“Mother, where did this child get such a sweet tongue? None of us siblings are like this!” Su Manxiu said with a smile.
This child’s words were so sweet they could make one sick!
“It’s good for a little girl to have a sweet tongue; she won’t be at a disadvantage in the future!” Grandma Su looked at Su Xiaotian with a gentle gaze and said proudly.
Su Manxiu felt that her mother’s words made sense. People with sweet tongues always seemed to have better luck.
“Mother, thank you for taking care of me and Xiao Bao. I’m sorry to have troubled you. Xiaotian has been cooped up at home these past few days; she must be bored, right?”
“Not at all, because of the little brother!” Su Xiaotian immediately chimed in.
“Xiaotian, do you like the little brother?” Su Manxiu asked.
“I do, such a beautiful little brother, of course I like him.”
Su Xiaotian said this very naturally, but no one knew that the reason she liked this child was because he hadn’t existed in her previous life.
In her opinion, the appearance of this child meant that everything had truly changed!
Her eldest aunt’s fate had been altered, and therefore, many people’s fates would change.
Perhaps, since this child was born, many people’s destinies had already shifted!
Grandma Su smiled kindly and said, “Xiu’er, I’m happy you have a child, and I’m happy to take care of you! You focus on taking care of the baby, and I’ll go stew some chicken soup. I managed to snag a chicken at the market today!”
She had come in too much of a hurry, bringing plenty of eggs but no chicken.
Xiu’er was getting older and needed good nourishment; her health couldn’t be compromised.
“Mother, there’s no need. My body is fine; I don’t need chicken soup!” Su Manxiu quickly refused.
“Why wouldn’t you? It’s understandable if we didn’t have the means before, but our family is doing well now. You can eat two chickens; it won’t bankrupt us.”
“Eldest Aunt, Hongxin Brigade is going to set up a chicken farm! Then, we’ll not only have eggs to eat but possibly chicken meat too,” Su Xiaotian added cheerfully.
“Why haven’t I heard about this? When did this happen?” Su Manxiu asked in surprise. “Can setting up a farm really work?”
“Yes, the commune has agreed. The chicken coops have already been built, and the chickens should have been introduced.”
Su Manxiu smiled, “That’s a good thing. Our Hongxin Brigade is poor. If we have a chicken farm, everyone can earn a bit more money throughout the year.”
Grandma Su went to get busy, and it was Su Xiaotian who replied, “Eldest Aunt, Hongxin Brigade raising chickens will bring in a lot of money in the future.”
In two to three years, a new opportunity would arise, and that would be the time for Hongxin Brigade to take off.
They would start by raising chickens this year to test the waters. Next year, they could try raising pigs when the opportunity arose, and the year after, they could expand the scale.
This way, by the time others realized what was happening, Hongxin Brigade would have already developed.
Su Manxiu had no idea that the little rascal Su Xiaotian had already planned for years ahead. She merely marveled at the changes in Hongxin Brigade, thinking it was truly not easy.
During her days in the county town, Su Xiaotian didn’t go out except to accompany Grandma Su to buy groceries.
One or two days were fine, but after a while, the little girl, accustomed to a wilder life, naturally couldn’t stand it. Even with the constantly changing little brother, she became listless.
“Mother, I think Xiaotian seems unhappy lately. Is she bored?” Su Manxiu asked, looking at Su Xiaotian who was staring blankly in the courtyard.
Grandma Su glanced at Su Xiaotian and said with a smile, “It’s nothing. Children are like this sometimes.”
“How about I send a message to my brother and ask him to take Xiaotian home for a few days?” Su Manxiu said after some thought.
“Your brother and the others are busy. Xiaotian is a sensible child. If I have time this afternoon, I’ll take her out for a stroll.”
Grandma Su also felt sorry for her granddaughter, fearing that her granddaughter might truly become depressed.
“Alright, the little one is very well-behaved. I’ll watch her this afternoon. Mother, you take Xiaotian out for a stroll. I have some fabric coupons here; take them and buy some cloth to make clothes for Xiaotian,” Su Manxiu said, reaching for the fabric coupons.
