Sun Kang angrily scolded his third son: "What nonsense, you're the cleverest in the family, yet you can't learn medicine. Now, you insist on learning business. Do you think it's easy to do business?"
Sun Kang continued to berate relentlessly.
The eldest and second daughter-in-law, along with their mother-in-law, were busy with sewing inside the room, unfazed by the commotion outside. They didn't interfere, letting the ruckus continue.
Outside, Sun Kang grew increasingly melancholic and felt he was failing his ancestors.
The Sun family had practiced medicine for generations, but unexpectedly, it seemed to halt during his era.
He had three sons, none of whom were inclined toward medicine.
His eldest son, forced to learn since childhood, could only identify herbs after years of study. He was not dependable for diagnosing illnesses and only gathered herbs from place to place.
The second son.
Glancing at his honest and brawny second son, Sun Kang sighed. Oh well, he was hopeless.
His mind was simple, a typical example of a simple mind and strong muscles.
The third son.
Speaking of the third son made him even more heartbroken.
As a child, his third son showed intelligence, making Sun Kang happy for a while, thinking his skills would finally have a successor.
But who knew, his intelligence wasn't applied in the right direction. He could easily learn other things, except medicine, which was a struggle.
Scolding didn't help, nor did reasoning; he just couldn't learn it, leaving Sun Kang completely disheartened. He gave up on his son's generation and turned his attention to his grandchildren.
The eldest son had three boys and one girl, the second son had two boys and one girl, and the third son was unmarried, so he was not counted.
From a numbers perspective, the family seemed thriving. However, after much observation and education among the grandchildren, he couldn't find anyone with a talent for medicine.
He was getting older, and whether this family skill could be passed on became a constant worry, troubling him every few days.
Early that morning, after some dream, he woke up sighing by the bed, convinced his ancestors were blaming him.
Thus, he brought out his sons once again for a round of 'chastisement'.
As Sun Kang sighed, a child's voice suddenly cried out from outside the door.
Sun Youcai instantly recognized it as his beloved niece's voice.
He immediately felt like he was reborn: "Dad! It's Tongtong, my sister and brother-in-law are here!"
Saying that, he ran to the door and opened it wide.
Then, a little girl dashed in like a rocket: "Grandpa, grandpa, Tongtong is here to see you."
"Oh dear."
Sun Kang caught the rushing little girl and picked her up: "Let grandpa see if you've grown taller."
Zhao Zhitong giggled: "I've grown tall, really tall."
The little one's sweet voice seemed to have a healing effect; half of Sun Kang's anger dissipated as he chuckled: "Hahaha, you really have grown taller."
Sun Youwei and his two brothers simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, gratefully acknowledging Zhao Zhitong's timely entrance that saved them from trouble.
At this moment, Zhao Guifen and the two aunts came out upon hearing the commotion.
"Oh, Tongtong's here."
Seeing Zhao Zhitong, Zhao Guifen's eyes crinkled with a smile, but not seeing her daughter and son-in-law made her pause: "Tongtong, did you come alone? Where are your mom and dad?"
Zhao Zhitong came down from Sun Kang's arms and ran to Zhao Guifen: "Mom and dad are behind. They are so slow, not as fast as Tongtong. Tongtong missed grandpa and grandma, so I ran really fast."
The sweetness of her words made everyone in the courtyard laugh.
Sun Youcai became displeased, squatting in front of Zhao Zhitong: "Why, do you only miss grandpa and grandma, not your little uncle? Despite little uncle always bringing you candy to eat."
Saying this, he took out a candy, tempting her: "Come on, say you miss little uncle the most."
Candy? Now, would Zhao Zhitong even care?
Pouting, she looked disdainful and said in a sweet voice: "How can little uncle be as childish as a child? Competing for affection with grandpa and grandma, shame on you."
Sun Youcai: "..." His candy was truly wrongly given.
After the teasing, Zhao Zhitong hugged her grandma, sharing affection equally: "Tongtong not only misses grandpa and grandma but also misses big uncle, second uncle, big aunt, second aunt, and cousins."
Sun Youcai: "..."
"Dad, mom, big brother, second brother, big sister-in-law, second sister-in-law!"
At this time, Sun Mei and Zhao Dong's voices sounded from outside, and everyone quickly went out to greet them.
Zhao Guifen went forward to hold her daughter's hand, noticing her daughter's face was a bit fuller, and nodded in satisfaction. Seeing the things her son-in-law was carrying, she couldn't help but grumble: "It's enough for you to come; why bring things."
Zhao Dong knew his mother-in-law felt sorry for their current difficulties and smiled: "That's not right, mom. Don't worry about us, it's not much, just some tofu and bean curd we made ourselves."
Sun Mei's eyes reddened, but also smiled: "Yes, mom, Zhao Dong and I have started a small business, so don't worry about me."
Some villagers from the Sun Family Village came to sell tofu, and they had heard some things, but only knew someone from Zhaozhai Village made something new.
Now hearing Zhao Dong and Sun Mei's words, they were all surprised.
"Oh, so the ones making tofu in Zhaozhai Village are your family!"
Zhao Dong smiled embarrassedly: "We had no other choice, needed to find a new way."
Learning that their son-in-law had found a new livelihood, Sun Kang and Zhao Guifen finally felt reassured.
Zhao Guifen patted her daughter's hand with satisfaction: "Good, good, knowing you are filial."
Sun Kang also nodded in approval: "Don't stand at the door, let son-in-law come in."
"Yes, yes." Zhao Guifen wiped her eye corner: "Look at me, getting too excited. Youcai, help your brother-in-law with the things, and Yingli, bring the cart into the yard."
Sun Mei's family's arrival made the Sun family courtyard instantly lively.
A few children heard there were guests and rushed in, calling aunt and uncle.
Zhao Dong sat with his father-in-law and the two elder brothers-in-law, chatting.
Under the eaves, Zhao Guifen held her daughter's hand and spoke with her.
The two daughters-in-law were busy in the kitchen making tea, and giving the children some tofu pudding.
At this moment, several children surrounded the kitchen door, excitedly looking at the tempting tofu pudding.
Sun Mei knew children liked tofu pudding, so she brought plenty for the kids to eat, more than enough.
However, the daughters-in-law intended to save some for the men in the family for the evening, so they were stingy in their servings.
The four boys were fine, each getting a bowl. But the two girls only got half a bowl.
Zhao Zhitong was an exception, being a guest, she received a whole bowl.
Seeing this unequal distribution, Zhao Zhitong felt puzzled inside.