Chapter 307: Amusing the Kid

Upon alighting from the car, they spotted the younger cousin sitting alone on a large rock by the station, eagerly watching the passing vehicles. As the siblings got off the car, his face lit up, and he jumped off the rock, rushing into Mingyuan’s arms.

“Brother, I’ve been waiting for so long. Third Aunt said you were coming back by car today, so I came here precisely on time, but I couldn’t wait any longer. My mom couldn’t wait and went back first, leaving me here to sit quietly. She told the road worker to keep an eye on me,” he explained excitedly.

Wang Qian glanced at the road construction worker and expressed her gratitude, feeling uneasy leaving a small child unattended on the road.

The elderly man chuckled, “No worries, this child is well-behaved. He sat still the whole time. Have you ever seen such a well-behaved child? Little one, now that your siblings have arrived, no more wandering around, okay?”

Wang Qian took out some malt candy she bought for the child from her bag. The candy was individually wrapped in paper, brown in color. Initially, she planned to bring candied fruit skewers, but considering the young age of her cousin, she opted for smaller pieces instead.

“Thank you, Sister,” the little one said gratefully, taking a piece of candy and savoring it with his eyes squinted in delight.

Mingyuan took out a bottle of their homemade fruit juice from his pocket, saying, “Minggui, look at what delicious drink big brother brought for you. Let me tell you, this is much tastier than soda, which lacks any nutrition and is just artificially colored. In the future, stick to drinking this, okay?”

Learning a lot from Old Li, Mingyuan understood that the sodas they usually drank were made with artificial coloring and a bit of soda, lacking in nutritional value—especially for children.

He felt fortunate that their family rarely consumed such drinks. Typically, they enjoyed grape juice and wine made by his sister. He often felt content, appreciating his sister’s attention to healthiness. They rarely indulged in unhealthy foods, which reflected in their family’s good health, with few instances of colds.

“Thank you, Second Brother,” Minggui expressed gratitude, taking a sip of the fruit juice and marveling, “Hmm, it’s delicious, almost as good as the juice you made for me during the New Year.”

Wang Qian held his hand as they leisurely headed back home.

“Sis, Uncle’s family raises many chickens and pigs. Yesterday, Big Sister took me to see them, and there were so many,” Minggui described Uncle’s livestock farming as they walked, hinting at the scale of operations that seemed quite extensive to Wang Qian and the others.

“Minggui, where does Uncle’s family raise the animals? Their place doesn’t seem that large, right?”

Minggui, with an expression of “you don’t understand,” explained, “Sis, you’re silly. How could our family have space for that many animals? They raise them at the foothills of the orchard. Uncle and the others check on them after work, but it’s mainly Big Sister who takes care of them. She’s even stopped working now, focusing on tending to them. I saw a big pig. By the year-end, Uncle’s family will surely have plenty of meat to slaughter.”

Thinking about the meat made him a bit greedy, so Mingyuan playfully pinched his chubby cousin’s cheek, saying, “Minggui, you have quite a bit of chubby cheeks. You shouldn’t eat too much more. You should follow big brother’s lead, exercise daily. That way, we’ll stay healthy and rarely catch a cold, you know?”

Although Minggui didn’t quite grasp the concept of exercising, he nodded while sipping his juice.

“Brother, I understand. I’ll exercise more in the future, but I don’t know how,” Minggui replied.

“Then, during summer break, I’ll take you jogging. But you can’t say you’re tired. Learn from me, and you’ll be fine,” Mingyuan suggested, scratching his head.

Wang Qian, feeling a bit concerned, interjected, “Brother, Minggui is still young. Isn’t it a bit early for this?”

Mingyuan disagreed, saying, “It’s not too early. When we were his age, we were already gathering firewood. If he’s idle all day, it’s time to start building good habits from childhood.”

When they arrived home, the house was empty, likely indicating that their mother had gone to help with chores. The siblings helped Minggui freshen up as he had accumulated a layer of dust while sitting by the road. Once cleaned, they took the little one to Uncle’s house.

Lunch festivities were approaching, and many people were assisting in the yard, mostly older women who got along well with their aunt.

Ma Fenqing had the day off today. Seeing her son and the kids from the third family’s house come over, she felt relieved. Despite not wanting the children to come, Minggui was insistent and preferred waiting there rather than returning. Ma Fenqing had to ask an elderly man resting nearby to look after him.

“Son, are you happy now that your siblings have returned? Are you satisfied?” Ma Fenqing greeted the two, engaging with her own child. Minggui took out a piece of candy from his bag and placed it in his mother’s mouth.

“Mom, try this candy; Sister bought it for me, and this drink was given by Brother. It’s so delicious. You should taste it too,” Minggui suggested.

Ma Fenqing graciously accepted her son’s gesture, tasting the candy and taking a sip of the drink. “Hmm, it’s really delicious. Did you thank your siblings for this?” she asked, appreciating her son’s thoughtful gesture.

Wang Minggui nodded his little head, saying, “Yes I said Thanks, Mom. Go ahead and work; don’t slack off. Take a break if you get tired.”

