A ragged cub at the beginning

Yu Xiaotao was busy cleaning and preparing New Year's food all day. Tang Xu said that she would take a day off, but she refused. At most, she would leave after lunch in the afternoon, and she still spent most of her time at Tang's house.

"Sister Xiaotao, why don't you spend the New Year at my house? Brother Yu is not at home anyway. It will be more lively here and everyone will get used to it." Tang Xu saw that the house was completely new and the roof had been renovated by someone hired by Yu Xiaotao.

"No, no." Yu Xiaotao felt embarrassed and blamed her elder brother for going out during the New Year.

"Just stay here. After the New Year's Eve dinner, ask Tang Yao to take you back." Tang Ling rarely spoke.

Yu Xiaotao looked around and saw that they were indeed sincere. She felt warmed at the thought and nodded in agreement.

July, Yunniang and the two little ones hugged each other and jumped and danced, while An An waved his arms and legs in the cradle to join in the fun.

Tang Xu then remembered that she had forgotten to prepare new clothes for An An. She went to Zhou's Cloth Shop again and ordered clothes for An An and Yu Xiaotao.

Aunt Wang was surprised for a moment, then smiled and praised her for her kindness.

A few days later, Li Guiping came with good news. Before he could speak, Tang Xu asked, "Have you reached an agreement?"

"Did you figure it out?" Li Guiping was so happy that his eyebrows almost flew to his hairline. He raised his index finger, "One thousand taels! I was so tired of talking that I ran around for several days before I finally convinced them. This house has been sitting there for many years, and they are anxious. It is said that the tax revenue this year is not good, and it will not look good on the public account. Take advantage of these few days to pay the money quickly, because the price will not be the same after the New Year. Miss, have you prepared the money?"

"Wait a minute." Tang Xu calculated that it was about right, but she didn't expect it to be so fast. She took out the small box containing the money. The silver notes added up to 1,050 taels, and there were also some loose silver, which added up to about 100 taels. She took the money and followed Li Guiping to pay the money and exchange the deed. Because it was government land, the handover was relatively fast.

Tang Xu gave Li Guiping twenty taels as promised. Li Guiping was overjoyed and respectfully sent the God of Wealth back. It was rare that he was so generous and bought a lot of things to take home. This year, we can have a good harvest.

This place was no different from picking it up for free. Tang Xu happily hummed a song while putting away the house deed. As soon as he walked out of the room, he was blocked by Tang Ling, "Sister? Is there something wrong?"

Tang Ling took out a few banknotes from his pocket and stuffed them into her pocket, "Here you go."

"What... Wow! So much money!" Tang Xu's eyes widened. He was just impressed by the empty cash box, but was instantly dazzled by the money. "Is this for me? Really?"

Seeing her happy look, Tang Ling couldn't help but reach into her arms, wanting to give her some more. Unexpectedly, she said, "Sister, have you hidden so much private money? Any more?"

Tang Ling turned and left, even wanting to snatch the five hundred taels back.

"Sister! You are so rich! Please give me New Year's money! Don't forget, sister! I want some in July too!" Tang Xu held the banknote and went back to his room and hid it with a grin, completely unaware of what he had missed.

"I have the money for the renovation! Hehehe... Tang Ling is really rich! It turns out that being a killer makes the most money!" Tang Xu had never locked a box before with more than a thousand taels of silver. This time, she locked it carefully and hid it in the mezzanine under the bed.

Once the title deed is in hand, we can start cleaning up after the New Year. Once the weeds and broken bricks and stones are cleared, we can start building the house, along with the carpenters, and it will definitely be finished before summer.

The structure of the kindergarten cannot be too complicated to prevent the children from getting lost. And it is all one floor, so there is no need for corridors and rockery courtyards. Tang Xu plans to plant a row of fruit trees around the courtyard wall, and the building is divided into four areas. The teaching area has classrooms and dormitories, and the entertainment area has an indoor entertainment area. The two areas are connected by a corridor, and there is no outdoor area when the weather is bad. There are faculty offices and rest areas, and then there is the kitchen. The kitchen area includes a breeding area and a vegetable garden.

She planned to set up the outdoor activity area right after the entrance gate. Iron gates were too expensive, so she used sturdier wooden lattice doors. In this way, people passing by could see the play facilities in their kindergarten through the door!

The training ground is located at the back, separated from the activity area. Otherwise, if the children are having fun here and practicing hard there, it will affect their concentration.

The walls are painted white, and she can paint some interesting little animals, flowers and grasses. But this is definitely a big project, it would be great if she could find a few painters to help.

Tang Xu wrote down all his ideas and improved them one by one later.

"Xiao Xu, someone is looking for you." Yu Xiaotao shouted from outside.

"Here I am." Tang Xu came out. It was Zhu Ying? She was surprised and said, "Miss Zhu!"

"Sorry for disturbing you by coming here." Zhu Ying was still wearing her veil, with two maids following behind her.

"Don't disturb us, don't disturb us, please sit inside." Tang Xu let them in.

The children playing in the yard had just stopped and were staring at the three strangers.

