What is Zhang Xiaoyi doing?
Does his sister need someone else to protect her?
He subconsciously moved closer to Fang Qing.
Fang Qing also sensed his approach.
She looked up at Zhao Shi'an.
Even though Zhao Shi'an didn't show much emotion outwardly, Fang Qing still noticed it.
She thought Zhao Shi'an was unhappy because he was being ignored.
Fang Qing grasped Zhao Shi'an's hand and said to Zhang Xiaoyi, "This is my brother, his name is Zhao Shi'an. Let's play together from now on."
Zhang Xiaoyi's gaze fell on Zhao Shi'an, and his expression paused for a moment.
"Oh, Zhao Shi'an, let's all hang out together from now on."
Although she was still smiling, her tone of voice was clearly different from when she spoke to Fang Qing.
Zhao Shi'an pursed his lips, but under Fang Qing's gaze, he hesitated for a moment before nodding.
The others simply looked at Zhao Shi'an and didn't seem inclined to speak to him.
Even if someone isn't from this village, they still know about Zhao Shi'an's background.
The children didn't have any bad intentions, but the adults in their families certainly didn't have any good things to say about Zhao Shi'an. Over time, in the children's eyes, Zhao Shi'an became different from them, and they were automatically excluded from their playmates.
They didn't show any malice out of respect for Fang Qing, but they couldn't hide their expressions, and Fang Qing could see through their thoughts.
It's alright, they'll see Zhao Shi'an's good qualities in time.
Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an went home for lunch and then went to teach another class in the afternoon.
Fang Daniu was very proud that both of his children were in school, and he went to pick them up in the afternoon.
In winter, people are idle. Feeling bored at home, they go out onto the street and start gossiping about each other. Before long, everyone knows about Douya and Zhao Shi'an's schooling.
So when Fang Daniu walked down the street with his two children, people started making fun of him.
"I said, Da Niu, do you have so much money you don't know what to do with it? You're even sending a girl to school."
“Your family is unique in all these villages. What’s the use of sending your daughter to school? You might as well enjoy the money yourself.”
"You said you'd let Douya go to school, fine, but why did you send the Zhao family's child there too? Just give him something to eat, that's enough."
Fang Daniu just smiled as he listened to their words.
Everyone laughed at him even more for being foolish.
"With this money, you might as well support Eryou's education. At least he's your own brother. Douya will need family sooner or later. And this Zhao family kid doesn't even have your surname. What are you after?"
Fang Daniu just smiled and didn't say anything, gesturing for Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an to walk home.
Everyone shook their heads.
"That's really stupid. What's the difference between this and throwing money down the drain?"
"That's right, that's right."
Fang Qing rolled her eyes at them.
"I don't think my family has eaten your food, yet you're being nosy."
A group of people's displeased gazes instantly fell on Fang Qing.
"Hey, Bean Sprout, how dare you talk to me like that? You still have to call me Third Grandma."
"Oh, Third Grandma, if you speak to me nicely next time, I'll speak to you nicely too."
"I think you've become arrogant. You weren't like this before. What, do you think you're so great just because you sold us corn seeds? We'll see each other every day, so you can't be so rude."
Fang Qing originally didn't want to argue with this kind of person, but she couldn't ignore what she said.
"Yes, all I did was grow a thousand catties of corn and three thousand catties of potatoes per mu, rent some reclaimed land in the village, build a new house, and even have spare money to go to school. There's nothing to be proud of. I'm really not as good as my third grandmother. She's of the seniority here and can easily point fingers at other people's families. It's really enviable."
"You child!"
"Oh, why is Third Grandma angry?"
The person who spoke glared at her angrily.
"No wonder people say you have a sharp tongue, I've seen it for myself today."
"Thank you for the compliment, Third Grandma. I will continue to work hard."
Third Grandma was so angry with her that she almost couldn't breathe.
Fang Daniu quickly called out to Fang Qing.
“Douya has gone home. Third Aunt, don’t be angry. Douya is still a child and doesn’t know any better. Don’t hold it against her.”
A group of people watched them walk away and began pointing and whispering.
Other people's kids don't have such sharp tongues!
The first day at school went smoothly, but after returning home, Fang Daniu and Zhao kept asking them what they had learned, so Fang Qing could only vaguely recite two lines of the Three Character Classic to them.
The next day, Fang Qing had to get up early. She was groggily dragged out of bed by Zhao Shi'an, and then groggily washed up and ate.
Before they left, Zhao gave each of them a handful of roasted peanuts to eat if they were hungry.
In the small mountain village, there weren't many snacks in winter, just some roasted nuts and seeds, which Fang Qing was tired of.
"I want to eat spicy snacks and potato chips."
She had only thought about it briefly, but she was so tempted that she blurted it out.
After falling ill in her previous life, she had to abstain from these foods. Now that she had transmigrated here, there were no such foods, and she really missed the taste of modern junk food.
"Still not awake? What nonsense are you spouting?"
Zhao smiled and saw her out of the house.
"Mom, I'll teach you how to make potato chips when we get home. We can sell them for money."
"What potato chips? Hurry up and get to school, or you'll be late."
Zhao did not take Fang Qing's words seriously.
Fang Qing couldn't wait to eat potato chips, and luckily there were still a lot of potatoes stored in the cellar, so when she got home at noon, she begged Zhao to cut a bowl of potato chips.
She wanted to cut it herself, but unfortunately she didn't have Zhao's knife skills.
Zhao's potato slices are thin and even. After slicing, they are soaked in cold water to remove the starch, and then boiled in water until they are translucent.
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