A ragged cub at the beginning

Tang Yao was carrying a food box. Before he could get close, the kid rushed over, just like he always did when he was little. He climbed up his clothes and hung on his chest, but now he was bigger. Tang Yao shook it a little, and the wound that had not yet fully healed was aching. "You're so big, but you're still like a monkey."

"You don't miss me!" Tang Qing hugged his neck and bumped his shoulder with her head.

Tang Yao took a breath and felt the wound on his shoulder seemed to have split open.

"Brother? What's wrong?" Tang Qing was startled and quickly jumped off him.

"It's okay, your head is getting harder and harder. Come on, let's go in and have dinner." Tang Yao patted his brother's head, held the back of his neck and walked into the house.

"Tang Xu has already prepared the meal. It smells delicious." Tang Qing looked at the lunch box curiously. "What did you buy?"

"Beef porridge, sesame pancakes, fried dough sticks, meat buns, is there anything you want to eat?" Tang Yao replied.

"Tang Xu made pickled cabbage and shredded pork noodles! I want to eat that." Tang Qing ran to the kitchen and found that her noodles were already prepared. She grinned. She took a large soup bowl and filled it for her brother, and went to the living room with one bowl in each hand.

"Who is this?" July asked when she saw Tang Yao.

Tang Yao glanced at him and said nothing. He put the lunch box on the table and went out to get the food.

Seeing that he didn't reply, Tang Ling said unhappily, "Stranger."

Noticing that Tang Ling was unhappy, Tang Yao immediately smiled and said to Qiyue: "My name is Tang Yao, what's your name?"

"My name is July, hello." July was subconsciously a little afraid of this person, so she shrank back and got closer to Tang Xu.

"What are you doing here?" Tang Ling's face turned cold and he put his chopsticks on the table with a snap.

Tang Qing looked around, shrank his neck, and moved the bowl to the side.

"You're so fierce again. I'll give it to you and you guys to bring breakfast." Tang Yao said indifferently. He glanced around and asked, "Is this your sister?"

"Yes, we have food, please help yourself." Tang Ling ignored him and continued eating.

Tang Xu secretly exclaimed in his heart, and raised his eyes to take a look. Could this chatterbox like Tang Ling? That would be a good show to watch.

"Brother, eat this. It's delicious! We all like it." Tang Qing smiled naively, pushed the noodles, and pulled the corner of his brother's clothes.

"Okay." Tang Yao dragged a stool and sat next to Qiyue. It seemed that he had done something wrong just now. Xiao Yuyao cared about these people very much. He handed a Hu pancake to Qiyue and coaxed: "Qiyue, try this?"

Qiyue glanced at Tang Xu, and Tang Xu said, "Do you want to eat? Eat if you want."

July wanted to eat it, but hesitated and said, "But it's too much. I can only eat a small piece."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yao broke it for him. Qiyue thanked him and took a bite, making a "hmm" sound of enjoyment.

Tang Qing took a fried dough stick and ate it, staring at her brother, feeling that he was weird.

"Sister, would you like to try it?" Tang Yao put the remaining Hu Bing in his bowl and invited Tang Xu.

Tang Xu glanced at Tang Ling, and seeing that she didn't react, she rolled her eyes and took it with a grin, "Okay." She tore off half of it and gave it to Tang Ling, "Sister, help me eat some."

Tang Ling took it silently, and then the two sisters soaked the dough sticks in the noodle soup at the same time. After the dough sticks were soaked up by the soup, they took a bite. Tang Ling didn't show it on her face, but it was obvious that she liked it. Tang Xu squinted his eyes and took another bite.

They really are two sisters, Tang Yao raised his eyebrows.

Tang Ling also found that the two of them had many similar habits. To be honest, the time she spent with her sister was not as long as the time she spent with Tang Xu. But if you really counted it, she spent more time with these children.

She just couldn't do anything when the kids acted like spoiled brats, unlike Tang Xu, who always had a way to make the kids obey.

Finally, the noodles were all eaten, but the beef porridge was not touched at all. When Fang Zijun and his friends arrived, they each got one for each of the Hu pancakes, fried dough sticks and steamed buns and ate them all.

Tang Yao unexpectedly discovered that the noodles were really to his liking. The noodles were chewy, the sauerkraut was sour and refreshing, and the shredded meat was tender and smooth. No wonder everyone liked to eat it.

It was late today, so Tang Xu didn't practice martial arts. He went to the shop after dinner.

In July, they ran excitedly to the snow to play. When Yu Xiaotao came, she put An An in the cradle and went to wash the dishes and clean the house.

Tang Ling leaned against the wall and looked at the child. Tang Yao came over and said, "Little Feather, you like it here very much."

"Peace." Tang Ling said.

"Brother, I like it here too." Tang Qing said.

"This house is too small, let's change it to a bigger one." Tang Yao said.

"Take your brother away, we have enough room." Tang Ling glanced at the two of them with a bit of disgust.

"No, it's more lively to live together." Tang Yao smiled, "How about I go and look at a big house?"

"Men and women should not touch each other, and it is not suitable for them to live together. You should buy a house and move out." Tang Ling said.

Tang Yao didn't say anything else, thinking about buying a big house, just in case they could live together.

"Okay, come over and tie the sandbags." Tang Ling clapped his hands, and the children immediately stopped and came over reluctantly.

Fang Zijun bought a bunch of toys yesterday and ate the food his mother cooked. Today he is full of energy and regained his vitality.

Tang Yao understood it at a glance, and pulled July, the only person he knew, to tie him up.

Still doing horse stance, Hu Xinting took the initiative to run and jump first to stretch his body, so he didn't need to tie a sandbag.

"Are these all children from the neighborhood?" Tang Yao asked.

"Yeah." Tang Ling nodded.

Tang Yao was puzzled, "Why do you want to teach them? Help take care of the children? Give them money?"

"I'd love to." At first, it seemed that he just disliked them for not knowing anything and making trouble, but gradually he wanted to teach them some skills.

Tang Yao wanted to say that I had never seen you like children before, and you would never be soft-hearted because of children, why did you change now? But facing this yard of children and this peaceful life, it seemed inappropriate to talk about the past.

After going through ups and downs, who doesn’t like a peaceful life?

After practicing basic skills for a while, Tang Ling called the children to the classroom. Tang Xu bought a few enlightenment books and also drew some idiom stories and fables, and they just had to follow the instructions.

Tang Yao stood outside the classroom and watched. Tang Qing followed behind him and looked up and asked, "Brother, what are you doing?"

"Children should stop interfering in adult affairs." Tang Yao said.

Tang Qing muttered, "When are we leaving?"

"What's wrong? Isn't it good to live here?" Tang Yao asked with concern.

"That's great, but they all have relatives. Only I don't, and I want to be with my brother." Tang Qing pursed her lips, looking aggrieved.

"I'm sorry, brother will definitely stay with you from now on." Tang Yao touched his head, feeling guilty and distressed.

"Where have you been?" Tang Qing asked.

Tang Yao's eyes flashed to the small cell, dim and dark, with the only sound being the squeaking of mice. Whips, knives, branding irons, salt water and pepper sprayed on the wounds, and endless questioning... He closed his eyes and said, "I went to a bad place and couldn't find my way home."

Fortunately, when I was about to give up, she brought me back, and my persistence became meaningful. She may never know what her appearance means to me.

He had lived in darkness for two years, and he survived only by remembering the two most important people in his life. At that time, he just wanted to see them again and say goodbye to them. But now that he had seen them, he was not satisfied, he wanted more. He wanted to be with her all the time, to spend the rest of his life with her, to catch this light and never let her leave.

After Yu Xiaotao finished cleaning the house, she saw that Tang Ling was free, so she walked over and asked, "Miss, the day after tomorrow is the Little New Year, do you want to make some smoked meat and sausages at home?"

Xiaonian? Such an unfamiliar word. Tang Ling was distracted for a while. She had never eaten these before, and no one knew how to make them before. She nodded and said, "I'll make it. Please."

"Then let's go buy some meat. Xiaonian, is there anything you want to eat? I'll cook it for you then." Yu Xiaotao said.

"You want to eat spicy food? I'll go get you some money." Tang Ling went back to his room and took out a silver ingot, and gave it to Yu Xiaotao, "An An, leave it here."

"Okay." Yu Xiaotao smiled and nodded. She always felt that the elder girl was different this time and her attitude towards her had also changed. This was a good thing. At least she dared to talk to her now.

On the way to buy groceries, she heard a new story. When Tang Xu came back for lunch at noon, she told him about it. It was about a village nearby where the husband had gone to serve in the army. The money he sent back every month was taken away by his mother-in-law. Because the family was divided, the daughter-in-law had to beg for food. It was pitiful. Their faces were frozen purple in the winter. The mother and daughter were skinny and carried a broken bowl to beg for food everywhere. It was such a sin!

Tang Xu paused while eating and asked, "Is there no one to take care of it?"

Yu Xiaotao laughed heartily and said with relief, "No one cared before, but I heard there was a commotion yesterday and the elders came out to make the decision and asked the old woman to return the money. The old woman was beaten by her husband, she deserved it, she is so evil! She wore silver bracelets and hairpins, and her daughter-in-law came out to beg for food, and she said she was afraid that her daughter-in-law would take the money and run away. How dare she say that, she can't run away if she's starving to death, right?"

Tang Xu nodded repeatedly and took a big bite of rice, feeling refreshed! It seems that Wang Chun is still very obedient, and this trick really works. These days, the family and the village are in the same boat. It is difficult for people with a bad reputation to gain a foothold in the local area. Not only will they not be able to gain trust from others, but their descendants' marriages and work will also be affected. If the elders in the clan or village have a sense of face or a little foresight, they will not turn a blind eye.

After that, it all depends on whether Wang Chun can keep the money. If she is smart, she can buy some snacks and meat to send to the elders and express her sincere gratitude. If there is any problem in the future, the elders will not ignore it for the sake of these gifts.

"Are you going to make cured meat from the meat in the yard?" Tang Xu saw it when he just came back.

Yu Xiaotao replied, "Yes, let's make some bacon and sausage. I also asked someone to buy some pine branches. I'll smoke them and they'll be very fragrant when they're fried."

"How much did it cost? I'll give it to you." Tang Xu said as he was about to take out the silver.

"The eldest girl gave it to me." Yu Xiaotao said quickly.

Tang Xu looked at Tang Ling and joked, "It seems that my sister has hidden a lot of private money."

Tang Ling was too lazy to pay attention to her and just focused on eating.

Tang Yao raised his eyebrows. Why was his sister still in charge of his money?

"What is private money?" July said while biting the chopsticks.

"It's just that my aunt secretly hid the money that I didn't know about." Tang Xu teased.

Qiyue suddenly realized and said to Tang Xu: "Qiyue will not hide it. All Qiyue's money will be given to mother."

Tang Xu was coaxed by him, and ate his pie in the sky with a smile, "Thank you, July!"

There was a guest who had made a reservation in the afternoon, so Tang Xu went to the shop without delay after dinner, and asked Qi Qing to help Yu Xiaotao make cured meat at home after dinner.

Tang Xu was rubbing his wrist when a middle-aged man walked in. He first looked at the furnishings in the shop with a critical eye, and then said arrogantly: "Are you the painter surnamed Tang?"

"Yes, what's the matter?" Tang Xu has never been happy with such impolite people.

The man frowned and said dissatisfiedly: "You can open a shop with this attitude?"

"You should treat people according to their attitude." Tang Xu yawned.

The man choked and tossed his sleeves, saying, "You are so vulgar and rude! You can tell at a glance that you are just a name for nothing. What good paintings can you draw?"

"Yes, yes, yes, right, yes, goodbye." Tang Xu lay on the counter, fiddling with the abacus beads in his hand.

The man was furious, “Is this how you do business??”

Tang Xu glanced up at him and said, "Then go out and shout."

It was the first time that Wu Xigou saw such a person, and he immediately shouted, "This is unreasonable!" Then he turned and left.

Tang Xu rolled his eyes. All kinds of people come to show off in front of me, but I just won’t tolerate them.

Du Yun happened to see the man leaving angrily, and he looked at him twice. He walked into the shop and asked in confusion, "Why was that man so angry just now?"

"He looks down on me and my shop. He had to come in here to get mad." Tang Xu sat up. "Have you eaten?"

"Well, I was just about to go to the academy, and I came to see if you were there." Du Yun looked at her, wondering why he never got tired of looking at her. Instead, the more he looked at her, the happier he became.

"What's that in your hand?" Tang Xu asked as he saw him holding a few books.

"Books, some manuscripts. I have read some rare books that are not available in the academy. I will take them to the academy for the students to see." Du Yun handed them to her. Due to his previous experience, he had never considered these things and did not pay enough attention to the students. The last time he heard that Tang Xu wanted to do something for the women in the world, he even felt ashamed. She rescued the women and children who were deeply harmed by the Zhu family and lent a helping hand to the people around her several times.

Du Yun looked at it again and again, and suddenly he thought that he had to do something, otherwise how could he be worthy of her. He thought about it for a few days but couldn't find a way. Finally, he remembered it when he heard the students discussing the rare books. He had a wealthy family and a famous teacher, and he had read countless books. He immediately got the idea, copied some of the rare books at home, and memorized a few that he remembered clearly. He prepared to take them to the library of the academy for the students to read.

"That's great!" Tang Xu flipped through it, but couldn't understand it. It was all concise classical Chinese, which was difficult to understand.

"This is all because of you." Du Yun smiled and took back the book.

"Me? What does it have to do with me?" Tang Xu looked confused.

Du Yun shook his head and smiled without saying anything. "I'm going to the academy first. The man just now doesn't look like a broad-minded person. You have to be careful."

"Okay, got it. Be careful on the road." Tang Xu saw him out. The guest who had made a reservation just arrived, and she started her afternoon work.

After seeing that guest off, no one wanted to paint anymore.

It was getting dark earlier and earlier in winter, and the snow on the road began to melt. Tang Xu's fingers were so cold that they hurt, and there were few pedestrians on the street. She simply closed the shop early and asked Qi Qing to go home.

As soon as I got home, I smelled the pleasant aroma of pine branches. Yu Xiaotao was smoking meat in the kitchen. After the bacon was made, it was hung in the kitchen. The fumes would evaporate every day and it could be stored for a long time.

"You're back so early? I haven't started cooking yet. I'll do it now." Yu Xiaotao was so busy that she forgot the time and quickly washed the rice and started cooking.

"No rush. I came home early today and there's no one on the street." Tang Xu rubbed his hands.

"It's cold now that the snow has melted. You can warm yourself by the fire by the stove." Yu Xiaotao said.