Just then, Butcher Zhao walked over, reached out, and patted Zhao Yue's head, saying in a loud voice, "Pay more attention when you're studying. If you fail the lesson the Teacher tests you on tomorrow, you won't be allowed to go out and play for a week."
"I know, Dad." Zhao Yue averted his gaze, looking quite wronged as he resumed his reading.
Zhao Zhitong watched with great amusement. When Butcher Zhao looked her way, she gave him a big smile.
Butcher Zhao, with his muscular build and the fact that he often slaughtered pigs, had an air of bloodthirstiness about him. When he wasn't smiling, he looked somewhat fierce and intimidating. The village children were all afraid of him; upon seeing him, they would flee faster than rabbits.
Zhao Zhitong was the only child who wasn't afraid of him. Not only was she unafraid, but she also often smiled sweetly at him. Butcher Zhao, in turn, grew quite fond of this little girl. "Little girl," he asked, "are you here to watch your brother study again?"
"Yes, Uncle, hello!" Zhao Zhitong grinned broadly, politely greeting Butcher Zhao.
Butcher Zhao found her sweet voice incredibly soothing, and his expression softened considerably. He chuckled, deliberately softening his voice, "What a girl."
"Uncle, my name is Zhao Zhitong. My daddy and mommy call me Tongtong, so Uncle can call me Tongtong too, okay?"
The four-and-a-half-year-old, doll-like child, with her soft, childish voice, expressed herself so clearly that Butcher Zhao was delighted. He compared her to his own son, who always managed to anger him, and he thought, If only my wife could give birth to such an adorable daughter!
Hearing his father speak so gently to the 'pest,' Zhao Yue felt indignant and turned to glare fiercely at Zhao Zhitong.
Zhao Zhitong, who wasn't even afraid of Butcher Zhao, certainly wouldn't be scared by him. She immediately glared back, even sticking her tongue out at him.
Zhao Yue's little antics naturally earned him another scolding from Butcher Zhao.
Meanwhile, Zhao Dong, over by the well, had finished drawing water and was loudly calling for Zhao Zhitong to come home.
Hearing Zhao Dong calling her, Zhao Zhitong quickly got up, politely bid Butcher Zhao goodbye, and skipped towards Zhao Dong on her short legs.
The moment the two of them left, some farmwives who loved to gossip started talking about Zhao Zhitong's family.
"TUT-TUT, look how spoiled Zhao Dong's daughter is! They just separated from the main family, and they're almost out of flour at home, yet they're still buying candy for the child."
"She's just a money-losing girl. I also heard she's an Evil Star with a calamitous fate. I really don't know what Zhao Dong is thinking; he's truly muddled. I guess it's because of this that they were kicked out by that Mrs. Zhu."
"Hey, don't speculate wildly. I heard his daughter was premature and weak, so they often buy her candy to nourish her."
"HEH-HEH, but there's no need to spoil her with candy every day. After all, she's just a girl. Besides, Zhao Dong's leg is injured now, so he can't do heavy labor. I'm afraid his precious treasure won't have candy to eat for much longer."
"Still talking about candy? I'm afraid the whole family will soon go hungry."
"Sigh! That's what comes from not knowing how to manage a household. The way I see it, they deserve it! From now on, we'd better keep our distance, lest they pester us to borrow money or flour."
...
Zhao Dong's family, of course, knew nothing of the villagers' idle chatter; at that moment, the two of them were happily heading home.
Zhao Zhitong ran ahead of Zhao Dong, hopping and skipping, clearly not tired at all. From time to time, she would ask questions, "Daddy."
"Yes?"
Zhao Zhitong asked, "Daddy, why, um, do we have to go to the village to fetch water?"
Zhao Dong replied, "Because we don't have a well at our home."
Zhao Zhitong continued, "Why not? Zhao Yue's house has a well."
Zhao Dong searched his memory, realizing his daughter was talking about Butcher Zhao's child, and said with a smile, "Their family sells meat, so they use a lot of water. Plus, they have money, so they dug a well in their own yard."
