The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

"Mrs. Tong?"

"Miss Tong, what's wrong?"

Just as Tong Pandi was crying her heart out, she heard someone calling her name.

Tong Pandi looked up and saw Master Su standing not far from her, carrying several beautiful lanterns in his left hand and a small box in his right.

"Master Su."

Tong Pandi wiped her eyes and stood up.

"Master Su, are you looking for Jingzhe? He's at home reviewing his lessons."

Gu Jingzhe was going to take the provincial examination in March, and he spent the entire first month of the lunar calendar hiding in his room to prepare for the exam.

When Tong Pandi saw Su Fuzi arrive, she assumed he was there to see Gu Jingzhe.

Master Su asked with concern, "Madam Tong, has someone bullied you?"

Tong Pandi shook her head, explaining sheepishly, "No, who could bully me at my aunt's house? I was just thinking about some sad things from the past, so... I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Master Su."

Master Su said, "It is not shameful for a person to cry when they think of something sad."

As the first woman in Pingchuan County to take the initiative to divorce, Su Fuzi felt that Tong Pandi was a woman worthy of admiration.

What impressed him even more was that Tong Pandi also took the two children with her.

Divorced women face many hardships in life, including the difficulties of survival and the harassment of gossip. Tong Pandi's survival wasn't a problem thanks to Tong Huaqiong, but the gossip was unavoidable.

Master Su felt that Tong Pan must have heard some gossip that touched on her painful memories, so he said, "Don't care what others say about you. Just do what you believe is right. If anyone else criticizes you, just spit it in their face."

Su Fuzi's words warmed Tong Pandi's heart.

When Tong Pandi saw Su Fuzi standing in the wind, he realized that even though it was still January, Su Fuzi had already taken off his thick cotton-padded coat and put on a padded jacket.

So she said with concern, "Master Su, why are you dressed so thinly? It's been snowing these past few days. You should go to your aunt's house to warm up."

Master Su, seemingly unaffected by the cold, said, “I burned my thick cotton coat while warming myself by the fire yesterday. It’s alright, a little cold is just what keeps me awake while reading.”

Tong Pandi laughed. She thought that Su Fuzi was so knowledgeable, yet he seemed a bit silly.

“Master Su, reading isn’t something you can do right now. Bring your tattered cotton-padded coat next time, and I’ll mend it for you.”

When Su Fuzi saw Tong Pandi smile, he was glad that he was dressed lightly.

At this moment, Cao called out to Tong Pandi, who walked into the pig farm, picked up the pig feed, and headed towards the pig trough.

Master Su saw several large buckets of pig feed on the ground.

So he placed the lantern and the small box on a clean, sheltered stone, lifted his robe, and carried the pig feed to the pig trough to feed the pigs.

Tong Pandi was startled and quickly tried to snatch it away, saying, "Master Su, you are a scholar, how can you do rough work?"

Master Su, still holding the bucket, said, "Teaching and feeding pigs are not of different social statuses."

As he spoke, he picked up a spoon and scooped up a large spoonful of pig feed, pouring it into the feeding trough.

Tong Pandi smiled as she saw that although Su Fuzi was clumsy, he was very methodical.

Su Shi's temperament was not that of a rigid scholar, but rather a refined and somewhat ethereal middle-aged man.

The contrast between this ethereal person standing in front of the pigsty and the surrounding scenery is striking.

Tong Pandi couldn't help but laugh again.

When Cao came out after looking after the sow who was about to give birth, she was so surprised to see Master Su feeding the pig that she could hardly close her mouth.

“No wonder Jingzhe always feeds the pigs and works in the fields when he comes home for holidays. It’s all thanks to the teacher setting such a good example,” Cao sighed.

Master Su blushed.

What Cao didn't know was that this was the first time Su Shi had ever fed pigs.

Master Su helped Tong Pandi feed all the pigs, and his sleeves were covered in pig feed.

Tong Pandi handed Su Fuzi a handkerchief and said, "Fuzi, wipe yourself."

