Chapter 28.2

Translated by Aviana

“Mother, are you here?” Erniu’s voice came from outside.

Lin Qingwan got up from the kang and went to open the door.

As soon as the two little girls saw their mother in the room, they ran and climbed up to the kang at lightning speed. One sat left, and one sat right as they started chirping ‘mother, mother’ happily.

Lin Qingwan bolted the door before going back to the kang.

“Aiyaya~~ You saw your mother, but didn’t see your second bomu~” Sitting cross-legged on the kang, Lin Qingwan pretended to be angry.

伯母 (bómǔ): wife of father’s elder brother / aunt

During this period of time, the friendship between her and Yao-shi has become even deeper. The two children also became quite intimate with her. She also really liked these two lovable and cute kids.

Yang Sanniu quickly climbed Lin Qingwan’s lap and hugged her neck. “Sanniu also saw you, second bomu.”

Erniu also smiled bashfully, quickly saying, “Erniu also didn’t forget second bomu.” Smilingly, Lin Qingwan gently pinched Sanniu’s small cheeks, as she said imitating their childish tone, “Good then second bomu also didn’t forget you both.”

Saying so, she opened the kang cabinet and took out a paper bag from inside, “Look, second bomu has also prepared some snacks for you, your favourite cakes.”

Yao-shi rebuked her, “You always buy some or the other snacks for them. Why spending money so wastefully?”

Lin Qingwan opened the paper bag, and divided the sugar cakes inside to give it to them, while mischievously imitating them in childish voice, “Niuniu likes eating cakes and second bomu likes Niuniu, as such she lets second bo buy some cakes for Niuniu.”

伯伯 (Bóbo): Dad’s older brother. (Bo is the short form of Bobo)

The two girls at once broke into sweet laughter, “Embarrassing, second bomu speaks like a little girl.”

羞羞脸 (xiūxiūliǎn): (jocularly) shame on you!

Amused, Yao Shi pursed her lips into a smile,”Look at you. You usually look so gentle and graceful on the outside, didn’t expect you to be this amusing privately.”

Lin Qingwan was also amused by herself, as she rolled into a ball with two girls, laughing.

After laughing for a good while, she sat straight and poured one glass of water for herself and one for Yao-shi. I poured myself a glass of water and poured another glass for Yao. “You are too rigid every day. The sweet laughter of children is just very cute.”

Thinking for a moment, Yao-shi also nodded, “Yeah.”

Whilst eating the sugar cake, Sanniu spoke indistinctly in a childish voice, “Grandma, little gugu, and little shushu have chicken to eat, I and jiejie have cakes to eat.”

姑姑 (gūgu) : paternal aunt/ father’s sister

叔叔 (shūshu): father’s younger brother / uncle

姐姐 (jiějie): older sister

Erniu immediately turned her around and hit her lightly, “Don’t say it. Grandma said if we tell others, she will hit us again.”

Lin Qingwan glanced at Yao-shi as her heart sank.

“Niuniu, why did grandma say that she would hit you?” Lin Qingwan leaned close to Erniu’s small face and asked in child-like voice.

Erniu nipped a piece of sweet cake, “In the noon, grandma was eating chicken. Also, at that time shushu and gugu were also in the room. Seeing that Niuniu and meimei have seen them, grandma forbid us from saying it out, else she would hit us.”

妹妹 (mèimei): younger sister

Thinking a bit, she further added, “Second bomu, don’t tell it out, ah. Else grandma will hit me and meimei.”

Although she spoke incoherently, Lin Qingwan and Yao-shi understood the gist of it.

Upon hearing this, Yao-shi at once became red, “They are the ones eating covertly, why do they have to hit kids?” Lin Qingwan was also speechless.

One was a grandmother, while the other two were gugu and shushu. They were the ones who were eating covertly but ended up being seen by kids. Not only did they not share with children, they even went as far as to threaten kids to hit them if they said it out.

Originally, she had thought that even though He-shi was a bit of that kind of person, at the least at home regarding the matter of food, she treated everyone equally, apart from Yang Xuezhang. Every time he ate at home, she would give him two boiled eggs to nourish his brain. He-shi said that studying more drains the mental energy. As such, he needs to eat boiled eggs to replenish his brainpower. Well, since the people also say that, they all can understand. Other than that rest of the family eats the same meal, except the men in the family have slightly more portion.

Apparently, saving the food to save money, all of this only was on the surface. It seems that all of this is on the surface. To just block their mouths. However, as for what the other person eats behind the doors, it wasn’t their concern.

Truly, it wasn’t of their concern, but why does she feel disgust rise in her heart?

This He-shi and Wang-shi always manage to do things that ends up disgust others, as if they have swallowed a housefly in the mouth, making people nauseous.

On the one hand, Lin Qingwan assured the children that she would not this matter slip out, and on other side she tried to appease Yao-shi.

“Well, don’t think too much about it. You can’t just rush out and make a fuss out of it anyway. Remember well, don’t always be sincere just like that. When they said everyone gets an equal share, you truly believe it? All those things are locked in the main room. Who knows whether they are eating or not.”

This He-shi is also one exotic flower. In the house, the key to the storage room of foodstuff is always kept by her and is locked all year round. Only when there are no rice noodles will a bit of stuff be taken out. And certainly, all of it would not be stored in the kitchen but in her room. The amount needed for every meal is decided by her.

婆婆 (pópo): husband’s mother / mother-in-law

Yao-shi wiped his tears, “It was I who was foolish. I thought when popo was always ‘just and honorable, how can I have the nerve to ask for more food for children? Wouldn’t that be a slap across popo’s face? Who would have thought that they would secretly eat chicken in their room, and they even want to raise hands on my kids?”

Hugging the two girls, she wept, feeling aggrieved, “Even though two children are so thin, I never thought of secretly feed my kids behind their backs. The kids have grown this big, yet they often don’t eat as many eggs when compared to other kids.”

Seeing their mother weep grievously like that, the two girls quickly stopped eating the cakes and wiped their mother’s tears as they listened adults speak, confused.

“Okay, don’t cry, don’t end up scaring the kids. From here on, make sure you are alert. I will say this again, adults can lose out, but children can’t.” Sighing, Lin Qingwan tried to persuade her.

She can only give her advice. Can she even possibly go out and confront He-shi? That will only make things even worse.

Yao-shi took a deep breath before wiping her tears. “What you said is…” Glancing at the sky outside in the middle, “You hurry up and take a break. I will go back to the room, then after a while, we will go to the field to transport the cereals.”

Lin Qingwan nodded and saw them out. After which, she bolted the door, intending to take a small nap for a while.

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