"Auntie, Grandma, what new food have you made? It smells so good!"

Erlang ran towards Su Hua, and when he saw the golden dumplings in the pot, tears streamed down his face.

Dalang, who was two steps behind, couldn't help but secretly swallow hard.

"Go away! You two mud-slick monkeys! I told you to herd the horses, but you act like the horses are herding you! You're so dirty, why don't you wash yourselves?" Madam Su gave the two of them a disdainful look, then got up and dragged them out of the kitchen. "From now on, you're not allowed to eat unless you wash your hands."

Upon hearing the sound, the eldest and second sons quickly stretched out their little hands to look.

When they saw the black, smelly stuff on their palms, their eyes widened in surprise.

Looking further down, I discovered that not only my hands, but also my clothes and shoes were covered in clumps of black mud-like stuff.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid it's all from Mo Bao."

Chunhua had gone out with her second aunt to move pig offal, and they disappeared without a trace. So the task of giving Mobao a bath naturally fell to the two brothers.

Unexpectedly, after they led the inkstone to the riverbank, they didn't even have time to do anything.

Mo Bao plunged into the river and washed himself clean with a few vigorous shoves.

The two of them got completely soaked from the splashing water.

At the time, they thought Mo Bao was playing with the two of them.

The two brothers were stunned for only a moment before they quickly ran to the water bucket in the yard to wash their hands. Ever since their aunt woke up, she often said that they couldn't eat without washing their hands, otherwise they would easily get worms in their stomachs, and they didn't want to get worms.

Su Hua shook her head as she looked at it; the inkstone had been kept in a corner of the stable by the horse trader.

It's obvious at a glance that they don't receive any good treatment.

It's reasonable for them to be a little dirty.

After the two little ones ran off, Madam Su pulled Su Sanhu into the kitchen. She scrutinized him for a while before saying, "Have you cleared things up with the Liang family girl today?"

The words were somewhat veiled, but Su Sanhu understood what she meant and nodded in response, "Yes."

"Well, it's good that you've explained it clearly." Upon hearing this, Su Bai's heart, which had been pounding, instantly felt much lighter.

"Sanhu, as the old saying goes, when choosing a wife, you should look at the mother-in-law. The two elders of the Liang family usually seem honest and upright, but today they seem to have eyes on the top of their heads."

Anyone who didn't know better would think they'd climbed the social ladder!

They all looked down on us, and the neighbors were even asking us what the Su family needed so they could beg them for something. They said we might as well not have their daughter.

After a few days, Mother will go to find a matchmaker and ask her to keep an eye out for good girls in the surrounding villages.

Su Sanhu smiled slightly. "Alright, I'll do whatever Mother says."

Looking at the unusually well-behaved boy, Su Hua couldn't help but have a bad feeling.

This demeanor is quite different from his usual energetic and energetic self.

She composed herself, stepped forward, and handed the fried dough puffs she had picked up to Su Sanhu, saying gently, "Third Brother, this is a new dish I made called tofu puffs. Try it and see if you like it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Sanhu opened his mouth and swallowed the tofu puff in one gulp.

He gave a thumbs-up and said, "Delicious."

The fact that she didn't chew at all made Su Hua frown.

She sighed inwardly, turned around and took out a full plate of food from the iron pot on the other side. "Doesn't Third Brother usually like to eat rabbit meat the most? This is dried rabbit that Mother just specially stir-fried for you. You must eat more of it later."

"Yes, thank you, Mother and Hua'er." Su Sanhu took the plate.

His gaze toward the rabbit meat held a newfound resolve.

That night, when Su Bai finished washing up and was about to turn off the light and go to bed, Su Hua took out a hairpin from her bosom and stuck it in the woman's hair. "Mother, this is a birthday gift from your daughter. Do you like it?"

"Huh?" Su Bai felt a weight on her hair.

When he looked through the oil lamp and saw the silver light shimmering in the bronze mirror, he was taken aback.

Under the dim yellow light, one could vaguely see a beautifully carved silver hairpin in one's hair, with a few wisps of auspicious clouds engraved on it.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed in surprise, raising her hand to take it off. "My dear Hua'er, I'd be happy just for you to say happy birthday to your mother. We don't need to spend this money, mother and daughter."

"No." Su Hua reached out to stop Su Bai's movement, her little mouth pouting, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness, "Mother, do you think this hairpin is not pretty? You don't like it? Then I'll go to Qingshui County next time and change to a different style?"

"Oh my little darling, you want to change it again?!" Madam Su quickly waved her hand to refuse, her slanted eyes full of laughter. "This hairpin is certainly beautiful, and I like it too, but we country folk don't need to wear this."

Even when I wear it to work, I'm still afraid it might fall off someday.

I'm afraid I'll be living in constant fear.

She was a wise and experienced woman, and she immediately knew the meaning behind the auspicious cloud pattern on the hairpin.

She has been married into the Su family for over twenty years, and everyone in Shanghe Village calls her Su Baishi or Old Lady Su. Few people probably know her real name: Baiyun.

Even she herself was gradually forgetting.

Hua'er had been mentally challenged for thirteen years, but now that she's become smarter, she still thinks about her mother.

This sentiment alone is the best birthday gift.

Su Hua smiled and said, "Since Mother likes it, then I will wear it starting from tomorrow's birthday. I have never heard of any country people not being allowed to wear silver hairpins. That old woman Xiao wears one every day, doesn't she?"

If it does fall, it's okay.

Your daughter can buy you a new one later, so there's no need to worry.

"Right now, because we don't have enough money, we can only buy a silver hairpin for now. When I earn more in the future, I'll definitely buy you a gold hairpin, one of every style, so you can wear a different one every day."

"You silly girl, talking nonsense. I'm already this old, this hairpin is enough for me. Buy more for yourself in the future, don't always think about this old woman."

Hearing her words, Su Bai knew she couldn't refuse. She touched the auspicious cloud hairpin with her large hand, and her eyes were quietly moistened without her noticing.

“Mother is not old at all. After today, she will only be thirty-seven years old, which is a very good age.”

Su Hua loosened her hair and leaned close to her, blinking her almond-shaped eyes lightly. "Besides, Mother, don't you think you're getting younger and younger lately? People who don't know might think we're sisters!"

"Sisters?!" Su Bai looked at the two faces, one big and one small, in the mirror and instantly burst into laughter through her tears. "You silly girl, you must be so sleepy that you're starting to talk nonsense. Go to sleep, you have to get up early tomorrow..."

After saying this, he carefully put away the silver hairpin and blew out the oil lamp.

As the moonlight shifted gently, the breathing inside the main house gradually calmed down.

Su Hua only opened her eyes quietly when Su Baishi started snoring softly, then snuggled into the blankets and entered her spatial dimension.