Chapter Forty-Four: Hugging and Raising a Small Dog

  Yu Xiaohuo saw her coming in and asked: "Why don't you go help Xiao Fan, she's still busy until who knows what time."

  Yu Xiaoxi smiled and leaned in: "Su Bing is helping her."

  Yu Xiaohuo heard this and glanced at her with a hint of blame: "You should also go learn how to cook, or else others will look down on you in the future."

  "Will it work?" Yu Xiaoxi's head jerked up tensely, her eyes filled with unease.

  "Your sister is deceiving you, how can this child be so easily fooled? Don't you understand Su Bing's character yet?" Madam Ji smiled speechlessly, wanting to say that this little Xi and that Su Bing were indeed extremely well-matched.

  Yu Xiaoxi smiled slightly and walked over to Jia's side, gazing at Su Xiaoxuan who was fast asleep.

  Xiao Yimò leaned against the kitchen edge, occasionally glancing at the two people inside the kitchen, and then occasionally furrowing his brow.

  "What's wrong?" It was a long time before Su Xiaofan realized his presence, as well as his complex expression. He put down the things in his hand and walked over.

  Xiao Yimeng furrowed his brow and stared at her for a long time before asking in an extremely low voice, "Do you really like Su Bing that much?"

  Su Xiaofan was taken aback by his question, then replied: "He's a nice guy, of course I like him."

  "But others already have someone they care about." Xiao Yi's eyes sank, and his voice also cooled down a few degrees.

  "What does this have to do with anything?" Su Xiao Fan was full of doubts, his expression was strange, why did he suddenly get angry again?

  "Hmph! Don't forget you're my wife." Xiao Yimiao said as he turned and walked away.

  "What does this have to do with anything?" Su Xiaofan became even more perplexed, what was he actually singing about?

  After dinner, Ye Shi sat in the courtyard and chatted casually with Xiao Changfu. The servants who had finished eating also voluntarily helped to clean up the bowls and chopsticks, wash them, and so on.

  Su Xiaofan took advantage of the gap and went inside the enclosure.

  "Xiao Fan, do you want me to help bring grass for you every day from now on?" Yu Xiao Xi leaned on the fence, his face was beaming with joy, today he ate until he was truly full, his stomach was almost in pain.

  "Deliver grass?" Su Xiao Fan watched those chickens and ducks walking back and forth, turning her head in confusion.

  "Hmm, I go to the ground every morning for a while. If you want, I can bring some over for you every day." Yu Xiao Xi smiled brightly at her, maybe in the future, they could occasionally taste Xiaofan's delicious cooking.

  Su Xiaofan thought seriously for a moment, and if that was the case, then Grandma wouldn't have to go pull weeds every day. She nodded and said: "That's not bad either, but it's hard on you. However, these chickens and ducks are really growing slowly."

  Yu Xiaoxi smiled happily and walked in: "You've only raised them for a few days, right? These chickens and ducks usually need to be raised for seven or eight months before they can be sold."

  "It's going to take that long......" Su Xiao Fan pouted, thinking seriously. If it takes that long, she'll have to think of other ways to make some silver coins, or else she'll starve to death by the time they grow up.

  "Uh-huh." Yu Xiaoxi nodded and chased after a little chicken running around inside the fence.

  "By the way, does anyone in this village raise dogs at home?" Su Xiaofan looked at her with a helpless expression as she acted like a child.

  "Isn't the Wang family's house over there? Just a few days ago, they had a litter of puppies. Now, they're asking around to see who wants to raise them." Yu Xiaoxi pushed the little chicken into the coop and stopped chasing it, then walked over to Su Xiaofan's side.

  Su Xiaofan pulled Yu Xiaoxi's hand and said: "Let's go take a look, we'll buy one from her to raise."

  Yu Xiaoxi frowned: "Xiao Fan, why are you raising a dog?"

  In her heart, this little dog was just like an additional family member, and their family had just added a new member recently.

  "Raise the dog, and it can also guard the house." After what happened last time, Su Xiaofan decided that once the dog grew up, she would tie it outside the yard at night, which could also prevent thieves from having ideas about those chickens and ducks again.

  "Ah, indeed."

  After passing by several fields, I arrived at Sanpo's courtyard.

  The courtyard of the Sanpo family was quite spacious, paved with a layer of uneven stones. Although it was not very flat, it was still much better than Su Xiaofan's own home's potholed yard.

  The house that seemed to have been renovated not long ago looked several times better than her own, which made Su Xiaofan sigh with emotion, thinking that when she had money, she would definitely renovate the yard and the house.

  "Xiao Fan, Xiao Xi, how did you two get here?" Wang Shi was wearing an apron, holding a basin full of pig feed in both hands, standing at the gate of the pigpen looking at the two.

  "Third Aunt, I heard you have a puppy at home. I'd like to come and buy one from you." Su Xiaofan smiled as she walked over, standing in front of the pigpen door, eyeing the three plump pigs inside.

  "Are you going to raise them?" Wang put the basin in her hand on the ground and led the two people to a simple bamboo basket at the door of the hall, where three or four small dogs were snuggled up beside the big dog, sleeping soundly.

  "Yeah, it's all women at home, raising a dog is safer." Su Xiaofan immediately fell in love with one of the little dogs that was completely gray.

  Wang smiled: "That's right, take a look at which one you want and just carry it away."

  Su Xiaofan raised her hand and was about to take out silver from her purse.

  "This child, people say it's fine to just take him away, how much silver can this little dog be worth? I'll collect your money, Third Aunt?" Wang Shi wiped the smile off her face, pretended to be angry and glared at her, then squatted down: "Which one do you want, Third Aunt, I'll catch it for you."

  "Hey, thank you Sanpo, I'll take the grey one." Su Xiaofan pointed with her hand, and then looked worriedly at the mother dog that seemed to have woken up, wondering if it would bite people since its puppies were being taken away.

  "Here, take it." After picking up the little dog, Wang handed it over to Su Xiaofan.

  Su Xiaofan took it over and gently stroked its soft fur, wondering if the little treasure would like this little dog.

  "Then we'll go back, there are still guests at home." Su Xiaofan saw that San Po seemed to have not finished yet, and it was not good to continue delaying others.

  "Go ahead, come and play when you're free." Mr. Wang smiled again, this kid is getting more and more likable lately.

  "Uh, thank you Third Aunt." Su Xiaofan hugged the little dog and walked out of the yard.

  Yu Xiaoxi, walking behind her, pointed to the mother dog that had been following them not far away and said: "Xiao Fan, will she bite us?"

  Su Xiaofan stopped in her tracks, and on this road, she had been playing with the little dog in her arms, without noticing anything else. At this moment, she turned around and met the watery eyes of the dog's mother, which made her heart move. She walked over, squatted down, stroked the dog's mother's head, and smiled: "Don't worry, I'll take good care of it."

  The dog's mother seemed to understand her words, lowering her head and rubbing back and forth on her hand a few times, as if she had also let out a few low whimpers.