"Ohh, so that's how it is." Zhao Zhitong had a look of understanding on her face. "So it's because our family is poor. Hmm, well, when I earn money in the future, I'll dig one for Daddy too, so Daddy won't be tired."
Zhao Dong was immediately amused by Zhao Zhitong's words. He no longer felt the hardship of carrying the water, just laughed joyfully.
When the two returned home, Sun Mei was in the kitchen cooking. Zhao Zhitong clung to Sun Mei and began to recount everything she had seen and heard outside, especially her 'great battle' with Zhao Cai, which she described with great animation.
Zhao Dong poured the two buckets of water into the water vat but didn't immediately go out to fetch more. He was worried. Mrs. Wang will probably come looking for trouble soon, and Sun Mei won't be able to handle her alone.
His hunch was correct. Sure enough, it wasn't long before his stepmother, Mrs. Wang, came charging over with Zhao Cai in tow.
"Sun Mei, you damn-worthy-of-a-thousand-cuts woman! How dare you let that little brat of yours curse my precious granddaughter! Watch me tear her mouth apart!"
Her curses reached them from outside the courtyard wall before she even came into sight.
"Well, trouble has arrived."
They exchanged a glance and went out together to face the enemy.
Zhao Dong quickened his pace to walk in front, mainly because he was afraid Mrs. Wang would hit Sun Mei in a fit of anger. In his memory, this happened often.
"Mother," although he was very reluctant to call her that, Zhao Dong forced himself to say it, "what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing? You should ask your little Evil Star what she did! She actually bullied my Cai'er! I advise you to keep your little Evil Star from coming out, lest she bring misfortune to the villagers!"
"I didn't bully her! Zhao Cai cursed me first..." Zhao Zhitong cried out, about to rush forward, but Sun Mei quickly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back.
It was clearly just a squabble between children, yet Mrs. Wang insisted on making it sound so ugly. Zhao Dong was somewhat angry. "Mother, what you're saying is going too far. It was just a small conflict between children. Zhao Cai insulted Tongtong first, and Tongtong talked back; both children were at fault."
"As adults, we should guide them to get along like sisters. How can you teach children well if you keep calling her an Evil Star with every other word?"
Before Mrs. Wang could speak, a woman nearby suddenly interjected, "I say, Zhao Dong, is that how you talk to your mother? That's completely unfilial! Besides, your mother raised such a fine son as Zhao Chun; how could she not know how to raise children?"
"Listen to your mother," the same woman continued, addressing Zhao Dong after Mrs. Wang still hadn't spoken. "She means well. It's indeed better if your little Evil Star doesn't go out. What if she angers the entire village and you all get driven out of Zhao Village?"
Zhao Dong looked at the woman who had spoken. From his memory, he knew this was Mrs. Zheng, Zhao Tiezhu's wife. Zhao Tiezhu's father and Zhao Baishan were patrilineal cousins, so they were all members of the Zhao Clan.
In their generation, Mrs. Wang's eldest son, Zhao Chun, was the most successful; he was considered quite promising even in the entire village.
Moreover, last year, Zhao Chun's eldest son, Zhao Ji, even passed the examination to become an Elementary Scholar. Therefore, many people in the village tried to curry favor with Mrs. Wang's family, and Mrs. Zheng was one of them.
So, it wasn't surprising she was now chiming in to support them.
As Mrs. Wang walked from her house to theirs, she had been cursing and swearing the whole way, naturally attracting many villagers who loved a good spectacle and didn't mind stirring up trouble.
At this moment, hearing Mrs. Zheng and Mrs. Wang's accusations, several people immediately chimed in to agree.
"Zhao Dong, your mother is right. You should keep your daughter from running around all the time."
"Yes, yes."
...
Sun Mei was furious. "What nonsense are you all spouting!"
Malicious gossip is a fearful thing, she thought, fuming. If they keep calling her an Evil Star like this, eventually everyone will believe it. Our Tongtong is only four years old. If she's called an Evil Star from such a young age, the child will surely develop psychological problems!