Chapter 125

Han Cheng’s calligraphy was taught by his grandfather when he was still alive, exhibiting a vigorous and distinct style and embodying an air of greatness.

In Su Xiaoxiao’s previous life, she also had an interest in calligraphy. In her spare time, she used to copy characters from calligraphy models, eventually developing her own unique style, which looks feminine and gentle. 

However, when it came to teaching boys, it was left to Han Cheng. But when Xiao Tangyuan grows older, she will start learning from her.

Xiao Fantuan was someone who acted on his words. When Han Cheng returned home from work in the evening, the first thing he asked from Han Cheng was to make him material that he could copy.

Han Cheng always believed that handwriting was a person’s second face. Those who wrote well could make an exceptionally good first impression. It is rare for his son to be willing to learn calligraphy, so he was pleased to see him doing so.

“Help your Mom cook first, let’s start learning after eating our meal,” Han Cheng said.

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “No need to help me. We’ll have sour cabbage and rice noodle dumplings tonight. As soon as the water boils, we can eat. The kids can go take a bath first, and we’ll feed Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan.”

Xiao Doubao could now take care of himself, bathe on his own, and even help take care of his younger siblings, which relieved Su Xiaoxiao of a lot of worry.

For tonight’s dinner, the twins had carrots and yam congee. Su Xiaoxiao chopped carrots and yams into the congee, and when there’s bone or meat available, she adds it for flavor. The congee turns out fragrant and sticky, and the twins love it.

Especially Xiao Roubao, who can eat a whole bowl, while Xiao Tangyuan can only manage to eat half a bowl.

Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Doubao also liked to eat it, considering it as a snack, so Su Xiaoxiao would cook a little more.

Lately, Xiao Roubao kept biting the spoon and drooling a bit after eating porridge. Han Cheng fed him a bowl of porridge, and the little chubby boy grabbed the spoon and bit on it again. He always enjoyed putting everything in his mouth.

Han Cheng took Xiao Roubao’s spoon and tried to open his mouth to check. The little one, however, kept moving and not cooperating. “Don’t move, let Dad see if you’ve grown teeth,” Han Cheng said.

Han Cheng did indeed see that there were white spots on Xiao Roubao’s gums. After washing his hands, he gently touched them. It felt hard and swollen like something was breaking through. Accidentally, he got bitten by the little one, which was quite painful. Han Cheng pinched his chubby face and said, “No wonder you put everything in your mouth to bite; it turns out you’re growing teeth.”

Some children may get a fever when teething, but Xiao Roubao has always been healthy. Thinking he wouldn’t grow teeth so soon, they were surprised to find out that he did.

Su Xiaoxiao came over to take a look. “Xiao Roubao~~~ Let Mom see.”

Every time Su Xiaoxiao asks Xiao Roubao to open his mouth, there is always something to eat. He thought there was something delicious to eat, so he opened his small mouth wide. Unexpectedly, his mother just looked at his mouth and didn’t feed him anything. He was so disappointed and began to twist and turn, hitting the crib rail and making a fuss.
Su Xiaoxiao asked Han Cheng, “Han Cheng, do you think it’s okay if I make some hard rice cakes or pumpkin cakes for Xiao Roubao to chew on?”

Han Cheng, still checking if his precious daughter had teeth, replied, “No matter how much you make, he’ll probably eat it all. Let me find a way to get teething toys for both of them. Fantuan had one when he was little; I just don’t know where it went.”

It was a teething toy made of old pepper tree wood, about the thickness of a finger. It required professional woodworking tools to smooth it, something they couldn’t do themselves.

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Then I’ll bake some pumpkin cakes for him tomorrow. It’s okay if he eats them; he can eat less during regular meals.”

Han Cheng nodded and said, “That works too. Our little girl probably won’t teethe as early as Xiao Roubao.”

Su Xiaoxiao looked at her soft daughter, and her heart melted as she said, “It’s okay; boys are impatient, but little girls take their time. She’ll grow teeth before she turns one.”

Han Cheng rubbed his wife’s head, looking at the mother-daughter duo, who resembled each other in appearance and temperament. He truly felt blessed by fate, finding it hard to describe the satisfaction of getting what he wished for. In short, it was a fulfilling life.

In the evening, Su Xiaoxiao wasted no time. After dinner, Han Cheng practiced writing with the kids, and Xiao Doubao joined in. Meanwhile, Su Xiaoxiao made teething biscuits for Xiao Roubao.

She steamed pumpkin slices, added a suitable amount of flour, kneaded them into finger-sized strips, and baked them in a clay pot until dry.

Su Xiaoxiao also peeled and cut a few sweet potatoes into strips and roasted them together. These were all-natural teething toys, and Su Xiaoxiao tried to make a few extra for the older kids to snack on.

As soon as the baked cakes and sweet potato crisps were ready, the kids, who had been practicing writing for a while, gathered around.

Fantuan said, “Mom, it smells so good! What are you making?”

Su Xiaoxiao replied, “Teething biscuits for your little brother and sister. Xiao Roubao is about to get his first teeth, and his gums are itchy. So, he wants to bite anything he can get his hands on. Be careful not to get bitten by him.”

Hearing that it was something made for their younger siblings, the kids refrained from reaching out to grab a bite, despite their cravings.

Su Xiaoxiao watched as they were both filled with longing and drooling, but none of them spoke up to ask for a taste. The children at home were so well-behaved, she wondered if Xiao Roubao would be as good when he grew up.

“This year, the vegetable garden yielded a lot of pumpkins. I roasted many of them. The recipe is simple. Try it, and if you like it, I’ll bake more for you to take to school as snacks. These have no added salt or sugar, not as delicious as the preserved vegetable pies.”