The three of them chuckled, with Minggui saying, “Auntie, I’ll help you. Minggui, stay with your brother and don’t wander off.”

Ma Fenqing led Wang Qian to the kitchen area, where a group of women jokingly welcomed the return of the Wang family’s young girl.

“Oh, our future college student is back! If anyone gets to taste the lunch made by Qianqian today, we’ll all be lucky. Maybe another household will produce a college student,” they teased playfully.

Taking the jest in good spirits, Wang Qian smiled and retorted, “Alright, while you make the soup, I’ll add water to ensure everyone gets some. Let’s hope every household here produces a college student.”

Everyone laughed heartily, with someone adding, “Qianqian, add more water. We’ll all benefit. Who knows, maybe another college student will emerge from our village. We can’t let your family have all the credit.”

Amidst the laughter, another voice chimed in, “Old Li’s family, you sound envious. Don’t worry; we’ll make sure your family gets some of that soup. We promise not to compete with you.”

While the group of women chatted and laughed, they continued working without delay, maintaining a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. “Sister, Brother went to help, so he sent me to find you.”

Minggui, holding his fruit juice, bounced over excitedly, and Wang Qian quickly fetched a small stool for him to sit on.

“Minggui, sit here nicely and don’t wander off. There are many people today, so be careful not to get to close to crowded places,” Wang Qian advised as she continued picking celery.

The little one obediently sat down, placing his juice between his legs. He reached out to help pick vegetables alongside Wang Qian. The other women noticed how well the Wang siblings got along. Although somewhat surprised, they understood the reason behind it.

Considering the nature of the Wang family and how they interacted with the children, it was clear they wouldn’t harbor any ill feelings towards such a well-behaved child. Moreover, Wang Zhengguo’s wife hadn’t caused any major issues to provoke such hostility. Knowing the couple’s character, they wouldn’t turn away the mother and son.

“Minggui, tell Auntie, who’s better, your mom or your sister?” someone teasingly asked, initiating a playful conversation.

Minggui glanced up at the person and replied, “Both are good. My mom and sister are both good people.”

“What if you can only choose one. Who will it be?”

Wang Minggui glared at the woman and retorted, “Both of them are good. If you make me choose, then I’ll choose you.”

Anyone trying to make him speak ill of his sister couldn’t be a good person, so Minggui didn’t hold back. Like an angry little tiger, his stare made the woman feel uneasy.

Wang Qian, with a smile, took out a fried fish from a large basin on the ground. “Here, dear brother, you’re the best. This is a reward from your sister. Enjoy it slowly, and be careful not to choke on any bones.”

Another woman nearby couldn’t help but chuckle and remarked, “Look at you. I don’t even know what to say. Have you not noticed how smart these siblings are? With such clever siblings, how could their cousin be anything but smart? Now you understand what it means to have intelligent children, right?”

Liu Hui chimed in with a smile, “Exactly. When Minggui was at Third Aunt’s house during the New Year, they all taught their little brother how to write. Our youngest one here will also be clever in the future.”

Ma Fenqing smiled as she watched her son and young niece whispering to each other. She couldn’t quite comprehend why her son was so fond of the third family’s children. While the relationships with Second family’s and First Family’s children lacked that final bit, she was content with Minggui’s close bond with his Third uncle’s family. Minggui’s interactions with these four children from her Third aunt’s household were something she wholeheartedly approved of. By learning from good neighbors and befriending these four children, she was confident that her son’s future would be bright.

“The bride has arrived! Everyone, quickly go and see,” someone announced, prompting the helpers in the yard to rush out to catch a glimpse of the new bride. Wang Qian remained seated in the yard with her young cousin, Ma Fenqing, and Zhang Lan, not feeling the need to join the crowd. They knew they could see the bride later and weren’t in a rush, ensuring Minggui wouldn’t get squeezed in the crowd.

Curiously, the little one peered outside, asking, “Sister, aren’t we going to see the bride?”

Wang Qian gently touched his chubby face and said, “Minggui, we’re not in a hurry. I’ll make sure the bride smiles at you later. Do you believe me?”

With a joyful expression, Minggui was excited at the prospect of seeing the bride and having her smile at him. It sounded like a great idea to him.

After whispering to the little one, Wang Qian carried him over to Uncle and Aunt who were waiting at the door, ready to present flowers and offer well-wishes to the new bride.

As they stood by, Wang Qian held her young cousin and observed as the bride and groom, accompanied by a group of wedding escorts, approached.

Once the floral headpiece was placed to the bride, and  the bride  had changed her address to her parents-in-law, Wang Juan handed them red envelopes.

At this moment, Minggui, who had been held beside them, spoke up.

“Brother and Sister-in-law, I wish you a lifetime of happiness and may you have children soon.”

His crisp voice elicited hearty laughter from the group. It was the first time they heard such a blessing at the doorstep. The bride, Liu Hong, though a bit shy, smiled kindly at the child, saying, “Thank you for your kind words, little brother.”