Village Belle Chapter 155
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Chapter 155: Milksop Wasn't An Outsider
Xie Yuntang's lips curled up, his heart as sweet as if he'd eaten jujube cake.
Sister Taozi liked him very much.
He liked her too.
Su Zhi was already used to his older sister's behavior. He glanced at the soy milk in her bowl, turned and ran into the kitchen, shouting, "Mom, I want some too!"
"You can’t have it! How are we going to make tofu if you all drink it all?" Lin Sanzhu scolded.
"Sister could drink it."
"Your sister is a girl, it's nourishing for her. Why are you drinking it? Go away, go away! I get annoyed just looking at you. You're no good at studying, but you're good at eating. If you're so capable, be like your sister, and I'll let you drink it every day."
"You're both my children. How come you're so different from your sister?"
Su Zhi was scolded and chased out of the kitchen. Meeting his sister's gloating gaze, he jumped up and down in anger, shouting, "Mom, you're biased! Dad, take Mom in hand! Mom's biased!"
"She gives everything to Sister. I don't get anything."
Su Fu scratched his head and said, "Eat a couple more pieces of tofu later."
"I don't want tofu."
Su Zhi hugged Su Fu and whined, "Dad, Dad, I want to drink soy milk too. I want to be nourished too."
Su Fu couldn't stand his whining, so he went to the kitchen and asked Lin Sanzhu for a bowl, finally shutting up Su Zhi's mouth.
Su Zhi finished his soy milk in a few gulps, appearing like he was being chased by a ghost. Then he leaned closer to Su Tao and gossiped, "Sister, why are Aunt and the others here?"
"You rascal, don’t ask. Drink your soy milk."
Su Tao couldn’t be bothered with him. She turned her head and saw that Xie Yuntang hadn't drunk the soy milk yet, so she asked, "Don't you like it?"
"It’s not that." Xie Yuntang shook his head and said gently, "Sister Taozi, let's share it."
The soy milk was quite delicious, and Su Tao's eyes lit up. She handed over her bowl and chuckled, "A couple of sips will be enough."
Xie Yuntang poured most of it into her bowl and only drank his portion after seeing her drink it.
Tomorrow, he'd ask his mother to grind some tofu.
"Brother Yuntang, you've spoiled my sister."
Seeing his sister drink so much soy milk again, Su Zhi was envious. Everyone doted on his sister—his mother, his father, Brother Yuntang's parents, and even Brother Yuntang himself.
Su Tao raised her hand and slapped him, glaring at him. "You rascal, are you out of your mind today? Is it really worth arguing over a bowl of soy milk?"
"A boy should be magnanimous!"
Su Zhi winced in pain, quickly taking a few steps back, pouting, "Brother Yuntang, hurry up and marry my sister!"
Su Tao, "..."
Su Zhi was itching for a beating.
She finished her soy milk and grabbed him, hitting him. "Are you out of your mind? You think I can't discipline you after I get married? Even if I get married, I'll still come back every day to punish you."
"Mom... ah... Sister's gone crazy again. Dad, please save me... Brother Yuntang..." Su Zhi ran around frantically, shouting as he ran.
Su Fu didn't know whether to help his daughter or son, so he simply sat down and started weaving bamboo baskets.
Lin Sanzhu didn't care. These two siblings had been fighting since childhood, and it was a miracle they hadn't killed each other.
Xie Yuntang, remembering that Su Tao was menstruating, stepped forward and pulled her back, saying gently, "Sister Taozi, don't run. You'll feel uncomfortable."
Su Tao also remembered her period and instructed, "Help me beat him up."
Su Zhi, "..."
He rolled his eyes. "Sister, Brother Yuntang would never hit anyone. Do you think he's like you?"
Xie Yuntang looked at him and nodded, saying seriously, "I will, Brother Su Zhi. Don't make your sister angry."
Su Zhi, "..."
Su Tao was just joking. She didn't expect Xie Yuntang to say that. After a moment of surprise, she burst into laughter and threatened Su Zhi, "Did you hear that? He'll beat you up."
After saying that, she grabbed Xie Yuntang's arm and added, "Milksop, you're still the best. I'll give you a few more pieces of tofu later."
