Anti-theft label

  By the time she arrives, the family will have dispersed.

  Inside the main house, the first person sitting on top was the elder of the Gu family, whom Gu Weiqiang called "Uncle".

  Next were Mr. Gu and Zhou Aijuan.

  Gu's four sons sat on both sides. Yes, since the division of property is a big deal, Gu Wei-qiang specially called back Gu Wei-min who was in the county town.

  Although Lao San became the son-in-law of Lao Li's family, he is still considered a member of the Gu family and has his share in this branch of the family.

  This was Gu An An's first time seeing her third uncle. Unlike her own father who was tall and majestic, her third uncle looked somewhat bookish instead.

  She was so neat and tidy that if you said she was a schoolteacher rather than a carpenter's wife, she would have believed it. To be precise, Gu Shu's appearance was the one that made San Shu look like they were carved out of the same mold.

  Gu Anan pulled her younger brother's hand and rushed back from outside in a fluster.

  As soon as she saw Gu Weiqiang, she rushed up to him like a little swallow, softly calling out "Dad", and tears immediately fell. Gu Weiqiang's previous fierce expression completely disappeared, his entire demeanor suddenly becoming gentle, "You're all grown up now, why are you still crying like a child?"

  "Why didn't you have dinner at your uncle's house?"

  "Waiting for Dad, we'll have dinner together as a family."

  "Yes, Dongdong also misses Daddy."

  Gu Wei Qiang coaxed his two children, then turned around and looked at the first elder of the clan. "Seventh Uncle, let's do it as previously discussed. This house will be divided among us four brothers, one room per person." It was only right that he got what he wanted, not willing to give up a single share. He had made himself clear: he considered them brothers, but they considered him an outsider.

  Seventh Uncle took a puff of his dry tobacco, tapped the tobacco pouch on the table several times, nodded and said, "Gen Sheng, do you have anything to say? Are you and your wife going to follow which child?"

  Gu Gen Sheng is Gu Lao Ye Zi, he's now completely out of energy, he finally understood that when children grow up, they don't listen to their parents. Among the four sons in his family, only the second son has a heart that matches his. As soon as he opened his mouth, he said, "I'll live with Er Ge."

  Gu Weifu's complexion finally looked a bit better, and the old man followed him, which meant that the things his brothers had been filial to the old man were still his. Moreover, the old man was still young now and could work for several more years.

  Zhou Aiju seemed to have understood that now all the children had left and were following someone else, but no one was comfortable in their heart.

  "She simply waved her hand, 'When dividing the house, leave me one room, I won't follow anyone, just live alone from now on! Each child will give us five yuan a month to show their filial piety, four sons, that's twenty yuan in total. My husband and I will each take ten yuan, we'll live our own lives separately. You can go with the second son if you want to.' Her heart had turned cold by now."

  Old Master Gu heard this and his neck stiffened. "You old wife, what nonsense are you spouting? If you don't follow Old Two, what else do you want to do?"

  "Depend on Lao Er? With Lao Er's wife being so stingy, she only does things that benefit herself. Do you think she'll serve you tea and water? Support you? Dream on." Zhou Aiju thought to herself, "I can still move around now, I support myself, but if one day I'm unable to move, Lao Si, I'll ask you, are you willing to support this useless old woman?"

  Gu Wei Qiang forced a smile, "Mom, you can follow me now, An An and Dong Dong don't have a mom, so it's up to grandma to take care of them more."

  Gu An'an and Gu Dongdong also hugged Zhou Aijuan's thigh, opening their mouths together, "Mom, we'll support you."

  "This, Zhou Aijuan heard in her heart is comfortable, but still shook her head,"If I were to follow you Lao Si, who knows if someone would think that I'm taking advantage of Lao Si's family and feel it's unfair. It's better for me to be alone, you all have time come visit me often."

  Who is this kind-hearted person referring to? Of course, it's Wang Da Ying.

  Wang Da Ying stood by, also silent, letting everyone watch.

