Moved by a thought, he shifted his chair with half a bowl of rice in his hand, inching closer to Li Xiu'e: "After we finish eating, I'll take you all to the jewelry store. I'll buy some beautiful accessories for you and our mothers to wear. We have money now, there's no need to continue depriving ourselves."
"Mm."
Li Xiu'e, who was coaxing the baby girl and feeding her porridge, felt her heart warm upon hearing his sincerity, and she glanced at him with a hint of a smile in her eyes.
"Wife, you should eat too, or the food will get cold."
Su Hu's eyes shone as he sneakily admired his wife's delicate and beautiful side profile, the tender flesh in his heart uncontrollably trembling.
"Move over, you're making the child laugh."
Feeling the burning gaze on her face, Li Xiu'e's ears turned red, and she scolded him softly in shy annoyance.
"Hehe..."
Su Hu scratched his nose with a foolish grin before scooting his chair back to its original position.
*******
Treasure Emporium, the most prestigious jewelry store in Furong Town.
Using a bit of brute force, Su Hu dragged the reluctant Li Xiu'e through the entrance and headed straight for the silver jewelry counter.
"Let's not buy anything. The jewelry here is so expensive."
Even after entering the store, Li Xiu'e remained unhappy, afraid that their hard-earned silver would be squandered.
"Yiya."
The baby girl seemed to take a liking to the shiny silver ornaments. She half-emerged from Li Xiu'e's arms, her soft little hand pointing to a pair of silver earrings, then turned and pointed to her heart.
"Look, even our Little Lucky Doll is asking you to buy."
Armed with reason, Su Hu stood tall and summoned the shop assistant to buy the earrings that the baby girl had chosen. Catching sight of Sister Qiao and Doudou's envious gazes from the corner of his eye, he grandly waved his hand and slapped the counter with a loud sound.
"Three more children, one silver lock for each. Wrap them up and we'll take them."
"Husband!"
Li Xiu'e's heart raced as she stomped on his foot.
"Should we buy it, Little Lucky Doll?" Su Hu, ignoring his painful foot, turned to seek support from the baby girl.
"Yiya."
The baby girl clapped her hands, her eyes curving into crescents as she laughed.
"If our daughter says so, then it's settled."
Su Hu cheerfully lifted the corner of his mouth and grandly paid the bill before placing the box containing a pair of earrings and three silver locks securely in the carrying basket.
"I'm in charge of buying the cloth, and you're not allowed to interfere."
Li Xiu'e's heart ached after spending twenty taels of silver in just a short while, so she puffed up her cheeks in anger and stormed out of Treasure Emporium.
"Hehe, wife, you look pretty even when you're angry."
Su Hu felt pleased with himself, his mouth as sweet as if smeared with honey, as he followed his wife with a grin.
"Shut up!"
Both embarrassed and annoyed, Li Xiu'e spat at him.
"Hehe."
Unashamed and even proud, Su Hu casually wiped his face and continued to follow her at a leisurely pace.
***********
The family turned the street corner and passed by the school. Through the walls of the courtyard, they could hear the uniform voices of children reciting their lessons.
Sister Qiao, who was walking beside her parents while holding her brother's hand, suddenly stopped, looked up at the tall walls, and gazed longingly.
"Sister Qiao, after selling the ginseng, our family has money now. Mother will send you to school."
Sensing her daughter's thoughts, Li Xiu'e felt a twinge of heartache and walked back a couple of steps to embrace her daughter's tiny frame.
"Mother, is that true? Can I go to school?"
Sister Qiao's eyes, once hazy, now shone with a light she had never known before.
Li Xiu'e looked resolute as she replied, "Of course it's true. Tomorrow, I'll go see the Village Chief to arrange for your enrollment in school. You'll join the village children and cross the river to attend classes in the school on the other side."
"Mother, can I hold my little sister for a moment?"
With tears shimmering in her eyes, Sister Qiao timidly looked up at the baby girl nestled in her mother's arms.