Chapter 9

Yin Xiaoman didn’t want to think too much about things she didn’t understand.

Anyway, they would find out soon enough; what needed to be known would be known eventually.

At this moment, she should focus more on how to get the food in the house onto the table.

Yin Xiaoman knew that these two children were both very smart. Especially Dabao, who was quiet and wordless, but always had something in his mind.

The sudden appearance of food items that hadn’t been there before could not be hidden from them.

But she couldn’t share the secret she had with them, so she had to come up with another excuse to cover it up.

She finished the syrup in her bowl in one gulp, then reached out and patted Dabao’s head. Yin Xiaoman then took an almond candy from her pocket, wrapping it with the glutinous rice paper, and shoved it into the little one’s mouth.

Dabao wasn’t prepared, and by the time he realized what was happening and tried to spit it out, the crispy candy had already melted in his mouth.

The little one became flustered, not knowing what to do, and his tears were on the verge of falling.

Yin Xiaoman reached out and picked up Dabao, placing him on her lap.

She gently patted his back to comfort him.

It seemed that he had never been this close to anyone before. The moment he was picked up, Dabao froze completely.

His body was stiff like a small piece of wood, rigid and standing straight.

Though he sat on Yin Xiaoman’s lap, he didn’t dare to get close to her, his face turning bright red, his expression full of unease and awkwardness.

Yin Xiaoman ignored Dabao’s shyness and reached out to pull Erniu over, holding both of them in her arms, one on each side.

Only then did she lovingly say, “From now on, anything Mother gives you can be eaten. No need to save it, no need to hold back. Our family has enough for you to eat.”

After speaking, she reached into her pocket again and, like performing a magic trick, took out a salted duck egg, holding it in her palm for them to see.

Both children’s eyes went wide!

Dabao didn’t care about being awkward anymore; his eyes almost glued to Yin Xiaoman’s pocket.

Although he didn’t speak, his gaze seemed to be full of words. The look of confusion on his face was impossible to ignore.

“Your grandfather and grandma left some things for me, and they’re still in this house. When I married your father, I didn’t take them with me. This matter, besides you two, no one else knows. Dabao and Erniu, can you help keep this secret and not tell anyone else?”

Upon hearing his mother’s words, Dabao immediately understood.

He thought back to when they had separated from the family. His aunt had taken all the money their father had left behind, without giving them a single cent, which nearly caused them to starve.

If it hadn’t been for Mama causing a scene at Grandpa and Grandma’s house, they would have never gotten that money back.

He thought his mother’s actions were completely right!

It was better to keep good things hidden away and never let others know about them.

Especially Grandpa and Grandma, and their uncle’s family.

Dabao looked at Yin Xiaoman, his face serious as he nodded vigorously.

He then turned around and patted his sister’s shoulder, placing his finger on his lips and making a “shh” gesture toward her.

Seeing her brother so serious, Erniu was also intimidated. She hurriedly made the same “shh” gesture and gave Yin Xiaoman a heavy nod.

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The next day, Yin Xiaoman woke up very early.

While the two children were still asleep, she returned to that room again.

This time, she went through everything that had been kept at the bottom of the chest.

Yin Xiaoman had spent a full eighteen years in the palace, and naturally, she had accumulated quite a few items.

In addition to the small items she had bought after being promoted to a senior maid, the jewelry was too valuable to explain their origins.

The items she had accumulated when she was a little palace maid were still things she could make use of.

For example, when she had worked as a little palace maid in the Concubine’s palace, the clothes she had been given were made of deep blue fine cloth, which could easily be altered to make a coat for Dabao.

Though the clothes had been stored for a while, the slightly aged color would actually make it easier to explain.

She also remembered a deep pink skirt, which could be altered into a small cotton jacket for Erniu.

As for the cotton needed to make the jackets, there was more than enough to be found by pulling the stuffing out of the quilts.

Yin Xiaoman thought to herself as she gathered the necessary items, neatly arranging them in the most convenient place before leaving the room with only a blue cloth coat in her hands.

This was actually thanks to a new skill she had discovered when she gave the two little ones the candy yesterday.

As long as she silently thought about it, she could take out whatever she needed without even entering the room.

This way, she didn’t have to worry about suddenly disappearing and being seen by the children unintentionally.

It was already just beginning to get light outside.

Not wanting to waste any lamp oil, Yin Xiaoman held the coat and carefully began to undo the seams, using the little morning light that streamed in through the window.

She took apart the coat—front, back, sleeves, and collar—cutting it into small pieces, and was thinking about how to best piece it together when suddenly, she heard a very faint knocking sound at the door from outside the yard.

Yin Xiaoman set down the scissors in her hand and couldn’t help but listen closely.

She wondered if she had misheard.

Who would come this early in the morning?

And why would they knock so softly?

“Xiaoman? Xiaoman? Are you up? Open the door for me!”

Just then, the sound of Zhang Jinfeng’s voice calling at the door came, still not very loud but urgent.

Yin Xiaoman hurriedly jumped down from the kang and quickly ran to the door to open it.

“Mother, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

She asked while peeking outside to see if her father-in-law, Shen Mancheng, had come along.

However, there was no one outside.

“Mother, what’s going on? Why did you come by yourself?”

