Chapter 26: Second Aunt is an Educated Woman

Zhang Guihua shot him a glance. “What can little kids think that much about? They’re just simply happy seeing everyone eating the same thing.”

The younger children nodded seriously at their mother’s words. They decided they would have to learn more from her in the future, otherwise they wouldn’t even know what their little brother was thinking.

Si Yueyue looked at the kids nodding solemnly and couldn’t help wanting to laugh. She looked at everyone and said:

“There’s still some noodles in the pot. If you haven’t had enough, go help yourselves.”

“Got it, Second Sister-in-law.”

“Got it! Second Aunt…”

Zhang Guihua slurped up the last mouthful of noodles, then reached toward Lele. “Lele, let your Big Aunt feed you the noodles so Grandma can free her hands to eat, okay?”

“Mm… ah ah…”

Little Lele stretched his chubby hands toward Big Aunt, then nestled into her arms. Meanwhile, An An continued eating noodles seriously.

An An’s situation was similar. After Lei Dashu finished eating, he took An An into his arms and fed him noodles one small bite at a time.

Lei Jun gulped down the broth in his bowl, looked at An An curled up in Lei Dashu’s arms, and let out a soft sigh.

Sigh~ Even though he rushed, he still didn’t make it in time. The old man beat him to it again.

What a pity. He still didn’t get to feed the little guy today.

After handing over the task of feeding An An, Si Yueyue quickly slurped up the clear broth noodles that had already cooled down a bit.

She nodded while eating. Even though there wasn’t any seaweed, it was still delicious. Her skills were as solid as ever.

Once Zhang Guihua finished feeding her little nephew and Grandma Zhao had put down her bowl and chopsticks after eating her fill, she stuffed Lele into the old lady’s arms.

Then she hurriedly cleaned up all the empty bowls and chopsticks on the table and carried them into the kitchen to wash.

Si Yueyue stared blankly at her sister-in-law’s retreating back. She had been just about to put down her own bowl and chopsticks when Zhang Guihua swooped in midair and took them.

Of course, not needing to wash dishes herself, Si Yueyue was happy to relax. After all, washing dishes was the thing she disliked the most. Back in 2028, she always used a dishwasher.

If dishwashers existed in the 1970s, she would have sold everything, even the pots and pans, to buy one.

But well… it was only wishful thinking. It was impossible to realize—especially with Grandma Zhao, the one who held the family purse strings, still at home.

———

During the spring planting season, not only did the Lei family not lose weight, but their complexions grew even healthier, and the children gained noticeable baby fat. Little Lei Qingyun, who used to be skinny and dark, had transformed.

After just one winter, and some time being spoiled by Si Yueyue, he had become a chubby little white dumpling.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, when the Lei family went out to work, they deliberately darkened their faces a bit.

After spring planting was over, there wasn’t much farm work left to do. The Lei family returned to their regular routine. Zhang Guihua and Grandma Zhao took turns staying home to help Si Yueyue take care of the children.

The two kids were growing up and gaining weight. Once children became active, everything seemed novel and interesting. Sometimes, one adult couldn’t keep up with both of them.

If you took care of one, you’d lose sight of the other. So, someone in the family always had to help watch them—if anything happened, it’d be their own hearts that ached.

Lei Jun occasionally went up the mountain to hunt. When he was lucky, he could catch rabbits, pheasants, or find pheasant eggs.

Grandma Zhao would then cure the rabbits and pheasants into preserved meat and store them away, occasionally bringing them out for the family to enjoy.

Of course, hunting wasn’t always lucky. On unlucky days, Lei Jun would gather firewood or dig for wild vegetables.

…

Today, it was Zhang Guihua’s turn to stay home with Si Yueyue and watch the kids. Since it had rained a bit the previous day, they decided to take the children to the foot of the mountain to pick mushrooms.

The two of them put on patched clothes and tied their pant legs tightly to keep bugs and snakes from crawling in.

Zhang Guihua helped Lei Qingyun tie his pant legs securely, then she and Si Yueyue each carried a large bamboo basket on their backs and tucked An An and Lele inside.

Once everything was ready, the two women and three children set off for the foot of the mountain.

An An and Lele sat crouched inside the baskets, their big eyes full of curiosity as they peered through the small holes in the bamboo to look around.

“Ah mah… mm…”

“Mm ah… mah… yi…”

When Lei Qingyun heard his little brothers babbling, he joined in. “An An, Lele, we’re going to the mountain with Mom and Second Aunt to pick mushrooms!”