“No need, I brought quite a few coupons when I came this time,” Grandma Su quickly stopped her daughter.
Su Manxiu was startled. Did she not know her family’s situation?
There shouldn’t be any coupons, but recently, her mother seemed to have produced quite a few.
Where did these coupons come from?
However, Su Manxiu, being clever, didn’t ask and even planned to help her mother cover up.
Grandma Su said earnestly, “Xiu’er, when you live your life now, you should prioritize yourself and not always think about your maternal family. Your father and your brothers and sisters-in-law are all doing well.”
“Mother knows. Your conditions are good here, but now that you have a child, you must consider the child’s future in everything.”
Grandma Su understood that her daughter always felt guilty towards her maternal family, but since she had her own small family, she couldn’t always think about her maternal family.
Once or twice was acceptable.
If it continued for a long time, her son-in-law might have objections.
“Mother, I understand. But if the family has any difficulties, you must tell me!” Su Manxiu still reminded her.
“Alright, if there’s really anything, I’ll definitely tell you and your son-in-law,” Grandma Su said readily.
“I don’t know when this kind of era will change. I heard a few days ago that several more families were… Mother, our family must be very careful!” Su Manxiu warned.
“Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you, have you seen Su Xiaoqin in the city?” Grandma Su thought of Su Xiaotian and felt uneasy.
That child had a twisted mind and was now in the city, associating with bad influences. One didn’t know what she would become.
“No, I haven’t.” After a pause, Su Manxiu added, “I haven’t seen Su Xiaoqin for some time either. Perhaps if I saw her, I wouldn’t recognize her.”
Grandma Su thought that was indeed the case.
“No matter what, it’s not wrong for you to guard against her,” Grandma Su sighed.
She didn’t know what they had done to wrong Su Xiaoqin!
Now that she was in the city, would she try to harm Su Manxiu?
Grandma Su didn’t know that Su Xiaoqin had indeed thought about harming Su Manxiu, but unfortunately, Chen Zi’an’s reputation in the county town was too formidable; almost no one dared to make a move against Chen Zi’an.
After Su Xiaoqin had incited for a long time, she still hadn’t achieved her goal, but her gaze was always fixed on Su Manxiu’s house.
Just as Grandma Su and Su Manxiu were talking, Su Xiaoqin was also staring at the door of Su Manxiu’s house with venomous eyes.
Su Xiaotian, who was communicating with the jujube tree in the courtyard, learned that a girl outside was constantly staring at the place.
She quietly ran to the main entrance and peeked through the crack in the door.
Then, she saw the familiar figure of Su Xiaoqin.
Su Xiaoqin?
Why was she staring here? Could she be planning to make a move against her eldest aunt and uncle?
Although her uncle was an official, being in a high position made him more likely to be targeted. With a troublemaker like Su Xiaoqin watching, something would happen sooner or later.
No, this matter needed to be resolved sooner.
But she was small and weak and had no way to handle it.
She would have to wait for her uncle to come back and then find a way to deal with it.
For the next few days, she would keep an eye on Su Xiaoqin. Anyway, she could communicate with the jujube tree and have it watch the outside movements every day.
After communicating, the jujube tree indicated that it could watch the surroundings and would warn Su Xiaotian if there was any danger.
Su Xiaotian could now communicate with the jujube tree without touching it. This was because her “Heart of Plants” skill had been upgraded, and her communication ability with plants had significantly improved, including the ability to communicate within a ten-meter radius.
That afternoon, Grandma Su was going to take Su Xiaotian out for a stroll. After asking the jujube tree and knowing that Su Xiaoqin was outside, Su Xiaotian immediately decided not to go out for the time being.
She was truly afraid that Grandma Su would worry if she discovered Su Xiaoqin.
Grandma Su didn’t know the reason, but since Su Xiaotian insisted on not going out to play, Grandma Su had no choice but to give up.
“Good girl, if you’re bored at home, tell Grandma, and I’ll take you out for a stroll. But you must never go out alone,” Grandma Su cautioned worriedly.
She had heard many things from Su Manxiu; the outside was very unsettled, and she couldn’t feel at ease with Xiaotian going out alone as a child!
