"Father, open the door! I'm back!"
The sobbing north wind carried a faint shout.
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue, being young with sharp ears, jumped up almost simultaneously and shouted.
"It's Third Uncle?!"
"Third Uncle is back!"
The two boys shot out the door as if their backsides were on fire.
Tai Jizu followed them out, laughing. "Those two boys miss their Third Uncle the most!"
Yang Lihua chided playfully, "They miss the good food their Third Uncle brings back!"
Liu Dongniang couldn't help but smile and responded, "I wonder if Third Brother has eaten. I'll go light the fire in the kitchen."
Old Master Tai, however, snorted coldly. "No need for all that fuss. He's been carousing in the city—probably has meat and wine every day and looks down on the cornbread at home!"
Zhuzhu didn't know what her Third Uncle looked like. She squirmed her little body, craning to look outside.
Unfortunately, her padded jacket and trousers were a bit thick. She wobbled and nearly tumbled off the small stool.
Old Master Tai scooped up his granddaughter and held her in his arms.
Just then, Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue came in, flanking a man.
The man was in his twenties, with a naturally cheerful face. He wasn't tall and wore a clean set of padded clothes without many patches. His hair was neatly combed—he looked like a steward from some wealthy household.
But if you looked closely, his sleeves were frayed at the edges, his eyes were bloodshot, and his complexion was sallow…
This was the third son of the Tai family—Tai Jiye, the one with grand ambitions of striking it rich.
He knelt straight down and kowtowed to Old Master Tai, calling out loudly, "Father, your son has come to see you! How have you been feeling these past few days?"
Old Master Tai didn't even look at him directly. He replied coldly, "With a ruffian for a son, how could I be well?"
Tai Jiye wasn't offended—after all, he'd been scolded by his father for so many years that he was used to it.
He scrambled up with a grin and immediately spotted his little niece.
The bluish-purple little "horn" on Zhuzhu's head had mostly faded, but it was still visible.
And since she was fair and plump, the swelling stood out all the more.
Tai Jiye's expression changed at once. He exclaimed, "What happened to Zhuzhu? Who bullied her?"
Zhuzhu was blinking her big eyes, sizing up this uncle, her little heart filled with dismay.
The qi above this uncle's head was black too!
Baby is in trouble!
There's one more person she needs to protect…
Old Master Tai was worried his youngest son might frighten his granddaughter, but he was pleased that the boy knew to look out for the child. He said, "Zhuzhu fell and hit her head, but she woke up clear-headed. She can talk now—she's not simple anymore!"
"Really?!" Tai Jiye was overjoyed. He rushed forward, took his little niece's hand, and started teasing her.
"Zhuzhu, I'm your Third Uncle. Call me Third Uncle, and I'll give you something tasty!"
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue had been swallowing their saliva for a while now. They chimed in, urging their sister to call out.
Old Master Tai picked up his pipe and rapped it on his sons' and grandsons' heads, sending them scattering.
"What are you all shouting about? If you dare scare Zhuzhu, I'll break your legs!"
Zhuzhu hid in her grandfather's arms, watching her uncle and cousins scramble in panic. She giggled, her little legs kicking about happily!
Tai Jiye's heart itched to hold his niece, but he knew he couldn't wrestle her away from the old man. He quickly pulled out the bundle he'd brought.
Inside the bundle were two catties of white rice and a box of mung bean cakes!
The whole family was pleasantly surprised. On ordinary days, cornbread was already a blessing, and they hadn't even managed a pot of white rice porridge for New Year's.
These two catties of white rice were truly precious.
And the mung bean cakes—though they were the simplest, cheapest kind from the pastry shop—still cost thirty or forty coppers.
"Third Brother, why do you spend money on these again? If you have extra wages, you should save up for a betrothal gift…" When Yang Lihua had married into the Tai family, Tai Jiye had still been a child.
A sister-in-law was like a mother, so she couldn't help but nag a little.
