A ragged cub at the beginning

After dinner, Tang Yao was driven out by Tang Ling. As an adult man, it was not suitable for him to live with two unmarried women.

Tang Xu just returned to her room at night and found a puddle of water on the ground. She asked Qiyue but she didn't know. She was a little surprised. Could it be that Yu Xiaotao accidentally spilled it when she was cleaning? She looked up and saw a drop of water falling into the puddle on the ground.

The roof is broken? ? It didn't leak last time when it rained? She tilted her head to study it for a long time, but the dim light made it difficult to see what the problem was.

"Mom? It's dripping?" July pointed at the roof.

"Well, yes, maybe the tiles are broken." Broken tiles? Tang Xu instantly thought of Tang Qing. She turned and walked towards Tang Qing's room, "Tang Qing!"

"What?" Tang Qing opened the door and looked at her angrily, "Why are you so loud!"

"Did you really change the tiles after you broke them last time?" Tang Xu asked.

"It has been changed, what's wrong?" Tang Qing frowned and asked in confusion.

"It's leaking. Why is it leaking when all the sudden it's leaking?" Tang Xu didn't worry about it anymore when he heard him say that he had replaced it. As long as it didn't leak onto the bed, he would wait and see tomorrow.

"I'll go up and take a look." Tang Qing remembered that he had changed, and he walked out of the house, but was grabbed by Tang Xu. "Why are you pulling me? I'm going to take a look."

Tang Xu shook his head. No matter how good his martial arts skills were, he was still just a child. "No, it's so dark, and the snow on the roof has just melted and there's still ice on it. It's too dangerous. No rush. Let's find someone to take a look tomorrow."

Tang Qing felt warm in her heart and insisted, "I'm not afraid."

"I'll go." Tang Ling came out at some point, and without stopping, he walked out of the house and flew onto the roof.

The roof was half melted, half snow, and half ice, so she couldn't see anything. She asked loudly, "Where's the leak?"

Tang Xu ran back into the house, stood at the place where the water was leaking and said, "Here." Afraid that Tang Ling would have difficulty judging, she moved a chair over to stand on and held up a lamp.

Tang Ling listened to the sound and checked the tiles. They were not damaged, but the tiles were not placed properly and there were gaps. She adjusted the position and asked, "Is it still leaking?"

"No more." Tang Xu said.

Tang Ling came down and said to Tang Qing, "Stand with the tiles on your head tomorrow."

Tang Qing rubbed his nose and hummed.

"Don't climb on the roof next time." Tang Xu said, and took July back to the room to sleep.

Tang Ling was about to fall asleep when she heard a slight sound from the roof, like the sound of tiles breaking. She looked up, took out a few plum blossom darts from under her pillow, and climbed onto the roof quietly.

"I knew it was bad, but I didn't expect it to be so slippery." Tang Yao said helplessly.

"What are you doing?" Tang Ling put away his weapon.

"Nothing. I couldn't sleep so I came out for a walk." Tang Yao said with a dry laugh.

Tang Ling stared at him and raised his arm with a dart between his fingers.

"Don't do it, I'll tell you..." Tang Yao half raised his hand and said helplessly, "It's true that I can't sleep. It's hard to sleep after what I've experienced in the past few years. I couldn't sleep when I was recuperating in Medicine King Valley either."

"Then what? What are you doing here?" Tang Ling asked.

Tang Yao lowered his head, his voice barely audible, "I want to be closer to you. Last night, as long as I thought of you next to me, I fell asleep while sitting. It was very peaceful. I don't know if you believe it or not, but what I said is the truth."

Tang Ling was silent for a while, jumped off the roof and paused for a moment, then said, "Come here, we'll leave early tomorrow morning."

Tang Yao was incredulous at first, but then he smiled knowingly. Yes, his little feather has always been a soft-hearted person.

The next day, Tang Xu woke up at dawn. As soon as he opened the gate, he saw two figures, one big and one small, leaning on the doorstep.

"Who is it?" she asked.

The man turned around and it was Xingzi. Her lips were dark purple. I don't know how long she had been there. She was holding a little girl by the hand. Neither of them was wearing warm clothes. They were both purple from the cold. I don't know how long they had been there.

"Miss Tang, vegetables don't grow in winter, so I dug some bamboo shoots and brought them to you." Xingzi dragged out two baskets, "One for you, and one for Madam Du."

Tang Xu looked at the two baskets of bamboo shoots still covered with dirt and snow in shock. There were so many of them, and they were delivered early in the morning. Didn't they have to dig them up in the middle of the night? She came to her senses and made way for the door. "Come in! Go to the kitchen and light a fire to roast some bamboo shoots. Take a look at the frozen ones for the children."

Xingzi smiled, stood up and stumbled twice, almost falling. Tang Xu supported her, pulled up the little girl, pushed them both to the stove, lit the fire, and boiled some hot water for washing.

After making a good fire, she went out to get bamboo shoots. She almost fell over when she couldn't lift them up. Xingzi had walked all the way from the village carrying two baskets of things? She looked at the bamboo shoots with mixed feelings. In terms of value, the basket of mushrooms was enough. Fresh mushrooms were not difficult to sell in the town, and the price was not bad. She didn't expect that she would dig so many bamboo shoots to give away.

