Chapter 2: He's useless at everything, and nothing he plants will grow.
"Little Su Bao, remember to be good, listen to your elders, you must survive and wait for your father's triumphant return..."
My mother is very gentle and kind; she always smells of fresh grass.
It smells just as good as the aunt in front of me.
Xiao Su Bao's heart inexplicably calmed down, and a hint of lingering affection appeared in her eyes.
However, in the past, whenever she said she was hungry, her older brothers, sisters, maids, and servants would beat her.
Will this aunt, who's just like a mother to me, beat me up if she hears me say I'm hungry?
Su Bao was very hungry, but her little face was full of hesitation. In the end, she seemed to have made up her mind.
She lowered her head and shook it gently, her frail body curled up in Qian's arms.
Seeing her like this, Madam Qian sighed inwardly and said gently, "Su Bao isn't hungry, but Auntie is!"
When Xiao Su Bao heard what Qian Shi said, she looked up and stared at her with bright eyes.
"How about Auntie goes and makes something to eat for the two of us? You stay here and behave yourself."
She had just turned around when she suddenly felt a tug from behind.
Turning my head, I saw the little girl standing timidly behind me, her tiny, chicken-claw-like hands clutching the hem of my clothes.
Su Bao's eyes were watery, looking at her like a little fawn, with a hint of panic in them.
"No...don't go out!"
The baby's soft voice made Qian's heart flutter.
"Are you scared being alone?" Madam Qian turned around and asked with a smile.
Su Bao looked up at Qian Shi's gentle face, thought for a moment, and then nodded.
She subconsciously didn't want Mr. Qian to think of her as a jinx who could see those terrifying scenes.
But she suddenly saw Qian Shi go out and be hit by a lot of wood. Blood was flowing from her head and she was not moving.
Many people were crying; she was so sad.
"Then shall I take you with me?"
Ms. Qian was unaware of the little girl's thoughts. She patted Xiao Su Bao's head and spoke up readily.
Su Bao's eyes lit up; she used to love tending the fire for the mute old woman.
This way, she won't be cold in winter, and it will feel like she's back in her mother's arms.
"Okay~" she said in a sweet, childlike voice, her eyes showing a rare lightness.
Seeing the little girl like this, Madam Qian felt even more sorry for her.
If she were her own daughter, she would definitely cherish and pamper this girl.
It's a pity that she only gave birth to sons, and they were all mischievous as children.
Where else can you find a daughter so soft, cute, and well-behaved?
"How can you be so cute?" Madam Qian couldn't help but rub the little girl's head and say.
Little Su Bao blinked her eyes, sensing the affection from Mrs. Qian, and couldn't help but smile.
She even had two small dimples on her face, but they were very shallow because she was so thin.
Recalling the scene of meeting the little girl before, a complex emotion appeared deep in her eyes.
A thousand-year-old peach tree in bloom is a very auspicious sign.
However, this also foreshadows the fact that Tangjia Village will be plunged into a series of crises.
Before her husband died, he secretly told her something: the Tang family were not actually locals.
Fifty-six years ago, the Imperial Advisor insisted that the Tang family patriarch move here, saying that a tremendous opportunity awaited them here.
Fortunately, Tangjia Village is also the hometown of Old Master Tang.
Old Master Tang then returned with a large group of people.
He unexpectedly became the village chief, which made Tangjia Village popular for a while.
The Imperial Advisor once said that as long as the thousand-year-old peach tree blossoms, their family will be able to return to the capital and soar to great heights.
But it's been fifty or sixty years, and the thousand-year-old peach tree at the village entrance looks like it's dead.
Every year, it only grows two leaves with little enthusiasm.
Otherwise, they would have all thought the peach tree was going to die.
Ms. Qian didn't take these words to heart at first, thinking it was just men bragging. After all, her husband wasn't even born back then, so how could he know so much?
Speaking of which, the Tang family members are born with an unlucky constitution.
Nothing I do is successful, and nothing I plant will turn out well.
Although her eldest son is the village head of Tangjia Village, the village is still one of the poorest in the surrounding area.
Being a village chief is a thankless job, and thinking about these things gave Qian a headache.
Nowadays, girls from other villages are unwilling to marry into our village.
Young men from other villages are even less willing to marry girls from Tangjia Village, fearing they'll have to pay extra for their daughters' marriages.
This has resulted in a significant increase in older men and women in the village, but since everyone is related to each other, it's impossible for them to find partners within the village.
They also tried to appoint other people as village chiefs.
But the village was even more unlucky, worse off than when Tang Laoda was the village chief.
In the end, they could only let Tang Laoda continue to be the village chief.
Otherwise, Tang Laoda might not even be able to keep his position as village chief.
Lost in her own thoughts, she had already reached the kitchen door while carrying her little baby.
"Auntie, be careful..." Little Su Bao suddenly shouted.
Qian was startled and subconsciously stopped in her tracks. Looking down, she saw a piece of firewood lying on the ground. She slapped her forehead and realized that the firewood in the kitchen had burned out.
Ms. Qian was lost in thought and forgot that there was no firewood in the kitchen.
She looked at the little baby in her arms and then gently put the little one down.
"I forgot all about it. There's probably no firewood left in the kitchen. Su Bao, wait for me at the kitchen door. I'll go get some firewood!" Madam Qian said, turning to leave.
Su Bao tugged at her clothes, her little face turning slightly red.
She didn't know how to talk to Ms. Qian, so she could only hold Ms. Qian's hand, her eyes pleading.
"Are you scared all by yourself?" Madam Qian sighed, inwardly cursing Su Bao's parents once again.
What sins did this child commit in his/her past life to have such irresponsible parents?
She sighed as she looked at Xiao Su Bao, whose face was full of panic.
Never mind, I'll take her there myself; it's just a few steps anyway.
When she arrived in the backyard, she was about to let go of Su Bao's hand and go to the woodshed to fetch some firewood to take back.
The little girl behind her suddenly reached out and grabbed Qian's sleeve tightly, her face ashen.
"Don't go over there..."
Madam Qian didn't understand what was wrong with the little girl, so she could only comfort her, "Sweetie, Auntie is just going to..."
Qian hadn't finished speaking.
"Bang……"
Suddenly, a loud noise came from behind.
The shed was hit by a suddenly falling dry branch and collapsed instantly.
The falling roof of the shed instantly brought down the adjacent wood wall.
A small wooden stake rolled right in front of her, startling Ms. Qian so much that she immediately pulled her foot back.
She shuddered and instinctively picked up Su Bao, her eyes fixed on the spot where she had just been about to gather firewood.
She swallowed hard, a hint of lingering fear in her eyes.
That area was hit the hardest!
The entire pile of firewood was covered by the fallen roof of the shed.
The cold air rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
In an instant, Ms. Qian was completely distraught.
If Su Bao hadn't pulled me over to collect firewood, I would have been seriously injured, if not killed!
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