  Gu Weimin, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Since mom wants to live alone, I voluntarily give up my share of the house, let her live there." Behind him, Li Yue'e pinched his waist, Gu Weimin turned back and glared at her, after all, he was the head of the household. Li Yue'e didn't say a word, she just hugged their young son tightly.

  "Ancestor, 'no regrets'?"

  Gu Weimin shook his head, "I was already a live-in son-in-law, this is what my mother deserved."

  The old man stood up, "Alright, since everyone agrees, let's do it this way! The house will be divided into four parts. Guo Gen Sheng and his branch will give up their share automatically. Zhou Ai Ju, Guo Wei Min, Guo Wei Guo, and Guo Wei Qiang will each get one room. As for the elderly, Guo Gen Sheng will live with the second brother, while Zhou Ai Ju will live alone. From now on, Guo Wei Qiang will be responsible for taking care of Zhou Ai Ju's old age. Each child must give their parents five yuan every month."

  "After taking care of the family, the five mu of mountain land behind the house, how will you divide it?"

  Gu Weiqiang and Gu Weimin shook their heads at the same time, "We don't need it, give it to big brother." Big brother naturally referred to Gu Weiguo.

  The two younger brothers have expressed their opinions, so Gu Weifu naturally cannot compete with the eldest for this land. Even if he were to get it, considering their household, Wang Da Ying is lazy and gluttonous, and his three sons are not suitable for farming either. As for himself, why would a good team leader like him bother with farming?

  "Let it go, big brother."

  Gu Weiguo thanked his brother with gratitude, if they had separated from the family and didn't even have land, what would he use to support his wife and children? Unlike his three brothers, Gu Weiguo was a farmer who had been digging in the ground since childhood. Cop nodded slightly and continued, "There are still some savings at home, let's take them out and divide them up."

  The family savings were kept by Zhou Aiju, she hurriedly ran to the inner room, took out a cloth package, and poured out more than 200 pieces of money onto the table.

  "Old Master Gu spoke first, 'How can there be so little?'"

  Zhou Aiju sneered, pulling out a small notebook from her bundle and starting to read: "Let's calculate from the past three years. The new house that was built last year cost 1,300 yuan. Gu Shu went to the city to study for three years of junior high school and took 400 yuan from me. Last year, he attended high school for a year and spent 280 yuan. He repeated a half-year and spent 120 yuan on tuition fees. The supplementary course fee was 100 yuan. When Old Second's sister-in-law's brother got married, I gave 20 yuan as a gift. When Old Second's mother-in-law fell ill, I spent a total of 63 yuan in front of and behind the scenes. Old Second invited his superiors to dinner eight times, each time spending around 10 yuan, totaling 80 yuan. During festivals and holidays, I sent gifts worth nearly 300 yuan. Gu Dan went to the county town last year to learn carpentry and spent 5 yuan per month on living expenses. This year, at the beginning of the year, Gu Shuang fell ill and was hospitalized in the county town, spending a total of 130 yuan. Our big family's daily expenses are around 0.5 to 1 yuan, which is over 20 yuan per month. And this doesn't even include the grain we grow ourselves."

  Zhou Aiju was also intentional, only reporting the expenses of the second house, just to make Wang Daying, the second house's owner, take responsibility. If it weren't for her stirring things up, a good family would not have fallen apart. Every time she reported an item, Gu Weifu's face turned red with shame. He was not good at managing the household and didn't know how to control expenses; he actually didn't even know that just the second house alone spent so much money.

  It's just as well that everyone in this family is a relative, except for the clan elder who is an outsider.

  Otherwise, if outsiders hear about this, they will be scared by the expenses of the Gu family. This is just the second house, not to mention the other three houses.

  "Alright, alright, stop reporting, it's humiliating."

  To be honest, Zhou Aiju and Gu Gen Sheng have been married for decades, and they can be considered as respectful to each other. Gu Gen Sheng is the village head, and Zhou Aiju is also a cultured person, so they can still respect each other. In the past, they could still consider saving face, but now they have torn their faces apart. Zhou Aiju threw the account book at Gu Gen Sheng's face, "And you, old man, every day's cigarette money, drinking money, and money to support Lao Erjia's family, just you alone, in a year it's also two hundred yuan."

