A ragged cub at the beginning

The Fang family's yard was smaller than the Tang family's. Roses were planted by the wall, blooming in all colors. In the corner of the yard was a persimmon tree, with sparse leaves but a lot of persimmons hanging on it, but it looked like it would take some time before they could be eaten.

There are flowers and trees, and a kitchen has been built, so the yard looks a bit cramped. But everywhere is clean and tidy, and you can tell that the people who live there are hardworking and know how to live.

"I forgot the time while talking. Please sit in your room. I have prepared the dishes and are waiting to be put into the pot." Dong Wanwan was very grateful to Tang Xu at this moment and quickly walked into the kitchen to show off her cooking skills.

"Do you need help?" Tang Xu asked, but she didn't think the other party would ask for help. As expected, Dong Wanwan refused and just asked her to go into the house and sit and wait.

It didn't take long before the aroma of food wafted out. From the jar of pickled radish, it could be seen that Dong Wanwan's cooking skills were good. Tang Xu was a lazy person who liked to be lazy. At this moment, he didn't have to cook and could still have delicious food, so he was naturally happy.

The two little guys were playing something in Fang Zijun's room, and laughter could be heard from time to time. Qiyue was timid and shy, and her laughter was so soft and small that it could not be heard without careful listening amid Fang Zijun's unbridled laughter.

"Sister, you eat first. Dandan, bring your brother out to eat." Dong Wanwan put down the dish in her hand and hurried to serve the meal.

Dandan? I didn't expect Fang Zijun to have such a nickname, so cute. She smiled softly, and didn't just sit there, but went to the kitchen to help serve the food and dishes.

After they sat down, Dong Wanwan was still in the kitchen. After a while, she brought out more dishes. Seeing that no one was eating, she hurriedly said, "Sister, eat quickly. Qiyue should eat too. It will get cold later. I have two more dishes that will be ready soon."

There were already two dishes and a soup on the table. Fang Zijun's father would not be home for a few days, so this was enough for two adults and two children. Tang Xu advised, "Sister Wan, there are enough dishes. Sit down and eat."

"I've already cut it. Just wait a little longer and it will be ready. This is not enough." Dong Wanwan turned back and said as she walked away, "Eat quickly. It won't taste good if it gets cold."

Children can't help being hungry, especially when the food is right in front of them. Qiyue kept swallowing her saliva as she smelled the food, and looked at the food on the table eagerly.

"Aunt Xu, come and eat." Fang Zijun was always jumping up and down and was getting hungry. There was also barbecued meat on the table. He licked his lips and saw that his brother July was almost drooling. He took the initiative to pick up a large piece of barbecued meat for him, "Brother July, eat quickly. My mother's barbecued meat is delicious!"

"Eat it." Tang Xu said, picking up a piece of meat for Fang Zijun, "You eat too."

But she still insisted on waiting for Dong Wanwan to sit down before she started eating. Dong Wanwan was quick at cooking and came soon, finally serving a big bowl of fish soup. Seeing that people were still waiting, she felt very relieved.

"It's so rich, Sister Wan, you've worked so hard." Tang Xu praised, and tasted a piece of roasted meat, his eyes lit up, "It's delicious! Not fishy or woody at all!"

Seeing that she didn't seem to be pretending, but really liked it, Dong Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a little pride: "That's right, I was famous in our village for my delicious cooking. Eat more if it's delicious, it's best to eat it all!"

"It's so delicious, you have to eat more," she said, looking at the two piglets who were eating without even raising their heads, "Look at my little pig, it looks like it's been hungry for a few days."

Dong Wanwan gave her a reproachful look and said, "Who would say their own child looks like a pig?"

"Mom, I think I'm too full." Fang Zijun looked at the last bite of rice in the bowl and couldn't eat any more.

"Then go take a walk in the yard," Dong Wanwan poured the rice into her own bowl and found that Qiyue had also finished eating. "Brother, do you want to eat more? If not, follow me and walk around in the yard to help digest the food."

The two children left the table. Dong Wanwan looked at the skinny Qiyue and couldn't help asking, "Sister, don't be offended. I want to ask what is your relationship with Qiyue?"

Tang Xu didn't care. Everyone has curiosity. She said frankly, "My son."

"Nonsense," Dong Wanwan glared at her, "You can tell from the looks of it that you've never had a family."

Tang Xu didn't know how she figured it out, and he was too lazy to make up another story, so he just told the old doctor what he had told him before, "It's my sister's child. The couple passed away, so I took the child in. The child was still young, and I raised him as my own son. He always called me mother."

Dong Wanwan sighed, "So that's how it is. No wonder he doesn't have the same last name as you. Poor child, he lost his parents at such a young age. But luckily I have you, otherwise I don't know what would have happened to him."

"It's nothing," Tang Xu continued to make up, "He is my only relative in the world." He is my only concern in this world.

