“Eldest sister is also here to attend the fair? Oh, this is Sister Xiang, um, she has grown taller and fatter.”
Uncle Shen shook his fan, with a shy smile on his face,
“Uncle has many things at home and has no time to visit you. How about Brother Ji? Is he not here? Has his illness recovered?”
Shen Miao stood up and replied,
“He has recovered long ago. Thank you for your concern, Uncle.”
Although she could treat Uncle Shen’s family calmly, it did not mean that she was willing to be close to them.
Human nature is selfish.
Uncle Shen and his wife were unwilling to raise their brother’s children, so they treated Brother Ji and Sister Xiang harshly.
She could not forget this matter, so she was always worried about it.
Although the two families did not completely break their faces, they could never pretend that nothing had happened.
Especially now that she is self sufficient and does not plan to rely on Uncle Shen’s family, she naturally does not need to be too close.
With a turn of her eyes, she also greeted Aunt Ding:
“Hello, Aunt.”
Without waiting for Aunt Ding to speak, she got up by herself, then turned her head and looked at Brother Hai, and also smiled perfunctorily:
“Brother Hai has also grown taller and fatter.”
After these few words of greeting, the two families looked at each other, seemingly having nothing more to say.
When Uncle Shen appeared, Sister Xiang “slipped” behind Shen Miao.
When Shen Miao started talking to them, she carefully poked her head out, but still held Shen Miao’s skirt with one hand.
She did not like her uncle and aunt.
Her aunt was very fierce.
When she was angry, she would hit people.
She was the youngest child of her parents.
When her parents were alive, her parents, elder sister, and elder brother all loved her and indulged her, which also made her childish.
She would cry when she wanted to cry and laugh when she wanted to laugh.
Sometimes when she was stubborn, no one’s words would work.
Especially when her parents passed away, she was still very young and did not even understand life and death.
She went to her uncle’s home foolishly.
But in someone else’s territory, not being a biological child, no one would tolerate and pamper her anymore, so naturally she was in a different situation.
Even with Brother Ji protecting her, Sister Xiang still suffered a bit.
It was also at Uncle Shen’s home that she understood what “death” meant.
Dead means never coming back.
Father and mother have gone to heaven to be officials and will never come back.
No matter whether she cries or makes a fuss, gets sick or gets hurt, they will never come back.
From then on, she only had her elder sister and elder brother.
Sister Xiang sniffed, looked carefully from behind her elder sister, and neither her aunt nor her uncle paid more attention to her.
She then relaxed, slowly let go of her skirt, and held the huge roasted starch sausage that Shen Miao had filled for her with both hands.
The sausage was 12 inches (30 centimeters) long and was strung on two thick bamboo skewers.
It was roasted to bloom and smelled delicious, but it was very heavy.
It was so tiring to hold it with one hand just now!
Almost dropped!
She took a bite, looked up, and found that Brother Hai was staring at her roasted sausage.
Sister Xiang’s eyes immediately narrowed and she hid behind Shen Miao again.
Brother Hai is the most annoying!
His mother’s cooking is bad, so their family always asks Xian Han to buy food from outside.
They often eat five meals a day from outside, so they are so round like a soccer ball.
But such a good thing does not involve Sister Xiang and Brother Ji.
Every time Brother Hai eats something delicious, he always likes to show off in front of them who are hungry.
But he would not share a bite with her.
Humph, now that she has her elder sister, she eats delicious food every day and will not share with him!
Let him be hungry!
Don’t even let him see!
Sister Xiang made a face at him, hugged her big starch sausage, and happily sat in her elder sister’s shadow to eat, taking bite after bite, and even smacking her lips.
She never smacked her lips when she ate normally, but today she made some noise on purpose.
Sure enough, Brother Hai tilted his head and watched her eat.
The smell of the roasted sausage was even more strongly drawn into his nose.
The slightly burnt meat aroma tempted his taste buds, especially the more distant the smell was, the more appropriate it was.
He even smelled the numbing aroma of Sichuan pepper sprinkled on top, making him swallow his saliva and want to ask where it was bought.
However, he was suddenly slapped on the shoulder by Aunt Ding:
“Let’s go, we still need to go to the bookstore to buy pens, ink, paper, and inkstones!”
Uncle Shen also puffed out his chest and said to Shen Miao more or less:
“Yes, yes, Brother Hai will take the child test of the Imperial College in a few days. As you know, Brother Hai has always been smart and has always been at the top of Mr. Liu’s private school”.
“Uncle has to leave first. You and Sister Xiang can slowly browse around. We won’t delay you.”
Although Brother Hai is fat and loves to eat, and is indulged in being playful and talkative, he miraculously has some talent in reading, which is not surprising for Uncle Shen to be so proud.
But what does this have to do with her?
Shen Miao just said indifferently:
“Uncle, walk slowly.”
After saying this sentence, she was about to turn back to pick a dog.
However, Sister Xiang, who was hiding behind Shen Miao, suddenly poked her head out and retorted like an angry kitten showing its teeth:
“My brother is also going to take the child test. What’s so great about that!”
Who knew that Uncle Shen heard this and laughed heartily, and Aunt Ding also sneered:
“Oh? Is Brother Ji also going to take the test? Yes, everyone who is of age can take the test, but it’s one thing to take the test and another to pass it.”
“Without a teacher’s guidance and not being ambitious, it is not easy to pass. Young lady, don’t think I’m being rude, but don’t waste your time!”
“The Imperial Academy is an official school! Although the government has granted permission to allow children from good families to take the exam, do you know how many children in Bianjing city are eager to take it every year?”
“Only a hundred people pass the exam every year. Even Brother Hai, who has a teacher to urge him at school and a father to guide him at home, has been preparing for this matter for a long time, and we still dare not boast that he will definitely pass. As for your brother Ji.”
