This year, they planted three mu more in the chili fields, and all three mu were red chili peppers.

With the villagers having learned from last year’s experience, Boss Tang didn’t have to worry too much this year. Plus, with Tieniu running back and forth to Xu Village and the restaurant closed, Boss Tang was able to focus on his postpartum recovery. The courtyard had become quieter, though it wasn’t exactly deserted.

There were plenty of children around.

When the sunlight was good during the day, his two apprentices and the three sisters would practice calligraphy in the courtyard—something Tieniu had taught them earlier.

Tieniu grew up in the Huangfu household until he was thirteen. According to Tang Xianling, “He didn’t fall behind in his academic studies, so he was more than capable of providing the children with a basic education.”

The family also had books such as *The Hundred Family Surnames* and *The Thousand Character Classic*.

Jiang Yun and Tang Zhen were in charge of the household chores—cooking, washing diapers soaked in a spicy soup—while a laundry lady came to pick up the family’s large items of clothing. Otherwise, it would have been too exhausting for the family members to wash such a huge pile on their own.

These tasks were left to professionals.

Tang Xianling didn’t exactly stay cooped up indoors during his postpartum confinement. On clear, sunny days at noon, when the sun was warm, he would come out of his bedroom to walk around the courtyard for a while, then lean back in a recliner, covered with a quilt, to soak up the sun.

He didn’t have a care in the world—there was simply nothing for him to worry about.

Day after day, he simply ate and drank, played with Tang Lala, and looked over the children’s homework, offering the occasional comment. 

Tang Xianling: “Sticking a green onion in a pig’s snout—that’s one way to show off!”

After forty-five days of postpartum confinement, Tang Xianling was nearly driven mad, but finally, he was “allowed to come out of confinement.”

That day, he and Tieniu went to Xiangtangzi for a refreshing bath. Second Sister and Mother had been taking the kids there from time to time, and Tang Xianling had been dying to go. After his bath, Big Boss Tang gave it some thought and decided to resume work in five days.

By this time, it was already late May.

This year’s chili peppers hadn’t come in yet, so he’d put off the barbecue season until June. With business resuming in late May after such a long break, he needed to give his customers a chance to get back into the swing of things and let them know his place was open again.

“Let’s open up. I’ll keep an eye on the spicy dishes,” Tang Zhen said.

Tang Xianling glanced at his second older sister and said very seriously, “Second Sister, think about yourself.”

Tang Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant. A hint of resentment lingered between her brows, but she forced herself to let it go and said, “Are you talking about the Cui family? It’s already come to this—Cui Bo’an hasn’t come looking for us. The Cui family doesn’t want us anymore, and my child and I can’t go back either.”

“Even if we could go back… I wouldn’t want to.” Tang Zhen meant every word.

Tang Xianling shook her head. “Sister, that’s not what I meant. I’ve long since seen that you’ve lost interest in the Cui family. What I’m saying is, think about your career—”

“There’s no need for you to watch the kid for me. With all the comings and goings in our courtyard, anyone can lend a hand and keep an eye on Lala. There’s no need to burden you by having you watch just one child all the time. You can help out at the restaurant—I’ll pay you money. To be honest, I don’t think it’s much of a favor to you. At first, I just wanted you to clear your head a bit.”

As soon as Tang Zhen heard that last sentence, she let out a wry smile. Her younger brother had realized back then that Cui Bo’an wasn’t a good match for her, yet she’d kept her head down, ignoring everything, as if she were blind.

“You’re raising four kids; I have to think about your future,” Tang Xianling said.

His second older sister looked after the children and helped out at the restaurant; he paid her a salary, and their mother occasionally chipped in when she had extra money—but these were all temporary solutions. The most crucial thing was for his second older sister to have a career of her own.

“In the Rong Dynasty, both husbands and wives could make a living on their own. I can run a restaurant, and you can do something else too. When I was in Lujing, there were plenty of women and men selling food from street stalls.”

When Tang Xianling got to this point, he hurried to explain, “I don’t mean to rush you.”

Tang Zhen understood. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her younger brother certainly wasn’t looking down on her; he was thinking of her best interests through and through, urging her to stand on her own two feet. With their four children now fatherless, they would have to rely solely on her from now on. If she could stand on her own—even if she didn’t build a great career, just earn a little more money—she’d be able to support the children in the future.