"Don't keep staring at girls!" Zhao Yunniang put her hands on her hips to block the little boys.

"Who is it?" Fang Zijun leaned forward to look, but Zhao Yunniang moved away and blocked his view again. "Well, if you don't want to look, then don't look."

"Xiangxiang's sister." July said.

"We won't stare, we'll just take a look." Du Jiarui raised his index finger, which was short and plump, and very cute.

"Yes, let's take a look." Fang Zijun said.

Hu Xinting didn't say anything and followed Fang Zijun silently.

Zhao Yunniang frowned and thought for a moment. It seemed that it wouldn't be rude to just take a quick look. She was also a little curious.

Yu Xiaotao was making tea in the kitchen. When she came out, she saw these children tiptoeing and bending over in a sneaky way, blatantly lining up to pass by the door of the living room. The guests in the room looked at them curiously, and Yu Xiaotao laughed angrily.

Fang Zijun hid himself, holding onto the door frame with both hands, and poked his head out to look into the room, meeting three pairs of puzzled eyes. Hey, whose legs are these? I can't see them, get out of the way. He looked up a little angrily, and Tang Xu looked down at him with her arms around her chest.

"Hehe...Aunt Xu, what are you doing here?" Fang Zijun stood up straight, and the children behind him immediately scattered.

"What are you doing here again?" Tang Xu asked with a smile.

"I..." He turned around, and there was no one behind him. Qiyue and the others hid behind the slide, and each of them stuck out a head. Fang Zijun cursed him for being disloyal, scratched his head and said, "I just took a look."

"Go." Tang Xu flicked his finger at him. "Don't be naughty."

Fang Zijun covered his forehead and returned to his friends dejectedly.

Tang Xu smiled, turned around and said to Zhu Ying: "The children are naughty, please don't be offended, Miss Zhu."

Zhu Ying gently shook her head, "Children are innocent and cute, there's nothing wrong with that."

Yu Xiaotao poured them tea and returned to An An's cradle.

Tang Xu asked about her purpose, "Are you here to visit me?" She was not surprised that Zhu Ying knew her address, and she had not deliberately concealed it.

Zhu Ying explained slowly, "I was deeply moved by your painting last time, so I wanted to ask you to paint something else. But I was delayed by something recently and didn't come. I just went to the shop and heard that I knew Miss Tang, so she pointed me in the way. I hope I didn't bother you."

Something had delayed her, probably the dinner at Yang's house. She said, "Nothing." Then she remembered the extra painting she had done last time, "Wait a moment." She went to her room and took out the painting. Because it was rare to have such a beautiful model, she also colored it.

"This is me?" Zhu Ying looked at the painting. "Am I really that pretty?"

"Yes, Miss, it's the Yang family's flower-viewing banquet." Luliu recognized the dress at the first sight.

"Miss Tang was there that day? Why didn't I see her?" Zhu Ying's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and after thinking about it, she still couldn't remember Miss Tang being there that day.

"I was in the attic that day. The Yang family asked me to paint portraits of the young ladies. I didn't go downstairs, so you didn't see me." Tang Xu explained the reason.

"So that's the case." Zhu Ying nodded, "Then why is this painting... Yes, how could anyone like me? It must have been painted by Miss Tang privately." She laughed at herself. Although she looked down on the Yang family, no one had ever proposed marriage to her since she came of age. She had attended many banquets, not because she was looking forward to getting married, but because she couldn't bear to see her mother crying secretly.

Seeing that she was a little disappointed, Tang Xu said, "Miss Zhu, just don't blame me for acting on my own. We painters can't control our hands when we see beautiful scenery or beautiful people."

Zhu Ying smiled with her hands covering her mouth. Many people praised her looks. She never thought it was a big deal, but Tang Xu's words were new to her and she actually found them somewhat interesting.

"What does Miss Zhu want to paint?" Tang Xu asked.

"Actually, I don't know either. When I took the girl's painting back that day, I suddenly realized that people should not be trapped by this body. If they can't leave, they can read from books and look at paintings. I shouldn't always complain about the world and make my relatives dare not even smile." Zhu Ying lowered her head and stroked the person in the painting.

Tang Xu felt a little sympathetic. There are countless things that people pursue in their lives, and everyone has their own desires. But what Zhu Ying wants most is just a healthy body and to be alive. This should be the basis for human survival, but some people don't have it.

She looked at Zhu Ying and said, "Miss Zhu, there is a story that you might be interested in hearing."

"What story? Miss Tang, you can tell it as you like." Zhu Ying coughed twice, and her thin shoulders slumped, but she quickly straightened her back.

Tang Xu slowly told the story of Helen Keller, "Somewhere, there was a little girl. When she was one and a half years old, she became blind and deaf due to illness..."

Zhu Ying looked focused, staring at Tang Xu without blinking.

"Ms. Zhu," Tang Xu recalled the modern times. Because of her congenital heart disease, she couldn't do strenuous exercise, and couldn't even talk or laugh loudly to avoid getting too excited. She always wore a heart rate monitoring bracelet on her wrist, and was sent to the emergency room several times with her life hanging by a thread. "Do you know the law of conservation of energy?"