It's so pitiful. This girl is not very old. She has no father or mother, and her only sister is gone. She only has a little nephew. Dong Wanwan felt bitter just thinking about it, and said with some worry: "How can you start a family with a child in your life?"

Getting married? It's only been a few days! Why are you urging me to get married again? Tang Xu was confused and said quickly, "I haven't thought about this. I just want to take good care of Qiyue and watch him grow up safely and healthily."

Dong Wanwan was not someone who didn't care about others' expressions, and after all, they were not that familiar with each other, so she didn't try to persuade him even though he resisted. She just thought that she had a very good relationship with her late sister, so she was so kind to the child.

The two families had dinner together, got to know each other's family situations, and their relationship became much closer.

Tang Xu had been persuaded to eat a lot, and felt his stomach was full. He went home and boiled the medicine for Qiyue to drink, washed the child and put him to bed, and told him a little story to coax him to sleep. Only then did he have some time for himself.

Although the child is well-behaved, there are many things to do and many fragments to take care of him throughout the day.

Tang Xu took advantage of the fact that it was not too late and painted until midnight by the oil lamp. The oil lamp was too dim and her eyes were blurry from painting. Her arms were already sore and it was even harder to lift them. She did a set of eye exercises and thought that when she had more money, she would not paint so late, otherwise her eyes would be uncomfortable due to myopia.

She has mild myopia and astigmatism in modern times. After changing the shell, her vision is at least 5.0, and the whole world has become clear. This is probably the biggest benefit besides having many sons.

I massaged my arm to relax my muscles and prevent it from getting worse tomorrow. I put a hot towel on my eyes before going to bed, and I was still thinking about how to make money to raise a baby.

That night, Tang Xu had a dream. In the dream, she was walking on the road and saw a pink Mao Zedong note. She quickly picked it up, and then there was another one in front of her. She had been picking up money all night. Holding her arms full of banknotes, she suddenly remembered that they didn’t recognize money in ancient times! ! She woke up with a fright.

The next day, Fang Zijun was about to go to Tang's house after breakfast, but Dong Wanwan stopped him and said, "It's too early now. Go later and bring the meat that mother bought over then."

"Why do you want to mention meat?" Fang Zijun was puzzled, "I want to eat meat too!"

Dong Wanwan squatted down, grabbed Fang Zijun's arm, and said seriously: "Dandan, go out and take a look. No matter what you learn from others, it costs money. For example, craftsmen have to live at home and serve their masters. Your aunt Xu taught you to read and didn't care about the money. She is kind-hearted, but we can't feel at ease. If we can't take out the tuition money, we should give her some food and daily necessities."

Fang Zijun nodded, not quite understanding, "Got it, Mom."

As the two were talking, a little head pushed open the gate and came in.

"Kang Kang!" Fang Zijun's heart flew away when he saw his little friend, and he turned around to look at his mother.

"Dandan, come out and play!" Qin Ankang didn't come in, but just stuck his head there. He thought it was fun.

Dong Wanwan waved her hand, "Go ahead, go ahead. Are you going to the Tang family later?"

Fang Zijun paused, looked at his friends outside the door, and felt a little confused. He liked learning to read and write. Those catchy sentences sounded good when they were read out of his mouth, and they also contained interesting stories. It was also fun to write stroke by stroke. He wanted to learn more and become a scholar in the future! Everyone admired him!

Seeing her son's face wrinkled up like a bun with eighteen folds, Dong Wanwan said with a smile, "Go ahead, go ahead. You can go back after playing for a while."

"I'll just play for a while and be back soon." Fang Zijun raised a finger, not sure whether he was talking to himself or his mother.

When he went out, several of his friends were there. Seeing him coming out, they asked him where he had been yesterday and why he was not at home.

Fang Zijun was about to say something when he remembered his mother's instructions not to tell anyone about studying with Aunt Xu, so as not to cause trouble for Aunt Xu. He thought for a moment and said, "I'm going to play with the younger brother who just moved in. That younger brother is so handsome, even prettier than Zhao Yunniang!"

When Zhao Yunniang heard this, her face turned red with anger. She stepped on Fang Zijun, snorted heavily, and ran back home.

"Hey? Why did you step on me?" Fang Zijun stamped his feet, somewhat confused. "Are you angry again?"

Qin Ankang was even happier to see that everyone had left, so he could play football. If Yunniang was here, they would play football very carefully, fearing that they would accidentally kick the ball at Yunniang, who not only gets angry easily, but also cries easily. "Yunniang is always angry, ignore her. She will be fine tomorrow, let's go play football."

"I'll just play for a while. I'm going to look for my brother July later." Fang Zijun said seriously.

"You always talk about brother July. Who is he? Otherwise, ask him to come play with us and let us see how handsome he is." Qin Ankang said.

"Yes, yes, yes, let's ask him to play together. If he doesn't like to cry, we can take him with us." said another child.

