Qian Jiaoniang gave him a cold glare. “I said no. Still whining here like a monkey? Go away.”
Xing Pingchun pouted in grievance. He’d always wanted a sugar figure. He had only ever watched other kids get one while he swallowed his envy. And now that even today Mother refused to buy it…
Liu Ying came over and swept him into her arms, cooing, “My good boy, don’t be sad! If your mother won’t buy it, Great Aunt will! Your mother is stingy—we’ll just ignore her!”
Xing Pingchun’s eyes lit up at her words. He cheered and made a face at Qian Jiaoniang.
Tian Linwen was very pleased with his wife’s performance. Spending a few copper coins was nothing. Xing Pingchun was Xing Muzheng’s eldest son—who knew, maybe he’d inherit the title one day. If they could pull him closer and distance him from Qian Jiaoniang, what could she possibly do?
“Hold on,” Xing Muzheng suddenly spoke.
Liu Ying had just taken out a few coins and froze.
Xing Muzheng said, “Why trouble Great Aunt with such a small expense?” He guessed Qian Jiaoniang probably didn’t have spare money, which was why she refused to buy it. He gave a look to Ah Da, who immediately handed some broken silver to Xing Pingchun.
Xing Pingchun hadn’t expected his father to give him money in the end. He was overjoyed, his smile squinting his eyes into crescents. He even gave his mother a playful pat on the backside and ran off gleefully.
Qian Jiaoniang watched coldly. They were the good ones—she was just the villain.
Xing Pingchun bought the “diarrhea monkey” and didn’t eat it right away. Instead, he tilted it carefully, watching the syrup ooze from the monkey’s behind, giggling wildly with Tian Yongzhang. Tian Bilian had already walked away in disgust. Once the syrup ran out, Xing Pingchun fetched water and poured it in, inventing a “peeing monkey” game, laughing even harder.
The waiter brought breakfast. Qian Jiaoniang picked up an egg, tapped it on the table, and slowly rolled it across the surface.
Xing Muzheng couldn’t quite see her expression. Xing Pingchun was laughing uproariously, but she didn’t even glance his way.
Liu Ying doted on Xing Pingchun, urging him again and again to eat the sugar quickly. Xing Pingchun licked his lips, glanced at Qian Jiaoniang, then happily ran over.
“Mother! You can have a lick!” he generously held out the precious sugar monkey to her—something he had longed for, and would never have shared if not for her.
Qian Jiaoniang said, “I don’t want it… Fine, give it to me, and I’ll give you more coins so you can get another one.”
But Xing Pingchun was too clever. “This one was from Father—I’m not giving it to you! You give me coins, and I’ll get another one!”
Today he really struck it rich.
Qian Jiaoniang flicked his forehead. “Where in the world do you find such a good deal? Hand it over. Give it to me.”
“No!” Xing Pingchun dodged nimbly and stuck out his tongue, pretending to lick it.
Qian Jiaoniang turned away in disgust. She didn’t know whether it was tea or saliva inside. Just the thought made her skin crawl—what if that peddler had a disease? What if Chou’er swallowed his spit?
In a panic, she reached out and slapped the sugar monkey. Xing Pingchun hadn’t held it tight, and it fell to the ground, broke, and was covered in dust.
Xing Pingchun was stunned. For a long moment, he just stared at the now dirty, broken sugar figure on the floor. His eyes dimmed. It wasn’t just any sugar figure—it was one bought by his father. But his mother had knocked it out of his hands.
Liu Ying rushed forward, scooped the child into her arms, and scolded Qian Jiaoniang: “You really are a strange mother! The child wanted a little treat, you wouldn’t buy it for him, fine. But his father did, and you still took your anger out on him! What kind of way is that to raise a child?”
Tian Linwen sneaked a glance at Xing Muzheng. Seeing the slight furrow of his brows, he quietly praised his wife’s scolding in his heart.
Xing Pingchun truly felt wronged. Being comforted by Liu Ying only made him cry harder. Qian Jiaoniang barked, “Crying over such a small thing—what are you crying for?!”
Startled, Xing Pingchun quickly wiped his tears. Liu Ying, even more distressed now, snapped, “You were in the wrong, yet you’re scolding the child! Come now, good boy, we’re not going to bother with your mother!”
She pushed Xing Pingchun toward Xing Muzheng’s table. With tears still clinging to his lashes, he rubbed his eyes clean the moment he saw Xing Muzheng. Liu Ying coddled him with candy and promised to buy him another sugar figurine.
Xing Muzheng’s frown never relaxed. He couldn’t quite understand what Jiaoniang was angry about, but he faintly regretted having bought the sugar figure for their son in the first place.
Tian Linwen, however, assumed Jiaoniang was angry because she felt embarrassed that Xing Muzheng had spent money on the boy’s treat, then smashed it. He stroked his beard, sighing in a deliberately regretful tone: “Alas, the Qian woman is just a rustic village girl—she really doesn’t understand propriety.”
Xing Muzheng turned to look at Tian Linwen but said nothing.
Tian Linwen thought to himself how hard it was to read this nephew’s mind—he never said a word.
Qian Jiaoniang quietly finished a boiled egg. The rain outside was still falling in a fine drizzle. She moved to the inn’s entrance and leaned against the doorframe, listening to the rain while watching the scenery outside. Suddenly, a faint whimper drew her attention. She looked toward the sound and saw a filthy, trembling dog curled up in a corner outside the inn. A closer look showed one of its eye sockets was sunken in—the eyeball completely gone. Its fur was patchy and mangy, and it looked ferocious. No one knew whether a hunter had injured it or if it had been abused.
Qian Jiaoniang stared blankly at the dog for a while, lost in thought.
While she stared at the dog, Xing Muzheng was staring at her. Though he knew her character was strong, he couldn’t help but feel that her figure looked fragile from behind.
Qingya had just choked down a dry vegetarian bun and walked over to stand beside Qian Jiaoniang, wiping her hands. Seeing her dazed, Qingya followed her gaze and cried out, “Oh no, what a pitiful little dog.”
Only then did Qian Jiaoniang snap out of it.
Hearing voices, the dog abruptly stood up, stared at the two of them with its dark eyes for a moment, then limped out into the rain.
It had an injured leg as well.
Seeing this, Qingya forgot her fear of dogs and gritted her teeth, wanting to go and bring it back. Qian Jiaoniang stopped her. “Don’t go—what if it bites you?”
“But… in that state, walking in the rain like that—it’ll surely die, won’t it?”
“If it dies, then that’s its own fate. It’s probably been hurt by people too many times. Living on might be more painful than dying.”
Qingya leaned on the doorway, watching the dog slowly disappear into the misty rain, and sighed deeply.
Qian Jiaoniang murmured, “I’m a lot like that dog.”
“How so?”
Footsteps sounded behind them. Qian Jiaoniang turned her head to see Xing Muzheng walking over, seemingly to look at the rain. She gave a cold laugh. “Both have blind dog eyesd.”
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