Village Belle Chapter 109
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Chapter 109: Sister Taozi Is Family
Xie Yuntang looked at Zheng Duoyin and the others, his face tense. "Duoyin, don't bully Brother Su Zhi. Sister Taozi will be angry."
"Oh, we didn't bully him. We just want to know the details."
Zheng Duoyin patted Su Zhi's head and said, "How could I possibly bully you? Your sister is my sister, so you’re my brother."
Although Su Zhi didn't like his sister, he and Su Dou were her only brothers. "You aren’t my sister's brother! Sister only has my brother and me as her brothers."
Su Tao came back from the restroom and saw them gathered together. She knew without asking that they were laughing at Su Zhi.
She took the ruler from the teacher's desk and hit them each. "Move aside! If you don't go, I'll smear chicken poop on your faces tomorrow."
It was such a vivid image that she almost gagged.
Zheng Duoyin and the others quickly dispersed. Everyone knew that Su Tao would carry out her threats.
Su Zhi seemed to have found his backing and complained, "Sister, they bullied me."
"Don't you know how to retaliate when they bully you?" Su Tao glared at him.
Su Zhi shrank. "I'm scared..."
"Just bear with it if you're scared."
Su Tao felt that Su Zhi was no different from Lin Sanzhu and her husband. They had been suppressed for so long that they didn't dare to resist.
Sooner or later, she would correct this bad habit.
After she sat down, she turned and saw Xie Yuntang writing her name. "Why are you writing my name? Didn't the teacher say to write the names of family members?"
"Sister Taozi is my family." Xie Yuntang's expression was very serious. Sister Taozi was his sister.
He would treat her very well in the future.
Very, very well.
Hearing this, Su Tao didn't think much about it. She picked up the brush and wrote Milksop’s name on the paper, and said cheerfully, "Okay, then I'll add you too."
Xie Yuntang.
Xie Yuntang's eyes instantly lit up with a smile. He gazed at his name on the paper with delight, and then softly praised, "Sister Taozi, your handwriting is so beautiful."
"Of course," Su Tao said with a hint of pride. She'd had her handwriting taught by a teacher, and back then, she had to write all day until her hands and legs were numb.
She thought of something and stood up to see if Su Zhi had finished. Though his handwriting was crooked, it was at least completed.
But her name wasn't there.
"Su Zhi, where's my name?"
Su Zhi sniffled and said weakly, "I can't write your name."
He really couldn't. Sister loved to scold him, so he never practiced writing her name.
As soon as he said that, he was hit on the head. Su Tao grumbled, "If you can't write my name, you'll be in trouble when you get home."
Su Zhi pouted, aggrieved. "I can't write your name."
"You can't write my name, then can’t you ask?" Su Tao felt annoyed at the sight of him. This rascal was like a hopeless case.
"Brother Su Zhi, I can write her name. I'll teach you." Xie Yuntang pulled out a discarded piece of paper and wrote the character Tao, stroke by stroke.
He loved writing Sister Taozi's name the most.
Su Zhi took the brush and followed along to write it, no, to draw it. The crooked shape didn't look like the Chinese character of Tao, but looked more like the drawing of a peach (tao).
Su Tao patted the back of Su Zhi’s hand and corrected his gesture, saying, "Why are you shaking? I don’t see your hand shaking when you're grabbing meat!"
Su Zhi, feeling pained, retorted, "Eating meat keeps my hands from shaking."
His unapologetic manner made Su Tao grit her teeth, but she eventually suppressed the urge to hit him. "Hurry up and write."
Then, after the teacher collected their homework, he had them recite until dusk.
It was still bright, and a group of children were gathering to play. Su Tao, wanting to help Lin Sanzhu with some work, declined Zheng Duoyin's invitation to play.
……
When the three returned home, the doorway had been cleaned. Gray smoke from the kitchen chimney rose into the air before dissipating.
The yard was filled with the smell of chicken poop and the aroma of meat.
Su Tao glanced at the clucking chickens and pulled Xie Yuntang into her room, saying, "Wait here for a moment. I'll help in the kitchen."
"Sister Tao, I'll come with you." Xie Yuntang put down his schoolbag. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, inviting at first glance.
Su Tao, thinking that he'd be bored alone, allowed him to come along.
Lin Sanzhu was frying meat at the moment, and was a little flustered. She turned her head to take a look, and then said hurriedly, "Yuntang, go out now. The kitchen is dirty."
"Mom, don't worry about him. He’s making the fire with me."
Su Tao pulled Xie Yuntang to sit in front of the stove to make the fire. She glanced at the basket half full of sweet potatoes left in the corner, and said, "Mom, Brother Yuntang wants to eat sweet potatoes."
Lin Sanzhu knew that it was she who wanted to eat, and glared at her unhappily. "Don't use Yuntang as an excuse. Yuntang, do you want to eat it? If you do, I’ll give you two. This sweet potato is sweet and delicious when cooked." Her voice was particularly gentle when she said the latter part.
Xie Yuntang knew that Sister Taozi wanted to eat it, so he nodded obediently, despite being someone who didn't like to trouble others. "Thank you, Auntie Su."
"Don’t mention it. If you want to eat it, just tell me and I'll make it for you."
Lin Sanzhu ladled the meat and vegetables into a large bowl, then said to Su Tao, "Simmer two big sweet potatoes for Yuntang. If you want to eat it, simmer a small one."
Su Tao quickly picked out two big sweet potatoes and simmered them in the bowl. She didn’t simmer the small ones. If there were too many sweet potatoes, they wouldn't be able to finish them.
At this moment, Su Fu walked in with the water he drew, his forehead covered in sweat. Xie Yuntang called out obediently, "Uncle Su."
Su Fu smiled and responded lovingly, "Yuntang, go out and play. The kitchen is dirty." After saying that, he took out the rice cake he had bought and gave it to him, indicating that he should eat it.
Then he gave another one to Su Tao. "Share it with Xiaozhi."
Xie Yuntang took a look and quickly handed the cake to Su Tao. "Sister Taozi, have it."
He’d buy a few more for Sister Taozi tomorrow.
"You eat it. I'll eat the sweet potato later."
Su Tao didn't take it. Just as she was about to call Su Zhi, she saw him rushing in. This rascal had a nose that was astute to the aroma of food like a dog's nose.
She gave him half, and divided the other half into two, feeding half each to Lin Sanzhu and Su Fu.
Of course, Lin Sanzhu and Su Fu didn't want it, and asked her to eat it. Su Tao "forced" it into their mouths, winked, and teased, "Just eat it when I told you to. Otherwise, I'll throw it out to feed the chickens."
Lin Sanzhu glared at her, opened her mouth and ate it, but Su Fu still refused to eat it. "Taozi, you eat it. I don't like to eat it."
It wasn’t that he didn't like it, he just wanted to leave it for her to eat.
"Dad, eat it. I'll eat the sweet potato later."
Su Tao stood on tiptoe and fed the cake to his mouth. Su Fu hesitated for a moment before eating it. After swallowing it, he said, "I'll go buy a few more pieces."
"Uncle Su, there’s no need to buy it. I’ll share mine with Sister Taozi."
Xie Yuntang divided the cake in his hand into two halves and handed it to Su Tao who sat back. "Sister Taozi, you and I shall have half each."
Su Tao didn't say anything. She took it and ate it in two bites. It didn’t really taste that good.
She missed the cakes bought by Xie Yuntang's father.
She leaned close to Milksop’s ear and whispered, "Milksop, let's go back to your house to get the cakes later, okay?"
Xie Yuntang's eyes lit up, and he replied, as well-behaved as a little wife, "Okay."
