At the beginning, they were arranged in the east wing because they were both boys and they wanted to foster their relationship. What should we do in this situation now? What is wrong with Shen Hui?
If the children of a reconstituted family are deliberately separated, wouldn’t that create division in the family? If three children are divided into two groups and cannot get along as a family when they are young, how can they get along in the future?
“You and your brother were fighting over the TV station. Who won in the end?”
Yiyi puffed out his chest and said, “I won. My mother bought the TV, so of course he has to listen to me. Mom, he doesn’t let me go back to the east room, so I will stay in the west room with my sister. Humph, I don’t care.”
“You stinky boy, no wonder your brother doesn’t want you anymore.”
Li Xia habitually raised her hand, and then softened the force when she touched her son’s butt. She hadn’t played with the children for a long time, so his reactions were slow. Yiyi found that he had been beaten, and although it didn’t hurt, he realized that his mother is angry and things are getting serious.
“Mother,”
Realizing that he had done something wrong, the little guy looked at his mother timidly. Huihua saw that her mother’s face was gloomy, and she also felt that what her brother said was inappropriate and had already taught him a lesson. But seeing her brother being beaten, she couldn’t help but plead for him.
“Yiyi didn’t mean it. He’s just too young to speak.”
Yiyi also quickly admitted his mistake: “I was wrong; I won’t do it again next time.”
“What you won’t do?”
“I won’t fight with my brother for the TV anymore.”
“Is it a matter of grabbing the TV now?”
This time, the little guy was confused. What was the problem, if not the TV? He said he would not fight with his brother for the TV, so why was his mother still angry? He was obviously very aggrieved. Maybe he would never be able to see his favorite Coca-Cola in the future.
Li Xia sighed helplessly at her son. The brat would always find trouble. If he were as well behaved as Huihua, she would have no more worries. Forget it. Forget it. Children are not exactly alike. This kid is smart. Correct guidance is the most important thing.
“Who picks you up and drops you off at kindergarten every day?”
“Dad. He made a child seat for me, so I can ride the bike more steadily. He also bought me soda on the way.”
Before the little guy finished speaking, he quickly covered his mouth. Dad said he couldn’t tell mom about buying soda. Coca-Cola is such a delicious drink, but mom said it’s not good for children to drink, so she wouldn’t buy it for them. Dad bought it for them secretly.
Li Xia didn’t have time to settle accounts with Shen Haiyang, and she wanted to deal with the brat first. “Whose father is your father? Whose father’s love did you enjoy originally?”
“My brother’s.”
“We are a family. Mom and Dad are both your parents. You two have a new dad who loves you, so why do you want to monopolize the TV that mom bought? Don’t you think Mom is not your brother’s mother? Then do we have to move out of Dad’s house tomorrow because it belongs to Dad and your brother?”
Her words were very clear, and not only Yiyi but also Huihua beside her finally realized why her mother was angry. In a reconstituted family, the sense of belonging of the children to the home is definitely different from that of the original one. Li Xia had deliberately ignored the house before because she didn’t want the two children to feel like they were living under someone else’s roof.
But now her son was spoiled, and Shen Hui, as the host, did not create division. When he was angry, he just said that he would not live in the same room with him but did not ask him to leave the yard.
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that my mother bought the TV. My mother is also my brother’s mother. I will go and apologize to my brother.”
The little guy turned very quickly, and he, who knows the times, is a hero. After saying that, he went out to the east wing, and Li Xia stood quietly in the yard, watching him do it himself.
She thought Shen Hui had closed the east wing, but it opened with a push. Li Xia’s expression suddenly relaxed. Shen Hui was a kind child, or it was the result of such a long period of running. Although he had a quarrel with his brother, he did not lock him out.
“Brother, brother, I was wrong; please don’t be angry. I will never say that again.”
The brat went straight to Shen Hui’s bedroom in the north, calling him “brother” all the time, and heard the conversation between the two of them. At first, Shen Hui ignored him, but after a while, he forgave his brother because of the boy’s sweet words and sincere apology.
“Then you are not allowed to drink Coca-Cola anymore. Watch TV series with me.”
“……All right.”
It turned out that he was also a scheming person, and he didn’t argue with his brother and finally achieved his goal. After a while, the two fell in love again.
In fact, in most families, it is very normal for siblings to quarrel, fight, and snatch things. Most parents will let the older one give in to the younger one or beat one of them up. Anyway, the only thing is to settle the dispute, and they don’t care about anything else.
Only in their reconstituted family would Li Xia pay so much attention to the reasons why the children quarreled. After being beaten today, the brat realized that the family is a whole and cannot be divided. Dad and Mom are the parents of the three of them.
Shen Hui walked him to the south and turned on the light in his room. Li Xia turned and went into the main room. Shen Haiyang was leaning against the bed reading a book. When he saw her come in, he raised his eyebrows and asked silently. She took off her clothes and briefly explained the matter.
“It’s just a child, don’t worry too much.”