Tai Jiye took the mung bean cakes, gave one to Zhuzhu first, then stuffed one into each nephew's hand.
Including Tai Yongan and Tai Yongning, who had just come out of the east room.
He waved his hand carelessly, placating his sister-in-law. "Don't worry, Sister-in-Law. Once I make my fortune, finding a wife will be easy. When that day comes, I'll marry two—one to help you sew clothes, and one to cook for Second Sister-in-Law! You two can just rest and do nothing!"
Everyone was caught between laughter and tears, not knowing what to say.
Old Master Tai, however, was blunt. He scolded his son, "You're just a middleman in the city, connecting shops with fur and mountain goods. Being able to eat your fill is already good enough—what fortune are you going to make?
"Come back home as soon as spring arrives and farm with your eldest brother! Stop daydreaming all day, loafing around, and doing nothing productive!"
Tai Jizu was afraid his younger brother would lose face, so he hurried to say a few words in his defense.
But then, Zhuzhu held up her mung bean cake to her grandfather's mouth.
The adorable little milk bun was so filial and thoughtful—even a bite of something good, she didn't forget her elders.
Old Master Tai's face lit up with a grin at once, and he forgot all about scolding his son.
Tai Jiye watched in wonder, finally believing that his little niece was no longer simple!
Just then, Third Master Tai and a few villagers heard the news and came over to chat with Tai Jiye, asking about the latest happenings in the city.
Yang Lihua swiftly put away the white rice and boxes of pastries, while Liu Dongniang brought over a pot of hot water and a few clay bowls to receive the guests.
Zhuzhu, held by her brothers, was quickly carried to the eastern room.
Zhuzhu held half a piece of mung bean cake, eating it with sweet contentment and full focus, her little cheeks puffed up like a hamster's.
But when she looked up, she had been moved to a different place…
In the main hall, Tai Jiye was eloquent and smooth-tongued, and with just a few words, he had Third Master Tai and the villagers all beaming with delight.
He spoke of how lively it was when wealthy families in the city took brides, and then mentioned that a gang of kidnappers from the south had taken advantage of the chaos to steal two children.
Occasionally, he glanced up to see his old father puffing on an empty pipe bowl, neither looking up nor paying him any mind.
So he rolled his eyes and changed the subject.
"I hear those Huangmaozi up north have come to stir up trouble at the border pass again."
Sure enough, at these words, everyone was astonished, and Old Master Tai also looked up.
The so-called Huangmaozi were the Rakshasa people from beyond the northern pass, bordering their land.
They got this nickname because most of them had golden hair and skin as pale as ghosts.
Tai Jiye felt a swell of pride and continued, "The snow's been heavy this year, so those Huangmaozi are probably starving something fierce, and they want to come over here to grab some food."
Third Master Tai responded, "It's just a minor skirmish again, isn't it? Happens every year. They don't get tired of it, but we're sick of hearing about it."
The other villagers chimed in as well.
"Right, our border walls are so tall, it's hard for them to get over."
"Are they stupid? They have to test us a few times every single year."
Tai Jiye quickly waved his hands and retorted, "Not this time! The Huangmaozi came with five or six hundred men and fought a real battle against the Border Garrison Army."
"How would you know? It's all just rumors, right?" Third Master Tai still didn't believe it.
Tai Jiye grew a bit anxious and blurted out, "Of course I know! The chiliarch of Tunhe Guard was gambling with me last night, and he told me all about it. It can't be wrong!"
The crowd instinctively began to nod, but their heads froze before they could move.
Old Master Tai's face turned cold as frost, and he raised his pipe high, grinding his teeth as he cursed, "You worthless brat! Your family is starving to death, and you're out there gambling!"
Tai Jiye wanted to swallow his words back, but it was too late. He could only quickly change his tune.
"Father, I wasn't gambling! I was just standing on the sidelines watching the excitement!"