Shen Meng looked at the still somewhat timid Lu Mingkai and beckoned to him,
"Mingkai, come here."
Lu Mingkai paused for a moment, then slowly moved towards her. Although he was still a little scared, the blood ties and his young desire to be close to his mother were still very strong.
"Mom."
Shen Meng got off the kang (a heated brick bed), reached out and scooped him into her arms, sitting him sideways on the kang. The three-year-old child was a little uncomfortable on her lap; he was too thin. She stroked Lu Mingkai's hair.
"Mingkai, you asked about dinner earlier. Are you hungry?"
Lu Mingkai nestled in his mother's arms, smelling her sweet fragrance, feeling a little lightheaded.
"Mom, I'm not hungry. I just wanted to ask. Mom's cooking is so delicious. I want to eat Mom's cooking again."
"Okay, Mom will cook for you again later. I'll raise Mingkai to be plump and healthy, like a little pig, okay?"
"Hehe, okay, Mom, you're so good."
"Silly child."
Inside the house, the mother and son were very affectionate. Outside, Lu Mingyang felt like he'd been struck by lightning. What did that mean? Did she mean that once Mingkai grew up, she would sell him?
He was terrified, and his eyes were filled with a sinister light as he looked at Shen Meng. If that bad woman dared to sell Mingkai, he would fight her to the death.
In the evening, Lu Jiaxuan and Zhou Jiaojiao had just finished work and were arranged to deliver food to Shen Meng. A small bowl of stir-fried vegetables with five steamed buns on top, and a small bowl of cornmeal dumpling soup. When the two of them carried it over, there were many people on their way home from work, who frequently looked at them because of the aroma.
"Wow, what's all this delicious food? It smells so good."
"You're eating so well tonight? No wonder you have surplus grain, you even have dinner tonight!"
Zhou Jiaojiao, hearing someone ask, chuckled and said, "Oh, no, this is for my sister-in-law and Mingyang. We just cooked it at home and brought it over. We'll just have a quick bite when we get home. My sister-in-law isn't feeling well yet!" After
replying to the person, Zhou Jiaojiao said to Lu Jiaxuan, "Hurry up, my sister-in-law and the kids are probably hungry too. I still have to do laundry when we get home, so many things to do!"
Hearing her words, Lu Jiaxuan's expression darkened slightly. His wife was working like a slave, while his sister-in-law was waiting for someone to bring food to their door. He frowned, didn't say anything, and quickened his pace.
"Well, I heard this afternoon that the Lu family wasn't sending meals to Zhenping's family, but I saw it after work. It must be false. Aunt Sanjin is such a good person, how could she not send meals?"
"I knew it couldn't be. Maybe they sent them late, and Shen Meng was unhappy, so she said bad things. I've never seen a daughter-in-law like that. Jiaojiao was busy all afternoon, her work points were almost the same as the heavy laborers, and she still had to send meals to her sister-in-law after work. It's so pitiful."
"Jiaojiao is such a good daughter-in-law. Jiaxuan is so lucky. Fortunately, Jiaxuan is capable and can get three yuan a month, so Jiaojiao can enjoy some good fortune."
"Even enjoying good fortune is not as good as Shen Meng. She lives in a big brick house, and her brothers and their wives send her meals. Look at her life, what a good life she has!" Shen
Meng
, with a dark face, came out of the west room. In the children's closets, there wasn't a single decent piece of clothing. Not only were there patches upon patches, but they were also filthy. It was obvious that they had washed them themselves.
In the afternoon, she held Mingkai for a while and noticed he smelled bad and his hair was dirty. She had been busy comforting him at noon and hadn't noticed. If even Lu Mingkai, who was usually well taken care of by the other children, smelled like this,
then Mingyang and the others must be even worse. The children watched as Shen Meng went to her room and her expression changed. A sudden tension gripped them. Just as Lu Mingliang was about to run away if she made a move, Shen Meng sighed deeply.
"Mingyang, you and Mingliang can help each other boil some water later. Mom will wash you all tonight. It's so hot; you can't go without a bath. When I held Mingkai this afternoon, the little guy smelled sweaty."
"Okay, Mom." Lu Mingyang thought he'd agree to whatever she asked.
Lu Mingkai, his face flushed with embarrassment at being called out, and Lu Mingfang was also a little embarrassed, instinctively shrinking her neck and sniffing herself. Hmm, a bit unpleasant; only Lu Mingliang didn't seem to care, thinking it was a manly scent.
"Sister-in-law, Jiaxuan and I have brought you and the children food. Can we come in?" Zhou Jiaojiao called out loudly at the door.
"Come in, the door's unlocked."
As soon as Zhou Jiaojiao entered, carrying a basin of vegetables, she saw Shen Meng standing at the entrance of the main room, with several children lined up in front of her.
"Oh dear, sister-in-law, what are you doing? Mingyang and the others are such good children. This afternoon, they came back and forth several times to collect firewood for the family. Everyone saw it. No matter what, you can't lay a hand on them!" Zhou Jiaojiao quickly advised.
The door wasn't closed properly when they came in, and the villagers passing by stopped and peeked in, hearing Zhou Jiaojiao's words.
"What are you saying, Jiaojiao? I was just talking to the children. It's too hot, so I told them to boil some hot water for them to bathe tonight. And here you are, they're so well-behaved. Heaven has blessed me with such good children. How could I possibly hit them!"
The people outside, hearing Shen Meng's words, found it meaningless and turned away.
So what if they're the male and female leads? She has a cheat code; she's not afraid of them. She never thought of avoiding them. After all, she promised the original owner that what's owed must be repaid by the instigator and the beneficiaries.
Zhou Jiaojiao's smile faltered for a moment. She turned to look at Lu Jiaxuan and said, "I misunderstood. Jiaxuan, quickly put the food on the table. Today, Third Sister-in-law cooked this meal. Mother specially asked Third Aunt to boil eggs for you. Sister-in-law, please eat quickly and nourish your body."
Shen Meng looked at the food on the table and nodded with a smile. It seemed that Liu Sanjin had really gone all out; the stir-fried vegetables were glistening with oil, probably several days' worth of oil used by the Lu family.
"Thank you so much, Mom! Jiaojiao, Jiaxuan, have you eaten yet? Why don't you eat with us?"
"No, sister-in-law, we're going back now. We have a lot of things to do at home. Sister-in-law, if you need anything, just let me know, and I'll help you with anything."
"That's too much trouble. If you're not busy, Jiaojiao, could you help Mingyang boil some water? He's a child, and I'm worried he'll wet the bed while I tend the fire at night. I have a terrible headache. I can't even wash the clothes they changed out of after their baths. Ugh, I'm so useless."
Lu Mingyang: "..."
I wet the bed? I'm nine years old and I wet the bed???
Zhou Jiaojiao just wanted to be polite before leaving, but Shen Meng took advantage of the situation. She froze for a moment, then quickly said, "Alright, Jiaxuan, could you help Mingyang boil some water? Sister-in-law, keep your dirty clothes; I'll come pick them up tomorrow."
Looking at the amiable Zhou Jiaojiao, Lu Jiaxuan felt sorry for his wife being bullied. He frowned, about to refuse, but then suddenly remembered Sun Shanzi mentioning the commune recruiting cadres. His mind raced, and he silently shut his mouth.