Uncle Su's family

Upon hearing this, the eldest uncle excitedly grasped Shi Tou's shoulders, "Well done, you've brought honor to the Su family. Eldest son, go prepare the things, we'll go tell your grandfather together tomorrow."

Su Yi said, "Uncle, we came back with things we bought, so we don't need them."

The uncle, his face flushed as if he'd had a few drinks, said, "Hey, what you bought is what you bought, and what we bought is what we bought. You can eat at home later, and I'll have your aunt cook."

Su's mother had no choice but to bring all the groceries she had bought to their side.

Su's father and Shi Tou accompanied his eldest uncle and cousin in conversation, while Su's mother and aunt prepared food with their wives.

Xiao Shi and Li Yang couldn't wait to go to the village to play with their other friends.

Liu Huan was left alone in the yard, playing with the children.

"Auntie, I want more!"

The three-year-old child asked for food in a childish voice, and Liu Huan held her and gave her a couple of sweet bites before finally feeding her.

"Come on, eat slowly."

Then, mimicking Snow White's stepmother, she asked, "Isn't Auntie the most beautiful woman in the world?"

"Yes," she answered firmly, though she didn't know what beauty was.

She has a sweet tongue and got another piece of food.

There was another one crawling at her feet, twisting its body and clinging to her legs as it climbed up: "Gu...Gu..."

Liu Huan picked him up and kissed his chubby face: "It's your aunt, you silly boy!"

The little guy giggled, and Liu Huan crushed the food into powder and fed it to him, saying, "Poor little thing, this is all you can eat."

The little guy didn't understand, but he clapped his hands happily. Then he leaned forward and his head fell into Liu Huan's face, making her see stars.

"Ah, stone, help me!"

The people who were talking inside came out, and the second cousin quickly took his son away from the scene of the crime: "Cui'er, take your son away quickly."

"Huanhuan, I'm sorry, the brat is still young. You can teach him a lesson when he grows up."

The others glanced at it and laughed, then went back inside without taking it seriously. Su's mother was very envious: "Zhuangzhuang is really tough."

Auntie laughed and said, "Hurry up and find one for Da Shi, then you can hold your grandson."

Mother Su was overjoyed, her face full of anticipation: "No rush, let's wait until Shi Tou passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar."

Auntie agreed: "That's true. With your family like this, you can't find any kind of thing. You have to be careful in your selection."

The person who sparked this conversation was covering her nose and crying, looking pitiful like a puppy, seeking comfort from Su Yi.

Su Yi thought it was just a minor bump, so he moved his hands over her face and murmured, "Pathetic, can't even beat someone this young."

He would then pat her head; that was his way of comforting people.

When I reached for her hand again, bright red blood began to flow from between her fingers.

My heart tightened, and I quickly took her hand away and pressed her head down. "Is there any blood in your mouth? Spit it out."

Three-year-old Su Ci, who was standing nearby, was terrified and cried out loudly, "Mommy, Auntie is bleeding!"

The people in the kitchen were so startled that they rushed out, asking, "Oh dear, what happened?"

Su Yi: "Mother, bring some cold water."

The second sister-in-law quickly went in and brought a basin of water. Su Yi wet a handkerchief and placed it on the back of her head, and the bleeding slowly stopped.

But the tears just wouldn't stop.

Seeing this, the aunt was a little worried: "Should we go to town?"

Shi Tou replied, patting Liu Huan's back, "No need. It's probably because Zhuangzhuang bumped into her nose. She'll be fine after a rest."

Cao'er brought hot water, and Su Yi took it from her: "Sister, let me do it."

She carefully wiped away the tears and blood from Liu Huan's face, washed her hands, and gently coaxed her, "It's okay. When he grows up, you can get revenge on him."

Liu Huan shook her head and remained silent, but tears still streamed down her face.

Everyone felt something was off, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

It was like how my older cousin was coaxing his daughter...

Su Yi looked up and saw everyone staring at them. He coughed awkwardly and said, "Mother, you all go ahead and do your work. She'll be done in a bit."

The others then realized what was happening: "Oh, okay, you keep an eye on her."

