Chapter 59.2

Xiao Fantuan continued to chatter non-stop, saying, “The Xiao Houzi took my shuttlecock and said he wanted his grandpa to make one just like it. But Dad, I don’t think his grandpa can make it.”

Han Cheng rubbed the child’s hair and said, “There are still a few at home. If he is your good friend and really likes it, you can consider giving him one

Xiao Fantuan tilted his head and thought carefully. Finally, he shook his head and said, “I can’t give it to him. Xiao Zhuzi and I have quite a few good friends, like Xiao Houzi, Xiao Shitou, Doo Doo, Guang Guang…” Xiao Fantuan counted a string of names on his fingers and concluded, “If I give it to Xiao Houzi, I’ll have to give it to all of them, right? We don’t have enough shuttlecocks at home, so we can only play together.”

“You can decide for yourself; Dad doesn’t have any objections.”

Han Cheng gently placed the child down and took a few steps forward. He reached over Zhuzi’s back, picked up Xiao Doubao, and placed him on the ground. “Zhuzi, you don’t need to carry Xiao Doubao all the time. Let him walk by himself.”

If his brothers carry him all the time, he’ll become a lazy little slob.

“I only carried him for a short while,” Zhuzi replied.

The two elder brothers led their younger brother to walk in front. Seeing that there was no one around, Han Cheng took Su Xiaoxiao’s hand and squeezed it.

Su Xiaoxiao leaned against his arm and rubbed it gently. “Why did you get off work so early today?”

Han Cheng replied: “It’s our child’s first day of school. I couldn’t make it in time to drop them off this morning, so I thought I’d at least pick them up. But it turns out I still couldn’t make it on time.”

Seeing someone approaching from a distance, Su Xiaoxiao let go of Han Cheng’s arm. “Didn’t you already pick us up? By the way, I went to the propaganda team today to complete the formalities for my new job.”

Han Cheng expressed surprise, “Wasn’t the plan to go after the Lunar New Year? Why is it so sudden?”

Su Xiaoxiao explained, “Here’s what happened…”

The family of five returned home, chatting and laughing, and by the time they arrived, it was nearly twelve o’clock. Only then did Su Xiaoxiao start preparing lunch.

In the hectic morning rush, Su Xiaoxiao passed by the market and bought some fresh clams without shells, intending to make a simple clam noodle dish.

The mung bean starch noodles were also soaked in the morning, and Su Xiaoxiao also bought sweet potato flour

The clams were briefly rinsed with water to ensure that each shell could be opened. They were then placed on top of the mung bean starch noodles. Su Xiaoxiao evenly spread the pre-prepared garlic sauce, which had been seasoned in a hot oil pan, over each clam. There was enough water left in the noodles. The dish was then steamed for about ten minutes before it was ready to be served.

Indeed, it is a versatile and delicious quick dish that can serve as both a side dish and a main course. It’s a pity that the mung bean sprouts haven’t grown yet, otherwise, if a layer of mung bean sprouts is added beneath the noodles, there would be no need to stir-fry any greens separately.

However, Su Xiaoxiao didn’t stir-fry any vegetables. Instead, she placed two eggplants by the steamer and drizzled them with the garlic sauce. This way, she created a balanced meal with a combination of meat and vegetables for a lazy lunch.

Not only did the children enjoy the meal, but even Han Cheng couldn’t get enough after having a full bowl.

Now, before Han Cheng gets off work, he subconsciously wonders what delicious meal his wife will prepare that day. It has become the thing he looks forward to the most every day.

Fantuan couldn’t help but lick the bowl clean and said, “Mom, I declare that clam and vermicelli soup is ranked 1 in the most delicious. I request to have an extra bowl next time!”

Today’s lunch portion looks quite large, but there is no rice to satisfy their hunger. Su Xiaoxiao then said, “Later, each of you can take a fried rice cake or persimmon cake with you to school. It’ll serve as a temporary fill for your stomach when you get hungry in the afternoon.”

After each class, Fantuan’s level of physical activity exceeds the standard, and it seems like his appetite has increased. However, Zhuzi’s level of physical activity is similar to Fantuan’s, but his appetite is not as big. The difference in physical fitness between each child is quite significant.

Only Xiaobao’s appetite can match Fantuan’s.

Su Xiaoxiao calculated the time. Xiaobao and her mother should have returned to their village around yesterday evening. At this time, Xiaobao should have just come home from school to have lunch.

These days, it’s really inconvenient without cell phones.

Han Cheng said, “By the way, I called Su Village Commune this morning to ask when Mom and Xiaobao arrived. The secretary said they arrived yesterday evening, so we can rest assured.”

Su Xiaoxiao was taken aback. She had never known what it meant to have one mind, but now she truly believed it was possible. Just as she had thought of Xiaobao and her mother, Han Cheng reported their safety.

Su Xiaoxiao smiled as she gazed at Han Cheng and said, “Comrade Han Cheng, you’re amazing.”

Han Cheng which part of him made him amazing, but since his wife said so, he believes it.

The little ones now have an additional task, which is to water the vegetable garden every day.

Zhuzi is very good at this job, so, he led his two younger brothers all the way.

Xiao Doubao has a strong liking for vegetables and insisted on watering the plant on his own. However, since he’s still too young, he doesn’t have good control over the water flow, and several times he ended up splashing water onto his own shoes. Fantuan couldn’t bear to watch it and carried him out as he said:  “If you wet your shoes and pants, Mom will have to do extra laundry, which will make her tired even more.”

When he heard that his Mom would get tired, Xiao Doubao immediately stood still and obediently watched his older brothers water the plants.

When Fantuan was about to step on the vegetable patch, he was stopped by Xiao Zhuzi. Zhuzi said: “If you press down on the seeds Grandma planted, they won’t be able to sprout. Didn’t Grandma leave a path for us? Walk along these furrows; this is the path Grandma specifically made for us.”

Fantuan thought about the appearance of the vegetables after they grew, and then suddenly realized, he nodded and said: “My grandma is really smart.”

Xiao Zhuzi didn’t say anything to correct him. The vegetable garden was always planted this way, and it was Fantuan who didn’t know.

Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng were tidying up in the kitchen when Su Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered something: “By the way, there isn’t much firewood at home. Should we go up the mountain and chop firewood ourselves?” 

To be honest, she really doesn’t know how to cut firewood

Han Cheng shook his head and said. “No need for that. We can have someone deliver it to us. It should be just a few cents per bundle, and we still have plenty of coal. It’s more convenient to use that for heating.”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said: “Using a coal stove to cook the dishes doesn’t compare to cooking them in a large iron pot. The taste is much worse,”

Han Cheng glanced at the hardworking children outside and gave Su Xiaoxiao a kiss on her cheek. “Anything you make is delicious.” 

Su Xiaoxiao tilted her head to look at him and said, Comrade Han Cheng, you’re becoming more and more romantic, huh?”

Han Cheng shook his head and said, “I’m just being honest.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “I just love how honest you are.”

Han Cheng chuckled. ‘Who is the romantic one after all?’

T/N: I heard that on NovelUpdates, you can’t open the link if you’re not logged in to their website. After learning about this, I decided to make a schedule for updates (I probably should have done this earlier). With this, you can just directly go to Shanghai. I’m not sure about the exact time, but I will be posting new chapters around this time (in Pacific Time, it’s 3:20 AM to 5:00 AM).

Thank you, everyone, and I hope you all had a great day~ (✿◡‿◡)