  She went ahead and made everything clear, with her hands on her hips, and spat out a mouthful of words. "This family, you think it's easy to support? Just the food expenses alone, our family spends at least 15 yuan every month. Not to mention social interactions, and several small ones, which one doesn't need money for school?"

  "Wang Da Ying, I'm telling you, since you've messed up this family, I'll say it here and now: from now on, anything related to the second household has nothing to do with me, Zhou Ai Ju. You're so capable, so you can take care of the living expenses for Eldest in county town, tutoring fees, as well as Second's living expenses while he's an apprentice in county town, plus Third's tuition fees - all these are on you now. Don't come to me with your ideas and dump them on Third and Fourth, they don't owe you anything."

  Zhou Ai Ju felt a lump in her throat, it was hard for her to breathe. She had only gone out for one trip, and when she came back, such a big thing happened, a good family like theirs just fell apart.

  Everyone thought she loved Eldest Fourth the most, but actually!

  It's her who is still here, tying up the fourth elder to the entire Gu family, letting him help with the expenses of the second elder, just thinking that the second elder has many children at home, each one needs money.

  Now she's fine, pulling forward like an old cow, but can't stand being dragged back by the ones behind!

  Wang Da Ying was scolded so badly that she lost her voice, and only then did she realize that she was finished, completely finished. Where would she get the money to raise three children?

  Gu An'an exchanged a glance with Gu Dongdong, and saw admiration in each other's eyes. Only today did they realize that their grandmother was so powerful.

  Zhou Aiju scolded.

  The whole house was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

  "Mother! I won't divide the family property anymore, I won't. I'll make it up to Fourth Brother."

  "It's late."

  All the thumbprints on the divorce papers have been signed, and no one is paying attention to Wang Da Ying's tantrums.

  Gu Ping'an lowered his head and saw a piece of fish suddenly appear in the bowl. His eyes lit up, just about to speak, he noticed Gu An'an, stretching out her index finger, "Shh".

  Gu Ping'an curved his eyes, turned around, poked Zhao Junyan, and pointed at Gu Anan. Although he didn't say anything, Zhao Junyan knew what was going on.

  She smiled gratefully at Gu Anan and patted her own forehead, "Eat."

  Zhou Aiju's eyes were bright and clear, and Gu An'an's small movements couldn't escape the old lady's sharp eyes. She looked at An'an's expression and shook her head, "This child..."

  It's not that she wasn't good to Gu Ping'an, but this child has been quiet since childhood and is afraid of her. When there's food, although it won't be taken away from Gu Ping'an, after all, a ten-year-old child is growing up and the portion they get is just enough for two or three mouthfuls, which isn't nearly enough!

  After finishing dinner, Gu An'an would normally take the initiative to do the dishes, but today after eating, she wiped her mouth and said, "Mom, I'm going back to my room to prepare for the entrance exam."

  Zhou Aiju nodded and pointed to Gu Shu, "Go ask your brother to get the study materials, it can save a lot of trouble." Gu Shu had been in high school in the county town for a year. Because of the new policy this year, he could take the college entrance examination. So he came back home and begged his grandfather to let him read for another year, so that he would have a good chance of getting into a good university when taking the exam. The family was happy about the possibility of having a university student in their household.

  In addition, Gu Shu was the eldest grandson of the old Gu family, obedient, good at reading, and looked most like his grandfather when he was young. He pleased the old man, and Old Man Gu patted his hand, "Go read." Who paid for the tuition? Of course, it was taken care of by the fourth and third elders.

  "Brother, I'm going to your room to get some books. Lend me all the ones you're not using now."

  Gu Shu hesitated, but was interrupted by the old lady, so he could only take Gu An'an to the south kang. Because Gu Shu was going to take the college entrance exam, his family specially arranged a separate room for him, unlike the other grandsons who were crowded together. Although Gu Shu's room was only over 10 square meters, the desk and wardrobe were neatly arranged, no need to look, all done by Gu Dan.

