pjbooks Chapter 24: Fairy
Chapter 24: Fairy
Back in the courtyard.
People have gone to work or school, so it feels a bit empty.
Er Mao and Xiao Jiedi and the others ran to the middle courtyard, but they didn't see a single person in the front courtyard.
"Second brother, are we finally home? My butt is sore from all the bumpy ride."
After buying the bicycle, I forgot to install a seat on the front bar. The little girl is already quite thin, so her bottom will definitely hurt from the bumpy ride back from such a long distance.
"We're here. Come down. This is Second Brother's house."
Back inside, the little girl, with her hands behind her back, inspected the room like a little adult, clearly having come with a mission. She complained, "Second brother, your room is practically empty! My third brother's room has more furniture than this. How am I going to find a sister-in-law like this?"
"Who told you that my second brother is getting married?"
"That's what my parents said last night before bed. My mother even said she'd find some time to come to the city and furnish your room a bit."
I knew it! No wonder I let that little girl come to the city so readily. I tossed the towel to Tang Hongxin with a hint of disdain.
"Alright, look at you, all covered in dust, you look like a country bumpkin. And you're complaining about me? Wash your face and hands first, and I'll boil some water for you to wash your hair."
"Second brother, when are we going out for a stroll?"
The little girl started playing in the water while washing herself, and she was also thinking about going out for a stroll.
"You're just going to go out like this? Don't embarrass Hongxingzhuang."
"Second brother, you despise me."
"Hey, you're really smart."
Unexpectedly, Tang Zhenghong's joke made the little girl cry. She pouted, wiped her eyes, and was about to leave: "I, I'm going home. I'll tell my parents that my second brother dislikes me."
"Oh, Second Brother was just joking with you. Why are you so easily amused?"
The little girl sobbed, feeling extremely aggrieved: "I'm... I'm dark-skinned... it's not my fault, but people in the village laugh at me, even... even you, Second Brother, now say I'm ugly, boohoo... I don't want to live anymore... everyone... everyone bullies me."
Tang Zhenghong felt both sorry for her and amused. This little girl had learned her mother's tricks perfectly. He quickly picked her up and coaxed her, "Okay, it was your second brother's fault. But you've wronged your second brother. Our Hongxin is very pretty. It's just that she got covered in dust on the way here, so we had to wash and clean her up before going out for a stroll."
"real?"
"Of course! Look at our family, my older brother and I are both good-looking, right? People say siblings look alike. You weren't adopted, so you'll definitely be good-looking too."
Tang Hongxin's eyes were full of suspicion: "Second brother, I'm not a three-year-old child anymore, you can't lie to me."
"When has your second brother ever lied to you?"
"But why is Third Brother ugly?"
"Perhaps...perhaps your third brother was adopted?"
Unexpectedly, the little girl shook her head seriously and whispered mysteriously, "Third Brother wasn't picked up. Mother brought him back to the house from our pigsty. She said that last time Third Brother made Mother angry. I was afraid Third Brother would be sad, so I haven't told him."
Tang Zhenghong was genuinely afraid the little girl would take it seriously: "That was just me saying it in anger. Your third brother is unhygienic and looks like a pig, so we in Hongxin have to be hygienic. Alright, your second brother will get you some snacks to eat first. I'll go boil some water."
With sunflower seeds and peanuts as snacks, the little girl's mood changed quickly. She grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and went for a stroll in the yard.
"Don't go too far."
"Second brother, what are you growing in these wooden boxes?"
"Some plants are vegetables, some are flowers."
The little girl looked at the room with pity: "Second brother, you're so pitiful. How many vegetables can you grow at such a young age?"
"That's for sightseeing."
"Hey, city folks are really particular."
Qin Huairu stood outside the moon gate of the small courtyard in the west corner, holding a stick, and laughed out loud as she listened to the two chatting.
Upon seeing the stranger, Tang Hongxin, with her short legs, ran back into the house like a gust of wind.
"Second Brother, there's someone outside. It's an older woman holding a child. Do you know her?"
Qin Huairu: Auntie?
How can you talk like that, little brat? Did you even see clearly?
Qin Huairu was so angry she almost had breast engorgement. She took a deep breath before putting on a smile again and entering the courtyard: "Brother Zhenghong, is this your sister? How interesting."
"Oh, it's Sister-in-law Jia. Yes, it's my younger sister Hongxin. This girl is back in our courtyard and is shy around strangers."
"Oh, I just came back from outside. I heard a little girl talking in your yard and wondered which child from the alley had wandered into your yard. I came to check on her."
Tang Zhenghong could guess Qin Huairu's thoughts. When she first came back, there was no news of her working, and she didn't pay any attention to her. Now her attitude has made a complete 180-degree turn.
"Thank you, sister-in-law."
"Bang Geng is so fussy, I'll hold him and spin him around. By the way, Zheng Hong, if you ever need any sewing or mending work in the future, you can ask your sister-in-law. We have a sewing machine at home, it'll be convenient."
Banggeng was still afraid of Tang Zhenghong, shrinking into his mother's arms and staring intently at Tang Hongxin, who was eating sunflower seeds.
"Okay, I might need your help in the future."
Qin Huairu praised Tang Hongxin a few times and then left.
"Second brother, she's not a good person. She's just like Sister Hu from our village, always eyeing other people's houses."
The little girl has a pretty good eye.
However, Tang Zhenghong verbally reprimanded him, "Don't talk about others behind their backs. Come over here and get ready to wash your hair."
They learned all this from the aunties in the village, gossiping about everyone, and that's how many conflicts and arguments arose in the village.
After washing the little girl's hair, scrubbing her face and neck vigorously, and retying her hair into a little braid, she looked like a completely different person.
"Oh my, where did this fairy come from? Second Brother doesn't recognize her?"
"whee."
When Tang Hongxin heard her second brother teasing her, she looked at herself in the mirror, smiled shyly, and then snatched the mirror back to herself, laughing at herself for a long time.
Don't you usually wash your neck?
Tang Zhenghong's face towel was all black, so he poured a basin of water to wash it clean and put it out to dry.
"I won't wash. Mom says washing too often will make me sick."
Tang Zhenghong had nothing to say. He waited until Tang Hongxin's hair was almost dry before packing up and leaving.
"Second brother, can I sit in the back seat? My butt hurts from being bounced around on the front beam."
"Okay, but you need to sit tight and hold on firmly, and you can't put your feet into the wheels."
There are cargo racks on both sides of the rear frame, but children can still accidentally stick their feet in, and if they get caught, it could cause an accident.
They bumped into Aunt Yan at the door. One hand was holding up her clothes, seemingly carrying something, while the other was holding a cloth bag that was bulging. She stopped and greeted the two siblings from a distance, "Zhenghong, you're going out. Are you coming back tonight? There's a meeting in the courtyard tonight."
"They're back. Aunt Yan, do you know what they talked about in the meeting tonight?"
Yang Ruihua was acting strangely today, not coming over to ask the girl in the back seat who she usually did: "We've found the people to fix the toilet, we just want to discuss it with everyone."
Tang Zhenghong stared at the other person's bag for a few more seconds.
Yang Ruihua subconsciously explained, "Your third uncle found someone to exchange some coarse grains, and I just went to fetch them back."
Considering their family traditions, Tang Zhenghong understood and left without thinking further, taking his younger sister with him.
Yang Ruihua breathed a sigh of relief after watching Tang Zhenghong and his sister walk away, muttering to herself, "It's true what they say, man proposes, God disposes; we still ran into trouble."