"When you used to play with Tao Hua, was there anything strange?" Meng Yao asked Zhao Xiaohua.
Strange? Zhao Xiaohua blinked, not quite understanding her mother's question.
"For example, were there times when you didn't want to do something, but after Tao Hua said it, you did it? Or, on the contrary, you wanted to do something, and after Tao Hua said it, you decided not to?" Meng Yao gently guided.
Zhao Xiaohua furrowed her charming eyebrows, earnestly trying to recall.
What used to seem normal now felt just as her mother described after her prompting.
From Zhao Xiaohua's expression, Meng Yao understood that something peculiar was indeed going on.
Yet she didn't know why Tao Hua had such abilities. Was it considered mind control? Enchantment? Or manipulation?
No matter what it was, it wasn't a good thing.
"I hope you stay firm in your heart. Whether it's something you want or don't want to do, you should follow your true intentions, not just change your mind because someone else said something," Meng Yao said.
"Mom, it's only when Tao Hua talks that I change my mind," Zhao Xiaohua said earnestly.
"So, didn't you feel anything was off?" Meng Yao asked her.
"I thought it was normal until you asked. After you asked, it felt abnormal," Zhao Xiaohua answered honestly.
"So, do you think there's something wrong?"
Zhao Xiaohua shook her head, then suddenly wore a mysterious expression, "Mom, could she be a fox spirit? I've heard from my second brother that fox spirits can bewitch people."
"This..."
This was a possibility Meng Yao hadn't considered.
She wanted to call it absurd, but upon reflection, considering even she could time travel, why would a person being a fox spirit be strange? This is ancient times, not post-revolution where becoming a spirit was forbidden.
Who knows, it might just be possible.
"Mom, after we get home, please quickly teach me the skills you learned from Dad. If she really is a spirit, I can protect myself after learning these skills," Zhao Xiaohua urged.
What a unique thought process this child has. Even if it's just suspicion, shouldn't the dominant emotion be fear?
Why did she feel that Zhao Xiaohua was quite excited!
"I used to envy how good-looking Tao Hua was, but now... how could a fox spirit be unattractive? If they were, would they be confident to be one? So, I'm actually the prettiest girl in Shanghua Village," Zhao Xiaohua said happily.
Meng Yao: ...
"In the future, keep some distance from Tao Hua," Meng Yao advised.
If you can't provoke, can't you avoid?
After going back, Meng Yao gave Song Xiu'er a packet of snacks.
Song Xiu'er was apprehensive, not liking to eat nor wanting them.
Meng Yao had to sternly say, "If I tell you to eat, you eat. Why all this fuss? If you don't quickly eat some good food to nourish yourself, when will your body recover? Do you want me to take care of you forever?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xiu'er obediently started eating the snacks.
They were fragrant and sweet, melting in the mouth, truly delicious.
When at home, her mother would also buy snacks, but they were only for her younger brother to eat.
Once, she picked up some crumbs and ate them, but her brother saw and told her mother, accusing her of stealing the snacks. No matter how she explained, no one believed her. In the end, her mother whipped her with a willow branch until her skin was raw, then bought another packet of snacks for her brother, who ate them boastfully in front of her.
A single crumb hardly had any taste.
It turned out, snacks were indeed this tasty.
Song Xiu'er said with a choked voice, "Mom, thank you."
No need to ask, Meng Yao knew she was recalling sad memories.
"Dajiang, comfort your wife. Crying during the confinement period—do you want to risk your eyesight?" Meng Yao left this advice and stepped out of Zhao Dajiang's and his wife's room, heading towards Zhao Xiaoshu's room.
Zhao Xiaoshu was still lying down.
Zhao Dahe was reading a book.
Meng Yao placed the snacks on the small table beside the kang, her expression gentle, "Freshly bought snacks, for you."
Zhao Xiaoshu sat up, and Meng Yao thoughtfully placed two pillows behind him to let him lean back more comfortably.
Zhao Xiaoshu ate slowly, and from time to time, Meng Yao would wipe the crumbs from the corners of his mouth.
Witnessing all this, Zhao Dahe felt: He must be adopted, right?
"Mom!" Zhao Dahe shouted at Meng Yao, puffing with anger.
"Huh?" Meng Yao didn't even give him a glance.
"I want to eat snacks too," Zhao Dahe said, gritting his teeth.
"Then just go ahead and eat, I didn't say you couldn't. They're right here, just come over and take some. Unless... you're waiting for me to feed you? That's not happening. In a couple of years, you'll be marrying a wife, are you going to act like a weaned child? Do things for yourself," Meng Yao advised earnestly.
Zhao Dahe: Just because he's grown up doesn't mean he's craving to be fed; he just wants the same attention as before.
"I went to the carpenter's workshop," Meng Yao, ignoring Zhao Dahe's sulkiness, said warmly to Zhao Xiaoshu, "Your master suffered a broken leg, a broken wrist, and his tendons are not well."
Zhao Xiaoshu's body went stiff for a moment.
The motion of eating snacks paused.
"Now, the person supporting the carpenter's workshop is your master's eldest disciple. Ya'er is taking care of her father and mother. When I visited, there were still customers in the workshop," Meng Yao continued.
This message, telling Zhao Xiaoshu that the workshop still had customers, was meant to reassure him that Ya'er and her mother still had a source of income.
"Ya'er asked me to tell you, if you're willing to go back, you can, and your senior brother will teach you well," Meng Yao said.
"I've learned everything," Zhao Xiaoshu suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"Really, I'm not lying. I've learned everything," Zhao Xiaoshu repeated.
"Are you saying you're no longer an apprentice?" Meng Yao was astounded.
Is this a joke? By her estimation, Zhao Xiaoshu had only been at the carpenter's workshop for a year, right? Within a year, he learned everything? Meng Yao's own dad, who was an interior architectural engineer—in simpler terms, a carpenter—once said that he started as an apprentice at the age of sixteen and followed his master for six full years before he became independent.
"What the master knows, I know too," Zhao Xiaoshu said earnestly.
This is probably what her dad meant when saying some people are born with a talent for something, as if blessed by the heavens.
"Xiaoshu, that's amazing," Meng Yao sincerely praised him, "So, what do you plan to do? Go back to help Ya'er, or...?"
"I'll listen to Mom," Zhao Xiaoshu replied.
Alright, she adored obedient children the most.
"No matter what choice you make, I'll respect it. However, there's a small suggestion I have regarding your future," Meng Yao said with a smiling face.
Zhao Xiaoshu nodded, indicating that he was listening attentively.
"I was thinking you should pursue studies," Meng Yao suggested.
The room suddenly fell silent; apart from hearing her own breathing, Meng Yao couldn't hear any other sound.
Zhao Xiaoshu stared at Meng Yao, dumbfounded.
Meng Yao wasn't rushed; didn't the kid need time to react?
"If you don't want to, I won't force you," Meng Yao added.
Zhao Xiaoshu was still too stunned to speak.
"Mom, did I hear you wrong just now?" Zhao Dahe finally reacted, "Or am I actually dreaming because I was asleep just now? Why don't you pinch me? I want to see if it hurts."