Su Li glanced at Su Jue’s expression, then at Deng Jing’s pale face, and realized he had done something wrong.
He slowly withdrew his hand, cradling the frog against his chest, and said softly, “It doesn’t bite.”
The island’s climate was warm, so most frogs didn’t go into deep hibernation.
The frog Su Li had caught was a painted frog, no bigger than a thumb, with pretty patterns on its body. Su Li thought it was beautiful and wanted to give it to Deng Jing.
“Second Uncle knows it doesn’t bite, but Second Aunt is afraid of it. We shouldn’t use something she’s scared of to frighten her, right?”
Su Li lowered his eyes, his long lashes fluttering twice.
“Mine.”
Deng Jing tugged at Su Jue’s sleeve. “Forget it, he’s just a child—what does he know? I’m not as scared as I used to be.”
If she weren’t afraid, she wouldn’t have been so startled earlier.
Su Jue was about to say more when Su Lang walked over.
When Su Li saw his dad, he looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
His little short legs scurried frantically as he clutched the frog and bolted out with a clatter.
Running too fast, he tripped over his own feet.
With a thud, Su Li fell flat on his face in the yard.
He lay on the ground, stunned for a moment, then opened his mouth and burst into tears.
Su Lang walked over and picked him up off the ground. “You fell on your own—why are you crying?”
Su Li ignored him and cried even harder.
In between sobs, he kept glancing at the frog in his hand.
It hadn’t escaped and hadn’t gotten squashed under him.
Reassured, he went on crying.
Su Lang set him down and stood before him, pointing at the frog. “Go. Put it back where you found it.”
Su Li’s crying paused for a beat. He pouted, hiding the frog behind his back. “No! Not putting it back!”
“If you don’t get rid of it, I’ll get rid of you.”
Su Li knew his dad might actually do it, so he wailed loudly.
Deng Jing couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She nudged Su Jue’s arm. “Go and talk to him.”
Su Jue patted her hand lightly and smiled. “It’s fine. Xiao Lang has a way.”
Su Lang’s way was to follow through on his words.
He picked Su Li up and pretended to toss him out.
Su Li’s crying stopped abruptly.
He quickly threw the frog into the flowerpot by the wall, grabbed onto Su Lang’s arm, and gave a fawning smile. “Dad! Don’t throw me out!”
Su Lang’s mouth twitched.
Su Li realized he hadn’t groveled enough and rubbed his head against Su Lang’s arm. “Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad…”
Su Lang sighed, carried him to the tap, washed his hands, and roughly cleaned his face.
Su Li stood still, his head wobbling as his dad scrubbed it, but he didn’t complain.
Once he was clean, Su Lang patted his bottom. “You scared Second Aunt just now. Go apologize to her.”
Su Li didn’t act stubborn this time. He ran over to Deng Jing.
“Auntie, sorry!”
“It’s ‘I’m sorry,’” Su Lang corrected him from behind.
Su Li took a deep breath. “I’m! Sor! Ry!”
Deng Jing quickly replied, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Su Li turned to Su Lang. “Dad…”
“Alright, Second Aunt is afraid of frogs. From now on, don’t bring such things home, understand?”
“Understood.”
Su Lang patted his bottom. “Go play. If you cause trouble again, I’ll spank you.”
Su Li pretended not to hear and squeezed himself in among his sisters.
Before long, Lin Zhilan came back from the hospital.
Su Li obediently went up to her, circling around her feet.
Lin Zhilan sensed something off. “Su Li, did you get into trouble again today?”
“No,” Su Li said, playing dumb.
“Today he…” Su Lang started to say, but Su Li hopped around in panic, begging for his mom to hold him.
“He behaved very well today.”
Su Lang finished the sentence.
Su Li looked back in surprise. “Huh?”
Su Lang raised an eyebrow. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
Su Li grinned, puffing out his little belly. “I’m the best behaved!”
There were five kids in the family, and aside from Su Li, any of them could honestly claim that.
Lin Zhilan gave him a perfunctory compliment and went to the kitchen to brew medicine for Su Jue.
After boiling it for about an hour, Lin Zhilan strained the broth into a bowl, dark and bitter-looking, and set it on the table to cool.
“Second Brother, I’ve left your medicine here. Don’t forget to drink it when it’s cool.”
Su Jue nodded. “Okay, I’ll have it in a bit.”
Deng Jing’s eyes flickered slightly, but she said nothing.
Just one sniff of that bowl of medicine made the back of the tongue feel bitter.
Su Jue was used to it by now. The bitter soup he’d been drinking for months was more than he’d had in the previous forty years combined. He’d long gone numb to it.
The adults sat together catching up. Lin Zhilan was saying she wanted to eat some coconuts.
Su Lang laughed. “I’ll go check the coastal shelterbelt tomorrow and pick a few.”
Su Jue glanced at Deng Jing. “I’ll go too.”
Deng Jing looked down and said coldly, “With your health, you’d better stay home and rest. What’s the point of going?”
Su Jue had actually improved a lot after months of recovery.
But since Deng Jing said that, he didn’t argue. He just smiled. “I can’t do much, but Lu Gang can.”
Lu Gang’s job was to guard him, keep him safe, and also serve as an assistant.
If Su Jue wanted him to help, Lu Gang wouldn’t refuse.
Deng Jing turned her head toward Lin Zhilan and said flatly, “Suit yourself.”
Only then did Su Jue smile.
Linlin and Yaoyao were playing house in the yard. Everyone wanted to be the grown-ups, not the kids.
Linlin thought for a moment and called Su Li over to be the baby.
Su Li was squatting in the yard, poking ants with a stick. When he heard his sister call him, he trotted over eagerly.
Linlin pointed at a little stool. “Li Li, sit right here. Your sisters will cook for you.”
Su Li nodded blankly and sat down.
Linlin and Yaoyao immediately got into character, bringing over a bunch of things in little bowls and plates.
“Stir-fried greens” made of mud and leaves, “noodles” from grass, and “meatball soup” with stones.
Su Li played his part well. He grabbed a handful of air, put it in his mouth, and chirped, “Yum, yum, yum, delicious!”
Linlin and Yaoyao were clearly proud of themselves and very pleased with their chosen baby.
They resolved to make him even better food.
Su Li had played along for one round, but now he couldn’t sit still anymore.
Taking advantage of his sisters’ distraction, he slipped into the house.
On the table in the living room, the candy had already been put away by Su Lang, leaving only Su Jue’s bowl of medicine.
Su Li climbed onto a chair, then onto the table.
When no one was looking, he pursed his lips and took a sip along the bowl’s edge.
It was bitter!
So bitter that his whole face scrunched up.
Su Li opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and panted like a puppy.
He didn’t dare cry for fear of being caught, so he crouched under the table, silently swallowing the bitterness of life.
Jiang Chengzhou had just finished his homework and came downstairs, catching the whole episode of Su Li sneaking a drink of the medicine.
Is Su Li an idiot?
