Chapter 26 :Little Aunt

Gu Yun: “……” Cough, cough.

Actually, he didn’t want to be a thief either, but he really couldn’t resist how delicious Ruan Jiaojiao’s cooking was. So he had no choice but to play the role of a burglar this once.

“Fine, fine, I won’t look. Two little tricksters daring to scheme against your own uncle—really, no respect for your elders, humph…”

Gu Yun carefully tucked away his little bag of candy. This was his treasure—absolutely mustn’t be discovered. Humph!

“Mhm, mhm, we’re being impolite, so Uncle, you should just go already.” Dabao wasn’t the least bit scared by his words.

“Yeah! Hurry up and go!” Xiaobao chimed in, not afraid either.

Afraid he’d end up suffering a double loss instead of gaining, Gu Yun quickly left that place of trouble.

Once Gu Yun was gone, the two little ones, who had promised not to spy on Fu Ting and Ruan Jiaojiao, crept secretly to the kitchen window. They tiptoed, their chubby little bottoms sticking up, and peeked inside.

Hehe, even though Mama had told them they couldn’t peek whenever she and Daddy were “busy with things,” this time was different—they were openly watching! Heehee, so it didn’t count as spying!

But what they saw inside was not quite what Dabao and Xiaobao expected, and honestly, they didn’t really understand…

In the kitchen, the Fu Ting who had been so imposing just moments ago now looked utterly deflated. He didn’t even dare touch Ruan Jiaojiao’s shoulder, only pulled a pitiful face and coaxed her:

“Jiaojiao, my darling sweetheart, don’t be angry anymore, alright?”

“Little Auntie, I was wrong. I’ll never be fierce with you again, okay?”

“……”

Dabao and Xiaobao stared, dumbfounded, as Fu Ting repeated his few limited phrases over and over, coaxing Ruan Jiaojiao for a long, long time. Finally, she gave him just one word:

“Hmph.”

The moment he heard it, Fu Ting’s eyes lit up.

“Jiaojiao, you’re not mad at me anymore? That’s wonderful!”

Dabao and Xiaobao: “……”

What the heck?

Just a single “hmph,” and he could tell Mama wasn’t angry anymore?

But Fu Ting had just taught all men a vital lesson: if you make a mistake, you must admit it immediately; if your wife makes a mistake, you must also admit fault immediately. No matter what, it’s always your fault.

Otherwise… you’ll spend the whole day coaxing her.

At that moment, Fu Ting finally relaxed a little, his guard lowered—and he instantly noticed the two little rascals crouched at the window.

“You two!”

Dabao and Xiaobao, caught red-handed, quickly dropped their little raised bottoms and bolted.

But how could they outrun Fu Ting? In just a couple of strides, he had them both by the collar, one in each hand, and carried them back to their room. He plopped them against the wall and gave each of their plump little butts a smack.

Sensing the situation, Xiaobao immediately burst into tears—even though it didn’t hurt at all. Dabao, on the other hand, stayed stubborn, clenching his lips and holding back the tears.

They say the child who cries gets the candy, and indeed, Fu Ting’s adult instincts made him glance first at the crying Xiaobao.

But he quickly remembered Ruan Jiaojiao’s earlier reminder to take better care of Dabao’s feelings. So he shifted back, putting on a fearsome expression as he glared at them both.

“Spying, hmm? Disobeying? How many times have I told you—children don’t interrupt when adults are talking, and children don’t eavesdrop when adults are having a conversation! Didn’t you hear this before?!”

Dabao and Xiaobao exchanged a look. Finally, clever Dabao imitated Fu Ting’s tone and said:

“Daddy, Little Auntie, we were wrong. Please don’t be mad at us anymore. We promise we’ll never do this again.”

Xiaobao immediately stopped his fake crying and echoed his brother:

“Yeah, Daddy, Little Auntie, we’ll never eavesdrop again. Please forgive hubby—pfft, I mean, forgive Dabao and Xiaobao this once!”

Fu Ting: “……” His temple throbbed.

Just then, Ruan Jiaojiao came in and couldn’t help laughing when she saw Dabao and Xiaobao pretending to coax “Little Auntie” just like Fu Ting had.

Hearing her melodious laugh, Fu Ting finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fine, fine. The two brats might be infuriating, but at least they could make Ruan Jiaojiao laugh. That was one of their few redeeming qualities.

Dabao and Xiaobao: “……”

Yep, confirmed—he’s definitely their real dad.

As the saying goes, “some rejoice, others sorrow.” While Ruan Jiaojiao’s family laughed together in harmony, things weren’t so bright next door for Shen Junmei and Fu Jun.

Fu Jun had just returned from the factory. He couldn’t change his eating habits—he needed meat every single day.

But while the meals at the factory were free, the ones at home certainly weren’t.

So Shen Junmei had set a rule: one meat dish per week. That was already more than before—she and their son Jindan hardly ever ate meat in the past—but still, Fu Jun wasn’t satisfied.

Before long, he secretly ate up all the meat that her son-in-law had brought over.

By the time Shen Junmei discovered it, it was too late.

They quarreled loudly, and in the end Fu Jun raised his hand against her, beating her black and blue.

Would Shen Junmei take Jindan and return to her mother’s home?

No. She knelt before Fu Jun, admitting fault, saying she had just been impulsive. That meat her son-in-law had given them—she had originally planned to save it for the New Year. If Fu Jun had eaten it, then so be it. After all, the meat was for him and Jindan anyway.

At worst… she could just ask her eldest daughter Zhaodi to bring back more meat for the New Year. And besides, the commune would distribute meat then too.

She could never go back to her maiden family. Her mother valued sons over daughters. If she went back after being driven from her husband’s house, she would only earn the ridicule of relatives and neighbors.

She had to let everyone know that she, Shen Junmei, was doing well! A husband with prospects, a wealthy son-in-law, a son to rely on—she was the model daughter-in-law of the mountain village!

But right then, Jindan smelled the aroma of meat drifting over from Fu Ting’s house next door, and he started drooling.

He tugged on Shen Junmei’s arm:

“Mom! I want meat! Get me some meat to eat!”

Shen Junmei, still aching from Fu Jun’s beating, had just barely coaxed him into leaving for a walk. Now the boy was making demands again.

The pain piled on pain, making her hiss sharply:

“Jindan, let go of me! You’re hurting Mommy to death!”

“All the meat at home was eaten by your dad. There’s no more left! Don’t worry—when the commune distributes meat in a couple of days, Mommy will make stew just for you. You can eat all of it, I won’t even take a bite.”

“I don’t care, I don’t care! I want meat now! Dabao and Xiaobao’s family eats meat every day—why can’t I? Mom, you’re useless! You’re nothing like Second Aunt, she makes all kinds of delicious food!”

Shen Junmei’s head pounded with rage.

How could she not compare to Ruan Jiaojiao? She loved her son more than that woman ever could!