Chapter 41: A Narrow Escape

Translator: 549690339

“Uncle, when will you dig the poop?” Tang Yuxin asked, wrinkling her little nose.

And Tang Zhijun was left somewhere between wanting to laugh and cry.

“Well, I’ll dig it when you fall asleep, and then I’ll get you some sweet milk candies,” he replied.

Tang Yuxin grabbed Tang Zhijun’s clothing. Fine, she wouldn’t sleep then. She intended to keep an eye on her second uncle. In her last life, she didn’t stop anything. But in this life, she was determined to save Zhijun’s life.

Tang Zhijun picked up the shovel, ready to start digging the manure. It was best to get these things done early, since there was nothing to do in the fields at the moment. Not long after he left, Tang Yuxin clambered out of bed, carelessly put on her shoes, and ran out after him.

At that moment, Tang Zhijun was busy scooping out the manure from the pit. He had already managed to dig a big hole, and his figure stood right in it.

“Second Uncle, Second Uncle…”

Tang Zhijun put down his shovel. Had he heard Yuxin’s voice?

Hadn’t she been asleep? She usually didn’t wake up until nightfall. That’s why he had ventured outside instead of playing with her. His big brother was a great farmer and a handy carpenter. Now that there was no work in the fields, he could take advantage of this free time to make a few stools for others to pad his income. He was the one looking after the little girl these days. Fortunately, she was easy to take care of and didn’t make a fuss. His thought was to finish this job while she was sleeping to earn a bit more money for some tasty treats for her.

So, why was she awake now?

He put down his shovel and, sure enough, saw Tang Yuxin standing not far away, her little face white as a sheet. What had happened?

He quickly walked over to her. But realizing how he must smell, he felt a bit helpless. He knew how much the little girl, Xiaoyu, loved cleanliness.

“Second Uncle…” Tang Yuxin ran over and hugged Tang Zhijun, apparently not fazed by his smelly clothes. But soon her face wrinkled up into a small knot.

“Second Uncle, you stink.”

Tang Zhijun knew she would complain. “Yes, Second Uncle knows he stinks. I’ll go home, take a bath, and smell wonderful.”

However, before he finished speaking, he heard a sudden splash from behind him. As he turned around, he was completely stunned and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Tang Zhinian dusted off the stool he was working on. The stools he made were sturdy, and he was good at conserving materials. This allowed him to take on side jobs as a carpenter in other villages whenever he had free time, pulling in some extra money. Without this additional income, he wouldn’t be able to indulge his daughter based solely on their farm’s income. Although he was a man from the countryside, he made sure his daughter was always clean and wore the nicest clothes, much like a city child.

Now that he had hope for a better life, he was determined to save more money. He wanted his daughter to wear the prettiest clothes, eat the tastiest food, aspire to go to high school, and eventually college.

It was his failure as a husband that he couldn’t keep his wife around. Therefore, he tried to compensate his daughter in other ways.

He blew the dust off the stool again, then examined it from top to bottom, looking for any rough edges.

“Zhinian, Brother Zhinian…” Suddenly, one of the villagers ran up, panting heavily. He pointed in a certain direction, but was too breathless to speak.