Upon hearing Huang Xiaosi's words, the fat man's eyes lit up. He tried to suppress his excitement and asked calmly, "Fifth Aunt agreed?"

He was so happy that Xiao Si's family didn't look down on him.

After his parents passed away, the villagers all thought he was a jinx, and they all avoided him, afraid of being implicated.

“Yes, my mother agreed, and my older brother and the others agreed as well,” Huang Xiaosi explained. “However, my mother said that this matter is not so simple, and we should wait until my older brother and the others come back tonight to discuss it and see if there is any good solution.”

“No need,” the fat man insisted, “You don’t need to discuss it with me, I don’t want to stay here.”

"Why?" Huang Xiaosi asked, puzzled. "Don't you like our family?"

"No," the fat man looked at Huang Xiaosi's innocent eyes, unsure how to explain, and stammered, "I don't want to live under someone else's roof."

These words deeply saddened Huang Xiaosi.

Living under someone else's roof? What does the fat man think he is?

His mother was so kind, he reluctantly shared half of his money with the fat man, but the fat man still complained.

That's outrageous!

The more I think about it, the more wronged I feel.

"I'd rather not stay here, I'm too lazy to bother."

After Huang Xiaosi finished speaking, he ran into the yard with red eyes, calling out, "Mother!"

When people feel wronged, they will subconsciously turn to their mothers, and Huang Xiaosi was no exception.

Jiang Nuan snapped out of her daze and saw Xiao Si with red eyes. "What's wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"

"I will never treat Fatty as a brother again."

"Tell me, what happened?" Jiang Nuan awkwardly wiped away Xiao Si's tears. "How old are you? Why are you still crying so easily? Aren't you ashamed?"

“Mom,” Huang Xiaosi awkwardly pushed Jiang Nuan away, sullenly sat down next to Jiang Nuan with a pout, “Just pretend I never said anything about letting Fatty stay in our house, don’t bother.”

"Changed your mind?" Jiang Nuan looked at her son strangely.

Huang Xiaosi is as stubborn as a donkey; he shouldn't have changed his mind so quickly.

"Yeah, they don't appreciate it. What's the point of us working so hard and wasting food? We don't even get any benefit from it."

Hearing this, Jiang Nuan felt more at ease and tentatively asked, "Is it because Little Fatty doesn't want to?"

"Yes, he said he didn't want to live under someone else's roof."

They had overheard the Master using this term; it meant living as a guest in someone else's home and relying on others for survival.

He thought the fat man was his brother, that he was family, that his home was the fat man's home, and that his relatives were the fat man's relatives.

Now it seems that only I think this way.

"Living under someone else's roof?" Jiang Nuan laughed. "This child is so young, yet he has so many thoughts. I'll go ask him what he really thinks. If he really doesn't want to, we shouldn't force him."

“Mother,” Huang Xiaosi pursed her lips, “that way, Fatty will die.”

"Stupid son!" Jiang Nuan gently slapped him. "You're just going to abandon him since he doesn't live at home? Are you going to watch him starve to death?"

Immediately, Huang Xiaosi shook his head vigorously. "No, I'll bring him food."

"That's fine then." Jiang Nuan said, walking towards Huang Xiaosi's room. "Perhaps, he just doesn't want to be a burden on our family."

Inside the room, the fat man regretted his words as soon as they were spoken.

Why did he refuse? Wouldn't it be better to be taken care of? He wouldn't have to eat clay to fill his stomach, nor wear tattered clothes that are too short...

However, Wu Da Niang's family is so kind; he can't let them be a burden.

Thinking of this, the fat man felt disappointed, but he no longer regretted it.

Then, I quietly got out of bed, put on my shoes, and prepared to slip away when no one was watching.

Pushing open the door, a shadow loomed over him. The fat man looked up and saw Jiang Nuan and Huang Xiaosi.

"Fatty, you actually tried to sneak away?" Huang Xiaosi looked at the traitor accusingly.

"Well," the fat man looked at the two of them with a slightly unfocused gaze, "Fifth Aunt, Fourth Sister, something's come up at home, I'll head back first."

"Something happened at home?" Huang Xiaosi said coolly. "You've probably forgotten that your shack collapsed in the wind a while ago. If I hadn't pulled you out of there, you'd still be buried in that pile of wood."

It sounded so tragic, but looking at Huang Xiaosi's resentful look as if he were a heartless man, Jiang Nuan still couldn't help but laugh.

"Nonsense," the fat man said instantly, his face turning bright red as if he'd been stepped on. "I moved a long time ago. It's a cave; it'll never collapse."

Yes, Little Fatty is also very cute, a little lion with its fur standing on end, still baring its teeth and claws even when injured.

"The cave is dangerous?" Huang Xiaosi sneered. "Be careful, you might be sleeping soundly when a wild boar swallows you whole."

The fat man retorted, "Silly boy, there are no wild boars on that mountain."

"Wild boars aren't rocks, they can go anywhere."

...

Childhood was wonderful!

Jiang Nuan stood quietly by, watching with her eyes half-closed as she ate the melon.

Finally, the two felt the strange aunt-like gaze of Jiang Nuan.

They both snorted and turned their faces away.

"Would you like me to pour you a glass of water to moisten your mouth?" Jiang Nuan asked with a smile.

After arguing for so long, you must be thirsty.

"No, no need." The fat man regretted it a little.

I shouldn't have been so arrogant, being so fierce to Xiao Si in front of Aunt Wu. Would Aunt Wu be angry?

Huang Xiaosi also regretted it.

Will Mom be disappointed to see how childish I am? Will she think I'm just like Xiao Wu and Da Niu?

Without prior arrangement, both of them glanced at Jiang Nuan cautiously yet casually.

Jiang Nuan almost burst out laughing at his awkward yet arrogant demeanor, but she could only desperately keep a straight face.

Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh.

Suppressing her laughter, Jiang Nuan walked out of the room, gesturing for the two to follow.

Before the two could speak, Shuai spoke first, "I'm very happy to see that you two get along well."

Although the Huang family was large, Huang Xiaosi was very lonely. He was six years younger than his youngest brother and had no playmates of the same age.

Jiang Nuan just discovered this.

He would get angry, argue, quarrel, and throw tantrums with Xiao Pang, but he wouldn't do that with his family.

It's not that I have a bad relationship with my family, but rather that I lack the natural affinity I have with my peers.

The fat man paused for a moment, then lowered his head. "Fifth Aunt, it's my fault. I shouldn't have argued like this."

“Mother, I was wrong too. I shouldn’t have been so childish,” Huang Xiaosi added.

“I don’t mind these things,” Jiang Nuan tapped each of them on the head. “Remember to be careful outside.”

"Mmm!" The two nodded obediently in agreement.

"Alright," Jiang Nuan clapped her hands, "the fooling around is over, it's time to get down to business."

Turning her gaze to the bloated fat man, Jiang Nuan softened her voice and asked, "Little Fatty, don't you want to stay at Auntie's house?"

“I,” gazing into those kind eyes, the fat man couldn’t bring himself to refuse. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a muffled voice, “I am a cursed lone star.”

“I don’t believe in that,” Huang Xiaosi said immediately.

Losing your parents makes you a cursed loner? Absurd!

According to that logic, he's also said to bring misfortune to his father.

“I don’t believe in that either,” Jiang Nuan said seriously.