Chu Fuyu, who had always lacked family affection in both past and present lives, had never truly experienced warmth or the joy of a close-knit home. Now that she suddenly had three sons by her side—children connected to her by blood—and hearing such heartfelt words from her eldest, she almost burst into tears.
Watching the children devour chicken drumsticks and steamed buns, she quickly poured milk into clean bowls and handed them over.
“This is milk. It’s very nutritious. Try it quickly—drink enough and you’ll grow taller.”
The three boys took the milk and looked at each other in confusion. They had never seen anything like it before. They had only once heard from the neighbor’s child, Huzi, that milk was something only wealthy families could afford.
They couldn’t understand why their mother suddenly had so much money—able to buy roast chicken, steamed buns, and even such expensive milk.
The eldest, Da Mao, was more thoughtful. He asked cautiously, “Mother… this must cost a lot of silver… Are you going out to work again?”
Chu Fuyu patted his head gently. “Don’t worry. Mother found a jade bracelet from my dowry. It was very valuable. I pawned it, and now we have enough to eat well and live well. From now on, life will only get better.”
The three children trusted their mother completely. They had no reason to doubt her words—whatever she said, they believed.
For them, as long as their mother didn’t have to suffer outside and they could eat well, that was happiness enough.
San Mao even smiled and said, “It would be great if Mother could find bracelets every day.”
Da Mao glanced at him sternly like a little adult. “You can’t say that. Mother’s bracelet must be very precious. We should earn money in the future and buy it back for her.”
Chu Fuyu felt warmth in her heart, but also a pang of sorrow. Da Mao was only five years old, yet forced by reality to become so mature. He must have suffered a lot.
She urged them to drink the milk quickly. The children held the bowls like treasures, sipping carefully.
Er Mao’s eyes lit up. “Mother, it’s sweet! It’s so good!”
“Then drink it all,” Chu Fuyu said with a smile.
All three children nodded obediently.
After finishing the meal, Chu Fuyu prepared to bathe and change their clothes. Their faces and bodies were dirty, something she, with her slight cleanliness obsession, found hard to tolerate.
It was already autumn, and she noticed their clothes were torn and could barely keep out the cold wind.
But before that, there was something important to do—give them proper names.
“Da Mao, Er Mao, San Mao—these are only your nicknames. You’re already five years old now. Soon you’ll need to learn to read and write. If you’re going to study, you must have proper names.”
Holding their hands, she spoke word by word.
She expected confusion, but instead the children became excited.
“Mother, can we go to school?”
“Mother, are we going to Master Zhuang’s private school? But we’re too young, he won’t accept us.”
“If I learn to read, will Yingzi stop laughing at me?”
Chu Fuyu shook her head with a smile. “Not yet. Mother knows a little, I’ll teach you first. When you’re older, I’ll send you to school.”
The children were thrilled—they had no idea their mother could read and write. After all, in their memory, someone who named children “Da Mao, Er Mao, San Mao” couldn’t possibly be educated.
Chu Fuyu thought for a moment and then said,
“Da Mao, from now on your name will be Huai Jin. Er Mao, you will be Huai Yu. San Mao, you will be Huai Yi.”
“‘Holding jade and virtue, noble words and noble conduct.’ I hope you grow up to be upright like jade, with excellent character and conduct. And these names also contain part of Mother’s own name.”
Da Mao and Er Mao exchanged a look, then nodded happily.
“Thank you, Mother! Huai Jin sounds so nice!”
“I like Huai Yu! Chu Huai Yu—Mother, I like it! Hmph, the kid from the west village named Da Niu has a fancy name too, Jing Xing, and he always showed off. Now we have proper names too!”
San Mao had already jumped over to Chu Fuyu, tilting his head cutely. “Mother, how do I write my name?”
Chu Fuyu suddenly looked a little guilty. San Mao’s name had the most strokes and was the hardest to write. She quickly changed the subject.
“There’s no paper or brush at home. I’ll buy them at the market tomorrow and teach you then. For now, Mother will boil water so you can bathe.”
She hurried into the kitchen, lit the fire, and boiled a large pot of water. After preparing a wooden tub and adjusting the temperature, she washed the children one by one.
To make sure they were truly clean, she even took out soap and a bath cloth from her spatial storage and scrubbed them thoroughly.
Front, back, top, bottom—she washed every inch, one child after another.
Finally, she used fragrant soap, leaving their skin smooth and slippery, which made the children giggle with delight.
San Mao—Huai Yi—looked at her innocently and asked, “Mother, what is this? It smells so good and makes my skin so smooth.”
“This is soap,” Chu Fuyu explained. “It’s used for washing face and body. It’s made from soapberry.”
Huai Yi then said, “Next time I go to Xiao Ying’s house, I’ll wash my face with soap first, so she won’t laugh at me anymore.”
Chu Fuyu, now carrying memories from her previous life, knew they were living in a remote village near the capital called Lishui Village.
Their neighbor was the Li family, especially Li Daniu and his wife, known for their kindness. Seeing Chu Fuyu raising three children alone, they often helped her when they could. The two families were very close.
The Li family had two children—Huzi and Xiao Ying—who often played with her sons.
Chu Fuyu was deeply grateful. With no dependable relatives of her own, neighbors like them made life far less difficult.
So she decided that tomorrow she would take some milk from her space and send it over as thanks.
After bathing the children, she took out three sets of children’s pajamas from her space. They were soft, pure cotton, comfortable and warm.
The hut was old and drafty, and these clothes would help keep out the cold.
As she dressed them, she explained, “These are pajamas. They are only for sleeping. You must not let others see you wearing them, or it would be embarrassing.”
The three children felt like they had experienced a miracle-filled day. They had eaten roast chicken, used soap to bathe, and now wore such soft, beautiful clothes they had never even seen before.
It all felt like a dream.