That was exactly what her younger brother meant.

Back when she was at the Cui household, Cui Bo’an wouldn’t let her get involved in the front shop’s business or look at the ledgers. Every day, her mother-in-law would give her a few copper coins. She had to report every expense in detail; if she paid too much or was short even a single wen of cash, she’d have to spend half the day explaining herself.

Back then, Cui Bo’an said this was to “spare her the trouble,” so she could live a comfortable life. But now, her younger brother was asking her to put in the effort and work just like the men do.

“I know.” Tang Zhen raised her hand to wipe away the tears that had rolled down her cheeks, though this time there was joy in her eyes as she said with great certainty, “Have you already figured out a plan for me?”

Tang Xianling smiled slightly. “If you don’t want to do it and would rather keep things as they are, that’s fine—I’m not forcing you.” Noticing a newfound resolve in his second sister’s eyes, he added earnestly, “I’ll give you the secret recipe for the hot pot base. Then you and Xiao Mi can go to Xu Village to set up a processing plant.”

“This year, I want to build a hot pot base factory in Xu Village.”

“The factory might not be very big, but I need someone I can trust to lead it.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen felt a pang of anxiety at the thought of being entrusted with such a major responsibility: “I’m afraid I’m not up to it. It’s such a big deal—what if I don’t do it right? My head’s all muddled.”

“Sis, it’s not that you’re confused—it’s that you don’t know people well. But you can’t be blamed for that. Back then, when you married into the Cui family, it was an arranged marriage where you knew nothing about them. You didn’t know what the Cui family was like. Once you’d reached that point, you had no choice but to force yourself to accept your fate and convince yourself it was for the best—that was the only way to get by. But things are different now. You have a choice. In Xu Village, there are Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wang. The people there are simple and kind-hearted, and we aren’t harsh people either. We’ve made money, and the villagers have jobs too…”

“Think it over.”

“As for the Cui family, there’s no rush.”

As soon as Tang Zhen heard this, her eyebrows twitched. “The Cui family? What’s going on with the Cui family?”

“We’ve got to get the divorce papers, and their family swindled our three young daughters out of their silver jewelry—I’ve got to get that back.” Tang Xianling was holding a grudge over every little thing.

Right now, Second Sister was in a vulnerable state. Even if he stood up for her, he couldn’t just go to the Cui family with Tieniu and shout about it—Second Sister had to show her own resolve and handle it herself. That’s what would really be satisfying.

Outsiders could bolster her morale and cheer her on from the sidelines, but they couldn’t take center stage. Second Sister had to tackle her own life’s challenges herself.

Hearing her younger brother speak this way, Tang Zhen didn’t know where she found the courage, but all her earlier anxiety and inner conflict vanished, and she agreed without hesitation. In June, Uncle Zhang came to deliver the first batch of chili peppers.

Tang Lala was just over two months old at the time. His eyes were wide open, and his skin was fair with a rosy glow, though he wasn’t chubby. His features had a touch of handsomeness about them. When Zhang Huai saw him, he blurted out, “Tsk, what a handsome little boy.”

Zhang Huai washed his hands and scrubbed them clean with fragrant beans before taking the baby from Tieniu’s arms and cradling him on his own. Tang Lala wasn’t shy; he turned his head to meet the eyes of the person holding him, but instead of cooing or babbling, he remained as silent as a clam.

“He really takes after Tieniu—such a quiet one,” Zhang Huai remarked. 

Tang Xianling agreed, “You’re absolutely right.”

Tang Lala heard his father’s voice, turned to look at him, and furrowed his eyebrows slightly, his expression clearly saying, “Daddy’s talking about Lala.” 

Tang Xianling’s expression changed in an instant, and he said with a grin, “I was complimenting you—my little baby.”

It was unclear whether Lala understood, but his brows unfurled, and he gave his father a smile.

Zhang Huai laughed heartily and said, “Our Lala is really smart—he’s only a few months old and already understands what we’re saying.”

“Come sit down, in-laws,” Jiang Yun invited. 

“Why are we standing out in the courtyard talking?” She added, “Lala is so smart—whenever anyone says a bad word about him, he just stares right back at them.”

Xiao Daniang covered her mouth and laughed, “He’s just a little kid—he doesn’t understand. Yesterday I called him a slowpoke, and he just smiled at me.” 

