Chapter 99
Xun Yi had no idea how much his actions touched a woman's heart.
As a tear slid down Shu Wanxiu's cheek, his tone was a mixture of panic and utter innocence: "Why are you crying?"
Shu Wanxiu looked at him with teary eyes, afraid of appearing too disheveled, and tried to use her sleeve to hold back the surging tears.
Later, Xun Yi roughly understood that the reason for crying was not important; stopping the crying was more important.
So he took Shu Wanxiu's hand away from her face, and used his rough thumb, instead of the sleeve, to wipe away her tears.
He vaguely remembered something from his childhood. When he was about five or six years old, he got into a fight with other children in the village over a cricket. He lost the fight and didn't get the cricket either, so he cried very sadly.
His mother rushed over upon hearing the news, took him in her arms as he cried uncontrollably, brushed the dirt off his body, and gently patted him to calm down, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry."
He used this method to coax Xun Ai when she was a child, and it always worked. Now, it might work on Shu Wanxiu as well.
He wasn't entirely sure, but he tried it anyway, albeit with some skepticism.
A man of seven feet tall, coaxing a child like this—it could be described as turning steel into silk, or it could be described as strange and awkward.
He successfully made Shu Wanxiu stop crying and start laughing.
...
The villagers had a feast yesterday, and today they will begin summer plowing.
There was not a single movement on the Shu family's two acres of land.
Firstly, Shu Wanxiu and Xun Yi hadn't discussed whether to plant those two acres of land or not. Secondly, after getting married, the two of them should rest for a few days before going back to the fields to do those rough jobs.
Xun Yi handed over all the family's money to Shu Wanxiu for management. After calming down, Shu Wanxiu found a suitable place to store all the money. Then the two began to sort out the dowry and betrothal gifts, and Shu Wanxiu took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the new home.
As noon approached, Shu Shouyi, who had nominally spent the morning at the Pang family's house, slowly made his way to the Xun family's house.
After the two adults in the family had put everything away in a fairly good manner, Xun Yi went to the kitchen to cook rice. Shu Wanxiu volunteered to go into the Xun family's vegetable garden and pick some seasonal tender vegetables. She then waited under the eaves to prepare the vegetables.
Out of the corner of her eye, Shu Wanxiu caught a glimpse of a figure standing at the doorway, and she turned her head to look.
"Shouyi?" She put down the groceries she was holding, gave a warm smile, and went out to greet him. "Why didn't you come in when you got to my doorstep?"
No one knows what kind of mental journey Shu Shouyi went through today—he woke up to find himself in a completely unfamiliar room, opened the door and found no trace of his aunt. Was it his uncle/uncle Xun who brought him breakfast?
Although Uncle Xun was in a very good mood today and had prepared a sumptuous breakfast for him, he was uneasy when he woke up and did not see his aunt.
He said he was going out to play, but once he left the Xun family's house, he went back to his home on the mountain—of course, there was no one there.
Shu Shouyi saw with his own eyes that the bedroom they were staying in was locked, there was no one in the main room, no one in the kitchen, and he searched all around the house, but his aunt was nowhere to be found.
Several chicks that had grown quite a bit were clucking in the coop, looking very hungry.
He had no choice but to pick some vegetable leaves and catch a few caterpillars to feed them.
Later, not wanting to go back to the Xun family and spend time with Uncle Xun, she went to the Pang family for a while, feeling rather down.
It was almost noon, and his friend's family started cooking. Shu Shouyi sensibly left.
Standing by the stream, he didn't know whether to go back to his home on the mountain or to Uncle Xun's house. In the end, he ran back to the mountain first, and when he found the door still closed, he reluctantly moved to the front of the Xun family's house.
Although Shu Wanxiu ran over and grabbed him the moment she saw him, he still felt a little wronged after going back and forth several times that morning.
The hand that Shu Wanxiu was holding didn't grip her tightly, while the other hand hung by her side, playing with her clothes.