  Gu Shu pulled out a book from the bookcase with a sullen face, "An An, these are all old and valuable books, you must be careful." In Gu Shu's eyes, having one college student at home was enough, there was no need for Gu An An to come and show off, especially since she was just a girl. However, it had to be said that Gu Shu had some reservations about Gu An An, unlike An An's solid foundation, Gu Shu could only attend high school with the help of private tutors, barely scraping by in the county high school.

  An An looked at the math textbook in front of her, smiling with deep meaning. "Isn't this a book issued by the school?", it's clearly free, yet still saying it's too expensive, if it were the old Gu An An, she would really return the expensive book and not dare to borrow it.

  But An now can't.

  "Isn't tuition money?" Gu Shu's face turned red with anger and embarrassment.

  Gu Anan gave Gu Shu a strange look, whispered "My dad paid for your tuition too", then slammed the door shut and ran away in a flash.

  Qi's anger left Gu Shu breathless for a long time.

  Gu An'an, who had just received the book, was about to go to the old lady's house to ask where her father had gone. As she passed by the kitchen, she heard Wang Da Ying muttering, "An'an that dead girl, usually it's her washing dishes, today she ran away quickly. Sister-in-law, you say, a little girl like her reading books, it's not as good as helping with household chores, getting married early, and having her husband's family help support her own family's younger brothers, instead of wasting money on sending her to school."

  Zhao Junyan was collecting the stove, and she also took out the pickled vegetables that they would eat for dinner to soak in water to thaw. When she heard Wang Da Ying's words, she originally didn't plan on speaking up, but thinking about the half piece of fish on the table, she said softly, "An An used to do less work? Besides, An An is going to school, that's Old Fourth spending his own money, what's the waste in that? It seems like sending the nephew from next door to study isn't considered a waste, but sending their own daughter to study is a waste? What kind of logic is this?"

  Zhao Junyan rarely speaks, but when she does, her words are sharp and to the point. After all, she comes from a wealthy family and has different ideas. Moreover, they have enough money for their children to attend school in the village, and every year, from New Year's to the end of the year, the cost of workbooks, pens, and other expenses are all borne by Lao Si alone. Just for this reason, Zhao Junyan should thank her younger brother-in-law.

  Wang Da Ying wanted to retort but thought that if this got out, wouldn't it be troublesome when the time came for her younger brother-in-law to take care of her eldest son's tuition?

  In the end, he swallowed the rest of his words.

  Gu An'an listened for a moment, snorted in laughter and turned into Zhou Aijiu's room.

  I asked my old dad, and then took a pen and a notebook from the old lady's box. The expenses of this kind at home are all bought by Gu Weiqiang when he is running outside, and kept by the old lady. After all, there are many children in the family, and they are not given out, just afraid that the children will be taken away.

  After all, brushes and pens are precious things.

  These days, families that can read books are not many.

  The old Gu family suddenly had two high school students, which is also a great honor for the village.

  Gu Anan muttered, "Not even milk knows where Dad went, he doesn't even come home for meals." She turned around and returned to the west wing.

  The Gu Wei Qiang who was being nagged by Gu An An, this would be at the innermost household in Gu Jia Village, to say it's a household, but it's just a thatched hut made of straw, it can be said that even the pigpens outside are built with cobblestones, if we're talking about workmanship, then the pigpens look more sturdy than the thatched hut.

  Those who were allocated to live in thatched cottages were none other than the city dwellers who had committed errors and been criticized and struggled against, and then banished to Gu's Village.

  Because of the remote location, people in the village have been passing down that the people living here are black five categories, bad elements, and everyone regards the thatched cottage as a plague god, no one dares to interact with the people on this side, for fear of bringing trouble upon themselves.

  To say, this grass hut housed three people, a father and son duo, and an old man.

  The old man's name is Lang Yongling, 63 years old this year. He is a native of the Imperial City in Beijing. If the Lang family counts three generations up, they are considered to be nobles of the Manchu Qing dynasty, also known as Nian Gengyao's clan. If we talk about famous people, the Qing dynasty's Heshen was from this surname, but after the founding of the country, it was changed to Lang surname.

