Chapter 67.3

It was exactly six o’clock when they got home. Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Zhuzi worked together. Xiao Zhuzi chopped vegetables and leaves to feed the chickens, and Xiao Fantuan watered the vegetable field with a bucket.

Seeing the adults coming back, they all put down their work and ran over.

“Mom and Dad, why are you so late today? Can Zhuzi and I go dig some earthworms?”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and said, “Sure, we can have dinner soon. Be back within half an hour.”

Xiao Fantuan asked Xiao Doubao, “Xiao Doubao, are you going?”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said: “Xiao Doubao has been very well-behaved today. He walked a long way with me, so let him rest at home for a while,” Su Xiaoxiao said.

Xiao Zhuzi asked Han Cheng, “Uncle Han, has anyone gone to live in the courtyard where I used to live?”

Han Cheng really didn’t know about this. He shook his head and said, “Sorry, Uncle doesn’t know.”

Xiao Zhuzi said, “Aunt Su likes to eat leek, so we can also make leek dumplings. I heard from my grandma before that if you dig up the leek roots, you can replant them. Can I go back and dig up some leek to bring back and plant?”

Su Xiaoxiao gently patted Xiao Zhuzi’s head. This child is becoming more mature, and his appearance became more and more handsome. Su Xiaoxiao truly treated him as her own son, and her efforts were not in vain.

“It’s alright. Even if someone is living there, it’s not a problem. First, ask for their opinion and I think it should be fine,” Su Xiaoxiao said.

Fantuan replied, “If we go dig up leek roots, we won’t be able to dig up earthworms. Huahua has been with us for so many days and hasn’t laid any eggs yet. Maybe she hasn’t had enough earthworms to eat?”

The two little cubs can dig up quite a few earthworms at once. They can collect a bunch and keep them in a bamboo tube to feed Huahua for two or three days, and then go dig up more again.
Zhuzi said, “We’ve fed enough and so she should lay eggs soon. I remember my grandma used to raise a little hen, and it would lay eggs after eating earthworms for three to five days.”

Fantuan was skeptical and said, “Alright, let’s go dig the leeks.”

Two elder cubs went out, and the little cub took out the “puzzle” Han Cheng made for him from his small backpack and obediently put it together on the small kitchen bench.

Han Cheng went to the storage room and returned with a box of noodles, in just a short while, he managed to assemble the jigsaw puzzle of the pyramid.

Han Cheng felt that his intelligence was being crushed and said to Su Xiaoxiao, “It seems like we should do some complex puzzles for him.”

Su Xiaoxiao glanced and said, “Aren’t you going on a business trip to the capital in a few days? When you see educational toys suitable for children aged three to six, buy more of them back.”

Han Cheng glanced at the little toddler, who was not even two years old and barely able to speak. “Puzzle toys for children aged three to six?” he asked, puzzled.

Su Xiaoxiao: “It’s about toys that promote brain development. Do you think our son’s intelligence is equivalent to that of a one- or two-year-old? If you buy him stuffed dolls or toy cars, he will play with them for two days and then abandon them.”

It’s a pity that LEGO didn’t become widely available until the 1980s and only became popular in the early 2000s. Otherwise, this little guy would have been able to build simple LEGO sets by now. It’s hard to say what kind of puzzle toys are available at this time, but there are likely various options that can stimulate his intellectual development.

Han Cheng pondered for a moment and concluded that the toys he personally made would probably be more reliable.

As a result, for a long period of time, Han Cheng and Xiao Doubao engaged in an intellectual battle. Han Cheng would rack his brain every day to invent new toys for Xiao Doubao, while Xiao Doubao effortlessly “cracked” his toys.

Of course, that is a story for another time.

Their dinner is crucian carp and tofu soup. Han Cheng is at home, so, Su Xiaoxiao can instruct him to wash the pots and prepare them for hotpot, or use a large iron pot for stewing.

