"Thank you, sister." Zhang Shen'er smiled shyly, pursing his lips. He felt a little embarrassed because he always got fed by Sister Tan Tan whenever he met her.
"It's alright, I have plenty of pastries at home, we can't finish them all, you can help us eat them." The little guy doesn't know she opened a shop yet, should she tell him so he can come to her when he's hungry in the future?
Zhang Qingyu got married half a year ago to the son of a merchant who owns a restaurant. It is said that he owns three restaurants in Fengcheng, and the business is doing well. The family also owns thousands of acres of farmland and is quite wealthy.
However, the mother-in-law was too formidable and did not agree to bring Zhang Qingling and Zhang Shen along. If it weren't for her son's insistence on marrying Zhang Qingyu, she would not have liked her at all. She was a vixen who had nothing good about her except for her good looks.
Her family was in dire straits, she had no elders, a spoiled younger sister who knew nothing about farming and was lazy, and a younger brother who was a burden to her son. She couldn't offer him any help, so she was not a good match for him no matter how you looked at her.
After Zhang Qingyu got married, Zhang Shen lived with Zhang Qingling. Given Zhang Qingling's personality, how could she take good care of her younger brother? Zhang Shen went hungry for half a year, so it's no wonder he became thin from hunger.
Thinking of this, Song Tantan took another handful of candy and gave it to Zhang Shen, saying, "Remember, you can only eat one a day, or your teeth will be eaten away by cavities."
"I know, I definitely won't eat too much." Zhang Shen nodded obediently, his long eyelashes fluttering like little fans, making him incredibly cute.
The two were chatting happily when Zhang Qingling suddenly rushed out of the rouge shop and forcefully pulled Zhang Shen's arm, almost knocking him over. If he hadn't reacted quickly, the pastries and candies he was carrying would have spilled onto the ground.
"What are you doing? Be gentle! You're hurting him, do you know that? What kind of sister are you?" Song Tantan was furious. This woman usually acted gentle and lovely in public, but she was vicious and cruel in front of her younger brother.
"What's it to you? This is my own brother. I can treat him however I want. What's it to you?" A hint of jealousy and disgust flashed across Zhang Qingling's face. She seemed to think for a moment and then shouted, "I told you not to take other people's things. Are you a beggar? A refugee? Why are you eating other people's charity? Have you no shame?"
Tears welled up in Zhang Shen's eyes, threatening to spill, his face flushed red, his lips pursed stubbornly, while his little hands clung even tighter to the pastries in his arms.
"You're still holding it? Throw it away! Don't eat it! Who told you to eat her food? Throw it away, do you hear me?" Zhang Qingling shouted almost hysterically, ignoring the pointing fingers of passersby.
Song Tantan was about to say something when Zhang Shen spoke first, shouting back in the same loud voice, "I won't throw it away! This was given to me by Sister Tantan, not for you. What right do you have to throw it away? Who do you think you are, and why are you yelling at me?"
He had had enough of his second sister, who was like a madwoman who never woke up and still fantasized about being a young lady from a prestigious family. So many years had passed, and he was already seven years old, but she still refused to face reality and always wanted to go back to her old life.
She had maids and servants with her when she went out, and servants did all the chores at home, so she didn't have to do anything. She could just dress up beautifully and eat, drink, and have fun every day.
But it's all wishful thinking; there's no going back, not even a long time ago.
"You yell at me? How dare you treat me like this? I'm your own sister. You depend on me for your livelihood now. If I didn't take care of you, how would you survive?" Zhang Qingling glared at him with wide eyes and hatred.
"Who needs your help? You're the one relying on me. I have to cook for you, you can't even do laundry, you don't do anything, you can't even dig a well or fetch water." This second sister is a good-for-nothing. It's not that she really can't do anything; after all, she's lived through seven years of hardship, so even if she couldn't do it, she would have learned by now.
She just didn't want to do it. When her older sister was at home, she relied on her. Later, after her older sister got married, she made him do all sorts of chores.
He felt that as the only male in the family, he should support the family. Unfortunately, his second sister treated him like a servant, and her temper grew worse and worse. She would yell at him at the drop of a hat, and sometimes she even wanted to hit him.
If he hadn't been quick-witted and fast, she would have pinned him down and beaten him countless times. After getting married, his older sister couldn't go back to her parents' home casually, and her mother-in-law kept her from leaving. Since getting married, she had only returned home on the day of her wedding, and it had been more than half a year since they last met.
The eldest sister had given all the money to the second sister, only giving him two taels of silver. The eldest sister thought he was young, so she entrusted all the valuables in the house to the second sister for safekeeping.
No wonder she couldn't keep it; in just six months, she squandered all the valuables in the house.
Zhang Qingling was furious and embarrassed. Her hand trembled slightly as she pointed at Zhang Shen. "How could you say that to me? I'm already twenty and still not married because of you. You've dragged me down, and in the end, you still blame me?"
The onlookers listened to the two siblings' conflicting accounts. At one moment, they felt that the younger brother was right and that the older sister was being unreasonable. At the other moment, they felt that the younger brother was heartless. How could he turn around and criticize his older sister for not being able to find a wife at his age?
Zhang Shen lowered his head and didn't say anything more. It wasn't that his second sister was refusing to marry him; she was just too picky. The people she liked didn't like her back, and the people who liked her were people she looked down on. Then she always complained that the people around her had wronged her.
"I'm not going to talk about this with you here. Let's go home." No matter what, she's still his older sister, and she'll get married someday. If he exposes her shameful behavior in front of everyone, his reputation will be ruined.
Fine, I'll just have to bear with it a little longer. Once she gets married, he'll finally have some peace and quiet.
"What are you afraid of? Now you know you're wrong, but it's too late. I'm going to drag you out and show everyone what a heartless bastard you are. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be so old and still unmarried. It's all because of you." Zhang Qingling seemed to have found Zhang Shen's weakness, and her words became more and more outrageous.
Song Tantan couldn't stand it anymore. She stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Qingling, and covered her mouth. Her movements were swift and decisive, leaving Zhang Qingling unable to move.
With a forced smile, she said to the onlookers, "This is my brother's sister. She had a minor accident and hit her head. She hasn't fully recovered yet and she has seizures every now and then. Everyone, please disperse. I'm taking her home."
After saying that, he winked at Zhang Shen, then half-carried and half-pulled Zhang Qingling away, only letting her go when they reached an empty alley.
Everyone: "..." The younger brother's older sister? So she is?
"You dare lay a hand on me, Song Tantan? Do you think I'm easy to bully? I'm not done with you today!" Zhang Qingling lunged at Song Tantan with a crazed expression, tearing at her with her hands and feet.
Song Tantan was skilled in martial arts and disdained to spar with a weak woman like her, so she only defended and did not attack. However, the other party was really unreasonable and kept chasing after her.
"You're taking advantage of me! If it weren't for your brother's sake, I would have beaten you into a pig's head, you lunatic!" Song Tantan cursed as he sprinkled a small pinch of powder.
With a thud, Zhang Qingling fell straight to the ground.
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