  While Lang Yongling is actually a member of the He Shen family, even if their house was confiscated in those years, they were still considered wealthy and had many valuable antiques, porcelain, and famous paintings. These treasures would have been enviable in the past, but now they are poisonous. Lang Yongling will be labeled as a bad element and exiled to Gujia Village because of these antiques. In his early years, Lang Yongling was also known as "Lang One Eye", and it was said that any cultural relics he had appraised were guaranteed to be genuine.

  What a pity!

  The times were not right, and Lang Yongling, who should have been a shining example for the country and preserved historical culture, was labeled as a bad element. His home was also ransacked, and it wasn't until his adopted son from early years made great efforts that he was exiled to Gu's Village.

  Although Gu's village is remote, it has a reputation for being simple and honest. Coming here, Lang Yongling will not suffer the same humiliation as he did elsewhere.

  As for the other father and son, they were famous orthopedic doctors in the provincial capital, especially the old man, Feng Xian. In his early years, he studied abroad in Britain to learn foreign orthopedic techniques. After completing his studies, he became a professor at the provincial hospital and saved countless people. However, he was labeled as a bad element by the rightists, stripped of his position, and exiled to Gu's Village. Even his right hand was injured during the criticism sessions, which is ironic given that Feng Xian was an orthopedic doctor who became famous for treating hands. Due to improper treatment of his own injury, he became disabled and could no longer hold a surgical knife.

  As for his son Feng Qingyan, he could have been exempted after his divorce from his wife. However, Feng Qingyan was a filial son and worried that his old father would not be able to survive on his own in exile. He secretly kept a foreign medical book with him, which was discovered during the house search. After several rounds of bribery at home, the father-son duo were exiled together to Gu's Village.

  He Lang Yongling became a companion, and it can be said that there is someone accompanying him.

  These three people are also open-minded, feeding pigs and sweeping pigpens every day. Lang Yongling loves studying antiques, but after coming to Guxi Village, there is no such condition, so he retains his hobby of walking birds. The nobles on the root of the imperial city, the leisurely and arrogant air in their bones, even if they are exiled to a mountain gorge, are still engraved in their bones and blood.

  He was still holding a bamboo bird cage in his hand, which was woven by his third brother Gu Weimin at the request of Gu Weiqiang. As for the thrush in the cage, Lang Yongling himself had set up a trap in front of the mountain and caught it. Although this thrush was not as smart as the parrot he used to raise at home, it was still pretty good.

  Gu Weiqiang came over this time to thank Feng Xian. He was a teacher in the transportation team, and during the heavy snowfall recently, he had to rush out to deliver goods. When he slammed on the brakes, his hand hit the steering wheel and got injured. This teacher had brought Gu Weimin into the transportation team, so Gu Weiqiang owed him a great debt of gratitude.

  Gu Weiqiang thought for a while and shifted his attention to Feng Xian. Feng Xian's identity was too special, so he took advantage of the dark night to bring Feng Qingyan to the county town, specifically to show him to Teacher Fu. As it turned out, after two months of care, Teacher Fu's wrist had recovered to its usual state, and his position in the transportation team was secured again. For Gu Weiqiang, these two people were great benefactors, and he still owed them a favor.

  Gu Weiqiang still held in his hand half a catty of roasted knife fish, a plate of peanuts, and half a catty of pig's ears, all of which were good dishes to go with wine.

  He went to Gu Ermao's house, took the table and chairs, and then made a detour from the back mountain, bypassing the thatched cottage. He pushed the door open and asked, "Is Old Feng in?"

  The old wooden door creaked and opened.

  Wang Da Ying couldn't bear to scold her own children, so An An and her siblings became the target of her anger. Meanwhile, not a single one of the Gu family members who lived just next door came out to help.

  Gu An'an glanced at Wang Da-ying, slowly got up, picked up the quilt that was covering the kang, felt its warmth and put it on just right. "Second Aunt, what did you call me for?"

