Lu Xiao Shu had her mind thinking behind those eyes, and she grinned, “Uncle, uncle! I have an idea! I know how you can get that money!”
Everyone turned towards her, and she laughed, “Once uncle sells off the land, we’ll have the money!”
Miao Chu He’s eyes sparkled, trying his best not to laugh. He nodded in realization and smiled at Madame Xia, “Xiao Shu’s not wrong, we should sell some of our land! Oh, you could sell any of mine as I don’t mind. Take it as my gift as the eldest son.” After all, he had never seen the land himself. While Madame Xia claimed to be his “mother”, he was a known scholar who was focused on his studies and couldn’t care less about the land at home let alone if they were to sell it.
Both Madame Xia and Miao Tian Bao were outraged at Lu Xiao Shu. Meanwhile, Lu Xiao Shu seemed to not notice and grew more excited as she spoke, “Uncle, you mustn’t be like that! You’re rarely home, so why not ask for help from our third great uncle and the others? We could get them to find a suitable buyer and give Madame the money after selling it! Madame, don’t you think that’s a great idea?”
Madame Xia could not tolerate her anymore. She glared at her and growled, “Do not butt in when the adults are talking!”
Lu Xiao Shu frowned as if she was going to cry, and she explained guiltily, “I was just trying to help. Why must you scold me for that?”
“There, there, Xiao Shu. Your idea is not bad, and I think it could work as well.” Tong Yu Er comforted her as she secretly cursed at them.
“We’re not selling the land no matter who it belongs to. Don’t listen to this kid and go blabbering to your third great uncle!” Madame Xia was worried that if Miao Chu He really did that, she would have to take the brunt of the blame, and he would remain the good person as always.
“In that case, you can do as you deem fit, Mother.” Miao Chu He replied.
Miao Chu He found it amusing, and he thought to himself: This Xiao Shu is such a sly little girl. Good thing she came up with this idea! It was indeed a great way to deal with them!
Madame Xia huffed again, and her stomach ached with anger but she did not say anything else.
With the moment of silence, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Lu Xiao Shu hated such an atmosphere, so she rubbed her head against Tong Yu Er and yawned, “Auntie, I’m tired; I want to sleep!”
Tong Yu Er could not wait to leave. She stole a glance at Madame Xia and realized that there was no objection, so she smiled, “Alright, let’s go to bed. Come on. I’ll help you wash up…” She led Lu Xiao Shu away as she spoke.
Knowing that their conversation would not be making any progress tonight, Madame Xia stomached her anger and went to bed with a sour face. Meanwhile, Miao Tian Bao had Tong Yu Er on his mind for some time. It was a shame that even though the beauty was just in front of him, he could not take advantage of her, even if it were just a touch or two. Whenever he stole a glance at her, he would be annoyed by that little brat who kept lingering by her side. Eventually, he too went to bed.
While they were sleeping at night, Lu Xiao Shu shared a bed and a blanket with Tong Yu Er while Miao Chu He slept in his bed on the other side. The couple treated Lu Xiao Shu like every other child, so they did not mind. On the other hand, Lu Xiao Shu felt a little embarrassed, and she regretted a little for following them back to the Miao Family’s house.
Oh, this is so awkward!
The next day was New Year’s Eve. Because of their clash last night, Madame Xia did not look good, and Miao Tian Bao was still annoyed at the sight of Lu Xiao Shu. He woke up right before noon and left the house to have fun after having his meal.
Once Miao Chu He comforted Tong Yu Er, they started preparing the dishes for the New Year celebration and to worship the gods. Miao Chu He felt very guilty, thinking that Tong Yu Er must have never had a New Year like this. She was touched to see his thoughtfulness and smiled gently at him to comfort him. Only then did he feel slightly better.
Lu Xiao Shu had nothing to do, so she stayed by their side and played by herself. Even though she missed her parents and siblings, she could still have fun alone.
Night came. Once they had worshipped the gods and lit the firecrackers, everyone came together for the New Year’s Eve dinner. Naturally, the atmosphere was not one filled with warmth and happiness. Each of them was awkward except Miao Chu He, who was already used to it, and Lu Xiao Shu, who could not care less about their family drama. The two of them had a great appetite that night.
Heartless and lacking empathy, Lu Xiao Shu nibbled on the flagrantly stewed drumstick with relish. Then, she asked for fisheye, so Tong Yu Er gave her everything she wanted with a smile. Madame Xia was not happy with it, but she kept quiet all the while. Meanwhile, Miao Tian Bao was offended because he had never seen a girl with such audacity!
What he did not expect was that this girl was so shameless that once they finished their dinner, the girl asked for New Year’s money from him!
Miao Tian Bao’s jaw dropped in shock as if struck by lightning!
He doubted that the girl was just audacious. Instead, he was sure that she was utterly shameless!
However, it was the New Year’s and not giving New Year’s money would bring bad luck. Madame Xia sighed in defeat and simply put a few copper coins into a red packet before handing it to Miao Tian Bao. He swallowed his anger and gave it to the cheerful Lu Xiao Shu whose eyes were sparkling with joy.
Lu Xiao Shu accepted it greedily. Even if it were only one copper coin, she would have wanted to have it as well. If there were no coins at all, she would not have minded anyway since she just wanted to annoy them.
