"Go wash your face first, I'll braid your hair later."
He took the little bun into the kitchen, filled a wooden basin with water, and waited for her to rinse her mouth well. Afterwhich, he took a cloth towel and wet it, then wiped her face.
Liu Yusheng snatched the towel at once and wiped her own face carelessly, "Brother Axiu, I'll do it myself!"
Axiu said nothing and waited for the little bun to toss the towel into the basin, before wringing it again to wipe her face himself, "You haven't wiped the drool marks."
Liu Yusheng, "…." She was tempted to ask, what about her eye boogers, have they been wiped clean?
The adults in the yard are already too busy to take care of her. So, when Axiu said another word about helping her braid her hair, Liu Yusheng obediently bowed to her fate.
She'd rather brush herself, but being so young, her hands were relatively clumsy.
The motion overhead trying to tie her hair into a ponytail was light and she felt no snag at all.
"Brother Axiu, do you comb your own hair?"
"Hmm."
Then why don't you primp yourself, your fringe is always a mess.
Liu Yusheng was a bit dubious of his expertise. But since someone was kind enough, she kept her thoughts to herself.
Axiu smiled at the back. There was no need to guess, he can guess perfectly what Nannan meant.
The baby's hair was so soft. After brushing it, it felt smooth and comfortable slipping through his fingers.
It makes him reluctant to part with.
According to her usual hair style, he also combed her hair into two side buns.
He was meticulous in every movement, making sure not to let the little one feel any discomfort.
One Axiu said he was done, Liu Yusheng immediately got up and ran to the kitchen, scooped a ladle of water into the wooden basin, and poked her head over it.
The reflection of the little toddler was clearly reflected in the water.
Milky jaded cheeks, delicate eyebrows, hair neatly coiffed, and two braided buns. It was seemingly playful and cute.
"Brother Axiu, my hairstyle looks good!"
Axiu stood in the doorway with dark eyes full of pampering, "I'll comb a better hairstyle for Shengsheng when you grow up."
"Can you do other hairstyles too?" Liu Yusheng blinked her round eyes in surprise.
"I can by then."
Before Liu Yusheng could digest the meaning behind his answer, her two elder brothers' shouting came outside.
"Nannan, are you done? Hurry up, the grapes and the jars are ready for the wine!"
"Nannan, hurry up, we're waiting for you!"
Liu Yusheng shouted hurriedly, "I'm coming."
While rushing out of the kitchen, she grabbed Axiu's hand, "Brother Axiu, you too!"
Axiu stood rock still, "Nannan, go make wine, my mother is picking vegetables behind the house, I'll go help her."
He then withdrew his hand, patted the baby's small head, and walked towards the back of the house.
Nannan is still too young, she doesn't understand the need to defend herself against others.
If she did make grape wine, it would bring the Liu family both fame and fortune, and her craft would be coveted by countless people.
If someone steals her recipe, the loss would be immeasurable.
It's time for him to make some changes in his teaching and guidance of Nannan.
There is no need to obliterate her innocence, or to be so roundabout. At the very least, she needs to know that one cannot be without defense.
Liu Yusheng stood in place until she could no longer see the boy's back before turning back.
Axiu is far more intelligent and shrewd than she'd imagined.
At such a young age, he already possesses a sophistication inconsistent with his appearance. Just what kind of place has he lived in?
As he walked away, there was a bit of helplessness in the smile swirling under his eyes.
At this point, he must have felt that she was too innocent to be on guard.
When in fact, she's not defenseless, but rather it's unnecessary.
The trade secret may be copied by others, but the products will never taste the same.
Dumbass.
"Nannan, what do we do now?" A group huddled in the west wing and stared dryly at the vats that filled the room.
"Grandpa, grandma, we first pick the grapes without stems, then mother and second aunt, help me crush the grapes and put them into the jars."
"Father, second uncle, you are responsible for pouring wine into the jars until it fills over the bottom, yes, that much will do."
"Brother, you just help carry the grapes from the bamboo sieve over here."
It's a huge winemaking business so the whole family was nervous and focused on their tasks, oblivious to the fact that Liu Yusheng at this moment was talking differently than usual, not at all like the impish three-year-old toddler who spends her days with them.
These were just the basic procedures, it was actually her Lingquan that was the most crucial.
Each of the huge vats were half a man tall. Liu Yusheng could not even see the tips of the vats on tiptoes. She had no other choice but to carry a chair and stood on top of it. And while the family wasn't paying attention, she secretly added Lingquan into each.
Having harvested the whole grape grove in one swoop, the raw materials were too much. The five huge vats that were prepared in advance were insufficient. Luckily, the villagers were kind enough to lend their own vats, and so they barely scraped the twenty.
They also filled the empty rooms and cellars of Liu Yusheng's house.
The whole family spent the day working and finished all the steps by sealing the vats with greaseproof paper (equivalent to aluminum foil now).
When Wanrong called everyone for dinner, everyone's hands trembled holding their chopsticks.
"Shengsheng, let me feed you." Watching Liu Yusheng fail to clip her dishes twice in a row, Axiu put down his own chopsticks.
Liu Yusheng directly passed her chopsticks over and opened her mouth, "Ah-"
The adults couldn't help but commend, "This boy!"
To this, Liu Yusheng cheerfully justified, "I've been busy all day too, what's wrong with feeding me, I'm still young!"
"Yeah-yeah, you have a point there."
Axiu smirked, feeling no awkwardness in feeding her.
The brothers Liu Zhixia and Liu Zhiqiu brother looked at each other, "Come, Zhiqiu, I'll feed you, ah~"
"Brother, I'll feed you too! Say ah~!"
Then the brothers both fed the dish to each other's noses.
"Pfft!"
"Ha ha ha!"
Gales of laughter burst around the small dining table.
After the meal, while it was still dusk, Wanrong bade farewell and left with Axiu.
"Wanrong, wait, I'll pick some vegetables for you to take back. You can steam them in the morning for breakfast."
"Okay, I will not be polite with Aunt then. Today, I looked at the vegetables in your patch, they've really grown robustly, there's a lot of them." Wanrong couldn't help but smile.
She has now also somewhat gauged the temper of the Liu family. When they give something, they mean it sincerely. Refuse it, and you will instead make them feel that you're treating them like outsiders.
"I told you that the vegetables in our garden are rich and plentiful. It doesn't take long after the picking to grow vegetables again. The village people who have eaten my homegrown vegetables, they would think that their own crops are no longer tasty." At the mention of the home-grown vegetable patch, Grandma Liu's eyes were filled with pride.
What does it mean when others salivate for her own vegetables? It only proves that she's got green thumbs!
She filled a basket with vegetables and sent the two out, while Liu Yusheng was still dawdling after them, "Brother Axiu! Brother Axiu! Don't forget tomorrow afternoon!"
"Sure thing, I won't forget." When Axiu turned around and saw the tiny figure at the door, he smiled unconsciously.
When the two drifted far away, Grandma Liu looked down and asked, "Nannan, what's up tomorrow afternoon?"
"Uhm-It's a secret, Grandma, hahaha!" The little girl plucked her feet and slipped away, leaving Grandma Liu behind to laugh and scold.
If Grandma were to know that she's going up the mountains to hunt for birds' nests, she'll never take a step out tomorrow.