Yang Mailian was left speechless, “… “

This is just collateral damage.

She quickly replied, “Xiao Ming… you misunderstood! I never said that.”

How could she admit to such a thing in front of everyone?

When Qin Ming heard Yang Mailian deny it, his eyes widened. “You clearly said it! You said it! How can you deny it?”

Yang Mailian insisted, “You must have heard someone else say it wrong!”

“I didn’t! I didn’t misunderstand!” Qin Ming pushed Yang Mailian, crying as he turned to run away, “You liar… Liar… Waaaah…”

Lin Qingqing thought, “Is this the extent of the firepower? Her trump card hasn’t even been unleashed yet? Is this how it ends?”

Zhang Hongping glanced at Lin Qingqing before rushing after her grandson.

Seeing this, Yang Mailian could only follow after them.

Lin Qingqing had no choice but to take Lu Haici back into the house.

“Qingqing…” Yu Xiuyuan walked over, her face beaming with a smile, clearly in a good mood.

“Sister-in-law.” Lin Qingqing stopped in her tracks.

Yu Xiuyuan gave her a thumbs-up, “I’ve never seen them like that before!”

Lin Qingqing smiled back, “In the countryside, I often encountered those who act superior because of their age. It seems like I’ve finally shown my true colors to you, scaring you a little?”

“How could I be scared? I like you just the way you are.” Yu Xiuyuan genuinely appreciated Lin Qingqing’s personality.

She admired people who confronted issues head-on rather than those who acted sneakily behind others’ backs. “Weren’t you going to write a letter? Are you still writing it?”

Lin Qingqing replied, “I’m not writing it anymore. Sister-in-law, come in and sit for a while. I’ll take Haici to kindergarten and then we can chat when I return.”

Yu Xiuyuan waved her hand, “No need for that. I’ll head back now. If you need anything, just come find me.”

As soon as Yu Xiuyuan left, Xu Huijuan came in right after, “Jiyang, Mommy will take you to kindergarten.”

Xu Huijuan felt a bit intimidated by Yu Xiuyuan.

In her past life, she was not fond of Lin Qingqing, so she often shot her disapproving glances.

Since Yu Xiuyuan’s husband was a regimental commander, Xu Huijuan didn’t dare to argue with her.

Therefore, whenever she saw Yu Xiuyuan, she would become a bit timid.

Perhaps influenced by the previous generation, she felt a measure of fear towards Yu Xiuyuan.

“Mom, I want to go to kindergarten with Lu Haici,” Ji Yang said.

Although Xu Huijuan wanted to keep her distance from Lin Qingqing, she didn’t refuse Qi Yang on this matter. “Okay.”

Inside the house, Lin Qingqing packed the box of tofu pancakes into Lu Haici’s small backpack.

Although the backpack was small, it could fit the lunchbox.

She then pulled out a handful of White Rabbit milk candies and added them to his backpack. “These candies are for the friends who help you today; each one gets one. Remember to thank them for being your friends, okay?”

Lu Haici nodded. “Got it.”

Lin Qingqing continued, “And there’s Qin Ming. Today, Qin Ming’s parents are coming, and the adults will sort out their issues. But do you remember how to resolve things with your friends?”

Although today’s events were somewhat precarious, with her visually gaining the upper hand through the red antiseptic, and given that Qin Ming was unpredictable, it was important to remember that adult matters were for adults, and children’s matters were for children.

Children of Qin Ming’s age inherently weren’t bad; even if they went astray a bit, it could be corrected.

If they didn’t improve, it was certainly due to the adults not being attentive.

Children were like blank sheets of paper, depending on how adults wrote on them.

Lu Haici said, “I remember. I need to apologize to Qin Ming because I hit him first.”

“Correct! Our Haici is so obedient.” Lin Qingqing patted his head.

No matter how others acted, if her child did something wrong, it had to be corrected.

Upon hearing this, Lu Haici shyly smiled but quickly pressed his lips together again.

Lin Qingqing chuckled softly.

“Mom…” Lu Haici’s face turned red. “Can I still listen to a bedtime story?”

“Of course! A child who knows to correct their mistakes is allowed to listen to a bedtime story.”

Lin Qingqing held Lu Haici’s hand as they left the house, where Xu Huijuan was waiting outside with Ji Yang. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Ji Yang’s mom.”

“It’s fine,” Xu Huijuan replied, her tone sounding somewhat distant.

Lin Qingqing paused for a moment but then smiled and said, “Thank you, Ji Yang, for today.”

