Chapter 28

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Mrs. Li had beaten me just as bad. Why isn’t he apologizing to me?” grumbled Mrs. Qian, discontentedly.

She was incensed at the thought of giving away three old hens, all still laying eggs, hence valuable, to be devoured by that ungrateful brat. Her anger was far from being quelled.

Seeing no point in engaging with her, Chen Qingshan grabbed his straw hat and put it on. Holding a hen in each hand, he set off for Chen Baolai’s house.

Upon reaching the door, he encountered an elderly woman emerging from the house. She greeted him with a smirk, “Ah, Qingshan, you’re here to say sorry to the little ones?”

With his face reddening, Chen Qingshan stiffened, managing to utter, “I’m here to see Baolai.”

The elderly woman chuckled knowingly, “The whole village is well aware that you’re here to apologize to the three children today. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Head hung low, Chen Qingshan marched into the house.

The old woman spat and said to herself,” You never cared for your good wife. Now you know how embarrassing it is! How dare she steal the money, such a thief!”

Her voice was faint but reached Chen Qingshan’s ears, further inflaming his anger. He inadvertently squeezed the old hen in his grip, causing it to squawk in pain.

Once inside, he noticed Chen Xiaosang sitting on a long bench, her back to the door, carefully counting copper coins. She handed them over to a person opposite her, “Here, your ninety-three coins.”

The man received the money, gesturing towards the door, “Xiaosang, your uncle’s here.”

Chen Xiaosang turned around cheerfully. Seeing a drenched Chen Qingshan, she greeted him politely, “Uncle, have you come to apologize to us?”

Through gritted teeth, Chen Qingshan responded, “Yes.”

Chen Xiaosang climbed onto the table, stood up, and shouted into the room,”Dazhu, Erzhu, Sanzhu, quickly come out. Uncle is here to apologize!”

Upon her command, the trio emerged from the house.

Chen Xiaosang resumed her seat on the long bench, patted the empty spot next to her, instructing the three, “Sit here.”

The trio was clueless about what ‘apology’ meant. However, witnessing their aunt’s evident joy, they assumed it was a good thing.

They huddled together on the bench. Dazhu noticed Chen Xiaosang being pushed to the far end of the bench. Believing that she should be sitting in the middle, he directed his two younger brothers to switch places, nestling himself and Chen Xiaosang in the center.

Seeing himself seated next to his young aunt, Dazhu looked at Chen Qingshan with delight. As he caught sight of Qingshan’s sour expression, Dazhu leaned closer to Chen Xiaosang, whispering, “Uncle seems quite scary.”

Chen Xiaosang softly responded in Dazhu’s ear, “Our parents are here. Your mom’s here too. They’ll protect us.”

The thought of his mother’s formidable presence calmed Dazhu. Mimicking Xiaosang, he flashed a cheeky grin at Chen Qingshan.

Chen Qingshan, swallowing his discomfort, placed the hen by the door. His gaze swept over the room full of people before settling on the four children seated in a row, causing his brow to furrow.

Chen Baolai addressed Mrs. Li, “If we’re out of tea, just bring four bowls of water. Let Big Brother offer the children water. He is their elder, after all. He shouldn’t genuinely be bowing down to the kids.”

The villagers who were there to sell grain nodded in agreement, “That makes sense. Uncle Baolai always thinks things through.”

The others chimed in, causing Chen Qingshan to shoot Chen Baolai a sharp glance. Could he, as the elder, really be expected to serve the children water?

Mrs. Li moved quickly, placing a bowl of water in front of Chen Qingshan.

With so many eyes on him, Chen Qingshan had no choice but to accept the bowl. He handed it to Chen Xiaosang, saying impatiently, “You’re the eldest. Drink first.”

Chen Xiaosang graciously accepted the bowl with both hands, thanking her Uncle before downing the water. She finished with a beaming smile, “Delicious!”

The villagers chuckled, saying, “The water served by an elder should taste as sweet as sugar water.”

Chen Xiaosang turned to the speaker, grinning, “If you want, you can ask your elders to serve you water too.”

The person was taken aback. She was used to serving her elders, not the other way around.

Chen Qingshan, wearing a grim expression, proceeded to serve water to the three boys.

After drinking, the boys looked puzzled. “The water isn’t sweet.”

It tasted just like the water they usually drank.

Chen Xiaosang looked at them affectionately, sighed, and said, “When you grow up, you’ll understand why this water is sweet.”

This was the first time an elder had publicly served water as an apology in Chen Family Bay. No matter how plain the water tasted, it was sweet to them. This was the taste of victory!

Laughter erupted once more among the villagers, leaving Chen Qingshan struggling to maintain his composure.

He shot Old Chen a fierce glance, saying angrily, “You better keep your word. We’re putting this matter to rest.”

“As long as Sister-in-law doesn’t stir up trouble in my house, everything will continue as before.” Old Chen responded amiably.

They had never crossed paths before, and he only wanted to live a peaceful life in the future.

Frustrated, Chen Qingshan stormed into the rain, walking home while seething with anger. Today, he felt as if he had lost all his dignity. It would have been better if he had just paid 800 coin like last time!

Meanwhile, Chen Xiaosang was sitting on a long bench, happily swinging her short legs back and forth. This joyful mood stayed with her until she went to sleep, persisting until she remembered that she had forgotten to keep her promise to meet Shen Dalang…

At dawn, she woke up and allowed Dashu’s wife to assist her in freshening up. After reluctantly finishing her breakfast, she grabbed her basket and strolled towards Shen Dalang’s house at the base of the mountain.

When Shen Dalang returned in the afternoon, he found Chen Xiaosang squatting at his doorstep, clutching a small basket, looking like a little old man.

As he opened the gate and strolled in, he heard the little girl at his side apologizing in a bubbly voice, “I’m sorry, Brother Dalang. There were so many people selling grains at our house yesterday, I forgot about our appointment.”

Shen Dalang turned to glance at Chen Xiaosang who was jogging to keep up with him. He grumbled, “I didn’t wait for you. No need for apologies.”

Chen Xiaosang patted her chest, expressing relief, “Oh, that’s good. I was worried you’d been waiting a long time.”

Shen Dalang snorted dismissively, “How could I possibly take you up the mountain?”

Having her along would only be a burden, hindering his hunting and, by extension, his earnings. Why on earth would he wait for her?

Chen Xiaosang pouted. There it was, he was upset.

Fortunately, she had come prepared.

From her pocket, Chen Xiaosang produced a boiled egg and thrust it into Shen Dalang’s hands. As he glanced at it, she quickly explained, “This was my breakfast. I brought it especially for you. If you eat it, will you forgive me?”

She seized his hand and gave it a gentle shake, “Don’t be upset, please. After all, I’ve been waiting for you all day.”

Shen Dalang’s anger noticeably ebbed with her comforting shake. He eyed the egg in his hand and couldn’t resist asking, “You skipped breakfast?”

Chen Xiaosang felt a pang of guilt. She had downed a large bowl of porridge in the morning. However, if she was full and still reserved the egg for him, it wouldn’t seem like she was sincerely remorseful.

Noticing her evasive gaze, Shen Dalang knitted his brows. She was already frail and the Chen family had been scrimping and saving eggs to fortify her health. Yet, she chose not to eat. What if she starved?

Handing the egg back to her, Shen Dalang insisted, “You should eat this.”

But Chen Xiaosang firmly shook her head, “No, I’ve saved it for you.”

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