The two of them dug these bamboo shoots and carried them all the way here, so they must have been hungry. Tang Xu thought about it, took two large soup bowls and a basket, and went out to buy breakfast.

When I came back, everyone in the house was awake, except Xingzi and her daughter, who were still in the kitchen. Perhaps they were afraid of people and did not dare to come out.

"Let's have breakfast." Tang Xu called.

"Mom, what do we want to eat?" July came running over and asked while leaning on the table.

"What do you want to eat? Wontons or noodles? We also have fried dough sticks and meat pies." She bought a lot, fearing that the few gluttons at home would not be full.

Xingzi and her daughter kept their heads down, cowering in fear of people. But Xingzi had seen it all, so she was relatively good. She refused to sit at the table when she was called to eat, saying that she had not changed her clothes after digging bamboo shoots, and they were dirty. There was some snow water and yellow mud on her skirt, and it did not look very clean.

Tang Xu didn't care about that and said impatiently, "Eat quickly. Even if you're not hungry, the child is hungry. It's so cold and you're bringing him out to freeze."

Qingqing shivered and shrank back behind her mother.

Tang Xu was a little embarrassed when he saw that he had frightened the child. He took a breath and said, "Qingqing, come sit down and eat. I'll serve you whatever you want."

"Sit down." Xingzi pulled her daughter to sit down, "I'll do it myself, Miss Tang."

"Okay." Qiyue wanted to eat wontons, so Tang Xu filled half a bowl for him. Tang Qing and Tang Ling didn't need her to take care of them, they could make whatever they wanted.

After a while, Qi Qing came over. She usually came over to make breakfast for the Tang family before going to the shop. Seeing that they had already eaten, she was surprised and asked, "Did I get up late today?"

"No, I got up early today. Have you eaten? Come and have something to eat." Tang Xu greeted her.

Qi Qing refused, "I've eaten, so I'll go open the shop first."

"There's no one here so early, let's go later." Tang Xu said.

"It's okay anyway. I'll go to the shop to clean up." Qi Qing said and left.

"Why are you eating so little? You're not even eating as much as July." Tang Xu put a fried dough stick in Qingqing's bowl and stuffed a bun into her hand. "Eat a meat pie later. Eat more to resist the cold."

Qingqing was stunned. She had never enjoyed being stuffed with food in her life. She never expected that this fierce aunt would be so kind to her. The meat buns were very fragrant. She had never eaten white flour before. She stared at the buns for a long time without saying anything. Xingzi pushed her and said, "Thank you, Aunt Tang."

She woke up as if from a dream and whispered, "Thank you, Aunt Tang."

"You're welcome, Sister Xingzi, you should eat more too. Have some wontons, they'll warm you up." Tang Xu said as he added a spoonful of soup for Xingzi.

"Oh, that's enough, enough." Xingzi wanted to move the bowl away, but was afraid it would spill. After swallowing the hot wontons, a warm feeling rose in her stomach, dispelling the cold that had made her body sluggish and stiff.

Her eyes turned red, for her own meanness and for Tang Xu's kindness.

After the meal, Xingzi wanted to leave, but Tang Xu kept her. "Come back after lunch. It won't be so cold in the afternoon. Let the kids stay here and play. I have many children here, so the yard will be lively."

Kyoko glanced at her daughter and agreed.

Qingqing wanted to wash the dishes, but was pushed out by Yu Xiaotao. She grabbed the corner of her clothes and went to sweep the floor again when she saw the broom. It seemed like she couldn't be idle, or she didn't dare to be idle.

Of course, July had to step in at this time, "July, go ask that sister to play with you."

"Does this sister like me?" July asked.

"No one doesn't like our July!" Tang Xu said with certainty.

Qiyue nodded, walked over and pulled Qingqing's sleeve, "Sister, can we go slide?"

Qingqing was stunned for a moment, looking at Qiyue who was dressed neatly like a young master. She nervously tugged at her muddy and pudding-covered clothes and said, "Okay." Almost no one in the village wanted to play with her. The nice ones ignored her, while the mean ones threw stones at her, pulled her hair, and threw cockleburs into her hair.

Xingzi covered her mouth and watched Qingqing timidly follow Qiyue up the strange ladder. When she slid down, the wind blew away her hair and her fear and inferiority. She smiled in surprise and opened her eyes wide.

Tang Xu watched for a while, and was forced by Tang Ling to beat the wooden man. There was a wooden man for adults in the yard, and it was mainly used by Tang Xu. She followed Tang Ling's instructions attentively, and she would become a martial arts master in the future!!!

After practicing for half an hour and sweating all over, Tang Xu took a shower before going out. Someone was still standing at the entrance of the alley. Tang Xu moved his fingers slightly to outline his figure, wanting to draw this scene.

What was he thinking about while he was waiting for someone? Was he thinking about me? She was about to speak, but Du Yun turned around as if he had sensed something, his eyebrows curved and he smiled.

