Chapter 156: Xiao Mo is a Responsible Good Kid

That evening, Mother Xu stayed to help take care of the children. Niu Niu had just fallen asleep, and she was holding Pi Pi while sitting on the kang and chatting with Xu Ning.

“These three children have not had an easy time; they’re suffering with us in the countryside.”

Xu Ning comforted her, saying, “Mom, we’re doing well now. Our family is together, and things will only get better from here.”

“We’re fortunate to have met your Grandpa Qi. Without him, we can’t even imagine how difficult things would be for us right now.

Xiao Mo heard from the villagers that other brigades with the same status as ours aren’t living as well as we are.

During the day, they work hard, and at night, they’re taken out to march through the streets. We need to show our gratitude to Grandpa Qi properly in the future.”

Xu Ning thought that after the college entrance examination, they would definitely take Grandpa Qi along with them.

If Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang were willing to move with her to Beijing, they could buy a bigger courtyard and all live together happily.

“Mom, we’ll make sure to treat Grandpa Qi well in the future. Don’t worry!”

The next day, as soon as Xu An went to work, Xu Mo ran over. He first went inside to give Niu Pi Tang a few kisses and then began tidying up the house and washing diapers.

Today, he seemed even more familiar with the chores than yesterday. As he washed the diapers, he sang, “With pride and spirit, we cross the Yalu River…”

Xu Ning was in the room holding Tang Tang while feeding her and could hear that lively little treasure singing outside.

After she had lulled the baby to sleep, Xu Ning planned to pull up the bean and cucumber vines near the toilet area to make space for planting cabbage. If she didn’t get them in the ground soon, the cabbage wouldn’t grow well.

Her health was quite good now, but Lu Xiaotang and the elders at home were concerned about her and didn’t want her to work too hard.

When Lu Xiaotang left, he had asked Xiao An to inform the Aunt Si in the village that they would be buying cabbages and radishes from her.

However, seeing that the large courtyard was empty seemed like a waste, so she wanted to plant a few things herself.

As soon as she walked into the yard, she saw Xu Mo had already hung the diapers out to dry and was pulling up the bean vines.

Noticing her, he asked, “Sister, are you feeling bored inside? There’s not much wind outside, and the sun is shining bright. You should come out and sit for a while; it gets pretty stuffy being indoors all day.”

Xu Ning smiled and walked toward the field, saying, “Xiao Mo, if I don’t do some work, I’m going to rust away! This isn’t heavy labor; I’ll help you with it.”

Xu Mo looked at her and nodded, saying, “Sister, just take your time. If you get tired, rest for a bit.”

Once they had cleaned up the vegetable seedlings, Xu Mo urged her to go inside and rest while he took a hoe and started digging the ground.

Xu Ning noticed that he was still shorter than the hoe, yet he worked quickly and efficiently, clearly not his first time doing this, which made her feel quite heartbroken.

She walked over, took the hoe from his hands, and said, “Xiao Mo, I want to eat the potato pancakes you make. Why don’t you go make some for me while I dig?”

“Sister, I’ll go make the potato pancakes for you right now. I’ll dig the ground this afternoon; you should go check if the babies are awake.”

“They’re still sleeping. No worries. You should hurry and make the pancakes!”

By the time he finished making the potato pancakes, Xu Ning had already dug up quite a large patch of land.

Xu Mo stomped his foot in frustration and said, “Sister, who told you to do that?”

She laughed and replied, “Xiao Mo, doing some work makes me feel a lot lighter.

Is your potato pancake ready? Hurry up and bring it over so I can taste it and see if your skills have improved!”

“Sister, you really don’t listen,” he said, then took a piece of the pancake and placed it in Xu Ning’s mouth, asking, “Sister, how does it taste?”

“It’s delicious! Xiao Mo’s cooking skills have improved so much; it’s even better than what I make now.”

Xu Mo felt a little proud. While he was away delivering the food, Xu Ning took the opportunity to dig up more than half of the yard.

When Xu Mo returned and saw what she had done, he was upset. He ignored her all afternoon and even complained to his mother and Aunt Lu that his sister didn’t listen and had secretly dug while he was gone.

That evening, when Mother Xu and Aunt Lu arrived, Xu Ning smiled and said to them, “Mom, I’m feeling much better now. I can do any kind of work, and staying still just doesn’t feel right.”

Seeing her in good spirits and knowing that it had been over a month since she had given birth, Aunt Lu said, “But you still shouldn’t do anything too heavy. Take it easy.”

Xu Ning quickly nodded and said, “Could you talk to Xiao Mo about it? Otherwise, he keeps trying to control me and won’t let me do anything.”

Both women couldn’t help but laugh; Xiao Mo really was a responsible good kid.