Chapter 154: I Love Eating Radishes

Even though Lin Xiangnan was reluctant to let Hu Meili go, Hu Meili felt a little uneasy as soon as she boarded the train.

The train clattered and rattled all night, making it hard to sleep. Hu Meili dozed off for a while, only to have a nightmare.

She dreamt that Xiao Bao cried his lungs out all night, while Lin Xiangnan slept like a log, completely oblivious to the noise. The child cried all night and ended up with a fever the next day…

Hu Meili had personally taken care of both children for over three months, and she had grown attached to them. This dream jolted her awake.

“That careless little Xiao Nan . I wonder if she can handle the kids.”

After worrying for a while, Hu Meili could only comfort herself: “Xiao Nan is unreliable, but Gu Zhenhua and Gu Zhenjun are reliable. With Gu Zhenjun’s help, things should be fine.”

Despite her thoughts, Hu Meili still couldn’t shake off her worries when it was time to get off the train. She sighed heavily and only managed to force a smile when she reached her doorstep.

Seeing her carrying a large bag of luggage and entering the house, the entire family was taken aback.

“Didn’t you say you’d come back after the New Year? Why did you suddenly return alone?” Grandma Hu asked with concern.

“I missed the kids. Xiao Nan is busy, so I thought I’d come back for the New Year.”

Hu Meili put her luggage down and gasped for breath. “This train ride has nearly broken my bones.”

“Oh dear, you should have said something earlier. Xiangdong and Xiangxi are both at work today, otherwise they could have come to pick you up. Have some hot water first, I’ll go tidy up your room.”

Grandma Hu went to Hu Meili’s room to dust and make the bed, while everyone else gathered around Hu Meili, chattering about her life over the past few months.

Her feuds with Lin Xiangnan were a matter between their mother and daughter, and Hu Meili wouldn’t gossip about it outside the family.

“Xiao Nan is filial, she kept urging me to stay with her for the New Year, but I couldn’t bear to leave Xiangdong and the others, so I wanted to come back and check on them…”

“I don’t know much about Xiao Nan ‘s work, but my son-in-law said it’s very impressive. She’s a researcher, and her salary is high… Last year, she was even a model worker at their factory…”

Hu Meili didn’t just talk about it, she took out a stack of photos from her bag.

“This group photo was taken by the propaganda department. Look how energetic our little Xiao Nan looks.”

“And here are photos of the two children. They look alike, you won’t be able to tell them apart. But I can, and I’ll teach you how to recognize them when Xiao Nan brings them back next year.”

Although she was tired from the train ride, Hu Meili’s spirits lifted as she chatted.

Grandma Hu finished tidying the room and came out to interrupt. “Didn’t you say you were very tired? Go have a rest, we can talk about these things later.”

Knowing she would be staying at home for a while, Hu Meili wasn’t in a hurry. She quickly tidied up and went to sleep, as she hadn’t gotten much rest on the train.

It wasn’t until evening that Hu Meili got up and leisurely started unpacking her luggage.

She had brought back two pieces of Lin Xiangnan’s smoked meat for the New Year’s Eve dinner. She also brought new clothes for Lin Xiangxi and his brother, and shoes she had made for her two sons. She carefully packed everything separately.

Grandpa Hu and Grandma Hu also received a gift. Lin Xiangnan had prepared two pounds of Big White Rabbit candies for the younger siblings.

The gifts weren’t expensive, but they required coupons to buy, which was a hassle. Only Lin Xiangnan, with her connections, could easily obtain these things.

Hu Meili distributed the gifts one by one, receiving unanimous praise from everyone.

“Second Sister, you really are something. I’m already working and earning money, and you still make new clothes for me.” Lin Xiangxi held the new clothes and examined them repeatedly, his smile unable to be contained.

“You still don’t know your sister? She’s always been generous.” Hu Meili boasted, “This outfit I’m wearing, your Second Sister bought it for me.”

“You know, your complexion has improved since we last saw you.” Lin Xiangdong complimented.

Lin Xiangxi was more blunt, “She’s put on weight.”

“Your Second Sister is just like you, she won’t let herself suffer in any way. I’m just enjoying the benefits.”

Since working at the restaurant, Lin Xiangxi had also gained some weight. Only Lin Xiangdong remained as thin as ever, making Hu Meili feel sorry for him.

“I don’t know if you’ve been eating properly while I’ve been away. It’s been over a year since you came back to the city, and you’re still as thin as when you first arrived.”

Hu Meili touched Lin Xiangdong’s face and then his arm, saying sternly, “You can’t skimp on your food, no matter how much you need to save. You’re still young, the most important thing is to take care of your health.”

“Mom, I can’t gain weight, no matter how much I eat. It’s just my body type.” Lin Xiangdong quickly explained.

Hu Meili wanted to scold him, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She simply turned her head and went to check on her younger son.

Nothing major had happened at home during her absence, and they had been writing letters regularly. So, apart from the first day when everyone had endless things to talk about, life returned to normal.

The next morning, breakfast at home was sweet potato porridge with more sweet potato and less rice, served with steamed multi-grain buns, some cold pickled vegetables, and a portion of cabbage fried with oil residue.

“You two have a pretty lavish breakfast. You even went to the trouble of stir-frying a dish.” When Hu Meili woke up, Lin Xiangdong had already prepared the meal.

Lin Xiangnan’s family always kept breakfast simple, they found it too much trouble in the morning.

“Mom, I stir-fried the dish because I need to take lunch to work.” Lin Xiangdong explained as he packed the food into lunchboxes.

Knowing that Lin Xiangdong wanted to save money to compensate his ex-wife, Hu Meili rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.

Apart from the first day when they had stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings, the family ate vegetarian meals every day.

The dishes were vegetarian, and the staple food was at least half mixed grain.

After eating this way for three or four days, Hu Meili felt a craving for meat.

She patted her mouth in frustration.

“It’s good enough to be able to eat our fill, why are you thinking about meat? You’re dreaming!”

The family had always eaten like this, and Hu Meili had been doing so for decades.

This month, the family only had one and a half pounds of meat coupons, which were reserved for the New Year. They could only eat meat once a month.

The food at Lin Xiangnan’s family was considered high-end in this era.

But even though she craved meat, Hu Meili didn’t plan to go to the housing complex and spend her own money to buy meat. She was reluctant, it felt like a waste.

She also felt a pang of regret when Lin Xiangnan spent money.

Hu Meili ate her bland boiled radish, sighing to herself. “Now that I’m gone, Xiao Nan has to take care of the kids, so she probably won’t have time to wander around the city and waste money.”

“Why are there no free lunches in this world? Meat that you can eat without spending money, how delicious it must be.”

“Forget it, boiled radish is good too. I love eating radishes, I love eating cabbage, I love eating sweet potatoes…”