Yin Xiaoman’s heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that something happened to the Shen family because of the scene she caused yesterday?

She had already decided to go with the army, and nothing must go wrong now.

At this thought, a headache began to form in her mind.

Yesterday, she had taken 50 yuan from Liu Chunxia in one go, which was probably more painful for her than cutting off a piece of her own flesh.

Could it be that the woman was upset and was taking it out on her elderly parents?

Otherwise, with Grandma’s temperament of rarely leaving the house for days, she wouldn’t have come so early to ask for help.

She really needed a good talking to!

The more Yin Xiaoman thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn’t help but grind her teeth.

She straightened her face and asked Zhang Jinfeng, “Is it because Sister-in-law caused another scene and upset Father?”

As she spoke, she was about to step outside, but Zhang Jinfeng quickly stopped her.

“No! It’s not because of that. Your mother came to you because I need something.”

Seeing her little daughter-in-law change her attitude so quickly, actually willing to help them, a flash of relief passed through Grandma’s eyes. She eagerly took Yin Xiaoman’s arm and pulled her into the house.

Opening the inner room door, they saw the two children lying on the kang, their little faces rosy and relaxed, clearly sleeping peacefully. Mother Shen’s face softened further, filled with affection.

She gently pulled Yin Xiaoman to sit at the foot of the kang, and placed the ten yuan she had been holding tightly into Yin Xiaoman’s palm.

The money had probably been held for a long time—it was warm and even slightly damp.

“Take it. Your father asked me to bring it to you.” Zhang Jinfeng said, closing Yin Xiaoman’s hand around the money with a smile.

“Mother, I have money!” 

Yin Xiaoman had never imagined that Mother Shen, walking all the way across half the village in the early morning, would come to give her money!

She quickly tried to refuse.

“I know you have money. Keep it and buy something for the children.”

Zhang Jinfeng shot her a playful glare, then quietly explained, “Yesterday, the second son’s comrade came by with some food and also gave us twenty yuan. Your father didn’t want them to know about the money, so he let your sister-in-law see the food instead.”

“Your father said, from now on, whenever the second son sends money, don’t let your sister-in-law take it. You should go with her to collect it, and once you bring it back, give you half of it.”

At this point, Grandma sighed and patted the back of Yin Xiaoman’s hand. “We’ve made you suffer before. It’s because we, as parents, were useless. We owe you too much.”

Yin Xiaoman was momentarily stunned, unable to react right away.

She had never imagined that the old couple from the Shen family would go so far for her and the children!

For most families, going against one’s wife might not even be an issue, but with their personalities, she could only imagine the psychological struggle they must have gone through.

After all, in the original owner’s memories, the old couple had only occasionally sent some food to them, secretly, until the day of their death. There was no other significant help.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended up so isolated and helpless that she had to jump off a cliff.

She didn’t understand why the situation had changed so much, but the actions of the Shen family elders still made Yin Xiaoman feel a warmth in her heart.

She thought for a moment and said to Zhang Jinfeng, “Mother, wait a moment.”

She quickly jumped off the kang and went into the main hall.

She moved around the room, pretending to be busy, but in reality, she was looking for a wild rabbit pelt that she had prepared.

The pelt wasn’t large, but it was thick and sturdy.

Yin Xiaoman couldn’t even remember who had given it to her or when it had been gifted.

She returned with the rabbit skin and stuffed it into Zhang Jinfeng’s hands. “Mother, take this back and make a pair of knee protectors. It will help with your rheumatism.”

Zhang Jinfeng was completely startled when she saw the rabbit pelt!

“No, no, you keep it! Such a precious thing, we’ll ruin it if we use it. You keep it for yourself, for you and the children.”

She hurriedly tried to push it back.

“Just take it,” Yin Xiaoman said, glancing at her before pressing the rabbit pelt back into her arms.

She pointed to the wicker basket on the windowsill. “I’m working on their clothes right now. They won’t be lacking. You take this back and make it for yourself. I don’t have the time to look after you right now.”

Though her words were somewhat blunt, Zhang Jinfeng couldn’t help but feel moved and wiped her eyes.

She knew her daughter-in-law had said it that way on purpose, to ensure that she couldn’t refuse. Otherwise, it would feel like she was being critical, as though her daughter-in-law was upset that she hadn’t made her something.

This second daughter-in-law was a good person!

Zhang Jinfeng silently thought this in her heart, and the guilt she felt grew even heavier.

Their family had wronged this girl!

She was such a good child. If her parents hadn’t suddenly passed away, she would never have ended up married to their family, suffering all these hardships and trials.

Forced to separate from her family, not once did she complain, and she even accepted the good things left by her parents and gave them to this useless old woman.

The more Zhang Jinfeng thought about it, the sadder she felt. All she wanted was to hurry back, talk to her old man, and make sure to mention it all.

It would be best if they could ask someone to write a letter to the second son, to tell him everything.

From now on, they must treat this girl well.

“Xiaoman, Mother is leaving now. I’ll come see you again soon.” Zhang Jinfeng wiped her eyes, as she stood up from the kang.

Yin Xiaoman nodded, then suddenly thought of something and hurriedly said, “Mother…”

“Oh, right, right! I almost forgot!” 

She had just begun to speak, only saying one word, when Zhang Jinfeng interrupted her.