Chapter 3: Mom Often Takes Medicine; It’s So Bitter, But Sweet Treats Make It Better

Lost in thought, the two children exchanged a glance, both remembering the strange atmosphere at home when they returned.

Their son, Lu Siyuan, hugged Su Yuanyuan, worriedly saying, “Mom, I saw them saying those nasty things again. The door is broken too. Did they bully you again?”

Although still young, with their father absent and their mother unwell, the two children, raised amidst constant criticism, had matured early.

Their uncles had often bullied and belittled their mother, so the children were quick to notice anything amiss.

“Mom, are you hurt? Did they hit you?” Their daughter, Lu Mingzhu, took Su Yuanyuan’s hand to examine it.

Both children were very worried about Su Yuanyuan’s health. Their mother was already frail; she couldn’t be bullied!

Su Yuanyuan paused, looking at the two children in her arms, their eyes wide with worry. A wave of warmth washed over her, softening her gaze.

“They didn’t bully me. They just said a few things. The door was already old. I’ll just find a nail to fix the latch later. What about you two? What did you do today?”

Fixing the latch was a simple task for Su Yuanyuan.

What she was concerned about were the children.

In the book, the children, without their parents’ care, had a difficult time, but they were very sensible and never worried their mother.

When she woke up, the children weren’t in the room. She didn’t know if the Lu family had done anything to them.

The two children carefully examined Su Yuanyuan, confirming she wasn’t injured before finally relaxing.

Lu Siyuan glanced towards the door, ensuring no one was lurking outside, before carefully taking out a small cloth bundle.

It was a ragged piece of cloth.

“I secretly helped Mrs. Zhang next door cut pigweed today. Grandpa and Grandma didn’t know. Mrs. Zhang gave me two cents. Mom, hide this. Use it to buy medicine later!  Medicine will make you better!”

Lu Siyuan opened the bundle, checking that the two cents hadn’t fallen out, before quickly placing them in Su Yuanyuan’s hand.

He was only three years old, yet his eyes held a maturity beyond his years.

“Mom, hide it carefully! No matter what Grandpa and Grandma say, don’t give it to them! They don’t need the money!”

Su Yuanyuan was surprised by Lu Siyuan’s words. She hadn’t expected the child to understand so much.

Besides the children’s intelligence, another reason was undoubtedly the Lu family’s appalling behavior, which even the children could see through.

After Lu Siyuan finished speaking, Lu Mingzhu carefully pulled out a candy from her old clothes pocket.

It was a large yellow candy wrapped in clear plastic.

“I helped Aunt Zhao clean her house today, and she gave me this candy she just bought from the supply and marketing cooperative! For Mom! Mom often takes medicine, and it’s so bitter.  Candy makes it less bitter.”

The children’s words were simple yet touching, bringing tears to Su Yuanyuan’s eyes. She hugged them and kissed them repeatedly.

Although the original owner was sick, she tried her best to care for her children.

The children were thin, but clean.

Since she had taken over the original owner’s body, she had to take care of the children. Besides, they were so adorable; she wouldn’t let them suffer.

“Mom will keep the money. Next time, we’ll buy candy for you. Let’s break this candy in half; you two share it. Mom doesn’t want candy. We’ll have lots of candy in the future! And our lives will get better and better!”

Su Yuanyuan pondered where to settle after taking the children away, then find a way to support them.

Her first task would be to write a letter to Lu Zhengan.

He hadn’t been home in so long; he had no idea what was happening.

Relying on men only led to starvation. Look at what happened to her children, and the original owner even died.

Su Yuanyuan sighed inwardly.

The children didn’t take her words to heart, thinking she was just comforting them.

In their minds, their father was unreliable, and only their mother worked hard to care for them.

When they were sick, only they took care of their mother. Their grandparents didn’t care and only said hurtful things.

When they helped neighbors and earned some money or a meal, the neighbors would sigh about their mother’s hard life and tell them to grow up quickly and find a job so they could eat their fill.

Adults said that people who could find jobs were amazing and had money.

They wanted to grow up quickly, find jobs, and support their mother.

They would definitely take good care of their mother!

Then, whether their mother needed medicine or medical treatment, they would have the money!

The two children, with their own “little plans,” made silent resolutions in their hearts.

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. The children swallowed, but after glancing at Su Yuanyuan, they refrained from speaking.

No matter how sensible the children were, they were only three years old, and their thoughts were written all over their faces.

Su Yuanyuan glanced at the two children and took three cakes from the basket at the foot of the bed. She had made them earlier using mugwort from her spatial medicinal garden; they tasted quite good.