So when Tang Xu opened the door, he saw five little rascals standing outside.

"Aunt Xu," Fang Zijun grinned like a little fool, "We want to take brother July out to play."

Tang Xu was a little worried. Children are not careful. If they accidentally step on July's foot, it will be troublesome. "Where are we going to play? My brother's foot is injured and he can't walk too far."

"It's at the back. Turn left from the alley. There's a big banyan tree and an open space where you can play football." Fang Zijun explained.

When Tang Xu heard this, he immediately refused: "Play football? But my brother's foot can't play football. You guys go play football and wait until he gets better."

When Xiao Qiyue heard his brother's voice, he came over. When he heard about going out to play, his eyes lit up. When he heard that his mother didn't let him go, he lowered his head sadly. His leg healed so slowly. He really wanted to go out and play with Brother Fang.

Fang Zijun was in a dilemma. He looked at the pretty and thin brother July, and then at his big and strong friends who were jumping around. Brother July was injured, and he was thin and weak, and no one was playing with him. He was so pitiful. He felt that he should stay to accompany brother July, and he could go to school at the same time! He made a decision in an instant, and turned around and said, "Kang Kang, you guys go play! I'd better accompany brother July. His foot was injured, so pitiful."

"Wow, this little brother is so handsome." A little guy said in a low voice, covering his mouth.

"He's so small, he can't play football with us, he definitely can't do it."

"He's so little, he might cry if he falls."

"Dandan, didn't we agree on this just now? Why don't you keep your word?" Qin Ankang was a little angry.

Fang Zijun knew it was not good to regret, but he felt that with so many people, he was not missing one more. "But you still have so many people to play football with. Brother Qiyue has no one to play with."

Qin Ankang glared at Fang Zijun, then held the ball and shouted, "Let's go! I won't play with him anymore!"

A few kids walked out hesitantly. One of them, the fat Du Jiarui, didn't leave. He didn't like playing football. "Dandan, what are you guys playing? Take me with you?"

"We," Fang Zijun knew that Du Jiarui didn't like playing football, but he didn't think about playing anything fun. He looked at Qiyue, "Qiyue, what do you want to play?"

Little Qiyue was very happy that someone was playing with him, but he didn't know what to play, so he frowned and thought hard.

Tang Xu was boiling medicine for Qiyue and was amused by her appearance. Maybe we should add some toys that we can play with together, but it's too late now. "What's your name? Have you ever played hopscotch?"

Du Jiarui is less than five years old, white and chubby, and looks very cute. He has a chubby face, round almond eyes, and a bulging belly. He walks like a little penguin. He asked curiously: "I am Du Jiarui! I am five years old this year! My nickname is Tangyuan! I like to eat chicken legs! What is hopscotch? Do you jump into the house?"

"Are you jumping onto the roof?" Fang Zijun looked eager to try, as if he was about to get on the roof.

"No." Tang Xu shook his head in amusement, found a stick in the woodshed, drew a grid on the ground, then went to the house to find a small piece of cloth, wrapped it with soil and tied it tightly. "Okay, now watch how I play."

Tang Xu stood at the starting point, threw the cloth bag forward, and easily jumped over to pick it up. "That's it. You have to jump on one foot for this grid, and you can jump on two feet for this one. Let's see who can throw the cloth bag to the last grid the best. If someone falls while picking it up with one foot, it's someone else's turn."

Seeing that it was a new thing, Du Jiarui took the small cloth bag first, "I'll go first, I'll go first!"

The little fat boy was chubby and had a bad balance. He couldn't stand on one foot and staggered for a few seconds before falling on his butt. He pouted and looked around. Fang Zijun turned his face and covered his mouth with his hands to laugh. Qiyue looked worried. Tang Xu pretended not to see and turned around. "I, I'll try again." Seeing that no one was comforting him, he pouted and stood up and patted his pants with his small fleshy hands.

"Did you fail? If you failed, you have to change people." Tang Xu gently stated the rules.

"Okay," he looked at Fang Zijun who was still laughing, snorted, and handed the cloth bag to Qiyue. Qiyue was still a cute brother and didn't laugh at him. "Qiyue, come here."

"Yeah." Qiyue nodded. He was small and not very strong, so he threw the cloth bag to the third grid. That grid was for his feet, so he had an advantage in picking up the cloth bag.

Tang Xu was relieved to see several children playing hopscotch with great interest. One child was too noisy to play with him, but a group of them would be too noisy and they would easily quarrel and fight. Three or four children were just right. With someone to accompany them, the children would not look for adults and would not quarrel easily. The plan worked!

"July, take your medicine." The medicine was already warm, and Tang Xu shouted.

Qiyue was very obedient and ran over immediately, with a rare smile on his face, his big eyes sparkling, and a few beads of sweat on his nose. He picked up the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, stuck out his tongue and ran away again.