Chapter 20: Still Too Poor

As soon as Old Lady Su finished speaking, her two sons—Big Tiger and Little Tiger—immediately stepped in to speak for their kids.

With solemn vows, they declared that if their sons ever dared to be disrespectful to Xiao Tangbao, they’d break both their legs.

Old Lady Su was thoroughly pleased. Then she turned to her two儿媳 (daughters-in-law) with a firm tone.

“From now on, steam two egg custards every day—half a portion for each of the four children.”

“Yes, Mother,” Qian Yuemai quickly replied.
She was thrilled her own son would finally get to eat egg custard.

Zhao Chunhua, however, looked worried. “Mother, Xiao Gu is still so little—half an egg custard might not be enough.”

She glanced at her own son, then added, “Da Pan’s older now—he can skip it. Let him have the whole thing, and give the half to Xiao Gu.”

Qian Yuemai heard this and immediately wrinkled her nose.

Her sister-in-law was going all out to please the mother-in-law, even sacrificing her own son!

Did she really expect Xiao Gu to take care of her in old age?

“Oh, Sister-in-Law,” Qian Yuemai said in her signature sharp, sarcastic tone, smiling without warmth, “If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you were a stepmother! Neighbor Wang’s Second Egg is the same age as Da Pan, but he’s already half a head taller. You’re his mother—you don’t care about your own child, but I, as his aunt, just wish I could scrounge up something better to help him grow!”

Zhao Chunhua flinched inside. She looked at Da Pan—her son, her heart. Of course she loved him.

But back when the family was so poor they couldn’t even afford a single egg, when Old Lady Su gave birth to Xiao Gu, there wasn’t a single egg in the house. The two eggs given to her during childbirth? She’d had to borrow them from neighbors.

Now things were getting better—sometimes they even got strange wild game out of nowhere—and Zhao Chunhua believed it was all thanks to Xiao Gu’s luck.

Xiao Gu was the family’s treasure. No one could be shortchanged—not even her own son.

Da Pan was older now; he could grow strong eating more meat. But Xiao Gu? Too young to digest meat well, weaned too early—eggs were his lifeline.

“Hmph!” Old Lady Su shot Qian Yuemai a cold glance. “Since you’re so concerned about your nephew, then next time you eat meat, just leave a little extra for him. Save it.”

Qian Yuemai: ……

Absolutely not!

Fine, she’d let the sarcasm slide—but no way was she giving up her share of meat.

“Mother,” she said dryly, “when have I ever stolen food? You make it sound like I’m some kind of thief…”

“Shut up! Even stuffing your mouth won’t shut you up!” Su Erhu roared at her.

This daughter-in-law—couldn’t go a minute without stirring trouble.
Utterly unbearable.

Xiao Tangbao watched silently from the corner, quietly sighing.

This family was still too poor.

She knew her mother secretly funneled most of the household income into funding Wu Ge’s education.
Even though life had improved slightly, money was still tight.

No wonder—back in this era, raising a scholar meant everyone in the family had to tighten their belts.

She needed to come up with a way to earn money…
But she was too young to do much.

“Ahh…”
Xiao Tangbao sighed—a breath far too mature for her age.

“What’s wrong, dear?”
“What’s the matter, little sister?”

The entire Su family turned toward her.

So tiny, yet she let out a full, deliberate sigh—so serious, so *grown-up*.
How could anyone resist?

That single sigh instantly melted the hearts of every Su family member.

Even Da Pan stared at her with wide, hopeful eyes.
“I’ve grown up, Auntie Xiao Gu,” he whispered. “I don’t need egg custard anymore.”

Xiao Tangbao looked at her big nephew with the gentle, knowing gaze of a grandmother.

Then she turned around, crawled a few steps toward the edge of the kang, and pulled out a small embroidered cloth pouch from a little basket.

She wasn’t going to let her nephew go hungry—she had to show something real.

Inside the pouch were treasures she’d collected herself:
colorful river stones, smooth beads, bright feathers, white wolf fangs, and a few odd trinkets she couldn’t even name.

And the little rattle Qian Yuemai once bribed her with? Long since given to San Wa.

From her collection, Xiao Tangbao picked out a golden-yellow stone and handed it to Old Man Su.

“Dad,” she said, “buy eggs.”

They didn’t have enough eggs at home—so buy more!

Her expression? Utterly extravagant.

Old Man Su chuckled. “Good girl. Buy some!”

He agreed instantly, beaming with pride.

His little daughter had sacrificed her own treasures—just to get eggs for the family.

Sure, it was just a rock.
But to him, it was pure love.
And that was priceless.