Yun Qinghuan took the opportunity to quickly pick up a chopstick of meat and feed it into her mouth.
Before Liu Yuzhi could react, her mouth instinctively chewed and swallowed the meat, her face filled with satisfaction. When she finally realized it, she saw her daughter-in-law smiling at her.
Even her son, who usually kept emotions off his face, had a slight lift of the lips and a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
It was worth noting that although Bai Naihan usually appeared gentle and easygoing, with a good temper, his true emotions were rarely observable from his expressions.
“Mom, delicious, right?” Yun Qinghuan pushed the plate toward her. “You have to be responsible for finishing all of this tonight, or I might get angry.”
She even pretended to be particularly angry. Liu Yuzhi held back the tears of gratitude and couldn’t help but laugh at her antics.
She noticed that her daughter-in-law seemed to be slowly emerging from the emotional aftermath of her son’s death and, moreover, becoming even more cheerful than before. That was a good thing.
Yun Qinghuan and Bai Naihan weren’t very hungry after drinking the porridge; they felt a bit full. As for Bai Jin’an, this little guy stubbornly stuffed himself with the remaining half of the steamed bun before stopping. After finishing, he rubbed his round little belly, sighed contentedly, and said, “If we could eat like this every day, that would be great.”
In An’an’s eyes, being able to eat and drink to satisfaction every day was the greatest happiness.
Beside them, Liu Yuzhi couldn’t resist pouring some cold water on her grandson, “If we eat like this every day, our family probably won’t last more than five days. We’ll be hungry every day.”
She was actually quite satisfied with her meal, having not eaten such good food in many years, and she had eaten to the point of feeling stuffed.
Later, she tried to share half of her steamed bun with her daughter-in-law, but her daughter-in-law insisted that she finish it. Liu Yuzhi felt both moved and self-reproachful.
Her daughter-in-law had endured hardships since marrying into their family, not having many good meals. Liu Yuzhi also wished for a life like today every day, but the harsh reality made her appreciate whatever food they could have each day.
Today, she heard from Grandma Chen that a family near the village entrance had nearly depleted their reserves, eating only one meal a day and still not getting enough. The entire family was foraging wild vegetables, just trying to fill their stomachs somehow.
Fortunately, it was the end of April now, and many wild vegetables had sprouted. Despite the hardships, it was unlikely that anyone will starve.
When Bai Jin’an heard Grandma mention going hungry, he thought about scenes of children in the village, emaciated and fainting from hunger. Quickly shaking his head, he said, “Never mind, Grandma, I don’t need to eat meat buns every day. An’an just needs to have a full stomach every day.”
Listening to the conversation between the grandmother and grandson, Yun Qinghuan felt a twinge in her heart. In her past life, the hardest times for her were when she struggled to fill her stomach. It might not have been as luxurious as what they had now, but at that time, she already felt life was difficult.
After all, many people around her then lived well, dressed well, and in comparison, she lagged behind. With that came increased competition and complexity in relationships.
After being well-fed, people started pursuing a higher quality of life.
In contrast to this era, for An’an, Bai Naihan, and Liu Yuzhi at the moment, having a full stomach every day was the greatest happiness.
In the future, people joked that asking “Have you eaten?” when meeting each other was due to the fear of hunger in this era.
At that time, she didn’t realize it, but experiencing it now, it felt bitter.
She forced a smile, trying to sound light-hearted, “Don’t be so pessimistic, who knows, our life might suddenly turn for the better, and we’ll be having white steamed buns every day.”
She felt even more determined to write articles and earn money, aiming to improve the lives of this family.
Saying this, Liu Yuzhi didn’t know if An’an understood or not. Both of them looked at Yun Qinghuan. The younger one remained silent, while the older one paused before saying, “I hope that day comes.”
Suddenly, Liu Yuzhi’s eyes were filled with the traces of weathering by time.