Grandma Su was a diligent person. During this time, she meticulously cultivated Su Manxiu’s vegetable patch and planted several types of vegetables, saying that there would be enough vegetables for Su Manxiu when she finished her confinement.
Su Xiaotian also helped when she had free time. With the blessing of her Heart of Plants, she understood the land better than Grandma Su and offered many suggestions to Grandma Su, both openly and subtly.
As a result, when Su Manxiu discovered how well the vegetables in her yard were growing after her confinement, she was quite shocked.
Su Xiaotian and Grandma Su stayed in the county town for more than twenty days, and Su Manxiu’s confinement period was almost over when Chen Zi’an returned.
After being away for such a long time, Chen Zi’an returned with a face full of exhaustion.
“What’s wrong? You look like you haven’t slept for days.”
“The Minister said that only a few of you would remain at home, and he was worried, so he worked overtime and finished his tasks, rushing back today!” Little Zhu also looked weather-beaten and very tired.
“You talk too much. Xiao Bao’s full moon is tomorrow, and as his father, shouldn’t I come back to see him?” Chen Zi’an glared at Little Zhu. “Alright, hurry home and rest. Don’t be an eyesore here.”
“Driver Xiao Zhu, I just made dumplings. Have a bowl before you go back!” Grandma Su busily invited.
Hearing the word “dumplings,” Little Zhu’s eyes almost sparkled.
But he still looked at Chen Zi’an.
“You little rascal, are you craving them? Stay and eat. Eat your fill and go back to sleep; you have to work tomorrow,” Chen Zi’an said with a smile, scolding him.
Little Zhu happily offered to help with the fire, but Grandma Su refused.
This little bit of work could be handled by one person; there was no need for help.
Grandma Su happily went to cook dumplings, while Chen Zi’an, shaking off the dust of his journey, went inside to see his wife and child.
“This rascal, he’s changed a lot in the days I haven’t seen him,” Chen Zi’an said, looking at his son sleeping soundly on the kang with a contented expression.
“Indeed, he eats and sleeps all day, and he’s grown a lot. If you ask Xiaotian, she can even tell you how the rascal has changed.”
“Alright, I’ll ask Xiaotian later.”
Su Manxiu looked at her husband’s tired face and felt a little heartache. “You must be exhausted. Rest for a while!”
“Not tired. Seeing you and the baby, I’m not tired at all!” Chen Zi’an said, holding his wife’s hand.
This time, when he went out, he had someone to care about, which was very different from before.
Even the iron-blooded man showed rare tenderness when he spoke.
When Su Xiaotian entered, she saw this scene. She suddenly felt like a third wheel, but as a child, she should be innocent for barging in.
With this thought, Su Xiaotian continued to skip towards the couple.
Su Manxiu withdrew her hand, which Chen Zi’an was holding, and smiled, “Xiaotian, tell your uncle about the little brother’s daily changes.”
“Uncle, let’s go eat dumplings and talk while we eat,” Su Xiaotian said, obeying the order and pulling Chen Zi’an out.
Although Chen Zi’an was puzzled why Su Xiaotian wanted to pull him out, he thought the little girl was cunning and must have something to say that Su Manxiu shouldn’t hear, so he obediently followed Su Xiaotian out of the room.
“Xiaotian, is there something you want to tell me?”
“Uncle, someone has been watching our house,” Su Xiaotian said directly, without any preamble.
Chen Zi’an frowned upon hearing this. What did this mean?
Someone had been watching his house? What were they planning to do?
Who had targeted him?
However, he hadn’t been home for a while; what was the point of watching?
“Xiaotian, how do you know?”
“I was bored at home, and Grandma wouldn’t let me go out, so I peeked through the crack in the door and saw them outside.”
Su Xiaotian had already thought of this excuse.
Chen Zi’an indeed believed it.
“Do you know who they are?”
“There are two people, one is my cousin Su Xiaoqin, and the other woman, I don’t recognize her, but I feel like I’ve seen her before.” Su Xiaotian replied immediately.
Su Xiaotian felt she should have seen that young woman somewhere, but she just couldn’t recall where.
