Song Nianxi also nodded non-stop, her mouth stretching into a grin so wide it almost reached her ears.
However, carrying such a heavy load of copper coins was ultimately impractical; it attracted far too much attention.
In the end, Old Mrs. Zhou kept only a few hundred copper coins on her person, giving the rest to Zhou the Third so he could find a shop to exchange them for silver of equivalent value.
Combined with the money from selling the bamboo fungus, they exchanged a total of twenty-five taels of silver.
Old Mrs. Zhou had lived for over half her life, yet she had never seen so much silver at one time.
She was so excited that her head buzzed.
“The ancestral graves of our Zhou family must be smoking with good fortune! With this, there is finally hope for our future days!”
With that, Old Mrs. Zhou hurriedly untied her waistband and hid the silver pouch into her innermost layer of clothing.
“It is safest to keep it here with an old woman like me. I guarantee no one will ever be able to pocket it, haha!”
On the other side, Zhou Mianmian pitter-pattered back and forth, as busy as a hardworking little bee.
She distributed all the purchased clothing and shoes to everyone.
To suddenly receive so many good things filled the Zhou family with immense joy.
But the most pleasantly surprised of all was Sun Pinhua!
She had not seen a single piece of new clothing in three or four years. Her shoes had been repeatedly patched up, and she had stubbornly endured for five or six years without replacing them.
Looking now at the two tunics, a pair of trousers, and a brand-new pair of thick-soled shoes in her hands, Sun Pinhua was momentarily dazed.
“Mianmian, are these truly for your aunt? Did you not buy them by mistake?”
This was just as much as what Song Nianxi received.
But she was merely an aunt. How could her weight in Mianmian’s heart compare to that of her biological mother?
Zhou Mianmian blinked and nodded her little head.
“Not a mistake. Aunt works hard. Mianmian should buy more for you.”
Hearing these words, Sun Pinhua’s heart trembled.
A mere three-year-old child could actually see her contributions to the family and recognize her hard work?
A wave of emotion welled up in Sun Pinhua’s eyes, and tears almost spilled over.
Deeply moved, she scooped Zhou Mianmian into her arms, cradling her like her own heart and soul.
“Dear Mianmian, Second Aunt did not dote on you in vain. Come, let Aunt give you a kiss.”
Zhou Mianmian cooperatively puckered up her little face.
Then she whimpered softly, “In… in the future, Mianmian will buy even more for Second Aunt.”
She spoke just like a little adult.
Seeing the little youngster make a “promise” with such a serious expression, Sun Pinhua’s heart melted completely, turning into a puddle of mush.
Sun Pinhua held Zhou Mianmian tightly, refusing to let go even when Old Mrs. Zhou came over wanting to hold the child.
She truly could not dote on her enough!
In truth, in her heart, she had long treated Mianmian as her own flesh-and-blood daughter.
Since Zhou the Second was infertile, it was highly unlikely that Sun Pinhua would ever have her own children in this lifetime. Thus, all her maternal devotion was poured into Mianmian.
After putting on the clothes given by Mianmian underneath her outer layers, Sun Pinhua’s body felt much warmer, and her heart felt warmer still.
She secretly wiped the corner of her eyes and whispered to Zhou the Second, “From now on, Mianmian is no different from our own child. The two of us must love and protect her, do you hear me?”
Zhou the Second stuffed his mouth with a sour cabbage and pork bun, muttering indistinctly.
“The Third and his wife can protect her themselves. Why would she need you?”
“Cut the crap.” Sun Pinhua uncharacteristically showed a flash of severity toward Zhou the Second.
“The Third and his wife can love her in their way, and we will love her in ours. It is all for the child’s good. In any case, if anyone dares to bully Mianmian in the future, I will be the first to stand against them!”
Seeing everyone in the Zhou family receive clothing one by one, Li Chunzhu was left empty-handed.
This made her flush with hot jealousy.
However, because of the previous incident where Meifu harmed Mianmian, Old Mrs. Zhou still had not given her a pleasant look to this day. Naturally, she did not dare to speak up and ask for anything.
She could only stand at the very back like a submissive punching bag.
“And also, these shoes are for… Fourth Aunt.”
What!
Li Chunzhu had originally harbored no hope at all.
Yet upon hearing Mianmian call out to her, she was instantly struck with pleasant surprise.
Looking up, she saw Zhou Mianmian holding the final pair of shoes in her arms, blinking her big eyes as she stared straight at her.
A vaguely mischievous smile hung on the toddler’s pale pink lips.
“Fourth Aunt, for you. Do you want them?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Li Chunzhu’s eyes lit up, and she rushed forward to take the shoes and put them on.
“I have a share too! This is wonderful!”
“Wife of the Fourth,” Old Mrs. Zhou called out with a stern face to remind her. “Since the child bought them for you, it is a token of her affection. You better remember this in the future!”
Having finally gained a benefit, Li Chunzhu immediately beamed with joy.
Flattering words spilled from her mouth in a continuous stream.
“Mother, rest assured, you don’t even need to say it. In truth, Mianmian has always been the apple of my eye. I love her even more than I love Meifu!”
“Mianmian, come here quickly. Let Fourth Aunt get a good look at you. My goodness, the more I look at you, the more precious you seem!”
“Oh, Third Sister-in-law! Hurry and give Mianmian to me and the Fourth to raise as our daughter, otherwise I won’t be able to sleep at night!”
Such insincere words made the entire family feel extremely uncomfortable.
Zhou the Fourth, in particular, watched his own wife behave so shamelessly, saying absolutely anything for the sake of a minor benefit. The veins at his temples throbbed with embarrassment.
Zhou Mianmian disliked her Fourth Aunt’s fawning manner even more.
Seeing Li Chunzhu about to press her mouth closer, Zhou Mianmian quickly covered her nose with both hands and tumbled backward into Song Nianxi’s embrace.
Her round little face pressed tightly against Song Nianxi’s clothes.
She was terrified of smelling the breath from Li Chunzhu’s mouth again.
“Fourth Aunt is stinky. Mianmian wants to gag,” Mianmian whimpered, lodging her complaint!
Old Mrs. Zhou doted heavily on her granddaughter and gave Li Chunzhu a kick in anger.
“That’s enough. Stay away from Mianmian and shut your mouth. It’s time for us to get moving!”
Thick-skinned as ever, Li Chunzhu merely grinned, entirely absorbed in her own vanity.
She quickly followed the rest of the Zhou family as they continued on their journey.
However, as they walked, a sound of tearing fabric began to emit from beneath her feet, going “rip, rip.”
Very soon, the soles of the shoes disgracefully began to peel away.
“Oh, mother of mine!”