When she came out of the space, she had thought the children might be hungry, so she had taken them.  There were exactly three left.

The original owner had been ill for a while and hadn’t worked in the fields. Now that it was time for dinner, wouldn’t Li Hua and the other two families cause trouble?

Going there would only be pointless.

The two children’s eyes widened at the sight of the mugwort cakes.

“Mom! Where did you get these cakes? Did you… did you steal them? You can’t steal!”

Lu Siyuan was frightened. He knew something must have happened at home today.  Seeing the cakes appear in Su Yuanyuan’s hands, he assumed his mother had stolen them because they were so hungry.

Lu Mingzhu glared at Lu Siyuan. “Mom would never steal. Don’t talk nonsense!”

Su Yuanyuan was amused by the children’s reactions. She ruffled their heads and put the cakes in their hands.

“Siyuan is right, you can’t steal. But these cakes are ones I hid earlier. Eat quickly, but don’t let anyone know we ate tonight, okay?”

The two children hadn’t eaten anything except a bowl of rice soup that morning. Their stomachs were growling.

Once they were sure the cakes weren’t stolen, each child grabbed a cake and began to eat.

With their first bite, Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu’s eyes lit up. They said in unison, “So delicious!”

“Eat slowly, don’t choke.”

As the children ate, their cheeks puffed out like two little hamsters, incredibly cute.

Su Yuanyuan’s heart melted. She was suddenly grateful that her arrival wasn’t ideal, but at least it wasn’t too late.

Now that she was here, no one would let her children go hungry or cold.

One mugwort cake wasn’t enough to fill their bellies, but they couldn’t eat too much, or it would arouse suspicion. It was just enough to ease their hunger.

After all the commotion, it was already dark.

In those days, people ate dinner, bathed, and went to sleep.

Su Yuanyuan turned off the lamp and told stories to put the children to sleep.

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu had worked most of the day and were exhausted. After bathing, they lay down and their eyelids grew heavy.

The light was still on in the next room. Su Yuanyuan didn’t need to guess what those people were whispering about.

…

“Eldest son, what’s going on? Didn’t you agree with him?” Li Hua sat on the kang, mending shoes, her needlework seemingly fueled by a desire to stab Su Yuanyuan.

That hussy was so irritating incapable of work, but a glutton!

“We did agree! I gave him the money, plus a cigarette and a bag of sugar!”

The old man, Lu Zhengning, was also puzzled. They had agreed, yet the person was nowhere to be found!

“Where is he?!” Old Lu, the father, irritably took a puff of his pipe. They had planned to catch Su Yuanyuan in the act of adultery, completely controlling her and getting all the money Lu Zhengan sent.  They were sure she wouldn’t dare say anything.

But they hadn’t seen the adulterer!

“Ugh! So stupid! You gave him all the money and things before even finishing the job. He’s probably laughing at you, a fool, and ran off with the money!”

Wang Chunhua’s heart ached when she heard her husband’s words. Even when arranging a marriage, the gifts weren’t this generous!

She never expected her husband to be so gullible, foolishly giving everything away.

“Now, the money’s gone, and the person’s disappeared. Big brother has always been so reliable.”

Lu Zhenggang, the second son, sneered. His parents always favored the eldest son, never considering him.

The plan had failed, and everyone was annoyed. Lu Zhenggang couldn’t help but make a sarcastic remark.

“Enough! You’re all just worried about the money!”

Lu Zhengning impatiently shouted, causing everyone’s faces to change as they glanced towards the door.

Wang Xiujuan, Lu Zhenggang’s wife, became anxious. “Big brother, what do you mean? It’s like you’re not worried. If you weren’t worried, why didn’t you pay all the money?”

As a fight was about to break out, Li Hua slammed her hand on the table and scolded them.

“Are you trying to die?!  Don’t you worry about that good-for-nothing hearing you?!”

Silence fell over the room.

Wang Xiujuan snorted and sat down to weave straw mats.

Reprimanded, Lu Zhengning, brimming with anger, kicked over the stool and stormed out.

Li Hua chased after him, scolding her son in frustration. “Why are you going out now?!”

Lu Zhengning ignored her, slamming the door shut.

“Go wander around all day!” Wang Chunhua grumbled, holding her child and returning to the room to put it to sleep.

However, Lu Zhengning didn’t go for a stroll. Instead, he went to Zhao Si’s house, seething with anger.

He kicked open the door, about to yell, but found the house pitch-black.

“Where is he?” Lu Zhengning kicked over a nearby chicken coop and cursed.  Had the man really run away?