The person on the opposite side trotted over, and Du Yun subconsciously opened his hands, then put them down.

"Bah, shameless! You have no shame in public!" Yu Yan spat, turned back to the yard, looked at Jiang Xiaonan who was stupidly playing with a wooden stick, and cursed: "Fool! You are wasting my food!"

Jiang Xiaodong dropped the clothes he was washing and stood in front of his sister. He looked at Yu Yan with a stern face, and a hint of hatred flashed in his eyes.

"You little beast! How dare you look at me like that!" Yu Yan went up and slapped Jiang Xiaodong in the face.

Jiang Xiaodong was beaten so hard that half of his face was swollen. He didn't cry out in pain, but turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes were still fixed on Yu Yan, like a stray dog ​​on the roadside, who knows when it will pounce and bite someone.

"How dare you look at me!" Yu Yan hated his look the most. It made her hair stand on end. She kicked him over and kicked him hard a few times, cursing, "I'll let you look! I'll let you look! I'll beat you to death, you little beast! You ungrateful bastard!"

"Beat him! Beat him to death!" A fat man walked out of the house, eating a boiled egg in his hand, but that didn't stop him from waving his hands and shouting.

Jiang Xiaonan finally responded, her scattered eyes focused on the person on the ground. She threw away the stick and lay down next to Jiang Xiaodong. Her hands, as thin as dead branches, hugged her brother's waist and rubbed her face against his back.

The two were close to each other, and Jiang Xiaonan was kicked twice. She screamed twice, as frightened as a newborn bird.

The sister's cry woke up Jiang Xiaodong, who had been holding his head and enduring. He roared and jumped up, bumping into Yu Yan's stomach. Yu Yan was caught off guard and stumbled to the ground with a cry of "ouch". Jiang Xiaodong pulled his sister out of the house, and it was too late for Jiang Xiaobei to chase after her.

Yu Yan felt that the injury she suffered from the Tang family bitch last time had recurred, and her tailbone hurt as if it had been broken. "Don't come back if you have the guts! If you come back, I'll beat you to death! Ouch, it hurts so much, Xiaobei, help me up quickly."

"I can't help you, Mom. You're so fat. You get up by yourself. I'll go chase Jiang Xiaodong and beat him to death!" Jiang Xiaobei glanced at his mother and ran out the door.

Not to mention how Yu Yan struggled to crawl back to her room, Jiang Xiaodong was stopped by Du Yun as soon as he rushed out, "Xiaodong? Where are you taking your sister?"

"Master Du." He bowed respectfully to Du Yun. When he raised his head, his swollen cheeks were exposed and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh! Who hit him?" Tang Xu raised a child and couldn't bear to see the child suffer. She couldn't help but think of Qi Yue. She held Jiang Xiaodong's face with her hands, "Who hit him so hard?"

Du Yun sighed, "It's his stepmother. Xiaodong, take your sister to my house and ask Grandpa Qi to apply some medicine. When will your father come back this time?"

"Dad said he would be gone for a month this time, and he left just the day before yesterday." Jiang Xiaodong didn't cry or shout when he was beaten, but now that he was cared for, his eyes began to heat up. He forced a smile that seemed like he was about to cry, "Aunt Tang, I'm fine, I'm not hurt."

"Who is her stepmother? How can she beat a child like that? That's too much!" Tang Xu was so angry, "She can't do that to a child who isn't her biological child!"

"Jiang Xiaodong! Look at you running!" A little fat man rushed up and bumped into him hard.

Jiang Xiaodong didn't notice what was behind him, and just as he turned his head, he was knocked down by Tang Xu. Tang Xu lost his balance and was supported by Du Yun so that he didn't fall to the ground.

"You again! What are you doing?" Tang Xu glared at Jiang Xiaobei, stood up and dragged him aside with one hand, "Are you crazy?"

"Jiang Xiaobei! You're becoming more and more ungrateful!" Du Yun was equally angry and scolded Jiang Xiaobei with a stern face.

Seeing that there were so many of them, Jiang Xiaobei immediately became timid, made a face and ran away.

"Was it his mother who beat him?" Tang Xu came to his senses and asked.

Du Yun nodded and said, "Take Xiaodong to apply medicine first. I have to go."

"You go, I'm not in a hurry, I'll take him home." Tang Xu waved his hand and took Jiang Xiaodong's hand. Glancing at the little girl on the side, she still remembered the brother and sister. When Qi Yue was captured by the Zhu family, it was this boy who led her on the way. The little girl seemed to be autistic. Even though her brother was knocked down just now and she was almost falling down, there was no expression on her face.

Tang Xu returned with two more children. Tang Ling couldn't help but sigh, why did he always bring more and more children home? Glancing at the wound on the boy's face, she paused, went back to her room, got a bottle of medicine and put it on the table.

"Thank you, sister!" Tang Xutian thanked with a smile.

"Xiaodong, did Yu Yan hit you again? What a sin! What kind of person is this!" Yu Xiaotao patted her apron and went to the kitchen to get some hot water. "Wipe him and apply medicine."