CH 36.1

Chapter 36: Toss Part 1 (1) Original translation is from tenderflower's blog.

Xiao Shouyun and his wife brought home almost all the valuable things in the thatched huts, but they were still dissatisfied because the two of them searched for any place where they could hide things, but only found ten copper coins in the money jar.

Ten copper coins!

Zhang-shi was so angry her lungs were about to explode. What could ten copper coins do? It was not enough for Xiao Lang’s meal for a day!

Xiao Shouyun also frowned. Although he didn’t care about the life of his half-brother’s family, he always paid attention to the movement over there. After Lan-shi’s death, Xiao Shouwang and his son could come back from hunting almost every time they entered the mountains. And living frugally, it was impossible to save only ten wen. Then, either Xiao Lang hid the money in a very hidden place or the Shu family was one step ahead of them and deceived the money first!

“Go, go and ask him why is there only that little money at home!” He lay on his back on the heated-brick bed and looked at Zhang-shi.

Zhang-shi threw him a white eye and slapped a roll of printed cloth angrily with a ruler: “That brat must have hidden the money. Let me ask, will he tell me if I ask?”

Xiao Shouyun snorted coldly, turned his back to his wife, and said in a sullen voice: “It’s up to you to ask or not. We’ll raise him for free. Anyway, he’s also my nephew!”

“Pah! Willing to raise then you raise, this old lady won’t serve!” Zhang-shi immediately scolded and saw Xiao Shouyun lying motionless on the heated-brick bed like a dead person. Although she knew he didn’t really care about Xiao Lang, she was still afraid of being self-defeating. After thinking about it, she muttered a few words, then opened the curtain and went out of the room.

She went to push Xiao Lang’s door, but the door was stuck.

He had just finished his lunch and he actually wanted to hide in the house and sleep in? He really thought of this place as his home!

Zhang-shi suppressed the anger in her heart and slapped the door vigorously: “Ah Lang, come out, aunt has something to ask you!”

“Tell me, I’m listening.” Xiao Lang sat on top of the heated-brick bed and leaned against the wall to read the medical book he borrowed from Shu Maoting. Going to the mountains to hunt would inevitably cause injuries. It would be useful to know more about herbs.

Naturally, Zhang-shi wouldn’t ask him about money aloud, so she kept knocking. She didn’t believe Xiao Lang could also fall asleep.

Xiao Lang sneered. Since they got impatient first, then don’t blame him for taking action early.

“Squeak...” Xiao Lang opened the door. Without looking at Zhang-shi, he lowered his eyes and asked, “What do you want to say?”

Zhang-shi looked at him with a look of contempt, thinking of him calling aunt Qin affectionately, and could not help but teach him a lesson: “What are you calling you, I am your Aunt. How come you child can’t even call a single word of aunt? You call others affectionate, is it because we are poor and you look down on us?”

Xiao Lang was about to close the door: “Since you have nothing then I’ll go to bed.”

Zhang-shi immediately put one foot in and then pushed the door vigorously. She stepped in completely, glanced at the neatly tidy room that was tidied up by Cuihe, and then looked at the few sets of clothes that Xiao Lang had placed on top of the heated-brick bed. Her heart moved. She strode over, stretched out her hands and flipped over those clothes, and said in a fake tone: “Aunt plans to make a shirt for you, but I don’t know how big you are, so let’s measure these first.” Regardless of what kind of expression Xiao Lang had on his face, she tossed his clothes one by one, fearing Xiao Lang hid the money inside.

Hearing her mention of making clothes, Xiao Lang immediately remembered the gentle appearance of Qin-shi squatting in front of him, measuring his shoulders for him.

He was too lazy to expose Zhang-shi’s ugly face. He just stood by the door and watched her toss coldly, and then glanced at Xiao’s yard.

Firewood and farm implements were scattered in a mess and a chicken fence was under the west wall. Except for a majestic big rooster, all of them were half-sized chickens. They couldn’t lay eggs, but they ate a lot. Before lunch, he also heard Zhang-shi say she would save eggs and sell them in the future.

For farmers, as long as the livestock could make money, they were sometimes treated better than humans. At least they wouldn’t go hungry. Those chickens were so precious to Zhang-shi, if one or two died, he didn’t know what her expression would be...

Over there, Zhang-shi threw down the last piece of clothes in disappointment. When she turned around, she saw Xiao Lang staring at the yard with dark eyes. She felt a little uneasy in her heart. She walked over and said: “Ah Lang, where is your father’s money? You’re still young, so your aunt will keep it for you, and the money you earn in the future will also be given to me. Your aunt will save it for you little by little, and help you marry a daughter-in-law in the future. You are a boy and don’t know how to save. Where’s the money?”

Xiao Lang looked at her doubtfully: “My father only left me ten wen, didn’t I let you take it all?”

“Impossible, how can there be only ten wen?” Zhang-shi shouted in disbelief.

Xiao Lang looked at her and then ran outside the house, shouting loudly: “Aunt, I gave you all the ten taels of silver that my father left me. I really don’t have a wen in my hand, so please don’t ask me again. If you think I give too little or eat too much, I will move back, and I will never cause you any trouble!”

The boy’s helpless voice was unusually abrupt on a summer afternoon. Many villagers came out and looked over here curiously, and even the daughters-in-law who were sitting around in the shade of the willow tree whispered.