Once inside the kitchen, Auntie started winking and nudging Su's mother with her elbow, saying, "Those two..."

How could Su's mother not know what she was thinking? She explained, "They are still young. Huanhuan is so young. Let's talk about it when she grows up. If she doesn't have that kind of interest, then it's just another son-in-law."

The two cousins-in-law standing nearby, however, started to have their own ideas. Seeing that their uncle's family had become successful, and with several unmarried members still around, they thought they could go back and see if any of their sisters were suitable.

It took Liu Huan outside a long time to calm down before the soreness in her nose subsided.

With her nose red, she glared at the culprit beside her, gritting her teeth: "Su Zhuangzhuang, wait until you grow up, I'll beat you up."

Su Yi stroked her fur and said, "Okay, be careful next time you hold him. He's such a heavy little chubby guy, it's a wonder he doesn't flatten you."

When Xiao Shi came back from playing outside, he saw that Liu Huan's nose and eyes were red and there was blood on the ground. He asked incredulously, "Huanhuan, who hit you?"

She then scolded Su Yi: "Second brother, even if Huanhuan is wrong, you can't hit her. Look at what you've done to her."

Su Yi glanced at him sideways, and he immediately cowered, looking away before quickly meeting his gaze again. "I... I'm telling the truth!"

He just wanted to stand up for Huanhuan and get justice!

Liu Huan, worried that things might get out of hand, reminded him, "Alright, young man, if you want to avenge me, go find Su Zhuangzhuang. He's the one who hit you; it hurts a lot."

Upon hearing the name, Xiao Shi's expression cracked; it seemed he had offended his second brother again.

After apologizing to Su Yi with a smile, she explained why he had come back: "Huanhuan, I heard from Gousheng and the others that there's a lot of food in the deep mountains. Let's go and gather some too."

Liu Huan was about to agree when Su Yi's glare silenced her.

Su Yi said unhurriedly, "Let's go tomorrow. It's getting dark now, and we'll be eating soon."

"Oh," Liu Huan said reluctantly, her eyes practically accusing him.

Liu Huan pouted and looked at Xiao Shi, who said he couldn't help her: "Then Huanhuan, you should just listen to your brother and eat at home. I'm going now."

He hadn't taken two steps when he was called back, "Come back, and you're not allowed to go either."

Xiao Shi stood behind in disbelief, pointing at Su Yi and then at himself. Liu Huan laughed even more happily; she loved it when her little brother suffered misfortune with her.

Su Yi raised an eyebrow. "You're happy now? Then stay by yourself and behave yourself."

After saying that, he went inside. Xiao Shi stood in front of Liu Huan in Su Yi's place, looked inside and muttered, "Huanhuan, have you noticed that Second Brother is getting more and more fierce..."

Su Yi: "If you have time to talk bad about me, go back and write a piece of calligraphy yourself."

...Okay, now it's completely quiet.

The next day, my uncle led everyone to visit the grave of the Su family elders. When the respected elders in the village found out, they opened the ancestral hall and told the ancestors of Maocao Village.

Liu Huan and Xiao Shi didn't have time to listen to any of this, because they were engrossed in breaking bamboo shoots.

"Huanhuan, do you want all of these?"

Liu Huan looked up and saw a bamboo shoot several meters tall in Xiao Shi's hand, almost covered with leaves.

"No, I only want this kind."

She showed them how she explained herself, and then everyone started explaining themselves according to her standards, full of enthusiasm.

Because Liu Huan said that he would give them one coin for every five sticks they broke, they all put in their best effort to break them.

Then she took them back to her uncle's house. Her aunt was shocked when she saw them: "Why did you bring so many bamboo shoots? They are very bitter and not tasty."

After paying the children, Liu Huan explained to her aunt, "Auntie, this is going to be delicious when it's done. Bring it to town when you're done, and we'll buy it."

Afraid she wouldn't believe me if I told her, I personally demonstrated by making stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, which received unanimous praise.

Su's mother couldn't help but boast, "She loves making these strange and unusual things, and they taste pretty good too."