She brought out snacks like rice candy, melon seeds, and peanuts, setting them before the two children while praising them generously, "Laicai has really become so sensible! He even knows to play with his little brother now."
Mrs. Wang smiled benevolently. "Ah! It's like Laicai saw the light all of a sudden—he's so much more sensible now." She looked at her grandson as if he were a piece of fine jade.
Laicai, embarrassed by their praise, felt his face flush. He sat primly, peeling and eating peanuts with a gentle air. He didn't scatter the shells, either, instead tossing them all into the trash can—a little basket Juhua had asked her father to weave from bamboo strips. Every now and then, he would even pop a peanut into Laishou's mouth. The sight of him being so well-behaved struck Juhua as incredibly odd and unsettling.
