Zhao Ying stopped paying attention to Lu Wenyao’s expression and went off to gather vegetables in the garden, preparing to start on dinner.
Tonight, instead of rice porridge, she decided to make steamed rice.
She also planned to stew a flavorful wild chicken broth with medicinal herbs to nourish the body.
In the garden, she found fresh cucumbers ready to harvest.
She decided to make a spicy cucumber salad, slicing and crushing the cucumbers before mixing them with vinegar, fresh chilies, and a bit of sugar.
Finally, she poured hot chili oil over the top—simple yet flavorful.
Next, she beat some eggs to make a steamed egg dish, garnishing it with fresh river prawns and spring onions.
She placed the dish over the rice cooker, allowing it to steam while the rice cooked.
Once the rice was done, the steamed egg would be ready as well.
For her son Xiao Bao, she prepared a fish soup to ensure he got sufficient calcium for healthy bones and teeth while there was still no cow or goat milk available.
The final dish was a stir-fried vegetable medley to complete the meal.
While Zhao Ying was busy preparing dinner, Lu Wenyao, having cleaned himself up, was reclining on the edge of the bed, listening to Xiao Bao chattering by his side.
“Father, did you know?
Everything Mother gave me to eat was delicious—especially the peaches and grapes.
They were so fragrant and sweet; I was so happy!
Next time, I’ll share some with you,” Xiao Bao said eagerly.
“It’s not just the food either!
Mother took me for a walk in the forest too.
There are so many animals there, and Mother even caught a rabbit and a pheasant!
Isn’t she amazing?” Xiao Bao continued, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
“Mother is the best cook ever!
If you try her food, I’m sure you’ll love it too!”
On and on Xiao Bao went, every sentence about his mother.
Lu Wenyao felt his eye twitch slightly as he listened to his son’s endless praises, but he paused at one particular phrase.
“Oh, Father, before you came home, Great-Grandmother and Great-Uncle also came by our house.
Grandmother’s voice was so loud it scared me!
Great-Grandmother said you should divorce Mother.” Xiao Bao took a breath before continuing, “Mother explained that divorce means two people parting ways and not being able to live together anymore.
Father, are you going to leave Mother?”
“Hmm?
What are you saying, Xiao Bao?” Lu Wenyao asked him softly.
“No!
I want to stay with Mother!” Xiao Bao replied, his face showing clear fear, his cheeks paling.
“But didn’t Mother scold and punish you a lot before?
Aren’t you afraid of her anymore?”
He repeated the question to his son once more, wanting to be certain, as Xiao Bao had once been very frightened of Zhao Yingying.
“You’re not scared anymore?”
“No, Father, not at all.
Mother isn’t a mean person anymore—she’s very kind.
Ever since we moved here, she’s never scolded or hit me.
She even holds me to sleep every night,” Xiao Bao replied.
Hearing this, Lu Wenyao couldn’t help but wonder if his son had been brainwashed.
But Xiao Bao wasn’t one to lie; he always spoke truthfully about what he experienced and heard.
In that case, he thought, he might as well go along with his son’s feelings for now.
He didn’t want to hurt Xiao Bao’s feelings.
“Alright, if Xiao Bao likes Mother, then I won’t separate from her.
How does that sound?”
“That’s the best, Father, the best!” Xiao Bao cheered, his joy lighting up his whole face.
Then, in a gesture he had never done before, Xiao Bao leaned in and kissed Lu Wenyao on the cheek.
After this little reward, he quickly climbed down from the bed and ran to the door.
He turned back briefly to say, “You rest, Father.
I’m going to help Grandpa water the vegetables.”
Without waiting for Lu Wenyao’s reply, he darted outside.
Lu Wenyao just shook his head, amused.
The kiss from his son had left him astonished, filled with wonder at how much Xiao Bao’s personality seemed to have blossomed.
And it wasn’t just Xiao Bao; everything about the household felt different.
He had returned home immediately after the exams, choosing not to wait for the posted results, as he usually did.
Instead, he decided he would rather hear the outcome later, even if it meant a delay.
He had grown increasingly anxious after receiving a letter and some money from Xie Dalang, which had only deepened his unease.
Calming himself to focus on the exam had taken considerable effort.
In the end, he put his all into it, feeling fairly confident that his answers met the questions well.
Finally, arriving in his own yard, he could at last breathe freely again, though the changes around him left him more surprised than ever.
Everyone at home seemed different.
Xiao Bao looked noticeably healthier, his skin with a pinkish glow, and he spoke with clarity, free of the shyness and fearfulness he once had.
Now, his cheerfulness and constant smile endeared him to everyone who saw him.
His father and mother also appeared better, their skin no longer sallow, and even their hair looked fuller and darker, as if they’d been well-cared for recently.
But the most striking change was Zhao Yingying.
At first, he’d thought he was seeing a stranger.
Only when Xiao Bao called her “Mother” did he realize who she was, though he found himself staring in disbelief.
