"I'm perfectly fine!" Cen Xiao's face was as black as ink.
Who would deny something like that?
Yang Cui, with an air of knowing everything, repeatedly agreed, "Yes, yes, you're good, you're good. I misunderstood."
"I can do it, you know that? How do you know? And Yang Cui's expression clearly shows she doesn't believe me!"
Cen Xiao's face darkened even more.
...
The two reached a verbal agreement that when others asked about their relationship, Yang Cui would say that the date had not been set yet, so she wouldn't feel guilty when using this excuse.
I'll never have to worry about people pressuring me to get married again! Just thinking about it makes me happy.
"Mom, do I have to call him 'Dad' from now on?" Sanya asked, tilting her head with a bewildered look.
Yang Cui almost spat out her water: "Call me uncle!"
“Uncle Cen will only be our father after we get married,” Er Ya said. “But Mom, everyone outside says that once you and Uncle Cen get married, you’ll have your own son and won’t love us anymore, Mom…”
As she spoke, Er Ya's eyes reddened, and her voice trembled with tears.
Upon hearing this, Sanya became anxious: "Mother, please don't abandon me. I will definitely take good care of my brother from now on."
Yang Cui and Cen Xiao exchanged a rather awkward glance.
Yang Cui composed herself and comforted them, saying, "Don't listen to what people outside are saying. Even if... even if you have younger siblings, I will still love you just the same. You can't trust outsiders; they're just teasing you, you know?"
Er Ya and San Ya nodded. San Ya then asked, "When will my younger brother and sister come out? I want to save the eggs for them." As she spoke, San Ya took out her poached egg, intending to save it.
"Then I'll save the eggs too, so my younger siblings can eat them when they come," Er Ya said, following suit.
When they were with the Lin family, they rarely ate eggs. Moreover, the family was poor at that time, and there was never enough food to go around. So they had no idea that these things would go bad over time. Now that they had something to eat, they didn't just think about eating it themselves. They were still willing to share. Yang Cui looked at the two children and felt extremely warm inside.
"I know you love your younger siblings, but eggs will go bad if you don't eat them. We don't have younger siblings yet, but even if we do, you don't need to be frugal. I will work hard to earn money so that you all have something to eat. I will also try my best not to be biased and will love you as much as I do now."
Yang Cui's gentle smile and heartwarming words made Er Ya and San Ya want to cry.
Cen Xiao stared blankly at Yang Cui. This woman was not only calm and wise, but also a good mother. He could rest assured that his nephew was with him!
——
Before long, it was time for Lin Rongguang's funeral. According to local custom, around eight o'clock, several coffin bearers would carry Lin Rongguang up the mountain for burial, with relatives dressed in mourning clothes following behind, kneeling and weeping all the way.
The villagers would also follow the funeral procession. Because if they followed the funeral procession, after the deceased was laid to rest, on the way back, someone would give out two cakes to each person. These cakes were commonly known as "old people's cakes." After each deceased elder was buried, the deceased's family would give them to the funeral procession members, so everyone in the village except those who couldn't walk went.
This was when the Lin family was completely empty.
Yuan Qiu arrived at the Lin family's residence with a medicinal decoction made from the leaves of the jujube tree that he had prepared beforehand.
You dared to bully my godmother and Sanya! This time I'll make sure your whole family is completely exhausted!
Yuan Qiu thought bitterly.
He first went to Fan's place and poured the juice into the kettle. After that, he tiptoed to Lin Mingcai's house...
Yuan Qiu thought he was getting away with it, but little did he know that he had been seen through by others all along.
Watching this scene from the shadows, Dao San said to Cen Xiao, "Young Master is very clever. He knew that no one in the village was here today, which was a good opportunity to strike. He also controlled the dosage of the medicine very well, which taught the Lin family a lesson without being fatal. I just don't know where he learned all this."
Cen Xiao was also curious. According to his observations, Yang Cui had not taught him these things, and Yang Cui did not seem to understand medical principles. So how did his nephew know that the leaves of the yam could cause diarrhea? And how could he control the dosage so well that it was not fatal?
While pondering, Chen Lili sneaked to the gate of the Lin family's courtyard. After looking around and finding no one there, she was delighted and went straight to the Lin family's kitchen.
"Master..." Dao San was anxious. If Chen Lili went in, she would definitely find Yuan Qiu who had poisoned the kitchen!
At this moment, Yuan Qiu also became nervous. His heart was pounding, and his mind went blank. He had no idea what the consequences would be if he were caught.
Just then, Cen Xiao threw a small stone at the big black dog next door. The startled dog barked wildly, and Chen Lili, feeling guilty, was startled, thinking someone had come. She hurriedly ran back, but in her haste, she tripped and fell flat on her face. Ignoring the pain, and fearing being discovered, she got up and ran away without looking back.
These past few days, the Lin family has been holding a funeral, and they have a lot of good food at home. Chen Lili thought that everyone was at the funeral and there would be no one in the village, so she secretly came to steal some vegetables to take back and eat, and then run to the funeral. On her way back, she planned to bring back two old people's cakes. Little did she know that there were people next door, and it would be too embarrassing if they found out that she had stolen vegetables.
"Come out!" Cen Xiao said towards the kitchen.
Yuan Qiu recognized the voice; it was his uncle's voice, and the words were meant for him. He actually knew he was there!
Yuan Qiu was completely surprised!
But he wasn't afraid. Standing up for his godmother wasn't doing anything wrong. Could his uncle possibly punish him? If he did, so be it. He would just disown him and not have to go with him anymore. His godmother would be even less likely to agree to let him go with him!
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