After finishing the hot porridge, the little dumpling quietly crawled under the bed while her brother went to Aunt Zhang's house to thank her.

The small, narrow space could only accommodate her tiny body.

Before long, the little dumpling emerged, its face covered in dust, like a little mouse.

"Achoo!" The little dumpling choked on the ash and sneezed loudly.

She held a small red wooden box in her arms, carefully wiping away the dust with her hands.

The little dumpling opened the wooden box, poured the copper coins inside onto the ground, and then took out a few copper coins that it had been carrying in its bosom.

One, two, three... There are forty copper coins in total.

The little dumpling drooped its head and frowned sadly.

Tomorrow is the day Madam Li will come to collect the rent, but she is still five copper coins short.

The little dumpling trembled all over at the thought of Madam Li's fierce face.

If they couldn't pay the rent, Madam Li would definitely kick them out.

The little dumpling shook her head. She absolutely could not leave this home, otherwise her mother would not be able to find her when she came back.

Although her mother has been gone for two years, the little boy always dreams that her mother has returned.

She believed that as long as she waited patiently, her mother would definitely come back one day!

Thinking of this, the little dumpling looked at the jade pendant inside the wooden box.

This jade pendant is the only thing her mother left her, and she will keep it safe for her mother.

With longing for her mother, hope rekindled in the little dumpling's sorrowful eyes.

"Come on! We must do more work today and earn enough coins so that our mother and brother can live a good life in the future."

As the little dumpling put the coins into the wooden box, it encouraged itself in a childish voice.

The little dumpling crawled under the bed and put the precious wooden box back in its place.

Just as they were climbing out, the gate was suddenly opened.

The little boy shuddered in fright, looked up, and saw that it was his older brother who had returned.

Mu Jinnian was slightly taken aback. As soon as he entered the room, he saw his little dumpling's round head sticking out of the room, while his body was under the bed.

Its nose and cheeks were covered in a dusty gray, making it look exactly like a little mouse stealing oil.

"Haha, we've got a little mouse in our house!"

Mu Jinnian burst into laughter, reached out and pulled the little bundle out from under the bed.

"Little dumpling is not a little mouse."

Hearing her brother call her "little mouse," the little dumpling grumbled angrily, letting her brother carry her to the water vat.

Mu Jinnian reached out, dipped his hand in water, and washed away the grime from her face. He then dried her face with his sleeve, revealing a soft, fair complexion with a rosy glow.

Mu Jinnian pinched the little dumpling's cheek. "Alright, the little mouse is clean now."

"Hmph! If I'm a little mouse, then you're a big mouse, brother!" the little dumpling protested again, clearly dissatisfied.

But she wasn't angry with her brother at all; today was the day he had spoken to her the most in a long time.

She was happy.

“Okay, I’m Big Rat. What were you doing crawling under the bed just now?” Mu Jinnian asked.

The little girl pursed her lips and didn't say a word. She didn't dare tell her brother that she had just been counting money, because she was afraid that her brother would take the money out to buy alcohol again.

Once, her brother took all the rent money she had painstakingly saved up.

This made Madam Li very angry, and she almost kicked them out.

Finally, the little dumpling begged Madam Li to let them stay, and after they worked hard at her house for a month, Madam Li agreed to let them stay.

After that, the little girl secretly put the money under the bed, because her brother couldn't squeeze in there.

Thinking about her month-long experience at Mrs. Li's house, the little dumpling trembled with fear.

Mu Jinnian didn't recall his past outrageous deeds. Seeing the little dumpling shivering, he thought she was just cold.

Without asking about what had just happened, Mu Jinnian quickly carried the little girl to the bed and covered her with a blanket.

"Is your little dumpling cold? Let me go find some branches to start a fire."

After saying that, Mu Jinnian was about to leave when he was stopped by the little dumpling.

"Brother, I'm not cold."

"I still have to go out to work, brother, you have to be good at home, okay?"

"After the little dumpling finishes her work, she will come back and cook for her brother."

Holding Mu Jinnian's small hand, which was covered in chilblains, his heart felt like it had been punched hard!

I used to make my four-year-old sister go out to do chores.

He's a complete bastard! The biggest bastard in the world!

