Chapter 10: A Quick Grab!

“Xiaotao, go get two enamel mugs and put these two cream popsicles in them. When your great-grandparents get back, they can drink the sugar water.”

Li Xiangdong’s grandparents were old, and their bodies couldn’t handle things that were too cold. A little sugar water to sweeten their mouths would be just right.

“I know, Third Uncle.”

“Where’s Li Xiaohai?”

He looked around and only then realized his son wasn’t there. No wonder he felt like someone was missing.

Li Xiaomei replied, “Third Uncle, Xiaohai is being punished by Third Aunt in the room, standing in the corner.”

Hearing about the punishment, he understood that his son must have caused trouble.

Thinking about how Li Xiaohai walked with a stooped back like a little old man when he grew up, he wanted to go over and remind his wife to make their son stand straight against the wall in the corner.

Seeing his mother about to go back to her room, Li Xiangdong quickly grabbed a cream ice cream and handed it to her.

“Oh, there’s one for me too? I didn’t help you with any work. Besides, how could your mother like me be destined to eat cream ice cream? A regular popsicle would be fine.”

Mother Li loved to be like this. She would say no, but her heart was extremely pleased. Her son knew how to be filial to her, and her eyes crinkled with a smile.

“You’re my own mother. How could I, as your son, forget about you? You eat it slowly, I’m going back to my room to have a look.”

Li Xiangdong carried the paper bag out of the room, eating a popsicle as he walked. He ran into his eldest and second sisters-in-law, who were also eating popsicles. They both thanked him.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he finished his popsicle in a few bites and casually threw the small wooden stick into the courtyard.

Li Xiangdong entered the room and saw Li Xiaohai facing the wall, standing with his head down.

Zhou Yuqin was sitting on the edge of the heated brick bed, breastfeeding their daughter. He walked over and saw tears still hanging on his daughter’s eyelashes. He smiled and gently pinched her cheek.

“Why are you crying? Tell Daddy who bullied you, and Daddy will go and beat him up for you.”

Li Xiaozhu lifted her head from her mother’s chest, squinted her eyes, pouted, and pointed her little finger.

“Daddy… hit… hit brother.”

After tattling, she buried her head and continued to nurse. Zhou Yuqin’s milk supply was still quite abundant; Li Xiaozhu was one and a half years old and still had milk to drink.

Li Xiangdong looked at Zhou Yuqin and asked, “What happened?”

Zhou Yuqin gently patted their daughter’s back and explained, “Xiaohai came into the room and woke his sister up when I wasn’t looking. He told her you went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy them popsicles and that she shouldn’t sleep but wait with him.”

So that’s what happened.

Li Xiaohai was only a little over three years old. It was commendable that he thought of his sister when there was something good to eat.

Although his method was inconsiderate, he was still young. He would let it slide this time and make him stand in the corner some other time.

“Son, come here.”

Li Xiaohai walked over and said pitifully, “Dad, I didn’t mean to make my sister cry. I was afraid my older siblings would eat all the popsicles, so I woke her up.”

Li Xiangdong patted his son’s head, “Dad’s not blaming you.”

He took a popsicle from the paper bag, “This is for you. Take it and eat.”

After taking the popsicle, Li Xiaohai didn’t eat it. “Dad, I want to go play with my older siblings.”

“Go ahead, they’re all in the living room of the main house.”

Children like to eat together. Li Xiangdong didn’t think about keeping his son by his side all the time.

“Wifey, this is for you.”

After his son left the room, Li Xiangdong handed the last cream ice cream to Zhou Yuqin.

“Hurry up and eat it. It’ll melt if you don’t.”

“I don’t want it, you eat it.”

“I just ate one. Everyone in the family has one too. This one was saved especially for you.”

“Then save it for Xiaohai to eat.”

“Didn’t I just give him one? You shouldn’t be so reluctant to eat anything.”

As Li Xiangdong spoke, he tore open the wrapper and stuck the cream ice cream into her mouth. “How is it? Sweet, right?”

“Mmm.”

Zhou Yuqin took a bite. Her mouth was filled with a milky fragrance. It was indeed very sweet, sweet in the mouth and sweet in the heart.

“Eat… eat…”

Seeing her mother eating, Li Xiaozhu’s big eyes stared intently. She stopped nursing and reached out to grab it.

Zhou Yuqin slapped her daughter’s outstretched hand. Seeing that she was still fussing to eat, she scared her, “You’re still too young to eat this. It will give you a stomachache, and the doctor will have to give you a shot.”

As soon as Li Xiaozhu heard about getting a shot, she stopped clamoring to eat and sat quietly in her mother’s arms, drooling continuously.

Li Xiangdong picked up the handkerchief by the bed and wiped his daughter’s mouth. “You’re such a glutton. You’re nursing and still want to eat something else. If you don’t want to nurse, your daddy will drink it, okay?”

“Daddy… Daddy… eat…”

“My daughter is so sensible. She knows how to care for me.”

Zhou Yuqin was happily eating her cream ice cream. She had grown up in the countryside and had only eaten popsicles a few times. How could she have the time to deal with this improper man in front of her? She just treated his words as nonsense.

But seeing him actually lean towards her chest, she quickly dodged, her face flushing as she said urgently, “Are you trying to die? In front of our daughter, no less! If you have no shame, I still do!”

Li Xiaozhu thought her parents were playing with her. She stood up unsteadily in her mother’s arms and waved her hand to hit Li Xiangdong, “Hit… hit you… hehehe…”

“I was just teasing our daughter. Why did you take it seriously? You mother and daughter, one is more heartless than the other.”

Not only was Li Xiangdong misunderstood by his wife, but he also got slapped twice by his daughter. He got up angrily and walked out of the room.

But he had only taken two steps when he turned back, ran over, reached into his wife’s arms for a couple of grabs, gave a precise squeeze, then picked up the cattail leaf fan on the side, and under his wife’s astonished expression, quickly walked out of the room.

“Third Uncle, where did you throw the popsicle stick you finished?”

Li Xiangdong pointed, “Over there.”

Following the direction he pointed, several children immediately ran over.

Li Xiaotao was the fastest. Seeing it, he directly stepped on it. Under the envious gazes of his siblings, he smugly picked up the small wooden stick and put it in his pocket.

Li Xiangdong went to the water basin, turned on the tap, and rinsed the cattail leaf fan with water. This way, the breeze from the fan would have a hint of coolness.

Waving the water-rinsed fan, he asked contentedly, “You’re collecting these to exchange for popsicles, right? How many sticks for one now?”

He remembered collecting leftover sticks when he was a child. To exchange for one popsicle, he would search the streets after school instead of going home.

Li Xiaojiang said, “Third Uncle, 200 sticks for one popsicle.”

“It takes that many now?”

When he was collecting them, 100 sticks were enough. It seemed that everyone’s lives were better now, and more people were eating popsicles.

“Your third aunt has one more.”

“You’re not allowed to snatch it from me. I’m going to ask my mom for it.”

Hearing this, Li Xiaohai ran into the west wing room with his short legs, but he came out dejectedly a moment later.

Li Xiaotao ran to his side and asked, “Xiaohai, quickly give me the stick. We’re on the same team.”

“My mom didn’t give it to me. My sister is playing with it.”

“It’s fine. When Xiaoqi is done playing with it, you can go and ask Third Aunt for it again.”

“Okay, okay, Brother Xiaotao, I know.”