Jiang Xiangyang was only six years old and very shy. At first, he hesitated and refused to say anything, afraid that people would find out.
But he's not one to be coy or hesitant.
Now that his own mother has brought it up, he's just telling her directly.
"On the night we went to the movies, I didn't get enough creamy popcorn, so I asked Shen Duzhou if she had any left. She nodded, but when I went there the next day, she shook her head and said she didn't have any. I feel... I feel like she was deliberately playing me for a fool."
"ah...?"
As Zhou Qiqi listened, she sensed something was wrong and slapped her forehead.
"Oh dear, it's really not Zhouzhou's fault. That day, I was tidying up the table for Zhouzhou and saw some popcorn. I thought it was leftovers from Zhouzhou. Just then, Qin Lei came over and asked me for some snacks, so I gave it all to Qin Lei! Zhouzhou had no idea!"
She gestured as she spoke.
"She really did get it for you! She wrapped up all the rest of the pot in a huge oil paper package!"
Deng Cuixiang only just found out that her son had actually quarreled with Zhouzhou over such a small matter, and she reached out and tapped his little forehead.
"You brat, you didn't even ask before you falsely accused Zhouzhou! You even threw Zhouzhou's paintbrushes on the ground..."
Jiang Xiangyang's ears burned slightly as he recalled that day, and he lowered his head without saying a word.
Zhou Qiqi quickly said, "It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. I should apologize to Xiangyang for this."
Deng Cuixiang stopped her, saying, "No need, no need to apologize."
The two were politely declining each other's offer when, unexpectedly, Battalion Commander Jiang slammed his hand heavily on the table and shouted.
"Jiang Xiangyang!"
"Just because of this little thing, you broke your promise and didn't wait for Zhouzhou at the classroom door! If you ask me, you're entirely responsible for what happened to Zhouzhou today! You're not manly at all! You should apologize to Zhouzhou!"
He got serious, and the table was slammed shut with a loud "bang".
Seeing this, Zhou Qiqi quickly came to her rescue.
"Hey, Brother Jiang, you've misunderstood! It wasn't Xiangyang who did the bad thing, it's all the fault of those two rascals from the Liao family!"
"Besides, Xiangyang even helped Zhouzhou beat them up! Didn't you see? He took on two of them by himself and didn't even get a single hit, but he beat those two bastards until they were covered in bumps!"
But Battalion Commander Jiang ignored him and just looked at his son with a stern face.
"Regardless of whether it's a misunderstanding or not, a mistake is a mistake. Jiang Xiangyang, apologize first!"
Jiang Xiangyang was only six years old. Because of his misunderstanding, Shen Duzhou was bullied. He already felt guilty. Now, in front of everyone, his father scolded him with a stern face. His eyes immediately turned red, and he felt extremely wronged.
But he still listened to his father and hastily wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
He walked up to Shen Duzhou and said, sobbing, "I'm sorry, Shen Duzhou."
Before he could finish speaking, Battalion Commander Jiang's tone suddenly changed: "Good! A true man is one who dares to admit his mistakes!"
He got up, walked to his son, squatted down to look him in the eye, his eyes shining, his tone full of pride.
"Although you made a mistake, you knew how to make amends and even did a great job. You deserve praise after the criticism! What reward do you want? Tell me!"
Jiang Xiangyang, who had been hanging his head, immediately raised his head upon hearing this, his small eyes sparkling.
He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly.
"Last time my brother did a good deed, Mom and Dad rewarded him with dumplings. I want to eat dumplings too!"
He still remembers how glorious Jiang Xianghai looked last time.
Deng Cuixiang immediately agreed: "Okay! I'll go to the market to buy pork tomorrow morning!"
Then he looked at Zhou Qiqi and Zhu Yingying.
"Qiqi, Yingying, why don't you two come over to my house tomorrow and make dumplings together?"
"OK!"
The two agreed in unison, and Deng Cuixiang quickly greeted them.
"Alright, alright, let's eat first!"
"Try this pickled mustard greens. My parents asked someone to bring it from Sichuan Province. The old couple pickled it themselves at home using tender mustard greens they grew, and it fermented for almost half a year! It's really authentic!"
Battalion Commander Jiang was generous with the ingredients; the noodles were coated in sesame paste, and paired with pickled mustard greens, they were indeed delicious. Zhou Qiqi squinted her eyes as she ate.
"It smells so good! It's salty and savory, with a slightly sweet aftertaste, and it's so delicious!"
Zhu Yingying nodded as well.
"It's really good, no wonder it's a specialty from Sister Cuixiang's hometown."
Deng Cuixiang was overjoyed and slapped her thigh.
"You all like it? Then how about we make pork and bean sprout dumplings tomorrow, and have something vegetarian too? What should we eat? We already had chives last time, and the vegetables in the backyard are either not enough right now, or they're not suitable for filling..."
As she spoke, she became troubled.
Zhou Qiqi's eyes lit up as she suddenly remembered something.
"How about we go outside and dig up some shepherd's purse? We can make shepherd's purse dumplings!"
This afternoon, on her way back in Sister Zhao's donkey cart, she saw many people digging shepherd's purse in the fields outside.
Deng Cuixiang immediately agreed.
"Great! How could I forget that! Shepherd's purse is at its plumpest and most tender right now!"
The three of them ate and chatted, and afterwards they went to the tap together to wash the dishes and clean up, with Zhouzhou helping out as well.
Zhou Qiqi noticed that during the meal, Xiangyang had given Zhouzhou the luncheon meat he hadn't eaten from his bowl, and then whispered something in her ear behind the adults' backs.
It seems the two little ones have completely made up, and she feels relieved.
Jiang Xianghai went back to his room to study, while Battalion Commander Jiang took Jiang Xiangyang to the backyard and asked him what tricks he used to beat up those two bad boys that afternoon.
Xiangyang enthusiastically began to demonstrate; this kid really did have some talent in martial arts.
Battalion Commander Jiang became more and more satisfied with the questions, and on a whim, he taught him a few more moves.
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