After lunch, the rain stopped, and the yard was full of puddles everywhere.
Shen Qingzhu and Shen Qingping were sharing snacks. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚑𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚑𝙣𝙚𝙩
Shen Shan carried a basket in each hand and said to Dong Yao, "I’m going to deliver things to our parents and brother first!"
"Okay." Dong Yao responded, seeming to recall something, and quickly called out, "Shan, when you come back, bring Qingju back as well."
They had already promised Shen Qinglan they’d go to town with her early tomorrow, so they couldn’t leave Shen Qingju behind.
Shen Shan answered and turned to leave with the things.
Shen Qingzhu swallowed the osmanthus cake in his mouth and asked Qinglan, "Third sister, I heard from dad that you’re looking for a job for me, is that true?"
"Yes." Shen Qinglan nodded and asked, "Are you going?"
Shen Qingzhu nodded, "Of course! I’m already sixteen, when second cousin was sixteen, he was working in town already, I also want to earn money for our parents!"
"Earn money for us?" Dong Yao feigned a cold snort, "It’d be good enough if you can support yourself, saying you’d earn money for us, aren’t you embarrassed to say that?"
Shen Qingzhu scratched his head and chuckled, not saying anything further.
"Speaking of your second cousin, he’s already twenty and still not married."
Dong Yao sighed lightly and said, "Your aunt has been worried about this for a long time, and now with the trouble about your cousin, her hair has turned white with worry!
Asked if he had a girl he liked, he said no, your aunt wanted to introduce a few girls to him, but he’s not willing; it’s really hard to know what to do."
Shen Qinglan said, "These things are best left to run their natural course. When the time comes, it will happen naturally. No need to worry."
"You’re quite right!"
Seeming to suddenly recall something, Dong Yao smiled and said, "When I married your father, I was already twenty. The girls in our village younger than me were all married, it had really worried your grandma back then."
Talking about her late mother, Dong Yao inevitably felt a wave of sorrow again, but it was the Shen siblings’ persuasion that eventually calmed her down.
Dong Yao said, "In a while, your cousin is getting married, Qinglan should have not visited your uncle’s house for ten years, right?"
Shen Qingzhu suddenly burst into laughter.
Shen Qinglan looked at him, confused.
He held back his laughter and said, "Third sister hasn’t dared to go again since breaking uncle’s porcelain vase and getting scolded by uncle."
Shen Qinglan raised her eyebrows, perhaps the incident was too long ago, or maybe the foolish person didn’t bother to remember it, so she had no impression of it.
Dong Yao laughed and said, "Your uncle just has a bit of a temper, don’t mention you all, even mom used to be often scolded to tears when she was little."
"Is that so?" Shen Qingzhu said in surprise, "I thought uncle treated mom quite well, how come he scolded her?"
"I’ve gotten married, he surely wouldn’t treat me the way he used to scold me when I was little, right?"
Dong Yao glanced at Shen Qingzhu and continued, "Your uncle, he’s got a sharp tongue but a kind heart, ever since childhood, anything tasty would be given to your grandparents and me, he wouldn’t even taste a bite himself."
"But I’m still afraid of him!" Shen Qingzhu said with some gloom.
Shen Qingping raised his hand, "Me too, I’m also afraid of uncle, every time he comes, he scolds me and big brother."
Dong Yao lightly poked each of their foreheads with her fingers, somewhat exasperated, "If you weren’t so naughty, would he scold you?"
The two heard and immediately hung their heads in silence.