Chapter 151: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
**Chapter 151: Catching Earthworms**
Suisui understands the reasoning behind not being bullied. She has learned this from painful experiences over time! So, when Lady Ren spoke to her, she nodded seriously and said, "Okay, Auntie, I got it!" She quickly added, "Thank you, Auntie."
Seeing the obedient look of the little girl, Concubine Ren's hand itched again. She thought, it's not like raising your own; there are restraints. She wanted to flick her forehead again but couldn't, afraid that she might make the child cry, and then Qi Wangfei might blame her later.
Thinking about this, Concubine Ren regretfully pulled back her hand. Then, she took off the beautiful ruby ring on her finger and slipped it into Suisui ’s little pouch. This pouch was given to her by Liu Hemeng in the morning, and it had only a tiny sachet inside that emitted a faint herbal scent. Now it held a rather large ring.
Concubine Ren chuckled as she tucked it in, saying, "This is for our Suisui too. May you shine as bright and beautiful as the sun, alright?"
Although Suisui didn’t fully understand the meaning, she knew it was a blessing, so she nodded and thanked her.
Watching Suisui 's reaction, Concubine Ren’s hand itched again. She thought, children are just so much fun. Too bad Xiao Wu has grown up and isn’t as fun anymore, and Xiao Qi is too smart to be teased.
Should she have another child? But thinking of the pain of childbirth, Concubine Ren quickly dismissed the thought. She didn’t want to go through that agony again.
Moreover, Xiao Qi is already seven, and there’s no movement in the manor, perhaps it’s not about the women. Maybe, the Prince has issues.
Tsk!
Concubine Ren feared she might tease Suisui again and make her cry, and she was terrible at comforting kids. Regretfully, she decided to leave and, before departing, she threw another bowl of fish food into the pond.
Everyone: …
It’s clear, Concubine Ren came out today determined to overfeed the fish.
After Concubine Ren left, Suisui and Liu Hemeng watched the fish for a while longer before moving to look at the flowers Qi Wangfei was growing. There weren’t many blooming, but the lush green was enough to lift anyone's spirits.
The flowers were delicate, so the two children didn't dare touch them and just squatted there, observing. After a while, they spotted earthworms in the soil.
Liu Hemeng's eyes lit up instantly, "Wow!!!"
Suisui , not knowing why, followed suit, clapping her hands, "Wow!!!"
After a while, Liu Hemeng started digging out the earthworms, explaining to Suisui as she did, "These are also called ground silkworms. They clear heat, stop wheezing, calm the liver, and improve circulation. They have many uses, but they need to be collected properly and prepared carefully."
Suisui didn’t fully understand, but she knew it was something impressive. She clapped her hands in response, "Wow, amazing!"
Liu Hemeng, without showing off, smiled and said, "If you like it, Suisui , I can teach you later, alright?"
Since Suisui can’t even recognize characters yet, she’s eager to learn. Liu Hemeng’s suggestion made her nod eagerly, "Okay, okay."
Liu Hemeng quickly used a small stick to pick out an earthworm. The worm wiggled and curled up, startling Suisui , who took a step back.
Seeing this, Liu Hemeng laughed, "Don’t be scared; it doesn’t bite. Even if it does, it doesn’t hurt. Come, use this to poke it."
Suisui wasn’t actually afraid. She had caught these before to feed chickens. Her reaction was just to avoid getting her shoes dirty. Hearing Liu Hemeng’s words, she shook her head, "Sister, I’m not scared; I used to catch them by hand."
Back then, she caught them to feed the chickens so they would lay eggs. No one cared whether she was scared or not. All they cared about was whether the chickens were fed well and laying enough eggs.
Liu Hemeng was momentarily stunned but wisely refrained from asking more. She handed Suisui a small stick, "Use this to poke it. Don’t touch it with your hands; it’s dirty."
Suisui obediently used the stick to prod the earthworm. It squirmed with every poke.
Liu Hemeng clapped her hands in amusement, "Haha, it moves funny. Poke its head."
Suisui poked the earthworm’s head, then the middle, and finally the tail. The two children spent quite a while poking before they got tired and turned back to admire the flowers.
After a moment, Suisui , looking at the wriggling worm, quietly asked, "Is this really medicine?"
Hearing this, Liu Hemeng nodded, "Of course, it’s a very good medicinal ingredient."
A great herb.
So, would her brother like it if she gave it to him?
Suisui wasn’t sure. She tugged at Liu Hemeng’s sleeve and asked, "Do you think Brother will like this?"
Liu Hemeng wasn’t sure either. Her family had been practicing medicine for generations, studying various medicinal and poisonous creatures. She had grown up seeing these things and was not afraid.
As for others… that’s hard to say.
But Liu Hemeng thought, a gift prepared with care, even if it’s not well-liked, probably won’t be disliked either. And an earthworm isn’t as scary as snakes or mice, right?
Thinking of this, Liu Hemeng nodded, "Maybe. Why don’t we try?"
Trying something requires courage, and Suisui was feeling quite bold today. So, she went ahead and used the stick to pick up the earthworm. But just one wouldn’t be enough; Suisui had five brothers and a sister.
And she couldn’t leave out her sister just because she was here. Including her sister, she’d also want to bring some for her mother, and maybe for the pretty aunt today too?
Then there’s Grandpa Liu, Prince Qing...
The list grew as Suisui thought about it.
She figured she’d catch as many as she could and then sort them out.
After telling Liu Hemeng her plan, Liu Hemeng, who thought this was a unique gift, happily helped. The two children spent most of the afternoon turning over almost the entire garden soil.
The outcome was quite good.
They found eight earthworms.
No more were to be found.
Both kids were covered in mud, but the satisfactory results made them giggle at each other’s dirty faces.
With the earthworms caught, they needed suitable containers. They couldn’t just hold them with bare hands. Aunt Xiang thought the gifts were very unique, but she wasn’t sure if the kids would like them. Still, it was a child’s sincere gesture, so Aunt Xiang thought: it should be okay.
She asked a servant to help find some empty boxes to divide and mark the earthworms accordingly.
After sorting, Suisui proudly showed her dirty little face and said, "All set!"
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