Chapter 19: The Aunt Came Back to the Village

He Ziqing laughed and said, “Last time, Sister Yinuo also misjudged it.”

Cheng Hongying rubbed her eyes. “Did I see wrongly?”

Shao Xingchen, who had his eyes closed pretending to sleep, felt particularly guilty. He had miscalculated. He hadn’t expected his grandmother to come back.

Qiu Yinuo, on the other hand, squinted her eyes, as if lost in thought.

How many times had this happened now?

Three times. It had already happened three times. With so many occurrences, it couldn’t be explained by coincidence anymore.

It wasn’t as if her eyesight had gotten worse, nor was it as if her mother’s eyesight had worsened too.

The key was that both of them had disappeared, which was a bit abnormal.

Could it be that they also had access to the space?

So it turned out that all three of them—the mother and her two sons—were qualified to use it.

With that thought, she couldn’t wait to test it out with the child. She wished it were already nighttime.

Even during dinner, her mind was elsewhere. She didn’t hear a word Cheng Hongying said and responded perfunctorily with a simple “Mm.”

That made Cheng Hongying slam her chopsticks down with a loud crack. “How did I end up raising such a troublesome child? Other girls wish they could be closer to their mothers, but you, you just remember all my shortcomings.”

“…Why are you suddenly angry again?” Was it that her mother was going through menopause? What should be done in this era for menopause?

There wasn’t any menopause medicine for women. Should she find a reliable traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to help her?

Just as she was about to say something, Cheng Hongying angrily started clearing the dinner table.

“Let’s go, Qingqing. We won’t bother with her.”

Qiu Yinuo, preoccupied with taking her son to the space, at this moment wished they wouldn’t interfere with her. “You all clean up, I’m too tired today, I’ll go sleep.”

Cheng Hongying: “…”

The next second, when she saw the door close and lock quickly, her head buzzed with frustration.

What a nuisance. How did she raise such a nuisance?

She even said she would leave tomorrow, and this rebellious girl couldn’t even pretend to try to make her stay?

This girl really knew how to make her angry.

He Ziqing whispered to comfort her, “Auntie, don’t be upset. Sister Yinuo definitely didn’t mean it. She probably didn’t even hear what you said. I noticed she was a bit off this afternoon.”

“You’re right. Could it be that she didn’t sleep well last night?”

Well, she had already come up with an explanation herself. “It should be.”

“Ah, this rebellious girl! Why doesn’t she talk to me? I can’t help with everything, but I can at least lend a hand.” Saying that, Cheng Hongying immediately went to knock on the door. “Niu’er?”

Qiu Yinuo, who was about to take her sons into the space, was left dumbfounded.

Fearing her mother would break the door, she got out of bed to open it. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll watch the children for you, you just sleep well.”

“…No need, I still need to wake up to feed them.”

“Don’t worry, I have a way.”

“What way? Formula? That won’t work. If the little ones don’t nurse from me, I’ll get engorged easily.” That pain was unbearable—it made her want to slam her head against the wall.

Cheng Hongying replied, “I’ll help you, so just rest well.”

Qiu Yinuo stared at her mother’s slightly sagging chest, horrified. “Good heavens, you have milk? Could it be that your precious son hasn’t weaned yet?”

Cheng Hongying was so angry that she wanted to hit someone. “What nonsense are you talking? Your brother is already seventeen years old, what milk would he be drinking?”

Seeing that her daughter was about to open her mouth again with more sarcasm, she quickly cut her off. “Don’t say another word. Just get on the bed and sleep properly.”

Qiu Yinuo pursed her lips but didn’t argue anymore. If it meant she could get a full night’s rest, she had nothing to complain about.

As for the space, there was plenty of time to explore it; it wasn’t something to rush.

Qiu Yinuo didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when she was awakened in the middle of the night by the baby’s soft whimpers. Out of habit, she tried to sit up.

A large hand gently pressed her back down. “Don’t get up. Keep sleeping. It’s better if you sleep on your side.”

She was genuinely curious how her mother planned to feed the baby, so she did as she was told.

Then, her shirt was lifted by none other than Comrade Cheng Hongying.

Qiu Yinuo was speechless.

A deep sense of helplessness welled up in her chest. Once a woman had a child, she really did become nothing more than a walking food supply.

She couldn’t accept how her mother just lifted her clothes without even asking. She was a mother, yes—but she was also a person in her own right.

Suddenly, Qiu Yinuo opened her eyes in anger, but just as she reached to pull her shirt back down, her hand was pinned by Cheng Hongying.

“Hold your shirt up. Don’t cover Erbao’s head—he won’t be able to breathe.”

Qiu Yinuo blinked her sore eyes. “What exactly are you doing?”

Cheng Hongying, practically holding Erbao with both hands, gently adjusted him to find the most comfortable position to nurse. She lowered her voice and said, “Niu’er, just sleep. Leave this to me.”

“They nurse for at least half an hour each time. If you hold them like this, your back will be aching after just one hour.”

“An hour is nothing. It’s still easier than working the fields. Just look at those dark circles under your eyes. Since you gave birth to these two boys, have you had a single night of proper sleep?”

Qiu Yinuo’s throat tightened. She lifted her shirt and lay down lower. “Mom, put Erbao down. If I feed him lying like this, it’s not that tiring.”

Over the past two months, she had tried countless nursing positions.

In the end, she found that this one used the least energy—though, after a while, it still made her hip joints ache.

Just as she was about to stretch her legs and move around a bit, Cheng Hongying had already started massaging her.

Qiu Yinuo froze. “Mom… how did you know that spot was hurting?”

“It’s your first time being a mom, but not mine. After I had your brother, it hurt in the same place. I saw the way you moved and knew right away.”

Cheng Hongying’s touch was just right—it eased a lot of her discomfort.

Right after finishing feeding Erbao, Dabao started smacking his lips, clearly hungry too. She switched sides to nurse him, and before she knew it, another hour had passed.

By the end, she couldn’t hold on any longer and fell asleep just like that.

In her dreams, it felt like someone was gently stroking her head and softly crying.

When she woke again, it was already bright outside—and the twins were gone.

Qiu Yinuo hadn’t slept so soundly in a long time. She lay in bed for a while, stretching luxuriously before finally getting up.

In the courtyard, He Ziqing was holding one baby in each arm, practicing martial arts moves. After looking around and seeing no sign of her mother, Qiu Yinuo asked, “Qingqing, where’s my mom?”

“Auntie went back to the village.”

“When? How come I didn’t know?”

“She left before dawn. Before she went, she even made you some loofah and egg drop soup. She said it’s really good for milk production.”

Qiu Yinuo muttered under her breath, “She left without saying a word…”

He Ziqing looked puzzled. “Sister Yinuo, didn’t you know? She mentioned it at dinner last night. You just absentmindedly responded and made her really mad.”

Huh?

She had no memory of that at all, but she did remember her mom being angry.

So that was why?

No wonder.

Why was there suddenly this faint sting of guilt in her heart?