Shen Qinglan pondered, contemplating whether to get some game tomorrow to sell in town and learn more about this world along the way.
"Where's the bowl?"
Shen Qingju's loud voice snapped Shen Qinglan's wandering thoughts back to reality.
Shen Qingzhu shrunk his neck, guiltily saying, "I forgot!"
Shen Qingju was so angry she choked for a moment, then muttered, "I should have known you'd forget, you pig-brain. Despite my reminders, you were able to forget in just a little while. Why don't you just forget yourself too?"
Unable to bear the sight, Dong Yao intervened and said, "Okay, okay, forgotten is forgotten. Can't you get it when you have time later?"
Shen Qingju glared at Shen Qingzhu, scaring him into quickly sitting next to Shen Shan, too afraid to speak further.
Shen Qingping picked up a piece of rabbit meat, put it in his mouth, and said, "Third Sister's cooking is so fragrant and delicious, even better than Big Sister's!"
Shen Qingju wasn't happy to hear that, feeling both heartache and dissatisfaction, "She used half a can of oil. How could it not taste good?"
Shen Qingzhu retorted quickly, "It's not that exaggerated, just three spoons of oil."
Shen Qingju brandished her chopsticks and said, "I think you have a death wish!"
Shen Qingzhu's neck shrunk again, and he dared not speak anymore.
Shen Qinglan's lips curved slightly, almost imperceptibly.
She realized that this kind of lively chaos was quite nice.
As lunch ended, Shen Qinglan saw her mother carrying a chicken, seemingly ready to go out.
Seeing her looking over, Dong Yao smiled and asked, "Mom is going to your elder aunt's house, and this chicken is for your little nephew. Would you like to go with Mom?"
Shen Qinglan thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Has anyone in Uncle's family ever gone to school?"
Dong Yao replied, "Your elder cousin did go to school for two years, but he stopped because of your elder cousin's wife."
Shen Qinglan was curious, "What happened to the elder cousin's wife?"
Helplessly, the memory of the fool was almost empty, so she didn't know what happened to the elder cousin's wife.
Dong Yao explained, "Not long after your elder cousin's wife got married, she fell seriously ill. It was right during the busy farming season, and there was no one at home. Your cousin was too overwhelmed to handle everything alone, so your elder cousin took time off school to care for her. Later on, with your little nephew arriving, he never resumed school."
Shen Qinglan nodded after hearing this.
The third uncle never remarried after the death of the third aunt, and the elder cousin left school for the sake of the elder cousin's wife.
Who would have thought the Shen Family was filled with such romantics!
Dong Yao, curious, asked, "Why are you asking about this?"
Shen Qinglan said, "Oh, nothing, I just want to learn how to read."
Dong Yao replied, "Speaking of reading, your elder cousin did teach your elder sister and second brother, but they were too impatient. They couldn't stick with it for two days before giving up.
Now, both your little brother and little cousin often go. If you want to learn, you can go to your elder cousin. I see he's quite free these days."
Shen Qinglan stood up and said, "I'm going."
Dong Yao was taken aback, a bit slow to react, "Where to?"
Shen Qinglan replied, "To Uncle's house."
Dong Yao said, "Oh dear, my memory. Let's go."
Uncle's house was quite far, and it would take at least a quarter of an hour to walk there.
Along the way, they encountered quite a few people. After greeting Dong Yao, everyone would curiously glance at her.
"Oh, Mrs. Shen, where are you taking the chicken to?"
A tall, slim, and dark-skinned middle-aged woman walked over, carrying a basket, and asked with a smile.
Dong Yao greeted her back, "I'm headed to my sister-in-law's place. Where are you coming back from?"