"Conservation of energy?" Zhu Ying had never heard of this term before, so she shook her head.

"The idea is that people have limited things to get, like you. You have parents and relatives who love you, a family that has no worries about food and clothing, and a beautiful face, but you don't have a healthy body. Some people, with ordinary looks and ordinary family backgrounds, may not be able to earn a piece of clothing like you even if they work hard all their lives, but they have healthy bodies." Tang Xu said slowly: "You can't work hard to be healthy, but I heard that a good mood can make you live longer. You have your advantages and strengths. Since you know that your life span is limited, why don't you do something you like in the limited time. Once you come to this world, you must live well and don't leave more regrets."

Zhu Ying was silent for a while. She stood up and bowed deeply to Tang Xu. "I understand. Thank you Miss Tang for waking me up from my dream."

"That's not necessary. In life, most things go wrong. If you can't resist, then enjoy it. At least don't torture yourself." Tang Xu hoped that she could be more cheerful. Since her physical condition could not be reversed, why not live freely and feel more beauty in the world in the limited time.

"I'll take my leave today. I'll go back and think about it. Listening to your talk is better than reading for ten years." Zhu Ying bowed and was supported by Lvliu to walk out.

Zi Ping took two steps, then suddenly turned around, knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "It was my fault last time, young lady, I hope you won't mind. I apologize to you. Thank you for guiding my young lady."

Tang Xu was startled and was about to help her up, but she stood up and walked away again. She seemed a bit rude at first, but I didn't expect her to be a kind and affectionate girl.

Time flies, and it's New Year's Eve. The Tang family's shop has closed down, Yu Xiaotao came early in the morning, and Tang Xu was still lying in bed.

July got up early and went running laps with his brothers.

The sounds of cutting vegetables and chopping meat could be heard from the kitchen from time to time. Tang Xu reluctantly came out of the warm bed, stretched himself, walked into the kitchen, and greeted Yu Xiaotao.

"Sleep a little longer. It's so hard not to go to the shop." Yu Xiaotao was preparing food. She didn't know what was stewing in the pot, but it smelled so good that it made her drool.

"I can't sleep. It smells so good. What is this?" Tang Xu leaned over to smell it.

"The beef was sent by Brother Fang. He said a cow fell to its death in a village. Beef is rare, so he bought a lot." Yu Xiaotao opened the lid.

The aroma of beef filled Tang Xu's face. She had been here for so long, but she had never eaten beef. "Wow, it smells so good."

"We won't eat it until tonight, so it's not cooked through yet. What do you want to eat in the morning?" Yu Xiaotao put the lid back on and asked her with a smile.

"It's all fine. Eat whatever you have." Tang Xu said as he went to wash up.

"I'm making dumplings. Can I cook you a bowl?" Yu Xiaotao said.

"it is good."

Tang Xu was eating dumplings when the children came back one after another. Because of the heat, they were sweating and steaming, and it seemed like smoke was coming out of their heads.

"Hurry up and get some water to wash. Don't catch a cold." Yu Xiaotao put down the dumplings and busied herself finding clothes for the child and getting hot water.

Tang Ling came out for a walk, went into the kitchen, got a bowl of dumplings, and sat next to Tang Xu to eat.

"What to eat? I want to eat too!" Tang Qing was in good physical condition, with only a few drops of sweat on his face.

"There's more in the pot, go get some yourself." Tang Xu finished eating the dumplings and took over the job of bathing July and changing her clothes.

Fang Zijun and Du Jiarui both went home to pack up, and the braised meat shop was closed today. Fang Zijun was the happiest.

Since today was New Year's Eve, Tang Ling only arranged for the children to run laps, and let them play by themselves for the rest of the time.

Tang Xu had nothing to do, so he told the children the mythological story "Investiture of the Gods".

She was lying on a recliner with her legs crossed, holding a hand warmer in her arms. The children gathered in a circle, listening attentively. When she finished speaking and came to her senses, she found a group of "little potatoes" in the yard, squatting on the ground, looking at her with their chins in their hands.

"What happened next? What happened next?" Fang Zijun asked.

"Later, I felt thirsty." Tang Xu wanted to get some water to drink. Zhao Yunniang had already brought some water. "Auntie Xu, drink it. What happened next? How is Nezha?"

Tang Xu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He could only drink the water and continue talking.

"Wow... Nezha's father is so bad, I don't like him!" Du Jiarui rubbed his eyes and started crying.

"Is Nezha dead? He was just a child." Qiyue pouted, "Daddy Li is bad!"

"Dandan, come back for dinner!" Dong Wanwan shouted across the courtyard wall.

This sentence was like turning on a switch. Voices calling children to eat could be heard all around. All the children in the yard hung their heads, reluctant to leave.

"We'll talk next time. Go back quickly." Tang Xu waved his hand.

"It's just right, we're ready to eat." Yu Xiaotao brought out the dishes, "Have something casual at noon, and have a good meal at night!"