She lifted the quilt and crawled in, and suddenly felt that he also had a rough side. Or maybe he was strict with himself and lenient with others. This time, it was Shen Hui who was wronged. It would be better for her, his biological mother, to beat him up than for him to reason with her.
“It is because they are little that their words are the most hurtful. If we allow such thoughts to germinate and grow in their hearts, our family will be divided in their place.”
“You’re right. I’ll talk to Shen Hui tomorrow.”
“No need. This is Yiyi’s fault. It has nothing to do with Hui Hui. The child is a good kid. Even though he was bullied by his brother, he didn’t say anything about sending him away.”
“He is the oldest, so he should act like an older brother.”
“How much older can they be? They are just children. We should treat them equally. We should deal with the matter, not the person. Whoever makes a mistake should bear the responsibility.”
Shen Haiyang smiled and put his arm around her. “I didn’t expect you to understand children so well.”
Li Xia smiled and said nothing. In her previous life, she had worked hard, but her children were separated from her. They all felt distressed and annoyed when they saw her. She would reflect on herself when she was alone. After her rebirth, her mind was open, and she could see many things more clearly.
“What are you doing?” Li Xia pulled her vest off and looked at him with a smile.
“We are a couple; what do you think I am doing?”
“Your body…”
“I am healthy.”
Such a gentle man would be gritting his teeth at this moment. It would be a loss of dignity for any man to be questioned by his wife in bed. Li Xia immediately smiled and kissed him on the face to calm her husband’s resentment.
“How about I do?”
“No i will do it.”
Why do you like to take the initiative so much? You have to be in control of everything to feel safe. Shen Haiyang sometimes doesn’t understand his wife’s thoughts. But she is devoted to this family, to the children, and to him. If she likes to be in control, then she can be the boss. It’s not a big deal.
Though he thought so in his heart, he was willing to let his wife take charge of other things. But in bed, he still had to have the dignity of a man. Li Xia did not expose his thoughts, seeing that his body allowed it and he was in good spirits, so she cooperated obediently.
The next day, they each went about their own business. When Shen Haiyang was riding his bike to take Yiyi to school, Shen Hui stopped him. “Dad, is Coca-Cola really that delicious? It looks like medicine, but Yiyi said it’s delicious.”
“Personally, I don’t like it, but I let Yiyi drink it secretly once, and he liked it very much. Mom said it’s bad for the body. Why, do you want to try it too?”
“Yeah.” Although he had more pocket money than Shen Ruyi and could buy it himself, he still let his dad pay for it, so they could drink more often.
“Okay, then the four of us will drink secretly outside today before going home.”
Before, he treated Huihua and Yiyi better; after all, he was not their biological father, so he had to deliberately get closer to them. Li Xia was the same with Shen Hui; she had to be more tolerant of them. Now, the four of them who had a good relationship with each other have done “bad things” together behind the back of the mistress of the house.
“Oh yeah.”
When Shen Hui turned around, Li Xia was there. He quickly said, “Mom, we just drank it once.”
“Brush your teeth at night after drinking it. That stuff corrodes your teeth.”
“Okay.”
It is better to loosen than to block. Li Xia has understood this truth after living a new life. If a child is not satisfied in childhood, the desire in his heart will grow bigger and bigger. When he grows up, he will either make up for it by eating and drinking lavishly, or he will shrink back and feel that he is not worthy of it and dare not fight for what he wants.
In her previous life, her two children were timid and self-conscious. They dared not show their love for something and only hid it secretly. I remember that she bought a red woolen coat during the Chinese New Year, but she dared not wear it again after wearing it once because of a word from others. Yiyi used arrogance to cover himself up. If anyone dared to say anything to him, he would fight with them. In fact, to put it bluntly, he was still self-conscious and cared too much about others.
She really didn’t think it tasted good because she had seen a health program on TV in her previous life and she really thought it was unhealthy, so she didn’t buy it. But since the child liked it, then let him drink it.
After setting up the stall in the morning, she saw someone delivering goods from the nearby store, so she immediately went to buy a few bottles. She gave one bottle to Xiao Liu, and when the children came to bring her lunch at noon, she gave one bottle to each of them.
The two children were very surprised and looked at her with silly smiles. “Drink it. If you like it, I’ll buy it for you every day. But remember to brush your teeth at night.”
“Thanks Mom.”
Looking at her daughter’s cheerful smile, she felt that the sky was brighter. There was no more gloom in her daughter’s eyes, and she no longer looked depressed and fearful.
“Mom, don’t you give it to Yiyi?”
“Dad will give it to you.” He will be worried that he will miss it by then. Who knows? Shen Ruyi may have pestered your dad to buy it for him on the way.”
Huihua smiled and happily took a sip of Coke. The taste of carbonated drinks is a bit strange at first, but it makes people want to take another sip. Slowly, you fall in love with the taste. When you drink it into your mouth and swallow it into your stomach, it feels like nutrients, and a strong sense of happiness grows in your heart.