“That’s because he likes his big sister,” Tang Xianling said.

Xiao Daniang said, “Then I won’t say anything about him anymore.”

“Then you’ll have to talk it over with him,” Tang Xianling said, unconcerned with the child’s “verbal spat.” But he glanced at Lala—the little rascal was as tight-lipped as a clam, unwilling to utter even a single “ee” or “ah” or a little grunt.

He’d just grumble a couple of times when he was hungry or needed to pee.

To be honest, he wasn’t nearly as much fun as Cui Xiaoyuan when he was acting up.

Zhang Huai held Lala tightly, refusing to let go. He was a man of few words, and Lala in his arms was even quieter, which made Zhang Huai talk more than usual as he teased her: “Do you recognize Grandpa?”

“Grandpa will take Lala to see your other grandpa later.” 

“Your uncle’s been asking about you too.” 

“There’s no room left in the cart”…

When Tang Xianling heard Uncle Zhang say “the cart’s too full,” he almost couldn’t hold back a laugh. When adults talk to little kids, they unconsciously start using childish language.

It was Saturday, and Uncle Zhang had brought some chili peppers. He doted on Lala to his heart’s content. Before leaving, Tieniu hitched the cart to take Second Sister and the four kids to Xu Village—

The children could have stayed home, but Second Sister insisted on taking them with her. It was a rare display of “firmness” on her part, so Tang Xianling didn’t try to dissuade her.

Tang Zhen, however, explained, “It’s not that I’m afraid of being a burden on the family, but you’re right—all four children depend on me. You took in Yuchun and Huaji—within less than a month of being with you, they were already devoted entirely to you. My children can only rely on me now.”

Tang Xianling was about to say something when Tang Zhen smiled. “I know they still have you, their Uncle, to rely on at home, but for now, they’re depending on me, their mother.”

“All right.” Tang Xianling had a thousand words on his mind, but he boiled them down to a single character. He trusted his second older sister.

Tieniu hitched the cart to the wagon and loaded the four children onto it. Jiang Yun and Tang Xianling had prepared a bag full of food, which they stuffed into the hands of the three sisters. Jiang Yun couldn’t bear to part with them and followed Erniang to instruct, “If you get too busy, just bring the children back.”

“Got it, Mother.”

Zhang Huai said to his mother-in-law, “Don’t worry. Erniang and the others will be staying at our place for now, and we’ll definitely take good care of them. If anything happens to the children, Mother-in-law, feel free to come to my door and beat me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun smiled slightly and said, “I trust you, son-in-law.”

Zhang Huai drove his handcart, loaded with the luggage of Tang Zhen, her daughter, and the others. After everything was neatly arranged, he said, “If Hainiu knew that Si-ger was coming to stay at my place for good, he’d be over the moon.”

At those words, the crowd that had been feeling a bit reluctant to part ways now all relaxed and laughed. After all, it wouldn’t be long, and the distance wasn’t that far.

The two mule carts set off.

As for the “spice factory” project, Tieniu and Tang Xianling would handle the legwork, with Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wang keeping an eye on things from time to time. Tang Zhen had gone ahead early to acclimate to the environment—learning how to plant chili peppers, how to sun-dry and grind them into powder, and spending more time getting to know the villagers.

Tang Xianling wanted his second older sister to “take the lead,” so he decided to give Xiao Mi a break—after all, Xiao Mi was still young. His second older sister had been timid and weak at the Cui family’s place, but that was due to the pressures of her environment; he hoped she would mature quickly.

Once the Tang family restaurant started serving chili dishes—and with the sweltering summer heat and the evening menu featuring barbecue—business took off immediately.

Diners at the restaurant noticed that sometimes the young owner would be at the counter, cradling a little boy and soothing him. He handled the child with such ease—lulling him to sleep, carrying him to the backyard to put him down, and returning empty-handed shortly afterward.

“Was that the little boss the young owner was holding just now?” one diner asked.

Another diner laughed and said, “Definitely. Mr. Tang’s son was born in March—I remember the restaurant was closed for a month and a half because of it.”

“Everything about his place is great, except they close too often.”

“Well, you can’t blame Mr. Tang for this one, then.”

“Just one glance at the kid and I could tell he’s Mr. Tang and the young boss’s son—he takes after both of them.” 

“He does look like them.”

