Chapter 50

Qian Aifen replied with delight, “He just ate an apple and fell asleep. I think the apple is good for him. He seemed to enjoy it, and he didn’t vomit after eating.”

“Apples are precious indeed. How could they not be delicious?” Zhang Qinfang interjected. “Having a cold isn’t a big deal, yet you’re treating him with meat and apples, etc. Apples? Did the eldest daughter-in-law buy apples? You can’t be biased; if Haicai can eat apples, then our Haiquan should also eat them.”

“You, shut up,” Lin’s mother said, getting a headache as soon as Zhang Qinfang started talking.

Zhang Qinfang was unhappy, “I didn’t say anything wrong. Haicai is sick, so using the public money to see a doctor is understandable. We can also eat some meat, but buying apples is another story, isn’t it? Does someone have to eat apples just because they’re sick?”

Lin’s mother’s expression wasn’t good. Zhang Qinfang’s words made sense. No one said that sick people must eat apples.

But the eldest daughter-in-law had already bought apples, so…

“Who said I bought apples?” Qian Aifen said coldly. “These apples were brought by Third sister. She heard that Haicai was sick, so she brought apples for him. What’s wrong? Second sister-in-law, as a woman who is already a mother, do you have to take everything for yourself, even the food for a five-year-old child?”

“The third daughter-in-law brought them?” Lin’s mother was also surprised.

Zhang Qinfang didn’t feel as confident as before, so she remained silent. In her heart, she scolded Ning Shu again.

She was indeed a squandering woman. She ate well on her own and only remembered to give the main house, not trusting them at all.

Qian Aifen nodded to Lin’s mother, saying, “Yes, she brought four apples over. She also said Haicai should see a doctor for this illness, and he shouldn’t eat greasy food. Foods like meat buns are too oily and fatty. Instead, he should eat vegetables, fruits, lean meat, and eggs. I didn’t understand it all either. She also said that lean meat porridge can be given to children, and the porridge should be thick, with some greens and apples. I just cut the apples into pieces and fed them to the child. The child really liked them and ate the whole apple without vomiting.”

“I’m following what Third sister said. I made lean meat porridge with greens. I’ll feed it to him when he wakes up. I have to say, Third sister-in-law is indeed knowledgeable, knowing so much.”

Lin’s mother also didn’t understand what vitamins and protein were, but the third daughter-in-law had raised her child so well, so she must know how to feed him. Moreover, city people were intellectuals with more knowledge and experience than them.

They must have a different approach.

“Then let’s eat like this for now. Is the meat enough?” Lin’s mother asked.

Qian Aifen replied, “I bought one catty. There’s both lean and fatty meat, but Sister said Haicai should eat lean meat, so I cut off the fatty part and rendered some lard to use for stir-frying vegetables. But I only paid one yuan for a catty of pork. It’s quite cheap.”

Lin’s Mother nodded, “Indeed, it’s cheap. Without meat coupons, you can’t even buy a catty of meat for one yuan.”

After lunch, Qian Aifen went to check on her son. Seeing that he hadn’t woken up yet, she gently called out a few times, “Haicai, are you hungry? Mom has cooked some lean meat porridge. Do you want to get up and eat some?”

Feeling uncomfortable and not sleeping well these past few days, Lin Haicai slowly opened his eyes upon hearing his mother’s words.

“Mom, I’m hungry.” He hadn’t eaten much these past two days and had even vomited and had diarrhea at night.

Naturally, one apple couldn’t satisfy him. Hearing that there was meat to eat, he perked up a bit.

It was the persistence of children for meat.

“Then wait here, Mom will bring you the porridge,” Qian Aifen said.

Qian Aifen quickly went to the kitchen and brought back the lean meat porridge, with some green vegetables on top.

The color looked appetizing, arousing one’s appetite. “Here, Haicai, let Mom feed you.” She fed her son the porridge with a spoon.

The lean meat porridge was salty and bland. Although the lean meat was boiled, it still had a slight meaty smell.

However, with the addition of the green vegetables, the smell was masked, making it taste delicious.

Haicai’s stomach was indeed hungry. He ate the full bowl of porridge mouthful by mouthful.

Seeing this, Qian Aifen also breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you want more?”

Lin Haicai shook his head.

“Then rest for a while,” Qian Aifen said, lifting the bowl to leave.

“Mom…” Lin Haicai tugged at her clothes, “I want to go out, I don’t want to sleep.”

Qian Aifen nodded. “Then put on your clothes, Mom will take you out.” Qian Aifen helped her son put on his clothes and then took him outside for a walk.

Outside, Zhang Qinfang saw Lin Haicai coming out and angrily questioned, “Sister-in-law, why did you let Haicai out? What if he infects everyone? Our Haiquan is still young and can’t afford to get infected.”

“He hasn’t left the room for several days; it’s uncomfortable being cooped up in there,” said Qian Aifen.