Ji Yang replied, “Auntie, you don’t have to thank me. Lu Haici and I are the best friends. The teacher says that good friends should help each other.”

Lin Qingqing praised, “Ji Yang is really good.”

Lu Haici’s little ears perked up, and the smile on his face faded a bit.

After Lin Qingqing dropped Lu Haici off at kindergarten, she left.

Originally, she wanted to get to know Xu Huijuan and make a friend, but seeing Xu Huijuan leave at lightning speed left her somewhat taken aback.

Lin Qingqing wasn’t naive; given the situation, the only conclusion she could come to was that Xu Huijuan might not like her.

Though it was merely a guess without verification, Lin Qingqing wasn’t the overly enthusiastic type.

She tended to mirror the energy of others: if someone was warm towards her, she would be warm back; if they were distant, she would be distant in return.

Perhaps due to her childhood experiences, she always protected herself, and if the other person didn’t take the first step in forming a friendship, she wouldn’t either.

When Lu Haici and Jiyang arrived at the kindergarten, many other children were already there.

Lu Haici might not be the type to actively make friends, but he was definitely the kind of child who listened to his mother.

After arriving at kindergarten, Lu Haici took the milk candies out of his little backpack and distributed them piece by piece to the kids who helped him during the fight that morning: “Thank you all! My mom said to give you candy, and thank you for being my friends.”

The children were delighted to receive the candies.

They had initially helped Lu Haici because of Jiyang, but now Lu Haici was their true friend.

One brave little boy declared, “No need to be polite! You’re my brother now!”

It was unclear where he picked up such phrases.

“Right, Lu Haici, you’re my brother now!”

Lu Haici replied, “But I don’t have any brothers. My mom and dad only have me.”

The other boy explained, “Not a real brother; it’s like a friend who’s even better than a friend. My brother says that the best friends are like brothers. From now on, you’re my best friend!” Apparently, a piece of candy was enough to seal their brotherly bond.

Lu Haici nodded, starting to understand, “I got it! Then you’ll be my best friend too.”

“What about me?” Jiyang asked anxiously.

Lu Haici thought for a moment, “You’re my double best friend.”

“What does double best mean?” another child asked.

Lu Haici replied, “Double best means better than best….”

The children began to gather around Lu Haici, happily chatting while enjoying their milk candies.

Meanwhile, a group of kids who had helped Qin Ming watched the scene with envy, drooling at the sight of the candies.

Some even turned their backs to Lu Haici and his friends, pretending they didn’t see.

“I’m coming…”

Qin Ming walked into the classroom with a waddling gait.

As Qin Ming entered the classroom, all the children, including Lu Haici and his little friends, turned to look at him.

Qin Ming froze.

At that moment, Lu Haici took a milk candy from his backpack and walked towards Qin Ming.

Qin Ming stepped back a few paces. “What are you doing? Lu Haici, are you going to fight me? I’m not afraid of you; I’m a big hero who fights bad guys, so I’m not scared!”

Lu Haici stretched out his hand, a large White Rabbit candy resting in his small palm.

He said in a clear, cheerful voice, “My mom said that while it’s wrong to speak ill of others, it’s also wrong to hit people. I’m apologizing to you, and I’d like to share some candy.”

Qin Ming was taken aback.

Lu Haici was apologizing to him and offering him a White Rabbit candy?

The little friends nearby were equally stunned, but their young minds didn’t delve too deeply into the situation; they were likely more focused on the candy in Lu Haici’s hand.

“I… I…” For a moment, Qin Ming didn’t know how to respond.

Children also had a sense of shame, and as a child who had been spoiled by his family, he felt a hint of helplessness at that moment.

Lu Haici continued, “Can you tell your grandma not to say bad things about my mom? My mom is a good mom. My dad said my mom is my mom. She can cook fried rice, make tofu pancakes, give me baths, wash my hair, and cuddle me…”

As he spoke, his eyes turned red, and his voice choked up. “She even said she’d tell me bedtime stories. My mom… wuwu… my mom is the best, the double-best mom! Your grandma can’t say bad things about my mom.”

He remembered Qin Ming’s words—that it was Qin Ming’s grandma who had said bad things about his mother, which is why Qin Ming had said his mom was bad.

“Don’t cry…” Qin Ming felt a bit scared.

If Lu Haici had come at him to fight, he wouldn’t have been afraid; he would have boldly fought back.

But Lu Haici was now talking so much and apologizing while crying, leaving him feeling utterly bewildered as he had never dealt with such a situation before.

