Chapter 62.1

Although a lot of delicious food had already been made for lunch and dinner, Yin Xiaoman still put a lot of effort into preparing the evening meal.

There was cold jellyfish salad, garlic cucumber, spicy shredded potatoes, and tofu with green onions; braised ribbon fish, braised octopus, as well as steamed scallops and smoked pork with steamed potatoes; in addition to a large bowl of loofah soup.

Altogether, there were four cold dishes and four hot dishes, making a total of eight dishes.

Most of the dishes were fine, but the smoked pork was a rare treat on the island, and it made everyone’s mouth water just by looking at it!

The bright red smoked pork was sliced as thin as paper, and placed on top of golden potato chunks before being steamed together.

As the steam rose, the fat in the smoked pork melted and seeped into the potatoes, making them soft and fragrant.

The color, the aroma—just by looking at it, one couldn’t help but swallow.

Thanks to Qiangzi Huzi, the kids had basically been eating non-stop all day. They had buns, snacks, sugar cubes, and various delicious fruits, so the five children had already satisfied their cravings.

Now, even though the food smelled so good that it made them all salivate, they just looked at it with longing. None of them tried to sneak closer.

The boys all obediently followed Dami, helping the adults by moving tables and chairs. They were so well-behaved that they looked almost like angels.

Cui Yan couldn’t help but click her tongue in admiration and kept saying for a while that she would leave her two children in Yin Xiaoman’s care for discipline.

“You don’t need to bother with that. Just let them follow Dami.” Yin Xiaoman said with a smile.

Cui Yan thought for a moment and nodded: “That’s true. You know, Dami really does look like a big brother.”

When she arrived earlier in the morning, she had already asked about Dami’s background. After hearing about the little guy’s tragic past, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

But now, seeing the three Shen children running around the house, she still couldn’t help herself. She glanced at Yin Xiaoman with concern.

Once she was sure that the children couldn’t hear, Cui Yan quietly nudged her friend with her elbow. “Manman, what are you planning to do in the future?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Yin Xiaoman, still lost in thought about the food and seat arrangements, was completely confused when Cui Yan asked her question.

Cui Yan, a bit worried, pointed her chin towards the group of children outside and said: “All you’ve been raising are other people’s kids. What about you? You’ll need to have your own children eventually! If you really do have one, can you even raise all of them?”

It wasn’t surprising that Cui Yan would ask this. She knew her friend quite well.

In her mind, Yin Xiaoman was someone who was far too honest, to the point of being without any cunningness.

When Shen Qingyun first adopted Da Bao and Erniu, Cui Yan had been concerned that his new wife might be dissatisfied with him and the children, even worried that she might mistreat the two kids.

But after spending time with her, she realized she had been overthinking.

Xiaoman was just simple-minded, and she was sincere with everyone. Even the children she adopted, was treated like treasures.

It didn’t matter if they weren’t her biological children—there was no way anyone could raise their own kids with such tenderness.

Now, there was another child in the family…

Looking at Dami’s glowing face, it was clear without asking that he hadn’t suffered a single bit of hardship in this family.

Thinking about their lifestyle, where they lived without saving a single penny and spent everything they had, Cui Yan was truly worried. She was concerned that when Xiaoman had her own child, they really wouldn’t have enough money to take care of them.

Hearing her suddenly bring up the topic, Yin Xiaoman’s face turned bright red.

She gave Cui Yan a reproachful look. “Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? Why are we even discussing this?!”

Cui Yan hadn’t expected that, after being married for so long, Xiaoman would still be shy when it came to the topic of having children.

She couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

It wasn’t until Yin Xiaoman looked like she was genuinely about to get angry that Cui Yan forced herself to stop laughing and she asked while holding back a grin: “What’s wrong with what I said? Isn’t that the truth?”

As she spoke, she pointed to the cutting board in the kitchen. “Look at all this—fish, meat, and only the finest rice and white flour… You two probably spend all your monthly income just on food, right? Now with five people in the family, it’s probably just barely enough to eat. If you have a child, are you planning to let them starve?”

At this point, Cui Yan really became anxious. She glared at Yin Xiaoman with a frown. “In this place, there isn’t even anywhere to drink the north wind!”

Yin Xiaoman was also amused by her words.

She of course understood that Sister Cui was genuinely concerned about her.

If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t speak so frankly.

