novelraw Chapter 286 Extra Chapter 6: This is what a sweet romance novel heroine should look like 1
Chapter 286 Extra Chapter 6: This is what a sweet romance novel heroine should look like 1
"Cousin, this child is nine years old. He went to school for two years when his parents were alive! He's quite clever. Do you think you could take him with you?"
"I'd be happy to work as a servant in your household. I can learn some skills from you and earn my own living in the future."
A cousin brought a little boy to Tong Yuqing.
Tong Yuqing looked at the boy opposite her. He had his head slightly lowered. He had been running around in the fields all year round, so his skin was a bit dark. He had a good foundation, and if he was properly cared for, he would be a handsome young man.
"Just tell me directly that the clan doesn't want to raise them anymore and that I can take care of them. Why go through all this trouble? Since they are family members, how can I treat them like servants?" Tong Yuqing said.
She had taken the younger members of the clan out to help them and give them something to do more than once or twice. She had never taken care of such a young child before; he was an orphan, and she was the one who raised him.
"Child, come to your great-aunt. What's your name?" Tong Yuqing asked.
"My name is Tong Linsheng. My father is Tong Dayou." The boy looked up at the old lady opposite him.
This wasn't the first time he'd seen her; she'd come back two years ago, and his parents had told him that she was one of the most capable women from the Tong family who had married out.
Back then, her parents had helped them run a small business in the county town, and their family was doing alright. He was their only child, and they doted on him. He even went to school for two years. But last year, their shop was robbed by bandits, and his parents died in the chaos.
For over a year, he ate at the homes of many families in the village. The Tong family was mostly kind, but not wealthy, so he often went hungry, living much like a homeless beggar. Fortunately, his family still had two dilapidated houses, which, although bare, provided some shelter from the wind and rain.
"Oh, it's from my nephew Dayou's family! I've heard about his situation; the poor child. Would you like to come with me? You'll have to do chores at my house—fetching water, chopping wood, cooking, and even learning to drive a horse-drawn carriage. Aren't you afraid of getting tired?"
"Grandma, I'll go with you. After I finish my work, can I look at your books? I promise I won't get them dirty or damaged!" Tong Linsheng looked at the grandma earnestly with his obsidian-like eyes.
"She's quite studious. Okay, you can read any of the books in my house! But I need to ask my granddaughter if she'd like another older brother to live with us. Jia Hui, come here!"
At the old lady's call, a beautifully sculpted little girl ran out of the house.
"Grandma! Why did you call me?" This is Tong Jiahui, the old lady's granddaughter. She came back to her parents' home this year to visit relatives.
The little girl wore a pink satin dress and a moon-white gauze shirt. Her hair was styled in two small buns with floral patterns. With her round face and big eyes, she looked as beautiful as a fairy child who had stepped out of a painting!
This is the really pretty little girl that all the kids in the village were talking about! I really want to have a pretty little girl like that! Tong Linsheng's eyes lit up.
"Jiahui, shall we take him home and have him be your older brother?" the old lady asked.
She believes that children have intuition. If her granddaughter doesn't like a child at first glance, she won't bring him along to avoid conflict between him and her own child.
She was willing to take the child back to raise, naturally hoping that the child would grow up to be successful and could also help her grandchildren; she still cared more about her own descendants.
Xiao Jiahui ran up to Tong Linsheng, circled him, and asked, "Will you grab my little pigtails?"
Tong Linsheng shook her head. Was someone always finding fault with her? That person was truly despicable!
"Would you take my doll?" the little girl asked seriously.
Tong Linsheng shook his head and couldn't help but say, "Is someone always bullying you? If anyone steals your things or bullies you again, I'll beat them up!"
"Can you run fast? There are several bad older brothers next door who bully girls!"
"I can run really fast, I can even carry you on my back!" Tong Linsheng said earnestly to the little girl opposite him.
"Then take me out to play, okay? I've never been to these mountains before. The kids in the village won't take me! They say there are snakes in the mountains."
Tong Jiahui had a kind of obsession with the mountain behind the village. Why could the girls in the village go there but she couldn't? She wasn't made of porcelain.
"Grandma, will you let Jia Hui go up there to play? If you will, I will definitely protect her!" Tong Linsheng looked at Tong Yuqing. Who would dare to take the little girl up the mountain if she didn't agree?
"Hehe, what a clever little devil! You two go play, but it's agreed you'll only play at the foot of the mountain, not inside!"
"Okay!" Tong Linsheng grabbed Xiao Jiahui's hand, turned around, and ran out.
From then on, Tong Jiahui had an older brother. She changed out of her fancy clothes and skirts and played wildly with the village children, turning into a "mud monkey" in just a few days!
The foot of the mountain wasn't entirely safe either; that day, a group of young men encountered a snake, though fortunately, there were very few venomous snakes there.
The children recognized it wasn't a poisonous snake, so they wanted to catch it and take it home to cook. They weren't afraid of it, but little Jia Hui was terrified. Seeing the disgusting thing slithering towards her, she screamed and jumped up, running away!
As a result, she twisted her ankle and fell face-first into the mud! Xiao Jia Hui burst into tears, and Tong Linsheng quickly ran over and picked her up.
"Brother Lin, snake! There's a snake!" The little guy was so scared that he forgot about his injured foot.
"Don't be afraid, Jia Hui! They've already caught the snake! We'll stew it tonight to avenge you!"
"No, Huihui doesn't want to eat snake meat!"
"Okay, then we won't eat! Let me see your foot, does it hurt a lot?" Tong Linsheng gently touched her ankle, which was already bruised and swollen, so it must be injured!
"I'll carry you!" Tong Linsheng picked up Xiao Jiahui and carried her into the village.
The journey was long, and when the other boys tried to kick him, he resolutely refused. Of course, she was his sister; he had to carry her himself.
"Brother Lin, you're so kind! I'll marry you when I grow up!" Little Jia Hui said earnestly. The five-year-old girl didn't quite understand the true meaning of marriage.
Tong Linsheng: I don't believe you for a second! You said yesterday that your great-aunt was the best, and that you would marry her when you grow up!
But he said, "Okay, then I'll wait for you to grow up!"
They returned to Yan City together and lived together in the small courtyard with the persimmon tree. Tong Linsheng took great care of Jia Hui, occasionally playing and fighting with the neighborhood children, but most of the time they read together. He discovered that his sister knew more words than he did!
After observing Tong Linsheng, whom she had adopted, for a while, Grandma Tong decided that he was a good boy with good character and sent him to school with her granddaughter!
Tong Jiahui started school early, and Tong Linsheng was three grades ahead of her; they attended elementary school together. Over the years, Tong Linsheng had been with her, arranging everything for Jiahui at school.