“Right, Lu Haici’s mom can make delicious fried rice and tasty tofu pancakes. His mom is the double-best mom, and my mom is the double-best mom too!” Jiyang chimed in, echoing the sentiments of his little friends.

“I… I didn’t mean it. It’s what my grandma said. I heard her say that stepmoms aren’t good moms.” Qin Ming weakly defended himself. “I… I will tell my grandma not to say bad things about your mom. Just stop crying.”

He felt overwhelmed—he hadn’t even fought Lu Haici yet, and now he was crying. “Lu Haici, you’re a little man; how can you cry like this? Boys who cry won’t find a wife!”

Lu Haici replied, “I don’t want a wife; I have a mom!”

“Mom is enough.”

Jiyang said, “I don’t want a wife either. I have my mom and Lu Haici’s mom, and that’s enough.”

Lu Haici immediately glared at Ji Yang. “Why do you want my mom? My mom is my mom.” He was quite angry.

How could Ji Yang want his mom when he already had a mom of his own?

Ji Yang replied, “Your mom’s tofu pancakes are delicious. Lu Haici, I want to eat another tofu pancake; my stomach is already growling.”

Lu Haici didn’t want to share; he was reluctant to give it up.

Ji Yang added, “I can have my mom make meat buns, and I’ll trade you a meat bun for your tofu pancake.”

Lu Haici hadn’t had a meat bun in a long time, and he wanted to eat one.

However, he was still reluctant to trade his mom’s tofu pancake.

But… he also wanted to give his mom a meat bun, so he returned to his seat, pulled out the lunchbox from his small backpack, and opened it.

He rummaged through and picked out the smallest, thinnest tofu pancake for Ji Yang. “Here, you give me a meat bun.”

“Okay.”

Ji Yang took the tofu pancake, took a small bite, and then made a little expression like his dad did after drinking. “It’s really delicious.” He tilted his head back, looking blissful.

Seeing this, Lu Haici also took out a tofu pancake and started eating too.

---

At the Lu Family

Lin Qingqing returned home, first tidying up the dining table, then preparing the dough.

She planned to make tomato and egg noodles for dinner; the flavors were mild, and stir-frying the tomatoes and eggs would enhance the taste.

This was also the reason she couldn’t bear to refuse the tomatoes that Xu Huijuan had given her.

While the dough was rising, Lin Qingqing began cleaning the living room.

She selected a few pieces of dirty laundry that she had sorted out from the bedroom yesterday and placed them in the wash basin before heading out to do the laundry.

As Lin Qingqing stepped outside, she noticed many people sneaking glances at her.

She thought to herself that she might have become famous after the incident at noon, but she didn’t care about others’ gazes.

There was indeed a lot of laundry to wash in the living room.

Lin Qingqing went back and forth, washing two basins full, and by the end, she was exhausted.

However, the clothes she intended to wash were finally done.

All that was left was the sheets and pillowcases, which she planned to wash the next day since it was already time to prepare dinner.

Tomato and egg noodles were very simple to make; whether it was tomato and egg soup noodles or tomato and egg on top, the process was the same.

However, Lin Qingqing was making tomato and egg on top.

First, she boiled water in an iron pot and poured it into a thermos.

One pot of water could fill three thermoses, but the Lu family only had two.

She filled a bowl with hot water from the kettle, then scooped out some hot water to soak a tomato, cutting a cross on the top before placing it in the bowl.

Next, she added the noodles to the boiling water in the iron pot.

Her strength was small, so she opted for knife-cut noodles.

Once the noodles were in, she took the tomato out of the hot water after it had soaked for a while, peeled it, and diced it.

Then she began to stir the noodles.

After the noodles were cooked, she scooped them out and cleaned the pot to prepare for the tomato scrambled eggs.

For the tomato scrambled eggs, she first added the eggs to the pan, scrambling them until they were half-cooked.

While scrambling the eggs, she used the spatula to break them apart, then added the diced tomato and stir-fried them together.

After a bit of stir-frying, she added water and salt.

Letting the tomato scrambled eggs cook for a while longer allowed the rich tomato juice to simmer, enhancing the flavor significantly.

“Mom, I’m back…” Lu Haici burst through the door after school, darting into the kitchen like a little cannonball.

He skidded to a stop at the kitchen entrance.

“Go put your backpack away and then come eat,” Lin Qingqing instructed.

“Okay!” Lu Haici dashed back to his room.

At the entrance of the military compound, several cars pulled up.

A tall, handsome man jumped out of one of the vehicles.

Normally, he would head straight to the office to complete his task report, but today he couldn’t be bothered with that; he hurried toward the residential area instead.