He probably doesn’t even know what the questions of the Imperial Academy’s child test are!
Aunt Ding did not continue, and held her mouth with a handkerchief, showing extreme disdain.
Her family had spent a lot of money to get the way through and had known in advance what the Imperial Academy had tested in the past years.
The questions tested by the Imperial Academy for recruiting children are quite different from those tested by other private schools.
Shen Miao glanced at Hai, who was eating with his mouth full of oil and his clothes full of crumbs, and instead of being angry, she smiled and said,
“If Hai can take the exam, why can’t Ji? Ji used to have no conditions, but aunt should not always look at a person with old eyes.”
Aunt Ding frowned.
What did she mean by Hai?
She turned her head and looked at her son, whose cheeks were bulging with food, staring straight at the roasted sausage in Sister Xiang’s hand.
He indeed looked like a glutton with a silly and foolish face, not at all like a scholar.
A burst of anger rose in her heart.
She turned her head and looked at her son, whose cheeks were bulging with food, staring straight at the roasted sausage in Sister Xiang’s hand.
He indeed looked like a glutton with a silly and foolish face, not at all like a scholar.
A burst of anger rose in her heart.
She was about to retort, but Shen Miao did not give her the chance and had already left with Sister Xiang.
“Uncle, aunt, walk slowly,”
Shen Miao said, pulling Sister Xiang to another pet shop selling kittens and puppies called Wan Jia Aipet, and perfunctorily waved her hand,
“We are also very busy and will not talk much with uncle and aunt. Goodbye.”
Aunt Ding was so angry that she had a breath stuck in her chest and turned to pinch her son’s shoulder:
“Eat, eat, eat!”
Hai was so wronged that his cake was almost falling:
“Mother, why hit me?”
“Hurry up and leave! It’s unlucky to meet your niece!”
Aunt Ding grumbled indignantly.
Aunt Ding was very angry.
She was angry that she had been humiliated by Shen Miao again.
When did she become unable to argue with her?
Uncle Shen and Hai looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in unison, following their always inexplicably angry tigress.
After walking a few steps, Aunt Ding still gritted her teeth and looked back.
Shen Miao had already chosen a slightly yellow dog and was negotiating with the person holding the dog attentively, without even a glance at them.
It seemed that they were extremely unimportant people.
So she was even more unhappy and thought resentfully:
They were sent back home after being divorced, and had no parents.
What kind of life could they live in the future?
It was ridiculous to expect Brother Ji to pass the exam.
It was laughable to spend money on his education and still let him play truant.
What hope could there be?
Aunt Ding was angry with her, but as soon as Shen Miao turned around, she threw the Shen family out of her mind.
People say that honor and disgrace do not affect her.
If the Shen family looks down on her, then let them.
She is not living for them.
Let them talk while she walks her own path!
So she happily picked a dog.
The dogs in the previous cat and dog shops did not look very spirited.
She walked two steps forward.
The owner of the second cat and dog stall was a very kind looking woman, known as Wan Wunai.
This shop only sells puppies.
Shen Miao wanted to buy a big dog and should not have stopped, but she held her own chubby puppy and caressed it lovingly.
Unlike other stall owners, only her wooden cage for dogs was lined with sewn coarse cloth pads.
The dogs in the cage were obviously home raised.
Compared with the first shop, there were fewer dogs and fewer breeds, but the dogs were very healthy and strong, with bright fur and moist noses.
Shen Miao took a fancy to a long haired puppy with yellow back and white belly.
It had pink paws, pink nose and pink tongue.
Its frame was large and it was more than one size fatter than other puppies in the same nest.
When it was lifted by the back of the neck, its four feet naturally bent and fell, without struggling or being afraid.
Its eyes were like big black grapes, wet and staring at you.
So cute.
Shen Miao was struck by the puppy’s eyes and decided to take this one!
She originally wanted to buy a big dog, but the dogs in the previous dog dealers were tied to wooden stakes with hemp ropes.
Five or six dogs were squeezed in a cage, without even room to stand up and turn around.
Each dog looked listless and had messy fur.
Only Wan Wunai’s stall was different. She did not sell adult dogs.
There were only two or three cages in front of her, and not many puppies for sale.
When Shen Miao asked her, Wan Wunai was feeding her puppies with dried field mouse meat.
She said, “Let this young lady know, I used to run a cat and dog shop on Ma Xing Street. Today I came to the fair just for fun. It doesn’t matter whether I sell more or less”.
“The dogs in my family are all raised with great care. You can see for yourself. So I also want to meet a family that can treat them well. I can make money, you can buy a pet dog, and the puppy can also get a good home”.
“People love money, but they should earn it in a righteous way. I only do this kind of business.”
Her words implied something, and Shen Miao was slightly moved.
No wonder the dogs in the previous shops were all listless.
It seemed that they were very likely to be transported from other places after a long journey, especially adult dogs, whose origins were unknown.
If they were stolen and sold, she could never buy them.
“Sister……” Sister Xiang suddenly called her softly.
Shen Miao turned her head and saw that Sister Xiang had eaten up the roasted sausage at some point and was already hugging the chubby puppy, holding it in her arm and rubbing her cheek against the soft fur of the puppy.
Wan Wunai also touched the puppy, and her tone was full of affection and pride:
“Miss has a good eye. This is the best one in this litter of dogs. When it grows up, it will definitely be majestic and will not be a problem in guarding the house.
Even a noble family can buy it as a hunting dog.”
“How much does this one cost?”
Shen Miao made up her mind.
“Eighty coins, and I’ll also give you a doghouse cotton pad and a dog leash, how about that?”