan looking displeased; anyone unaware of the situation might think he was trying to steal his wife!
“Er Dan Ge, can you be more straightforward!”
Xia Muxin was getting impatient, her tone a bit harsh.
Hearing this, Er Dan raised his head and puffed out his chest, looking at the Summerwood Family with a determined expression. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly said, “I want to borrow some money to renovate my house.”
“......”
Xia Muxin rolled her eyes. Given his current income, how could he afford to renovate that house?
Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and she teased, “Er Dan Ge, it won’t cost much to fix up your house. You’re not being scammed, are you?”
She deliberately raised her voice, wanting to see her aunt's reaction. However, instead of drawing her aunt's attention, it attracted her parents and grandfather. After all, Er Dan Ge was still single, earning money wasn’t easy for him, and since his house had been built not long ago but already needed repairs, they couldn’t help but doubt Summerwood Family’s words as they all craned their necks to look at him.
Er Dan felt like crying without tears. Upon seeing Aunt Xia, her husband, and Summer Old Man, he suddenly knelt down with a thud and said earnestly, “Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, I just want to renovate the house and make it bigger so I can bring Jihua home as my wife.”
After saying that, he inexplicably bowed his head and quickly got up to run away.
“Hahaha...”
“Hahaha...”
“Er Dan Ge, remember to come early with the betrothal gifts! My aunt is the most capable treasure in our family right now.”
Seeing Er Dan shyly running away, the family burst into cheerful laughter while Summerwood Family shouted loudly behind him.
Er Dan was already laughing heartily at those words as he made his way home in high spirits.
However, this conversation reached Zhou Guilian's ears just as she was coming out to fetch water. She stood at the door and scolded Er Dan for quite a while before carrying the basin inside, where she relayed the matter to the Wu Family. As a result, the entire family rushed over to Er Dan's house that very night.
Er Dan was in such a good mood that he took a refreshing bath upon arriving home, planning to head to the market early the next morning to buy some things. The Xia Family wasn't lacking in money now, but he wasn't sure what to buy. If he bought something cheap, would they look down on him?
Just as he was lost in thought, there was a loud knock at the door. His heart tightened; it was already dark outside. Who could possibly be looking for him? Could it be that the Xia Family thought he was just a poor boy and didn't want to agree anymore? With a nervous heart, he went to open the door.
"I say, Er Dan, are you foolish or what? What kind of girl would look at someone like her who has been divorced? Do you know how bad her reputation is over there?"
"Exactly, Er Dan. Aunt has watched you grow up. Sure, you might be a bit rough around the edges and poor, but you shouldn't demean yourself like this. Even the lame girl from the next village is better than Xia Jihua; at least she's an untouched young lady."
"Right! This Xia Muxin only used some flirtation to snag a powerful man. But you can't throw your whole life away just for money..."
The Wu Family and Zhou Guilian took turns berating him, leaving Er Dan with a splitting headache. However, with their harsh words, his already dark face grew even darker.
At the same time, he realized they were here to stir up trouble for him.
In the past, when he was poor and his parents had passed away early, they had given him no end of grief. Now they wanted to ruin his marriage. The Xia Family had finally softened their stance; if they hurt Xia Jihua because of these women, he would definitely not let them off easily.
"Aunt, this is my own business; there's no need for you to worry about it. It's getting late, and you all coming here will only give the neighbors something to gossip about."
Er Dan spoke gently; after being around Xia Muxin and her family for so long, he had become quite adept at handling people and situations. Besides, Zhou Guilian hadn't even been married yet and had come along too—people would inevitably talk.
"You worthless nobody! Do you think I enjoy meddling in your affairs? I'm doing this for your Liu Family's sake! Do you want your parents to rest uneasily? If they knew you were marrying a washed-up woman like her, they'd rise from their graves in anger! You're truly unfilial."
But no matter how well Er Dan handled people, the Wu Family was different. They often belittled him without any hesitation; now that he was growing impatient after just a few words from them, they felt their good intentions were being treated like dirt. How could they not be angry?
Er Dan listened to the Wu Family as they brought up his deceased parents, and he could no longer hold back. With both hands, he pushed the entire family out.
"Who are you to me? Who I marry is none of your business, a bunch of ignorant women."
After all, he had been doing heavy labor for years, so he was quite strong. In just a few pushes, he managed to shove the family outside and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
However, the Wu Family was the first to be pushed out. After being thrown out, they stood there with fierce eyes, only to be bumped into by the You Clan Mother and Daughter who came out right after. As a result, they fell onto the ground. Once seated, they pointed at Er Dan's closed door and began to curse loudly:
"Oh, you heartless one! I came here with good intentions to reason with you, and look at how you treat us—eyes not eyes, nose not nose! What sin have we committed? Have our consciences been eaten by dogs? Marrying this wilted flower will lead to nothing good... Ah... which scoundrel just splashed water on me!"
Before she could finish her tirade, a bucket of cold water was poured over her head. Although it was autumn and the weather was stuffy, it was cool at night with a breeze. The water just drawn from the well was extremely cold, causing her to shiver immediately.
Despite her heart-wrenching screams, no one responded to her. The lights in the neighboring houses were off; it seemed everyone had gone to sleep. A gust of cool wind blew by, making You feel a chill run down her spine as she trembled and stammered:
"Mother, could it be that we disturbed Er Dan's parents' souls resting?"
Upon hearing this, You's teeth began to chatter. With a swift kick, she stood up from the ground without waiting for You Clan Mother and Daughter, and like a gust of wind, she ran back home...
The next day, before dawn, Er Dan took all his savings to Town. He bought whatever was suitable until his money ran out before taking an ox cart back home.
As soon as the Xia Family opened their front door, they found a pile of items at their doorstep. Er Dan was beside it, panting and wiping sweat from his brow.
- End of Chapter -
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