Upon leaving the town and reaching a stretch of mountain path, Li Chunzhu suddenly shrieked like a beast whose tail had been stepped on.
“Oh, mother! My new shoes!”
This sudden, unprovoked outcry startled the entire Zhou family.
Anxious and irritated, Old Mrs. Zhou slid down from Zhou the Fourth’s back, rushed over, and smacked Li Chunzhu right across her big mouth.
“Wife of the Fourth, what kind of drama are you stirring up now! Why are you yelling? Do you want everyone to know you are wearing new shoes?!”
Li Chunzhu clutched her mouth, looking aggrieved. “Mother, it’s my new shoes…”
“Shut up! Still yelling!” Old Mrs. Zhou made a move to pinch her arm. “Knowing you have new ones on, why can’t you just wear them quietly? You simply must shout it out. If you draw the jealousy of outsiders, will that make you happy!”
The pinch hurt so much that Li Chunzhu dared not speak loudly anymore.
She could only take off the new shoes from her feet and miserably hold them out for Old Mrs. Zhou to see.
“Mother, look at this. I wasn’t trying to show off to anyone. It’s my shoes—they are broken!”
A pair of brand-new shoes, yet the plain satin cloth on both sides had completely unraveled at the seams.
The sole of one shoe had actually detached by more than half, gaping open like a wide mouth.
Distressed by the sight, Old Mrs. Zhou hurriedly took them to examine the damage.
“The uppers are completely ruined. I’m afraid it cannot be stitched back together; a perfectly good pair of shoes is gone. Wife of the Fourth, just how did you wear these?!”
Even though the Zhou family had acquired some money now, they still needed to live frugally and plan carefully.
They could not afford the slightest waste.
A perfectly fine pair of new shoes was ruined just like that, causing a sharp pang of distress in Old Mrs. Zhou’s heart. Naturally, she held Li Chunzhu accountable.
Li Chunzhu felt even more wronged. “Mother, how can you say I wore them out? Whose new shoes break this easily? It’s highly likely that Mianmian and Third Sister-in-law chose cheap, poorly made shoes to save money, causing my feet to almost get cut by stones.”
“You have the nerve to blame my precious granddaughter?”
Old Mrs. Zhou glared at her. “Wife of the Fourth, do you have any conscience left? Mianmian bought something for you, and somehow it’s still her fault?”
Seeing her mother-in-law’s anger flared, Li Chunzhu quickly changed her tune.
“Mother, I didn’t mean it that way. I was just afraid that Mianmian is too young to know how to pick things and was swindled by the merchant.”
Implicitly, she was still trying to shift the blame to Mianmian.
Moreover, since Song Nianxi was the one who accompanied Zhou Mianmian to buy the items, Li Chunzhu’s words carried a hint of resentment toward her as well.
Old Mrs. Zhou’s face darkened, and just as she was about to berate her, Sun Pinhua spoke up first to defend Mianmian.
“Wife of the Fourth, those words of yours are truly heartless. Mianmian bought shoes for all of us. How come ours are perfectly sturdy, yet only yours broke?”
Li Chunzhu was momentarily choked for words.
She hurriedly inspected the others’ new shoes, and sure enough, they were as sturdy as could be!
There was not even a scratch on them.
Not a single person was as unlucky as her, with shoes broken into such a pitiful state.
She felt even more stifled with resentment, but she could no longer complain.
Old Mrs. Zhou spat coldly at Li Chunzhu.
“Wife of the Second is right. Wife of the Fourth, you simply do not cherish things. You ruined a perfectly good pair of new shoes. Had I known, I wouldn’t have let Mianmian buy them for you.”
“A wild pig cannot appreciate fine chaff. Putting anything on your big feet is a waste. In the future, don’t you dare clamor for money to buy new ones!”
With this heavy blame pinned squarely on her head, Li Chunzhu was powerless to argue. She could only hold the broken shoes against her chest, feeling so miserable she wanted to cry.
After reprimanding her, Old Mrs. Zhou ordered Li Chunzhu to quickly change back into her old shoes and keep up with the group.
However, after turning around, Old Mrs. Zhou herself began to harbor doubts.
Even if Wife of the Fourth was wasteful, she couldn’t possibly wear out a pair of new shoes to this extent so quickly.
Especially the way the uppers had unraveled into a complete mess—it looked entirely unnatural. Could it be that the shoes were already broken when they were bought?
Old Mrs. Zhou glanced at her granddaughter and, suddenly understanding, couldn’t help but grin.
It was most likely her precious granddaughter’s intentional doing. It seemed this child knew exactly who was good and who was wicked. She wasn’t foolish at all!
Many of the pastries bought from the town were still unfinished, so Old Mrs. Zhou packed them all into a bundle.
She left only a small package with Zhou Mianmian so the toddler could grab a bite herself if she got hungry on the road.
Zhou Silang was still craving those pastries. Along the way, he cast frequent glances at his grandmother’s bundle from time to time, swallowing his saliva.
Finally, he could not resist any longer.
“Second Brother, Third Brother, I still want to eat that pastry. Why don’t you two go ask Grandma for some?” The five-year-old child looked imploringly at his two older brothers.
Zhou Sanlang asked him, “What pastry?”
“Just that sweet one, the one with a strong jujube flavor.”
Zhou Silang spoke with a thick tongue, his drool almost running down to his chin.
He did not know the name “jujube paste cake” yet; he only knew that the flaky crust was incredibly sweet, and the chewy jujube paste filling was delicious.
If he could just eat one more piece, he would have the energy to march on!
Zhou Sanlang, however, scolded him like a little adult, “Pastry this, pastry that. I think you look like a pastry yourself! You are not allowed to ask!”
When Mianmian brought them back earlier, each of them had already eaten a lot.
They ought to be content. What remained should be kept for their little sister.
They had to behave like proper older brothers!
Zhou Silang could only suppress his craving, licking his dry lips, silently imagining the pastries in his mind to stave off his hunger.
“Fourth Brother, for you to eat.”
Just then, a milk-sweet voice floated down from above.
Delighted, Zhou Silang lifted his dirty, smudged little face.
He saw Zhou Mianmian leaning over Zhou the Third’s back, extending her little hand to pass down an oil paper packet.
“Mianmian gives it. Fourth Brother eat, Second Brother and Third Brother eat too!” Mianmian commanded “bossily.”
Her soft little hand waved urgently.
That little hand was as white as jujube paste cake. Zhou Silang quickly held his little sister’s hand for a moment before standing on his tiptoes to take the pastry packet.
“Good sister, I’ll just eat two pieces and save the rest for you.”
“No.” Zhou Mianmian shook her little head in disapproval.
Then she whimpered, “Brothers eat together, eat it all up! Otherwise, Mianmian will be angry!”
She possessed a spiritual pool herself; if she couldn’t even satisfy these three little gluttons, wouldn’t that be a loss of face?
Hearing this, Silang was instantly overjoyed. He buried his face in the oil paper packet and began eating the pastries greedily.
Zhou Erlang and Zhou Sanlang were originally too embarrassed to gorge themselves, but Mianmian puffed up her little cheeks, threatening to be angry with whoever didn’t take large bites.
Neither of the two older brothers could bear to make their little sister upset, so they all began to eat heartily.
“Mianmian is so good. Third Brother likes Mianmian the most. I will definitely provide for you for the rest of your life.” Zhou Sanlang bit into a crystal cake, pounding his chest vigorously.
Zhou Erlang glanced at him. “I am older than you. It’s not your turn to provide for Mianmian yet.”