Just as Little Tangbao was suspecting as much, Old Lady Su took her back into her arms.
Holding her gently and patting her soft back, a loving maternal smile washed over her face.
Immediately after, she looked toward Su Wuhu and asked, “How did you know today was your sister’s full-month milestone?”
“Mother, it was… Fourth Brother who told me,” Su Wuhu said, a look of unease on his face.
Old Lady Su lowered her eyelids, her complexion darkening as she remained silent.
Twisting his fingers nervously, Su Wuhu said, “Mother, actually Fourth Brother…”
“Say no more. Today is a day of great joy—don’t go saying things that will make your father angry,” Old Lady Su interrupted her son.
A conflicted, hesitant expression appeared on Su Wuhu’s face.
Then, pulling a longevity lock out from his bosom, he said, “Mother, this is… from Fourth Brother for Little Sister.”
Having said that, as if terrified Old Lady Su wouldn’t accept it, he hurriedly added: “Fourth Brother said that whether you and Father acknowledge him as your son or not, his surname will always be Su, and he will forever be Little Sister’s brother.”
Old Lady Su’s eyes instantly welled up with red.
Little Tangbao listened with her big eyes wide open, sensing a rich story behind all this.
Mm-hmm, spill the tea quickly, she wants to hear the gossip!
Sure enough, after setting down the longevity lock, Su Wuhu pulled out a heavy purse from his bosom as well.
“Mother, this is my wages for the past two months.”
“You’re just an apprentice, where would you get wages from?”
Old Lady Su looked at her son with a complex expression, exposing his lie on the spot.
“Mother, I…”
Faced with Old Lady Su’s penetrating gaze that seemed to pierce right through his heart, Su Wuhu suddenly couldn’t keep making up stories.
Old Lady Su let out a soft sigh and asked in a low voice, “Is your Fourth Brother… doing alright?”
Su Wuhu’s eyes lit up, “He is! Fourth Brother is doing very well, Fourth Sister-in-law is well, and Zhuangzhuang is well too.”
Old Lady Su pushed the purse back into Su Wuhu’s hands, turned around to open the cabinet, and pulled out the silver ingot that hadn’t even warmed up yet in her possession.
“Take this with you to pay your tuition fees, and buy some paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones. You can’t rely entirely on your Fourth Brother.”
“Mother, you… you knew all along?” Su Wuhu looked on in complete shock.
“No one knows a son better than his mother. You boys are my sons—what could you possibly hide from me?”
Old Lady Su spoke with a calm, flat expression.
Yet in her heart, waves of emotion tumbled back and forth.
In order to secretly support Fifth Brother through his studies, Fourth Brother had willingly married into another family as a uxorilocal son-in-law.
Though Fourth Brother had never stated the reason out loud, as his mother, she had guessed it long ago.
What’s more every time Wuhu came back, he carried a faint fragrance of ink on him and grew increasingly refined and polite in demeanor—how could that possibly be the look of someone working as a trade apprentice?
“Mother, it’s all my fault for burdening Fourth Brother! He did all of this for me, so that’s why…” Su Wuhu couldn’t continue, his rimmed eyes flushing red as his voice choked up with tears.
“Since you know your Fourth Brother did it all for you, then study hard and don’t let his earnest devotion go to waste. Earn a rank and title through the imperial exams in the future so you can stand tall and back him up,” Old Lady Su instructed her son.
“Mother, rest assured! I will definitely study hard!”
Su Wuhu wiped his eyes, a firm and resolute expression spreading across his face.
Old Lady Su nodded with gratification.
If not for their family suffering relentless bad luck over the years and growing poorer by the day, they would have sent their son off to study long ago.
Little Tangbao thoroughly enjoyed listening to all this gossip.
So her Fifth Brother really was a scholar.
Though, what on earth was going on with Fourth Brother?
The full-month banquet hosted by the Su family allowed the villagers of Daliushu Village to finally feast on meat.
Two massive iron woks set up in the yard bubbled and simmered away with wild boar meat.
