As the group talked, Xiao Liuzi returned with a grubby child.
To call the child grubby was only because his clothes were in tatters, ripped and torn, and stained with mud.
Seeing so many adults in the courtyard, the child lowered his head, fiddling with the hem of his clothes, not even daring to utter a word.
The adults in the courtyard clearly hadn't expected Xiao Liuzi to bring in an unfamiliar child.
This child, by all appearances, looked like a beggar.
They were momentarily stunned, unsure of what to say.
"Xiao Liu, who is this..." After a long pause, An Rongxue finally found his voice and asked.
He didn't recognize this child; he was definitely not from their village.
If he wasn't from their village, how did Xiao Liu know him?
An Rongxue felt that this child must be a little beggar.
How did a little beggar end up here?
"Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, Sister, this is Xiao Shu, my good friend."
Unaware of the adults' thoughts, Xiao Liu solemnly introduced his good friend to everyone.
The joy and happiness in his eyes made it impossible for everyone to ignore.
Clearly, Xiao Liu genuinely liked this friend.
At this moment, Li Guihua exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this a child from Nanhe Village in the neighboring township? How did he end up here?"
Li Guihua's maternal family was in the neighboring township, not far from Nanhe Village, as she called it.
Su Xiaotian listened curiously. Although she hadn't been in this place for long, she knew that the neighboring township wasn't very close.
How did a small child end up running here so grubbily?
An Rongxue looked at his wife. "This child, do you know him?"
"I do, he's from Nanhe Village. He's an unfortunate child. His father died two years ago, his mother last year, and he lived with his grandmother. I don't know how he ended up here."
Li Guihua said as she sized up the child. Seeing how dirty the child was, she couldn't help but say, "Come, Auntie will help you wash your hands and face first."
Hearing Li Guihua say this, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but admire this woman even more.
To feel pity for another person's child, she was indeed a good woman.
Little did Su Xiaotian know that before Li Guihua married An Rongxue, she had also gone through hardships and even lost her own child.
Because of this, she naturally liked children even more.
The child was clearly very flustered and didn't dare to follow Li Guihua.
Xiao Liuzi took his hand and said, "Let's go wash together."
Xiao Shu, however, didn't walk with Xiao Liuzi. Instead, he took a step back, seeming very scared.
"Xiao Shu, don't be afraid. My uncle and aunt are good people. They are very good to children and won't hit you."
This sentence made the adults around them sense something.
"Auntie doesn't hit people. I just want to wash you clean. We'll eat later."
As Li Guihua said this, Xiao Shu's stomach rumbled in response.
Clearly, the child was truly hungry.
"Xiao Liu, take Xiao Shu to wash his hands and face. I still have the steamed buns I made this morning. Give Xiao Shu two first."
Li Guihua saw that Xiao Shu was clearly resistant to her, so she asked Xiao Liu to look after his friend.
Xiao Shu, hearing that only Xiao Liu would accompany him and that he would be given steamed buns, finally lifted his head.
He was a child with clear features, though his face was also dirty. But his bright, lively eyes made people feel an increased fondness for him.
Xiao Liu happily took Xiao Shu to wash up.
Li Guihua sighed and said, "A few days ago, I heard that this child's grandmother also passed away. He's an orphan now, how pitiful!"
"Does he have no other relatives?" Su Xiaotian couldn't help but ask.
Even if his parents were gone and his grandmother was gone, shouldn't he have some other relatives? Su Dan Novel Network
How did he end up wandering so far?
He looked no more than five or six years old. Wandering like this was probably not a long-term solution.
"There should be. Their village is next to ours. I don't know much, but it seems he has an uncle and an aunt."
Having uncles and aunts, yet still wandering here, made others think more.
"This child, I'm afraid his uncles don't want to raise him," An Rongxue's mother said with a sigh.
His father died two years ago, followed by his mother, and now even his grandmother is gone. Such children are considered to have a strong fate and bring misfortune to their relatives.
When Grandma An said this, everyone seemed to have thought of this problem.
Yes, a child burdened with the reputation of bringing misfortune to relatives, no one would want to raise him.
Grandma An, however, felt very heartbroken.
Her son had also carried such a bad reputation. If Su Xiaotian hadn't stepped in to save her daughter-in-law and grandson this time, her son would likely have had no path forward in his life.
An Rongxue naturally understood the meaning behind his mother's words.
He thought for a moment and said, "Mother, I'll go inquire later to see what the child's situation really is. Let this child stay with us for a few days first, is that alright?"
He felt more sympathy for this child who, like him, carried the reputation of bringing misfortune to relatives.
Grandma An sighed but didn't reply. Instead, she looked at Li Guihua.
Li Guihua understood her mother-in-law's meaning and smiled, "Mother, I have no objections."
Her husband carried the reputation of bringing misfortune to relatives; hadn't she also?
Since that was the case, why worry about raising this child for a few days and bringing misfortune to the family?
Su Xiaotian, Shen Zizhen, and the others watched from the side, and at this moment, they were also moved by the generosity and kindness of the An Rongxue family.
For ordinary families, it wasn't difficult to give two steamed buns and a flower roll to help, but to think of a child like this was truly not easy.
"Why don't you go inquire now? Borrow a bicycle from the village chief, it's faster," Grandma An was clearly more anxious than her son.
An Rongxue looked at Shen Zizhen and the others. Their family had invited people for a meal, but he was going out himself, which was truly inconvenient.
"If it's not too far, it would be good to inquire now. I'll go with you," Shen Zizhen said with a smile.
There was still some time before the meal. If they could clarify the child's situation during this time, it would be good.
"Teacher Shen, you shouldn't go. The road is not easy," An Rongxue quickly said.
"Speaking of which, I've been here several times, and besides your village, I haven't been anywhere else. It's a good opportunity to look around today. We can eat a little later."
This child was already an orphan. He wanted to know the child's situation before he left.
Therefore, he had the thought of going out to see.
Seeing Shen Zizhen like this, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but sigh. Uncle Shen had no children, but he actually liked children very much, didn't he?