SU Xiaoxiao pan-fried both sides of the crucian carp until golden. Added a pot of boiling water, and a few slices of ginger, and she covered it and let it simmer in the high heat for a few minutes until the crucian carp soup became thick and white. 

After that, Su Xiaoxiao took out the crucian carp and placed it on a plate. Then put the tofu into the pot and let it cook for a few minutes. She also took a handful of bean sprouts, washed them, and added them to the pot. She let it Cook for a few more minutes, add a little salt and pepper, and…the soup is ready.

On Han Cheng’s side, the noodles are also cooked and divided into large bowls. Su Xiaoxiao poured the crucian carp and tofu soup over the noodles, resulting in a bowl of refreshing and delicious fish soup noodles being served.

Su Xiaoxiao sprinkled some chopped green onions on top of the crucian carp and drizzled a little bit of peanut oil and soy sauce.

It’s another healthy dinner with both meat and vegetables for the Han Family.

Su Xiaoxiao added some aged vinegar to her bowl of noodles, which made it look particularly appetizing to her.

The cubs who went on the mission also returned, carrying a large lump of mud with only leek heads left on top.

The two cubs put the heads of leeks in the vegetable field, patted the soil off their bodies, washed their hands, and ran inside.

They had already smelled the aroma of the rice and were ready to plant leeks after dinner.

Intelligence agent Xiao Fantuan reported the situation immediately: “Mom, someone has moved into Zhuzi’s old yard.'”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and said, “It’s normal. Have you thanked the uncle and aunt who stayed in? Let’s eat first

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and said, “That’s normal. Did you thank the uncle and aunt who moved in? Let’s have our meal first.”

Xiao Fantuan shook his head and said, “I thanked them, but they’re not uncles or aunts. It’s two older sisters and a grandmother.”

With today’s meal being delayed by half an hour, both Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Zhuzi were really hungry. They slurped a mouthful of noodles, and Xiao Fantuan danced with joy, as he exclaimed:  “Wow, it tastes so good!”
 
Su Xiaoxiao was surprised and said:  “Two sisters and a grandmother?”

Xiao Fantuan nodded and said, “A beautiful sister with a round face. Grandma is also very kind, and she gave me and Xiao Zhuzi a candy each.”

Xiao Fantuan took out a piece of candy and handed it to Xiao Doubao, saying, “Little brother, here you go.”

Xiao Zhuzi also took out his own candy and said, “Xiao Doubao, here’s my candy. Big Brother will give you one too.”

Su Xiaoxiao asked Han Cheng, “Isn’t there a dedicated bachelor’s dormitory in the military? Can unmarried individuals still be allocated housing? Can family members accompany the military personnel?”

She remembers Doctor Chen living in a bachelor’s dormitory in the apartment building.

Today’s dinner suited Han Cheng’s taste perfectly, and in no time, he had already finished half a bowl of noodles. “If a house is vacant and there are special circumstances, one can apply for it. I suppose in this case, since there’s only an elderly lady left in the family, they allowed to have her come along as well.”

Su Xiaoxiao thought about it: ‘The military can be quite considerate and humane.’

Su Xiaoxiao looked at the “candy” that the older cubs gave to Xiao Doubao. In fact, it was not sugar, but dried fruits. “Han Cheng, is this something from the traditional Beijing Eight Treasures snack?” she asked.

Han Cheng glanced at it and asked Su Xiaoxiao, “You know about this too?”

Su Xiaoxiao thought to herself: ‘Not only do I know about it, but I’ve also eaten it quite a bit in my previous life.’

However, she could only say:  “I saw it when I was in high school, my dormitory mates had some.”

Su Xiaoxiao was not an ignorant woman, so Han Cheng was not surprised by her knowledge.

Han Cheng said: “It seems like they’re from the capital.”

Su Xiaoxiao replied, “That’s not necessarily the case. They could have just returned from a business trip to the capital. By the way, when you go on a business trip to the capital, make sure to bring a box of those for the babies too.”

Han Cheng nodded and said, “Okay.”