She pursed her lips, reached out, and gently shook Cui Yan’s arm. “It’s not like we eat like this every day… You know, the supply ship just came, right? It only comes once a month. So for the next couple of days, we’ll give the kids a bit of a better life.

Also, the seafood here is all caught by the base’s soldiers when they go out to sea, and it doesn’t cost anything. You’ve only been here a short time, but if you stay longer, you’ll see. On the island, seafood and fruits are shared by everyone, there’s no need to spend money on them.

As for grains, meat, and eggs, those we have to buy, but actually, meat and eggs can’t even be shipped here. Honestly, today’s the first time in about half a year that we’ve had fresh meat and tofu before you came.”

Her words left Cui Yan momentarily stunned. She hadn’t known about the situation on the island.

However, hearing Yin Xiaoman’s explanation, she felt more relieved than disappointed. After all, even back at Vanguard Camp, they didn’t have meat and tofu often!

Having fresh seafood and fruits every day without spending any money—how could anyone not feel content?

Seeing Sister Cui’s expression soften, Yin Xiaoman continued: “Also, Qingyun says I’m still young, and since I’m under twenty, he won’t let me have kids.”

When she said this, Cui Yan instinctively looked up and stared at the girl for a while before finally remembering that she was indeed very young.

She recalled that Yin Xiaoman had only just gotten married at the legal age.

“Are you… nineteen yet?”

“Just turned 19, last month was my birthday.”

Hearing this, Cui Yan quickly grabbed her arm and comforted her with a series of hearty pats. “Well, no rush, no rush. There are benefits to waiting a couple more years. You know, having kids too early brings no advantages. Little Shen’s approach is the right one.”

As she spoke, she nodded approvingly. Cui Yan was from a big city, so she didn’t have the feudal mentality that once someone got married, they had to have children to carry on the family line.

When she had married Qi Feng, they lived apart for a while. They were married for several years, and it wasn’t until she was 24 that she had Qiangzi.

Moreover, since both families were well-off, she had even given birth in a hospital.

During her hospital stay, several doctors had praised her for having children at the right age, saying that the healthier the mother, the healthier the child would be.

Unlike some families, where young girls get married early and, as soon as they do, they start having children, Cui Yan couldn’t help but feel a sense of disapproval.

Some girls, who were already malnourished and hadn’t fully developed, were forced to give birth. The babies often turned out frail and difficult to take care of, sometimes so weak they couldn’t survive or grow.

Then there were those who couldn’t bear the thought of going to the hospital, and tragically, it wasn’t uncommon for both mother and child to lose their lives.

So, when she heard that Shen Qingyun wanted Yin Xiaoman to wait until she was twenty before having children, Cui Yan’s opinion of him rose considerably.

“Manman, let’s take it slow, no rush.”

She winked at Yin Xiaoman. “Anyway, we’re on the island, and even if your in-laws want to nag you, they can’t find you. As long as you and your husband are on the same page, no one can do anything to you.”

Yin Xiaoman smiled but didn’t reply. She suddenly thought back to the attitude of the elderly couple in Shuanggui Village towards their family.

She felt that, even if she wasn’t on the island now, no one would pressure her to have children.

After all, in the minds of the old couple, Da Bao was their precious, legitimate grandson. If they heard that she was having a baby, they would probably be more worried about someone taking away Da Bao’s special affection.

Thinking about it, she smiled, not really angry, just curious about how the two elderly people would feel once they learned the truth one day.

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There was no place more suitable for entertaining guests than the courtyard of Xiaoman’s house now.

When it was first designed, it was meant to be a canteen.

Ren Ping’an and the others had prepared it to accommodate the entire Research Team for meals. They had set up four large tables, each big enough to seat eight people, and placed over thirty chairs in the room.

However, the canteen had only been completed for almost a year, and this was the first time it was actually used to entertain guests.

This time, Yin Xiaoman had taken advantage of her “official position” and used the space for a private family gathering.

Elder Hua and Engineer Ning had arrived first, and they immediately toured the place. They couldn’t help but be impressed, though they found it a bit amusing, this so-called “Researcher’s canteen” that had never been used before.

It was only then that they realized, not just the canteen, but the last time they had both visited Xiaoman’s home together felt like a long time ago.

A whole year had passed so quickly….

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Cold jellyfish salad

Garlic Cucumber Salad

Spicy Shredded Potatoes

Tofu with green onions

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