"Okay." Xie Yuntang glanced at his arm, his cheeks turning red.
He really liked it when Sister Taozi grabbed him.
Su Zhi fled from the scene, afraid that Brother Yuntang would listen to his sister and beat him up.
Inside the kitchen, Mrs. Su-Jin glanced at Su Tao and Xie Yuntang outside, secretly surprised. No wonder the Xie family was on good terms with her second brother-in-law's family. So they were going to become in-laws.
It wasn't surprising she thought this way. Su Tao was exceptionally beautiful, the prettiest in the vicinity.
If Lin Sanzhu knew what she thought, she'd definitely give her a long lecture about Su Tao's faults and Xie Yuntang's virtues.
Nine people were crammed around the eight-person table. Of course Su Tao was sitting with Xie Yuntang, piling several pieces of tofu onto his plate.
Then she started eating.
Su Fu glanced at the uncomfortable Mrs. Su-Jin and the others, and said honestly, "Sister-in-law, please eat more. Don't be shy here."
"Thank you, Brother-in-law," Mrs. Su-Jin said gratefully.
She hadn't expected that the family she looked down upon most would be the one to help them.
She used to think the second branch of the family was useless, doing whatever Mother-in-law asked without complaint.
Later, she realized that the eldest branch was the truly useless one.
Su Fu didn't know how to respond, so he nudged Lin Sanzhu. Lin Sanzhu smiled and said, "No need to thank us. Eat up. Yuntang, eat more."
"Okay." Xie Yuntang nodded.
It was lively at Su Tao's house, while the three members of Su's family were quiet. Su Dagui's face was grim. His daughter-in-law had taken his grandsons away. Anyone would feel sad in that situation.
"Go and call them back!"
Apparently, he knew where Mrs. Su-Jin and the others had gone.
"Why call them back? They'll be back in a few days," Mrs. Su-Qian said reluctantly.
Su Dagui pursed his lips and said nothing, as he was certain of the same thing.
As for Su He, he dared not say anything.
……
After dinner, Su Tao went to the Xie family's house to study with Xie Yuntang, telling him about Su Jinbao on the way.
She shook his arm. "Milksop, can you let Su Jinbao repair the road too?"
Xie Yuntang nodded. "Sure."
He quickly added, puzzled, "Sister Taozi, if you don't like Su Jinbao, why are you helping him?"
"I'm not helping him. I want to teach that wretched old woman a lesson. If Su Jinbao and the others don't go back, there'll be no one to do the work. That wretched old woman will have to work herself to death, then get sick and die."
Su Tao didn't hold back with Xie Yuntang, saying whatever came to mind.
Milksop wasn't an outsider.
If anyone asked who she trusted most, it would definitely be Milksop.
If it were anyone else, Xie Yuntang would probably find it puzzling and repulsive, but it was different where Sister Taozi was concerned.
Sister Taozi's illness was entirely caused by her grandmother's beatings.
Her grandmother was very mean.
Thinking of something, he added, "Sister Taozi, my dad got a physician to check on me. You should get a check-up too."
He had specifically asked his father to call for the physician, but he couldn't tell Sister Taozi, otherwise she would resent it.
Sister Taozi didn't like people saying she was sick.
Su Tao casually replied, "I don't need to see a physician. I'm fine. You go ahead."
"Sister Taozi, come with me, okay? I'll buy you food." Xie Yuntang lowered his head slightly to coax her, his eyes a little nervous.
If Sister Taozi didn't see a physician, her illness wouldn't get better.
Whenever he mentioned buying her food, Su Tao had no reason to refuse, and readily agreed, "Okay."
……
After about half an hour of studying at the Xie family's house, the physician arrived. He was about fifty years old, clearly a physician with many years of experience.
Su Tao was a little surprised that it wasn't the Xie family's personal physician, but she didn't think much of it.
The physician first took Xie Yuntang's pulse, then released it after a while, smiling and saying, "Your health is very good. There's nothing wrong."
Although Xie Qing and Mrs. Xie-Qin knew that Xie Yuntang was fine, they still smiled upon hearing this.
Yuntang's condition had been stable for three or four years, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
