Chapter 14

The child was about three or four years old, similar in age to Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er, with a small topknot hairstyle. He was indeed a bit thin, though slightly better off than Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er, who had become emaciated during their journey of exile, looking like refugees. This child didn’t lack food and drink, so he was likely suffering from a weak stomach. Of course, it was also possible that the food at home wasn’t very appetizing, making him reluctant to eat properly, which contributed to his thinness.

Such children could be quite worrisome. When Xu Qinyu used to run her private restaurant, she encountered many children like this. These children often had parents who weren’t good at cooking. They wouldn’t eat well during meals, and when they got hungry afterward, they would snack on available treats. By the time the next meal came around, they weren’t hungry, and the food wasn’t appealing, creating a vicious cycle that weakened their stomachs.

The solution was simple: make the meals more delicious so that the children found the food tastier than snacks and were willing to eat properly. This would naturally make them strong and healthy, solving the problem. She had helped many mothers resolve their children’s eating issues.

The woman appeared to be in her twenties, with a “Suiyun” hairstyle, which was common among women here. The little boy was likely her child.

The woman, looking anxious, tried to force the spoonful of rice porridge into the child’s mouth, but he stubbornly shook his head, refusing to open his mouth.

Hearing footsteps, the woman turned to look at them. Seeing the broker beside Xu Qinyu, she recognized him and knew they were there to see the house. She immediately called out to the maid, “Xiao Cui, come feed Shao Ge’er.”

Xiao Cui’s smiling face froze for a moment, looking conflicted as she glanced at the young master. She clearly knew he didn’t like to eat properly, and feeding him was always a battle.

Xiao Cui reluctantly took over the task from her mistress.

The woman came over to greet Xu Qinyu and the others, leading them to the guest hall and personally serving hot tea. “It’s freezing cold, and I appreciate Manager Liu bringing guests over.”

She then smiled at Xu Qinyu and Madam Wen, “Are you here to see the house in Osmanthus Alley? We haven’t lived there for a few years. We bought it from someone else and renovated it. I like to keep things clean, so I clean the house thoroughly every day. The house is well-maintained, with no leaks. I even laid thin bricks on the floors of the house and kitchen so it doesn’t get wet and muddy on rainy days. I also collected many pebbles to pave the courtyard. Would you like to go see it? The price might be a bit high, though, more expensive than other houses in the south of the city.”

Xu Qinyu was intrigued. She dreaded living in a damp house, as many homes here had dirt floors that turned muddy and uncomfortable when it rained. “Please, sister, take us to see it.”

The woman smiled and said, “My husband’s surname is Xia. I should be a few years older than you, so you can call me Sister Xia.”

“Sister Xia,” Xu Qinyu called out with a smile.

The woman’s husband’s surname was Xia, but her own surname was Wu, and her name was Wan.

Madam Wu gave Xiao Cui a few instructions, telling her to feed her son, Shao Ge’er, and watch over him until she returned to wash the dishes and clean up.

Xiao Cui nodded in agreement, and Madam Wu led the three of them to see the house. Her current residence was quite close to the house in Osmanthus Alley, less than a quarter of an hour’s walk, with a shortcut available.

On the way, Madam Wu didn’t say much and had a worried expression, clearly concerned about her son.

She couldn’t share her situation with others. She had previously had a daughter, but the daughter had died. The incident happened because she and her husband were busy with their business, leaving their daughter in the care of her mother-in-law. At that time, she, her husband, and her daughter lived with her parents-in-law and her husband’s younger brother’s family. Her sister-in-law had a son, and her mother-in-law often said that daughters were worthless, so she didn’t pay much attention to her granddaughter.

The whole family lived in the village. One day, her mother-in-law took her daughter and her younger brother-in-law’s son to visit neighbors, carrying the nephew and letting the daughter walk on her own. At that time, the daughter had just learned to walk and was still unsteady.

The mother-in-law, engrossed in conversation with the neighbors, forgot about the daughter, and by the time she remembered, the daughter was nowhere to be found. When they found her, the daughter’s body was in the pond.

Unable to accept her daughter’s death, she had a falling out with her mother-in-law and moved out with her husband to Yuanbao Town to make a living.

After getting married, she and her husband handed over their earnings to her in-laws. When their daughter died and they moved out, the in-laws didn’t give them a single coin. It was tough at first, but fortunately, her husband’s business partner was loyal and lent them money to get through the initial difficulties.

The small courtyard in Osmanthus Alley was the house they rented when they first came to Yuanbao Town. Later, they made enough money to buy and renovate it to her liking. Shao Ge’er was born in the small courtyard in Osmanthus Alley.

In those days, children were prone to dying young. Sometimes, a single illness could take them away, and weak children were even more worrisome. She constantly worried about Shao Ge’er, but perhaps because she was too anxious while pregnant with him, always mourning her deceased daughter and crying secretly, she harmed her own health and that of her unborn child.

Shao Ge’er was born weaker than most children. When he started eating solid food, he wouldn’t eat properly. No matter what methods she tried, she couldn’t get him to eat well.

Now, at over four years old, he looked like a three-year-old. She was truly worried to death.

Even the doctor said that although Shao Ge’er was a bit weak from birth, it wasn’t a big problem. He didn’t need to take medicine all the time; he just needed to eat well and eat more to improve his health naturally. Eating well would give him strength and help him grow strong. But Shao Ge’er simply wouldn’t eat. He wouldn’t eat the food she cooked, nor the food Xiao Cui cooked, and even the meals she ordered from the big restaurant in Yuanbao Town only got a few bites from him.

Thinking about this, Madam Wu felt anxious and worried, but then she heard the young lady beside her ask, “Sister Xia, are you worried about your child?”

Madam Wu sighed, “Yes, Shao Ge’er has been weak since he was little. The doctor advised him to eat more, but he never eats well, no matter what we try. He’s already four and a half, but he looks like a three-year-old. Oh, my heart is truly worried to death.”

Xu Qinyu, who had no parents or children of her own, understood the universal concern of parents.

She couldn’t help but say, “Sister Xia, I happen to know a bit about cooking. How about after we look at the house, I come back with you and make a couple of dishes for Shao Ge’er to try?”

“Alright, thank you, young lady,” Wu replied absentmindedly.

She didn’t really believe the young lady’s words.

Although the young lady’s face was red and swollen from the cold, Wu could tell she was only about fifteen or sixteen.

The best chefs at the largest restaurant in town were in their forties or fifties, having honed their skills for thirty or forty years. Even such experienced chefs couldn’t get Shao Ge’er to eat properly. How could a young lady who had only learned cooking for a few years compare to them?

The group, holding oil-paper umbrellas and braving the heavy snow, soon arrived at the small courtyard in Osmanthus Alley.

From the outside, the small courtyard looked similar to other three-room courtyards in Osmanthus Alley, with a brick wall and a crooked jujube tree inside. However, the courtyard wall was much cleaner and sturdier than those of the neighboring courtyards.

The courtyard had a wooden gate, which looked quite new, with a large lock hanging on it, obscuring the view inside.

Madam Wu stepped forward, took out the key, and unlocked the gate.