Zhao Dong roared angrily, "As the old saying goes, a mother’s compassion fosters filial devotion from her children! It was just a playful scuffle between two kids, yet you insisted on berating my Tongtong. She’s your granddaughter too, Mother! If this is how you act, then I see no need to fulfill my filial duties!"
"Today, I, Zhao Dong, will make myself clear: I have only this one daughter. If none of you will cherish her, I will! From now on, if anyone dares to call my daughter an Evil Star again, I, Zhao Dong, will fight them to the death!"
Zhao Dong was usually good-tempered. However, when he burst into fury, his intimidating presence truly frightened the gossiping old won nearby, and they all fell silent.
Just then, the Village Chief’s wife happened to walk by. After hearing the cause and course of the events, she stepped forward. "Everyone, stop arguing and listen to . I was also present when Zhao Dong’s daughter was born. I know you’ve all been saying that her birth, marked by thunder and lightning, was inauspicious."
"However, think back. Wasn’t our village suffering from a long drought at that ti? If it hadn’t rained then, the year’s harvest would have been severely reduced. Coincidentally, Zhao Dong’s daughter was born amidst thunder and lightning, and her birth brought us a much-needed, tily downpour."
"If you ask , she might just be a Little Lucky Star. You all should stop spreading such baseless rumors!"
The Village Chief’s wife commanded great respect in the village. When she spoke, even Mrs. Wang had to show her so deference, and the others dared not say anything more.
Furthermore, several villagers who were on good terms with Zhao Dong’s family also stepped up to speak in his defense. Mrs. Wang could only snort coldly and retreat resentfully. And so, the matter was considered closed.
Zhao Zhitong hugged Sun i’s leg, peeking her little head out to look around. Among the crowd of onlookers, there were many little girls her age, and Zhao Zhitong grinned at them.
The little girls, however, looked at her with eyes full of envy. If only we had a father who loved us this much! they thought.
Mrs. Wang departed, and the crowd of onlookers dispersed. In the end, only the Village Chief’s wife and her eldest daughter-in-law remained.
Seeing the two of them, Zhao Zhitong imdiately greeted them sweetly, "Hello, Granny Jin! Hello, Aunt Tian!"
"Such a good girl." Looking at the young girl who, though thin, was full of spirit and seed unhard, Jin Suqin smiled. She then turned to Zhao Dong and Sun i and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
"We’re in the middle of cooking," Zhao Dong nodded. He recalled that the Village Chief’s wife was surnad Jin; she was a kind woman and held high prestige in the village.
The other woman was the Village Chief’s eldest daughter-in-law, surnad Tian, a straightforward and generous person. Their two families had always been on good terms, so Zhao Dong smiled and said, "Aunt Qiangshan, Sister-in-law Leizi, please co in and sit down."
Sun i also smiled warmly and said, "Aunt Qiangshan, Sister-in-law Leizi, please, co in, co in."
"No, no," Jin Suqin said, laughing and waving her hands repeatedly. "I can see you’re still busy."
As she was speaking, Tian Cuihua, who was standing nearby, had already lifted a small half-sack of flour from the cart behind them. She said to Sun i, "My father-in-law knows you just established your own household after the family division, so he asked my mother-in-law and to bring you so flour."
Upon seeing it was flour, Zhao Dong and Sun i quickly refused, "We couldn’t possibly accept this! Please, take it back."
Although these were tis of peace and prosperity, life for farming households in this rural area was still not easy. Moreover, the Village Chief’s family was large. Thus, their imdiate instinct was that they could not accept it.
Seeing their refusal, Tian Cuihua deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Don’t be so quick to refuse. You didn’t receive much when the family assets were divided. My father-in-law specifically asked my mother-in-law and to bring this. If I take it back, he’ll definitely scold ."
Jin Suqin also smiled and encouraged them to accept.
Tian Cuihua, still fearing they might refuse, added, "My father-in-law said this can be considered a loan. You can just pay us back after the autumn harvest."