In this era, it seemed there was hardly anything that wasn’t delicious. Pumpkins, inherently sweet, turned out fragrant and crispy even without any additions, making them especially tasty.

The family also dried a lot of sweet potatoes. Sometimes, the kids took a handful to school, but the roasted sweet potatoes were even more delicious than the dried ones. Xiao Doubao particularly loved the roasted sweet potatoes.

Xiao Fantuan said, “Mom, can you make more of these biscuits? We want to take them to school.”

Since the arrival of the twins, Xiao Fantuan has become more mature and “Elder-Brother-like.” He used to act cute and ask Su Xiaoxiao to make delicious food for him, but now, understanding that his mother was busy, he rarely made any demands. So, Su Xiaoxiao would naturally fulfill his small requests.

Su Xiaoxiao rubbed the sensible child’s head and said, “Sure, this is easy to make.”

Xiao Doubao also squinted his eyes and added, “Mommy, then I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes.”

Xiao Zhuzi said, “I’m fine with anything. I’m not picky.”

Su Xiaoxiao agreed, “Okay, okay. Next time we can bake some sweet potato cookies or potato biscuits. Anyway, we can bake whatever coarse grains we have at home.”

After the cubs had enjoyed eating the snacks, the kids grabbed some for their dad, Han Cheng, who was reading a professional book while eating the “teething biscuits” Su Xiaoxiao made for their son and daughter, feeling a bit indescribable.

Fantuan and Xiao Doubao practiced handwriting for a while before brushing their teeth and going to bed.

Xiao Zhuzi, who returned to the neighboring yard, was still studying late into the night.

Yali knocked on her son’s door. This was something Su Xiaoxiao had taught her – always give children the utmost respect and space so that they would willingly share everything with adults.

Xiao Zhuzi didn’t lift his head and simply said, “Come in.”

Yali walked up to her son and said, “Son, it’s so late, and you’re still not sleeping?”

Xiao Zhuzi still didn’t lift his head, gently shaking it as he said, “Mom, I’ll go to bed after I finish practicing this version.”

Yali bent down to look at her son’s writing. To be honest, Zhuzi’s ballpoint pen handwriting was excellent. The words written by an eight-year-old boy were better than those of many adults. The layout was always clean and tidy, making Yali feel particularly content and proud every time she looked at her son’s homework.

As for the brush-pen writing, it was also good, considering his young age. It was inevitable that it would have a touch of innocence.

“It’s very late; how about practicing tomorrow?” Zhuzi had shared with her Su Xiaoxiao’s new approach to education, and Yali was supportive. However, seeing her son work so hard, her motherly heart felt both satisfied and distressed.

Zhuzi finally put down his pen and asked Yali, “Mom, do you honestly think my handwriting looks good?”

Yali nodded and said, “At your age, Mom thinks it’s very good.”

Zhuzi said, “Mom, actually, I have always practiced calligraphy. Since Aunt Su taught me to write my first character, I’ve been thinking that I want to write as beautifully as Aunt Su. Fantuan also thinks the same way, so we used to practice whenever we had free time.

Fantuan is a year younger than me. When he first held a pen, I had already attended classes for half a semester. But Fantuan wrote much better than me in a short period of serious practice. He rarely practices now, but he still writes well. Earlier, Uncle Han only taught us calligraphy once, and Fantuan quickly realized that the characters he wrote were not as strong and stylish as those of Uncle Han. Fantuan quickly learned from Uncle Han that the characters he writes, apart from not having the strength and style of Uncle Han, are really good.

Mom, Fantuan is the smartest person I’ve ever seen. He can remember a book after reading it once. I might have to read it three or five times. If I want to be as good as Fantuan, I have to work several times or even ten times harder to keep up with him. So, I have to work harder. Mom, you don’t know how happy and proud I was when I worked hard with Fantuan to skip three grades with my efforts, and how proud Aunt Su was of me.”

Yali’s heart felt both sour and tender. She knew she and Zhang Hongtu had missed the crucial stages of their child’s growth, but luckily, he met Su Xiaoxiao’s family. She had always known that Su Xiaoxiao taught the children well, but every time Zhuzi spoke, Yali couldn’t help but feel that her child was even better than she imagined.

In any case, the child really didn’t need her and Zhang Hongtu to worry. Even his Grandpa said that his ancestors burned high incense to get such a good grandson, and it was also thanks to the Han Cheng family.

Zhuzi was willing to share these thoughts with her, and she was genuinely happy about it. If Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t guided her, she and the child might still need a long time to adapt, rather than being so open and honest now.

Yali hugged her son and kissed him on the forehead and said, “Mom knows. In her eyes, you are the best. You don’t have to compare yourself to Fantuan in everything. It’s better to balance work and rest, just do your best and don’t harm your eyes and body.”

Zhuzi shook his head. “Mom, Fantuan, and I aren’t competing. We’re progressing together. Don’t worry, I’m watching the time. I’ll practice for a while and then go to sleep. You and Dad don’t have to worry, go to sleep first.”
After saying this, Xiao Zhuzi lowered his head again to continue practicing his writing.

Yali rubbed her child’s head. She truly didn’t know how to thank Su Xiaoxiao’s family.

Su Xiaoxiao had emphasized many times that Zhuzi was naturally well-behaved, and his grandmother also taught him well. She hadn’t really worried much about Zhuzi, but from the words and lines of Zhuzi’s writing, it was easy to hear how deeply Su Xiaoxiao had influenced him.

She should be grateful to Grandma Zhang for raising Zhuzi and also thank Su Xiaoxiao’s family.