The child took the fresh drink to school, and she asked them to bring the bottle back in the evening. Nowadays, Coke is sold in glass bottles, which are recyclable.
Seeing the children walk away, she sat down to eat slowly. In the afternoon, a customer who came to buy clothes mentioned that her neighbor was going to sell his house, so she quickly asked about the house.
“Our house is pretty good, with three main rooms and two side rooms. Their son has settled down in the capital, so the old couple wants to sell the house and go live with their son in their old age.”
“Can you take me there or give me an address?”
“Okay. I’ll give you the address, and you can contact them yourself if you want.”
She closed her stall early in the evening and ran to the backyard to find the family in the main room. When she entered the house and explained her purpose, the other party was very impatient.
“No, no, we’ve already said we won’t change this house. What’s wrong with you two? Why do you have to change to someone else’s house?”
“We can exchange the same house for a new one, and we will even give you a subsidy. Why don’t you agree to this, comrade? If the subsidy is not enough, we can discuss it again.”
“Subsidy money?” The woman screamed in surprise and turned to question her mother-in-law and husband: “Is it true? Did you all know about it and only hide it from me?”
After she finished speaking, seeing that the two of them didn’t say anything, she immediately started to yell, “Okay, you and your family treat me as an outsider and make fun of me, right? I was wondering why everyone in the east and west rooms moved out happily. Who wouldn’t be happy to move out when there’s such a good thing? How much is the subsidy? You won’t take it all, right?”
“No, no, how could we be greedy? We haven’t changed this house yet. I don’t think the last house was good.”
Since the matter had not been settled yet, the young wife glared at the man and turned back to greet Li Xia. After discussing the replacement conditions, she followed Li Xia to see the house.
The same main room, the same side room. The location was a little further away than the original one, but still within the school district. The two women discussed it again, and in the end, Li Xia gave the other party two sets of clothes in addition to compensation, and the deal was settled.
“So when can you move?”
“I can move immediately after the house is sold.”
“Okay, it’s settled.”
When she got home that night, Shen Haiyang was cooking in the kitchen. She went in, washed her hands, put on an apron, and pushed him away. “What kind of house did you find last time? Can you settle the one on the back?”
“Why, have you found a suitable house for the family of the main hall?”
“Well, we have already discussed it today. They will move in as soon as the house is transferred.”
“Okay, then I’ll go talk to the family behind the house and try to vacate the house as soon as possible.”
The couple worked together to complete the house exchange within a few days. While they were moving in the backyard, Li Xia discussed the follow-up work with Shen Haiyang.
“The house needs to be repaired, and a lot of parts need to be demolished. We need to find a bricklayer, right? The weather is getting colder; where can we find help?”
“How about letting my dad bring my brother? Since my second brother can’t walk well, let my dad bring my eldest and third brothers. The three grown men can at least dismantle everything that needs to be dismantled and prepare all the materials in one winter. Next spring, we will repaint the doors, windows, and walls, then put up the ceiling, tidy up the floor, prepare furniture, etc. What do you think?”
“It would be great if your family came over, but are they free at this time of year?”
“Yes. After the land reform, everyone will be responsible for their own profits and losses. The crops in the fields should be almost harvested this season. I wrote a letter asking them to finish the harvest as soon as possible and come to work.”
“Okay. When they come, they will be paid according to the salary of the urban construction team, and meals will be provided, but neither of us has time, so they have to do it yourself. ”
“We’re all family; there’s no need to be so calculating, right?”
“Brothers should settle accounts clearly. It is not good to let them suffer any loss.”
Li Xia nodded and said nothing more. Each member of the construction team earns less than fifty yuan a month, and her father and his team won’t make much money after working for a few months. This is a good opportunity for them to make some extra money.
She wrote a letter and sent it home. It was estimated that it would take about a week for the letter to be received. At night, the three little ones each held a bottle of Coca-Cola and attracted the attention of many children while watching TV. This time, the adults suffered and were pestered by the children to buy Coke. The next day, the number of adults watching TV suddenly decreased by one-third.
“Haha, I was scared by the kid, and I don’t know where to hide to watch.”
Xu Xifeng, who worked at the steamed bun shop, gossiped with Li Xia while laughing, and the women all laughed when they heard it. The adults didn’t understand what was so good about the Coke that tasted like medicinal soup, but they couldn’t persuade the children at home.
“My naughty boy wanted more after finishing a bottle. He only behaved after I spanked him.”
“Sister Xu, you have two children, right? You and your husband both earn money, so you wouldn’t beat your children for a bottle of Coke.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. My husband’s company allocated housing, and this time I finally managed to get one. I was in debt after trying to raise the money for the house.”
“This is a good thing. A house is a big thing. Having a house will give you stability.”
The woman smiled like a flower. “That’s right, that’s why I said those two brats were ignorant, and I gave them a beating before they
gave up.”
T/N:- I have posted ADVANCE Chapters (completed) of this novel on my Ko-fi page you can visit here.https://ko-fi.com/s/469b5da95e
