Village Belle Chapter 146
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Chapter 146 Milksop Thinks She's Sick
Xie Yuntang nodded, rolled up his sleeves, and went into the kitchen to start the fire. When Su Tao came in, he had already started the fire, so she quickly washed the pot, added water, and started cooking.
Then she took the vegetables and sat by the stove with Xie Yuntang to prepare them.
For a moment, no one spoke, but the atmosphere was relatively comfy.
Su Tao's mind wasn’t idle. She was choosing her words, preparing to recount her story again. To be honest, anyone with a brain wouldn't believe it.
But she had no choice. She couldn't bring herself to fight Xie Yuntang to the death, and Xie Yuntang was innocent.
She could only pray that he would believe her and genuinely help her go home.
That wouldn't violate the system's rules.
If that didn't work, she... she couldn't do anything about it.
"Milksop, we’ve known each other for many years, right?"
Xie Yuntang didn't understand the meaning of her question. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Seven years."
He and Sister Taozi only started playing together when they were eight years old. He only knew that Sister Taozi was pitiful before, but he rarely saw her.
"What do you think of me?" Su Tao looked at him expectantly.
She leaned closer, and Xie Yuntang suddenly blushed. "Very good."
"Milksop, although I wasn't very nice to you before, I've been quite nice to you since then. I'm not nice to everyone."
"I'm nice to you only because you can help me get home."
Su Tao interrupted him as he was about to speak, not wanting to hear him ask her what she wanted to eat.
She continued, "Don’t speak, just listen to me."
"I know it's hard for you to believe, but it's the truth. I'm really not Su Tao. Su Tao might have starved to death, or she might come back after I complete my mission."
"You're not a child anymore. I’m sure you know which of my words are true and which are false."
"I swear I haven't lied to you a single word. If I have, I’ll die a horrible death."
"I've known you for so long. I’m sure you know some things. Look at me, I learned to read after only a few days of schooling. I'm not smart. It’s because I'd studied for over twenty years."
"I was about the same age as your mother when I was still in school. Although I don't have a mother, my father is very good to me. I haven't been home for several years. He must’ve missed me."
"Milksop, please help me, okay?"
She was indeed telling the truth, but to others, it sounded like she was insane.
Otherwise, why would a normal person force someone to kill her?
Xie Yuntang glanced at her, his worry growing stronger. Sister Taozi's illness seemed to have worsened.
He didn't know what to do, so he finally raised his hand and patted her head reassuringly, saying softly but earnestly, "Sister Taozi, I'll take good care of you."
Su Tao was stunned, not understanding what he meant, whether he believed her or not.
If she knew that Milksop really thought she was sick, she would definitely faint on the spot.
At this moment, footsteps came from outside the door, and Xie Yuntang quickly withdrew his hand.
Soon, Su Dou came running in, hugging Su Tao tightly. "Sister, I missed you."
"I missed you too."
Su Tao came back to her senses, pinched his little face, and then said, "Come and help me prepare the vegetables. I’ll cook something delicious for you."
"Sister, you're going to cook?" A strange expression flashed across Su Dou's little face.
Su Tao nodded, and Su Dou added, "Let Mom cook. Sister, your cooking isn't good."
Su Tao, "..."
"You always complain about me, and now your younger brother is complaining about you. You can't cook despite being a girl."
Lin Sanzhu came in carrying a basket and scolded her, but when she saw Xie Yuntang there, she quickly changed her tune, saying, "Your cooking is alright now. You'll be almost there if you learn a little more."
"Yuntang."
"Auniet Su," Xie Yuntang replied politely.
After hugging Su Tao, Su Dou quickly hugged Xie Yuntang. "Brother Yuntang, I missed you too."
Xie Yuntang held him on his lap and said gently, "I missed you too."
Su Dou kissed him, then sniffed him and said happily, "Brother Yuntang, you smell so good! My brother always stinks. He stinks so bad when he sleeps, and he never washes his feet."
At the mention of Su Zhi, Su Tao couldn't help but complain, "Your brother is hopeless. Don't be like him, or you won't be able to find a wife."
"That rascal Su Zhi won't take a bath. Dirt has accumulated behind his ears. I'm going to make him take a bath today." Lin Sanzhu felt a headache coming. Su Zhi was the hardest one to manage in the family.
Lin Sanzhu returned, so Su Tao no longer needed to cook and could help with chores. Xie Yuntang sat by the stove with a book, teaching Su Dou to read.
The family was struggling to keep both children in school, so Su Tao was teaching Su Dou. Although Su Dou wasn't as difficult as Su Zhi, he wasn't exactly academically inclined.
The only hope was that he would learn more characters.
Some time later, Su Zhi returned, ran into the kitchen, and drank a large gulp of water. He put down the ladle and saw his mother glaring at him.
He touched his nose and said aggrievedly, "Mom, why are you glaring at me? I didn't do anything wrong today."
"Did you wash your feet yesterday? If you don't wash them, I'll beat you to death! The water's hot, hurry up and get some water to scrub your pigskin clean!" Lin Sanzhu scolded.
Su Tao was amused by the word "pigskin" and laughed loudly. Su Zhi glanced at her but didn't dare say anything, otherwise he would definitely get a beating.
Finally, he glared at Su Dou, the only one he could bully, and said, "Why did you snitch on me?"
Su Tao stood up and smacked him on the head, saying irritably, "How dare you still be so fierce! I dare you to be fierce again."
Su Zhi rubbed his forehead and then hid behind Xie Yuntang. "Brother Yuntang, save me."
Xie Yuntang looked at Su Tao in front of him, thought for a moment, and shook his head. "Go wash up."
Su Zhi, "..."
He complained, "You're all bullying me."
"Go wash up. If you weren't so disobedient, who would scold you?"
Lin Sanzhu glared at him and added, "Learn from your older sister. She's always clean."
"That's because you and Dad don't let her do any dirty work. I'm always the one shoveling chicken droppings, washing dishes, starting the fire, and even wiping Su Dou's bottom." Su Zhi became more and more aggrieved as he spoke, but he didn't feel it was unfair at all.
His older sister had been driven mad by their grandmother, which was why their parents doted on her so much.
Although he was afraid his older sister would hit him, he loved her dearly.
Lin Sanzhu rolled her eyes at him. "You're a boy, if you don't do it, who will? Okay, stop nagging."
"If you don't wash yourself clean, don't even think about eating mutton. Your Brother Yuntang brought a lot of mutton this morning."
Upon hearing that there was mutton, Su Zhi immediately perked up, quickly scooped water, and then carried the bucket out.
Lin Sanzhu glanced at Su Tao. "You two siblings are alike. As soon as you hear about food, you run faster than dogs."
Su Tao, "..."
Her lips twitched. "Mom, is it okay to talk about your own kids like that?"
"If you weren't my kids, I would’ve thrown you out long ago. All you do is annoy me all day long." Lin Sanzhu took out the mutton, cut it in half, and planned to stew it.
Su Tao, holding Su Dou, sat by the stove. The firelight made her face look rosy and glowing. She blinked and said, "Xie Yuntang, see? Never find a mother-in-law like my mom."
"You'll definitely get scolded to death."