Master Su, holding his handkerchief, looked at Tong Pandi's smiling face and blushed again.

"Mom, Aunt Tong." Chunni arrived carrying a basket of pigs.

"mother."

"Auntie." Coming in with Chunni were Man'er, Duo'er, Xiaolong, and Yaozu.

The children's faces were red from the cold as they followed Chunni to cut pig feed.

"Go inside and warm yourself by the fire," Tong Pandi said, taking Chunni's basket from her back. "Man'er, Xiaolong, you all come with Chunni to warm yourself by the fire."

Chunni and the others greeted Master Su and rubbed their hands together before entering the room where they were warming themselves by the fire.

“Chunni cut a lot of grass. I told her that the snow hadn’t melted yet and it was difficult to cut grass, but she still went to the wheat field even though I told her not to.” Tong Pandi shook the pig feed in his basket, his face showing his heartache for Chunni.

The old sow in the pigpen, who is about to give birth, has been only eating fresh grass these days.

In winter, there is very little grass; only the wheat fields have grass.

The snow is too thick; we need to dig through it to find grass.

Tong Huaqiong had already told Chunni not to spoil the sow, but Chunni still secretly went to the wheat field every day to dig through the snow and cut fresh grass to feed the pig.

Chunni, Man'er, and Duo'er, the three little girls, came out of the fire pit, took a roasted sweet potato and handed it to Master Su, saying, "Master Su, warm your hands."

Master Su received it.

After warming his hands for a while, Master Su brought out the beautiful lanterns and wooden boxes.

Master Su picked up a koi lantern and said to Man'er, Duo'er and the others, "Tomorrow is the fifteenth. I saw some beautiful lanterns on the street, so I bought a few for you to play with."

"Take a look and see which one you like, then choose one yourself."

The children had already looked on with longing when they saw the beautiful lamp in Su Fuzi's hand, and when they heard that it was for them, they were overjoyed.

Man'er clapped her hands happily, letting Duo'er and Chunni choose first.

Chunni and Duo'er let Man'er and Xiaolongyao's ancestors choose.

Yaozu was not going to be polite and went to pick one.

“Yaozu, Duo’er is the little sister, Duo’er should choose first,” Man’er said, pulling Yaozu back.

Duo'er glanced at Master Su, not daring to be the first to choose.

Master Su said with a kind expression, "Duo'er, Man'er says you are the younger sister, so you choose first."

Duo'er walked over and picked up the koi from Master Su's hand, saying, "I like big fish."

Master Su handed the koi lantern in his hand to Duo'er.

Duo'er, carrying a lantern, happily came to Tong Pandi's side and said, "Mom, look, what a beautiful lantern!"

Seeing Duo'er's genuine happiness, Tong Pandi was also happy.

Since arriving in Qinghe Bay, although Duo'er is still timid at times, her shy demeanor has gradually disappeared.

"Hurry up and thank Master Su," Tong Pandi said.

Duo'er curtsied to Master Su and said, "Thank you, Master Su."

"Sister Chunni, it's your turn to choose." After Duo'er finished choosing, Man'er let Chunni choose.

Chunni waved her hand and said, "I'm the oldest, Man'er, you guys choose first."

Man'er said, "After the youngest has chosen, it's time for the oldest to choose."

Chunni refused repeatedly.

Grandma Tong has given her the opportunity to earn money and work, so she should give way to the grandchildren of the employer.

Mother often said that the better Grandma Tong treated them, the more they should abide by her duties.

The usually silent Xiaolong said coldly, "It's just a lantern. You can choose one if I tell you to. Why pretend to be nice?"

Master Su glanced at Xiaolong, whose little face was cold.

Chunni had no choice but to step forward and select a lotus lantern.

"Little Dragon, it's your turn," Man'er said to Little Dragon.

Xiao Long, his face tense, said, "You choose first."

He'd seen all kinds of lamps before, yet he was still pushing and shoving these few lamps around. (End of Chapter)