After studying her face closely, he saw the resemblance to Xiao Bao and traces of her former features, confirming that the woman before him was indeed Zhao Yingying.
To mask his own shock, he put on a composed, distant expression.
He had to admit that she was noticeably slimmer and, indeed, quite beautiful now.
Xiao Bao looked about five or six parts like her.
Her gaze, too, was different—no longer filled with infatuation but instead holding a distant calm.
She seemed like a different person altogether, as if she had been replaced.
Even her aura seemed different now.
There was a hint of pride, yet it was the pride of someone genuinely skilled and competent, not the selfish arrogance she used to display.
If his family hadn’t been around her all along, he might have assumed she was an imposter.
Or, perhaps, as Xiao Bao had suggested, maybe she had simply become happier since moving away from the main family manor, which had led to this change.
Still, he found it difficult to believe this shift was entirely natural and decided it would be best to keep observing her for a while longer.
He looked around the room where she slept with Xiao Bao.
The bedding and sheets were clean, and the room itself was very simple, with no decorative items.
A large wardrobe held his and Xiao Bao’s clothes, while hers were folded neatly inside a smaller cabinet.
When he had opened the wardrobe, he found three new outfits for himself, all recently tailored.
Xiao Bao also had new clothing.
From the stitching, he recognized the handiwork as his mother’s.
However, he hadn’t looked inside Zhao Yingying’s smaller cabinet.
Deciding to set aside his thoughts about Zhao Ying for now, he rose and began exploring the house instead of resting for the afternoon.
He had seen this old house only once before, years ago, when he passed through on his way to the mountain behind it.
Back then, it had looked both decrepit and overgrown with weeds from the walls up to the roof.
The roof itself appeared to be in shambles, and the fence and gate were beyond repair, giving the entire place an eerie, uninhabitable feel.
Compared to its present state, the house was completely transformed.
When he reached the backyard, he was even more astonished.
Though the space wasn’t large, there were lush vegetable beds, a fish pond, and several other plots of unfamiliar plants.
Everything looked fresh and green, filling him with a sense of vitality.
Nearby, he saw Madam Zhang and Xiao Bao pulling weeds in one of the vegetable beds he didn’t recognize, while Father Lu was watering plants near the central well.
Xiao Bao’s voice could be heard intermittently, as if he were telling a story to his grandmother.
Curious about what his son was saying, he moved closer to listen.
“And in the end,” Xiao Bao concluded, “the rabbit who fell asleep lost the race to the tortoise.
This story teaches us not to be arrogant or look down on others.
Even though the tortoise was weak and very slow, he didn’t give up.
Where there’s effort, there’s success!” Xiao Bao recited the moral to Madam Zhang with a proud smile.
“Xiao Bao, that’s excellent!
You explained it perfectly.
Where did you hear that story?” Madam Zhang asked, beaming with pride.
As Lu Wenyao reached the herb bed, he sat down beside Xiao Bao and reached out to help pull some weeds.
“Father, don’t pull that one!
It’s ‘Bohe nao,’ not a weed.
This bed has both ‘Bohe nao’ and ‘calm heart grass,’” Xiao Bao quickly stopped his father and pointed out the two herbs he’d just described, showing which ones were which.
His little teacher-like demeanor was so adorable that Madam Zhang, seated across from him, couldn’t help but laugh.
“For someone so young, Xiao Bao sure knows his herbs!” Madam Zhang said, looking at him with warmth and affection.
Lu Wenyao looked slightly taken aback at his son’s unintentional scolding.
“Father, the story about the rabbit and the tortoise—that was Mother’s.
She’s told me many stories, and I’ll tell them to you too,” Xiao Bao continued, while his small hands kept busy pulling weeds.
“Alright, I’d like that,” Lu Wenyao said, then turned to Madam Zhang.
“Mother, what are all these herbs for?
And there seem to be more herb beds on this side.
Is the whole area filled with medicinal plants?”
Madam Zhang paused in her weeding and looked around, gesturing to different points as she explained.
“Yes, Ah Yao, you’re right.
On this side of the fish pond, it’s all herbs.
Over there are vegetable beds for us to eat from.
Ah Ying started all of this.
She collected some herbs from the forest and got some seeds from the clinic.
Our household now earns fifty taels a month…” Madam Zhang’s face lit up with pride and happiness as she mentioned the income they’d been receiving for the past several months.
As Lu Wenyao was absorbing this new information, Zhao Ying arrived to take over watering the herb bed from Father Lu.
Seeing his mother come over, Xiao Bao got up, dusted himself off, and ran to where Zhao Ying was drawing water.
He grabbed a small wooden ladle that looked like it had been crafted just for him, and with his tool in hand, he eagerly joined Zhao Ying in watering the herbs.
This family scene felt entirely foreign to Lu Wenyao.
Yet, the sight of everyone with healthy bodies and smiling faces, and his son so bright and cheerful—it filled him with a deep happiness he couldn’t put into words, a feeling he’d never known before.