“What if he infects someone else? People with illnesses can’t sit still. If his recovery takes too long, it’s not just our money that’ll be spent,” Zhang Qinfang worried about her son getting infected.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take him out for a walk. He won’t infect you,” reassured Qian Aifen.

Watching them argue, Lin’s mother got a headache. This situation, well, there’s no clear right or wrong.

In that moment, she suddenly felt the benefits of having fewer people around. Luckily, the third son’s family had already moved out; otherwise, with three daughters-in-law together, the argument would have been fiercer.

Thinking like this, Lin’s mother felt more and more convinced.

So, when it was bedtime, Lin’s mother and father brought up the idea of splitting the family.

Lin’s father was surprised, “Splitting the family? When the third son’s family wanted to split earlier, you were mad for days. How come you’re willing now?”

Lin’s mother explained, “Back then, I was… when both parents are alive, there’s no talk of splitting. With a new daughter-in-law from the third son’s side acting up like this, it’s embarrassing for our family. Looking back, if we had split up the eldest and the first son together, there wouldn’t have been so much trouble. Each family could decide what to eat on their own and bear their own expenses for children’s illnesses. Look at it now, the third daughter-in-law has changed for the better, no longer causing trouble, but now the first and second daughters-in-law are at odds. It’s just the beginning; there will be more troubles when the children grow up. It’s better to split the family.”

Lin’s father thought for a moment, “According to our customs, parents stay with the youngest son. After the eldest and second son split, we can’t follow the third son’s family.”

Lin’s mother realized it was true. She really believed the third daughter-in-law had changed for the better now. After all, she accidentally overheard her words last night, and how she was teaching her son, it showed her change.

However, even if she changed for the better, it didn’t mean she would be willing to live with them as a couple.

“That’s not a problem; we can live on our own. Just the two of us, we can still work and support ourselves. Living with the eldest daughter-in-law and first son means we’d be supporting them.”

Lin’s father asked, “So, what do you think?”

“When should we split the family?” Lin’s mother thought for a moment. “After Xiaojing gets married?”

“But that’s still a long way off. She’s only in high school, and won’t graduate until next year, and then she still needs time to find someone. At least three more years,” Lin’s father replied.

Hearing it would take another three years, Lin’s mother felt another headache coming on.

While Lin’s parents had the idea of splitting the family, the eldest and first sons’ families didn’t know yet.

But if they found out, they would surely praise their wisdom.

To be honest, as the elderly, they should enjoy their days. Living with several generations together, cooking for a dozen people every day, was tough. She couldn’t bear it herself.

Ning Shu, unable to bear it, worried that the three kids might catch a cold in this unpredictable weather.

She tried her best to strengthen their bodies. Not only did they have eggs at every meal, but she also let them have the uncooked bacon that hadn’t been prepared yet. The three kids had an apple every day without fail. As a result of this diet, the kids visibly gained weight.

But it was good; they didn’t have much flesh to begin with, and now that they gained some, they looked better.

One morning, the colors of the two wooden block paintings finally dried, so Ning Shu put them and the children’s books she had been drying for several days on the wooden shelf.

Though there were few items, the atmosphere of the learning corner was starting to take shape.

After breakfast, Ning Shu said to the three kids, “Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, I have a gift for you. Come with me.”

The three kids blinked, not understanding, but they sensed there were things to be had, so they curiously followed their mother.

Er Bao was especially delighted. He couldn’t help but ask, “Mom, what is it?”

“You’ll know when you come,” she replied, leading them to the room. “Go inside and take a look.”

The three kids walked in, puzzled.

The room, which originally had a wooden shelf, had now changed. Thick grass mats were laid between three sides of the wooden shelves, with a low table in the middle.

On one of the shelves, there were four books and two wooden boxes. On the top shelf in the middle, there were four wooden boards, each with the words “Learning Corner” carved on them, painted red.

Beside the four words, there was a book with a red cloth underneath, and on the book, it said: “Leadership Quotations.”

“See if you like it,” Ning Shu said.

The three kids took off their shoes and rolled around on the grass mats.

Yi Bao curiously picked up one of the wooden boxes and opened it, finding a painting inside.

After flipping through the children’s books, Bao’s eyes lit up as if they were twinkling with stars.

“Mom, how do we play with these things?” Yi Bao looked at the painting of a chicken and a pig but didn’t know how to play with it.

“Mom, what are these paintings?” Er Bao looked at the drawings of people in the book but couldn’t understand.

“These are called building blocks. You can pour them out, mix them together, and then put them back together…”

“This is a book for children. This one is called ‘Little Bud’s Adventures,’ and it’s about…”

Originally, Er Bao was playing with the building blocks, but when he heard his mom talking about ‘Little Bud’s Adventures,’ he stopped playing and listened curiously. Even San Bao, who was rolling around, heard a story for the first time and stopped, propping up his little head as if he could understand.

Yi Bao’s eyes lit up even more. “Mom, Little Bud is so brave, so smart, so amazing.” He wanted to be like Little Bud!