“Ah… oh…”

“Oh… mm… guh…”

“Mm-hmm, that’s right. After it rains, there’ll be lots of mushrooms on the mountain, and fresh wild vegetables too. We’ll dig up a bunch to dry and store at home, then Second Aunt can make tasty dishes again.”

Zhang Guihua looked over at Si Yueyue when she heard that, and the two women shared a smile.

Accompanied by An An and Lele’s babbling sounds of “ah ah, oh oh.” the five of them gradually approached the foot of the mountain.

Once they arrived, Si Yueyue picked up a small branch from the ground and began tapping it ahead as they walked, testing the path before them—just in case.

“Yueyue, let’s go this way. There’s a mountain hollow ahead, with lots of fallen leaves and old tree stumps.”

“Alright.”

Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp…

Coo coo coo coo…

Ying ying ying ying…

The birds sang on the branches, one chirping after another, as if performing in a grand chorus. The entire forest seemed to come alive.

An An and Lele looked up, trying to find the source of the sounds, but birdcalls echoed throughout the woods, leaving them unable to pinpoint any one place.

“Mm-mah… mm-ah…”

“Ah… ah-woo…”

Hearing the baby talk of her sons, Si Yueyue chuckled and said: “The little birds in the trees are singing, welcoming us strangers into the forest…”

“Oh… ah-mm…”

“Ah-woo… ya!”

Zhang Guihua and her son quietly listened to Si Yueyue’s words, while the two little ones continued to babble in response.

Amid the trio’s voices and the crisp birdsong overhead, they finally reached their destination.

Zhang Guihua pointed at the hollow up ahead and said: “Yueyue, there it is. We’ve arrived.”

Once they reached the spot, Si Yueyue found a small clearing. She first took the two children out of the baskets, gave them some water, and then placed them back in again.

“Mom, there are so many mushrooms here.” At that moment, the little pioneer Lei Qingyun had already discovered a large patch of mushrooms.

He cheerfully shared the news with his mother, his second aunt, and his two little brothers.

Si Yueyue, carrying Lele on her back, walked forward and looked at the mushrooms, then smiled at Lei Qingyun. “Xiao Yun is amazing. You found mushrooms so quickly.”

“Hehe~ Second Aunt, mushrooms are really easy to find. I’ll teach you.”

“Alright then, Second Aunt thanks Xiao Yun!”

“Ah…”

“Mm-mah… guh…”

“See? An An and Lele are praising you too. You’re the first one among us to find mushrooms—better than Mom and Second Aunt.”

“Heehee~” Lei Qingyun giggled, a little embarrassed by the compliments.

“Yueyue, Xiao Yun, let’s hurry and pick these mushrooms. We can’t stay too long in the mountains—it’s not safe.”

Si Yueyue knew her sister-in-law was right. The longer they stayed, the riskier it became. “Okay.”

Zhang Guihua moved quickly. In no time, she had filled a basket. Despite being young, Lei Qingyun’s little hands were skilled at picking mushrooms.

The sun rose higher in the sky, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patches on them. It was the first time An An and Lele had seen something like this.

Their chubby little hands reached out to grab here and there. When they failed to catch or touch anything, they looked at their hands in confusion.

“Mm… ah-mah…”

“Ah ah… oh…”

Si Yueyue glanced at An An on Zhang Guihua’s back. Watching his gestures, she immediately knew what the two brothers were doing.

She then explained: “That’s the sunlight. It’s shining through the layers of tree leaves, illuminating the forest…

Even reaching into every corner of the world. We can’t touch it, but it can cover our entire bodies…”

“Ah-oh…”

“Mm-mah… ya!”

Lei Qingyun listened quietly to his second aunt. He felt that what she said sounded so amazing! Although he didn’t fully understand, he just knew that Second Aunt must be really smart—she was an educated person.

Zhang Guihua felt the same. Though her hands didn’t stop moving, her ears were tuned intently to Si Yueyue’s words.

Then she looked up at the trees. Yes—layer upon layer of leaves. She reached up and tested it—yep, she couldn’t touch the light.

Isn’t that just why people should study more? Everything sounds better when spoken by someone educated.

“Yueyue, what you just said was so good. Educated people really are amazing—your words sound as nice as a song.”

“Hahaha… I’m nothing, really. Compared to truly educated people, I’m just a nobody. A small fry.”

“Well, I still think you’re the best. You’re good at studying, good at cooking, and even good at drawing… You’re a first-class daughter-in-law.”

“Hahaha… Thank you, Sister-in-law, for thinking so highly of me.”