Inside the eldest branch’s room, Zhang Lijuan carried in two bowls of steamed egg custard. Both children stared at them eagerly, and even Lu Jiandong, who had been napping on the bed, woke up at the delicious aroma.
Seeing their expressions, Zhang Lijuan snorted proudly.
“All you ever think about is eating!”
“Hehe, honey, where did you get eggs?”
Lu Jiandong practically sprang out of bed in an instant, grinning foolishly as he moved closer, his eyes fixed on the silky, jiggly egg custard.
“Where else? I saw Xiuxiu and Xiangyang drooling over Fourth Brother’s lunch today, so I went to Mom’s room and begged for them.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Did you think your mother would hand them over on her own?”
Sensing the danger, Lu Jiandong wisely kept his mouth shut.
Zhang Lijuan used her chopsticks to smack away Lu Xiangyang’s little hand, which had already reached the bowl. Then she carefully divided each bowl in half, making sure the portions were about equal.
“Here.”
“There are four of us, so everyone gets half a bowl.”
“Yangyang and your dad will share this one. Your sister and I will share the other.”
“Once it’s gone, it’s gone. No complaining afterward. Everyone can get back to what they’re supposed to be doing.”
Lu Xiangyang was a chubby little boy with plump cheeks who had just started elementary school.
For a child in this era to be raised like this, it was obvious how spoiled he was in the Lu family.
Although his grandparents often gave him extra treats, anything that ended up in his mother’s hands was always divided equally among their little family.
Even if the parents chose not to eat, he and his sister would always split everything fifty-fifty.
Taking small bites of the egg custard, his face radiated pure satisfaction.
Holding the bowl, he grinned foolishly.
After finishing it, he wiped his mouth and suddenly frowned as though he’d remembered something important.
With a serious expression, he poked his mother’s arm.
“Mom…”
“Don’t have any more little brothers or sisters.”
“Otherwise my egg custard will have to be divided again.”
“I’ll get even less!”
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
Both Zhang Lijuan and Lu Jiandong nearly choked at the same time.
Neither dared look at the other.
Instead, they both glared at Lu Xiangyang, each grabbing one of his ears.
“Owww! Ow! Ow! That hurts!”
The little boy felt utterly wronged.
What did I say wrong?
Holding her bowl nearby, Lu Xiumin laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.
“Hahaha! Lu Xiangyang, are you tired of living? Looking to get yourself beaten?”
“Hmph!”
Finally escaping his parents’ grip, Lu Xiangyang snorted loudly at his sister before taking off running.
“Hey! Lu Xiangyang!”
“You’re using this as an excuse to get out of chores!”
Watching her chubby little brother run away, Lu Xiumin immediately realized what he’d done.
Normally, whenever they got special food like this, washing the bowls was always shared between the two siblings.
Now that Lu Xiangyang had run off…
She’d have to wash them herself.
Still, remembering how red his ears had become after being twisted, she softened.
She decided not to argue over it.
After happily finishing the egg custard, she cheerfully carried the bowls to the kitchen to wash them.
At noon, Lu Jiandong wrapped his arms around his wife for a nap.
His large hands gradually became less than well-behaved, making Zhang Lijuan blush furiously.
She shyly scolded him,
“The children will be back soon!”
Resting his chin on her shoulder, Lu Jiandong simply chuckled.
“My wife really knows how to raise children.”
“Sure, you’ve got your flaws.”
“You like comparing yourself with others.”
“But when it comes to the kids…”
“I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
“You’ve always treated them fairly.”
“You made sure our daughter goes to school.”
“Our son and daughter get along well.”
“Our family hardly ever fights.”
“You’ve raised them right.”
“And you’re always looking out for our little family.”
“You’re nothing like Second Brother’s wife.”
“Whenever she gets something good, she sends it all back to her parents.”
“Her nephew’s chubby as can be.”
“But her own daughters are dirty and skinny every day.”
“I really don’t get it.”
Hearing her husband praise her, Zhang Lijuan beamed with pride.
There was something deeply satisfying about having her efforts recognized.
The corners of her single-lidded eyes lifted as she pushed him away.
“Of course!”
“You should count yourself lucky you married a wife like me!”
She had grown up in a large family herself.