"Aren't you having fun with your friends?"
Shu Shouyi shook his head and remained silent.
Shu Wanxiu rubbed her head, feeling a bit of a headache: This is her fault.
I woke up late this morning; I hadn't told him what to do last night before he fell asleep.
She led the dejected Shu Shouyi to the stool where she was picking vegetables and carefully inquired about what he had played that day.
Xun Yi poked his head out of the kitchen. Shu Wanxiu shook her head, signaling him to keep quiet and come out later.
Shu Shouyi pouted, and Shu Wanxiu asked him for a long time before finally using her trump card, saying she would get him some dried fruit later. Only then did he reveal a little about his whereabouts.
“I went to my house to check on the chicks. They were starving, so I picked some vegetable leaves for them to eat.”
Shu Wanxiu felt a sudden tightness in her chest and gripped his hand more tightly. Although she didn't make any other movements, her gentle, heart-wrenching concern was almost overflowing from her words, "Shouyi went home alone, is it because... you think your aunt is on the mountain?"
Shu Shouyi paused, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
A wave of sadness and self-reproach washed over her. Not wanting to lose her composure in front of Shu Shouyi, Shu Wanxiu touched his cheek, went to the room, and brought out a large handful of dried fruit, stuffing it all into Shu Shouyi's hands and pockets.
After Shu Shouyi picked up a golden-yellow candied fruit and started eating it, she began to explain to him that this place would now be their home.
Although Shu Shouyi agreed when Xun Yi asked him if he wanted an uncle, and yesterday and today Xun Yi has referred to himself as uncle, and Xu Zhen has told him that he should call Xun Yi uncle from now on, Shu Shouyi has not objected at all. But it's just that he is too young and hasn't yet understood the deeper meaning behind things.
Xun Yi and Shu Wanxiu had just gotten married last night and were still feeling a bit awkward. Now that they had suddenly moved into the Xun family home and were actually going to call Xun Yi "uncle," Shu Shouyi was naturally having some trouble adjusting as well.
Shu Wanxiu earnestly told him, "From now on, we will live with Uncle Xun. From today onwards, you will have to call him Uncle Xun."
One person, two people, three people... everyone around him told him the same thing. Shu Shouyi was indignant. "Auntie, why?"
Why are the adults suddenly calling Uncle Xun his uncle-in-law and telling him to change how he addresses him? Why wasn't Uncle Xun his uncle-in-law before, but now he has to become his uncle-in-law?
Also... he did promise to live with Uncle Xun, but how will the chicks, Xiao Huang and Xiao Ma, grow big if no one feeds them?
His questions were naturally no problem for Shu Wanxiu. "Before, Aunt and Uncle Xun were married, but didn't Aunt marry Uncle Xun yesterday? Aunt married your Uncle Xun and became his family, you..."
"Of course we should feed the chicks! Your aunt, you, and Uncle Xun will feed them together from now on. After lunch, we'll go up the mountain and bring them down to our new home, okay?"
Shu Shouyi wasn't being silly from beginning to end; he was just puzzled.
After his beloved aunt explained everything to him one by one, he finally accepted the situation peacefully.
Xun Yi poked his head out of the kitchen again, and this time Shu Wanxiu encouraged him with her eyes to come over.
"Shouyi is back?" The tone was one of joy, as if they had just discovered that Shu Shouyi had returned.
After thinking for a moment, Xun Yi washed and dried his hands, opened the cupboard, grabbed a few pieces of maltose, stepped out of the house, and squatted down in front of Shu Shouyi just like Shu Wanxiu.
"Want some candy?" He opened his hand, letting the little child snatch it from his grasp.
Dried fruit is sweet and sour, while maltose is very, very sweet.
Shu Shouyi wanted to eat candy.
However... his aunt had taught him to be a polite child.
His lips moved, and Shu Wanxiu nodded encouragingly.
After much hesitation, he finally uttered that word.
"Aunt, Uncle."
"Thank you, Uncle."
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