“Two people? Your cousin?”
Chen Zi’an immediately recalled that there was indeed a girl from the Su family in the county town, but why was she watching their house?
“My cousin, I don’t know why she has such animosity towards our family. I’m afraid she might harbor ill intentions towards Uncle.”
Su Xiaotian reminded Chen Zi’an.
“Don’t worry, now that I’m here, no one will bully my family,” Chen Zi’an said, then took Su Xiaotian’s hand to go eat dumplings.
The dumplings made by Grandma Su were naturally excellent.
Su Manxiu was about to finish her confinement, so Grandma Su also brought her a bowl of dumplings.
Little Zhu ate with such gusto that even Su Xiaotian felt a craving.
The few of them devoured the dumplings.
Little Zhu patted his full stomach and said, “Grandma Su’s dumplings are really delicious. I’ve never eaten such fragrant dumplings before.”
Grandma Su smiled and said, “With meat, oil, and other ingredients, the dumplings naturally become fragrant.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Even with the same ingredients, the taste made by each person is different. Mother, your cooking skills are just excellent,” Chen Zi’an also quickly flattered his mother-in-law.
Su Xiaotian hummed, “My Grandma’s cooking is delicious, but Uncle, you won’t get to eat it. Now that you’re back, Grandma and I are going home.”
When she first arrived in the county town, Su Xiaotian had planned to explore the town and look for business opportunities.
However, ever since arriving in the county town, Grandma Su and Su Manxiu hadn’t felt at ease letting her go out alone.
Up to now, the little girl hadn’t had a single opportunity to go out independently, let alone conduct market research. She felt that her trip to the county town had been in vain!
Having been cooped up at home for so long, she was truly bored.
Now that Chen Zi’an had finally returned, she naturally wanted to express her intention to return to Hongxin Brigade immediately.
Chen Zi’an didn’t understand why Su Xiaotian was so eager to return to the brigade so quickly.
Was the county town not as good as the countryside?
After some thought, Chen Zi’an felt that the little girl must miss her parents and brothers after being away from home for such a long time.
“Even if you miss Grandpa and your brothers, you should wait two more days until the little brother’s full moon before returning.”
Su Xiaotian heard this and felt it made sense. Anyway, the little brother’s full moon was tomorrow, so she might as well stay one more day.
Little Zhu, having eaten his fill, left Chen Zi’an’s house and went home.
Chen Zi’an opened his luggage and said, “Xiaotian, I also brought you a gift. See if you like it.”
“Uncle, what gift are you giving me? Does the little brother have one too?”
Chen Zi’an was stunned.
Did a little baby need a gift?
Did that suckling infant understand?
He turned to look at the rascal sleeping soundly on the kang.
“The little brother doesn’t have one, only Xiaotian does. Who else but Xiaotian is our family’s only little girl?” Chen Zi’an immediately declared.
Although Su Xiaotian felt it was a pity that the little brother didn’t have a gift, she was very happy to hear Chen Zi’an say she was the only little girl in their family.
Chen Zi’an’s gift to Su Xiaotian was a beautiful set of clothes. The fabric was printed with small red cherries, and the color was bright. Compared to the gray, black, and blue clothes on the market, it was indeed much prettier.
Su Xiaotian held the new clothes and looked at them from all angles, finding them beautiful.
Just then, Grandma Su came in after tidying up the bowls and chopsticks. Su Xiaotian busily presented the new clothes to Grandma Su like a treasure.
“Grandma, look, Uncle gave me these clothes. There aren’t even such beautiful new clothes in the county town.”
Grandma Su took a look and indeed saw a very beautiful floral outfit, much prettier than the fabric they could buy.
She said happily, “Beautiful, beautiful, your uncle has good taste.”
In Grandma Su’s heart, anyone who treated Su Xiaotian well was good.
Conversely, anyone who didn’t treat Su Xiaotian well was a bad person; this was non-negotiable and not open to debate.
Chen Zi’an remembering Su Xiaotian was something worth praising more than him treating her well.
