She let out a cold laugh, "Why does it stink so much? Who’s letting off a series of farts? Oh! Is it you? Sorry, I didn’t see you there; your presence is so negligible. Do me a favor and stay away from me, or you’ll suffocate me."
Cui Dong’s face turned red with anger, "How can you be so vulgar!?"
Dong Huiying didn’t even spare him a glance but walked over to San Nian and gently caressed his small face. "San Nian, does it hurt?"
Dong Nian was about the same height as Dong Huiying, and they looked at each other eye to eye. The child had fair skin, which made the slap marks from Old Lady Cui’s hand on his face all the more shocking. He was clutching a dirty, trampled fragrance pouch, which was actually the main cause of today’s incident.
A little earlier, Xu Wenzhou had finished cooking and sent Er Yuan and San Nian to fetch Dong Huiying and Liang Zhichen home for the meal. Old Lady Cui happened to be going out to carry water when she saw Er Yuan and San Nian and gave them a disdainful look, her face contorted with scorn.
San Nian’s fragrance pouch fell to the ground, and Old Lady Cui deliberately stepped on it several times. Afterwards, San Nian, with a stern little face, pushed Old Lady Cui away, picked up the pouch, and patted off the dust with affection. But Old Lady Cui fiercely slapped him across the face, leaving him dizzy and disoriented, which led to this conflict.
Facing his elder sister’s concern, the quiet and somewhat introverted San Nian shook his little head knowingly.
He moved his lips and uttered softly, "Not sore."
But his tiny voice was like that of a kitten’s, almost inaudible if you weren’t listening carefully.
Dong Huiying felt a pang of heartache for the child, and she murmured to San Nian’s small head, "No, it isn’t that it doesn’t hurt. In the future, if anyone asks you again, you need to tell them, ’It hurts, it hurts a lot, I’m dizzy, I feel like vomiting, I’m nauseous, I can’t eat.’ Understand?"
San Nian looked at his elder sister with puzzlement but then noticed the slight squint in her eyes, and he involuntarily shivered, feeling as though someone was about to suffer a big misfortune.
Looking at Old Lady Cui and Cui Dong opposite him, San Nian’s mood suddenly improved for some reason.
As soon as the Dong family parents learned that their children had been bullied, they hurried out the door. Xu Wenzhou was supporting Dong Feiyan, whose leg injury had not yet healed, but they didn’t have to go far before running into Da Bao, Er Yuan, San Nian, and Liang Zhichen.
Xu Wenzhou hurried over. San Nian pursed his little lips, and Er Yuan started to narrate the events in detail.
Xu Wenzhou clenched his fists; his face was ashen with anger, but when he looked at Dong Huiying, his expression softened somewhat. "Baobao, let’s go home; otherwise, the meal will get cold."
Dong Feiyan was also fraught with worry but refrained from showing it in front of Dong Huiying. The worries of the adults were for the adults to deal with. As for Baobao... After all, Baobao would soon return to the Liang family, so it was better she didn’t join in the troubles.
After the meal, Dong Huiying sat under the eaves, furrowing her brows in thought for a good while when suddenly a light and hesitant set of footsteps approached her.
She looked up to see San Nian, the child, looking sneaky. Upon being discovered by her, his small face turned a slight red.
She got up to meet him.
Dong Nian hung his head, seemingly struggling with something. Finally, he suddenly stuffed the fragrance pouch into his elder sister’s hands.
Dong Huiying was taken aback, "Is this for me?"
A fragrance pouch, also known as a fragrance bag, differed from a money bag. While a money bag contained silver taels and copper coins, a fragrance pouch was used to hold fragrant powders and herbs.