After asking for it from Miao Tian Bao, there was still obviously Madame Xia. Although Madame Xia was not happy about it, she gave her the red packet anyway for the sake of an auspicious year. When Miao Chu He and Tong Yu Er too gave her red packets, the young couple held back their laughter at her little antics.
Perhaps when Madame Xia “generously” gave Lu Xiao Shu the red packet, Lu Xiao Shu suddenly became so friendly that she would not leave Madame Xia. At the same time, she had stopped lingering around Tong Yu Er. Sitting there tending the fire, she wanted sunflower seeds in a moment, then she wanted sweets or desserts, and in the next moment, she would ask for water. It drove Madame Xia crazy, but she tolerated the girl, albeit with a sour face.
Lu Xiao Shu was secretly overjoyed, oblivious to Madame Xia’s sour mood. After all, she was just a kid who did not understand anything in the eyes of adults. She was at that age where everyone could dislike her, but they could not do anything to her, so she was not afraid of anything! Furthermore, she was not merely playing tricks on Madame Xia for fun; it was actually because the New Year had come, so why were they still there? Once Madame Xia had enough of her, she would chase her away, and her uncle and auntie would bring her home!
Tong Yu Er was indeed too innocent as she was genuinely surprised at Lu Xiao Shu’s change of attitude. She thought that the kid must love receiving red packets, which was why she suddenly became friendly with Madame Xia, making her feel a little disappointed. In the beginning, Miao Chu He did not understand what was happening too, but he caught onto Lu Xiao Shu’s act very quickly and secretly chuckled to himself.
Everyone had separate thoughts, while Madame Xia was very annoyed by the entire ordeal. This little girl kept chattering, leaving no moment of silence and peace. Before this, she was already frustrated by them all, how would she be able to deal with the girl’s constant blabbering towards her?
Soon, Madame Xia announced that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. Unexpectedly. Lu Xiao Shu blurted, “Alright!” and jumped down from her stool, adding, “I’m tired, and I want to go to bed too! Madame, can I sleep with you tonight? It’s so crowded to sleep with my auntie. I don’t want to sleep with them!” Without waiting for Madame Xia to agree, she skipped to Madame Xia’s room with her little legs.
Lu Xiao was very naughty as she thought to herself: You’re quite something for not giving me the cold shoulder. I’m impressed! If it weren’t for us to go home sooner, I wouldn’t have wasted my time on you!
Madame Xia was momentarily stunned and she stood stiffly. Tong Yu Er smiled faintly with a little sadness in her eyes. Meanwhile, Miao Chu He almost burst out laughing, and Miao Tian Bao had his eyes glaring at the little kid. He kept shaking his head as he cursed: Such audacity! She must take after her parents to be so audacious!
“Oh!” Madame Xia returned to her senses as she hurriedly followed the girl. When she entered her room, Lu Xiao Shu already took her shoes off and started rolling around on Madame Xia’s bed.
“You…” Madame Xia suddenly felt her tongue turn dry and it tasted bitter in her mouth. She spatted after a moment, “This is my bed and my blanket. I’ll get you another bed, so stop making a mess!”
“Oh, okay!” Lu Xiao Shu did not care about her manners as she agreed to that with a grin. To be honest, she hated the bed that had been used by Madame Xia. Otherwise, she would have nestled into it comfortably instead of rolling on it.
Madame Xia put up with her attitude and brought out some pillows and blankets before she carried a couch, which was just big enough for Lu Xiao Shu to sleep on. As she simply piled some rugs and sheets on the couch, she said, “You’ll be sleeping here tonight! You’re a big kid now, so you shouldn’t be sleeping with an adult anymore!”
Lu Xiao Shu looked forward to sleeping on the couch, but she faked a pout and begged to sleep on the same bed. Only when Madame Xia was truly annoyed, she agreed to sleep on the couch with a pouty face.
That night, Madame Xia’s room was going to be lively for sure. How could Lu Xiao Shu allow her to sleep in peace? She was there to create trouble, so she called for Madame Xia in a moment, only to call for her again a moment later. It was either she wanted a drink or to go pee. Otherwise, she would complain that it was cold. Anyway, there was not a moment of silence as she disturbed Madame Xia until her face was dark and her attitude aggressive. It was a pity that the girl did not take her seriously.
Once they were back in their room, Tong Yu Er sighed miserably as she felt disappointed. Was she not the closest to Lu Xiao Shu? Unexpectedly, the girl lingered around Madame Xia all night because of a few copper coins.
When they got into bed, Miao Chu He hugged her tightly as he explained what happened. Only then, she brightened up as she asked, “Is it true?”
Miao Chu He laughed, “Of course it is. That little girl is pretty smart. She’s not that easily fooled!”
As Tong Yu Er thought about it, she agreed as Lu Xiao Shu was not a girl who could be bought by sweets or gifts. She felt a weight lifted from her heart as she smiled.
The next morning, Miao Chu He brought Tong Yu Er to visit their third great uncle and the other elders. When Madame Xia noticed Lu Xiao Shu smiling sweetly at her after breakfast, she avoided the girl like a snake running for its life and left the house. Lu Xiao Shu laughed so much that her stomach ached.