  Wang Da Ying's eyes were about to pop out, "You good-for-nothing, it's already noon and the sun is burning your butt, what are you yelling for? Which girl is as lazy as you? Are you waiting for your elders to cook for you?" In Gu's Village, being called a "good-for-nothing" was one of the worst insults. It basically meant that someone was lazy and gluttonous. For a 16 or 17-year-old girl, this was a devastating insult. After all, she was almost at the age where people would start calling her an old maid, and having the label "good-for-nothing" attached to her name would make it impossible for any family in Gu's Village to want to marry her off.

  Gu Anan smoothed out her clothes, comforted the frightened Gu Dongdong, and then looked up, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Second Aunt, this is quite a biased statement. Have you ever even touched the firewood in our family's woodshed? I was the one who went to the mountain to chop it all by myself."

  "The sauerkraut foam stuck to the pot brush is the snow red I brought back from the mountain when my hands were frozen red while picking frost flowers. Second Aunt, have you ever helped pick a single snow red?"

  "Outside the self-retained land, there is still half an acre of radish and Chinese cabbage left. Second Aunt, did you till that land? Did you plant those radishes and cabbages?"

  Wang Da Ying wanted to refute, but was glared at by Gu An An with a cold eye, interrupting her, "Let's talk about home again. The meals at home have always been the responsibility of my elder sister-in-law to cook, and I'm in charge of washing dishes. As for household chores, it's also me who sweeps several rooms alone. Even on cold winter days, I would carry your second aunt's clothes to the riverbank, break the ice on the surface, wash them clean, and bring them back. Second Aunt, when you said I was eating without contributing, didn't you feel a pang of guilt?"

  "Or rather, this family, Second Aunt, what have you actually done?"

  Wang Da Ying was speechless after being scolded by Gu An An, she threw the pot brush to the ground and sat down, wailing "I'm not living anymore, I'm not living anymore. Now even young girls are starting to look down on me, I've never seen anyone so disrespectful to their elders."

  An'an helped Dongdong, who had woken up from sleep, to get dressed. She gave a cold glance at Wang Da Ying, who was sprawled on the ground, and held Dongdong in her arms. "Since Second Aunt is displeased that Dongdong and I are eating for free at home, we'll go eat at someone else's house. We don't dare trouble Second Aunt anymore."

  After finishing, taking advantage of Wang Da Ying's daze, she put Gu Dong Dong on the ground and led him out. She lowered her head to Dong Dong's ear, "Dong Dong, once we're out, if you see anyone, cry and say that Second Aunt is biased against us for eating our fill."

  Gu Dongdong rolled his eyes, obviously still sleepy, but he took his sister's words as a sacred decree and immediately left the Gu family courtyard.

  She met Zhao Guifang, who had just returned from washing clothes. Zhao Guifang and Wang Da Ying were from the same village and both married into Gu's Village, but Wang Da Ying was married to the son of the village head.

  Zhao Gui Fang however married Gu Xiang Qian, an accountant from Gu Jia Village.

  Zhao Guifang and Wang Daying, before they got married, liked to compare with each other. After getting married, Wang Daying relied on being the captain's wife and often spoke sarcastically to Zhao Guifang.

  Zhao Guifang can also endure, smiling in front of someone's face while stabbing them in the back.

  The appearance of Gu An and her brother gave Zhao Gui Fang a knife, which stabbed Wang Da Ying.

  She put down the wooden basin and wiped her hands on the apron around her waist, teasing Gu Dongdong who was crying, "Hey, why is Dongdong crying like this?"

  As soon as Gu An'an heard Zhao Gui Fang's question, her eyes turned red instantly, and she was a bit flustered. She hurriedly covered Dongdong's mouth, "Dongdong, don't say anything."

  Dongdong finally understood his sister's meaning, he opened his sister's hand and cried with sobs, "Second Aunt is prejudiced against us for being freeloaders, not giving us food to eat, and also said that my sister doesn't do chores."

  Zhao Guifang's heart was filled with joy, but her face showed concern, and her voice rose a few degrees, "You two are also too much, bullying the child like this."

