Chapter 10: The Counter-Grab!

"Xiaotao, go get two mugs and put these two cream popsicles inside. By the time your great-grandparents get back, they'll be just right for them to drink as sugar water."

Li Xiangdong’s grandparents were getting on in years, and their bodies couldn't handle anything too cold. Drinking some sugar water to satisfy their sweet tooth was just the thing.

"Got it, Third Uncle."

"Where is Li Xiaohai?"

He looked around, only then realizing his son wasn't there. No wonder he felt like someone was missing.

Li Xiaomei replied, "Third Uncle, Third Aunt has Xiaohai cornered in the room for a time-out."

Hearing about the time-out, he immediately knew his son must have caused some trouble. Thinking about how Li Xiaohai tended to hunch over like a little old man as he grew up, he felt like going over to remind his wife to make sure his son stood straight against the wall.

Seeing his mother about to head back into the room, Li Xiangdong quickly grabbed a cream popsicle and handed it to her.

"Oh? There's one for me too? I didn't help you with any chores, and besides, I’m not the type to get to eat cream popsicles—just a regular one would have been fine."

Li’s mother was always like this; she claimed she didn't want it, but she was secretly thrilled. Her son knew how to be filial, and her eyes crinkled into a smile.

"You're my own mother; how could I ever forget you? Enjoy it slowly; I’m going to check on things inside."

Li Xiangdong left the room with the paper package, eating his own popsicle as he walked. He ran into his elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law, who were also eating popsicles, and they thanked him as they passed.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he finished his popsicle in a few bites and tossed the small wooden stick into the yard.

Entering the room, Li Xiangdong saw Li Xiaohai standing with his head down, facing the wall.

Zhou Yuqin was sitting on the edge of the kang, cradling their daughter and nursing her. He walked over, noticed the teardrops still hanging at the corners of his daughter's eyes, and smiled, gently pinching her cheek.

"Why the tears? Tell Daddy who bullied you, and I’ll go give them a piece of my mind."

Li Xiaozhu lifted her head from her mother’s chest, squinted her eyes, pouted, and pointed a tiny finger.

"Daddy... hit... hit brother..."

After lodging her complaint, she buried her face back in to continue nursing. Zhou Yuqin had plenty of milk; even at a year and a half old, Li Xiaozhu was still nursing.

Li Xiangdong looked at Zhou Yuqin and asked, "What happened?"

Patting their daughter’s back, Zhou Yuqin explained, "Xiaohai snuck in when I wasn't looking and woke her up. He told her you had gone to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy them popsicles, and that she shouldn't sleep but wait with him instead."

So that was it.

Li Xiaohai was only a little over three years old; the fact that he thought of his sister when there was a treat was worth praising. Although his method was ill-considered, he was still just a child. He’d let it slide this time, but he’d make sure he stood in the corner again in the future if he needed to.

"Son, come here."

Li Xiaohai walked over, looking aggrieved. "Daddy, I didn't mean to make sister cry. I was just afraid that the older brothers and sisters would eat all the popsicles, so I woke her up."

Li Xiangdong patted his son’s head. "Daddy isn't blaming you."

He took a popsicle from the paper bag. "This is for you. Take it and eat."

Li Xiaohai took the popsicle but didn't eat it. "Daddy, I want to go play with the older brothers and sisters."

"Go ahead, they’re all in the main living room."

Children loved to gather together when eating snacks, and Li Xiangdong didn't intend to keep his son constantly under his thumb.

"Wife, this one is for you."

Once his son had left the room, Li Xiangdong handed the last cream popsicle to Zhou Yuqin.

"Eat it quickly, or it’ll melt."

"I don't want it, you eat it."

"I already had one, and everyone else in the house had one too. This one was kept specifically for you."

"Then save it for Xiaohai."

"Didn't I just give him one? Don't be so reluctant to eat anything."

Li Xiangdong tore open the wrapper and popped the cream popsicle into her mouth. "How is it? Sweet, right?"

"Mmhmm."

Zhou Yuqin took a bite. Her mouth was filled with the flavor of cream; it was indeed very sweet, and her heart felt just as sweet.

"Eat... eat..."

Seeing her mother eating, Li Xiaozhu stared with wide, unblinking eyes. She stopped nursing and reached out to grab it.

Zhou Yuqin swatted her daughter’s tiny hand away. Seeing her fussing to have some, she threatened, "You’re too little to eat this right now. If you do, your tummy will hurt, and the doctor will have to give you a shot."

At the mention of a shot, Li Xiaozhu stopped fussing and sat quietly in her mother’s arms, drool running down the corner of her mouth.

Li Xiangdong picked up the handkerchief from the edge of the kang and wiped his daughter’s chin. "You’re such a little glutton, wanting to eat other things while you’re already nursing. If you don't want your milk, should Daddy have it instead?"

"Daddy... Daddy... eat..."

"My daughter is so sensible; she knows how to look out for me."

Zhou Yuqin was happily enjoying her cream popsicle. Having grown up in the countryside, she hadn't had many popsicles in her life. She had no energy to deal with this shameless man and just assumed he was talking nonsense.

She noticed him leaning in closer, so she hurriedly dodged, blushing as she snapped, "Are you out of your mind? With our daughter right here! If you have no shame, I still do!"

Li Xiaozhu thought her parents were playing with her. She stood up shakily in her mother’s arms and swatted at Li Xiangdong. "Hit... hit you... tee-hee-hee..."

"I was just teasing the little one, how did you take it so seriously? You mother and daughter are both as heartless as each other."

Not only was Li Xiangdong misunderstood by his wife, but he also took two slaps from his daughter. Annoyed, he got up to leave.

But he hadn't gone two steps before he turned and ran back. He reached out to touch his wife’s arms, gave a precise pinch, grabbed the palm-leaf fan from the side, and—under his wife’s look of utter astonishment—hurriedly strode out of the room.

"Third Uncle, where did you throw the popsicle sticks?"

Li Xiangdong pointed. "Over there."

Following his gesture, the children immediately scrambled over.

Li Xiaotao was the fastest; he stepped on the sticks the moment he saw them. Amidst the envious gazes of his siblings, he picked up the small wooden sticks with a smug look and shoved them into his pocket.

Li Xiangdong walked to the water basin and turned on the tap to rinse off the palm-leaf fan, hoping the breeze would feel a bit cooler.

He fanned himself with the wet fan and asked, satisfied, "You’re collecting these to trade for popsicles, right? How many sticks do you need for one now?"

He remembered collecting leftover sticks when he was a kid, skipping home after school just to scour the streets for enough to trade for a popsicle.

Li Xiaojiang said, "Third Uncle, you need 200 for one popsicle."

"It takes that many now?"

Back when he was collecting them, it only took 100. It seemed times were better than before, and more people were eating popsicles.

"There’s one more left with your Third Aunt."

"You guys aren't allowed to fight me for it; I'm going to ask my mom for it."

Hearing this, Li Xiaohai took off on his short legs toward the west wing, only to return a moment later looking dejected.

Li Xiaotao ran over to him and asked, "Xiaohai, give me the stick. We’re on the same team, after all."

"My mom didn't give it to me; my sister is playing with it."

"It’s fine. When Little Seven is done playing with it, you can go ask Third Aunt again."

"Okay, Brother Xiaotao, I got it."