Chapter 45

Yi Bao and Er Bao naturally couldn’t wash the sheets and quilt cover well, so Ning Shu ended up helping.

The sheets and quilt cover weren’t really dirty, so a little soaking and scrubbing with soapy water was enough.

When it came to wringing them out, Ning Shu didn’t have enough strength, so she held one end while Yi Bao and Er Bao held the other, and the three of them squeezed the sheets and quilt cover dry together.

After finishing washing, it was already noon. The two boys were exhausted and sat under the eaves, unable to move.

Ning Shu found it amusing and picked some cherries. She washed them and then cut several of them into small pieces, removing the pits and putting them in a bowl.

“Time for some fruit,” she announced as she carried the cherries out.

Seeing the dark red cherries, Er Bao was curious. “Mom, what kind of fruit is this? Did you pick them from the mountain?”

In the eyes of children, these small, dark red fruits did indeed look like wild mountain fruits.

Ning Shu didn’t deny it. “These were bought on the way back yesterday. An old lady picked them from the mountain. But be careful when you eat them; spit out the pits, or your throat will hurt. Also, the cherries without pits are for San Bao.”

She picked up a piece and fed it to San Bao. “Here, San Bao, ahh…”

San Bao opened his mouth, and after a few chews, his eyes narrowed with delight. “Sweet, delicious.”

Yi Bao and Er Bao were older and could usually spit out the pits when they ate. Even if they accidentally swallowed a cherry pit, it wouldn’t get stuck in their throat under normal circumstances. However, San Bao was still young, and no matter how much he was taught, he couldn’t be relied upon to be careful. So Ning Shu had to remove the pits for him.

“Is it delicious, San Bao?” Ning Shu asked with a smile as she saw the red juice flowing from his mouth.

“Delicious,” San Bao’s eyes sparkled. He reached out and took a small piece of cherry from the bowl, then fed it to Ning Shu.

“Mommy, eat.”

Although his hands were very clean, Ning Shu said, “…I don’t feel like eating.”

She got up. “I’ll go make lunch. You eat by yourself, be good.”

It seems like San Bao wasn’t pleased and ended up putting the spoon in his mouth again.

Back in the kitchen, Ning Shu washed a plate and started preparing lunch.

She remembered she had some cherry tomatoes, so she took them out and chopped them up to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, along with some vinegar-glazed shredded potatoes.

The three dishes were enough for the three of them.

Ning Shu didn’t have a big appetite, mainly because she ate little before going to the countryside, so her stomach had shrunk. However, Yi Bao and Er Bao had good appetites.

During lunch, the boneless chicken feet and scrambled eggs with tomatoes were well received by the whole family. Unfortunately, San Bao couldn’t eat the boneless chicken feet. They weren’t suitable for a child of San Bao’s age.

However, Lin San Bao, seeing his mother and brothers enjoying the food, also had a little temper. “Mommy, meat… Bao wants meat…” he said, extending his small hand with a wooden spoon, wanting to pick some up.

But his hands were too short, and the spoon couldn’t reach the boneless chicken feet.

Yi Bao felt a bit sorry seeing San Bao with nothing to eat, but his mother had said that the meat was too tough for San Bao.

Ning Shu picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with tomatoes for him. “You eat this. Eating this will make you grow tall. When you’re as tall as your brothers, you can eat the meat.”

San Bao may not have understood his mother’s words, but he obediently ate the scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

The sweet and sour taste of the cherry tomatoes was delightful, but it couldn’t quench San Bao’s desire for meat. “Mommy, meat… Bao wants meat.”

Ning Shu was determined not to give in. She got up, poured some rice vinegar, then picked up a boneless chicken foot and dipped it lightly in the vinegar.

She then brought it to San Bao and said, “Here, use your tongue to lick it and see if it tastes good.”

Using his tongue was something San Bao understood.

He obediently stuck out his little tongue and licked the vinegar on the boneless chicken feet.

Then… San Bao quickly moved his head away, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue, as if he had just eaten something extremely unpleasant.

Even his eyes turned red from the sourness.

Actually, rice vinegar isn’t that sour. San Bao just hasn’t eaten it before, and he usually eats plain food, so it seemed very sour to him.

“San Bao, wasting food is not good. This is what you asked for, you have to finish it,” Ning Shu continued to feed him.

“No… no…” San Bao decisively closed his mouth, shaking his head like a rattle drum. His eyes looked pitifully at his mother, as if she was bullying a child.

“Well, if you don’t want to eat it, there won’t be any left later when you change your mind,” Ning Shu hadn’t withdrawn her hand holding the boneless chicken, waiting for San Bao’s confirmation.

“No… don’t want…” San Bao’s childish voice remained firm.

Ning Shu smirked and put the boneless claw into her own mouth. It was actually an experiment for Ning Shu too; she didn’t know if vinegar would work.

