Mrs. Liang sneered and went ho.
Only then did Tian Cuihua turn her gaze to Mrs. Zheng and the other two gossiping old ladies, her voice laced with annoyance, "Do you think going to school is like going to the marketplace, and anyone can just walk in? Among all the girls in our village, the daughter of the Zhao Family is exceptionally smart and quick-witted. Scholar ng had to personally give his approval before they enrolled her in school.
"If you don’t understand, don’t chatter about it on the street, embarrassing yourselves. Besides, when the two brothers were without caregivers, I didn’t see any of you, who claim to be relatives, stepping in to help. What’s the point of bringing this up now?"
At this point, other won who were on good terms with Zhao Dong’s family began to criticize those old gossips.
In particular, Sun i, Shi Tou’s wife, who had just stealthily brought Tian Cuihua over, unleashed a barrage of words, leaving Mrs. Zheng and the other gossipy old won with nowhere to hide, their faces burning with humiliation. Eventually, they all went ho sulking with their children.
「 」
Zhao Zhitong and Zhao Yu, naturally unaware of the happenings on the street, were currently running ho cheerfully. They were now standing by a puddle, staring at it.
Zhao Zhitong squatted by the puddle, looking at her reflection in the water. She bared her teeth at her reflection, then turned to ask, "Xiao Ge, is this puddle deep?"
Zhao Yu shook his head, "Not at all. I walked right through it when I ca over."
Saying this, Zhao Yu rolled up his robe, tied it at his waist, picked up Zhao Zhitong’s luggage box, and prepared to wade through the puddle.
Just then, he saw Zhao Zhitong getting ready to jump into the puddle following his lead. Startled, he quickly pulled her back, earnestly advising, "Tongtong, although the puddle isn’t deep, it’s really dirty! If your shoes and socks get wet, you could catch a cold. Wait for here; I’ll co back to carry you over."
With that, he picked up the luggage box and waded across the puddle to the other side.
It was sumr, and Zhao Yu only wore a pair of straw sandals and no socks, so he went directly across.
Like most children, Zhao Zhitong had a certain fascination with puddles and seed inclined to step into this one.
Therefore, when Zhao Yu returned to carry her, Zhao Zhitong asked, "Xiao Ge, you’re so skinny, can you carry ? I’m quite heavy, you know. Why don’t you call for Dad or Elder Brother to co instead?"
Zhao Yu would never leave her alone for fear of her being carried away by a stranger, so he assured her, "Don’t worry, Tongtong. You’re so small, I can carry you. Co on, get on my back."
Saying that, he squatted down.
Seeing her little plan foiled, Zhao Zhitong obediently climbed onto Zhao Yu’s back.
After Zhao Zhitong settled herself, Zhao Yu shakily stood up, then carefully, step by step, entered the puddle.
Zhao Zhitong, hugging Zhao Yu’s neck, said in her cute, childish voice, "Xiao Ge, go slow. Be careful not to fall."
And just like that, she jinxed it. They had just gotten halfway across when Zhao Yu accidentally tripped over a rock. Losing his balance, both of them toppled into the puddle.
Shocked, Zhao Yu paid no mind to his twisted foot. He hurriedly scrambled up to check on his sister, finding Zhao Zhitong sitting in the puddle, a dazed expression on her face.
She must have been stunned by the abrupt fall. Just as the worry-ridden Zhao Yu reached out to pull Zhao Zhitong up, she suddenly burst into laughter while sitting in the puddle. "Haha, that was so thrilling!"
Then she said earnestly, "Xiao Ge, look, my shoes and socks are all wet now. You don’t need to carry anymore."
With that, she scrambled up from the ground and, with a SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! started bouncing about playfully in the puddle.
"Tongtong, Tongtong..." Zhao Yu wanted to stop her, but it was already too late. Finally, after Zhao Zhitong had her fill of splashing in the puddle, the two of them ran ho, sopping wet.
As soon as they stepped inside, Sun i was taken aback by the two drenched children. "Good heavens, you two, what on earth happened?"
Zhao Yu hung his head, feeling extrely guilty. "Auntie, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I couldn’t carry my sister, but I was too stubborn to admit it, and that’s why she fell into the puddle."
Zhao Zhitong interjected, "Mom, don’t bla Xiao Ge. It’s my fault for eating too much. Xiao Ge couldn’t carry ."
Looking at the delighted Zhao Zhitong, who was grinning as if she had gotten away with sneaking candy, Sun i knew that her daughter was definitely fine and, indeed, was having a great ti.
She reached out and tousled Zhao Yu’s hair, saying, "How could this be your fault? Don’t bla yourself. Co with and change your clothes quickly. You mustn’t catch a cold."
With that, she hastily ushered the two children into a room, helped them rinse off with warm water, dried them, and helped them change into dry clothes.
Even though it was sumr, they could still catch a cold from the chilly water. So, by dinnerti, Sun i had brewed them a bowl of ginger soup to drink.
Because it had rained all day, they hadn’t sold all their tofu. At that mont, there were still two blocks of tofu left at ho. After dinner, Sun i made them all into Stinky Tofu and fernted bean curd.
Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu were called by Zhao Zhitong to help her. Zhao Cheng was in charge of cleaning the one-point red, while Zhao Yu and Zhao Zhitong were responsible for laying out the cleaned one-point red on big baskets to dry.
Zhao Dong, noticing the three children bustling about, asked, "Tongtong, what are you doing with all these weeds?"
Zhao Zhitong, who was working hard and panting slightly, replied without lifting her head, "Dad, these aren’t weeds; they’re herbs. Once I dry them, I can sell them with Eldest Uncle and earn lots and lots of money."
Zhao Dong couldn’t help but chuckle. Ever since the herbs she harvested last ti had sold for money, his daughter had beco obsessed with making money.
However, the weeds she picked were everywhere in the wild; they surely wouldn’t sell for much. He thus admonished, "These won’t be worth much. Don’t think about making money all the ti. Leave the money-making to your parents for now. Your job is to focus on your studies."
However, Zhao Zhitong was already fantasizing about making a fortune and naturally disagreed. "Dad, these are herbs. How can herbs be the sa as weeds? They can definitely make money."
Feeling helpless, Zhao Dong asked, "What do you need the money for? If you need to spend money, just ask . I’ll give it to you."
Shaking her head, Zhao Zhitong said, "No, no! The money Dad earns is Dad’s, not mine. I want to earn my own money. Then, I can buy at for Mom and Dad every day!"
Hearing this, Zhao Dong and Sun i couldn’t help but smile. They let her keep busy on her own and didn’t interfere.
anwhile, Zhao Zhitong, already imagining what kinds of at to buy when she earned money, turned to Zhao Yu with a serious face. "Xiao Ge, Xiao Ge, when we make money, what do you want to buy?"
Thinking for a bit, Zhao Yu said softly with his head lowered, "I want to save it. Once I’ve saved enough, I can bring Yaya back."
Zhao Zhitong looked at him, pursed her lips in thought, then patted Zhao Yu’s shoulder and said determinedly, "Xiao Ge, we’ll save money together. You can do it!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu nodded vigorously. "Yes!"
anwhile, Sun i and Zhao Dong, who were busy in the kitchen, naturally heard their conversation. They glanced at each other and kept silent.
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