“An’an!”
Wang Xiulan let out a startled cry and hurriedly supported her “daughter-in-law.”
“An’an, are you all right? Don’t scare Mom.”
Shen Yu shook his head. “Mom, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.”
A little tired? That was putting it mildly.
He felt as though his entire body was about to fall apart.
He was now absolutely certain that the strange incident that morning, when his fatigue had suddenly disappeared, had definitely not been his imagination.
There was something seriously strange about this body!
Wang Xiulan said worriedly, “Sit down and rest for a while. I’ll go cook after I check on Yu’er.”
Shen Yu’s heart stirred.
His mother still cared about him.
Just then, Cheng An’an’s voice came from the inner room.
“Mom—I’m starving—I’m about to waste away—Is the food ready yet—”
Her voice dragged out at the end, carrying a coquettish, spoiled tone.
Shen Yu’s fists instantly clenched.
That woman was actually using his deep, masculine voice to act spoiled?
Cheng An’an, are you asking to die?!
Wang Xiulan, however, didn’t find anything strange about it. Instead, she replied cheerfully, “Mom’s going to make it now. Just wait, Yu’er.”
The main room.
Dinner was soon served.
It was still cornmeal porridge, but it was much thicker than the one they had eaten at noon.
The most eye-catching thing was the bowl of egg drop soup placed in front of Shen Yu.
A few delicate ribbons of egg floated in the bowl, with a few drops of sesame oil drizzled over the top.
The aroma immediately filled his nose.
Normally, Wang Xiulan couldn’t even bear to throw away an eggshell. If Shen Yu hadn’t made such a great contribution that day, there was absolutely no way this bowl of egg soup would have appeared.
“An’an, drink it while it’s hot.”
Wang Xiulan pushed the bowl toward Shen Yu, her face full of affection.
“You must be exhausted today. Have some to build up your strength.”
Shen Yu stared at the bowl of egg soup and swallowed.
He really was thirsty and hungry.
Ever since he had become paralyzed, his mother’s concern had always been accompanied by tears and sighs.
He had not seen such a bright, hopeful look in her eyes for far too long.
An absurd thought even crossed his mind.
If life could continue like this, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Thank you, Mom.”
Shen Yu picked up the bowl and was just about to drink when—
“Gulp.”
A loud swallowing sound came from the inner room.
Shen Yu froze. He got up and walked over to take a look.
Cheng An’an was lying on the bed, stretching her neck as she stared at him with eager anticipation.
Those eyes, which should have been deep and stern, were now shining with the greedy light of a hungry wolf.
She couldn’t move her body, so she could only move her mouth.
“I want some too~”
Shen Yu: “…”
Shut up.
Stop making that embarrassing expression with my face.
Hearing the commotion, Wang Xiulan hurried into the inner room.
“Yu’er, you want some too?”
Cheng An’an frantically blinked her eyes.
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”
Wang Xiulan patted her “son’s” head.
“Good girl. That one is for An’an to restore her strength. She earned forty-six work points today. She’s the biggest contributor to our family. There’s only enough egg soup for one bowl.”
What?
There was only one bowl?
Cheng An’an instantly felt that life had lost all meaning. She flopped onto the bed and pretended to be dead.
“Little cabbage, growing in the field, two or three years old, already without a mother…”
Shen Yu listened to the torturous singing and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.
Serves you right.
Who told you to be lazy?
He returned to the main room, picked up his bowl, and deliberately drank as loudly as possible.
Slurp—
“Delicious!”
Hearing her biological son singing so pitifully, Wang Xiulan’s heart ached.
She turned around and opened the cabinet.
From inside, she took out something wrapped in several layers of oiled paper.
As she peeled away the paper, the rich aroma of meat instantly filled the entire house.
It was actually a roasted chicken leg.
Shen Yu froze.
His mother had actually been hiding something this good?
His heart filled with emotion.
To reward him, she was actually willing to splurge like this?
Shen Yu was just about to get up and take it.
But Wang Xiulan had already picked up the chicken leg and called gently toward the inner room.
“Yu’er, stop singing. Mom has a chicken leg here. It’s for you.”
Shen Yu’s butt had just lifted from the chair when it froze halfway in the air.
What?
For whom?
Cheng An’an’s delighted scream came from the inner room.
“Mom, you really are my mother! I love you the most!”
That cry made Wang Xiulan beam with happiness, the wrinkles on her face crinkling like a blooming chrysanthemum.
“Oh, you silly child. Why are you being so polite with your mom?”
Wang Xiulan carried the greasy chicken leg over to the bedside.
Cheng An’an was too lazy even to use her hands. She simply leaned forward, opened her mouth wide, and—
“Chomp!”
The bite was so loud that even Shen Yu’s cheeks began to ache.
“Mmm, so good. It’s so delicious.”
Cheng An’an chewed away while mumbling incoherently.
The provocative tone was practically overflowing through the curtain.
Shen Yu took a deep breath and looked down at the bowl of egg soup in his hands.
A moment ago, he had thought it was fragrant and delicious.
Now, the more he looked at it, the blander it seemed.
The sounds of Cheng An’an smacking her lips came from the inner room, each one louder than the last.
Soon—
A deeply satisfied burp rang out.
The veins on the back of Shen Yu’s hand bulged as he gripped his chopsticks.
That was his body.
Could she please pay a little attention to her image?
Could she?!
“Mom, I’m full.”
After eating and drinking her fill, Cheng An’an’s voice was lazy and content.
“That’s good. You need to eat enough so you’ll have the strength to recover.”
Wang Xiulan wiped her mouth for her before getting up and glancing at the darkening sky outside.
It was completely dark now.
The village dogs barked one after another, and occasionally, the chirping of cicadas could be heard.
Wang Xiulan carried the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen, washed them clean, then brought in a basin of hot water.
Steam rose from the water, and a white towel was draped over the edge.
Shen Yu suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Sure enough.
Wang Xiulan carried the basin over to Shen Yu with a beaming smile.
“An’an, look, it’s getting late.”
Shen Yu stared at the basin.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
“What do you mean, what am I doing?”
Wang Xiulan gave him an annoyed look.
“You child, how can you talk to your mother like that?”
She set the basin down on the table.
“In the past, whenever you two had a disagreement and you didn’t want to take care of Yu’er, Mom didn’t force you.”
“But today is different.”
Wang Xiulan took Shen Yu’s hand and spoke earnestly.
“I heard everything you said today. You genuinely want to live your life with Yu’er.”
The corners of Shen Yu’s mouth twitched twice.
That was what Cheng An’an had said, not him.
“Since you’re a family, taking care of your husband is something you, as his wife, should do.”
Wang Xiulan pointed toward the inner room.
“Yu’er is paralyzed and can’t move on his own. After working all day, he must be covered in sweat and uncomfortable.”
“You go and wipe his body for him.”
Shen Yu felt all the blood in his body rush straight to his head.
Wipe his body?
Whose body?
The woman inside who had eaten his chicken leg and was currently picking her teeth?
That body might belong to him, but…
Just imagining the scene made Shen Yu’s vision go black as his head spun.