She had learned this from an elder in her past life.

During the New Year, the village was particularly lively with many relatives visiting, and several tables were set up for meals.

Once, during a meal, a child about the same age as San Bao was clamoring for strongly flavored dishes.

So, the child’s parents dipped the vegetables in vinegar. After tasting the vinegar, the child stopped clamoring.

Ning Shu didn’t expect her experiment today to succeed as well.

Yi Bao and Er Bao glanced at each other, not knowing what to feel, but they felt… San Bao was pitiful.

However, they also ate joyfully.

After eating, Ning Shu thought she needed to go to the clothing factory to process the transfer of work, so she needed to get an introduction letter from the brigade leader. So, she told the three Baos, “Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, I have something to do at the brigade leader’s house. If you want to play, go by yourselves.”

“Why is mother going to the brigade leader’s house?” Er Bao asked again.

Yi Bao looked at his mother.

Ning Shu said, “It’s adults’ business, children shouldn’t interfere.” Especially not Lin Er Bao. With that, she went to the brigade leader’s house.

Er Bao’s eyes lit up. “Brother, I’ll go see.”

Yi Bao nodded. “Hmm.”

At the brigade leader’s house, when Ning Shu arrived, they had just finished dinner and the whole family was resting. Seeing Ning Shu, the brigade leader’s wife smiled and greeted her, “Guodong’s wife, is there something you need?”

“Auntie,” Ning Shu called out, “I’ve come to see the brigade leader.”

The brigade leader stood up, looking somewhat serious. “What’s the matter?”

Ning Shu said, “I’d like the brigade leader to write me an introduction letter for my identity. I’ll need it later.”

The brigade leader said, “This introduction letter can’t be issued randomly. I need to know the purpose before I can write it for you.”

So troublesome? Originally, Ning Shu didn’t want to let others know about her work to avoid trouble. But according to the brigade leader, she had to reveal it. “I participated in the recruitment at the clothing factory yesterday and passed. I’ll need to process some procedures later, so I need this identity introduction letter.”

After Ning Shu spoke, everyone in the brigade leader’s house was stunned.

Did they understand correctly? Ning Shu had become a worker?

Even the brigade leader doubted if he had misheard. “You… became a worker?”

Ning Shu nodded. She had taken the job. But she wasn’t planning to mention this part.

The brigade leader said, “…”. He never expected that one of the troubles in their brigade had actually become a worker. “Congratulations. This is a good thing. I’ll write you the introduction letter.”

Five minutes later, Ning Shu returned home with the introduction letter.

When Ning Shu returned home, she found only Yi Bao and San Bao in the yard. She couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Er Bao?”

Yi Bao didn’t want to lie to his mother, but he also couldn’t betray Er Bao. After some thought, he said, “Er Bao went out.” This shouldn’t be considered a lie, right? However, he felt a bit nervous inside, perhaps out of guilt, and didn’t dare to look up.

Ning Shu thought Er Bao had gone out to play, so she didn’t ask further.

Thinking that there was still an acre of self-cultivated land that needed tending, she said to Yi Bao, “Yi Bao, I’m going to the self-cultivated land to plant vegetables. If you need me, come find me there.”

Yi Bao quickly asked, “Mother, can I come too? I also want to plant.”

Ning Shu: “Aren’t you going to play with your friends? And what about Hai Cai? He hasn’t come for several days. Aren’t you going to play with him?”

Yi Bao: “Mother, Hai Cai is sick.”

Ning Shu was surprised. “When did this happen? How did he get sick?”

Yi Bao replied, “He caught a cold and has been coughing. Grandma said we shouldn’t go play with him recently, in case we get infected.”

Ning Shu thought for a moment. It was October, a peak season for colds, with the weather changing frequently, making it easy to catch a cold. “Then come with me to the field.”

“Great!” Yi Bao was happy. San Bao, still innocent, looked at the pot, then at his mother, and smiled silly.

In the one-acre self-cultivated land, Ning Shu planned to plant spinach and lettuce with the seeds she had bought before, mainly spinach. Spinach is not only nutritious but also fetches a good price on the app. Thinking about the big income she would have in a few months, Ning Shu was in a good mood.

“I’m back, mother.” Just as Ning Shu was about to go to the self-cultivated land with Yi Bao and San Bao, Er Bao arrived.

Ning Shu said, “Perfect timing. We’re going to the self-cultivated land to plant vegetables. Do you want to come?”

Er Bao replied, “I want to come.”

At the old Lin family house, the brigade leader’s wife hurried to find Lin’s mother as soon as she heard that Ning Shu had become a worker.

This news was bigger than anyone in the brigade becoming a worker, it was unbelievable.

So, the brigade leader’s wife’s reaction was so intense!