Chapter 29

“Yes,” Cheng Jingmo replied.

Even though Yu Xiangnian hadn’t explicitly said she bought these things for Xiao Jie, Cheng Jingmo had an intuition that she did.

He had observed her kindness towards Xiao Jie during this time.

Feng Aiqin said, “You two treat Xiao Jie as if he were your own child. We can’t even bear to buy such treats for our own kids, yet you’re willing to for Xiao Jie.”

Cheng Jingmo sensed the underlying tone of her words, as if implying their care for Xiao Jie was insincere.

As a man, he didn’t want to argue with a woman. He remained silent.

Yu Xiangnian didn’t agree with this. She pulled Cheng Jingmo behind her and asked Feng Aiqin, “And who are you?”

Those three words nearly infuriated Feng Aiqin!

Who in the family compound didn’t know her?

Not just because her husband was the political commissar of the regiment, but also because she came from a big city, was worldly-wise, and even handled practical matters like finances.

Whenever neighbors argued or couples fought, they liked to ask her to mediate.

She had a high reputation among the family members!

For Yu Xiangnian to ask who she was?!

Feng Aiqin straightened her chest. “I’m Feng Aiqin, wife of Political Commissar Su Mingliang.”

“Oh!” Yu Xiangnian suddenly realized.

This was Wu Xiaomin’s aunt!

Having both a niece and an aunt who made her unhappy!

Just as Feng Aiqin was smug about Yu Xiangnian not recognizing her, she heard Yu Xiangnian say, “Commissar Su often talks to others for work, but hasn’t he done his job at home? Does he know you speak to others in such a sarcastic tone?”

Cheng Jingmo found it somewhat amusing. Yu Xiangnian seemed to have strong opinions about Commissar Su speaking to her.

Feng Aiqin was so angry she felt like she was having a heart attack. “Who’s being sarcastic? I just asked if these things were bought for Xiao Jie!”

Yu Xiangnian proudly lifted her chin. “Is that all you said? ‘You two treat Xiao Jie as if he were your own child. We can’t even bear to buy such treats for our own kids, yet you’re willing to for Xiao Jie.’ Wasn’t that your words?”

Feng Aiqin: “…”

Yu Xiangnian continued, “Aren’t you insinuating here that Cheng Jingmo didn’t buy these things for Xiao Jie? If you have proof, show us that these items were bought for someone else!”

Embarrassed, Feng Aiqin retorted, “I care about Xiao Jie! If you say these were bought for him, then so be it. What proof do you want me to show?”

Yu Xiangnian remained composed. “If you care so much about Xiao Jie, why haven’t you invited him to your house for a meal or made clothes for him? If you have no evidence, don’t spread rumors. It’s illegal! How Cheng Jingmo treats Xiao Jie is seen by everyone in the family compound. There’s no need for your suspicion here!”

Yu Xiangnian continued to target whoever was in front of her. But today, Cheng Jingmo felt quite comfortable hearing these words.

Family members watching the scene nodded in agreement.

Cheng Jingmo genuinely cared for Xiao Jie, and they all saw it. Even if he himself couldn’t bear to eat, he would ensure Xiao Jie did.

“Sister Aiqin, you’ve misunderstood Deputy Commander Cheng if you suspect him. He treats Xiao Jie well, and everyone in the family compound sees it!” one family member said.

Another chimed in, “A single man raising a child, and not even his own—imagine the impact on finding a wife. But Deputy Commander Cheng didn’t hesitate to adopt Xiao Jie.”

Speaking of how hard it is to find a wife when raising a child, Feng Aiqin felt extremely embarrassed.

Her niece had refused Cheng Jingmo because of the child. However, in the past two months, she had inexplicably come to her and expressed regret, wanting to reconcile and live a good life with Cheng Jingmo!

However, in front of so many family members, Feng Aiqin couldn’t afford to lose face. She sneered, “I never said Deputy Commander Cheng treats Xiao Jie poorly. I just heard that when Deputy Commander Cheng isn’t home, Xiao Jie can’t even have a decent meal!”

Yu Xiangnian remained silent. There was nothing more she could say because the original owner of the body had indeed neglected Xiao Jie.

Little did she know, Xiao Jie, who was standing beside her, spoke up, “Auntie, my auntie is very good to me. She cooks meals for me, buys meat buns, candies, pastries, and even took me out to eat today.”

He pointed to the rubber shoes on his feet, “These were also bought for me by my auntie, and she made two sets of clothes for me too.”

Yu Xiangnian felt a pang of tenderness. This sensitive and sensible child, who usually kept his distance from her, was now openly defending her in front of everyone.

He clearly knew that his previous aunt had not treated him well, yet he never mentioned it, only speaking of her kindness.

Xiao Jie’s words left Feng Aiqin speechless.

The family members had visited the department store today, where they saw that these rubber shoes were new arrivals priced at three yuan per pair.

The car had also arrived at the entrance of the family compound. Everyone got off the car bustlingly and went home.

Yu Xiangnian and the others carrying large and small bags also returned home.

She placed the items on the table, and the first thing she did was to pick up the cool water pitcher, pour herself a glass of cooled boiled water, and drink it.

Xiao Jie and Cheng Jingmo ran to the tap in the small courtyard, washed their faces with cold water, and then drank some cold water.

Yu Xiangnian felt that she needed to change the habit of these two drinking untreated water.

She brought out two enamel pitchers she had just bought the other day, and when the two entered the house, Yu Xiangnian said to them, “Each of you will have a pitcher to drink water from. From now on, don’t drink untreated water. There are parasites in the water, which can make you sick.”

Xiao Jie didn’t understand what parasites were and asked Cheng Jingmo, “Uncle, what bugs are in the water? Why haven’t I seen them?”

Cheng Jingmo also didn’t understand what parasites were. “Parasites? I haven’t seen them either.”

It was time to educate them. Yu Xiangnian said, “There are many kinds of parasites, but most of them are invisible to our naked eyes, and they can harm our bodies.”

Xiao Jie asked, “Auntie, if we can’t see them, how do you know there are bugs in the water?”

This was another opportunity to educate Xiao Jie to study diligently. He always liked to play and even tore and folded textbooks into paper airplanes and boats.

“I read about it in books! The knowledge in books is vast. It can take us on adventures across the country, enlighten us about thousands of years of civilization in our motherland, and even inform us about things beyond human civilization.”

Seeing Xiao Jie’s eager eyes, Yu Xiangnian felt a sense of accomplishment. She was about to continue talking about the benefits of reading when she heard Xiao Jie ask, “Does the book say if parasites are tasty?”

Yu Xiangnian was thunderstruck by this question, almost falling off her chair!

Cheng Jingmo couldn’t help but suppress a smile.

“Eat… eat… eat! You just ate a lot of parasites earlier. Did you find them tasty?” Yu Xiangnian asked with frustration.

Xiao Jie said seriously, “They don’t taste like anything.”

Yu Xiangnian was almost speechless with exasperation!

Later, Yu Xiangnian understood why Xiao Jie had asked such a question.

It turned out that in this southern city, there was a dish that involved frying various insects, such as dragonflies, grasshoppers, bamboo worms, silkworm pupae, and bee pupae.

Xiao Jie didn’t know what parasites looked like, so naturally, he associated them with these insects in his mind.