The delicious aroma drifted with the wind, drawing nearly the entire village over.
Little Tangbao twitched her tiny nose, accidentally letting a line of drool slip out.
Boo-hoo… she wanted to eat meat too.
Thinking about it, she eventually drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up again, her eyes locked right with Qian Yuemei’s.
Little Tangbao felt a sudden startle in her heart.
She hurriedly turned her little head searching for her mother.
Mother, where on earth did you go?
Your little darling is in danger!
Cruel scenes of a malicious sister-in-law smothering a little sister-in-law flashed through Little Tangbao’s mind in an instant.
Of course, Little Tangbao believed Qian Yuemei wouldn’t dare strangle her to death.
After all, that would leave marks behind.
However, pressing a small pillow over her nose could end her tiny life silently and without a trace.
Just as Little Tangbao was spinning conspiracy theories in her head, Qian Yuemei made her move.
“Little Sister, look at this—isn’t it fun?”
Speaking in a soft, gentle voice, Qian Yuemei pulled out a small rattle drum and began shaking it back and forth in front of Little Tangbao.
The “thump, thump, thump…” sound left Little Tangbao completely dumbfounded.
“Is it fun? How about Second Sister-in-law gives it to you?” A flattering smile appeared on Qian Yuemei’s face.
Little Tangbao: “…”
This style is totally wrong.
She felt a strange sense of horror for some reason.
“Little Sister, Second Sister-in-law will buy you flowers to wear, buy you candy to eat, buy you new clothes to give you…”
Qian Yuemei showered Little Tangbao with one blank promise after another.
Finally, she pleaded in a low, begging voice, “Just don’t cry whenever you see Second Sister-in-law in the future, alright?”
By the time Qian Yuemei finished speaking, she was nearly brought to tears herself.
Heaven knows how uncomfortable she felt whenever this little girl burst into tears the moment she laid eyes on her.
What’s more, the way the entire family looked at her was becoming unbearable.
It was as if she really had been mistreating this little girl behind their backs.
Little Tangbao: …
Sudden realization.
All of a sudden, this scene felt rather comical.
“Yi-yi, ya-ya…”
Alright, seeing as you’ve behaved well, I won’t give you any more trouble.
Little Tangbao magnanimously decided to temporarily forgive Qian Yuemei.
She would absolutely never admit that she had been bought off by a tiny rattle drum.
Just as Little Tangbao flapped her small hands to reach for the drum, Eldest Sister-in-law Zhao Chunhua walked in.
“Sister-in-law, what on earth are you doing?!”
The moment Zhao Chunhua stepped inside and saw Qian Yuemei leaning close over Little Tangbao without knowing what she was up to, she let out a terrified shriek and shoved Qian Yuemei away with all her strength.
Qian Yuemei stumbled back, nearly tumbling over.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, have you gone mad?!”
Steading herself in shock, Qian Yuemei touched her belly.
If she had fallen, she would have likely lost her unborn baby on the spot.
Seeing that Little Tangbao was completely fine, Zhao Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief while coming back to her senses.
“Sister-in-law, are you alright?” Zhao Chunhua asked with an apologetic look.
Qian Yuemei’s face turned extraordinarily pale and ugly.
No matter how foolish she was, she could still figure things out.
Besides, she was far from foolish.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, are you suspecting that I would harm Little Sister?!”
Qian Yuemei questioned in a sharp, shrill voice.
With her inner thoughts exposed, Zhao Chunhua’s expression grew unnatural.
“No, sister-in-law, I was just too nervous earlier, so…”
“Nervous about what?!” Qian Yuemei interrupted Zhao Chunhua furiously, yelling, “Just seeing me alone in the room watching over Little Sister makes you nervous? If you aren’t worried I’d harm her, what else could it be?!”
Zhao Chunhua: “…”
Little Sister cries every time she sees you, how could I not be worried?
Mother even quietly instructed us not to let Little Sister stay alone with you.
Taking one look at Zhao Chunhua’s expression, Qian Yuemei knew she had guessed correctly.
She was so furious she nearly spat blood.