“Who knows what his name is?” 

“Tang Lala.”

“He takes Mr. Tang’s surname?” The diners were all taken aback for a moment, but then someone caught on and said with a chuckle, “That’s a nice-sounding name—it sounds like a rich kid.”

These days, chili peppers are hard to come by in Fengyuan City, especially the hot pot base made by the Tang family. Last year, the price of a single piece soared to a high of five liang of silver. From this perspective, the Tang family’s restaurant is quite affordable—and even during the winter and New Year’s celebrations, Mr. Tang donated money to disaster relief efforts.

Meanwhile, those unscrupulous merchants profited from his work instead. Rumor has it they’ve even bought mansions.

To some sharp-eyed observers in the East Market and the West Market, this was nothing short of a sensation—and some were already running the numbers in their heads, thinking that even if business was slow this year, they’d stockpile some Tang family hot pot base to resell later.

They’d have to hold onto it until the New Year; if they couldn’t sell it, they could always eat it themselves.

That’s why the name Tang Lala sounds like someone’s rich—just like if someone were named “Golden Ingot.”

Tieniu had just put Lala back on the four-poster bed in the main hall—with a railing added around it so everyone passing by could see the child from time to time—when he arrived at the shop, and a diner asked, “Young boss, when will this year’s hot pot base be ready?”

“About ten days earlier than last year—the hot pot base needs to be chilled a bit before we can sell it,” Tieniu replied. Someone else asked, “Can we pre-order it?”

“That’s definitely not possible—the beef tallow hasn’t come in yet.”

After that table of diners left, a regular customer paid his bill and complained to Young Boss Tieniu, “That table just now—the guy with the handlebar mustache—he was definitely planning to buy extra to resell.”

“Got it. I’ll keep an eye out. Thanks for the heads-up.” Tieniu knew his husband really hated scalpers, so he gave the regular a straight answer: “We’ll definitely have to limit purchases of hot pot base again this year, though I don’t know exactly how much yet.”

The regular customer replied, “The purchase limits are the right call, but if someone’s determined to resell them, there’s no stopping them—though you can’t really be blamed for that; it just shows how well your business is doing.”

“You guys should keep an eye out, too.”

The diner had originally wanted to say that hot pot bases were too lucrative, and he feared that some people in the West Market might be envious enough to take risks. Even if they couldn’t make a profit themselves, it would be easy enough to prevent the Tang Family Eatery from making one—some people simply have that kind of malicious intent.

Unable to profit themselves, they’d find all sorts of ways to sabotage others’ profits. Tieniu nodded and thanked the customer with a smile.

They weren’t going to stop running their business just because someone was envious of this venture.

Later, the diner who’d given the warning learned that the Tang Family Restaurant had also received a gift from the Li family this year—“The Li family? You mean the Li family of Lord Li, the official in our Fengyuan City?”

“That’s exactly it. Besides this Li family, what other Li family would be worth my mentioning to you?” The friend teased his buddy, “You’re actually worrying about Brother Wu Tang’s restaurant? Don’t worry—he’s got some deep connections behind the scenes.”

Hearing this, the diner smiled with relief. “Well, that puts my mind at ease.”

“Come to think of it,” his friend asked curiously, “you’re not even remotely related to them—why are you so concerned about a stranger’s restaurant?”

The diner replied, “Never mind that their food suits my taste—the main thing is that they’re such good people. During last year’s snowstorm, even though it’s just a small restaurant, they spent over half a month helping with relief efforts. The food is great, and the husband-and-wife team running it are decent people. It’s a business built from the ground up by ordinary folks in the neighborhood. If I were to stand by and watch someone pull a dirty trick behind their back to screw them over, I just couldn’t live with myself.”

“Oh, you—now I get it. That’s why you’re always running over there. You say the husband and wife have good character—well, that’s just because it suits your taste. You’re just a good person.”

Hearing his friend’s praise, the diner smiled and waved it off nonchalantly, then added, “Looking at it now, Mr. Tang seems to have some good connections and relationships behind the scenes. If he were to open a restaurant right now, it would work out just fine.”

“The restaurant’s too small right now. It’d be great if we could open a big restaurant.”

The friend nodded. “There are two key things for a restaurant: having someone backing you up and having money. His place should be a success, right?” 

“He’s a little short on money. Selling hot pot bases this year should cover it, but—”

“But what?”