Although her parents naturally favored their sons, they’d still tried to be fair whenever they could.
Whenever there was food, everyone shared it.
Household chores were divided among all the children.
After her brothers married, each of their families lived fairly well.
She firmly believed her mother’s way of raising children had been right.
Besides…
A daughter was flesh and blood she’d carried herself.
She hadn’t been pregnant with a daughter any fewer days than she would’ve been with a son.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiumin’s trip to the kitchen at noon didn’t escape Er Ya’s notice.
The adults were all taking their afternoon naps.
Er Ya sat on a rock she’d dragged over as a stool, beside her older sister beneath the shade.
Each girl held a small tree branch they’d broken off somewhere and absentmindedly drew in the dirt.
These quiet moments were among the few peaceful times the sisters ever shared.
Watching their cousin happily carry a small bowl into the kitchen, Er Ya pouted.
“I bet Eldest Aunt made something yummy for Cousin.”
The envy in her voice was impossible to miss.
Otherwise…
Who smiled that happily while going to wash dishes?
Da Ya had been lost in thought.
Her younger sister’s words snapped her back to reality.
She glanced toward the kitchen.
Through the window, she could see Lu Xiumin smiling as she washed the bowls.
Looking up at the bright blue sky, her expression dimmed.
“Er Ya…”
“What do you think we should do?”
Da Ya was two years older than her sister.
She was seven now.
Eight-year-old Lu Xiumin had already been attending school and learning to read.
They were all granddaughters of the Lu family.
Yet their cousin was dressed neatly every day by her mother, wore ribbons in her hair, and went off to school.
As for Da Ya and Er Ya…
They looked like little beggars, dusty from head to toe.
Da Ya wore clothes altered down from her mother’s old outfits.
Er Ya wore the hand-me-downs after Da Ya outgrew them.
Every piece was patched.
Even their cousin had such a beautiful name.
Xiumin.
She had proudly declared before,
“My mom said my name means beautiful and clever!”
That moment…
Da Ya hadn’t known what she was feeling.
Envy.
And inferiority.
Suddenly, Er Ya shouted,
“Let’s ask Mom to have a little brother!”
Da Ya nearly jumped.
“Do you have a fever?”
She copied the adults she’d seen before and reached over to feel her sister’s forehead.
It wasn’t hot at all.
Supporting her chin with both hands, Er Ya’s eyes sparkled as she explained her very roundabout logic.
“Because Cousin has a little brother…”
“Grandpa and Grandma favor him and give him tasty food.”
“And Cousin gets some too!”
“So if we had a little brother…”
“We’d get to enjoy his good fortune too!”
The more she thought about it, the smarter she felt.
“And I always see Cousin’s brother helping her with chores.”
“If we had a little brother…”
“We’d have less work too!”
“That’s definitely how it works!”
She nodded vigorously, making the little tuft of hair tied atop her head bounce up and down.
After listening to her younger sister’s wildly unrealistic theory, Da Ya was speechless.
“…”
Patting Er Ya gently on the head, she mercilessly delivered the truth.
“Trust your sister.”
“If Mom really has a son…”
“Our lives will probably become even worse than they are now.”
With the way their mother was obsessed with having a boy…
Would she ever make him do chores?
Would she share delicious food with her daughters?
She’d sooner dream that pigs could fly.
“Oh…”
Er Ya trusted her sister more than anyone.
Hearing that, she immediately drooped in disappointment.
When Lu Xiumin came out after washing the dishes, she saw her two younger cousins from the second branch sitting side by side against the wall, drawing circles in the dirt with their heads lowered.
She paused.
She remembered the longing look in Da Ya’s eyes every time she came home from school.
Tilting her head thoughtfully, she stood there for a moment.
Then she suddenly ran over.
Stopping in front of the two sisters, she flashed them a bright smile.
“Da Ya, Er Ya…”
“I’ll teach you how to read and write!”
Er Ya didn’t quite understand.
But Da Ya’s eyes instantly lit up.
Unable to hide her excitement, she exclaimed,
“Really?”
“Thank you, Sister Xiuxiu!”
The warm spring sunshine bathed the tiled rooftops before spilling gently across the earth, outlining the small, innocent figures of the children.
From time to time, soft little voices sounding out newly learned characters drifted through the cool afternoon air.