Seeing they could no longer refuse, Zhao Dong and Sun i could only accept it with imnse gratitude.
Only then was Jin Suqin satisfied. She smiled and said, "That’s right. Don’t be so formal with us."
Then, as if rembering sothing, she sighed and said to Sun i, "By the way, your eldest brother’s three children are in a pitiful state. I originally wanted to help them too, but as you know, with that woman from the Zhu Clan, none of those good things would ever reach the children."
Sun i recalled her eldest sister-in-law’s previous attitude towards her. Our relationship must not be good, and the Village Chief’s wife surely knows it, she thought.
However, Sun i rely sighed in sympathy beside Jin Suqin and didn’t join her in listing her eldest sister-in-law’s faults. After listening, she only said, "When we see those three children, we’ll also look after them more."
Hearing this, Jin Suqin smiled. "That’s the right way to think about it. Whatever grievances exist between adults, the children are still to be pitied."
Zhao Dong didn’t participate in the won’s conversation. He carried the flour into the kitchen and then prepared to go out again to fetch water.
Sun i chatted briefly with Jin Suqin and Tian Cuihua. Afterwards, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair pushed their cart and returned ho.
Zhao Zhitong loved listening to adults chat; she found it as amusing as listening to stories. At that mont, seeing the two were about to leave, Zhao Zhitong waved her little hand to bid them farewell. "Goodbye, Granny Jin! Goodbye, Aunt Tian! Co play again next ti!"
Seeing her act like a little adult, Sun i couldn’t help but chuckle. "You little flower-faced kitten, look how dirty your face is! Co inside with ; you need a good wash."
By the ti dinner was ready, it was almost dark. Zhao Dong had already filled two water vats by carrying water and was sitting in the courtyard, massaging his legs. Seeing Sun i erge from the kitchen, he imdiately smiled, "Thank you for your hard work, Sun i."
"You’re the one who’s worked hard, Zhao Dong." Sun i ladled a basin of water for Zhao Dong to wash his hands, saying, "Quick, wash your hands. It’s ti to eat."
"Dinner ti, dinner ti!" Zhao Zhitong took the chopsticks from Sun i’s hand and happily ran to the dining table, arranging them neatly one by one. Suddenly, rembering sothing, she said in her sweet, childish voice, "Mommy, I want to drink milk."
"Bring it here, and Mommy will pour it into a bowl for you."
At this, Zhao Zhitong obediently ran into the kitchen to get the milk for Sun i.
With guidance from Zhao Dong and Sun i, as well as Grandpa Bai within the space, Zhao Zhitong had beco adept at discreetly retrieving items from the space without others noticing.
Oh, right. This Grandpa Bai was the administrator of the space. The area of the space she currently possessed was limited, only about the size of a basketball court.
Currently, the space was bare except for Grandpa Bai’s small study and the supplies Sun i had purchased, which were piled up. There was nothing else.
Grandpa Bai had said the space could expand and even be used for cultivation, but for that to happen, she would first have to beco a person of great virtue and high prestige.
Four-year-old Zhao Zhitong couldn’t comprehend these words, nor did she particularly care. As she put it, the space was already massive, big enough to hold a lifeti’s supply of the milk she loved to drink.
At tis like these, Grandpa Bai would sigh silently, comforting himself, Things will be better when the child is a bit older.
He was ford from a wisp of spiritual essence that an Ancient Great Power had infused into the space during its creation. This essence had taken form, and he now managed and controlled the space. If he wished to transcend the Three Realms and complete his ascension, he would have to rely on the rit accumulated by the host bound to the space.
Because the space could only bind to a host once, he had been exceedingly cautious in his selection, seeking the most suitable soul.
To this end, he had journeyed through countless worlds across ti and space but had never found a suitable candidate. Then, not long ago, he finally discovered a soul radiating a sacred light. One who possessed such a soul was either a person of great intrinsic rit or one blessed by destiny with imnse good fortune.
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