Second Baby, who was walking in front, immediately became excited when he heard that.
“Yay! No more gathering pig grass!”
Eldest Baby, however, thought more carefully. She looked up at Li Tingyun and asked,
“Mom, why don’t we need to gather pig grass anymore?”
Li Tingyun adjusted Third Baby in her arms, holding him upright a little higher.
Looking into Eldest Baby’s round grape-like eyes, she couldn’t resist reaching out to tap the little girl’s nose with her fingertip.
“Because,” she said with a smile, “Mom only wants Eldest Baby and Second Baby to be happy every day. Gathering pig grass is exhausting. If you and your brother get tired, Mom will feel heartbroken.”
Second Baby had always been the carefree one. Hearing this, he immediately ran over, grabbed Li Tingyun’s clothes, tilted up his little face, and said happily,
“Mom, I knew you were the best! Earlier Shit-Egg said you’d beat me and my sister when we got home, but you’re so nice—you’d never hit us!”
Li Tingyun couldn’t stop smiling.
Children really did forget quickly.
She clearly remembered that just yesterday, the original owner had beaten these two children badly.
But now, just because she treated them a little kindly today, they had already forgotten yesterday’s suffering.
Compared to Second Baby’s happiness, Eldest Baby still looked uneasy.
Being older, she remembered the pain of getting beaten much more clearly.
Carefully, she asked,
“Mom… really?”
Really no more gathering pig grass?
Really no more beatings?
“Of course it’s true,” Li Tingyun replied, blinking playfully at her. “Now hurry home. Mom bought some candy a few days ago. I’ll give you some when we get back.”
“Yay!” Second Baby cheered instantly. “Candy!”
Then he immediately ran ahead.
After all, he was still just a child. The moment food was mentioned, he ran faster than anyone else.
Although Eldest Baby seemed more mature, she was still only six years old.
Even though she didn’t run like her brother, Li Tingyun still noticed her secretly swallowing saliva and couldn’t help laughing.
When they arrived home, Second Baby rushed into the main room and looked around eagerly.
But after searching everywhere and failing to find any candy, he walked back out looking dejected.
Seeing this, Li Tingyun laughed.
“What’s wrong, Second Baby? Aren’t you happy about the candy?”
“There isn’t any candy at all!” he complained, pouting so hard his lips practically stuck out like an oil bottle hook.
Li Tingyun smiled and said,
“Go wash your hands with your sister first, then Mom will bring out the candy for you.”
Second Baby brightened instantly, his whole little face lighting up.
He immediately dragged Eldest Baby away to wash hands together.
While the children washed up, Li Tingyun entered the living room.
After being cleaned, the room looked far neater and brighter than it had in the morning. Sunlight streamed through the windows, making the space feel much larger.
She placed Third Baby on a chair and took out a basket from her space.
Inside, she arranged several slices of chilled watermelon along with a few fruit candies and White Rabbit milk candies.
She remembered that this era’s children commonly ate these kinds of sweets.
As for the other candies she had stocked up in her space, she planned to slowly introduce them later.
Too much sugar would cause cavities, which wasn’t good for children.
Just as she finished arranging everything, Eldest and Second Baby came back inside.
The moment they saw the watermelon, their eyes went wide.
“Mom, what is this?” Second Baby pointed at the watermelon. “Why is it so red?”
“This is watermelon,” Li Tingyun said smilingly. “It’s very sweet. Hurry and try some.”
This was southern China, and an especially remote mountain village at that.
Watermelons were still mostly found only in large cities and hadn’t really spread to villages yet, so it was understandable that the children didn’t recognize them.
Eldest Baby carefully picked up a slice and immediately exclaimed in surprise,
“Ah! Mom, why is the watermelon so cold?”
“Mom soaked it in the well water for a long time, so it got cold.”
Well water in the countryside was naturally cool and refreshing.
Although soaking watermelon in it would make it cooler, it definitely wouldn’t become this cold.
But the children were still young, and Li Tingyun worried that mentioning refrigerators would only lead to endless questions, so she simply told a small lie.
While Eldest and Second Baby happily ate watermelon, Li Tingyun breastfed Third Baby.
The moment she laid him down afterward, he immediately looked ready to cry like an activated bomb.
Panicking, Li Tingyun quickly stuffed a cleaned pacifier from her space into his mouth.
Third Baby froze for a moment, then quickly accepted it and fell asleep sucking on the pacifier.
Once Third Baby was settled, Li Tingyun headed toward the bathing area.
Calling it a “bathroom” was generous.
It was really just a tiny corner of the courtyard sectioned off with an old curtain.
Fortunately, the courtyard walls were high and built from solid brick, so nobody outside could see inside.
It was still afternoon, and the weather remained very hot.
Li Tingyun didn’t want the two children squeezing together in such a tiny bathing area.
So she took out two bathtubs from her space—one blue and one pink—and filled them with warm water.
Then she laid out towels and children’s body wash.
By then, Eldest and Second Baby had finished eating their watermelon and came over.
Both children had watermelon juice smeared all over their faces, and even their dark clothes were stained reddish across the chest.
Seeing the unfamiliar tubs, Second Baby curiously asked,
“Mom, what are these?”
“These are bathtubs,” Li Tingyun said while testing the water temperature. “Mom bought them in town a few days ago for you two.”
Eldest Baby crouched beside her and picked up the pink bottle of body wash, studying it curiously.
Then she pointed at the baby printed on the bottle and asked,
“Mom, why isn’t this baby wearing clothes?”
Li Tingyun looked closely and realized it was simply the cartoon baby on the packaging.
She couldn’t help laughing.
“It’s just part of the packaging,” she said, unwilling to continue such a silly topic. “Hurry and bathe. You two can take off your clothes yourselves.”
The children were obedient.
As soon as she said so, they quickly stripped off their clothes.
Looking at Eldest Baby’s sweaty hair, Li Tingyun beckoned.
“Come here, Eldest Baby. Lie down on Mom’s lap.”
Recalling how her own mother used to wash her hair, Li Tingyun awkwardly supported the little girl’s head with one hand while washing her hair.
Eldest Baby quietly lay across Li Tingyun’s lap and softly said,
“Mom, you’re really nice.”
Li Tingyun smiled.
“Mom will treat you even better in the future.”
Second Baby got his hair washed the same way afterward.
Then Li Tingyun let the two children scrub themselves in the tubs while she returned to the bedroom to check on Third Baby.
Third Baby had already learned to roll over, and she worried he might tumble off the bed.
Fortunately, the weather was still hot, so she wasn’t too concerned about the other two catching cold.
Luckily, Third Baby slept very peacefully.
The pacifier had fallen to one side, and his two soft little hands were raised above his head as if surrendering, sleeping sprawled out in every direction.
Li Tingyun gently covered his belly with a small towel before leaving the room again.
By then, Eldest and Second Baby had already finished bathing.
Li Tingyun told Second Baby to go dress himself first while asking Eldest Baby to wait before putting on clothes.