However, now that Li Tingyun had become the one living this life, she absolutely would not give any help to the Xu siblings anymore.
What a joke. All those things cost real money. She wasn’t made of excess wealth burning a hole in her pocket. Wouldn’t it be better to use that money to buy delicious food for her little ones?
For dinner that night, she decided to make “da lu mian” (braised sauce noodles). This was a dish her grandmother often made for her when she was young. Ever since her grandmother passed away, she rarely had it again.
Now that the craving hit, she let Sanwa play on his own and went to the kitchen after washing her hands.
She prepared the ingredients—pork, wood ear mushrooms, dried tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and more. The braised sauce itself wasn’t homemade; she had bought it from a market before her transmigration.
She boiled all the ingredients together for about twenty minutes, then scooped them out and poured them over pre-cooked noodles. Just like that, a bowl of braised sauce noodles was done.
Out of all the brands she had tried, this one was the closest to her grandmother’s cooking.
Second child loved it the most. As soon as the noodles were served, he smelled the rich aroma and asked, “Mom, what are we having tonight?”
The eldest also stopped teasing Sanbao and ran over, eyes shining as she looked at the table. “It smells so good!”
After washing the chopsticks and handing them to the two children, Li Tingyun said, “Today we’re eating braised sauce noodles—Mom’s favorite noodles.”
“Really?” The eldest picked up a bite. “Then I have to see if Mom’s favorite noodles are good or not.”
Seeing that everyone else was eating but he wasn’t, Sanwa began to “whimper” in his high chair, refusing to sit still.
So Li Tingyun picked him up and held him while eating.
The second child was still clumsy with chopsticks, so he leaned close to the bowl and ate in big mouthfuls.
“Mom, should we send some over to Grandpa and Grandma?” the eldest asked.
Li Tingyun didn’t mind. She had made plenty, and sharing was a good habit for children.
“Then we should eat faster,” she said. “Fresh noodles taste best. If they sit too long, they’ll get soggy.”
The eldest nodded and quickly began shoveling noodles into her mouth, even getting sauce around her lips.
After finishing, she topped up the children’s cups with spiritual spring water, and the family went as they had the day before to the Yi old residence.
It was the end of the workday, and many villagers were heading back home.
Holding Sanwa, she couldn’t help thinking that the laziest person in this village was probably herself.
No matter what, she knew she couldn’t go to work in the fields. She simply wasn’t cut out for that kind of labor. Fortunately, she had her space and plenty of supplies inside it—she wouldn’t go hungry even without working.
When they arrived at the Yi household, the eldest daughter-in-law had just gotten home first.
At the doorway, she saw Li Tingyun standing there with a child in her arms and two older children on either side.
Meeting Zhao Hong’s gaze, Li Tingyun felt a bit awkward and smiled. “Sister-in-law.”
Zhao Hong was naturally outgoing. Seeing her third sister-in-law, who usually avoided the old house, suddenly appear, she was surprised.
After hearing the greeting, she quickly recovered and smiled. “Third sister-in-law, are you here to see Father and Mother? Have you eaten yet? If not, I’ll add a few more scoops of rice tonight and you and the kids can eat with us.”
Her words sounded warm, but inwardly she thought: please don’t. There are already too many mouths in the Yi family, and if the third sister-in-law keeps bringing the children to eat, they’d be sharing even more food.
Luckily, the third sister-in-law wasn’t that inconsiderate.
Li Tingyun smiled and said, “No need, sister-in-law. We’ve already eaten.”
Hearing that, Zhao Hong felt instantly relieved and even found the children a bit more lovable.
“Come in and sit. It’s hot outside,” she said warmly.
“Okay,” Li Tingyun replied and followed her inside.
“Auntie-in-law, we brought noodles for Grandpa and Grandma,” the eldest said as she struggled to place the basket on the table.
Zhao Hong paused mid-motion as she scooped rice and glanced at the basket.
Unfortunately, it was tightly covered—nothing could be seen. But a rich aroma drifted out.
There even seemed to be a hint of meat.
She couldn’t help swallowing.
Yesterday’s pork belly that the third sister-in-law had sent over hadn’t been cooked by the elders, and the whole Yi family had been craving it ever since.
“Oh, I see,” Zhao Hong said with a smile, her eyes still drifting toward the basket. “Dabao is such a sensible child.”
Just then, Father and Mother Yi returned.
“Grandpa! Grandma!” the second child shouted and ran over.
“Oh, my good grandson,” Father Yi said, squatting down to hold him. “What brings you here today?”
The second child pointed at Li Tingyun. “My sister and I helped Mom make delicious noodles for Grandpa and Grandma!”
Li Tingyun also greeted them. “Father, Mother.”
Everyone else hadn’t returned yet, and Zhao Hong went to the vegetable garden.
Mother Yi smiled broadly, holding the eldest child. “Oh my, my grandchild is so thoughtful!”
The eldest pointed at the basket. “Grandpa, Grandma, eat quickly. The noodles will taste worse if they get cold.”
“Alright, alright.”
Father and Mother Yi washed their hands, sat down, and began eating.
Even the usually quiet Father Yi gave a thumbs-up. “Good. Really good.”
“If you like it, eat more,” Li Tingyun said with a soft smile. Then she added, “Father, Mother, I’ve been thinking of names for the children. What do you think?”
“Yi Qingzi.”
“Yi Yunqi.”
“Yi Changyu.”
After she finished, the room fell silent for a moment. The two elders exchanged glances.
Confusion was clearly written in both their eyes.
They had heard it clearly—but had no idea which characters she meant.
After a while, Mother Yi said, “As long as you think it’s good, that’s fine. We have no objections. You can name them whatever you like.”
The Yi parents were quite open-minded, unlike many families where elders insisted on naming authority.
Li Tingyun smiled. “Alright, then the names are settled.”
On the way back, the eldest child hesitantly asked, “Mom, is my name Yi Qingzi?”
“Yes,” she replied. “Do you like it?”
The eldest hesitated. “Mom… I still like you calling me Dabao.”
Li Tingyun froze. “Why?”
“I feel…” the child said softly, “when you call me Dabao, it sounds nicer… and more intimate.”
The second child also understood and chimed in, “Mom, I also like being called Erbao.”
So that was it.
Li Tingyun couldn’t help laughing. “But without proper names, people can’t just call you Dabao and Erbao forever, can they? How about this—when we’re with outsiders, we use the formal names. At home, Mom will still call you Dabao and Erbao. Okay?”