"Look at my daughter, no matter which aspect, she's better than your two daughters. If the noble young master were to fancy someone, it would be my daughter."
Tao Lao Er's daughter was a bit dark-skinned but not thin. At twelve or thirteen, she had developed as she should, though she was rather timid and stood with her head bowed.
How could Tao Lao Da not know that Tao Lao Er was trying to snatch his family's good fortune? Angrily, he retorted, "Everyone knows your daughter is impure, already used and abused by others."
"The noble young master is from a prominent family, why would he want such a broken piece of goods? I think you should give up this idea sooner rather than later."
Upon hearing this, Tao Lao Er was enraged and punched him in the face, cursing, "How dare you slander my daughter! I'll beat you to death today."
Tao Lao Da, not expecting to be hit, viciously swung his fist and beat his younger brother, "How dare you hit your elder brother! Today I must teach you a good lesson."
You throw a punch at me, I kick you.
You curse me, I curse you.
The brothers fought fiercely, and their wives also fought, pulling hair and tearing clothes.
Only a few children remained.
Tao Da Gou was the first to charge at Tao Lao Er's daughter, picking up a stone. "See if I don't kill you today! How dare you try to snatch our family's good fortune."
Tao Da Gou had always heard his parents talk about marrying his sisters to noble young masters to get a substantial bride price and improve their lives.
He had been looking forward to this matter, hoping it would allow him to show off in the village.
Now, seeing someone trying to snatch his good fortune, his inherently selfish and malicious mind was filled with the desire to ruin Tao Lao Er's daughter's face.
Seeing this, Tao Er Gou pulled his sister and ran, shouting to his parents, "Dad, Mom, Tao Da Gou is trying to hit sister, please help!"
When Tao Lao Er and his wife heard this, they intensified their attacks, specifically targeting the other party's most sensitive spots.
Tao Leng Shuang found this scene very satisfying. Look, look, what a 'united' family, truly delightful.
After watching for a while, as she was preparing to go home, she saw Tao Lao San's family, Tao Fang Fang's family, and Grandpa Tao and his wife rushing over.
They had all come for the noble young master, seeking Tao Leng Shuang's help.
Tao Leng Shuang directly refused, showing no intention of helping. "That noble young master doesn't lack beauties, how could he possibly fancy a village girl who has nothing? Stop dreaming."
If it were a capable village girl, it might be different. But the daughters of the Tao family, illiterate, with no outstanding looks or talents, and such timid and cowardly dispositions.
Only families in neighboring villages desperate for a bride would consider them; ordinary families wouldn't.
However, Grandpa Tao and the others did not think so. In their eyes, all daughters were the same, and their daughters were considered good.
The group kept begging Tao Leng Shuang for help, promising her a reward once things were settled.
Tao Leng Shuang sneered and went straight back home.
Seeing Xiao Feng playing with Zhu Zi, she praised them with a smile, then put her things in her room.
As she was considering whether to prepare anything else, Mo Ling Xi entered.
The moment he entered, Tao Leng Shuang keenly smelled blood.
"Are you injured?" she asked in a low voice, helping him sit on the bench.
Mo Ling Xi nodded, his brows furrowed slightly. "Help me bandage it."
Due to the rush, he could only return to ask Tao Leng Shuang to bandage him.
Tao Leng Shuang closed the door, took out the medicinal herbs and silver needles from the cabinet, and gestured for Mo Ling Xi to take off his shirt. "Be careful in the future, don't let Xiao Feng notice. The child is very sensitive."
Mo Ling Xi agreed and took off his shirt.
As soon as he took off his shirt, Tao Leng Shuang saw a long and deep wound on his chest and gasped, "This cut is quite vicious."
"Sometimes, I suspect you're a bandit."
Saying this, she used silver needles to stop the bleeding and then prepared a hemostatic medicine on the spot.
Mo Ling Xi glanced at her skilled movements, a flicker of something passing through his eyes. "If I were really a bandit, do you think you could be living so well?"
Tao Leng Shuang rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Excuse me, I'm treating your injury right now. Can you say something nice?"
"Or should I take this opportunity to poison you, let your wound fester, and make you suffer to death?"
Mo Ling Xi thought of the poisons she possessed and pursed his lips. "Mind your own business regarding my affairs."
Tao Leng Shuang chuckled twice and slapped the powder onto his wound. "I must be crazy to inquire about your business."
"I only hope you don't bring any trouble or danger to me and Xiao Feng. Our mother and son just want to live a peaceful life."
Her slap was not light, causing Mo Ling Xi to frown in pain and give her a cold warning glance.
Tao Leng Shuang stiffened slightly, her grip on his wound easing a bit. "Don't let the wound get wet recently, and change the dressing regularly."
Mo Ling Xi thanked her, put on his shirt, and said, "The tax issue has been resolved. The matter of the royal villa is still not settled."
Tao Leng Shuang looked at him a couple more times and said, "Oh, well, it's not me who's going to repair the royal villa anyway."
Mo Ling Xi choked slightly and walked out of the room. However, at the doorway, he saw two heads. "...Xiao Feng, what are you and Zhu Zi doing here?"
Hearing this, Tao Leng Shuang stretched her head to look. "Why aren't you two playing over there? What are you doing at your mother's room door?"
Xiao Feng glanced at his father, then at his mother, and blurted out, "Daddy, Mommy, are you making a sister?"
Mo Ling Xi's handsome face darkened, and Tao Leng Shuang almost choked on her own saliva.
That wasn't all.
Xiao Feng said in a milky voice, "Zhu Zi just said that when adults make babies, they do it behind closed doors."
Upon hearing this, Tao Leng Shuang coughed earth-shatteringly.
Mo Ling Xi raised his hand and lightly tapped Xiao Feng's head, saying expressionlessly, "Don't talk nonsense. Your mother and I have something to discuss."
Xiao Feng's eyes lit up. "Discuss how to make a sister?"
Mo Ling Xi was rendered speechless, suddenly having the urge to abandon his son.
What kind of son had he raised?
"Xiao Feng."
Tao Leng Shuang squatted in front of Xiao Feng, her eyes twitching. "Making a sister can't be rushed, it has to be done slowly."
Xiao Feng pouted, very unhappy. "But you've been at it for so long, and still no sister. Everyone else has brothers and sisters, but I don't."
Having been surrounded by only children in her previous life, Tao Leng Shuang couldn't quite understand Xiao Feng's feeling. "Can we talk about it after spring?"
"It's so cold now, the sister will get cold."
Xiao Feng looked at the gloomy sky, then thought about the increasingly cold weather, and nodded vigorously. "Let's talk about it when it's warmer, we can't let the sister get cold."
Tao Leng Shuang felt a bit weary, thinking she would have to explain it to her son one day. "Alright, take Zhu Zi to your room to play."
"Then Mommy, when the weather gets warm, will I have a sister?"