CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: CHILDHOOD SWEETHEARTS INVITE THE GREEN PLUM

Xiao Wang also ’enthusiastically’ tried to get closer: "Yeah, yeah, Brother, don’t be so polite with us. Oh, isn’t this Sun Mei’s maternal Second Brother and his family? I was wondering why they looked familiar. Perfect, let’s all go together..."

Zhao Dong was just about to respond to them when Aunt stood up and shouted in her loud voice, "Boss, the bill please!"

She directly interrupted Xiao Wang’s attempt to curry favor.

Then, Aunt (Liu Clan) looked at Xiao Wang and said in surprise, "Well, if it isn’t Xiao Wang! Are you this idle? Shouldn’t the tavern be busiest at this hour? How do you have time to wander around? Don’t tell me your tavern is about to close down?"

Hearing her tavern cursed to close, Xiao Wang’s face immediately fell.

Just then, the shopkeeper came over and said to Zhao Dong’s group with a smile, "Honored guests, six bowls, that’ll be twelve coins in total."

By this time, everyone had finished their noodles and didn’t want to get further entangled with Xiao Wang and her companions. After paying, they prepared to leave; they still needed to buy writing supplies for Zhao Zhitong.

However, though they wanted to leave, Xiao Wang was relentless, following them out of the noodle shop with a sarcastic tone, "Humph, you can rest assured, my tavern’s business is booming! Not like some people who sell tofu for two days and still can’t afford two bowls of lousy noodles. Eight people, eating six bowls! I say, Brother, you can’t be *that* stingy! Sun Mei’s maternal family came all this way to help you; you should at least treat them to a proper bowl each!"

Xiao Wang truly looked down on Zhao Dong’s family from the bottom of her heart. She really couldn’t understand why her husband had asked her to seek out Brother’s family, these Evil Stars, and even told her to suck up to them and invite them to their tavern for a meal.The dishes in their tavern were so exquisite and expensive; why should they serve them to these lowlifes? Besides, it was just some worthless tofu recipe, street stall stuff at best!

With Xiao Wang’s sarcastic tone, even the usually good-tempered Zhao Dong was getting a little angry, let alone Aunt, whose fiery temper meant she wasn’t one to stand by and take insults.

Right there on the street, she immediately retorted, "I say, Xiao Wang, you’re quite the busybody, aren’t you? Instead of worrying about how many bowls of noodles we’re eating, you’d be better off worrying if your own tavern can even stay open. I heard a new tavern opened in the marketplace and has snatched a lot of your business. Don’t let it get to the point where you can’t even afford the very noodles you look down on!"

She finished with a cold snort, "Honestly! Someone’s died in your own family, and you’re still worried about whether other people are buying coffins? PAH!"

After berating her, Aunt pulled her sons along, and the group departed without a backward glance.

Xiao Wang’s face alternated between pale and flushed from Aunt’s tirade. Standing in front of the noodle shop, she started cursing at their retreating backs, "PAH! Who do they think they are? It’s *your* family that has people dying! A nest of lowlifes, only fit to eat noodles from a roadside stall..."

Just then, a basin of water suddenly splashed towards her. Xiao Wang shrieked and dodged, but she still got half-soaked with dirty water.

Then, the shopkeeper’s wife appeared, holding a wooden basin and standing under the awning with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Oh, my apologies! I didn’t think anyone was out here. I just heard some dog yapping outside and was worried it might scare my customers."

First, she was insulted by those little wretches, then splashed with dirty water, and now called a dog! Xiao Wang was instantly furious.

But at this moment, many of the people eating noodles in the shop cast unfriendly glances her way, their faces full of cold mockery as they pointed and whispered.

Xiao Wang and her two companions instantly became the target of public scorn.

It was no one else’s fault but her own. When she had insulted Zhao Dong earlier, she had cast her net too wide, saying that those who ate street stall noodles were lowlifes, thereby offending everyone in the shop.

She didn’t dare throw a tantrum now. She gave a couple of dry laughs, grabbed her daughter, and fled in disarray.

Seeing his sister leave, Wang Gou didn’t dare linger and hurriedly followed.

As soon as they left, the shopkeeper’s wife scoffed, "What’s so great about owning a tavern anyway?!"

As for Zhao Dong and his group, their good mood had been thoroughly ruined by Xiao Wang’s sudden appearance.

They didn’t browse any further and went straight to buy writing brushes and paper.

However, after looking all around the marketplace, they couldn’t find a single bookstore.

Zhao Dong asked, "Brother, do you know where they sell writing supplies in this marketplace?"

Sun Youli shook his head. "We don’t have any scholars in our family, so we don’t really pay attention to such things. But there must be some in the county town. Father’s writing brush was bought there."

Zhao Dong nodded. Indeed, the marketplace was a place for villagers to exchange goods. Writing supplies like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were valuable items that farmers rarely bought, so naturally, few people sold them.

So, he said, "Then let’s head back for today. We can go to the county town to buy them tomorrow or the day after."

By the time they had looked around the marketplace, most people had already left, and no one was in the mood to browse anymore, so they prepared to head home.

When they reached the alley leading to their home, they saw from afar a small figure squatting in front of their main gate, engrossed in a book.

Zhao Zhitong recognized Qiao Muchen immediately. Just moments before, she had been as listless as a frostbitten eggplant, but she instantly perked up and wiggled down from her Younger Uncle Sun Youcai’s back.

"Qiao Jiaojiao!" she shouted, running towards him.

Hearing Zhao Zhitong’s voice, Qiao Muchen immediately stood up and waved his small hand at the approaching figure, "Zhao Zhuangzhuang!"

The actions of the two children, coupled with their nicknames, had an inexplicably comical charm.

Zhao Dong and the others walking behind them couldn’t help but chuckle.

Zhao Zhitong ran over and pouted in dissatisfaction, "Qiao Jiaojiao, you’re not allowed to call me Zhao Zhuangzhuang."

Qiao Muchen retorted, "Then you can’t call me Qiao Jiaojiao either."

Zhao Zhitong nodded. "Alright, Qiao Muchen, I won’t call you that anymore, and you can’t call me that either."

Qiao Muchen said, "A gentleman’s word..."

Zhao Zhitong chimed in, "...is his bond!"

Zhao Zhitong agreed verbally, but she was thinking, "Hey, but I’m not a gentleman, am I?"

The two reached a temporary agreement on the issue of nicknames.

Then Zhao Zhitong asked Qiao Muchen why he was reading a book outside her house.

Qiao Muchen replied truthfully, "School is off today, so I came to invite you to read together in my family’s study."

Hearing the word "study," Zhao Zhitong’s eyes lit up. "Wow! You have a study in your house? Are there lots and lots of books?"

Qiao Muchen nodded proudly. "That’s right. Enough to fill two large bookshelves."

"Wow!" Zhao Zhitong’s face instantly filled with envy. "That’s so many!"

Then she also boasted, "I have two books, too!"

Just then, Sun Mei, having heard the commotion, came out of the courtyard. "Oh, you’re back from the market."

Zhao Zhitong immediately threw herself into Sun Mei’s arms. "Mother~ Tongtong missed you so much!"

Sun Mei said with a helpless smile, "Look at you, so big now and still acting like a baby in front of our guest. Aren’t you ashamed?"

"I’m not ashamed! Not ashamed at all!" Zhao Zhitong protested, hugging even tighter.