Chapter 58 My Name Is Su Youli, I’m Three and a Half Years Old

Chapter 58: My Name Is Su Youli, I'm Three and a Half Years Old

The Mi brothers were quite lucky—the house they drew was a newly built single-story home with tiled walls and floors.

Mi Le took You You’s hand and led him to their room. It was clean and spacious, even equipped with a wall-mounted air conditioner. The bed was a Simmons mattress, complete with a mosquito net to keep bugs away.

Their landlord was a woman in her fifties. Her son and daughter-in-law worked out of town, and when they heard a TV show was filming nearby, they decided to rent out their son's newlywed suite.

Shen Yan sat on the sofa, filled with envy. He turned his head and saw his younger brother, perched on a small stool, holding a cob of corn larger than his face, mouth wide open.

"You You, is it tasty?" Mi Le asked.

Su Youli nodded vigorously: "So delicious, so sweet!"

Mi Huan spotted the two boys nibbling on corn quietly in the corner, a large red double happiness symbol (囍) affixed to the wall behind them.

"This corn was grown by Grandma Zhang herself. If You You likes it, feel free to take some back later."

Shen Yan, who had been wondering how they would manage meals, asked curiously, "Are we allowed to eat the host’s food?"

Mi Huan scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "I’m not sure either. As soon as we arrived, Grandma Zhang was incredibly welcoming. Le Le and I already had some corn and even drank the beverages from her house. She also said she’d slaughter a chicken tonight and give Le Le a chicken leg."

Why wasn’t their landlord this kind? Shen Yan sighed and looked up at the sky.

Su Youli heard his big brother sigh and brought the half-eaten corn to his brother’s mouth.

"Big brother isn’t hungry—you eat it."

Su Youli took the corn back and returned to his stool to continue chewing.

Mi Huan sensed their assigned place might not be ideal and cautiously asked, "Mr. Shen, have you and You You settled in? Do you need any help?"

Hearing the boy address him, Shen Yan said, "I’m a bit older than you—just call me Brother."

Mi Huan paused briefly, then called out, "Brother Shen Yan."

That sounded much better. Shen Yan then quickly explained their situation.

The house itself was fine, but their landlord wasn’t very friendly. From the moment they arrived, the old man hadn’t smiled once.

Just as Shen Yan’s handsome face twisted with worry, Mi Le had already taken Su Youli to play on Grandma Zhang’s drying patio.

By the time Shen Yan followed, the little boy had managed to get a small bowl and was sitting on a stone ledge, eyes sparkling.

"My, aren’t you a pretty one? Little one, tell Grandma, what’s your name?"

Su Youli felt an instant warmth from Grandma Zhang. Holding the bowl tightly, he said, "My name is Su Youli. I’m three and a half years old."

Polite, adorable, and speaking so clearly—the elderly woman instantly fell in love with him.

Grandma Zhang’s son and daughter-in-law had married last year and still didn’t have children.

If only her grandson could be this good-looking too.

"So well-behaved! Hey, why aren’t you drinking the soy milk Grandma poured for you? I added some white sugar—it’s really delicious. Go ahead, drink up before it cools down."

The bowl in his hands was still steaming, the rich aroma of soybeans wafting into the little boy’s nose.

Su Youli remembered adults warning him not to accept food from strangers, so he hesitated.

Next to him, Mi Le had already finished his portion, foam still clinging around his mouth.

"Grandma Zhang, I want more!" Mi Le immediately held out his bowl without hesitation.

Grandma Zhang, who lived alone and longed for company, adored having lively children around.

"All right, all right, I’ll give you more. I saved two pitchers when I made tofu earlier."

The soybeans were grown by the family themselves, and the soy milk was thick and fragrant. A spoonful of sugar made it even more delicious.

Seeing his big brother approach, Su Youli held out the bowl and asked, "Big brother, can I drink this?"

Shen Yan noticed how eagerly the boy licked his lips and gently patted his head. "Drink it."

The little boy happily began sipping from the small bowl, taking a sip himself before offering one to his brother.

Watching him chew corn and drink soy milk, Shen Yan grew concerned. "Are you hungry?"

The boy wasn’t actually hungry—he just found everything so new and exciting.

Soon, Niu Niu, who had already settled in, came over too.

Among the four young guests, Niu Niu was the only girl.

As soon as Mi Le saw her, he handed over the bowl of soy milk he had just received.

Since he and his brother were staying at Grandma Zhang’s, he thought You You and Niu Niu were both guests too.

Niu Niu held the bowl but hesitated to drink, repeatedly glancing toward her father.

Only after Du Ze exchanged a few words with Shen Yan did he notice her and wave his hand: "Drink less. Look how chubby you’ve gotten."

Grandma Zhang, busy making tofu nearby, heard this and exclaimed unhappily, "What’s wrong with being chubby? Chubby kids are cute!"

Elderly villagers were straightforward—if something bothered them, they spoke up. Besides, Niu Niu seemed a bit timid, and Grandma Zhang felt sorry for her.

"Don’t say things like that in front of the child—it’ll hurt her feelings."

Du Ze instinctively wanted to retort—after all, he was talking about his own daughter. What business did an old woman have interfering? But sensing Shen Yan’s quiet gaze on him, he swallowed his words.

With three families now gathered, the fourth child, Cen Yuankai—the most energetic of them all—was still nowhere to be seen.

Mi Huan thought for a moment and kindly offered to go look for him.

Before the three could decide, the production crew delivered a task card from the director.

Ninety percent of the young people in Nianbai Village had left to work elsewhere, and it was currently peak farming season, so labor was urgently needed.

The guests had to work to earn their dinner, and whoever finished first would receive a special reward.

The three little boys sat beside Grandma Zhang, watching their fathers and older brothers step forward to pick their tools.

On the wide drying patio, a long table was set up with sickles, carrying baskets, and other farming tools.

Each of the three men selected a tool and grabbed protective clothing and gloves.

The adults headed out to work for their supper. Su Youli, the child most attached to his caregiver, tugged at Shen Yan’s sleeve, begging to go with him.

Shen Yan held a scythe high in his hand, careful not to accidentally bump into the little one.

"You You, be good. How about I ask Xiao Tang to stay here with you?"

Su Youli shook his head—he wasn’t a little fool. Xiao Tang couldn’t be filmed; he could only keep him company from afar.

The insecure little one tugged at Shen Yan’s heart. He glanced at the director with a pleading look.

In the end, the director cut some slack and arranged for Tang Dou to accompany Su Youli while dressed in a lamb costume.

Su Youli had already figured out a couple of days earlier that the lamb was actually Xiao Tang. The moment he saw the costumed figure appear, he was overjoyed.

The little one, who had been tightly clutching Shen Yan’s pants just moments before, immediately let go and dashed toward the lamb without a second glance.

Shen Yan: "..."

Mi Huan chuckled. "You You is doing great. Look at my Le Le—he didn’t even look my way when I said I was leaving."

With Tang Dou by his side, Shen Yan finally felt reassured enough to leave and go get dinner for the little one and himself.