Gu Xiaoxiao paid no attention to Aunt Li’s awkward expression.
Holding up the four meat buns in her hand, she smiled and said:
“Didn’t I promise Da Hu yesterday that I’d buy him buns?”
“I went to town this morning and bought them.”
“I’m bringing them over now.”
Aunt Li stared blankly at the buns.
To be honest, she had assumed Gu Xiaoxiao was only saying it to make Da Hu happy.
She never imagined the girl would actually remember and buy them.
Before she could react, Gu Xiaoxiao placed the buns into her hands.
Then she took Gu Yanchen’s hand and turned to leave.
By the time Aunt Li recovered from her surprise, the siblings had already walked quite a distance.
She hurriedly called after them:
“Gu Xiaoxiao!”
“Thank you!”
The two children turned around at the same time.
Under the sunlight, Gu Xiaoxiao flashed a bright, dazzling smile.
“It’s nothing.”
“Enjoy the buns.”
“We’re heading home now.”
For a moment, Aunt Li was stunned.
Gu Xiaoxiao had always been beautiful.
But recently…
she somehow seemed even more beautiful than before.
Nothing about her appearance had changed.
Yet everything felt different.
Carrying the buns back inside, Aunt Li immediately ran into Uncle Liu.
He looked at the buns in surprise.
“Where did these come from?”
Aunt Li explained what had happened.
After hearing the story, Uncle Liu found it difficult to believe as well.
Gu Xiaoxiao had actually bought meat buns for their son?
Had she truly changed?
At that moment, Da Hu came running inside.
His nose twitched.
“Dad, Mom!”
“Do you smell that?”
“It smells like meat buns!”
Aunt Li and Uncle Liu exchanged a look before bursting into laughter.
“Your nose really is the sharpest.”
She handed the buns to him.
“Your Sister Xiaoxiao brought these for you.”
“Remember to thank her the next time you see her.”
Da Hu’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t expected her to actually keep her promise.
Overjoyed, he accepted the buns.
“Mm-hmm!”
“I will!”
“Sister Xiaoxiao is such a good person!”
At that moment, he had completely forgotten how she used to steal his food.
In his eyes now, Gu Xiaoxiao was simply a wonderful person.
He immediately split the buns apart and offered two to his parents.
“Dad, Mom, you should eat too.”
“One is enough for me.”
Uncle Liu looked at his son fondly.
He pushed the buns back.
“You eat two.”
“Your mother and I only need one.”
“We’ve already had breakfast.”
“We can’t eat that much.”
Reluctantly, Da Hu accepted them back and happily devoured two buns.
Watching his son eat so enthusiastically, Uncle Liu sighed inwardly.
He wasn’t a capable father.
He couldn’t afford to give his child meat every day.
The last time he’d scraped together enough money to buy a meat bun, it had been stolen.
Then his son had been labeled a murderer by the entire village.
Fortunately, Gu Xiaoxiao had stepped forward and cleared everything up.
Otherwise, even after she recovered, Da Hu might have carried that stain for the rest of his life.
Because of everything she had done recently, Uncle Liu’s opinion of her had completely changed.
On the way home, Gu Yanchen looked up curiously.
“Big Sister, why did you give the buns to Da Hu?”
In his eyes, Da Hu’s family was better off than theirs.
If Da Hu wanted buns, couldn’t his own father buy them?
Gu Xiaoxiao squeezed his little hand.
“Because I promised him yesterday.”
Then she stopped walking and crouched down until they were eye level.
“When we promise someone something, we should keep our word.”
“And besides…”
“Your sister stole Da Hu’s bun before.”
“I feel bad about that.”
“Simply saying sorry isn’t enough.”
“You have to show people through your actions.”
“Only then will they believe you’re truly sorry.”
Understanding immediately dawned on Gu Yanchen’s face.
He excitedly answered before she could continue.
“So Big Sister bought him buns because you wanted him to know you really regretted it!”
A teachable child indeed.
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded approvingly.
“Exactly.”
“Our Ah Chen is so smart!”
Receiving praise from his sister for the first time, the little boy instantly turned red with embarrassment.
But even so, he never let go of her hand.
When they got home, Gu Xiaoxiao returned to her room and brought out the gifts she had purchased.
The moment Gu Yanchen saw the candied hawthorn stick, his eyes lit up.
“Big Sister!”
“It’s candied hawthorn!”
He bounced around excitedly while she handed it to him.
Afterward, she distributed the remaining hawthorn sticks.
When Grandpa and Grandma Gu received theirs, they immediately tried to hand them back.
“You children eat them.”
“We’re adults.”
“We don’t like sweets.”
Gu Xiaoxiao immediately disagreed.
“Just because you’re adults doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy sweet things.”
“Life needs a little sweetness too.”
The old couple was thoroughly defeated by her strange logic.
After a brief pause, they burst out laughing.
“Alright, alright!”
“We’ll eat them.”
“Life needs a little sweetness.”
Only after seeing them take bites did Gu Xiaoxiao nod in satisfaction.
Then her gaze shifted toward Gu Yong.
The moment he felt his daughter’s eyes on him, he panicked.
Without hesitation, he stuffed the entire candied hawthorn stick into his mouth and stared back innocently.
Gu Xiaoxiao twitched helplessly.
Was she really that scary?
Meanwhile, Gu Zhenzhong had already finished his hawthorn stick.
His attention had been fixed on the bow ever since it appeared.
His eyes practically glowed.
“Little Sister…”
“Who is that bow for?”
Seeing his obvious anticipation, Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly felt mischievous.
“Oh, this?”
“I bought it for the hunter in the village.”
“I promised him one before.”
The disappointment on Gu Zhenzhong’s face was immediate.
Still, he forced a smile.
“Mm-hmm.”
“A promise is a promise.”
“Can I at least touch it?”
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded.
“How does it look?”
Gu Zhenzhong lovingly ran his fingers across the bow.
His eyes were full of admiration.
“It’s beautiful.”
“That hunter is definitely going to love it.”
Seeing his reaction, Gu Xiaoxiao couldn’t bear teasing him any longer.
“Actually…”
“This bow is for you.”
Gu Zhenzhong froze.
Then he looked up abruptly.
“Really?”
“It’s really mine?”
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded.
“Of course.”
“Didn’t I promise yesterday that I’d buy you one?”
“This is your gift.”
For several seconds, he simply stared.
Then—
“AHHHHHHH!”
“Little Sister, you’re the best!”
He hugged the bow like it was a priceless treasure.
His hands repeatedly traced the smooth wood as though he couldn’t believe it was real.
Watching him, Gu Xiaoxiao laughed and shook her head.
As long as he liked it, that was enough.
Just then, Grandpa Gu called out:
“Xiaoxiao!”
“Yanchen!”
“Come look at the rabbit cage I built!”
The siblings immediately ran over.
In the yard stood a rabbit hutch made from bamboo.
Inside, the two rabbits sat quietly.
For now, they would stay together.
Once they began having babies, Grandpa Gu planned to separate them into different sections.
Looking at the sturdy bamboo cage, both children were delighted.
The Gu family’s rabbit-raising project had officially begun.