Chapter 176
Wei Lanxiang rushed forward to pull the goose away. Seeing Xiaoshunzi with tears and snot running down his face, bawling loudly, she immediately pulled down his pants to check. Fortunately, there was no broken skin or bleeding, just a bruise on his buttock from the pinch.
Angry, she slapped the unharmed side of Xiaoshunzi’s buttocks but couldn’t help snickering. As she pulled his pants back up, she scolded, “Didn’t I tell you not to poke it? Think you’re so clever, huh? Why don’t you go poke the sky with that stick? Bet you’ll remember this lesson now?”
Xiaoshunzi kept crying while sniffling. Seeing how pitiful he looked - thin and dark as a little monkey Wei Lanxiang couldn’t bring herself to scold him further. She adjusted his slipping clothes and said, “Why hasn’t your mother fixed these clothes for you? Come on, Auntie will get you some pastries. Stop crying now, or people will laugh at you.”
Though Xiaoshunzi was young, he was of the same generation as Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing in the village, so he naturally called her “Auntie.”
Hearing there were pastries, Xiaoshunzi followed her while still crying. When he spotted the goose ahead, he quickly hid behind Wei Lanxiang, not daring to act recklessly again. After herding the ducks and geese into the pen, Wei Lanxiang secured the wooden gate before calling Xiaoshunzi to the main hall. By then, he had finally stopped crying.
Wei Lanxiang opened an oil-paper package and handed him two pieces of osmanthus pastry. “You little rascal, see if you’ll dare mess around again. Alright, hurry home now.”
Xiaoshunzi grabbed a piece in each hand and took a bite, his tears turning to laughter as he ran out the front door.
“Second Sister-in-law, I’ll head home too.” Zhou Xiangjun had some free time today to stroll around, and dinner at home was probably ready.
“Take these back for Xinlian and Yu ger to try.” Wei Lanxiang wrapped the remaining five pieces in the oil-paper package and handed them to Zhou Xiangjun.
Zhou Xiangjun accepted them with a smile. Their families had always been close, and since they were relatives, excessive refusal would only seem distant.
“Ama is leaving.” Lu Gu came from the back and saw her off with Wei Lanxiang.
[Ama (阿嬷): traditionally means grandma, but here used as a term for an elder shuang’er.]
Behind the house, near the chicken coop, Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yan squatted, smashing snails. Ducks and geese could forage for small fish and snails in the water, but to ensure the chickens grew well, they had to gather food for them. The chicks and ducklings hatched in spring were already half-grown. This year, they had raised more spring hatchlings—after accounting for losses, their family had twenty-three chicks and twenty ducklings. When taking the mule cart to the market, Wei Lanxiang had also bought ten more chicks and ten ducklings. In total, they now had thirty-three chickens and thirty ducks.
The chickens, accustomed to smashed snails, rushed over when they saw people outside the bamboo fence, clucking noisily.
Lu Gu had originally been with them in the backyard, but the smell of manure made him nauseous, so he went to the front to rest. He poured water for himself and Wei Lanxiang and asked, “Mother, has Xiaoshunzi gone back?”
Earlier, when Wei Lanxiang and Zhou Xiangjun were herding the ducks and geese into the pen, the three of them had heard Xiaoshunzi crying and asked what happened.
Wei Lanxiang couldn’t help laughing as she recalled the incident. The poor kid wasn’t as fast as Xiaoshuanzi but had to go and provoke the goose. “He left after eating the osmanthus pastry. I checked, the goose pinched his buttock, but thankfully, it’s fleshy and loose there, so it didn’t bleed, just bruised. Let’s see if he dares bother the goose again.”
As they spoke, Shen Yaoqing returned from weeding the fields. Lu Gu poured him a bowl of tea while Wei Lanxiang fetched water for him to wash his hands.
Back at the old house, Ji Qiuyue had already prepared dinner. When Shen Yan and Shen Xuanqing arrived, the five of them walked home together, chatting and laughing. Passing by Grandma A’jin’s house, they saw Xiaoshunzi playing at the doorstep, the pastries long gone, but tear streaks still visible on his unwashed face.
Grandma A’jin came out with a bamboo basket to gather wheat stalks and asked with a smile, “Xiaoshunzi said your family’s goose bit him?”
Wei Lanxiang quickly explained, “That’s right. I was herding the geese home when he and Xiaoshuanzi picked up a stick and poked at them. The geese chased them, and Xiaoshuanzi ran fast enough to escape, but this one got his buttock pinched.”
Nearby, Xiaoshunzi sniffled. His buttock still hurt, and if others found out, he’d be too embarrassed. So, he stomped inside in a huff, not wanting to hear more.
Grandma A’jin chuckled at his reaction. “That little rascal.”
Earlier, when Xiaoshunzi returned home with pastries, she had already asked what happened and checked his injury. It was just a bruise, nothing serious. Country kids were used to bumps and scrapes from playing outside, and since Xiaoshunzi had gotten two pieces of osmanthus pastry as compensation, the matter was settled. The two families got along well, and Grandma A’jin often asked Wei Lanxiang to buy things for her when she went to town or the market. Her question was just casual conversation, not an accusation.
Wei Lanxiang understood and chatted a bit more before heading home.
Zhao’er would turn one year old in just over a month. He was chubby, fair, and sturdy. With the weather heating up, they only dressed him in a red bellyband at noon to prevent overheating. His plump arms and legs resembled lotus root segments, and his baby fat made him adorable. He could now sit steadily, crawl, and babble, though he hadn’t quite learned to speak yet.
While the adults ate at the table, he sat in a rocking cradle nearby, peering out curiously. He gripped the edges, lifting his bottom before plopping back down repeatedly.
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