Chapter 163: Chapter 91: The Commotion Caused by the Puppy (2)

Laixi followed her gaze to the little Black Dog as it was eating. He smiled sheepishly and said, “I really thought Second Aunt had kicked it to death. The sounds it was making were terrifying!”

Qingmu took Mrs. Wang’s empty rice bowl and went to add more rice to it. “I’m full,” Mrs. Wang said.

Qingmu didn’t believe her. “I saw you were just trying to coax Laicai. How could you possibly be full? Eat some more.” As he spoke, he went to the main room to get her more food.

Juhua looked at her grandmother’s graying hair and sighed. “Grandma, you should worry less. Don’t you have Uncle to take care of things?”

Seeing Juhua’s concern, Mrs. Wang smiled and patted her head. “Juhua, dear, that’s just life. Having children and grandchildren to keep you busy… it’s tiring and frustrating, but it makes your days feel grounded. If you don’t have them to fuss over, then no matter how well you live, your heart will just feel empty.”

What could she even say to that? Even though Juhua had lived two lifetimes, she still couldn’t understand the life philosophy contained in those words.

After the meal, Laixi left first. He had to go look after the general store at Xiatang Market.

Yang Family shooed Juhua into her room to warm herself by the fire. While washing up, she chatted idly with Mrs. Wang and her two sisters-in-law. Meanwhile, Qingmu read his book while keeping a close eye on Laicai, afraid he would cause more trouble and worry the whole family.

Juhua sat in her room stitching shoe soles. She figured she should use this free time to make a few more pairs of shoes. Once the spring planting began, she and her mother would have no time for needlework. After all, they had dozens of new acres of land this year.

She had a small brazier at her feet and had draped an old padded jacket over her legs to keep her feet from getting so cold. Just as she was lost in her work, a small head poked through the doorway, stammering, “S-sister… sis—”

Juhua looked up and saw it was Laishou. He was grinning from ear to ear. He stepped over the threshold and toddled over to Juhua, hugging her leg and looking up at her. “Candy. Eat candy.”

Juhua saw his rosy little face, his pure black eyes blinking, looking up at her full of expectation. She coaxed him, “We just ate, so no candy right now. Laishou, be a good boy and we’ll have some later, okay?”

Surprisingly, the little boy replied, “Eat later. Sis, eat later.” After saying that, he didn’t throw a fuss and just leaned against Juhua’s side.

Finding him adorable, Juhua started teaching him words. The two of them, one big and one small, began repeating phrases like “peanut candy,” “sunflower seeds,” “Big Brother Qingmu,” and “Big Sister Juhua” like a pair of parrots.

Laishou found learning the words fun and chuckled nonstop, a long string of drool running down his chin. The hair on his head was still short, but it was a layer of jet-black, which, combined with his delicate pink face, was utterly endearing.

Juhua found a cloth to wipe his drool, thinking irritably, ’He’s already got a full mouth of teeth, so why is he still drooling?’

Looking at the adorable little boy, she grew vexed. ’In a few years, under the Lin Family’s guidance, he’ll become just like Laicai.’ The thought was so frustrating that she wished she could just take him and raise him herself.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She put down the shoe sole, found some scraps of cloth, and started piecing them together to make a little hat for Laishou. As she sewed, she kept trying it on his head to check the size.

Laishou seemed to know it was being made for him and watched with an excited look on his face. Whenever Juhua placed it on his head to measure, he would hold perfectly still, letting her do as she pleased.

’A simple skullcap wouldn’t look good… but a pointed one with a little ball on top that dangles down would be nice.’

Once she had a plan, her needle flew as she sewed. After it was all stitched together, she realized she didn’t have anything to make the little ball for the top. A glance around the room revealed a few acorns on the windowsill, left behind by Liu Xiaomei during her last visit. Juhua found a scrap of red cloth, sewed two acorns inside to form a small ball, and attached it to the very tip of the hat.

When the hat was placed on Laishou’s head, the little boy was so happy he couldn’t stop chuckling. He even knew to hug Juhua tightly, as if to say thank you. Delighted, Juhua couldn’t resist picking him up and setting him on her lap.

Just then, Laicai ran in. Seeing Laishou’s new hat, he immediately yelled, “I want one too! Make one for me! Big Sister Juhua, make one for me too!”

Juhua’s expression darkened. She glared at him viciously, saying nothing, ready to erupt at any moment. ’I’ve been waiting for this chance!’

Laicai wasn’t scared of her and was about to keep pestering her.

Juhua shot forward, grabbed his ear, twisted it ninety degrees, and hissed in a low voice, “You think I don’t dare hit you? If you dare to act up like this again, I’ll throw you down the well and drown you. I’ll cover the well, and if anyone finds you, I’ll just say you fell in by yourself.”

Laicai was stunned. Just as he was about to let out a piercing shriek, Juhua quickly clamped her other hand over his mouth and tightened her grip on his ear. She said angrily, “Go on, scream! If you dare to scream, you’re never allowed in my house again. This is my house, and I decide who comes in! I like Laishou, and your aunt likes Laishou, so we’ll let Laishou play here. And we won’t give you any of the good things to eat; we’ll give them all to Laishou!”

As she was threatening him, she felt Laicai stop struggling in her grasp. Only then did she let go and shoot him a sidelong glance.

But the boy looked completely unrepentant. His lip trembled, and he was about to pull his usual trick and burst into tears. She snatched the ruler from her sewing basket—the one she’d had Zheng Changhe help her make—and raised it threateningly. “Did you not hear what I said?” she raged. “You still dare to cry? If you cry even once, I’ll definitely send you home today. I’m not even afraid of your mother, so why would I be afraid of your crying?”

And sure enough, Laicai didn’t dare make a peep. If he got sent home, wouldn’t that be the end of his fun? He wanted to stay at his aunt’s house for a few more days; last time, he only got to stay for one night.

His eyes darted back and forth as he stared at Juhua, thinking, ’How did this ugly sister get so fierce? She even dared to tell off my mom earlier. Would she really dare to hit me?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep