Huh? Yao Guang looked at the strings of candied hawthorns on the straw target in front of her and was a little confused for a moment. They looked so cute and adorable.
Of the seven children, she was the one who loved candied hawthorn the most. However, in order to protect their teeth, Hong Xiaoduo controlled her intake and didn't buy it for them often.
Hong Xiaoduo stood aside without saying a word, wanting to see how she would handle it. After all, the little girl had personally witnessed Pi San coughing at the candied hawthorn after being reminded by her.
Children today are not like they used to beg. Because they are starving, they will pick up and eat even moldy and rotten food that people throw into the slop bucket without any regard for the consequences.
However, thinking about this, Hong Xiaoduo also found it quite amazing. The children were not getting enough to eat every day before, so their physical condition must have been very poor. In addition, they ate spoiled and dirty food, yet they were still alive!
She had asked Tian Shu before what to do if she got sick.
Tian Shu said that it seems that in winter, because of the cold, one might occasionally sneeze and have a runny nose, which is a sign of a fever. Drinking more water will help.
Hong Xiaoduo felt that these children had an incredibly strong will to live.
Look at the children's outpatient department of a modern hospital, it's so busy! It's always about viral colds. Parents are holding their children for blood tests, watching their children cry and fuss, feeling both heartbroken and helpless, and some are even shedding tears of heartache.
Modern children are too delicate. Logically speaking, they should eat well, live well, and drink milk. Even if the family's economic conditions are average, they will tighten their belts to buy imported milk powder for the sake of their children.
Most new mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and maternal grandmothers pay great attention to scientific parenting. They would sterilize the baby bottle with boiling water after every feeding, and they would give the baby fish oil and calcium supplements. But why is the baby's immunity still so poor?
There's a saying that goes something like this: flowers in a greenhouse can't withstand wind and rain, while plum blossoms bloom in the cold wind!
"I can't accept these candied hawthorns." Seeing that Hong Xiaoduo wasn't going to speak up for her, Yao Guang had no choice but to refuse herself.
"Young lady, please accept this. I've already taken your money. These few strings of candied hawthorns won't fetch much money even if you sell them. It's just a token of my appreciation," Pi San said, trying to persuade Yao Guang when she refused.
Yao Guang shook her head and said, "I know the price, but since you coughed at them just now, they can't eat them anymore. Uncle, you said that selling these wouldn't bring in much money, so let's not sell them to others."
Coughing can be contagious, and being sick is awful, right?
Pi San hadn't expected that Yao Guang would refuse his candied hawthorns for this reason. After realizing it, he also felt that what the child said made sense.
"I didn't mean to, I just felt uncomfortable coughing and didn't notice," Pi San said, his face flushed.
Upon seeing this, Yao Guang quickly explained, "Uncle, I didn't mean to look down on you."
Looking into the young woman's clear eyes, Pi San knew what was good for him. He knew she wasn't looking down on him. If she really was, why would she have come to give him money to see a doctor and get medicine?
"I know, I know. I'll go home now and get rid of these things. I won't sell them to anyone else," Pi San assured Yao Guang earnestly.
It's alright if I don't sell it to others, I can just eat it myself!
Yao Guang, of course, had no idea that the other party was thinking this way. She nodded and said, "You should go see a doctor and get medicine as soon as possible. My mother said that if you are sick, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. The sooner you see a doctor, the better. Don't delay and let it get worse. If you ruin your health, you will have to spend more money."
The shopkeeper, watching Yao Guang act like a little adult, found it quite amusing, with Pi San nodding in agreement and showing no sign of displeasure.
"Alright, Pi San will take this home and then see a doctor. Thank you for your kindness, Miss Yao." Pi San expressed his sincere gratitude to Yao Guang.
This was the first time Yao Guang had done a good deed, and she felt quite embarrassed to be thanked by an adult. She quickly took Hong Xiaoduo's hand and turned to leave.
The shopkeeper turned around and followed, saying to Hong Xiaoduo, "This young lady has been well-educated by her mother. Her mother must be a kind, gentle, and well-educated woman."
"Huh? Well, haha." Hong Xiaoduo felt a little guilty when someone praised her, and didn't know how to respond, so she just laughed it off.
Yao Guang, who was holding Hong Xiaoduo's hand, proudly puffed out her little chest when she heard what the shopkeeper had just said. Then, as if she had thought of something, she turned to look at the person beside her. She was a child with some knowledge now. Being knowledgeable and reasonable meant that a person was knowledgeable, reasonable, cultured and well-mannered.
The shopkeeper's praise of the mother as kind and well-educated is correct, but the word "gentle" also applies to the mother!
My older brother studies even harder. I'll ask him when we get back what exactly "gentle and unassuming" means.
Before long, they arrived at a house. Although it was not in the center of town, it was not on the edge either. However, from the outside of the gate, it did not look like an uninhabited place at all.
"I come over every few days to check on things and tidy up. The neighbors on both sides are all very easy to get along with," the shopkeeper said to Hong Xiaoduo as he unlocked the door.
After entering the courtyard, I followed the shopkeeper and listened to his introduction, only then did I realize that it was a two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house).
Although it is winter and there are no flowers or plants to be seen, it is still very elegant and unique. Standing in the courtyard surrounded by high walls, there is a sense of tranquility and security.
They then looked at a few more rooms, which were fully equipped with tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets.
"Young lady, are you satisfied?" Manager Yang asked Hong Xiaoduo.
Actually, once she entered the courtyard, you could tell from the expression on her face that she was satisfied.
Manager Yang was an honest man, so Hong Xiaoduo didn't need to deliberately show dissatisfaction just to discuss the rent later. She nodded and said, "It's pretty good. Manager, tell me the price. I can guarantee that even though it's a short-term rental and we have a lot of children, we will definitely not do anything reckless in this courtyard."
"Rent the courtyard to us, you can rest assured, boss."
"As for this price, there's no reference point. It's ten taels of silver per month. If it's more than a month but less than two months, we'll just average it out and charge you per day. You can use the firewood piled up behind the kitchen without paying any more money. What do you think, young lady?" Manager Yang asked with a smile.
“Okay, we’ll go with the price the shopkeeper mentioned. I’ll pay you for one month’s rent first, since we’re not sure when we’ll be leaving after the New Year.” Hong Xiaoduo immediately agreed.
With so many of them, the monthly room rate at the inn would be more than ten taels, not to mention that the courtyard is fully furnished.
"Young lady, aren't you going to haggle over the price?" Manager Yang asked with a smile as he took the ten-tael silver ingot.
“One should be content; this courtyard of yours is worth the price. But if your innkeeper finds out about this, won't he be unhappy with you?” Hong Xiaoduo asked, remembering the situation…
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