Yun Qinghuan fell silent too, feeling that words alone seemed powerless. Achieving tangible results and speaking with real achievements would carry more persuasive weight.
On the side, Bai Naihan had been silent the whole time, lost in thought, staring at his own legs.
In the evening, when Liu Yuzhi learned that Bai Naihan had bought her a pair of leather shoes, her mood improved considerably. She praised Bai Naihan, saying that the shoes complemented her daughter-in-law, and they looked good when she wore them.
Knowing that the pair of shoes cost fifteen yuan, she felt a bit distressed but more so happy. She told Yun Qinghuan to wear them often, not to worry about gossip. Her daughter-in-law should dress beautifully, preventing others from thinking that Yun Qinghuan, as a widow, had to live in sorrow and misery. She warned against the possibility of various undesirable men being introduced to her.
Hearing Liu Yuzhi’s words, Yun Qinghuan immediately sensed that someone had said something negative about her in front of Liu Yuzhi. She inquired a few times, but Liu Yuzhi kept her mouth shut, skillfully avoiding the topic.
Yun Qinghuan understood that Liu Yuzhi was doing it for her own good. After all, people outside spoke harshly.
Since Liu Yuzhi didn’t want to talk about it, Yun Qinghuan didn’t press further.
However, Yun Qinghuan didn’t wear the little leather shoes casually, as Liu Yuzhi suggested. After all, the rural roads were made of soil, and wearing leather shoes was inconvenient for both walking and working.
After resting for a day, Yun Qinghuan felt better and thought about going out with Liu Yuzhi to the fields, choosing some lighter tasks. She didn’t aim to earn many work points, just enough to cover her own needs and alleviate some of Liu Yuzhi’s burdens.
Initially, Liu Yuzhi opposed the idea, thinking that Yun Qinghuan was too delicate and couldn’t handle such strenuous work. She was worried that Yun Qinghuan would suffer and end up sunburned.
After a lot of persuasion, Yun Qinghuan finally got her approval. However, Liu Yuzhi insisted on checking first and would inform Yun Qinghuan once there were suitable tasks.
Yun Qinghuan understood that Liu Yuzhi was trying to find her an easier job, fearing that she couldn’t handle tougher tasks. She didn’t refuse, acknowledging her own limitations; her slender arms and legs wouldn’t manage heavy labor.
The lighter farming tasks had already been taken care of by others, making it challenging for Yun Qinghuan to find a position easily.
Having stayed at home for several days, doing nothing other than cooking, Liu Yuzhi didn’t let Yun Qinghuan wash clothes or engage in other chores. She assigned all those tasks to Bai Naihan.
As for other household chores, Bai Naihan managed them well, and there was no need for Yun Qinghuan to take on any responsibilities.
Knowing she couldn’t persuade Liu Yuzhi, Yun Qinghuan always waited until she had washed her personal clothes before daring to hand the remaining dirty laundry to Bai Naihan.
Liu Yuzhi understood her preferences and didn’t say anything about it.
Every time Yun Qinghuan watched the man sitting in a wheelchair, hand-washing clothes in a basin, she felt a sense of guilt. She could only try her best to cook better meals, providing nourishment for him, the child, and Liu Yuzhi.
On one hand, she anxiously awaited the postal worker to bring her mail, eager to see if her written articles had been accepted. However, several days passed without any news.
Fortunately, on a day when she had just finished cooking, Liu Yuzhi returned with a basket on her back, looking cheerful.
Yun Qinghuan felt a surge of joy, knowing that Liu Yuzhi had found some work for her.
∞
Translator Note
January updates is here!!
Though I’ll be able to release only a few chapters, I’m happy I could do so in the first place 🍁Happy New Year! 🌸
If you like/appreciate my work, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi.
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∞
- “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” — Proverbs 31:25 (NLT)
- I pray to God that on the beautiful occasion of new year, may everyone’s home be filled with love. A very Happy New year to all.
