Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Don't touch my parents!

"Idiot!" Jia Dongxu's voice drifted over from his own doorstep, carrying a hint of mischievous laughter, sharp as a needle.

He's talking about "Da Mao Quan"! It's a fist technique specifically designed to beat up your Xu Da Mao, and has absolutely nothing to do with your cat!

Jia Dongxu was four years older than He Yuzhu and six years older than Xu Damao.

But the hardship of eating cornbread and pickled vegetables at home every day made him so thin that he looked like a soaked bean sprout.

He was only slightly taller than He Yuzhu, barely half a head shorter.

Xu Damao's eyes widened instantly, and like a ruffled rooster, he immediately retorted with his neck stiff.

"You're talking nonsense! Are you trying to get He Yuzhu to beat me up again?"

I'm going to tell my mother right now, and she'll have her take a rolling pin and teach you a lesson, you troublemaker!

"Oh?" Jia Dongxu immediately perked up, straightening his back a bit.

He deliberately moved closer to He Yuzhu, winking and making faces at him, just like a mischievous little boy stealing candy.

"Zhu Zi, what do you think we should do about this? We can't just watch Dongxu get wronged, can we?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him indifferently, his voice carrying a hint of teasing, like a willow leaf falling on the water.

"So be it. If you don't like him, go for it yourself, I'll back you up."

Jia Dongxu's smile froze instantly, like a sugar painting frozen in time. His tone also turned somber, carrying a hint of grievance.

"Zhu Zi, you're not even listening to your brother anymore?"

Have you forgotten how open and honest I've always been with you?

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat, and a surge of inexplicable disgust welled up inside him.

Be good to him?

It was just that he occasionally carried a piece of fruit candy in his pocket or hid a roasted sweet potato in his clothes, and he was trying to find ways to take advantage of him.

He would also make up excuses like "borrow two cents to buy a pencil" or "bring me a piece of fermented bean curd" to trick him out of his pocket money.

There wasn't a shred of sincerity in it; it was all calculation.

"I can't accept your 'heartfelt' kindness." His voice turned cold, like ice shards just pulled from a well.

The warmth that had once filled his eyes had completely dissipated, leaving only a cold and distant look.

"Keep it back and take good care of your mother. She will definitely appreciate your filial piety."

Madam Jia listened intently to every word from inside the room, her fingernails digging into the seams of the kang mat. She wanted to rush out immediately, put her hands on her hips, and give him a good scolding.

But then I thought, my son Jia Dongxu still needs to take advantage of this silly guy in the future—get a free braised pork or a roasted sweet potato, how can he do without him?

Those barbed and sarcastic remarks just now have probably angered someone. If they get really angry, you won't be able to gain any advantage from them in the future.

She quickly pinched her throat and called out to the outside, her tone as soft as melted sugar syrup: "Dongxu! Standing at the door in this freezing weather, do you want to freeze into a dried carrot?"

"Hurry up and go back inside to warm up!"

"Hey!" Jia Dongxu quickly responded, his voice tinged with panic.

He waved his clenched little fist at Xu Damao in a show of defiance, looking just like a bluffing little wolf cub.

He then hung his head, turned around and went into the house with a sullen look on his face, almost tripping over the threshold.

Xu Damao subconsciously shrank his neck, like a frightened little quail, and also planned to slip away.

"Da Mao." He Yuzhu suddenly called out to him, his voice not loud, but it was like a thin rope tying his ankle.

Xu Damao suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around suspiciously, his small hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, his knuckles turning white.

"W-What's wrong? What trick are you up to now?"

"I was just kidding you." He Yuzhu smiled faintly, like the fine cracks appearing on the surface of ice that had just melted in spring.

"That's proper Bajiquan, which emphasizes leaning against the mountain and striking the heart with the elbow. It's not some kind of 'Da Mao Quan'."

He actually just wanted to test the waters—

Xu Damao hadn't yet grown into the iconic, long, narrow face he would later acquire.

Did you have an annoying and irritating aura about you from a young age?

"Really?" Xu Damao was skeptical, his small brows furrowed into an unresolved knot, like a dried sour date.

"You're not trying to trick me into going there so you can suddenly beat me up, are you?"

My mother's still home; if she finds out, she'll definitely make you pay!

"Believe it or not, it's up to you." He Yuzhu waved his hand, turned and walked into the house, his figure disappearing into the darkening sky.

"The wind outside is like a knife, so I went back."

You'd better hurry home, or your mother will be looking for you all over the yard with a feather duster again.

"My mother would never beat me!" Xu Damao said stubbornly, his chin held high.

His mother always doted on him and protected him like a precious treasure. It was only when his father got angry that he would pretend to pat his bottom a couple of times, without even leaving a red mark.

"Hehe." He Yuzhu chuckled lightly and didn't waste any more words.

I pushed open the creaking wooden door and stepped into the warm, cozy room.

"He Yuzhu!" Xu Damao suddenly called out again, his voice carrying a hint of timid expectation, like a kitten tentatively stretching out its paw.

"This afternoon...can you build a snowman with me?"

Even he himself was taken aback by this sudden surge of courage—

Where did you get the audacity to ask that?

Perhaps it was because He Yuzhu didn't act according to Jia Dongxu's wishes that he inexplicably gained more confidence, like a little mouse that had stolen a sip of honey.

"It depends on my mood." He Yuzhu didn't turn his head, his voice floating lightly in the wind, like a weightless feather.

"If I'm happy, I'll build you a snowman taller than you."

If you're unhappy, you can either squat by the wall or stroll along the riverbank, it's up to you.

"Then take that as a yes!" Xu Damao immediately perked up, puffing out his chest like a victorious rooster.

She ran towards the backyard with her short legs, afraid that He Yuzhu would change his mind at any moment. Her little braids swayed back and forth behind her head like a little butterfly fluttering its wings.

He Yuzhu shook his head gently, a helpless smile playing on his lips.

As a child, Xu Damao still possessed a certain cleverness and cuteness that hadn't been spoiled.

But when they grow up... they become the kind of creature that even the old yellow dog at the alley entrance would avoid.

He pushed open the door and stepped into the room, where a warm, cozy atmosphere, carrying the faint scent of needle and thread, wafted towards him.

Chen Shuxiang was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) sewing shoe soles, her silver needle weaving through the coarse cloth. When she looked up and saw him, a gentle smile immediately bloomed on her face, like a sunflower that had been thoroughly basked in the sun.

"Zhu'er, have you changed your ways today?"

Normally, I'd roll up my sleeves and start fighting after just three sentences with Da Mao, but today I have the patience to argue with him for half a day?

"I have nothing to do, so I'm just idling around anyway." He Yuzhu took off his cotton shoes, which were covered in snow, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and went to the edge of the kang. He gently touched the face of his sleeping younger sister, He Yushui, with his fingertips—it was soft and fluffy, like a freshly steamed rice cake.

"He didn't really do anything to me, he just has a sharp tongue."