A regular customer, thinking about how Mr. Tang would have to close the restaurant while he was on postpartum leave, couldn’t help but say, “They’re short on cooks—the restaurant can’t run on Mr. Tang alone.” Then he muttered to himself, “I heard Mr. Tang just took on two new apprentices. If he trains them well, they’ll be enough…”

But that’ll take two or three years, won’t it? 

At the Tang family compound.

Tang Yuchun and Tang Huaji were both hard workers. They began by learning knife skills from Xiao Mi—leaving aside other matters, Xiao Mi and his senior brother Da Yuan were known for their solid knife skills. During the day, the two of them sliced potatoes into strips and slices, shredded radishes—basically, they sliced everything they could get their hands on.

After lunch, they tidied up and then practiced calligraphy.

Tang Xianling called out, “You two go back to your room for a nap—half a shichen. If I catch either of you sneaking off to study instead of sleeping, I’ll spank your palms.” 

He was just scaring the kids.

The two obedient apprentices immediately obeyed their master, went back to their room, took off their outer garments, got into bed, and quickly closed their eyes. Tang Huaji asked with his eyes closed, “Senior Sister, will Master really hit the palms of our hands?”

“Master definitely wouldn’t have the heart to do that,” Tang Yuchun said with her eyes closed.

Their master walked by and cleared his throat. Startled, the two children fell silent; even their closed eyelids trembled. 

Tang Xianling: …Hehehe. The scare worked.

Children need to eat well and get plenty of sleep to grow tall.

Yuchun had a large frame; at ten years old, she was already about the same height as his Second sister’s Xiao Daniang. Tang Xianling thought the little girl would grow to be over 1.65 meters tall. If she were too short, it would be a bit of a struggle for her to wield a knife or a cast-iron wok—

Otherwise, he could teach her how to make pastries.

As for Huaji, he’s even smaller and thinner.

Master Tang was starting to get a headache.

Then he went to pick up his son, Tang Lala. Tang Xianling leaned down to kiss Lala on the forehead and said earnestly, “You’ve got to eat well so you can grow tall.” Whether Tang Lala understood or not, he just smiled when his dad kissed him.

Tang Xianling: Heh heh heh, this kid’s a bit of a simpleton—just like Tieniu.

The two apprentices woke up after an hour’s nap, then reviewed the characters their Shigong had taught them the day before. Only after finishing their lessons and having their work checked by the Shigong were they allowed to go into the kitchen to help—usually with tasks like picking vegetables, washing them, shelling beans, or skewering meat.

Tang Xianling: “If you two get tired after working for a while, take a break on your own—don’t make me have to tell you.”

“Got it, Master.” 

“Got it.”

The two apprentices were really well-behaved—they were just too hardworking and diligent.

“All right, you two, wash your hands and go out to the courtyard to play with Lala for a while.” Tang Xianling shooed the two children out of the kitchen—once they got busy, they wouldn’t stop until he told them to.

The two kids went to help watch over Tang Lala, but Tang Lala was a mini-version of Tieniu—“quiet and steady.” Once he lay down on the folding bed under the shed, he could entertain himself by playing with his hands and feet for ages without crying a single tear.

Whenever Tang Xianling saw this, he would look at Tieniu, furrowing his brow: “Were you like this when you were little? Even when your mother was still alive, were you like this? I mean, is this your natural disposition, or were you forced into it by the Huangfu family?”

Tieniu thought for a moment. “I was definitely like that as a child, but I went through a rebellious phase when I got a little older.” As soon as Tang Xianling heard the word “rebellious,” his eyes lit up, and he pressed, “How old were you?”

“Seven or eight, I think. I even ran away from the private school once.”

Tang Xianling: “Great, great, that’s wonderful.”

Tieniu laughed upon hearing this and said, “Who would be as eager as you to see Tang Lala skip school?” He added, “Am I still a man of few words these days?”

“I don’t think so anymore,” Tang Xianling said. Then it hit him: “Oh, right—Tieniu isn’t exactly a cold fish around him now.” Or rather, ever since he met Tieniu, aside from being a bit quiet at first, their days together have grown sweeter and sweeter.

Sometimes, his Tieniu even teases him.

“So don’t worry so much about the future. Once Lala grows up and meets someone he likes, he’ll talk a lot more,” Tieniu said.