“Mother, I also bought you a sweater. You can wear it when it gets cold,” Chen Zi’an said with a smile. “During this time, thank you for taking care of Xiu’er and the baby.”
By rights, it should be the mother-in-law taking care of the daughter-in-law during confinement, but he no longer had a mother and couldn’t find anyone to care for Manxiu.
Chen Zi’an felt it was too much to trouble his mother-in-law, so he took the opportunity of his business trip to buy clothes for both his mother-in-law and Xiaotian.
“You child, with these coupons, it would be better to buy clothes for Xiu’er and the baby,” Grandma Su complained.
Even city dwellers didn’t have many fabric coupons per year. Buying two sets of clothes at once might have used up all their coupons for the year.
Although her words carried a complaint, Su Manxiu saw that Grandma Su’s face was full of smiles, and a smile also crossed her own lips.
“Mother, just take it. This is your son-in-law’s thoughtfulness,” Su Manxiu helped persuade her.
In the past, her life was difficult, and she didn’t even have a penny. Even when she returned home for holidays, she often came empty-handed.
Let alone buying a piece of clothing for her parents.
This time, Chen Zi’an buying his mother a new outfit also compensated for her regret.
Marrying such a man was truly her good fortune.
“Alright, I’ll accept it, but you can’t buy me clothes anymore in the future,” Grandma Su said with a beaming smile.
“I know, Mother, don’t worry, I have a sense of proportion,” Chen Zi’an quickly assured her.
“When I get back, I’ll give you the coupons, but I won’t give you the money!” Grandma Su said after thinking for a moment.
She still had a lot of fabric. Since the family didn’t have that much money to buy fabric, she might as well give it to Chen Zi’an.
Chen Zi’an was surprised.
His mother-in-law had fabric coupons?
This was a precious item.
He knew that even as a leader in the county, he only had a small supply each month. If most of the clothes he wore weren’t uniforms, he definitely wouldn’t have enough fabric coupons.
How could his mother-in-law have so many fabric coupons?
He remembered that when they got married, his mother-in-law had produced quite a few coupons.
“Mother, you should keep your fabric coupons for yourself. You have a large family,” Chen Zi’an said, thinking that his mother-in-law must have saved them for a long time and was busy refusing.
“I have enough. Take what I give you,” Grandma Su insisted, pressing the coupons into Chen Zi’an’s hand.
When Chen Zi’an received several fabric coupons from his mother-in-law, he still looked incredulous.
These fabric coupons were enough to make two outfits. For ordinary families, even for their children’s weddings, they might not be able to prepare such ample fabric.
“Zi’an, you are now a family of three. You need to live frugally.”
“Mother, I know. Don’t worry, I can support Manxiu and the baby,” Chen Zi’an replied with a smile.
Some things were difficult to explain to his mother-in-law, but supporting one adult and one child was truly not a problem.
“After a few months, when the baby is a bit older, let Xiu’er find a job too. If there’s no one to watch the baby, send him to Hongxin Brigade, and I’ll watch him for you,” Grandma Su said after some hesitation.
She had been thinking about this for a long time.
One reason was her worry that it would be difficult for them to live on just one person’s income. Another reason was her concern that her daughter would be idle at home for too long and be disliked by Chen Zi’an.
After all, their families were not well-matched.
What if Xiu’er stayed at home and her son-in-law grew tired of her?
Su Xiaotian’s eyes sparkled upon hearing this, and she was overjoyed.
If the little brother were sent to their home, that would be wonderful. She liked this beautiful baby.
Chen Zi’an smiled and said, “Mother, please don’t worry. The situation is not good right now, so it’s better for Xiu’er to stay at home. After a couple of years, if things improve, we can consider finding a job for Xiu’er!”
Grandma Su didn’t understand these things. Hearing Chen Zi’an say this, she immediately nodded in agreement, “You decide what’s best. From now on, when you have a child, you must live carefully and not be extravagant. We don’t lack anything. Just go home directly in the future; don’t always bring things!”
Su Xiaotian listened to Grandma Su’s nagging and couldn’t help but look at Chen Zi’an and Su Manxiu.
But she saw that they were both listening attentively, without the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.