  Winter rubbed his tear-stained eyes and asked, "Aunt Zhao, the firewood in our home was all chopped by my sister on the mountain, and the pickled vegetables at home were also picked by my sister from the snow-covered mountains. Even the self-cultivated land outside is taken care of by my sister. Just a few days ago, my sister helped Second Aunt wash clothes by the frozen river. My sister is obviously very diligent, but why did Second Aunt say that my sister is lazy and even said that she's freeloading? The words of children are always the most sincere. More and more people gathered around to listen.

  Everyone is watching the excitement without fear of being affected.

  "An'an is not lazy at all, in the whole village, An'an is a good hand at doing chores. Go ask around, which girl can be like An'an, with good grades, quick work, and filial to elders." Zhao Gui Fang heard the last sentence and couldn't help but raise her voice, "What? Wang Da Ying that woman, even her clothes are washed by An'an by the river?"

  Gu Dongdong nodded, "The ice in the river was still chiseled with the help of stones by me."

  "Wang Da Ying is really something else."

  "It's really shameless, a person in their several tens is letting their niece who lives next door help with the laundry,"

  Someone asked, "What's wrong with this? This is a meal time, where are you going?"

  An'an and Dongdong chimed in unison, "When we went to Huazi Shu's house for dinner, Er Bao Niang didn't give us anything to eat."

  After finishing, the two of them glanced at each other and looked around the nearby courtyard, An An bid farewell, "Everyone, uncles and aunts, Dong Dong didn't say anything, let's just pretend we didn't hear it, we're going to Huazi Uncle's house now."

  The onlookers felt increasingly sympathetic towards An'an and her brother, "These motherless children are easily bullied."

  "When she said this, Tang Lanxi was at home and didn't see An'an being taken care of."

  "It's not okay, An'an this child is so pitiful!"

  An An led Gu Dongdong for a long time, and the two of them looked at each other, holding their stomachs in laughter. They stood under a soapberry tree, taking a break. By then, the sun had come out, and the snow on the ground had melted, making the road difficult to walk on.

  The two of them leaned against the soapberry tree, and Gu Dongdong's big eyes were filled with excitement, his whole body jumping up. He cheered, "Sister... sister, how did you become so clever!"

  The two words "changed" made Anan's heart skip a beat, after all, it was her younger brother who had been with her for a long time. She remained calm and asked, "Dongdong, do you think sister has changed for the better or for the worse?"

  Gu Dongdong tilted his head, thought for a while, and responded with a crisp tone, "Of course it's good, sister has become smarter, and Second Aunt can't bully sister anymore."

  With a relieved smile, she said with a hint of pride, "This is called 'killing with a borrowed knife'. You see how Second Aunt always bullies us. Let's let the public's gossip kill her and see if she dares to bully us again." If Second Uncle finds out about this, he'll definitely beat Second Aunt to death, given his concern for face.

  Gu Dongdong seemed to understand and yet not understand, "Sister, what are the masses?"

  An An fainted, at this age, haven't the two words "masses" been popularized yet?

  "It means uncle and aunt."

  "Sister, this method is good. From now on, if anyone dares to say in front of me that I'm a child without a mother, I'll tell Uncle and Auntie to let the adults beat him up."

  An An didn't have any illusions about corrupting children, she nodded her head, with an air of "children are teachable".

  "Winter is indeed very clever."

  This is the first thing Gu Dongdong learned in his life. When his martial arts skills were not enough, he learned to use roundabout methods to defeat his enemies.

  An didn't notice that her honest younger brother's eyes were shining with an astonishing light, obviously having learned the trick inside and wanting to try it out.

  After the two of them walked far away.

  Two young men jumped down from the soapberry tree, one of them was about twenty years old, wearing a green military uniform, with a straight figure and a handsome face with clear-cut features. At this time, he had a faint smile on his face, his eyebrows and eyes were flowing, and he muttered to himself, "It's quite an interesting little black head."

  Next to him was a little black boy with a small flat head, who jumped down from the tree and patted his butt. "Hey, I'm also dark-skinned, why don't you praise me?" As he said this, he rubbed his chin and looked in the direction where An'an and her brother had disappeared. "This sister is quite interesting, but isn't she afraid of spoiling the little kid?"