Tang Xianling puckered his lips, reached out to tug at Tang Lala’s sock, and said, “Well, that’ll make things pretty easy for me as a dad—having such a little mute.” The little mute on the bed cooed and wiggled his tiny feet.

Tang Xianling: Haha, it’s so much fun to tease a little kid.

This summer, a hot pot base factory was built in Xu Village. Tieniu and Tang Xianling transported oil paper and hemp rope there. Throughout Xu Village, the gates of all ten households stood wide open, with baskets of bright red chili peppers propped up to dry under the blazing sun. Some families, having dried their peppers, had already begun grinding them into chili powder with stone mills…

The village chief approached Mr. Tang and said, “A few days ago, a stranger was sneaking around our village.” Tang Xianling shot him a warning glance.

“I led some villagers to chase him away, but we couldn’t stop them. We chased one away, but not long after, two more showed up—this time at night—and they were heading straight for the chili fields.” The village chief looked guilty and embarrassed.

Tang Xianling replied, “It’s all right. This was bound to happen sooner or later. I just didn’t expect the people behind it to be so shameless.” Since he wouldn’t sell them seeds, these people had resorted to “stealing seeds.”

“Later, Zhang Huai led a group, along with his water buffalo, to patrol from time to time. Thankfully, our village is remote, so we haven’t seen any strangers since then. But I’m guessing that someone might have picked the chili peppers that night. I heard from Laoliu’s family that a small patch of their chili field was bare.”

Tang Xianling reassured the village chief that it was no big deal—if some were lost, so be it—and that they would still pay as agreed.

As that long summer passed and autumn arrived, Lu Sanniang baked a large batch of mooncakes to sell at the counter. She had already mastered ninety-nine percent of the art of baking mooncakes, while Tang Yuchun and Tang Huaji assisted her and learned alongside her. The family’s supply of goods became much more consistent.

The Mid-Autumn Festival brought a three-day holiday, and the Tang family’s restaurant closed its doors.

Lord Pus’s caravan also arrived early. Mr. Tang, accompanied by Lala and Tieniu, left the city to meet up with the tallow caravan outside the city walls, and they rode nonstop straight to Xu Village.

Tang Zhen had been in Xu Village for over four months and had become well-acquainted with the villagers. Working outdoors during the summer had tanned her considerably, but she had grown much healthier overall—she had that kind of vitality and vigor.

In the past, despite having given birth to many children, Tang Zhen had been kept down by the Cui family; she exuded a “fragile” aura from the inside out, as if she were merely a pawn to be controlled by others. Now, though her skin was darker, she stood tall with a straight back, and her eyes sparkled with vitality.

Her three young daughters had also tanned a bit, but they were much livelier now, running as fast as they could along the country lanes. Xiao Erniang tugged at her younger sister, Xiao Sanniang, and together they called out loudly, “Uncle! Uncle!”

“Lala’s here too!”

“Hurry home and tell Uncle Hainiu.”

Tang Xianling “stopped” Xiao Erniang right there on the cart and said with a smile, “Why are you running? Hop on the cart and let’s go home together. Did Uncle Hainiu take Si-ger out to play without bringing the two of you?”

Tieniu stopped the mule cart, picked up Xiao Sanniang and Xiao Erniang, and helped them onto the cart.

“That’s not true—Uncle Hainiu went up the mountain to gather chestnuts,” Erniang said quickly.

Xiao Sanniang snuggled up next to Uncle to look at Lala. It had been a long time since she’d seen him—Lala had grown so much. She looked up and added to Second Sister’s words: “Big Sister is at home with Si-ger, shelling peanuts. The two of us came out to play, and Sister Hua picked some fruit for us to eat.”

“What kind of fruit?”

Xiao Sanniang reached into her pouch, pulled out some small, purplish-brown fruits, and handed them all to Uncle. “Uncle, Uncle, have some. Give some to Lala, too.”

“It’s too spicy for me,” Tang Xianling said, but he grabbed a handful, didn’t even wash them, just gave them a quick wipe, and popped them all into his mouth, exclaiming, “Sweet! Delicious!”

Xiao Sanniang spoke with greater clarity now, and needless to say, Xiao Erniang—who used to be caught in the middle—had also become more outspoken. It seemed that Second Sister was doing quite well in the village with the children.