Chapter 49: Taking a Bath
At this moment, her two older paternal cousins, Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu, had slipped away to help with chores while the other cousins were pestering Zhao Zhitong to teach them words.
Sharp-eyed Zhao Cheng noticed that one of the water vats was empty, so he immediately picked up a shoulder pole to fetch water.
Zhao Yu saw Zhao Dong and Sun Youli chopping firewood, so he diligently began moving the chopped wood into the woodshed.
They had been making a lot of tofu recently, which consumed a lot of firewood. Thankfully, their maternal uncles had been helping gather firewood from the mountain, so the family wasn’t lacking. However, wood needed to be chopped daily.
Seeing the two diligent little figures, Zhao Dong immediately asked, "Zhao Cheng, Zhao Yu, all your cousins are learning words from Tongtong. Why aren’t you two joining them? Stop working and go study with your brothers and sister."
Zhao Cheng hurriedly waved his hand. "No need, no need. I... I’m quite slow; I can’t learn those things. I’ll fetch water."
After saying this, he dashed out the door with his shoulder pole, as if afraid Zhao Dong would stop him.
Zhao Yu also nodded repeatedly. Looking up at Zhao Dong, he grinned. "Uncle, I like to do chores."
An eight-year-old child’s eyes should be clear and innocent, yet his held a hint of cautious eagerness to please. Looking at him, Zhao Dong’s heart suddenly ached with a touch of sorrow.
At this moment, the more he told them not to work, the more uncomfortable the children would feel. Therefore, Zhao Dong smiled and said, "Alright, just take it slow and don’t get hurt."