Mu Jinnian slapped himself twice hard and said in a deep voice, "You're not allowed to go!"

The little boy was startled by his brother's appearance, and tears immediately welled up in his eyes.

She stepped back, looking at her brother with a fearful expression.

The little dumpling's reaction brought Mu Jinnian back to his senses; he realized he had just frightened her.

"Little dumpling, I'm sorry, I wasn't being mean to you. I went out to earn money today, and I'll be the one earning money from now on." Mu Jinnian apologized guiltily, hugged the little dumpling in his arms, and gently patted her back to comfort her.

"Huh?" the little dumpling exclaimed. Was she dreaming?

My brother actually said he's going out to make money?

“But brother, all you do is drink! You can’t make money by drinking! You only spend money by drinking!” the little dumpling lectured earnestly.

Mu Jinnian was speechless for a moment. It seemed that he would have to work hard for a long time to change his sister's opinion of him!

Not wanting to leave the little dumpling alone at home, Mu Jinnian had no choice but to bring her along to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant.

The restaurant's kitchen was already piled high with two buckets of dishes waiting to be washed.

"Yay! So many bowls today, I can earn a little more!" The little dumpling clapped his hands, happy that he would soon earn enough to pay the rent.

"Little dumpling, do you usually have to wash this many dishes?" Mu Jinnian asked in surprise.

The little dumpling shook its head. "No, it's a little less than today."

A little less? A little less is still a lot!

The kitchen staff, who were busy to the point of exhaustion, rushed over as soon as they saw the little dumpling, as if it were their savior.

"Little dumpling! You're finally here. Hurry up and help your uncle."

The little dumpling obediently replied, "Okay, little dumpling will get to work right away."

The little dumpling grabbed the wooden bucket full of bowls and cups, but was pressed down by a pair of big hands.

Mu Jinnian picked up a wooden bucket in each hand and said to the little dumpling, "Brother will do these chores, and the little dumpling can just stand by and cheer him on."

After saying that, Mu Jinnian walked towards the stream not far away.

"Hey! The sun's risen in the west! Little Dumpling's brother is actually taking care of his little sister today!"

The servant, witnessing this scene, gaped in astonishment.

"Yes, my brother takes such good care of me. He's the best brother in the world."

The little dumpling smiled brightly at the servant, its face brimming with pride.

The stream was icy cold in winter. As soon as Mu Jinnian put his hand into the water, he gasped for breath from the cold.

But without pausing, he picked up the bowls from the bucket and started washing them.

His little dumpling could wash dishes in such cold water for him, so how could he not endure it!

Seeing her brother's hands red from the cold water, the little girl felt sorry for him, picked up the bowl, and offered to help him wash them.

Mu Jinnian quickly called out to the little dumpling, "Little dumpling, be good, go sit on that rock over there and wait for your brother."

The little dumpling stood there with the bowl in hand, stubbornly looking at Mu Jinnian, clearly unwilling to let him suffer alone.

Mu Jinnian sighed, and said in a gentle yet firm tone, "Be good, or your brother will be angry."

"Okay!" The little dumpling reluctantly put down the bowl.

She sat down on a nearby rock, her little hands on her knees, waiting for her brother.

At first, Mu Jinnian's movements were a little clumsy, but after getting used to it, he moved quickly and soon washed the two buckets of bowls and dishes.

"Wow! Brother is so great, you finished washing so quickly."

The little dumpling skipped and hopped to Mu Jinnian's side, raising both hands high in a cheer.

Receiving her sister's praise immediately dispelled Mu Jinnian's fatigue.

"My sweet Tuantuan, when you get the money, your brother will buy you some candied fruit."

Also, we need to treat the chilblains on Xiaotuanzi's hands!

But the money earned from these two buckets of bowls and cups is definitely not enough!

Mu Jinnian pondered, but no matter how difficult it was, he was determined to do it!

He wanted to make the little dumpling happy.

Candied fruit?

The little dumpling licked her lips. She had seen other children eat it often before, and although she was very tempted, she had never shown it.

Now her brother buys them for her too.

The long-lost feeling of happiness made the little dumpling's eyes and brows beam with joy.

The little dumpling followed Mu Jinnian, the brother and sister, one big and one small, walking towards the restaurant.