A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

The bright red hawthorns, coated in a glistening sugar shell, looked very tempting. Moreover, they were much easier to carry than sugar figurines. So Chen Wanxing only bought one skewer of sugar figurines for each person, but she bought more than a dozen skewers of candied hawthorns.

But in the blink of an eye, as she turned away and her attention was slightly diverted, the strange boy watched as the last sugar figurine fell into Xin Ge'er's hands, and the pent-up impatience and longing suddenly overwhelmed his fragile self-control.

He let out a low growl like a small animal, suddenly exerted his strength, and pounced on Chen Yanxin, who was looking down at the dragon-shaped sugar figurine he had just acquired with great delight.

"Give it to me!" the boy screamed, pushing and snatching it away with both hands.

Caught off guard, Chen Yanxin was suddenly pushed backward by the force and landed hard on his backside. The sugar figurine he was clutching tightly in his hand was snatched away by the boy.

The shock and the injustice of having his sugar figurine taken away erupted instantly, and Chen Yanxin's earth-shattering cry suddenly exploded.

Just as Chen Wanxing touched the bamboo skewer for the candied hawthorn, he turned around abruptly at the sound and saw Chen Yanxin sitting on the ground crying loudly. The strange boy was tightly clutching the candied hawthorn he had snatched, which was already somewhat deformed, with a fierce look on his face and candied hawthorn sticking to his hand.

"What are you doing?" Chen Wanxing didn't care about the candied hawthorns anymore. She stepped forward and helped Chen Yanxin up. At the same time, she glared at the boy who had snatched the candy and demanded, "Whose child are you? Who taught you to snatch other people's things like this?"

The other children were startled by the sudden turn of events. Chen Youcong, clutching his sugar figurine, instinctively took a step back and hid behind Chen Wanxing.

The boy was silenced by Chen Wanxing's stern questioning. His fierce aura subsided somewhat, his eyes darted around, and he tightly gripped the sugar figurine behind his back, his feet shuffling backward.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"What's with all this wailing and lamentation all day long?"

"What happened?"

The faint sounds of laughter and conversation that had been emanating from the courtyard ceased, replaced by a cacophony of footsteps approaching the entrance.

"What happened?" Grandma Chen asked in a deep voice, her gaze sweeping across the scene.

Chen Yanxin's elbow was scraped, not serious, but being pushed down in front of everyone and having his beloved candy figurine snatched away made the teenager's face turn red. He was angry and aggrieved, and his eyes were red. Seeing that the adults had come out, he held back his tears and just glared fiercely at the boy who had taken the candy.

Chen Wanxing, holding Chen Yanxin's shoulder, said clearly and quickly, "Grandma, we just came back from the county town. I brought some sugar figurines for my brother and nephew. I didn't know we had guests today, so we didn't have enough sugar figurines. I was just about to get some spare candied hawthorns when this child suddenly rushed out, pushed Xin-ge'er down, and snatched the sugar figurines away."

Her voice wasn't loud, but she explained the situation clearly in just a few words, her gaze fixed on the boy and the several strangers who hurriedly came out of the main room afterward.

Following behind Grandma Chen was a young man wearing a slightly worn indigo long gown, whose face had a deliberately refined air about him. As soon as he came out, he focused his gaze on Chen Wanxing.

His eyes darkened, especially when he saw the mule cart behind him and Tianchuan standing next to it.

"Oh dear, Shuanzi, you silly child, it's not like we can't afford to buy you something you want." He was a little embarrassed, and pretended to snatch the sugar figurine.

"Give it back to them right now, what kind of behavior is this?" His tone was high, but he didn't have much force, and his eyes were glancing at Grandma Chen and the Chen brothers' faces.

Shuanzi, however, did not listen to his father at all. Instead, he hid the sugar figurine in his arms and twisted his body to avoid it.

"Yaozu, keep your voice down, don't scare the child." An elderly woman with slicked-back hair, wearing a dark blue cotton jacket, spoke slowly.

With her eyelids drooping and a few melon seeds she'd somehow produced in her hand, she spoke with a deliberately affected air of understanding, "What child wouldn't be tempted by candy and snacks? My dear in-laws,"

She turned to Grandma Chen, forcing a smile, "Your family is doing much better now. Wanxing has come back from a big city, she's seen a lot, and the things she buys are quite rare. Not to mention the child, even we adults think they're nice. Shuanzi, being a child, must also find them appealing, though his methods are a bit clumsy."

Her words were a casual defense of her child, and she even flattered the Chen family, but the implication was clear: she felt the Chen family should be generous and not hold a grudge.

Liu's father, who had been standing beside Liu's mother, cleared his throat and chimed in, "That's right, boys are supposed to be a little tough; roughhousing is common. Xin wasn't even hurt, so why is he crying like this? If you ask me, it's because you spoil the child too much, in-laws. Didn't Wanxing buy something else? Why not just give Xin another one?"

As he spoke, his eyes scanned Chen Wanxing up and down, his gaze sweeping over her face and body, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.

Grandma Chen frowned, about to speak, but her second aunt, Liu, spoke first. Hearing her parents say this, the slight unease on her face from the push and shove of her son immediately vanished, and she hurriedly echoed them:

"Yes, yes, what Mom and Dad say makes sense. Shuanzi is still young and doesn't understand. He's just greedy. Let Shuanzi have this sugar figurine. Chen Yanxin, stop wailing. You're a grown man, and you're fighting with your brother over a sugar figurine. Mom will buy you another one later."

As she spoke, she reached out to pull Chen Yanxin, her tone both persuasive and authoritative, "Stop crying with that long face. It's not a big deal. Don't make a fool of yourself."

Chen Yanxin abruptly shook off her hand, his eyes reddening even more, his chest heaving violently. He stared intently at Chen Ershen, stubbornly looking at her, and then at his own father, Chen Ershu.

Uncle Chen's expression was also not good. He tightened his grip on his hand and his lips moved, but because his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law were present, he did not speak up to reprimand his wife for her siding with outsiders.

Seeing that neither his parents stood up for him, Chen Yanxin's eyes slowly filled with tears. He bit his lip tightly to keep the tears from falling.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing. Mr. Chen's face was grave, but after all, the Liu family were guests, and the parents of his second brother and sister-in-law. They were the younger generation, and if things really got out of hand, it would be his second brother and sister-in-law who would be embarrassed.

Moreover, since the two children from the second wife had a conflict, and Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen didn't say a word, even if they wanted to intervene, they had no right to do so. Chen's mother hesitated for a moment and then remained silent.

But before anyone else could say anything, Uncle Chen couldn't stand Chen Yanxin's aggrieved look.