“Alright, that’s enough,” Xing Zhaozhao separated the two little ones and asked about the situation at home while she was away. “Did anything happen while Mom was gone? How’s your sister?”
“Nothing happened. Xiao Yuma saw you disappear in the cellar and has been guarding this spot ever since, not going anywhere else. I’ve been watching our sister in the room the whole time. She wet herself once and woke up, so I changed her diaper and played with her for a while before she fell back asleep,” Hongfei reported.
Xing Zhaozhao peeled bananas for each of them: “Mom will need to go through that door frequently from now on, so I’ll be counting on you both to take care of the house and your sister.”
Hongyu took a big bite and squinted happily: “Don’t worry Mom, Brother and I will watch over the house and sister.”
Hongfei nodded while taking small bites: “Mhm.”
Xing Zhaozhao had brought back quite a few things this time, but she didn’t dare bring them into the house, still hiding everything in the cellar. After all, these were items that shouldn’t be seen by others – even Aunt Hao needed to be kept in the dark.
She needed to take Xiao Hongling’s formula and bottles upstairs to lock in the cabinet.
Two big apples.
A handful of Da Bai Tu.
Some warm meat buns.
After gathering an assortment into a bag, Xing Zhaozhao headed out of the cellar: “Let’s go back inside. We’ll have boxed lunches for noon, plus a big chicken leg each.”
The two little ones cheered behind her: “Yay!”
Halfway there, Xing Zhaozhao suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the children following her: “Oh, Xiao Yuma, go get another bottle of Coke.”
Hongyu looked confused: “What’s Coke?”
“It’s that bottle with the black liquid inside,” Xing Zhaozhao explained.
Hongyu went back to retrieve it, looking dubiously at the dark liquid in the bottle: “Is this drinkable?”
“Probably,” Xing Zhaozhao wasn’t entirely sure either, having never tried it herself. While shopping at the supermarket earlier, she’d passed by the beverage aisle and seen a four or five-year-old child begging his mother for Coke. When the mother refused, the child threw a tantrum on the floor. Seeing how much the child wanted it, she bought a bottle to let her two little ones try something new.
If neither child liked it, she’d finish it herself – no sense wasting something she paid for.
Back in the house, Xing Zhaozhao first checked on her daughter.
The little one had just woken up and was crying uncomfortably after having a bowel movement.
Xing Zhaozhao hurried over to wash her bottom, change her diaper, feed her, and play with her for a while before putting her back on the heated brick bed.
Returning to the main room, she found the two children had already set the table and were eating. Each had a small bowl with half a portion of Coke, happily drinking it with no trace of their earlier distaste.
Seeing Xing Zhaozhao emerge, Hongyu’s eyes sparkled as he immediately looked over: “Mom, this Coke is delicious!”
Beside him, Hongfei took a slow sip, smacked his lips thoughtfully, and said: “It’s actually pretty good. Tastes similar to soda, but soda tastes better.”
Xing Zhaozhao finally understood.
So it’s just soda.
No wonder children love it.
What child doesn’t like drinking soda?
“Mom, buy more next time,” Hongyu pleaded, looking at Xing Zhaozhao with hopeful eyes.
“Oh, we’ll see,” Xing Zhaozhao replied offhandedly.
Liking it is one thing, but children still shouldn’t drink too much. I won’t buy it next time.
The boxed meals were bought by Xing Zhaozhao on her way back, from a roadside stall where you could choose your own dishes, with a mix of meat and vegetables and plenty of oil. Since returning to their hometown, the two children hadn’t eaten this well in a long time. They ate until their mouths were shiny with grease, and with a sip of cola, they felt there could never be a happier moment in their lives. The only regret was that their father wasn’t there.
Hongyu thought this in his heart, but his mouth slipped, and he couldn’t help saying it out loud: “I’m so happy today. It would be even better if Dad were here too.”
Thinking of Gao Mingcheng, whose fate was still unknown at this time, Xing Zhaozhao’s heart tightened, and her hand holding the chopsticks paused.
As if sensing their mother’s sudden drop in mood, the sensible Hongfei patted Xing Zhaozhao’s hand to comfort her: “Don’t worry, Mom. Dad will definitely come back and reunite with us.”
Xing Zhaozhao looked up at her son, forced a smile, and nodded: “Yes, Mom knows.”
Unfortunately, in her previous life, she and the two children never got to see him return.
Hongyu, who had been happily sipping his cola, now noticed the strange atmosphere at the table. He looked up at his mother and brother in confusion and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xing Zhaozhao quickly held back the tears at the corner of her eyes, looked at her son, and shook her head with a smile: “It’s nothing.”
Then, as if remembering something, she quickly changed the subject: “By the way, I need to go into the mountains this afternoon.”
The two little ones stared at her in unison, their eyes full of doubt.
That’s exactly what she had said when she left in the morning.
Xing Zhaozhao: “…”
Oh no, a crisis of trust.
Xing Zhaozhao hurriedly explained: “I mean it this time. The wild goods are selling really well on the other side of the gate. I want to go into the mountains to see if I can find anything to take over and sell.”
Hongyu’s eyes lit up upon hearing this: “I want to go too.”
Hongfei opened his mouth to say something, but the words never made it out.
Whether Hongyu could go or not, he definitely couldn’t. He still had to stay home and watch his sister.
Xing Zhaozhao shook her head and refused: “No. It’s winter now, and everything that can be gathered or picked in the nearby woods has already been taken. This time, I need to go deeper into the mountains to search. You’re still too young—it’s too dangerous for you to come along.”
Hongyu grew anxious: “I’m not afraid of danger. Besides, if I go with you, there’ll be one more person to carry a basket, and we can bring back more stuff.”
Xing Zhaozhao: “…”
Was this really about being afraid of danger?
And with his small frame, even if he could help carry a basket, how much more could they really bring back?
Xing Zhaozhao was a bit disdainful.
“Mom…” Hongyu cried out urgently.
Xing Zhaozhao still didn’t agree.
Unexpectedly, seeing that Xing Zhaozhao remained unwilling to consent, the boy resorted to his pestering tactic. After finishing the meal, he stuck close to Xing Zhaozhao’s legs, following her wherever she went, never straying more than a foot away. It annoyed Xing Zhaozhao so much she almost couldn’t resist kicking him.
In the end, Xing Zhaozhao had no choice but to agree, though she gave him a strict warning: “Stay close to Mom, and don’t run off. If you do, next time I’ll tie you up and leave you at home.”
How could Hongyu refuse when she was allowed to go out? She nodded repeatedly, saying, “I understand.”
Xing Zhaozhao and Hongyu each carried a basket on their backs and prepared to set off. Worried that two baskets might not be enough, Xing Zhaozhao also folded the bedsheet she had used earlier to carry things back from the Gao family and stuffed it into her basket—just in case there were items that couldn’t fit, they could bundle them in the sheet and carry them back.
Before leaving, Xing Zhaozhao patted Hongfei’s head as he came out to see them off and said apologetically, “Sorry to trouble Da Fei again to stay home and watch your little sister for Mom.”
Hongfei smiled and replied, “I’m the older brother—it’s my duty.”
“If your sister gets hungry, make her some formula. Mom taught you how to do it before. If you run into any problems you can’t handle, go down the mountain and find Granny Hao,” Xing Zhaozhao instructed.
Hongfei nodded earnestly. “Mm-hmm.”
Only then did Xing Zhaozhao take Hongyu into the mountains.
Hongfei watched the figures of Xing Zhaozhao and Hongyu disappear into the distance. It took him a while to withdraw his envious gaze before he returned home and bolted the door securely.